"Is that... Lady Chiyo?"
"Damn it, what is that bastard doing to Lady Chiyo?"
"How dare he humiliate our leader like this!"
From across the battlefield, sounds of gritted teeth and curses could be heard as the remaining Sand ninja desperately wished to rush forward and tear Satoru apart.
Suddenly, one of them blurted out, "Actually, Lady Chiyo looks quite good, doesn't she?"
???
The others turned to stare at him in shock.
...
Chiyo wished for nothing more than death. She wanted to bite off her tongue and end her life rather than live with this humiliation. But to her horror, she found she couldn't even do that—her body was completely out of her control.
If before she had been forced to dance by her own puppets, now she was moving voluntarily, performing the bizarre dance called "Gokuraku Jodo."
Heavens! This is a nightmare!
This wasn't her intention at all!
She was the strongest puppeteer in Sunagakure, and yet here she was, being controlled by her puppets in front of everyone.
"This bastard!"
Unable to control her body, Chiyo could only convey her fury through her eyes. If looks could kill, Satoru would have been minced meat by now.
This had to be Satoru's doing!
She recalled feeling something sticky and squirmy get into her clothes and crawl inside her body. Then she lost control and started dancing this ridiculous dance.
Was this some kind of advanced puppetry?
Stronger than chakra threads?
Having already resigned herself to the fact she was socially dead, Chiyo stopped struggling and started pondering the origins of this strange ability.
Puppeteers controlled their puppets using chakra threads from their fingertips. These could also control weaker ninjas if attached to them. However, she hadn't felt any chakra threads invading her body.
Only that sticky liquid seemed to be controlling her movements from within.
Sometimes, it hardened and elongated, and other times, it softened and thickened. It controlled her joints, forcing her into the dance and even keeping time with the music.
Shrimp and pig heart!
She heard the murmurs of shock and discussion from the surrounding Sand ninjas. She realized that Satoru wasn't killing her but was making her dance to crush the morale of Sunagakure from within.
How could any ninja from Sunagakure hold their head up high when one of their top leaders was being toyed with like this?
A cold dread seeped into Chiyo's heart. She knew she couldn't escape Satoru's control on her own. She hesitated for a moment before making a decision.
Gathering chakra into her abdomen, she threw her head back and let out a heart-wrenching scream.
"Rasa, save me!"
Her voice echoed across the battlefield, spreading like ripples in water.
...
Rasa stood atop his sand gold flying carpet, gazing down at Orochimaru from above.
The clash between sand and snakes continued. The quantity of sand gold summoned far surpassed the number of snakes, but each time the snakes were buried under the sand, they exploded, scattering the sand.
"Orochimaru, are you a bottomless pit?"
Rasa frowned, looking down in disgust at Orochimaru, who was sprawled on the ground, spewing out more snakes like he was taking a PCR test.
Throughout the battle, he had maintained this position, continuously summoning snakes. This constant replenishment allowed the snake army to persist despite the self-destructive attacks.
"It must be a special summoning technique, connected to some snake den in Ryuchi Cave, transporting snakes continuously."
Rasa thought for a moment before speaking, frowning.
If that were the case, their battle would end in a stalemate. Even if he tried to launch a surprise attack with sand gold, the sheer number of snakes made it impossible.
However, Rasa wasn't worried. He had already gauged the strength of the Konoha ninjas. Sunagakure had sent far more ninjas, and in terms of top-tier combat power, Pakura held up Minato, and he was fighting Orochimaru. Chiyo, meanwhile, was free to wreak havoc on the Konoha ninjas.
Rasa had faith in Chiyo. After all, she was a legendary figure from the Second Shinobi World War and a master puppeteer.
In battle, a puppeteer could maximize their abilities, turning one person's power into the strength of ten. Chiyo, as the strongest puppeteer, would devastate the Konoha forces.
As Orochimaru remained calm, Rasa assumed he was inwardly anxious, wanting to defeat him quickly to aid Chiyo.
Humph!
Rasa sneered inwardly. The more Orochimaru seemed urgent, the more Rasa intended to delay him, allowing Chiyo to fully unleash her strength.
Just then, a piercing voice rang out from across the battlefield, freezing Rasa in place.
"Rasa, save me..."
"Rasa, save me..."
The voice, tinged with a mix of fear and frustration, spread across the battlefield, causing everyone to pause in confusion.
"Is that... Chiyo's voice?"
Rasa was shocked.
"What could have happened for Chiyo to call for help? She's the strongest puppeteer in Sunagakure!"
Could there be a hidden powerhouse among the Konoha forces?
Tsunade?
No, even if Chiyo couldn't defeat Tsunade, she wouldn't need to call for help. It must be more than one opponent, or maybe Sarutobi Hiruzen himself leading an elite squad to take out Sunagakure's top puppeteer.
The more Rasa thought about it, the more terrified he became. Without delay, he abandoned his fight with Orochimaru and rushed towards the source of the cry, controlling his sand gold flying carpet.
When he arrived, one glance was enough to leave him utterly dumbfounded.