As night gradually fell, silence settled over the Konoha camp.
Sakumo led a group of elite ninja away. They were few in number—most of them highly skilled swordsmen, with only a handful possessing strong sensory abilities.
Their primary objective this time was not a full-scale assault, but to create chaos and see whether they could gain any advantage from it.
"Have a safe journey, brother."
Inside Tsunade's tent, Kawamine stubbornly refused to leave.
"Are you leaving or not? If you don't go, then I will," Tsunade said coldly.
She didn't take Kawamine's words seriously—it was just a bluff.
"I'll only stay for a bit. I won't spend the night," Kawamine replied.
In truth, he didn't care much about the consequences. After all, the camp was crowded with people.
"That still won't do. It's time to rest," Tsunade said, fixing him with a stare.
To some extent, she had absolutely no trust in this man.
"So this is how you see me?" Kawamine asked, sounding doubtful. He genuinely believed he was a good person.
Heh.
Tsunade let out a cold laugh. No further explanation was needed—her attitude toward him said it all.
Just as Kawamine was about to defend himself, his expression suddenly changed.
Then a sound came from outside the camp.
Boom!
"Enemy attack!"
A thunderous explosion, accompanied by screams, shattered the stillness of the night.
"Chiyo calculated this well," Kawamine muttered, realizing that the Sand ninja had come to the same conclusion as he had.
As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished from the tent.
Tsunade also rushed out immediately. The Konoha ninja had already assembled.
"The Sand ninja are here—engage the enemy!" Tsunade commanded as she led her troops toward the battlefield.
By the time she arrived, Kawamine was already there at full speed.
At the entrance to the camp, Sunagakure ninja and Konoha ninja were locked in fierce combat.
Ninjutsu flew everywhere, puppets danced wildly, and bodies fell one after another as both sides suffered injuries.
Kawamine glanced toward the area where the Sand ninja were most concentrated. Lightning flashed around him, and he strode forward with his sword in hand.
He used no flashy techniques—just eight simple, fundamental sword forms. Very few Sand ninja could stand against him.
He didn't strike twice if his opponent was already unable to stand.
"Hatake Kawamine?"
A puzzled female voice rang out as a white puppet launched an attack at him.
Hearing the whistling sound of the puppet cutting through the air, Kawamine instinctively raised his sword and slashed sideways, knocking it away.
Several poison-tipped steel needles shot out from the puppet's mouth, but Kawamine dodged them instantly.
The puppet—a female figure wielding twin swords—retreated back to a middle-aged woman.
Upon closer inspection, the one controlling it was Chiyo.
"For a woman, you're very brave," Kawamine said calmly, his hands never slowing.
"Thunderclap."
As Kawamine charged forward at high speed, Chiyo pulled out another scroll and released yet another puppet.
This one was a defensive puppet, specifically designed for national defense.
It stood in front of Chiyo, arms extended—and astonishingly blocked Kawamine's attack without retreating a single step.
"So that's how it is," Chiyo said, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.
She waved her hands, and the female puppet with twin swords lunged at Kawamine again.
Still marveling at the puppet's durability, Kawamine countered with his blade—but the female puppet withdrew unscathed once more.
The two sides separated again.
"Kawamine!"
At that moment, Tsunade arrived.
She smashed through the battlefield with her fists and kicks, no Sand ninja able to withstand her blows.
"Tsunade…"
Hearing her name, Chiyo turned her head, her expression grave as she muttered under her breath.
Tsunade's monstrous strength was a direct counter to puppets, and ordinary poisons were useless against her.
"Go deal with the others," Kawamine said quickly. "Leave Chiyo to me."
He had already seen that the situation in the camp was far from optimistic. The Sand ninja had attacked suddenly and in great numbers.
Combined with the extensive use of poisoned weapons, the camp gates were no longer defensible.
If the Sand ninja broke through, the damage would be devastating.
"That works for me," Tsunade replied.
She leapt high into the air, stomped the ground, blasting away nearby Sand ninja, and then charged off in another direction.
Seeing Tsunade lead a large group of Konoha ninja into battle, Chiyo immediately summoned all of the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu.
She intended to defeat Kawamine as quickly as possible and then move to support her allies.
"Perfect timing," Kawamine said.
He wanted to personally experience the power of these puppets said to be capable of conquering cities.
Chiyo controlled one puppet with a single finger, keeping the ox-headed defensive puppet at her side.
The remaining nine attacked Kawamine from different directions, producing sharp clicking sounds as they moved.
Each of the nine puppets had a distinct attack style.
Bladed horns, twin swords in front, iron whips striking from behind—
And even rotating, cutting demon-sealing shuriken. Kawamine was briefly surrounded.
As the puppets closed in, a smile appeared on Chiyo's face. She didn't believe anyone could survive such an assault.
Kawamine nodded toward her, smiled faintly, and snapped his fingers.
"Collapse."
In an instant, he vanished from Chiyo's sight.
"Flying Thunder God?" Chiyo exclaimed.
Having fought in the First Great Ninja War, she naturally recognized the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's technique.
The ox-headed puppet beside her immediately assumed a defensive stance.
It must be said—Chiyo's puppetry was extremely refined. Kawamine, too, had his own calculations when he used Flying Thunder God at the last moment.
Unexpectedly, Chiyo halted the puppets before they collided, and not a single one was damaged.
"Lightning-speed."
Kawamine had already placed Flying Thunder God markers around the camp beforehand—this battle was one he could not lose.
He suddenly attacked from behind Chiyo. As he closed in, the ox-headed puppet barely managed to block with its body.
Chiyo's modified right arm activated a technique as well.
"Puppet Technique: Mechanical Shield Seal."
Chakra formed into a shield, reinforcing the ox-headed puppet.
Together, they barely managed to block Kawamine's sword.
The blade pierced half an inch into the puppet's body before losing momentum.
"Too bad there's only one puppet like this," Kawamine said, genuinely shocked by its material. He had never seen such defensive strength.
"Do you have any idea how much it costs to repair that?!" Chiyo snapped, her face filled with pain.
The Land of Wind wasn't wealthy—she would have to pay for the repairs out of her own pocket.
Taking advantage of the moment when Kawamine's sword was lodged in the puppet, she retreated and flicked her fingers with her left hand.
Five puppets attacked again. The ox-headed puppet was clearly no longer under control.
"So strong," Kawamine muttered.
He yanked his sword free, sparks flying with a sharp metallic ring.
"I'll help you destroy it—then you won't have to repair it."
"Immortal Technique."
"Sixfold Consecutive Strike."
Including Chiyo herself, six puppets attacked head-on.
The moment the first puppet was reduced to dust, Chiyo knew something had gone terribly wrong.
In the blink of an eye, Kawamine's sword cleaved through her body, which split into two pieces of wood and fell to the ground.
"Fast," Kawamine said calmly, his golden eyes locking onto Chiyo as she reappeared in the distance.
"Lady Chiyo, we can't break through. We should retreat."
A Sand jōnin stepped in front of her, kunai in hand, facing Kawamine.
Chiyo's expression turned extremely grim.
After Kawamine's assault, only five of her Chikamatsu puppets remained.
Another required extensive repairs, its combat capability drastically reduced.
Chiyo glanced at the jōnin in front of her, then surveyed the battlefield.
The situation was already beyond saving.