HGBW: Ch. 130

Leading the charge was Chiyo, moving through the rain effortlessly. Their marching speed was astonishing—faster than a cheetah, as light as a swallow, landing without a sound, and possessing endurance beyond imagination.

At such a pace, covering a hundred kilometers in a single sprint was nothing to them.

However, just as the Suna ninjas were less than 20 kilometers from the border of the Land of Rain, a squad that had been sent ahead to scout and clear the path suddenly returned at an alarming speed, like arrows loosed from a bowstring.

"Stop." Chiyo gave the command, and the entire army came to a halt.

Even without a dōjutsu like the Byakugan or Sharingan, her vision was exceptionally sharp. As Suna's foremost puppet master, she could perceive details others would miss.

Even in the dim, stormy atmosphere, she could clearly see the terror written across the faces of the returning ninjas.

"Chiyo-sama... This is bad." A Suna ninja, Kura, knelt on one knee before her, his expression filled with disbelief.

"What happened?" Chiyo's mind raced through various possibilities, but her expression remained unreadable. As the commander of the Suna forces, she had to maintain composure no matter the situation. If she wavered, morale would crumble.

"At the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire, we discovered Konoha's forces." Kura, affected by Chiyo's calm demeanor, steadied himself.

"A reconnaissance squad?" Chiyo's first assumption was that they had encountered Konoha's scouting unit.

Unlucky.

They were so close to the Land of Fire's border, only to run into Konoha's scouts at the worst possible moment.

"No… not just a reconnaissance squad. It's an army, no smaller in number than ours." Kura lowered his head.

"What?" Chiyo's pupils shrank slightly.

Encountering a scouting unit was one thing, but a full army?

"They seemed to anticipate our route, and they've already formed ranks just outside the Land of Rain's border, waiting for us," Kura spoke gravely.

Among the Suna ninjas, his combat skills were unremarkable, but he was a rare sensory ninja. While scouting ahead, he suddenly detected the presence of hundreds of chakra signatures within his range, nearly startling him into shouting aloud.

Fearing exposure, he immediately rushed back at top speed to warn his forces.

"The intelligence couldn't have leaked."

Chiyo shook her head.

"Then that means their sensory ninjas must have found and tracked us in advance." Ebizō, his expression calm, had a flicker of concern deep in his eyes.

"Impossible. We're well aware of their methods. The only way they could have detected us would be with an Inuzuka tracking hound. But this is the Land of Rain, heavy rainfall everywhere. Their dogs' noses would be useless here."

Chiyo dismissed the possibility.

"It doesn't matter how Konoha discovered us anymore. What we need to decide now is what to do next. Do we scatter and engage in skirmishes? Or do we retreat for now?"

Ebizō shook his head. He had planned to infiltrate the Land of Fire and seize Mount Jofuku before Konoha could react.

Mount Jofuku was a strategic location filled with medicinal resources. If they could secure or destroy it, they could cripple Konoha's supply chain. The mountain was just beyond the border—crossing the Land of Rain and moving another hundred kilometers would get them there in no time.

For an army where even the weakest were at least chunin, that distance was negligible.

After a brief moment of shock, Chiyo quickly regained her composure, her mind working at lightning speed.

Scatter and engage in guerrilla warfare?

If Konoha could locate them even in this relentless downpour, scattering would only mean sending her forces to their deaths one by one.

Retreat for now?

What a joke! The heavens had finally favored Suna—Hatake Sayun was dead at last. With both personal and national vengeance at stake, she had no reason to turn back.

"Who's leading them?" Chiyo asked Kura.

"Tsunade."

"I knew it… it had to be her," Chiyo murmured.

"Remaining undetected by Konoha before entering the Land of Fire would have been ideal, but even if we have been discovered, it doesn't matter."

"Without the White Fang, Konoha is hardly a threat. Victory belongs to Suna. That is an undeniable fact. And since Konoha has gone through the trouble of setting up an army to welcome us, we have no reason to leave with our tails between our legs."

"Take up your kunai! Unleash your puppets! Ready your jutsu! Crush them. Let Konoha witness the might of the Suna ninjas!"

Despite the sudden turn of events, Chiyo not only stabilized the situation but, with just a few words, reignited the wavering morale of the Suna forces, pushing it to its peak. Upon hearing her speech, the Suna ninjas swiftly entered battle-ready stances.

Some gripped kunai.

Some unsheathed samurai swords.

Some clutched scrolls containing their sealed puppets.

Some pressed their hands together, ready to form seals at a moment's notice.

Chiyo swept her gaze across the ninjas, seeing their determination. Satisfied, she took the lead, charging forward.

A hundred elite Suna ninjas followed, surging like a volley of arrows.

Twenty kilometers was covered by the Suna forces in mere moments.

Less than ten minutes later, they halted their advance, standing in the torrential rain, eyes locked ahead. At that moment, 500 meters away stood Konoha's forces, waiting just outside the curtain of rain.

At their head stood Tsunade, leading the Konoha ninjas, arrayed in formation.

"We've been expecting you."

Tsunade scnned the Suna forces before locking eyes with Chiyo. Their gazes met, sharp and icy, filled with nothing but murderous intent.

"It's been a long time." Chiyo's voice was cold. "Care to tell me how you found us?"

Enemies meeting on the battlefield—hatred ignited instantly.

Chiyo's family had been slain by Sakumo, but without Tsunade's unparalleled medical skills keeping Konoha's forces intact, Konoha would have long since crumbled.

If she couldn't exact revenge on Sakumo himself, she would settle the score with Tsunade instead. Likewise, in Tsunade's eyes, the Suna ninjas were enemies she could never forgive.

Her last remaining family had perished in an explosive tag trap. Even if Chiyo hadn't personally laid the trap, Tsunade still held her responsible.