Meanwhile, Chiyo met up with Asuna and Mizuki. She hadn't encountered them much on the battlefield, mainly being entangled with Hatake Sakumo. Asuna, at least, she had met multiple times, but Mizuki had only provided support from the rear, so her impression of her wasn't deep.
However, Chiyo knew their identities: one was a descendant of the Uchiha clan, and the other was the daughter of the hateful Fumori Masaki. Both of them seemed equally detestable.
"Risa, be careful. We might not be able to look after you," Mizuki said to Yamanaka Risa, who maintained a mental connection with her, "Stay in the back with the others. With their protection, you'll be safer, at least for now."
Aside from Yamanaka Risa's crucial role as the core connector for Hatake Sakumo's team, their time together had also fostered a strong bond, and none of them wanted to see the other die. Yamanaka Risa nodded understandingly. She knew she couldn't offer much help and that supporting from the rear would be better.
After Yamanaka Risa retreated, she maintained a mental connection with Hatake Sakumo, Asuna, and Mizuki. Even if she couldn't directly assist on the spot, she would provide intelligence support, and if an opportunity arose, she would attempt to use her clan's Mind Body Switch Technique to create an opening for her allies.
Once successfully cast, the Mind Body Switch Technique allows one to seize control of a person's mind and body. Unless the target possesses exceptionally strong mental power, they will be reduced to a puppet of the Yamanaka clan. However, the Mind Body Switch Technique involves projecting one's own spirit, and if it misses the target, it takes a period of time to return, leading to wasted time.
As Yamanaka Risa pondered, the battle between Asuna, Mizuki, and Chiyo began. Before the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu could rush forward, Asuna wiped her hand across her blade, formed a hand seal, slammed it on the ground, and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu!"
With a puff of green smoke, a giant slug appeared before Chiyo, using its soft body to block the chains or blades of the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu. What would be severe cuts or penetrating wounds for a normal person meant nothing to the slug.
"What, is that Tsunade's summoning animal?" Chiyo was startled. She, of course, knew this slug, because during the attack on the medical camp, it was Tsunade who summoned this creature to block the sneak attack of the Sand Hidden Village's ninja forces.
Because of this, the Sand Hidden Village's ninja internally referred to Tsunade as "Slug Princess," combining her status as a princess of the Senju clan with her summoning animal, the slug.
"Is that so? So you can also summon slugs. The previous summoning transfer was because of you," Chiyo said in a low voice. Intelligence reports had mentioned a Leaf ninja being transferred via a slug. To accomplish such a feat, either someone could summon the summoning animal from another location, or Tsunade had left a slug there beforehand.
The massive slug, like a small mountain, stood before Chiyo. The puppets that had previously crashed into the slug had just broken free when they were ensnared by steel wires, and a ball of flames rapidly climbed along the wires.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Mizuki's Dragon Fire Technique was incredibly fast, but Chiyo quickly controlled her puppets to cut the steel wires, evading the encroaching Dragon Fire Technique.
"Annoying brats!" Chiyo said bitterly. She had initially thought she could quickly defeat them, believing these two girls wouldn't be as troublesome as Hatake Sakumo. However, after the slug appeared, she had a bad feeling.
The slug's body was extremely soft, capable of neutralizing most piercing, cutting, and other physical damage. Asuna and Mizuki, hidden within the slug's massive body, could appear and disappear unpredictably, making them difficult to catch.
"I wonder if Ryu can hold on," Chiyo worriedly glanced towards her son's direction. Just that momentary distraction, a fierce cold wind assailed her.
Chiyo quickly turned her head, a small cut appearing on her cheek. Annoyed, she controlled her puppets to shoot chains, wrapping around Asuna on the slug.
But Asuna blocked them repeatedly with her sword. Before Chiyo could launch another attack, she retreated back into the slug's body.
At the same time, the slug spat a stream of corrosive fluid towards Chiyo. Chiyo had witnessed the power of this acid during the First Great Ninja War. Her puppets had no defense against corrosion, so she immediately controlled the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu to retreat.
"Damn it!" Chiyo couldn't help but curse. For a summoning animal like the slug, her best method was to use the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu's secret technique—the Three Treasures Suction Crushing—to absorb the slug and crush it. In that case, no matter how soft its body was, it would be meaningless.
However, one of their opponents was a Fire Release ninja, and the Three Treasures Suction Crushing, which relied on Wind Release, was most vulnerable to Fire Release. Back then, Fumori Masaki had used the Three Treasures Suction Crushing's suction force to draw in a large number of explosive tags, which then detonated, directly destroying three of the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu's puppets.
Because Chiyo wasn't present at the time, she didn't know thatFumori Masaki had used this method. She was only worried because Mizuki was a Fire Release ninja; if the opponent exploited this, her side would be at a significant disadvantage.
The weakness of a puppeteer's insufficient attack power was once again exposed. Although the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu, as Monzaemon's greatest masterpiece, were rare puppets capable of performing secret techniques, they were still limited by the nature of puppets, only able to use one secret technique. This was a world apart from human puppets who could freely control bloodline limits.
Puppets are, after all, just puppets. They cannot simulate the chakra pathways consistent with a normal human body. Aside from human puppets that can substitute for chakra pathways, the only way to perform ninjutsu is to seal it in the form of a sealing jutsu, requiring only the injection of chakra. The Three Treasures Suction Crushing of the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu is precisely this.
As Chiyo hesitated, Asuna's Wind Release and Mizuki's Fire Release struck again. Their power wasn't particularly great, but their speed was fast and their attacks were frequent, annoying Chiyo endlessly. What was even more frustrating was that after each attack, they would retreat back into the slug's body.
The slug would occasionally spit out corrosive fluid, and with its massive body and the elusive duo, it made it very difficult for Chiyo to leave. What she had expected to be a quick battle had turned into a prolonged one, something Chiyo had never anticipated.
After witnessing the two brats' disruptive attacks once more, Chiyo could no longer tolerate it. Since they wouldn't let her leave, she would confront and eliminate Asuna and Mizuki head-on. She was an experienced veteran ninja, not someone young people could easily bully. They would see who could last longer.
—Alas, my son, hold on a little longer. Mother will be there to help you soon!
While Chiyo, Ryu, Hatake Sakumo, and others were embroiled in a prolonged battle, another high-level ninja confrontation was unfolding on a different part of the battlefield.
Uchiha Kagami, as the battle intensified, was no longer solely focused on showing off or luring the enemy. He was genuinely moving to support the front lines. Using long-range genjutsu to cast wide-area illusions, Uchiha Kagami created an excellent combat environment for his allies.
Therefore, the Sand Hidden Village ninjas could not stand idly by. The Third Kazekage, Ebizo, led his elite forces into the enemy lines. After suppressing them with high-speed Wind Release, he raised his hand and cast a large-scale Sand Secret Technique. A vast expanse of yellow sand instantly filled the air, significantly impacting visibility.
Uchiha Kagami's long-range genjutsu was also suppressed at this point. The Sharingan's genjutsu, in the final analysis, relies on sight as a medium for activation. So-called long-range genjutsu merely means the range of the dōjutsu projection is greater. Once obstructed by something, it becomes ineffective.
After all, the Sharingan is not the Byakugan with its penetrating ability; as long as there is an obstruction, the Sharingan's dōjutsu power will be blocked.
With the addition of Ebizo and others, Uchiha Kagami's genjutsu advantage was no longer what it once was. A fierce melee began nearby, and Uchiha Kagami could sense a powerful chakra in his vicinity, but obscured by the swirling yellow sand, he struggled to pinpoint the opponent's location.
Some overconfident Sand Hidden Village ninjas rushed forward, seemingly to deal with him, the supreme commander. Once they left the yellow sand and closed the distance, the Sharingan could be used again. Uchiha Kagami, almost instantly, used genjutsu to freeze one of them, then dodged a Wind Release attack, swung his chain, and wrapped it around another's neck.
Uchiha Kagami then charged forward. As his body moved rapidly, the chain instantly generated immense force, snapping the Sand Hidden Village ninja's neck. Simultaneously, the body was carried along and heavily flung onto the frozen Sand Hidden Village ninja.
The thrown Sand Hidden Village ninja carried great force, and his weapon was also flung out with him, piercing through the frozen Sand Hidden Village ninja. The two rolled several times on the ground before stopping, never to rise again.
No matter how powerful a genjutsu, it cannot directly kill someone; at most, it can turn them into a vegetable, but that requires considerable power. In the heat of battle, Uchiha Kagami had no time to turn someone into a vegetable; it was much quicker to just throw a kunai.
"Aren't you coming out? Even in a chaotic battle, ninjas of our level aren't entirely safe, but with comrades by our side, we still have a huge advantage in strength," Uchiha Kagami said in a low voice, "Besides, I've waited for you for so long. Won't you come out and meet me?"
"No amount of caution is too much when facing a Sharingan user," Ebizo's voice came from all directions within the yellow sand.
"Is that so? Then I'll take the initiative," Uchiha Kagami heard this and showed no politeness. He formed a hand seal with one hand, took a deep breath, and exhaled a giant fire dragon, "Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique."
The swirling yellow sand was dispersed by the fire dragon, and scorching hot air rushed in all directions. Uchiha Kagami had just finished exhaling fire when he felt a cold wind assailing him. His body was directly pierced by the Wind Release, but a moment later, it transformed into a broken log falling to the ground.
"Found you!" Uchiha Kagami shouted, appearing beside Ebizo. His scythe slashed towards Ebizo's head, and at the same time, the chain twisted eerily.
Ebizo's body recoiled, evading the scythe's slash, then twisted further, completely dodging the chain's entanglement. Simultaneously, he spat out a large number of air bullets, shouting, "Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere."
Uchiha Kagami fiercely drew out the Flame Fan from his back. While blocking the Vacuum Spheres, he heavily plunged it into the ground. Using the Flame Fan for cover, he leaped up from behind, and a large amount of Phoenix Sage Fire was already spewing from his mouth, shooting towards Ebizo.
Ebizo tapped his foot on the ground, raising a sand wall to block the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. Once the sand wall lost chakra support, it fell back down and transformed back into yellow sand, concealing his figure.
Ebizo gently exhaled and said, "To still possess such agile movements with only one arm, you are truly formidable, worthy of being the head of the Uchiha clan."
"You flatter me," Uchiha Kagami said indifferently, pulling hard on the chain. The Flame Fan, stuck in the ground, was retrieved and re-slung onto his back.
The fact that he could still wield both the Flame Fan and the scythe so skillfully with only one arm was what impressed Ebizo, along with that swift Body Replacement Technique. However, the opponent was, after all, an enemy of the village. Despite his current state, he still possessed such strength, making it even more imperative to eliminate him. Yet, he was not someone who could be easily dealt with.
"Is it really okay to be this calm? Your people are fighting non-stop," Uchiha Kagami said while searching for Ebizo's figure. His Sharingan stared intently, ready to project genjutsu the moment he caught the opponent's gaze.
"Heh heh, you should be the ones anxious. You're retreating step by step now," Ebizo said with a laugh, "What reason do I have to necessarily defeat you? It's enough to just hold you back."
Ebizo knew that facing a Sharingan user one-on-one was truly disadvantageous, but in the chaotic battlefield, it was impossible to have other jōnin cooperate with him. The jōnin also had their own areas of responsibility. A battlefield is not an individual battle, and the impact of individual victory depends on the situation.
Given Uchiha Kagami's strength, even bringing in other jōnin wouldn't guarantee a quick victory. Since he was alone, it was better to let the jōnin help elsewhere, striving for overall victory on the battlefield. In this way, under the pressure of the general situation, Uchiha Kagami's role would become less important—though powerful, he wasn't strong enough to single-handedly decide the outcome.
"Delay?" Uchiha Kagami muttered to himself. Ebizo didn't know that this was exactly what Uchiha Kagami was thinking. At the same time, Uchiha Kagami's strength was even greater than Ebizo imagined. This lack of information was precisely the key to determining the outcome.
However, Uchiha Kagami was still waiting. The moment the time came, he would reveal his Mangekyo Sharingan, which had reached the legendary realm.