Boom!
As Might Guy's Daytime Tiger slammed down, the devastating shockwave sent everyone into chaos. Not just the Sunagakure shinobi—it even disrupted the airborne forces of Hoshigakure and Konohagakure, forcing them to abandon their aerial assault and retreat hastily.
"G-guy-sama! I didn't know you were… this powerful!" gasped the Hoshigakure shinobi carrying Might Guy on his back, his forehead drenched in sweat. He couldn't have imagined that this large-browed man, who seemed a bit too straightforward, could unleash such an overwhelming attack. If this had been aimed at their village, the entire place would've been leveled in an instant.
Might Guy panted heavily. Opening the Seventh Gate took a significant toll on him, even though he had maintained it only for a brief moment. His entire body felt like it was trembling down to the bone.
"Let's… head back to camp… and report to the Hokage!" Guy said between labored breaths. Sunagakure had suffered a critical blow, they needed to seize the opportunity to inform the main forces and launch a decisive strike to crush the Sunagakure shinobi completely.
"Understood!" The Hoshigakure shinobi swiftly obeyed. Without glancing back at the still-raging shockwaves on the ground, he gestured to his comrades, who immediately formed a line and sped off into the distance.
Meanwhile, in Sunagakure's ranks...
The moment the Daytime Tiger collided with the Sunagakure shinobi's combined defensive jutsu, at least half of their forces were wiped out by the intense tremors.
Chiyo's enhanced Three Jewels Suction Crushing—performed through her Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu—managed to create a wind-pressure barrier that shielded many Sunagakure shinobi from the worst of the attack. However, the barrier lasted only a few seconds before the ferocious tiger broke through. Though its force was significantly weakened, it still tore through the Sunagakure defenses, leaving their frontlines in shambles.
In that instant, Chiyo thought she was doomed. Her vision went black, and she fainted on the spot.
When she awoke the next morning, the first thing she saw was the faces of Sunagakure's Counsellors. Never before had the sight of sunlight felt so precious.
News of last night's aerial assault by Konohagakure had sent shockwaves through every Sunagakure outpost. The Counsellors had feared their entire camp had been wiped out. Chiyo, as their strongest combatant and de facto leader, was their greatest hope. If she had fallen, Sunagakure might as well have surrendered immediately.
Luckily, when reinforcements arrived at the scene, they found Chiyo still breathing amidst the devastation. Medics were sent in haste, barely pulling her back from death's door.
The Counsellors couldn't fathom what kind of force had left their greatest puppeteer in such a pitiful state. Could it have been Konohagakure's Second Hokage himself?
"Chiyo-dono, thank goodness you're awake!"
Before she could take in her surroundings, the Sunagakure leaders interrupted her thoughts.
"How many casualties did we sustain last night?" Chiyo asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Chiyo-dono," one Counsellor began, his tone grim, "last night, Konohagakure deployed multiple airborne squads to attack our outposts across the region. Initial estimates put our losses at over three thousand shinobi. As for your camp… of the thousand stationed here, only fifty-four remain alive."
The words struck like thunder.
"We barely have five thousand combat-ready shinobi left," the Counsellor continued, his face pale. "At this point, we no longer have the strength to face Konohagakure head-on."
Sunagakure's Counsellors sat in stunned silence. They had underestimated Konohagakure's tactics, never imagining they'd suffer such catastrophic losses without even engaging the enemy directly.
Sunagakure wasn't a large village to begin with. Mobilizing ten thousand shinobi for this war had been a desperate gamble, a do-or-die effort. Now, within a week of conflict, half of their forces were gone.
Chiyo's lips, already pale from her injuries, turned even whiter as she bit down hard to stifle her rage. The devastation was too overwhelming to process. And that bushy-browed Konohagakure shinobi—his single strike had unleashed power she never wanted to face again.
The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu, crafted by Monzaemon, were completely destroyed in last night's battle, beyond any hope of repair. Chiyo had truly believed she would die then and there.
Now, a heavier burden weighed on her: the fate of Sunagakure. Should they continue fighting or surrender to Konohagakure?
"Onoki won't help us," she thought bitterly. Asking for Iwagakure's support was out of the question. But how could they counter Konohagakure's airborne forces?
Konohagakure had always been the strongest village, with a shinobi population far exceeding Sunagakure's. The current war effort was already a gamble, yet within mere days, they'd lost half their forces. If this continued, Sunagakure would be wiped out.
"What about Konohagakure's casualties? Do we have any reports?" Chiyo clung to a sliver of hope. If Konohagakure had suffered similarly heavy losses, perhaps she could consider allying with Iwagakure after all.
"Konohagakure…" the intelligence elder began hesitantly. "Aside from the one airborne shinobi we shot down last night, and the minor damage caused during the initial night raids… preliminary estimates suggest their losses haven't exceeded triple digits."
The room fell silent.
Chiyo's head swam as she processed the report, almost fainting again.
It took several minutes before anyone spoke. Finally, one of the oldest Counsellors broke the silence, his voice heavy with resignation.
"Chiyo… perhaps it's time to surrender. If we keep fighting, Sunagakure will be annihilated."
The room stirred uneasily, but no one objected.
"Whatever Konohagakure's demands are, we'll agree. At least this way, Sunagakure will survive. Senju Tobirama may seem invincible, but he's still mortal. One day, he'll die, and when that happens, we can reclaim what we've lost. But only if Sunagakure still exists by then."
Chiyo's heart clenched as she looked at the elder, then at the others. These same people who had once declared they'd fight Konohagakure to the bitter end now cowered like cornered mice, their eyes silently pleading for surrender.
"I'll… think about it," she muttered, pressing a trembling hand to her forehead.
At that moment, panicked shouts echoed from outside the tent.
"Bad news! Konohagakure is attacking again!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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