"Is this real?"
Tobirama from Parallel World 1 was finally tempted by the offer.
Though he knew it was most likely a tactic from his other self—just another bet to reverse the situation—
He couldn't deny that the offer was tempting enough!
He knew they were still researching ways to restore Naomi's eyes. If he could obtain a stronger Rinnegan and give it to her as compensation, that would be a wonderful story.
Even if Naomi didn't use it, Tobirama himself gaining the Rinnegan would make him more confident when arguing with Uchiha Madara from Parallel World 1.
And even if he lost, it would only undo the victory he'd already earned.
There was absolutely no danger to him.
"Of course. With Lord and sister-in-law here, are you still worried I'll lie?"
"Alright."
"You agree?!"
Tobirama from Parallel World 2's eyes sparkled—he instantly regained excitement, as if he'd become twenty years younger again.
"Hmph! I'm agreeing because you look pitiful—I'm just giving you one more chance."
"Fine, fine, fine! Go ahead, you pick first."
"You're really letting me choose first?"
"Trust me. This time there's no trap—it's pure luck!"
Tobirama from Parallel World 1 eyed his counterpart suspiciously, then turned back to gaze at the arena.
At the two people who had just stepped onto the stage—Chiyo and Kagami.
"What abilities does Kagami's Mangekyō Sharingan have?"
"xxxx…" Tobirama from Parallel World 2 briefly explained.
"It can forcibly stop the target's technique? Such a powerful eye technique?"
"Yes."
"Wait—don't tell me you ordered Kagami to intentionally lose? He's your student…"
Tobirama from Parallel World 1 remembered something and immediately confirmed again.
"I swear on my brother—I never did!"
"Good. Then I bet on Kagami winning!"
"Are you sure? No changing your mind?"
"Sure, won't change!"
The two Tobiramas reached an agreement. Tobirama from Parallel World 1 bet on Kagami's victory, while Tobirama from Parallel World 2 had to bet on Chiyo's win.
Honestly, Tobirama from Parallel World 2 actually wanted to bet on his own student Kagami too—after all, no one knew Kagami's strength better than him.
But there was no choice.
His other self had already chosen.
Now, he could only hope Danzō and Chiyo would stay motivated and surprise him again.
After all, Tobirama from Parallel World 2 was already "bankrupt." At worst, he'd just lose one more match.
Was there any adventure scarier in the world than having to touch Madara's butt?
Seemed like nothing else, right?
So Tobirama from Parallel World 2 didn't care anymore…
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same moment,
On stage, Kagami and Chiyo didn't exchange words.
As soon as the referee gave the signal, the battle erupted instantly.
Chikamatsu's Ten Puppet Technique!
Chiyo unrolled her scroll and summoned ten elite Chikamatsu puppets. Each puppet possessed strength equivalent to an Elite Jonin, but since three had been destroyed in her previous fight against Uzumaki Ryuji, only seven remained now.
"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku!" (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!)
Kagami formed hand seals and unleashed a high-level fire technique.
Right at the start, he used the clan's advanced fire technique brought forth by Madara—an attack far more powerful than a regular fireball.
Seeing the fierce sea of flames rushing toward her, Chiyo was slightly startled.
This was the true power of the Uchiha's fire techniques!
Of course, this wasn't its peak. If Madara used it, this single fire technique might burn the entire arena.
"Kikō Junbū!" (Mechanical Shield Formation!)
The seven Chikamatsu puppets formed a large shield, converting chakra into an all-defensive barrier to protect Chiyo. Finally, they managed to withstand the raging wave of fire.
But the impact of the flames couldn't be underestimated. It pushed all seven puppets and Chiyo backward.
Almost as if trying to force Chiyo straight out of the arena.
Chiyo quickly changed her strategy.
She separated three Chikamatsu puppets, pulling them with chakra threads, moving around the fire attack from the left side, and directly assaulting Kagami on the opposite end.
"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!)
Kagami created a shadow clone. The clone formed hand seals and released three fire dragons—each certain to hit.
They struck the three Chikamatsu puppets directly.
A massive explosion, like a missile detonation, erupted—and the three Chikamatsu puppets shattered into countless pieces.
With immense power and near-guaranteed accuracy,
This Ryūka no Jutsu was no joke. Even five Kage-level ninja would suffer severe injuries if hit—let alone mere puppets.
"Sanbō Kyūkai!" (Three-Way Confinement!)
Seizing the opportunity, Chiyo immediately activated the combined technique of her remaining three Chikamatsu puppets, forming a triangular formation. From the right side, they unleashed a violent whirlwind, creating a high-pressure storm aimed at Kagami on the opposite end.
Kagami's real body wasn't afraid. He formed hand seals again, switching his elemental technique.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!)
A giant fireball, resembling a falling meteor, shot out and exploded into a sea of fire, engulfing the entire arena.
At the same time, Kagami also activated another Mangekyō Sharingan ability he possessed—Amaterasu—to enhance the power of the entire inferno.
Instantly, blazing black flames consumed the entire arena.
Any unit on the battlefield would continue burning uncontrollably if touched—even like a contagious disease.
Unless they could fly into the air.
Of course, Chiyo couldn't fly. She quickly unrolled another scroll and summoned five special puppets.
She transformed these puppets into steps, landing atop the sea of fire.
The Chikamatsu puppets and Chiyo herself stood upon the shoulders of these special puppets to avoid touching the ground.
These special puppets were made of alloy metal—strong enough to withstand the flames temporarily.
This was Chiyo's preparation for facing Uchiha fire techniques.
Kagami frowned slightly—he realized Chiyo's preparations seemed extremely thorough!
Compared to their awkward clash in Sunagakure, both sides had made tremendous progress—now incomparable.
Amaterasu!
Kagami activated Amaterasu again, locking his gaze on Chiyo's real body in the distance, preparing to burn her.
But Chiyo seemed very familiar with Amaterasu's weakness. She immediately controlled ordinary puppets to block herself—so the Amaterasu flames hit the puppets instead, not burning her real body.
As long as there were barriers or she could avoid the Mangekyō Sharingan's line of sight, the threat of Amaterasu drastically decreased.
And as a puppet master, the one thing Chiyo certainly didn't lack was puppets. Of course, she could use puppets as shields to avoid Amaterasu's lock-on.
(Seems I need to get serious.)
Kagami's eyes sharpened, and his chakra rapidly surged.
Susano'o!
An orange Susano'o quickly solidified, jumping straight to its second form—skipping the initial and first forms entirely.
Susano'o drew its bow, aiming at Chiyo and her puppets in the distance.
*SWOOSH!*
A chakra arrow was fired, releasing a loud sonic boom. The surrounding air compressed, forming a spiraling hollow space trail.
Chiyo was shocked.
She quickly controlled three Chikamatsu puppets to form a mechanical light shield.
But that sturdy chakra shield, once struck by the Susano'o arrow, shattered instantly—unable to last even one second.
The Susano'o arrow instantly destroyed Kikō Junbū and the three Chikamatsu puppets, reducing them to countless fragments.
Meanwhile, Chiyo, protected by her final Chikamatsu puppet, narrowly escaped the arrow's path.
"Hah—!"
Witnessing this breathtaking scene, many spectators couldn't help but cry out.
After all, the speed and power of the Susano'o arrow were too astonishing. Don't even talk about below-Kage levels—even ordinary Kage-level ninja could die from a single arrow if they couldn't dodge!
The raw value and capability of Susano'o was simply too strong at the Kage level.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Danzō, watching from outside the arena, was extremely anxious—his heart pounding. He feared Chiyo would be pierced by his friend's arrow.
He cursed the merciless Kagami!
(He has absolutely no manners with women!)
He recalled sparring with himself…
Hmm…
When Kagami fought him, he was equally ruthless and fearless—even when fighting Koharu.
(Maybe it's not Kagami who's changed… maybe it's me?)
Just as Danzō felt worried and doubtful,
The battle on the arena didn't stop.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Ruthless Kagami, seeing his arrow missed, immediately pulled his bow again, focusing another arrow—once more aiming at Chiyo.
Chiyo in the distance didn't dare act recklessly. She knew she couldn't be hit. If struck, she wouldn't withstand the terrifying power of the Susano'o arrow.
So she had to reveal another trump card.
*POOF!*
Chiyo produced two scrolls. One exploded, revealing a bald puppet inside.
This sight shocked Tobirama seated in the highest seats.
"Incredible!"
"What is she doing?"
"She turned the body of the Second Kazekage, Shamon, into a puppet?"
Tobirama recognized Shamon—after all, they were both Second Kage, and Shamon's bald head was highly distinctive, even as a puppet.
For this, Tobirama and others could only marvel.
Truly "a good teacher and devoted disciple"!
In Konoha Village, if Hiruzen and others dared desecrate Tobirama's corpse, he was sure they'd turn into hedgehogs!
Yet, considering different customs, Tobirama and Konoha could only choose to respect it.
After all, in Sunagakure, dominated by puppet techniques, it was common practice to turn deceased relatives and teachers into puppets.
It was also seen as a form of eternal companionship and support.
Besides, he himself created the Edo Tensei, capable of dragging the dead from Pure Land to work and fight again. He wasn't much better himself.
Still, Tobirama was slightly puzzled.
After all, even if she summoned Shamon's puppet, it couldn't withstand Susano'o.
Don't even mention the dead Shamon puppet—the living Shamon wouldn't dare block a Susano'o chakra arrow.
What did Chiyo truly intend to do?
Chiyo gave her answer. Another scroll unfurled.
In an instant, hundreds of gray-robed puppets emerged from the scroll, swarming out like bees from a hive.
At the same time, the Shamon puppet opened its chest cavity—revealing a Heart Regeneration Core. It immediately emitted hundreds of chakra threads, connecting and controlling all the puppets.
Akahigi: Hyakki no Sōen! (Red Secret Technique: Fierce Hundred Puppets!)
Chiyo had even managed to replicate her grandson Sasori's exclusive secret puppet technique.
She modified and condensed her teacher Shamon's body into the regeneration core, using Shamon's puppet body to control hundreds of puppets—completing the full Hundred Puppet Technique!
And all of this clearly came from Danzō.
Note: In Parallel World 4, Minato had already conquered the world, nearly unifying it.
Of course, he also took in Sasori, who was still wandering outside villages.
Therefore, Danzō from Parallel World 4, citing meritorious service, obtained secret techniques like Rasenshuriken and the Hundred Puppet Technique—it wasn't difficult.
Of course, to please Danzō from Parallel World 4 and teach him these cross-era techniques, young Danzō from Parallel World 2 had to pay an extremely high price.
Fortunately, his persuasion skills were the best in the ninja world—Hiruzen and Chiyo themselves said so.
Thus it was.
Under Danzō's guidance, Chiyo expanded her thinking and techniques, making great progress in puppetry, ultimately creating such a puppet army.
After all, Chiyo's talent wasn't inferior to Sasori's—she just happened to be born slightly earlier.
Now with a clear roadmap of future technology, achieving the Hundred Puppet Technique was predictable.
With hundreds of puppets formed, they all floated in the air, creating a dense, terrifying figure.
Just looking at it was extremely oppressive!
Like one person controlling hundreds of drones—it was almost like forming an army.
Of course, the materials and weapons of these puppets were average—their strength only equaled Genin to Chunin levels.
Chiyo used her teacher Shamon's puppet body to indirectly control these hundred puppets—her precision and flexibility couldn't compare to Sasori's.
So their power and capability were slightly lower.
But Chiyo currently didn't intend to use the Hundred Puppet Technique to defeat Susano'o.
Though many ants could bite an elephant to death,
Ordinary puppets in large numbers couldn't defeat Susano'o—because their attacks couldn't even penetrate Susano'o's defense.
But the Hundred Puppet Technique was very useful for evading Susano'o's arrows.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
Hundreds of puppets, like drones, floated across the arena, moving erratically.
Viewed together, they looked like stars swirling in the sky.
Just looking at them was enough to tire and confuse the eyes.
And Chiyo's real body had already hidden behind these puppets, using each puppet's movement to shift and dodge rapidly.
This way, she could avoid Kagami's Sharingan line of sight.
As long as Kagami couldn't lock onto her, he couldn't activate Amaterasu or accurately shoot Susano'o arrows at Chiyo.
This was one of the tactics planned by Chiyo and Danzō.
"…"
As expected, Kagami maximized his dynamic vision and quickly searched for targets.
Though the Mangekyō Sharingan's dynamic vision was powerful enough to track Chiyo's movements,
From seeing, to aiming, to firing the arrow—the brief delay was enough for Chiyo to dodge behind another puppet.
Kagami fired three consecutive arrows—all missed.
He only destroyed several ordinary puppets, failing to hit Chiyo.
Clearly, this tactic was truly effective!
After several failed attempts, Kagami also understood the power of the Hundred Puppet Technique.
Without the Sharingan and the invincible defense of Susano'o, Chiyo could've defeated him using just this technique!
Never expected puppetry could advance this far—becoming so powerful.
Truly incredible!
This could even be considered an S-rank secret puppet technique.
But unfortunately, with Susano'o's invincible defense, Kagami was already in an unbeatable position.
No matter how many puppets attacked him, they couldn't penetrate Susano'o's defense.
However, if this continued, it wouldn't be good either.
Don't think Chiyo, controlling a hundred puppets simultaneously, wasn't consuming massive amounts of chakra.
But Kagami wasn't comfortable either—he lacked Hashirama's cells and Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. He couldn't maintain Susano'o for long.
The longer he held it, the greater the strain on his eyes.
Therefore, he had to break the stalemate quickly!
Fortunately, Kagami had already thought of a way to solve this.
Kagami pushed his Sharingan's dynamic vision to its limit, once again catching a gap in Chiyo's movement—locking onto her figure.
Togahimiko!