In the desolate desert, the Fourth Kazekage, Chiyo led Sunagakure forces in a battle against Iwagakure ninjas.
Aware of their inferior strength compared to Iwagakure, Chiyo issued orders before the battle, instructing the participating Sunagakure ninjas not to engage in direct combat with Iwagakure forces but to focus on guerrilla warfare.
As for Chiyo herself, she aimed to delay Tsuchikage Onoki as much as possible.
"Dust Release: Particle Dismantling Jutsu."
Flying in the sky, Onoki used the Bloodline Selection Dust Release towards Chiyo, who controlled puppets below.
With his hands open and placed in front of him, a transparent cube appeared between his palms, containing a white glowing sphere.
With a slight push forward from Onoki's hands, the transparent cube flew downward and instantly expanded.
Seeing the transparent cube enveloping the area below and the white light sphere expanding, causing the desert to disappear into thin air, Chiyo looked up at Onoki with great apprehension.
Legend had it that Onoki's Dust Release could directly disintegrate matter within a barrier into atomic particles, and it was indeed true.
Once caught within that transparent cube barrier, there would be no chance of survival.
Thinking this, Chiyo became even more wary of Onoki.
Chiyo looked at Onoki, and Onoki looked back at her.
As the strongest puppet master of this era, Chiyo's puppetry and poison techniques were top-notch in the ninja world.
Onoki knew that even a slight injury from Chiyo's puppets could potentially be fatal due to poisoning.
The battle between the two sides was one of lethal blows; neither could afford to be struck even once.
"Tsuchikage, our villages are in close proximity. It's best for us to form an alliance, coexist, and advance and retreat together." Chiyo made a final effort, not wanting to engage in battle with both ninja villages simultaneously.
"Your village's genin, disciples of the Third Kazekage, nearly killed my son in a moment of weakness. How can I not seek revenge for such a grievance?" Onoki said coldly.
As a village leader, Onoki would never easily initiate a war between two nations over a personal feud between genin. His response was meant to sow discord between Chiyo and the disciples of the Third Kazekage, causing Sunagakure to redirect their resentment for the war losses onto the Third Kazekage's disciples.
If he could kill or incapacitate the genius from Sunagakure who possessed the Magnet Release Bloodline Limit, it would be a huge gain.
Chiyo naturally understood Onoki's intentions in responding this way, but her heart still wavered slightly.
If she could exchange Rasa's life for Iwagakure's retreat, Sunagakure could accept it completely.
With her mouth slightly agape, Chiyo looked up at Onoki. After hesitating for a moment, she chose to give up.
It wasn't that Chiyo was soft-hearted, but she knew that behind Rasa, there was political power left behind by the Third Kazekage.
If she sold out Rasa on the battlefield in front of the village ninjas, it would lead to internal strife within the village.
"As a village leader, you've rashly provoked a war between two nations over minor conflicts between younger generations! Can you still be considered a leader with such impulsive behavior?
Sunagakure will never sacrifice the lives of our comrades to obtain false peace!" Since she couldn't exchange Rasa for peace, Chiyo had to resort to a tougher stance to rally the village's morale.
As expected, her words, shouted out on the battlefield, immediately boosted the morale of Sunagakure ninjas nearby.
"Then let's all die together!" Saying this, Onoki raised his hands once again.
"Dust Release: Particle Dismantling Jutsu!" Onoki's most powerful attack.
The glowing cube barrier extended from Onoki's hands, flying towards Chiyo.
Not daring to take any chances, Chiyo used Body Flicker Jutsu to continuously shift positions while controlling puppets to attack Onoki from below.
Facing the poisoned needles shot from the puppet's mouth, Onoki was interrupted in his technique and flew to the left.
Taking advantage of Onoki's pause in the attack, Chiyo controlled one puppet with one hand while pulling out a scroll from her pocket with the other.
Unrolling the scroll, Chiyo prepared to use the puppeteer's strongest secret technique, White Secret Technique: Uematsu Collection of Ten Puppets.
Recognizing these puppets, Onoki first used the Rock Fist to shatter the puppet that had been entangled with him all along.
After smashing the puppet, Onoki continued to ascend to a higher altitude, preparing to use his advantage of flight for long-range attacks on Chiyo.
"Dust Release: Particle Dismantling Jutsu!"
Aiming at Chiyo, Onoki once again used the Dust Release.
Controlling the puppets, Chiyo dodged the attack somewhat awkwardly, feeling frustrated inside!
That Onoki, what a bastard! Flying in the sky the whole time, his advantage was too great.
With his hands behind his back, flying high in the sky, Onoki wore a smug smile on his face. He enjoyed the feeling of hitting others without being hit himself.
Meanwhile, the collective Iwagakure ninjas on the other side of the battlefield were clearly dominating, with almost no casualties.
With Sunagakure's casualties increasing gradually due to their hit-and-run tactics, Chiyo's heart grew more restless.
Sunagakure was crippled by Kizaru, and there were not many ninjas left. If she continued to sacrifice like this, the village would be destroyed.
In contrast, Onoki was quite comfortable, even wearing a smile on his face. Victory seemed within his grasp!
"Kazekage, surrender! I promise not to harm any Sunagakure ninjas as long as you surrender." Hands behind his back, feeling confident in his control of the situation, Onoki sought to secure Sunagakure's surrender with minimal cost.
After all, both Iwagakure and the Cloud Village had no intention of completely destroying the Wind Country in this invasion war; they only sought its resources and wealth.
"Sunagakure only has ninjas who die in battle, not ninjas who surrender!" Chiyo replied firmly, looking directly at Onoki.
"Konoha's reinforcements will take at least three days. Do you think you can hold out until then?" Onoki continued to use his words to demoralize Chiyo and Sunagakure ninjas.
"We won't know until we try, will we?" Chiyo replied with a resilient smile, standing tall. "Even if it costs me my life, I will keep you bastards here!"
In that moment, the petite Chiyo seemed to grow in stature, like a ninja flower blossoming in the desert.
Affected by Chiyo's determination and spirit, Onoki's smile faded, replaced by a serious and solemn expression.
"I admit, you're an outstanding Kage," Onoki said. "But I, too, have responsibilities as the Tsuchikage!"
With that, Onoki raised his hands once again.
"Ohohoho! What a touching scene!" Just as Onoki's hands were raised, a golden light flashed behind him.
The golden light transformed into a humanoid figure, one hand in his pocket, the other stroking his chin. With a lecherous grin on his face, Onoki appeared behind Onoki.
Before Onoki could react, he felt a sharp pain in his waist, and his body plummeted from the sky.
Kicking Onoki down to the ground, Onoki then disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing in the middle of Onoki and Chiyo.
Watching Onoki climb to his feet with a hand on his waist, Onoki clasped his hands together, then spread them apart, revealing the slender Tenraku sword in his hand.
"Everyone here, listen carefully! Stop this war! If anyone still wants to fight, I'll be happy to accompany you!" With the radiant sword in hand, Onoki wore his trademark lecherous grin as he surveyed the surroundings.