HGBW: Ch. 137

"Don't be so self-righteous, Tsunade. The outcome of the battle is not for you to decide."

By offsetting the damage using puppet techniques and supplementing with Yin Healing Wound Destruction, Chiyo had preemptively healed herself, minimizing the damage caused by Tsunade's monstrous strength. However, broken bones weren't something that could heal instantly.

At this moment, every time she moved a finger or controlled a puppet, she felt a deep, bone-piercing pain radiating from her ribcage.

Adding to the situation, the Suna ninjas led by Ebizō were still unable to corner Tanaka. As the battle situation gradually turned unfavorable for Suna, she remained calm and composed.

"Because of Rasa, huh?"

While dealing with the relentless, storm-like attacks of nine puppets, Tsunade simultaneously observed the battlefield, keenly watching the movements around her. She also took the opportunity to break Chiyo's last bit of confidence with her words.

According to the intelligence gathered by Konoha's spies hidden in Suna, the Suna had deployed three Kage-level forces for this battle: Chiyo, Ebizō, and Rasa.

Tsunade hadn't forgotten this fact. She had already prepared a strategy in advance to deal with Rasa. However, up until now, he had yet to appear on the battlefield.

"Your ANBU and Root really are everywhere!"

"First, you figured out that I had prepared a special poison for your ninjas, and then you managed to create an antidote in advance, ensuring every one had it. And now, you even know about Rasa."

Hearing Tsunade expose her hidden trump card, Chiyo didn't panic. Instead, her expression became complex as she sighed.

In the world of ninja warfare, whether it was individual duels or large-scale conflicts between nations, intelligence was just as important as military strength.

Take this battle, for example. It was only because Tanaka used ROOM to forcibly open all Eight Gates in the Inuzuka clan's ninja dogs—enhancing their sense of smell over tenfold—that Konoha was able to intercept the enemy at the nation's border, preventing Suna from advancing into the Land of Rain.

Conversely, if Tanaka hadn't been there, Suna would have brazenly crossed the national border. By the time Konoha reacted, the Suna forces would have already invaded deep into their territory.

This was the power of intelligence superiority.

Likewise, because Konoha had already investigated which Kage-level fighters Suna would deploy, Tsunade was able to prepare countermeasures in advance, assembling forces that could restrain Suna's tactics.

Because Konoha had already learned what kind of poison Chiyo had equipped the Suna forces with, Tsunade was able to develop antidotes ahead of time, ensuring every Konoha ninja had one.

Information warfare never went out of style.

As long as the strength between both sides wasn't overwhelmingly different, intelligence could turn the tide of battle at critical moments.

"You must be feeling pretty smug right now, huh? Because even if Rasa enters the battlefield, you already have a plan to deal with him."

Chiyo's expression darkened slightly, a mocking smile forming on her lips as she gazed at Tsunade.

"…" Tsunade didn't speak, but her sharp, unwavering gaze said everything.

"What a pity. Your carefully crafted plan… is completely useless. Because he isn't going to participate in this battle at all."

Chiyo suddenly stepped back, her foot tapping the ground as she retreated swiftly. At the same time, she manipulated six puppets, sending them to attack Tsunade from all directions. The remaining four puppets stood guard around her like bodyguards protecting a monarch.

Then—

Poof!

A puff of white smoke rose, revealing Chiyo's shadow clone, which had just appeared. It quickly retrieved a scroll from the real Chiyo's ninja tool pouch.

"A puppet, huh?" Tsunade crushed the incoming six puppets with a few swift punches and kicks. Her sharp gaze locked onto the scroll in the clone's hands.

If the greatest puppet master of Suna carried a scroll personally, it was almost certainly a puppet.

"Good guess." Chiyo grinned wickedly. "But why don't you try guessing—what kind of puppet is sealed inside this scroll?"

Without waiting for Tsunade to respond, the shadow clone unfurled the scroll, releasing the sealed puppet within.

Poof!

Thick white mist surged into the sky.

The next second, a massive figure, towering like a mountain, suddenly appeared in the midst of the battlefield between Konoha and Suna.

"What is that?"

The sudden change drew the attention of both Konoha and Suna ninjas locked in battle.

Rumble!

The torrential rain and flashing lightning illuminated the battlefield, revealing the colossal form that Chiyo's shadow clone had summoned. Every ninja present saw it clearly.

"A salamander?" Tanaka narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself.

What Chiyo's shadow clone had summoned was an enormous salamander, as massive as a fortress.

"No… No way!"

"Isn't that the summon of the Salamander?"

"What is it doing here?"

"Could it be… that Suna and Ame have formed an alliance?"

"That's the only way to explain why Suna would have that summon!"

The weight of a name. The shadow of a legend.

The title Salamander was largely associated with Ibuse, a powerful giant salamander. Even if the one Chiyo had summoned wasn't Hanzō's personal summon, it was still a salamander!

And just like Ibuse, this creature had one terrifying ability—deadly poison.

Tanaka remained composed, but the Konoha ninjas on the battlefield—especially those who had fought against Ame in the past and suffered from the salamander's poison—all turned pale, their faces full of fear.

"Is this salamander your trump card? Wait! You turned it into a puppet?" Tsunade's expression changed upon realizing what had been done to the beast.

After all, back then, Hanzō and Ibuse had given her, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya a nightmare of a battle. Even though times had changed and she was far stronger now than when she had fought Hanzō, the memory of facing that duo still lingered in the minds of the Sannin.

After all—the title Sannin was born from that battle against Hanzō.

"Who knows."

The salamander was difficult to control, so, to make full use of its power, the best method was to turn it into a puppet. And this wasn't just any puppet, it was a beast puppet.

Chiyo's shadow clone raised both hands, fingers spread wide, as chakra strings extended outward, connecting to the modified salamander puppet.

Corpse Puppetry wasn't an art invented by Sasori.

However, due to the moral constraints of the ninja villages and the fact that Chiyo wasn't as fanatical as Sasori, she had never delved too deeply into that particular technique.

At most, she had only modified parts of her own body. But if it wasn't a human body, but rather a summoned creature—especially one that had been a war trophy from the Second Great Ninja War—then it didn't matter.

She was free to modify it as she pleased.

Chiyo herself had no moral burden over this. Even if word spread throughout Suna, no one would question her actions.

"This is an old enemy of yours. Tell me, what do you think I'll do next?"

Chiyo's real body continued battling Tsunade with nine puppets.

Meanwhile, her shadow clone, controlling the Beast Puppet: Salamander, swept its cold, deadly gaze across the battlefield, locking onto each and every Konoha ninjas.