"This is impossible! How can you still have so many reinforcements in reserve? And how did such a large force manage to infiltrate undetected by our scouts?!"
Leader Zashi roared at Ebizo, disbelief etched on his face. The sudden appearance of these Sky ninja was a major blow, disrupting their entire strategy. Unlike the earlier reinforcements, which were an unexpected turn of events, this was a complete failure on their part. Here they were, facing a massive ninja force – easily over two thousand strong – that somehow managed to slip past their defenses in the middle of the war! This was a blatant dereliction of duty by Konoha's high command!
"Humph, impossible? This world is brimming with the unexpected!" A weathered voice, laced with age, cut through the air. Chiyo materialized before Leader Zashi, her wiry frame belying a steely resolve. "Chiyo! You orchestrated all this?" Zashi thundered, his face a mask of fury.
"Indeed," Chiyo admitted, a hint of condescension in her voice. "The alliance with the Land of sky and today's ambush were all part of the plan!"
"But how?" Zashi demanded, his voice tight with suppressed rage.
Chiyo's eyes narrowed. "How, you ask?" A cruel smirk twisted her lips. "For the past six months, you've danced a jig of arrogance, dismissing our Sand ninja like gnats! Little did you know, with each supply run, we smuggled troops from outlying villages. A hundred at a time, they slipped past your defenses, hidden in the mountains. This was our vengeance for your half-year-old transgression!"
The battlefield roared around them, the clash of steel and jutsu a constant symphony of chaos. Zashi glimpsed a flicker of movement in the distance – a Sand ninja, his crimson sash a blur as he was fighting with a Konoha swordsman. The Konoha shinobi fell, his lifeless eyes staring vacantly at the sky.
"Our Third Kazekage himself played a daring gamble," Chiyo continued, her voice rising above the din. "He lured you and Gekkou Yoru away, sacrificing his position to dismantle your guard posts. Eliminating your outposts was no easy feat, Zashi. It took meticulous planning and unwavering resolve!"
Zashi's face contorted in a mix of shock and grudging respect. A long silence stretched between them, broken only by the sounds of battle. Finally, his voice rasped, "So that explains the sentries silence... You silenced our patrols yourself. The Third Kazekage...a bold move, using himself as bait."
"And there's more," Chiyo cackled, her voice laced with triumph. "These Suna ninja may be our last line of defense, but they're a line drawn in blood! Your precious Leaf Village lies wide open now!"
Despair flickered in Zashi's eyes. He knew, with a sickening certainty, that Konoha was on the verge of defeat. "Six months of planning," Chiyo pressed on, her voice rising above the din of battle, "culminating in this glorious moment! The Kazekage himself played his part, a pawn sacrificed for victory!"
A sharp retort died in Zashi's throat. Hekkou Yoru, ever stoic, finally mirrored Zashi's narrowed gaze towards Chiyo.
Then came the sound. A chorus of grinding groans, like ancient tombs creaking open, echoed across the battlefield. Zashi and Yoru snapped their heads around. A wave of monstrous puppets surged through the ranks of the freshly arrived Sand ninja. They were like wolves among sheep, tearing into the Konoha forces with inhuman savagery.
These weren't your average puppets. Bristling with hidden weaponry, they fought with a relentless, suicidal fury. Their coordinated assault multiplied their lethality tenfold, turning the tide of the battle in an instant.
The puppets slammed into the Konoha ranks, a whirlwind of steel and fury. Within moments, a hundred Konoha ninja lay broken and lifeless.
Zashi and Yoru's jaws clenched. This wasn't child's play. Chiyo cackled, her voice dripping with sadistic glee. "Behold the pinnacle of Sand ninjutsu! An elite force of puppet masters, honed in secrecy for this very day! Today, they make their grand entrance on the world stage, and their legend will be written in the blood of Konoha!"
Her arrogance was a slap in the face. Zashi, his fury a smoldering inferno, launched himself at the Chiyo siblings. Yoru followed suit, a grim determination etched on his face.
But desperation wouldn't win this fight. Zashi, weakened from his clash with the Kazekage, wasn't at his peak. And Yoru, a powerful ninja in his own right, simply wasn't on par with the two seasoned Kage-level threats before him – Chiyo and her enigmatic brother.
Zashi understood why he hadn't acted earlier. Engaging Chiyo directly wouldn't change the tide. He needed an opening, a strategic gamble. But staring at the carnage brought by the puppets, he knew there might not be one.
Fueled by rage, Zashi could hold back no longer. He and Yoru launched a fierce assault on the Chiyo siblings. The two Kage-level combatants clashed, momentarily deadlocking the battlefield.
Just as the situation grew dire, Jiraiya, tasked solely with protecting the children, knew he had to intervene. With a mighty roar, he unleashed his signature jutsu,
The Toad Oil Flame Bullet!
Fire engulfed the battlefield, incinerating the two most fearsome puppets, reducing them to smoldering scrap.
But a grim silence descended upon Jiraiya. Destroying those puppets was a small victory. The real threat – the hidden puppet masters protected by the Sand ninja army – remained untouched. Even Kage-level fighters wouldn't dare wade into that hornet's nest.
Jiraiya cursed under his breath. A quasi-Kage level ninja, he was but a single man against a tide. Despair gnawed at him. Was this it? Were they facing utter defeat?
The battlefield stretched before him, a panorama of chaos. Suna ninja surged forward, relentless and unstoppable, their crimson banners whipping in the wind. The once-proud Konoha forces crumbled, their cries echoing in the bloody haze. This wasn't just Jiraiya's burden; it was etched on every Konoha ninja's face – a suffocating miasma of despair.
But then, a flicker of white light pierced the gloom. A figure materialized on the battlefield, a beacon amidst the carnage. All eyes turned towards this unexpected arrival.