The two summoned beasts had utterly annihilated the enemy. There wasn't even much left of the bodies—Manda had eaten most of them. Barely a tenth of the Suna forces managed to escape, making this a decisive victory for Takuya's squad.
Even though the Konoha ninjas had only been spectators, their safety was guaranteed, and their lives spared. And to top it off, their village had gained yet another powerful figure. These combined factors had everyone in the squad cheering with joy.
At that moment, Yagami Takuya was their hero, the one who had protected them.
"Alright, enough shouting," Takuya commanded. "Hyūga Kaze, send a report to the village and our base camp. We continue moving forward."
Among the ninja accompanying Takuya, there were those responsible for relaying intel. Being attacked while escorting the wounded was a significant event, one that had to be reported immediately. After all, the sooner they made their report, the sooner Takuya's achievements could be officially recorded.
"Yes, sir!" Kaze replied.
The mood of the group was now buoyant, with over a hundred of them chatting away about Takuya, expressing admiration and awe. Their conversations made Takuya slightly uncomfortable. Using the excuse of scouting, he distanced himself, heading ahead of the group.
Their enthusiasm was overwhelming, and Takuya wasn't used to such attention.
Manda, once its summoning time had ended, returned to Ryūchi Cave. Takuya didn't have to worry about the massive snake getting lost.
The intelligence was quickly relayed back to Konoha and the base camp.
Meanwhile, some distance from the battlefield, Chiyo sat inside a cave, waiting for news from her troops.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, she sensed several familiar chakra signatures approaching rapidly, and her heart sank.
The battle couldn't have ended that quickly.
In an instant, Chiyo darted out of the cave.
"Chiyo-sama!"
The Suna shinobi who had remained behind followed her outside, standing in the rain. A sense of foreboding gripped Chiyo as she gazed into the distance.
Soon enough, her worst fears were confirmed. Several disheveled figures appeared on the horizon, clearly members of the Suna Puppet Brigade. Chiyo knew each and every one of them well.
Something terrible had happened.
Ignoring the rain, Chiyo rushed forward at top speed toward them.
"Who goes there!?"
The surviving Suna ninjas, already in a state of panic, flinched at the sudden approach. But when they saw it was Chiyo, they cried out:
"Chiyo-sama, terrible news! The intel the village has on Yagami Takuya... it's all wrong!"
"Wrong?"
Chiyo's frown deepened, her mind racing. She stood there in the rain, her face stern as she eyed the survivors.
She dared not imagine the worst. If the village had just lost hundreds of its finest shinobi, it would be a devastating blow to Suna. While not fatal, it would cripple the village's overall strength, especially since many of the lost were elite puppet brigade members.
"What happened!?"
Chiyo found herself struggling to maintain her composure.
"Chiyo-sama," one of the ninjas said, his face twisted in grief. "We were led by Kashara-sama to surround the Konoha escort team. When we had them surrounded, Yagami Takuya summoned Orochimaru's Manda."
Chiyo already knew that Takuya could summon Manda. That wasn't new information; Suna had gathered that intel long ago.
"You mean to tell me one snake had you all running scared?"
The more Chiyo spoke, the angrier she became. Her aged face, lined with wrinkles and blemishes, flushed red with fury.
"No, it wasn't just that, Chiyo-sama. Besides Manda, Yagami Takuya had a small white fox with him. It suddenly grew enormous, like... like the legendary Nine-Tails."
Are you kidding me?
Chiyo trembled, her hand shaking as she pointed at the speaker.
Hundreds of elite soldiers, wiped out by two summons? Was that even possible?
Manda, while formidable, wasn't invincible. Against enough foes, it couldn't withstand the combined attacks and would retreat eventually.
A fox as fearsome as the Nine-Tails?
Don't tell me this is Konoha's Nine-Tails.
Anyone familiar with the tailed beasts knew that Konoha's Nine-Tails was a massive orange fox, not white. Yet, rumors had spread throughout Suna about the small white fox always by Yagami Takuya's side. It seemed no different from a pet, though it did have nine tails just like the Nine-Tails.
"So... my entire force was wiped out... by a pet?"
Chiyo's vision darkened, and she coughed up blood. She staggered, nearly collapsing into the rain.
Fortunately, one of the Suna ninjas who had accompanied her from the cave reacted quickly, catching her just in time.
Faced with Chiyo's questioning, the remaining Suna survivors lowered their heads, saying nothing. Their silence was all the confirmation she needed.
After a long moment of recovery, Chiyo clenched her teeth and barked, "Detain them. Search the area for more survivors."
Chiyo needed more witnesses to verify the story. She was even tempted to go out and search herself.
Before long, Chiyo had found other returning Suna ninjas. After questioning them, their answers were all the same:
There had indeed been a massive white fox by Takuya's side, a creature so enormous and powerful that it crushed their forces with ease. And Manda, that vile serpent, had taken advantage of the chaos to devour many of their comrades.
Once Chiyo confirmed the intel, she stood there, dazed as if struck by lightning.
If the heavens granted her the chance to undo her decisions, she would immediately take her forces back to the Wind Country. Or even head to the River Country instead. Anything, so long as it didn't involve attacking Yagami Takuya.
Her greed had led to this—Suna's entire contingent in the Rain Country was now gone.
Less than a tenth had survived, thanks to Manda's ruthless opportunism in devouring the fallen.
At the same time...
Back at the Konoha base camp, Tsunade was still hard at work when a ninja from the Intelligence Division burst into her office without knocking. Rubbing her aching temples, Tsunade sighed.
"Please don't tell me it's more bad news."
"Tsunade-sama, this is a report from the escort team."
The Intelligence Division ninja looked troubled. While they were tasked with receiving intel, they didn't have clearance to read the most sensitive information.
"Escort team?"
Tsunade froze. The only escort team recently dispatched was the one led by Takuya, which had just left today.
Crash.
Tsunade jumped to her feet, knocking several items off her desk in her haste. She snatched the scroll from the ninja's hand, quickly undoing the seal and reading its contents with urgency.
Her heart raced as she read about the enemy attack, but as she continued, her expression gradually shifted from concern to... bewilderment.
"This brat was hiding his strength all along!"
Her worries had been for nothing. The escort team was fine, and Takuya had even managed to secure a great victory.
As for Chiyo... Well, Tsunade figured she wouldn't be feeling too great. The loss of her forces would likely leave her fuming, if not in danger of a stroke.
The Suna forces that had stayed behind in the Rain Country to cause trouble were now obliterated. All that was left for Chiyo was to slink back to the Wind Country in shame.
The thought of Chiyo's furious, defeated expression made Tsunade chuckle to herself.
"Serves her right!"
Tsunade and Chiyo had been bitter rivals for years. Chiyo specialized in poisons, while Tsunade was a master of antidotes. Every time Tsunade neutralized one of Chiyo's new poisons, it would send the old woman into a fit of rage.
Likewise, when Chiyo's poisons claimed the lives of Konoha ninjas, Tsunade couldn't resist cursing her out.
Their rivalry had grown over the years, especially since Tsunade's prowess in medical ninjutsu and taijutsu made her a deadly threat to puppet users.
Puppets and poisons were Chiyo's strengths, but against Tsunade, they might as well have been useless. She could shatter any puppet with a single punch or kick, and neutralize even the most lethal toxins.
"Send this intel to Danzo."