"Boom!"
Tsunade's punch shattered the ground, sending a deep crack sprawling outward and triggering the collapse of boulders stacked around her.
Chiyo had no choice but to leap away. Before her, three or four puppets leapt into position, intercepting Tsunade's advance.
Behind her were another two puppets, while the remaining four engaged in battle with Orochimaru.
Currently, she was multitasking—splitting her focus two, even three ways—but despite this, the puppets she controlled remained ferociously precise. Orochimaru had already been driven back countless times by them.
"No wonder she's the most favored student of the Third Hokage..."
At the same time, Chiyo also reflected on Orochimaru's brilliance. Though Tsunade clearly led the assault, Orochimaru—who constantly harassed her from the flank—was arguably the key player throughout the entire fight.
The techniques he used to counter her puppets seemed endless, revealing not just his own distinct ninjutsu style but also an overwhelming variety.
Fire Release, Earth Release, Wind Release—even Lightning Release. The four chakra natures transformed flawlessly in Orochimaru's hands. While he couldn't use or combine them all at once, blending one or two at a time was effortless for him.
Chiyo even speculated that Orochimaru refrained from using Water Release simply to conserve chakra.
Among ninja known to wield all five chakra natures, aside from the Third Hokage, the only other one on record was Orochimaru himself.
The Sharingan of the Uchiha possessed the ability to [copy], but copied techniques never matched the original in power.
Orochimaru, however, had completely mastered these forms.
Each type of ninjutsu under his command proved devastatingly effective.
[Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!]
[Fire Release: Flame Bullet!]
Within seconds, Orochimaru launched Earth and Fire Releases in rapid succession. A roaring earth dragon twisted behind him, each "earth dragon bullet" several times larger than those Nawaki had once cast.
Phoenix fire engulfed the earth bullets, turning them into incendiary rounds that rained destruction.
Compared to the dozen-or-so Phoenix Fires launched by Yan Uchiha, Orochimaru instantly produced dozens, with several wrapping around the earth bullets.
Aside from Tsunade's Monstrous Strength, fire release was the most dangerous threat to puppets, so whatever technique he used, Orochimaru always supported it with fire.
Chiyo dared not confront it head-on. One puppet opened its mouth wide, spraying a high-pressure water jet that collided with the earth bullets.
Naturally, water alone merely extinguished the flames, but the earth bullets crashed through the jet, hurtling toward the puppet.
At that moment, a puppet swinging two colossal blades struck repeatedly, shattering dozens of earth bullets mid-air.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!]
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]
Just as the first clash of attacks faded, Orochimaru launched his next strike. This time, Fire Release took center stage, amplified by Wind Release, causing the fireball to expand to nearly ten meters in diameter.
This massive blaze almost filled the narrow valley, compressing Chiyo's space dangerously. Meanwhile, Tsunade—who had persistently pursued her—had vanished without a trace.
Tsunade and Orochimaru, once primary offensive and auxiliary support, had subtly switched roles without notice.
Such a transformation—one even Chiyo, an old powerhouse, only realized at this moment—could only result from years of gradual adjustment and coordination.
Chiyo had previously fought against the duo of Jiraiya and Orochimaru, and later engaged in two or three battles with the combination of Orochimaru and Tsunade over several months.
Each of the three was undoubtedly an outstanding ninja, yet they still fell slightly short of reaching the very peak of the ninja world.
Yet, through perfect coordination, they closed every gap between them entirely.
It was only fitting that Hanzo granted them the title of Sannin. Even Hanzo and Chiyo themselves couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy toward The Third's disciples—such formidable successors to the ninja world.
Two of them together could already push her to such extremes. If Jiraiya were here now, how powerful would all three be together?
No wonder Hanzo kept praising them. Even if they eventually lost in a life-or-death battle that day, he likely would have paid a heavy price.
Flames surged forward as Chiyo quickly pulled her ten puppets back around her, just before fire erupted and engulfed her entirely.
[Rooar!]
Beyond the inferno, Orochimaru and Tsunade landed safely.
"Hope that old hag didn't burn to death," Tsunade muttered, though she knew it was impossible herself.
Using just one combined ninjutsu technique to kill an S-ranked ninja? Preposterous.
Orochimaru's eyes darkened. His purpose in using that combination technique was merely to drain Chiyo's chakra.
He, Jiraiya, and Sakumo had personally experienced the "Three Treasures Suction Collapse" from The Chikamatsu Collection—it was unquestionably a terrifying Wind Release technique. But even so, Orochimaru believed activating such mechanical techniques must also consume significant chakra from Chiyo herself.
Earlier, he had repeatedly used other Fire Release combination techniques, initially aiming to exhaust Chiyo, but she seemed to have modified The Chikamatsu Collection, granting it water-spraying abilities.
Still, water reserves had limits—even when stored within space scrolls. To withstand Orochimaru's earlier techniques, Chiyo had already consumed a significant portion of her stored water supply.
After careful calculation, Orochimaru determined that what remained wouldn't be enough for Chiyo's puppets to resist a Great Fireball enhanced by Great Breakthrough.
The only remaining method Chiyo probably had left to counter such fire techniques was precisely the "Three Treasures Suction Collapse."
Orochimaru's fire technique spread rapidly thanks to the terrain advantage—exactly why he'd chosen it in the first place.
However, as his gaze fixed upon the gradually weakening flames, sounds began reaching his ears.
"Huh…"
A faint breeze stirred, growing increasingly distinct beside Orochimaru's ear.
[Hoo-hoo!]
Suddenly, fierce winds howled from within the firestorm, prompting Orochimaru's lips to curl into a smile.
But that smile froze abruptly across his face in the next instant.
Amidst the flames, a massive fan-like object hovered several meters above a short figure's head. That figure could only be Chiyo.
Under the force of the strong wind, scattered sparks flew toward Orochimaru and Tsunade like [Fireball] fragments.
Orochimaru quickly began forming hand seals again. However, next to him, Tsunade completed her [Hand Seal Sequence] first.
[Water Release: Water Formation Wall]
A wall of water rose up, blocking the two of them from the incoming sparks.
Then, without even glancing at the water barrier, the two lifted their eyes upward.
Tsunade had deliberately made the water wall just high enough to cover both herself and Orochimaru. In their view, the Chikamatsu Collection—originally a unified offensive and defensive unit—was now linked together by chains.
And then they spun wildly, manipulated by a chakra thread as thick as a bowl's rim, like giant fan blades slicing through the air. Centered on Chiyo, they formed what looked like a Fuu shield.
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