HGBW: Ch. 139

The Konoha forces had established a defensive position along the edge of a ridge. The purple poison cloud created an unnatural barrier between them and the Suna forces. Rain continued to fall heavily, its constant patter providing cover for movement while reducing visibility.

Tanaka sat cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation, with steady breathing. The soldier pill he had consumed was gradually restoring his depleted chakra reserves, but he knew it would take time before he could use his ROOM technique effectively again.

Hizashi stood protectively nearby, coordinating the Hyūga's defensive formation. The Aburame clan members had positioned themselves strategically, their kikaichu insects hovering just beyond the poison's range, awaiting commands.

Footsteps approached, and Tanaka opened his eyes to see Homon returning from reconnaissance.

"The poison is behaving strangely, Tanaka-sama," he reported. "It's not dissipating as expected."

Tanaka activated his Byakugan cautiously, limiting its range to conserve energy. Through his enhanced vision, he observed the molecular structure of the poison cloud, noting its unusual behavior.

"The chakra absorption property is creating a self-sustaining reaction," Tanaka explained. "It's feeding on the ambient chakra in the environment."

How did she develop this? he wondered. Was the mere threat of a new "White Fang" enough to drive her to such extremes? This isn't the Chiyo I remember. She's far more desperate. That makes her more dangerous...

He watched as raindrops passed through the poison cloud and emerged slightly discolored.

"That's why they chose to attack during the rainy season. The precipitation is amplifying the poison's effectiveness."

Hizashi turned to him. "Can you determine how long until it dissipates?"

"At current rates, approximately two hours. But..." Tanaka narrowed his eyes, focusing deeper into the poison cloud.

He could see chakra threads extending from Chiyo's shadow clone to the salamander puppet, noticing how they pulsed in rhythm with the poison cloud's movement.

"She's actively maintaining it. The puppet is serving as a chakra conduit to sustain the poison."

---

Across the battlefield, Chiyo and Ebizō observed the Konoha forces from their position.

"They've reorganized faster than expected," Ebizō noted, his wrinkled face set in a frown. "That boy's space-time technique saved more than we anticipated. Why didn't he just die."

Chiyo was breathing heavily due to her injuries from the battle with Tsunade, but her hands remained steady, controlling her puppets.

"It doesn't matter," she replied. "Anyone attempting to use ninjutsu within that field will find their chakra depleted rapidly. Even their prodigy won't be able to use his space-time technique through it."

Ebizō nodded in understanding. "Dividing the battlefield. And our second wave?"

Chiyo's lips formed a thin smile. "They should be in position shortly."

In the distance, hidden from the surface battle, Suna ninjas moved through carefully constructed underground tunnels. They advanced silently, bypassing the main battlefield entirely, their hands occasionally forming Earth Release seals to reinforce the tunnel walls against the rain-softened soil.

---

Back with the Konoha forces, Tanaka suddenly tensed, his Byakugan detecting movement far below the surface. "Underground movement, 200 meters southwest and closing rapidly."

Hizashi immediately began organizing a defensive response, but Tanaka held up his hand.

"Wait," he said, expanding his Byakugan vision. "It's a flanking force, at least thirty Suna jonin using... Earth Release to tunnel beneath the battlefield?"

He mentally calculated their trajectory based on their current speed and direction.

"They'll emerge behind our medical unit in approximately three minutes."

Instead of panic, a calculating look appeared in his eyes. He'd anticipated something like this, Chiyo was too experienced a strategist to rely solely on a frontal assault.

He quickly assembled a small group—two Hyūga, three Aburame, and one Yamanaka. He led them slightly away from the main force and activated ROOM, ensuring their conversation remained private from potential eavesdroppers.

"The poison absorbs chakra," Tanaka said, looking up at the purplish cloud. "But every weapon has a weakness."

He gestured toward the sky. The Hyūga and Aburame followed his gaze, watching as raindrops fell through the poison cloud.

"The rain passes through different parts of the cloud," he said. "The eastern edge moves faster than the western. The cloud isn't uniform."

One of the Aburame nodded. "The density varies."

"Exactly." Tanaka pointed to where the cloud seemed slightly thinner. "I've been tracking the air pressure changes. There's a cold front moving in from the northwest."

He knelt down and picked up a small stick, drawing a quick circle in the mud to represent the battlefield. He marked their position, then drew arrows showing wind direction.

"In approximately four minutes, the wind will shift. When that happens..." He drew another set of arrows intersecting the first. "The poison cloud will be disrupted here." He stabbed the stick into a specific point on his diagram.

The second Aburame leaned closer. "A window of opportunity."

"A small one," Tanaka confirmed. "Your insects, not the chakra-feeding Kikaichū, but the ones with iridescent wings—"

"The chakra tracers," the third Aburame supplied. "They can follow chakra pathways."

"Can they withstand brief exposure to the poison?"

The Aburame exchanged glances. "The carapace of that breed is particularly resilient. They won't survive long, but a few seconds might be enough."

Tanaka nodded and expanded his diagram, sketching the rough shape of the salamander puppet. "These are the junction points where Chiyo's chakra threads connect to the poison distribution system. The threads are thinnest here, here, and here. If your insects can disrupt these connections... The entire system collapses."

Tanaka turned to the Yamanaka. "I need you to link with Lady Tsunade. She has to drive Chiyo northeast when we make our move. The timing must be perfect."

The Yamanaka nodded. "I'll establish the link."

Finally, Tanaka faced the two Hyūga. "We'll use Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm to create an air current to propel the insects through the temporary gap in the poison."

"A delivery system," one of the Hyūga said with appreciation.

The assembled ninjas nodded, understanding their roles.

---

Underground, the Suna ninjas continued their advance. Their leader, a weathered jonin with sand-colored hair, checked a compass-like device that glowed faintly with chakra.

"Two minutes until we breach," he announced in a hushed tone.

Another ninja placed his palm against the earthen ceiling. "The chakra signatures above us suggest their medical unit is directly overhead."

The leader nodded approvingly. "Eliminate their medics first, then attack from behind."

The Suna ninjas began forming hand seals for their breakthrough technique.

---

Meanwhile, Tsunade continued her battle with Chiyo. Both kunoichi showed signs of fatigue.

Tsunade noticed the subtle change in her puppet control. She realized Chiyo was dividing her attention between their fight and the distant salamander puppet.

She feinted an attack, actually positioning herself to receive the Yamanaka's mental communication. Suddenly, she felt the distinct sensation of another presence in her mind.

Lady Tsunade, came a voice in her thoughts. Tanaka has a plan. On his signal, drive Chiyo northeast.

Tsunade gave no outward indication she had received the message, continuing her assault with the same intensity as before.

---

"Wind shift in 30 seconds." Tanaka announced to his team. "Be ready."

The two Hyūga moved into position, palms ready. The Aburame prepared special containers of insects.

He activated his Byakugan fully, simultaneously monitoring the underground Suna forces and the shifting weather patterns, catching the exact moment when the change began.

"Now!"

The wind suddenly shifted as he had predicted. The Hyūga, including Tanaka, executed synchronized Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm techniques, directing the compressed air bursts toward the containers the Aburame held.

The containers burst open, and the powerful air technique propelled thousands of insects forward in a concentrated stream. The living projectiles rode the air current directly into a specific section of the poison cloud that momentarily thinned due to the wind shift.

"The insects are through!" Tanaka confirmed through his Byakugan. "They're reaching the target points."

The special insects began severing the connection points between Chiyo's chakra threads and the salamander puppet. Each tiny insect latched onto the glowing chakra strands, disrupting the flow with precision.

Simultaneously, the Suna tunneling force reached their destination beneath what their intelligence had identified as the Konoha medical unit's position.

"Attack!" their leader called out, his hands completing the final seal.

The ground above them began to crack and split open, dirt and stones falling away as they prepared to surge upward.

But as the dust cleared, confusion spread across their faces. Instead of finding vulnerable medics, they emerged into an empty area.

"What? Where are they?" one Suna ninja asked, looking around in bewilderment. "This doesn't match our intelligence..."

The realization came too late. They were surrounded by Hyūga clan members in defensive stances, forming a complete circle around the hole they had created.

Hizashi stepped forward, his Byakugan active and his stance relaxed yet clearly ready for combat.  "Welcome to our reception," he said coldly. "The price of admission is your life."

The Suna leader's eyes widened as he understood.

---

Back at the main battlefield, the chakra-feeding insects were successfully disrupting the connection between Chiyo and the salamander puppet.

Chiyo's shadow clone suddenly stiffened, feeling the disruption. "What?!"

The salamander puppet began to shudder and lose cohesion as its controlling mechanisms failed one by one. The poison cloud, no longer sustained by her chakra, began to dissipate more rapidly than before.

Fighting Tsunade, the real Chiyo felt the additional strain as her connection to the puppet was severed. Her hands trembled slightly.

Tsunade immediately capitalized on the moment, driving Chiyo northeast. Her fist crashed into a puppet that Chiyo had positioned defensively, shattering it completely.

"The puppet's containment system is failing!" Chiyo called out to Ebizō, attempting to re-establish control over her creation.

Seeing the plan succeeding, Tanaka made his move. His chakra had recovered enough for what he needed to do next.

He formed a small, focused ROOM around the salamander puppet's head where the main poison reservoir was located, and used replaced the poison reservoir with a nearby rock.

The severed poison container appeared next to him, floating in his ROOM.

He focused his remaining energy to expand the ROOM slightly, encompassing himself, the poison container, and the area where the underground Suna forces had emerged.

Hizashi, understanding Tanaka's intention, ordered the Hyūga to create an opening while maintaining the perimeter.

Tanaka teleported himself and the poison container directly into the midst of the trapped Suna tunneling force. Before they could react to his sudden appearance, he used a Gentle Fist strike to rupture the container.

The concentrated poison burst outward within the enclosed underground space. Tanaka immediately teleported back to Hizashi's side, collapsing the ROOM as he did so.

The poison rapidly filled the underground chamber where the Suna forces were trapped. Their panicked attempts to escape were met by the Hyūga's defensive wall of Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.

---

On the main battlefield, the salamander puppet collapsed completely. The poison cloud began dissipating rapidly without its source, revealing the devastation it had caused.

Chiyo, now at a disadvantage against Tsunade, realized what had happened. She glanced toward where her tunneling force should have emerged, seeing instead the Hyūga clan's defensive formation.

Ebizō quickly signaled for their forces to reposition. "We've lost the initiative."

Chiyo made a desperate decision. She sacrificed three more puppets in a diversionary attack to create distance between herself and Tsunade.

"We need to withdraw and regroup," she told Ebizō. "The poison strategy has failed."

"And our tunneling force?" Ebizō asked, already knowing the answer.

Chiyo's expression hardened. "Consider them sacrificed for the greater objective."

She began forming hand seals for a summoning technique. "We still have one more option."

---

Tanaka, heavily drained but still conscious, discussed next steps with Hizashi as they watched the poison cloud dissipate.

"The poison cloud is dissipating, but the residue will make this area hazardous for hours," Hizashi observed. "We've eliminated their tunneling force, but I suspect Chiyo won't retreat so easily."

"She's preparing something else." Tanaka activated his Byakugan briefly to confirm his suspicion. "A summoning technique—large scale."

She's more resourceful than I anticipated.

"Gather everyone who can still fight," Hizashi instructed.

The poison cloud had mostly cleared. Rain continued to fall, washing away some of the poison residue, creating small streams of purple-tinged water that flowed between the bodies of fallen ninjas from both sides.

Konoha and Suna forces repositioned, preparing for the next phase of battle. Tanaka stood with the Hyūga clan, his chakra partially restored but far from full strength. His stamina, however, had deteriorated even further, lagging behind his chakra reserves.

In the distance, Chiyo completed her summoning technique. The ground trembled as something massive began to materialize.

Tanaka's eyes narrowed as the ground split open and multiple figures began to rise.

These weren't ordinary puppets.

"Human puppets," he said. "She's using her own fallen Suna ninjas."

"Even in death, she forces them to serve." Hizashi's expression darkened as he shifted into a Gentle Fist stance. "Then we'll have to free them properly."