"Danzo-sama, it's the Sand Village ninjas—they're attacking the camp. There are a lot of them!"
"The Sand Village? Chiyo?" Danzo froze for a moment, quickly grasping the situation. His expression darkened instantly.
"I thought the Sand Village just wanted to stir things up, to muddy the waters on the battlefield. I didn't expect Chiyo to have such audacity—to launch an attack on our Konoha positions to divert my and Orochimaru's attention, and then lead her army to circle around and strike at our camp."
"Chiyo truly is a shrewd tactician," he muttered, a scowl forming on his face.
Did Chiyo really think she was something special? Konoha was indeed under pressure from fighting on two fronts, but did she think the Sand Village had it any easier? Konoha's resources were substantial, and though the situation was challenging, they were far from being overwhelmed. The Sand Village, on the other hand, couldn't compete with Konoha in terms of resources or the number and strength of its shinobi.
Even with battles raging on two fronts, Konoha could still manage. But the Sand Village? They were overreaching. If all they wanted was to stir up trouble, that would be one thing. But to launch a full-scale attack on the camp? That was sheer recklessness.
Snorting disdainfully, Danzo issued his command: "Prepare to engage the enemy!"
Konoha had the advantage of defending a fortified position, while the Sand Village was on the offensive. Attacking a well-prepared camp was no easy task. Danzo wasn't particularly worried about Chiyo's attack—he just hadn't expected it.
However, Danzo had overlooked several crucial factors.
For one, Konoha had been in continuous combat, and the tension had been constant. The only place the shinobi could let their guard down and rest was within the camp, where many were now asleep. The Sand Village, on the other hand, had spent much of its time conserving energy, apart from their disruptive tactics.
Moreover, the surprise attack from behind was unexpected. When the Sand Village finally launched their assault, most of the Konoha shinobi were just starting to prepare for battle, uncertain of who to follow or how to organize themselves.
This disarray meant that Konoha's forces couldn't effectively concentrate their strength. In large-scale battles, a rushed defense was perilous. And most importantly, there was a critical time lag.
Even if Konoha realized they were under attack, it would take time to organize a coherent defense. Chiyo was counting on that very delay to strike a decisive blow.
This was a well-planned, well-prepared ambush against an unsuspecting enemy—designed to catch Konoha off guard and give Danzo a bitter taste of failure.
"Move out!"
As they neared Konoha's camp, Ebizō raised his hand and gave a sharp wave. A group of uniformly equipped Sand ninjas gathered quickly, aiming their weapons at Konoha's wooden walls.
"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel Technique!"
Despite the pouring rain, a large contingent of Sand ninjas combined their efforts, unleashing a powerful Wind Release jutsu. A series of razor-sharp wind blades tore through the air, shredding Konoha's wooden walls like paper.
Many shinobi stationed behind the walls were sliced to pieces by the relentless wind blades. Everything in the path of the jutsu was cut into fragments.
Although Konoha's shinobi tried to counter with their own jutsu, the sheer power of the coordinated Wind Release attack overwhelmed them. The Great Sickle Weasel Technique created a vacuum effect, rendering many of their jutsu ineffective.
"Puppet Brigade, advance."
With Konoha's defenses breached, Chiyo gave the signal. The Sand Village's infamous Puppet Brigade surged forward, their mechanical warriors flooding into the camp.
The battle erupted in an instant, but Konoha found itself on the back foot. The unprepared shinobi were caught off guard by the Sand Village's puppet brigade, and chaos ensued.
Puppets fired off volleys of poisoned needles and razor-sharp blades in all directions. Shinobi within the attack radius barely had time to react before being torn apart.
"Chiyo!"
Danzo burst out of the command center, gripping a sword tightly as he surveyed the battlefield. Wounded shinobi lay sprawled on the ground, writhing in pain. His forehead veins bulged with anger.
He had considered various scenarios, but he hadn't accounted for the time lag. This oversight had allowed the Sand Village to breach the camp and unleash their puppet brigade, resulting in significant casualties.
"Danzo."
Chiyo, controlling her puppets with ease, led her forces into the camp, with Ebizō close behind.
"Chiyo, did you really think this would be enough to defeat Konoha?"
"Of course not," Chiyo replied, a wide grin spreading across her face as she took in Danzo's rage.
"My mission is simply to make you feel pain, to inflict as much damage as possible. Does it hurt, Danzo?" she taunted. "Did you ever imagine that I would dare to attack your precious camp?"
The angrier Danzo became, the more delighted Chiyo was. It meant Konoha had suffered significant losses.
This surprise attack had been a resounding success for the Sand Village. Even if they couldn't hold the camp or wipe out all the shinobi, they had already won.
As the initial chaos began to subside, Konoha's forces started to regroup and mount an effective counterattack. The Sand Village's advance began to stall.
If the battle continued, Konoha would eventually drive the Sand Village out. But would it even matter at that point?
The Sand Village had already achieved its goal: they had successfully launched a surprise attack on Konoha's camp, breached its defenses, and inflicted heavy casualties—delivering a significant blow to Konoha's pride.
For Chiyo, the mission was already more than successful.
Witch!
Danzo seethed as he stared at Chiyo, who grinned mockingly at him. He wanted nothing more than to tear off his composed mask and hurl insults at her. But he couldn't. He had to maintain his image.
The villagers would never accept a foul-mouthed leader as their Hokage.
"Counterattack!" Danzo barked, too frustrated to engage in a war of words. He ordered the Konoha shinobi to mount a full-scale counteroffensive.
"Heh."
Knowing that Danzo was likely fuming, Chiyo was even more pleased. She shouted, "Puppet Brigade, target the medical unit!"
If they could overrun the medical unit and eliminate a large number of Konoha's medical ninjas, Chiyo's mission would be even more of a triumph.
Killing a group of shinobi was something Konoha could endure, but losing a significant number of medical ninjas would be a crippling blow—one that might just make the Third Hokage cough up blood in anger.
"No! Stop them!"
Losing a group of regular shinobi wouldn't bother Danzo too much. But the medical ninjas were another matter entirely—every single one of them was invaluable, especially during wartime.
Seeing Chiyo's forces advancing on the medical unit, Danzo could no longer remain composed.
"Puppet Brigade, take the medical unit!" Chiyo ordered, her voice filled with glee.
The more Danzo cared about something, the more Chiyo was determined to destroy it. Taking down the medical unit would be the perfect time to withdraw.
***********
Note: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 220+ at patreon.com/Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters