I, The New Hokage of Konoha - Chapter 269
“Boom! Boom! Boom!
On the smoky battlefield of the Land of Rivers, the thundering roar of Chakra cannons, the brilliance of ninjutsu, and the continuous clash of sparks between numerous ninja tools echoed endlessly.
Since the Sand Village arrived with a large army on the second day of the war, the intense battle raged for three days.
Due to the influence of their national power, the overall strength of the Sand Village was weaker than that of the Hidden Rock Village. In addition to the logistical pressure, only about twelve thousand Sand Ninjas could make it to the front lines.
Even so, compared to the eight thousand Konoha Ninja led by Tsunade in the Land of Rivers, the Sand Ninja still held the military advantage.
This was normal.
After all, even though the Konoha Village had developed rapidly, it still had far fewer ninjas than the total of the other four major ninja villages.
It’s important to know that a qualified ninja cannot be trained in just a few short years.
The Konoha Village currently has over thirty thousand active ninjas, thanks to their continuous massive investments in manpower and their deep reserves of resources in the Fire Land.
Of course, the Konoha’s entire strength is not limited to these numbers.
For example, the Steel Tank Corps, the Artillery Corps, the Flying Corps, and the Carrier Task Force are not included among the active ninjas.
The combined strength of all these forces is the Konoha Village’s confidence in starting a war against the five nations.
If the five nations could wait a few more years, the Konoha Ninja School, after the reforms, would produce many more graduates in each batch, such as Konohamaru and Naruto.
At that time, the Konoha Village’s active ninja numbers would experience a significant surge, and their overall strength would be much greater than it is now.
But the five nations are not fools.
They understand the Konoha Village’s hidden potential, and they won’t wait as the Konoha Village hopes. They will choose to strike first.
Just like now, taking advantage of their relative advantage, they are expanding their achievements.
However, while the Land of Grass has managed to break through the Konoha’s front lines thanks to the Hidden Rock Ninja’s relentless attacks, they still have a long way to go before they can defeat the entire Konoha army and conquer the Land of Grass.
On the other hand, the results in the Land of Rivers are slower.
While the Sand Ninja has numerical superiority, the individual abilities of the Konoha Ninja are generally stronger.
Add to that the fact that the Konoha’s commander this time is Tsunade, who has had many encounters with the Sand Ninja and can neutralize their most potent weapon, poison. Plus, there are experts like Itachi Uchiha on their side.
In terms of large-scale warfare, the Sand Ninja, which lacks the seamless coordination of the Hidden Rock Ninja, naturally achieves smaller results.
Up to this point, in the Land of Rivers, the Sand Ninja have only managed to capture some less valuable strongholds.
Most importantly, the strategically important location known as Tsudukawa, which leads directly to the heart of the Land of Rivers and even to the Land of Fire behind it, is still firmly in the hands of the Konoha Village.
The main force of the Sand Ninja, including the Fourth Kazekage Rasa and the two advisory elders, Chiyo and Ebizo, are currently engaged in fierce combat with the Konoha Village.
…
On the battlefield.
Boom!
A delicate fist effortlessly shattered a huge puppet in front of her. Tsunade, dressed in dark Konoha combat attire, withdrew her fist, which had no mark on it and patted the dust off it. She then casually spoke to an old acquaintance in front of her.
“Chiyo, these ordinary puppets and the poisons you’ve painstakingly developed over the years don’t make a fool of yourself. You’d better summon the Ten Chikamatsu Puppets.”
Chiyo’s face twitched slightly.
Old hag… Making a fool of herself…
Although she could call herself an old hag, hearing these words from an enemy who had once dealt her a great blow and made her doubt herself for a long time was still quite unpleasant.
“Tsunade, your mouth is as ruthless as ever.”
Chiyo glanced at Tsunade’s face, which still looked incredibly youthful, just like she remembered it. She said calmly, “I heard you got married and had a child. I thought you might become more mature. But now, I’m concerned about the education of the Hyuga child in your family. After all, like mother, like daughter.”
In an instant, as if her sore spot had been touched, Tsunade snorted and said, “Chiyo, you talk too much. Instead of worrying about my daughter, you should be concerned about the current state of the Sand Ninja. You will never take my daughter. That’s for sure.”
The next moment, as if echoing Tsunade’s words, cheers from the Konoha camp suddenly rang out.
Not far from the front lines, a group of Sand Ninjas couldn’t withstand the heavy casualties and was pushed back by a group of elite Konoha ninjas in chakra armor.
This wasn’t the first time this had happened.
Seeing this, Chiyo, after retracting her gaze, did not hesitate and quickly took out a scroll and spread it out.
With a burst of white smoke, her most significant trump card, the ten puppets known as the Ten Chikamatsu Puppets, appeared.
Every time she summoned these ten pinnacle puppets in the past, Chiyo had been full of confidence in the battles that followed.
But now…
Like Sasori, who had already died for puppeteers, Tsunade, with her outstanding medical skills, immunity to poisons, and formidable physical abilities, was undoubtedly their nemesis.
Chiyo was no exception.
Especially in her current old and weakened state compared to her prime years.
However, just as she had told the young Hidden Rock ninjas before they set out on this Great Ninja War, she was truly prepared to die.
She had had significant encounters with Tsunade in the past, so she was well aware that if she allowed Tsunade to act freely, her medical abilities would significantly bolster the Konoha ninja on the front lines.
Even if it meant risking her own life, she had to keep Tsunade busy.
So…
Puppet Jutsu: Sannin Absorption!
Chiyo’s ten fingers trembled.
Instantly, the Ten Chikamatsu Puppets, connected by chakra strings, moved with her.
Three puppets formed a triangle formation, and when the “Buddha,” “Dharma,” and “Sangha” mechanisms were activated, a fierce tornado lifted, intending to pull Tsunade towards them.
“This is getting interesting!”
Tsunade, her golden hair tousled by the strong winds, smiled cheerfully. She buried her lower legs in the ground, resisting the pull of the tornado.
Not only that, she grabbed chunks of earth from the ground and continuously threw them toward the center of the vortex.
While these large clumps of earth would be instantly compressed into smaller pieces when drawn into the center of the formation, there was a limit to how much they could take.
Similarly, Chiyo, understanding the principle immediately dispatched other puppets holding various weapons to attack Tsunade.
The Ten Chikamatsu Puppets, each with its own weapon, ninja tools, and attack style, combined with the Sannin Absorption and the Roaring Lion Sealing Howl, made them formidable opponents.
In an actual battle, although there were only ten puppets, they were not inferior to Sasori’s Hundred Puppet Performance.
In this regard, Tsunade, her forehead’s blue diamond-shaped seal shining brightly, calmly commented as she engaged with them.
“Not bad. Although the attack range is ordinary compared to Sasori’s Hundred Puppet Performance, it’s superior regarding single-target threat.”
“Hundred Puppet Performance? Sasori? Tsunade, have you ever fought Sasori?”
At Chiyo’s words, Tsunade, who understood the situation, calmly twisted her wrist and confidently announced, “Yes, Sasori. Speaking of which, you Sand Ninja should thank me for eliminating this rogue ninja who once killed the Third Kazekage.”
In an instant, Chiyo’s eyes widened.
“Third Kazekage… Sasori… So, you killed Sasori…”
As her words fell, Chiyo, who knew the truth, fell silent for a moment.
This did not last too long.
Soon, with a newfound seriousness, she said to Tsunade, “Indeed, I must thank you properly. After winning this war, I promise to create a puppet in your image as a keepsake.”
Chiyo then moved her ten fingers, and the Ten Chikamatsu Puppets returned to her overhead. They formed a new formation, exuding even more murderous intent than before.
Seeing this scene, Tsunade, with the blue diamond-shaped seal on her forehead shining, twisted her wrist confidently and declared, “Chiyo, you’re preparing a gift for yourself. After all, you Sand Ninja are bound to lose this battle!”
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