The reason was simple: the gap between Hardy and Chiyo in puppet mastery was simply too vast.
Even though Chiyo wasn't being serious, the difference in their control was as stark as a king-level player casually crushing a silver-ranked opponent in a game.
If Sasori didn't send Black Ant to help, the boy puppet would probably have been dismantled by now.
Yet even so, Hardy and Sasori were still on the losing side.
Even with the upgraded pneumatic system allowing for continuous punches, the fat puppet was still being suppressed by the bull-faced puppet.
Under Chiyo's control, the burly puppet displayed incredible agility. Although the four additional auxiliary limbs were weaker than the original two arms, their power was still formidable.
Chiyo continued to control her puppets, maintaining a situation where she could suppress Hardy and Sasori, but not win too quickly.
She was here to assess and guide them, after all, and wanted to see their true capabilities.
So far, Hardy's performance had left Chiyo fairly satisfied. The power the fat puppet could unleash put it among the top tier of all chunin-level puppet users. While it lacked a bit in agility, the boy puppet made up for that shortcoming.
Among chunin-level shinobi, these two puppets would allow Hardy not to be invincible, but at least to crush most opponents of the same rank.
The only thing Chiyo found less than satisfactory was that Hardy's puppet control skills were not top-tier among chunin puppet users—he was even a bit behind Sasori.
But considering Hardy's age, it was still quite impressive.
Becoming a chunin at eleven wasn't unheard of, but for a civilian ninja with no background or connections to reach this level using only his talent and to perform this well at eleven was already genius among geniuses. To demand more would be unrealistic—even Monzaemon couldn't have done it at that age.
Given his age, Chiyo believed that with her guidance and the legacy and experience of many top puppet masters, Hardy had a real chance of reaching the highest level of puppet mastery in the future.
As for Sasori, Chiyo was looking forward to his performance.
Black Ant had already shown combat power on par with the main battle puppets of ordinary chunin puppet masters, which meant Sasori's strength was already beyond that of a typical genin.
But the Salamander puppet had yet to show its capabilities.
Sasori pointed his left hand at the Salamander, separating his index and middle fingers.
With a series of clicks, the shield on the Salamander's back flipped open, revealing a black seat in the center, surrounded and protected by the shield.
The original Salamander puppet couldn't carry a person like this—this was a modification Sasori made after being inspired by Hardy's idea of using puppets to arm oneself.
With a metallic clang, the black iron shield transformed again, turning into a pair of heavy wings with feather-like edges.
Sasori mounted the Salamander, its massive form charging straight towards Chiyo.
"Not bad speed, but your turning is clumsy. Besides, I'm not that easy to deal with," Chiyo commented.
With a tap of her toes, she retreated with ghostly speed.
Even twenty years later, in her seventies, Chiyo's speed would still astonish taijutsu specialists like Sakura, and her official stats at age sixty-nine were higher than the Third Hokage's at the same age. Now, at her peak, Chiyo's speed was among the very best in the ninja world.
Seeing that the Salamander couldn't catch up, and not daring to leave its protection, Sasori decisively turned to help Hardy.
The fat puppet, made of inferior materials compared to the bull-faced puppet, was already showing multiple signs of damage.
If Sasori didn't step in soon, Hardy wouldn't be able to hold out.
"Black Secret Technique: Tail Needle!"
The Salamander's tail shot out, connected by an iron chain, swinging like a hammer towards the bull-faced puppet's back.
Suddenly, the bull-faced puppet's arms twisted 180 degrees, crossing behind its back. A pale blue chakra glow appeared, forming a shield.
Puppet Technique: Mechanized Shield Seal!
Sasori's attack packed a punch—without this defensive ninjutsu, the bull-faced puppet might have been damaged.
"Now's my chance!"
Hardy controlled the fat puppet to attack from both sides, blocking the bull-faced puppet's auxiliary limbs with its elbows, while the fists, powered by pneumatic cylinders, shot out at the bull-faced puppet's head.
Clang!
The bull-faced puppet's arms snapped back, its large hands grabbing the fat puppet's fists, and the two began a test of strength.
The fat puppet's pneumatic punches were explosive, and while the air valve improved its endurance, it wasn't like a human puppet with real muscle tissue. In a prolonged contest of strength, the outcome depended more on the puppet's quality and the user's skill.
As expected, the fat puppet was once again overpowered, even being pushed back by the bull-faced puppet.
...took a few steps.
Meanwhile, the four auxiliary limbs under the ox-faced puppet's ribs were connected by segmented wooden tubes, resembling black ants. They flailed menacingly as they lunged at Sasori.
"Troublesome."
Sasori frowned, controlling the Salamander puppet to close its shield-like wings, forming an oval that enveloped him. For the moment, the ox-faced puppet's auxiliary limbs couldn't harm Sasori's true body and had to redirect their attack toward the Salamander.
However, as a defensive puppet meticulously crafted by Sasori, the Salamander was nearly impossible to break through unless Chiyo used her full strength.
But Chiyo would never truly harm Sasori.
She treasured this grandson dearly.
Inside the spherical shield, Sasori peered through the gaps between the feathers, tugged his fingers, and manipulated the Salamander to charge at the ox-faced puppet like a bulldozer.
At the same time, two spinning saw blades popped out from both sides of the Salamander's body, folding forward.
"These two kids really are going all out to wreck my puppets, aren't they?"
A faint smile appeared on Chiyo's face.
She was quite satisfied with Sasori's performance.
"But Hardy will be following me to the battlefield in a few days. Better not break his puppet."
Chiyo felt she had assessed enough, so she added a third chakra thread.
The speed of the red-faced cat puppet instantly rose to another level, and the strength of the ox-faced puppet surged again.
"Boom!"
The Formentor puppet's arms were caught by the ox-faced puppet, which then lifted it up and threw it aside.
Then, the ox-faced puppet swiftly turned, dodging the Salamander's double saw blades with agility that belied its size. It leaped to the top and began dismantling the puppet with both hands.