The air between us shimmered with heat. My Lava Golem loomed behind me; a twenty-meter titan of molten rock, its horned silhouette etched in the glow of its own molten veins. Every step it took left craters of cooling stone in the churned-up battlefield. Across from us, Chiyo's ten puppets spread in a precise arc, lacquered bodies gleaming, weapons poised. Chakra threads stretched from her fingers like spiderwebs, taut and ready to lash out.
At her feet, Rasa knelt, hunched over but still trying to project authority. His gold dust clung close around him, swirling in a thin, defensive halo, but I could see through the act... there was a tremor in his hands and the way his breathing rattled like shattered glass meant he was. Blood traced a thin line from the corner of his mouth, and his face was deathly pale.
Neither of us moved at first. The distant chaos of the battle seemed to fade until all I could hear was the slow, heavy beat of my own pulse and the quiet hiss of cooling magma dripping from my golem.
Chiyo's gaze locked with mine, sharp and assessing. "So… Konoha's Elemental Monkeys have a Kekkei Genkai in their ranks."
I smirked. "Tsunade-sama sends her regards."
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and I caught the faintest flicker of anger at the mention of her name.
"You should've stayed out of my way," I said, raising my tonfa so their chakra-lit edges caught the molten glow. "Now I've got both of you in the same place. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down one at a time."
Chiyo's eyes narrowed. "You think you can take me and the Kazekage at once?"
"I don't think," I said, my voice dropping into something colder. "I know."
The golem's heat surged at my back, as if it shared my anticipation. Chiyo's chakra threads thrummed, and her puppets shifted in perfect unison, the faint clink of their weapons cutting through the air. Rasa's gold dust stirred sluggishly, more shield than weapon now. And in that heartbeat before the first move, I did not see an even match. I saw prey that just did not realize they were already cornered.
Three of Chiyo's Ten Puppets broke off from the main group in a sharp blur, skittering wide to form a triangle around the Lava Golem. Their jointed frames locked into place, chakra threads snapping taut. A pulse of power hummed through the air as the Three Jewels Suction Crushing technique came to life. The vortex bloomed between them, pulling at the golem's molten body with steady, unrelenting force.
The giant slowed, every step forward like wading through quicksand. Lava peeled away in thick streams, sucked toward the technique's center and cooling into brittle, black husks before hitting the ground. Even so, the horned titan pushed on, shaking the earth with each step. Chiyo's plan was clear; she wanted to keep the monster at bay long enough to deal with me. Too bad that was exactly what I wanted.
Seven puppets came for me all at once.
The Spear-Arm Puppet struck first. It lunged so fast the air cracked around the thrust. I snapped Hana snapped up to meet it and channeled Wind chakra into her to release a violent gust that knocked the puppet back in a stuttering slide.
The Flamethrower Puppet immediately filled the space as its mouth ignited in a cone of heat and fire. I dropped low and slid under the blast, Saru flaring with Lightning chakra as I drove an upward strike into its jaw hinge. The wooden joint shattered and electricity crackled through the metal gears, fusing the smaller ones together.
A spray of pressurized water hissed from the Water Jet Puppet, cutting across the battlefield in a slicing stream. I sidestepped just enough for it to miss as the Saw-Arm Puppet came at me in a sweeping arc, its whirring blade hungry for blood. I caught the motion with my peripheral vision, pivoted hard, and slammed Saru against the weapon, flooding it with Lightning chakra. The discharge ripped through the saw's metal teeth, sending sparks across its frame and frying the chakra lines in its arm. I followed it up with swinging Hana at it's head, sending it flying like a winning grand slam swing.
Then came the Vacuum Mouth Puppet. The air pressure shifted in a heartbeat, the tug toward its gaping maw nearly yanking my feet out from under me. I dug Hana's tip into the ground, letting the pull draw a trail of sparks along the dirt as I steadied my stance. Instead of resisting, I let the force reel me in—then at the last instant, I snapped Hana's whip form forward. The elemental lash arced in a tight loop, catching around the puppet's lower jaw. A sharp twist, and Saru's whip slammed from the opposite side, the two lines crossing in a choking bind. I yanked hard, the combined force wrenching the head mechanism sideways until the suction sputtered into a choking grind, gears seizing as its own pull tore its framework apart.
The Shield Puppet tried to pin me with its massive plated arm, coming in from the flank. I let its momentum carry it forward and, just as it got close, spun into a sharp roundhouse kick to the center of the shield. The impact boomed and sent it tumbling back several meters like a rolling boulder.
The Hammer-Arm Puppet was last, and it was a bruiser. It swung down with enough force to crater the earth, but I was already moving. I slipped inside the arc of the swing, using Hana to push the hammer arm slightly to the side while I drove Saru in a molten strike into its chest plate, splitting it in two and releasing a blob of lava into the cavity.
The fight was fast, vicious, and, to my own surprise, exhilarating. Each clash sharpened my focus. Every strike and counter landing with perfect rhythm. I could feel the energy singing in my veins, my tonfa alive in my hands, the puppets falling back one by one as I pressed them harder.
And behind me, the Lava Golem trudged ever closer through the pull of the Three Jewels Suction Crushing, its molten eyes locked on Chiyo and the broken Kazekage at her side. The Lava Golem's molten frame shuddered, its great legs digging deep gouges in the earth as it pushed forward against the pull of the Three Jewels Suction Crushing technique. Chiyo's three puppets strained, their chakra threads glowing taut, the air between them rippling with the force of the vortex. Finally, with a sound like a mountain splitting, the golem tore itself free. Lava streamed in every direction as the titan lurched forward, its horned head tilting toward Chiyo and Rasa like a predator scenting blood.
In the same instant, a wave of foreign memory slammed into my mind; my Yin Clone has dispelled itself. Images and sensations unfolded in rapid fire. The medical tent in chaos and Sand shinobi moving like shadows through the camp, steel glinting in the low light. The infiltration had begun.
I did not have time to drag this fight out any longer. Two plumes of chakra smoke burst beside me as I summoned Space-Time and Scorch. Both were fresh and at full strength. The air warped faintly around Space-Time, her presence pulling at the edges of reality, while Scorch radiated a shimmering heat that made the very air waver. Together, they fanned out with me, forming a tight ring around Chiyo and the Kazekage.
Rasa looked worse than before; deathly pale under his sun-darkened skin, lips flecked with blood, the faint gleam of Gold Dust bracing his broken frame seemed even duller than before. Even so, his eyes still burned with that stubborn, Sand-born pride. Chiyo's gaze swept the circle, calculating, her chakra threads twitching like a spider testing its web.
"You can keep fighting," I said, tonfa steady in my hands, "but you won't like how it ends." My voice carried easily over the hiss of cooling lava. "Or… you and your Kazekage walk away. All I want are your notes on poisons."
Her eyes narrowed, suspicion flickering there. "You think I carry something that valuable with me?"
I smiled, slow and humorless. "That's fine. I'll just mark you both with the Flying Thunder God seal and pick them up this evening, say midnight. That should give you enough time to retreat and tend to Rasa's injuries, if they can still be treated at that point."
That got a visible reaction. The name of the technique traveled fast in the shinobi world and not just because of Minato. Anyone who had seen what it could do understood that there was no safe distance once the seal was placed.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "And if I refuse?"
I tilted my head slightly, letting the faint grin return. "Then you get to find out how many monkeys I can summon before you and your Kazekage hit the dirt. Want to gamble?"
For a heartbeat, the only sound was Rasa's labored breathing and the low, ominous rumble of the Lava Golem's molten body shifting behind me.
Finally, Chiyo's shoulders dropped a fraction, the tension in her threads loosening. "Fine."
"Good choice," I said, my voice flat, but my chakra flaring as I prepared the mark. "Let's make it quick. There are too many eyes on us right now. If I tried to mark you here, half the battlefield would see it, and I don't want people questioning me unnecessarily. So… we'll make a show of it. You two run for your lives, I'll 'chase' you, and somewhere in that chaos, I'll tag you both."
Chiyo's eyes narrowed, suspicion flickering, but she did not answer. Rasa just wheezed, his breath shallow. The strain in his posture was obvious despite the gold dust trying to hold him together. I did not care if they liked it; they had no other choice.
Behind me, the Lava Golem shifted, its molten form swelling with heat as it pulled in more chakra. The air shimmered, the ground quivering beneath us.
"When that hits," I told them, "you move. Make it look good."
The Golem roared, a deep, volcanic bellow, then swung a massive arm forward. Lava fanned out in a wide, arcing sweep creating a wall of heat and molten earth that turned the battlefield into a boiling mirage. It was not meant to kill, just to blind, distract, and give me the cover I needed.
In that flash of searing heat, the marked shuriken still stuck in Rasa's body activated and Space-Time appeared in the molten haze, brushing a seal onto Rasa's hand and then the same to Chiyo's neck. Rasa might be willing to sacrifice a hand to remove the mark, but Chiyo's could only be removed with her death, ensuring that I eliminated her threat one way or another.
Space-Time teleported to Scorch's side then both clones vanished before the lava wave collapsed. They had another task to handle.
The glow of the Golem's blast was still fading when Chiyo's puppets closed ranks, their forms jerking into a defensive screen. Rasa drifted behind her on a thin cushion of gold, slouched but still conscious. They almost made it out clean... almost.
Saru's tonfa form pulsed in my hand, Fire flaring along its length as it transformed into a whip. I lashed it out and the end wrapped around the neco of the Hammer-Arm Puppet. With I mighty pull, it sailed through the air towards me, so I slammed Hana tonfa into its chest with all the force I could muster. Metal screamed as its frame shattered, the head and shoulders ripping apart in a spray of broken gears and splintered wood before it crumpled into the dirt.
Only then did I let them go. Chiyo's retreat looked frantic enough for any watching eyes, but the truth was simple. I let them go to collect my prize, and, if she was foolish enough to think of crossing me, I would show her the horrors that the Flying Thunder God technique could create with my unique clones.
The rest of the Sand withdrew like a desert wind losing its strength — slow, grudging, dragging with it the last hints of its fury and leaving the battlefield littered with the husks of what it had carried. The sounds of battle did not vanish all at once, but rather died in layers; the clash of weapons fading first, then the cries of injured shinobi, and finally the groan of collapsing earth as the last jutsu burned themselves out.
I signaled my Lava Clone from across the field. We both knew the fight was done here, so she dismissed herself, cutting the supply of chakra to the Lava Golem.
The molten titan shuddered. Cracks raced across its body, glowing orange like veins of molten ore cooling too fast. The massive form broke apart, slabs of still-hot rock slamming into the churned battlefield. Steam hissed where lava met damp soil, the smell of scorched earth clinging to the air. Only the golem's head remained intact, half-sunken into the ground, its molten glow fading but not gone. It was a grim monument to the battle with Rasa and Chiyo.
I stood still for a moment, letting my breathing settle. My arms were heavy and my chakra was low... but there was no time to rest.
"Hana, Saru," I called.
The tonfa shimmered and popped into smoke; my partners standing in their monkey forms once again. Hana's silver fur was dulled with ash, green scarf singed at the edges while Saru's red fur was streaked black from soot. They padded forward, instinctively moving to guard my sides as I began picking my way through the wreckage.
Chiyo's puppets were scattered across the ground like the bones of some great, mechanical beast. A shattered spear arm here, a warped chakra core there. The wood was split and scorched, the metal twisted from heat. I crouched to pry loose a puppet's clawed hand, still faintly warm from the fight, and I tossed it into the pile. This was more than just salvage; it was evidence of my role in this battle. Proof earned merits, and merits bought leverage.
I had only collected half the pieces I wanted when the night sky cracked open with a bright flare of red light. It burned hot in the dark, blooming wide overhead before fading into drifting embers. Trouble back at camp.
I bit down on the sigh that wanted to escape then dispelled and resummoned my Earth Clone, instantly earning a headache from the excess of memories that flooded in.
"Gather everything," I ordered, tossing her a fresh storage scroll. "Seal it all, and don't a single piece left behind."
She nodded once and went to work without question.
That was when I felt it. A faint, deliberate pulse of chakra that was tuned specifically to me. The marked shuriken.
Duy.
"Hana, Saru... Thanks for the help. You can go back now," I said.
Both monkeys nodded then vanished in a poof of smoke. I popped a soldier pill into my mouth and bit down on the bitter medicine before swallowing it. Then I locked onto the mark and pulled myself to it, not caring that I would reveal the technique; my team needed me.
Space folded in on itself. The battlefield was gone in an instant, replaced by the dizzying shift of Flying Thunder God. My vision wavered when I landed, and the impact rattled up my legs and into my spine from the exhaustion gnawing at me.
The camp was a wreck. The command center was gone, the structure reduced to splintered timbers and scattered, trampled maps. Smoke curled from small fires where canvas tents had collapsed. Blood slicked the dirt in dark patches, and the faint copper scent of it clung to the air.
The medical tent stood alone, the only intact structure in a twenty-five-meter radius. Everything else in that ring had been burned to nothing. The ground carpeted in pale ash, with only the faint outlines of where tents and command center once stood. The tent's white panels bore slashes and singe marks, but the medic insignia remained like a badge of honor. The open space around it was deliberate, a kill zone for anyone foolish enough to approach, and it was ringed with guards, each one alert and tense. My team stood among them, eyes sharp, hands ready, their presence a silent promise that this last refuge would not fall.
Duy was the first to see me. Relief flickered across his face, but his posture was tight, shoulders squared in the defensive stance of a man who was not ready to relax.
"We're safe... for now," he said, voice low but urgent. "They've pulled back, but the others could not help but worry about you."
Behind him, Guy and Asuma were posted like sentries near the largest gap in the wreckage, kunai drawn and eyes sharp. Kurenai stood between them, her gaze darting over the camp as if waiting for another attack to break the uneasy quiet.
It was only when all their eyes turned to me that I realized what I must look like. Dust clung to every inch of my body. My arm throbbed where Rasa's last desperate technique had grazed me. Blood, both his and mine, was streaked across my arms and face. My breathing was heavy, and I knew the exhaustion could be seen in my eyes.
Kurenai crossed the space between us fast, her eyes wide. "You're hurt," she said, sharper than I would have expected. Chakra flared in her hands as the familiar green glow of the Mystic Palm formed instantly.
"I'm fine," I started, but my voice lacked conviction.
My limbs were heavy, my chakra dangerously thin. There was no point in pretending otherwise; my team knew me too well.
"You're not fine," she said. "Sit. Now."
I obeyed with a tired chuckle, though my gaze stayed fixed on the camp. Movement caught my eye as Leaf shinobi approaching in a slow, deliberate cluster. Some were limping, others supporting wounded comrades. All of them looked tired, battered, and too alert for soldiers who thought the fight was over.
A familiar voice cut through the murmurs. "Sarutobi."
I looked over to see Jonin Nara Hisao, one of my father's long-time supporters, step forward. His flak vest was cut at the shoulder, blood seeping through the fabric, but he stood tall. The others stopped just behind him, clearly following his lead. Hisao's eyes swept the camp before landing on me.
"Danzo is dead," he said flatly. "Most of the senior ROOT agents fell with him. That means you," his gaze sharpened, "are now the highest-ranking shinobi left in this camp."
The words were not a shock to me; I had been expecting it though not as easily as it came. Around us, the surviving Leaf shinobi straightened, their eyes finding mine with a quiet confidence I had fought to earn. They had seen me stand against the Fourth Kazekage himself, and Chiyo of the Ten Puppets, and walk away.
There would be no formal handoff, no easing into the role. This command was mine now, heavy with responsibility but temporary — just until my father could send the reinforcements we needed.
I pulled off my mask and rolled my shoulders, feeling the tacky pull of blood drying on my skin, as I met Hisao's gaze without hesitation.
"Then let's get this camp back under control. Resecure the camp perimeter and then get me a count of causalities and injuries. We drove back the Sand, but it came at a cost. We need to be ready in case they attack again!"