Kitazawa used the Flying Thunder God Technique the moment Naruto agreed.
When they arrived, Chiyo and the others were already locked in battle with Sasori.
Kitazawa did not rush in immediately. Instead, he stopped at a distance and observed the battlefield through his Byakugan.
Naruto glanced around and scratched his head.
Without the Byakugan, all he could see was Chiyo and the others fighting Sasori, and he couldn't quite make sense of the situation.
Still, he trusted Kitazawa completely and didn't ask any questions.
Eight people from the Hidden Sand Village had arrived, Chiyo included—every one of them a Jonin.
Yet their opponent was only one man: Sasori.
As the strongest puppeteer, Sasori possessed the power to annihilate a small country single-handedly.
And he wasn't just the strongest puppeteer—he was also the most terrifying poison master.
Not long after the battle began, two Hidden Sand Jonin collapsed after being poisoned.
In truth, they had only suffered minor injuries by accident, but once the toxins entered through their wounds, they were rendered completely incapable of fighting.
Seeing this, Chiyo immediately ordered the others to hold Sasori back while she rushed to treat the injured.
However, to her shock, even she was powerless against Sasori's venom.
Kitazawa recalled Kankurō from the original timeline.
After Gaara had been captured, Kankurō had immediately led a pursuit, only to be poisoned by Sasori.
He had been brought back to the Hidden Sand Village, where the entire medical corps worked tirelessly—yet none could neutralize the poison.
The same situation now confronted Chiyo. In the original story, Sakura arrived in time and cured Kankurō.
That moment had been Sakura's highlight. But now Sakura wasn't here.
And that made the situation far more dire.
After all, when facing a monster like Sasori, avoiding injury entirely was nearly impossible—even for Chiyo and the others.
Time passed slowly.
Sweat began to bead on Chiyo's forehead.
Including her, the Hidden Sand Village now had only three Jonin still able to fight. The remaining two, though not yet poisoned, had already lost their fighting spirit.
When battling under such constraints, being poisoned was only a matter of time.
"You take them away first. I'll deal with Sasori." Chiyo took a deep breath and made her decision.
She was prepared to sacrifice herself.
The two remaining Hidden Sand Jonin exchanged glances, hesitated for a brief moment, then followed her orders.
Sasori never tried to stop them. From beginning to end, he merely watched calmly as they carried away the poisoned Jonin.
"Sasori… why did you kidnap Gaara?" Chiyo asked, her expression complicated.
During the battle, Sasori had emerged from the puppet Hiruko, revealing his true form. Yet although it was called his original body, it had long since been converted into a puppet.
That was why his appearance had never aged—he still looked like a young man. There was no warmth left in him.
"If you want to see him, then kill me," Sasori replied coldly. "But it seems you don't have that ability."
Chiyo let out a deep sigh. She had never imagined that one day she would fight her own grandson in a life-and-death battle.
But no matter what, Gaara had to be saved.
White Secret Technique: The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu!
Chiyo raised both hands, unsealing a scroll. Ten puppets appeared around her.
She was going all out.
Sasori responded in kind, opening his own scroll and summoning hundreds of puppets at once.
"What?!" Chiyo couldn't suppress her shock.
Even the most elite puppeteer could control only ten puppets at once.
This was the first time she had ever seen someone manipulate hundreds simultaneously.
Shock and sorrow intertwined in her heart.
Sasori should have remained in the Hidden Sand Village, becoming a pillar of its future—not standing here as a member of Akatsuki, an enemy of his homeland.
Chiyo knew all too well how dire the situation in the Hidden Sand Village was, with new talent painfully scarce.
If Sasori had stayed, things would never have deteriorated this far.
A puppeteer battle erupted.
Chiyo used White Secret Technique: The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu! against Sasori's Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets, resulting in a fierce and evenly matched clash.
But Chiyo was old. As time dragged on, fatigue slowly set in.
Worse still, Sasori possessed a human puppet—the Third Kazekage.
Chiyo knew exactly how terrifying the Third Kazekage had been.
Though dead and turned into a puppet, the greatest advantage of a human puppet was that it could still use all the ninjutsu it had wielded in life.
In other words, whether alive or dead, his combat power was nearly unchanged.
Suddenly, Sasori stopped moving both hands and pulled all his puppets back two steps.
Chiyo froze, unable to understand his intent. Then she noticed two figures approaching from a distance.
Reinforcements from the Hidden Sand Village? Or perhaps a ninja from the Hidden Mist Village?
Countless possibilities flashed through her mind, yet she felt no real joy.
In her view, unless the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumī, had arrived personally, no one from the Hidden Mist could defeat Sasori.
The same was true for the Hidden Sand Village.
Only if the gravely injured Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, arrived in full condition could the situation be reversed.
But when the two figures drew closer, Chiyo froze completely.
It wasn't the Hidden Sand Village. Nor the Hidden Mist Village. It was Konoha.
"Kitazawa…?" Chiyo looked twice, then blurted the name aloud.
The moment Sasori heard "Kitazawa," his vigilance rose sharply. After all, Kitazawa's reputation was simply too great.
Especially as the only Wood Release user in the ninja world since Senju Hashirama.
"Elder Chiyo, it's a pleasure to meet you." Kitazawa chuckled. "I bring greetings on behalf of my teacher, Tsunade."
"You… what are you doing here?" Chiyo asked, stunned.
"I just happened to be passing by," Kitazawa replied casually.
"I'm not a three-year-old child. Do you think I'd believe that?" Chiyo shot back.
"The most urgent matter right now is saving Gaara." Kitazawa calmly reminded her.
Chiyo's expression stiffened, and she fell silent. Earlier, she had believed that only Rasa or Mei Terumī could resolve this crisis.
But in truth, Kitazawa's arrival was even more decisive than either of them.
The only problem—he was a ninja of Konoha. And the Hidden Sand Village and Konoha were not allies.
Yet Kitazawa was right. Saving Gaara came first.
"Kitazawa," Chiyo said solemnly, "I formally ask for your assistance. Once Gaara is rescued, the Hidden Sand Village is willing to offer compensation."
A veteran through and through—she knew when to yield and when to stand firm.
Kitazawa nodded, which Chiyo took as acceptance. After all, his purpose for coming here was Sasori himself.
With Chiyo's request, he now had a legitimate reason.
Sasori did not retreat. He was extremely confident in his own strength.
Reputation was reputation—it didn't necessarily reflect true power.
Even if he and the Third Kazekage couldn't defeat Kitazawa, Sasori believed escape was still possible.
After all, the Third Kazekage possessed Magnet Release, which could carry him away. Chiyo and Kitazawa had no chance of catching up.
"Naruto," Kitazawa spoke calmly. "He's your target today. Just defeat him."
"Yes, Teacher Kitazawa!" Naruto answered with excitement.
Although he hadn't witnessed the earlier clash between Chiyo and Sasori, the sight of hundreds of puppets alone made it clear that Sasori was no ordinary ninja.
"Wait." Chiyo's eyes widened as she asked, "Aren't you going to make a move?"
"I don't need to," Kitazawa replied evenly. "And neither do you."
Chiyo's first reaction was disbelief. Had Kitazawa gone mad, actually thinking a child could defeat Sasori?
Sasori felt irritation surge within him—an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. This was the first time he had ever been looked down upon so blatantly.
"His name is Naruto. He is the son of the Fourth Hokage—and also my student." Kitazawa explained.
Chiyo paused briefly, yet her expression remained grim.
Minato Namikaze had indeed been a peerless genius, but that didn't automatically mean his son would be the same.
More importantly, Naruto looked far too young. Even Minato had been unknown to the world at eleven or twelve.
And Sasori. He was a monster who had assassinated the Third Kazekage, a man with true Kage-level strength.
"You—" Chiyo had only managed to say a single word when she abruptly stopped.
Sasori froze as well.
Dark-red chakra erupted from Naruto's body, shooting skyward and instantly condensing into four tails.
"He's… the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?" At that moment, Chiyo finally understood where Kitazawa's confidence came from.
"Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?" Sasori reached the same conclusion.
His first instinct was to seize Naruto and bring him back to Akatsuki. But capturing Naruto in front of both Chiyo and Kitazawa was far from easy.
Moreover, among all Jinchūriki, the Nine-Tails' host was arguably the strongest.
Still, Naruto was young—his power shouldn't be fully developed yet.
As Sasori's thoughts raced, he stopped hesitating and raised both hands. All the puppets around him turned toward Naruto at once.
With their overwhelming numbers, Naruto was completely surrounded from every direction.
Chiyo instinctively prepared to move her ten puppets to break the encirclement.
But when she saw how composed Kitazawa remained, she forced herself to stop.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto formed seals.
In an instant, more than two thousand shadow clones burst into existence, surging forward to counter hundreds of puppets.
Chiyo's expression froze.
She had seen many Jinchūriki in her life, but she had never seen one fight like this—using the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu on such a scale.
Crashes and explosions rang out without pause.
There were sounds of Naruto's shadow clones being destroyed and dissipating, and equally, the sounds of Sasori's puppets shattering into pieces.
Puppeteer battles had always relied on numbers—overwhelming enemies through superior puppet count.
But today, the roles were completely reversed.
Sasori's gaze sharpened as he immediately shifted tactics. Behind him, the Third Kazekage formed hand seals and soared into the air.
"Watch out for his Magnet Release!" Chiyo shouted a warning.
"Magnet Release?" Naruto asked instinctively.
"…?" Chiyo glanced at Kitazawa in confusion.
"Cough." Kitazawa cleared his throat. "He hasn't graduated yet, so he doesn't know much about Magnet Release."
"…?" Chiyo was instantly filled with question marks.
Iron Sand Drizzle!
While they were speaking, the Third Kazekage's attack had already descended.
Countless grains of iron sand surged like ocean waves, then transformed into a torrential rain of fine needles.
The clashing sounds intensified.
Large numbers of shadow clones were instantly dispersed under the Magnet Release assault.
"Amazing!" Naruto exclaimed, then shouted, "Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
The remaining shadow clones clapped their hands in unison. A violent storm erupted, sweeping forward and blowing away the iron needles.
Its momentum didn't fade—instead, it surged onward like a translucent dragon, crashing straight toward the Third Kazekage.
Iron Sand Wall! The Third Kazekage hastily formed seals.
A wall of iron sand rose to block the attack.
Even so, the unrelenting wind bent the wall into a terrifying arc, as though it might collapse at any moment.
Chiyo stood stunned. How could a C-rank Wind Release: Gale Palm possess such overwhelming power?
Sasori said nothing, but his attitude had clearly grown serious. With a subtle movement of his fingers, he resumed control over the Third Kazekage.
Magnet Release: Iron Gathering Assault!
A massive spinning top descended from the sky, targeting Naruto directly.
Though countless shadow clones filled the field, only the original had entered partial Tailed Beast transformation—there was no need to guess which one was real.
"Konoha-Style Swordsmanship!" Naruto flung out a scroll.
Samehada appeared. Gripping the sword with both hands, Naruto charged forward.
Boom! Samehada collided head-on with the spinning mass.
The immense weight generated a terrifying shockwave.
Naruto roared, and Samehada swung like a giant racket, smashing the spinning top back.
Chiyo's lips twitched. So this was what they meant by brute force makes everything fly.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand Cylinder! The Third Kazekage swiftly formed a cylindrical barrier to intercept the rebounding attack.
Magnet Release: Black Iron Wings! A pair of wings spread from the Third Kazekage's back.
He accelerated instantly, appearing above Naruto's head. With a single flap, countless iron feathers shot downward at blinding speed.
"Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken!" Naruto and his shadow clones hurled shuriken simultaneously.
The dense barrage collided midair, triggering continuous explosions. Violent chakra currents surged in every direction.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki really is troublesome." Sasori pondered briefly, then raised his hand.
Flames burst forth from his palms. The moment they touched the ground, they spread rapidly, forming a sea of fire in the blink of an eye.
The raging flames swept toward Naruto's densely packed shadow clones.
Caught off guard, many were instantly engulfed.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!" Naruto shouted.
A roaring gale tore across the battlefield, extinguishing the spreading flames in an instant.
As Sasori's thoughts shifted again, the Third Kazekage launched another attack from above.
Magnet Release: Giant Iron Needle! Spears of iron sand shot down like arrows.
Naruto looked up instinctively and saw eight spears aimed directly at his vital points. He reacted without hesitation and thrust out his hand.
"Yang Release: Rasengan!" Naruto poured more than half of his chakra into it at once.
A dazzling light bloomed. A brilliant blue Rasengan, radiant like a miniature sun, formed before him.
The eight spears struck—and were immediately deflected.
Maintaining the massive Yang Release: Rasengan, Naruto charged straight at Sasori.
Sasori hurriedly summoned puppets to block.
But the moment they collided with the Rasengan, they shattered into fragments with a series of cracking sounds.
Was this still a Rasengan? Chiyo was utterly stunned.
Sasori slammed both hands downward. The Third Kazekage appeared in front of him.
Magnet Iron Grain Seal Palm!
The Third Kazekage raised his left arm. The seal etched into it activated, and a thousand arms surged forth.
They collided head-on with the Yang Release: Rasengan, like a colossal dragon.
A thunderous impact echoed. Arms shattered one after another.
Yet due to their overwhelming numbers, the clash descended into a tense stalemate.
Seizing the opening, Sasori raised both hands. His palms spread wide, and a high-pressure water cannon blasted forward.
Several puppets failed to dodge in time and were torn apart on the spot, collapsing into dust.
"Konoha Gale!"
"Violent: Leaf Adamantine Strength Whirlwind!"
"Leaf Hurricane!"
Naruto continued to maintain Yang Release: Rasengan, while his Shadow Clones launched relentless attacks to intercept the high-pressure water streams.
But the moment they made contact, the clones screamed in agony.
The deadly poison mixed into the water spread instantly, causing Shadow Clones to collapse one after another, writhing on the ground before dispersing into smoke.
Even so, their obstruction was not meaningless.
"Ahhh!" Naruto roared, pushing his power to its limit.
The number of crimson tails behind him surged from four to six.
The Third Kazekage's thousand arms were ground into dust as if crushed beneath an enormous millstone.
Sasori's gaze sharpened. He immediately had the Third Kazekage carry him into the air.
Naruto lost his target, and the colossal Yang Release: Rasengan slammed straight into the ground.
Boom!
The earth convulsed violently. A bottomless crater formed, radiating destruction outward.
Sasori fell silent. Though his body was no longer flesh and blood, his human-puppet form still possessed a regeneration core.
If that core were destroyed, he would die completely.
Had he failed to dodge just now, he would have been pulverized by the Rasengan—and his core would likely have been annihilated as well.
There was no denying it. Naruto's strength had far exceeded his expectations.
Even without Kitazawa and Chiyo present, Sasori wasn't confident he could capture him.
Still, the other Akatsuki members had already withdrawn.
The One-Tail, Shukaku, had been successfully absorbed by the Gedo Statue—his mission was complete.
He had stayed behind only because the one pursuing him was Chiyo.
But this was no time to admit defeat.
Sasori moved again. The Third Kazekage released him midair and immediately formed seals.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!
A violent wind howled. That was the sound of excessive chakra being forced into motion.
Compressed iron sand spread outward from a single point at terrifying speed.
In an instant, a dense net formed in the air.
The nets extended downward, and wherever they passed, Naruto's Shadow Clones were pierced clean through and dispersed into smoke.
"Rasengan!"
Some Shadow Clones attempted to counter with Rasengan, but the moment it struck, it had no effect.
"This is the Third Kazekage's strongest Magnet Release," Chiyo said gravely. "Within this barrier, he controls everything."
As soon as her words fell, the ground split apart.
Iron filings plunged deep into the earth. The iron-sand barrier was fully formed.
The Third Kazekage swept his arms.
The barrier responded like countless needles, launching a relentless piercing assault toward Naruto and his remaining Shadow Clones.
In the blink of an eye, most of the clones vanished.
"Konoha Dragon God!" Naruto did not hesitate, unleashing his strongest taijutsu.
At his shout, the nearby Shadow Clones extended their arms. Chakra surged wildly, wrapping around their spinning bodies.
Giant green dragons erupted into existence.
But in the very next second, an even more ferocious chakra burst skyward.
Compared to the green dragons, it was vastly larger. Shrouded in blood-red chakra, it looked like a monster crawling straight out of hell.
"Complete Tailed Beast transformation? No—this isn't it!" Chiyo's pupils contracted violently.
That crimson dragon was no smaller than a full Tailed Beast.
Kitazawa smiled. This was Naruto with six tails.
With Konoha Dragon God layered atop it—and without even using a Tailed Beast Ball—he already possessed the power to contend directly with many Tailed Beasts.
As the crimson dragon and the green dragons surged forward, heaven and earth trembled.
The ground fractured.
Dust filled the air.
The strongest Magnet Release barrier—Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method—collapsed instantly under the impact, failing to last even a single second.
Iron sand and chakra shockwaves rippled outward.
The puppets summoned by Sasori's Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets were shredded as well, exploding into fragments amid the raging storm.
Everything within sight was crushed by the dragons' advance.
Chiyo stared, eyes wide, unable to recover for a long time. Is this… the true power of the strongest Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?
Kitazawa activated his Byakugan and locked onto Sasori.
Sasori couldn't withstand so many Konoha Dragon Gods. However, as a human puppet, physical destruction meant little to him.
The key lay in the regeneration core.
Kitazawa narrowed his eyes—and vanished. He reappeared in front of Sasori at blinding speed.
Byakugan: Pressure!
The moment Sasori saw him and tried to raise his hand, an overwhelming force slammed down.
Caught completely off guard, Sasori was pinned to the ground, unable to move.
Shock flashed across his face. What kind of ninjutsu was this?!
Kitazawa immediately formed hand seals.
Self-Cursing Seal!
Crushed under Byakugan: Pressure, Sasori's body was instantly covered in black curse markings.
Kitazawa had acted for two reasons.
First, to ensure the completion of his system mission.
Although the task merely required Sasori's defeat and didn't specify who had to do it, Kitazawa preferred certainty.
Second—to save Sasori.
A living Sasori was far more valuable.
Not only Sasori, but the Third Kazekage was taken as well. Though dead, the Third Kazekage's human-puppet form remained terrifyingly powerful.
With the Byakugan and puppeteer capabilities, Kitazawa could fully control it in battle.
"Stop, Naruto!" Kitazawa shouted.
Naruto, still riding the surge of battle, immediately released Konoha Dragon God and dispelled Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"Where's Sasori?!" Seeing the opening, Chiyo hurried forward.
"Sasori was defeated by Naruto," Kitazawa said with a smile. "According to the rules of the ninja world, he and his puppets are now Konoha's spoils of war."
Chiyo hesitated—but ultimately said nothing. She had no means to take Sasori or the Third Kazekage back from Kitazawa and Naruto.
Negotiations could come later.
"Let's find Gaara first," Chiyo said, regaining her composure.
"I know where he is," Kitazawa nodded. "Come with me."
He had already located Gaara the moment he activated his Byakugan.
[Current Mission: Defeat Sasori.]
[Mission Reward: Red Secret Technique — Performance of a Hundred Puppets.]
[Mission completed. Reward issued.]
Kitazawa glanced at the notification, then dismissed it.
For him, the most important thing now was Naruto.
He had already prepared the perfect tagline:
The son of the Fourth Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, defeats Sasori of the Red Sand, the man who assassinated the Third Kazekage.
As for Naruto—at this point, there was no longer any reason to conceal his identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
After all, across the entire ninja world, there were few enemies left who could truly defeat him.