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, Usagi Xin summoned Orochimaru's Manda."
Chiyo already knew that Xin 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, Usagi Xin had a small white snake with him. It suddenly grew enormous, like... like the legendary Sage Snake!"
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 Snake as fearsome as the Tail Beast?
Don't tell me this is Konoha's secret weapon?
Anyone familiar with the tailed beasts knew that Konoha's Snake was a massive Purple Snake, not white. Yet, rumors had spread throughout Suna about the small white snake always by Usagi Xin's side. It seemed no different from a pet, though it did have summon like Tail Beast.
"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 to witnesses to verify the story. She even tempted to go and search herself.