The stillness of the desert night was violently murdered by a scream.
"Enemy spotted!"
A sensor ninja burst into the command tent, his face pale and veins bulging with terror.
"Two kilometers out! An army of seven hundred Konoha shinobi! They are moving at full speed!"
The Third Kazekage stood up. He was still wrapped heavily in bandages from his previous encounter with Ren And Satoshi, but his aura was undiminished. His cloak billowed around him as his chakra flared.
"All units, defensive formation! Secure the perimeter! I will intercept the vanguard personally!"
The Kazekage flew out of the tent, riding a cloud of Iron Sand, leading the bulk of the Suna forces toward the West Gate where Sakumo Hatake's white chakra was already illuminating the horizon.
Chaos erupted. Shouts, explosions, and the clashing of steel filled the air.
Suna Encampment – Rear Perimeter
While the front gate turned into a slaughterhouse, the rear of the camp was deadly silent.
Twenty shadows slipped through the chaos. They moved with surgical precision. An Uchiha Jonin grabbed a Suna sentry from behind, a kunai slicing the throat before a sound could escape, and dragged the body into the deep shadows of the supply crates.
Ren, Fugaku, and Satoshi moved in the center of the formation.
Ren's eyes were closed, his Reishi Perception mapping the area.
"The Jinchuriki is in the central reinforced tent, two hundred meters ahead," Ren whispered.
He paused, his brow furrowing.
"Trouble. Chiyo is moving. She's not heading to the front; she's heading toward us. She must have realized the diversion."
Satoshi Uchiha stopped, his hand gripping the hilt of his katana. He looked at the heir of the clan.
"Fugaku-san," Satoshi whispered urgently. "Take ten Uchiha and the Hyuga team. Go to the Jinchuriki. Your Genjutsu is the priority."
"And Chiyo?" Fugaku asked.
"We will hold her," Satoshi said grimly. "Ren, stay with me. The rest of you, move!"
Fugaku nodded once. "Don't die."
The squad split. Fugaku's team melted into the rain, circling wide to bypass the main thoroughfare.
Satoshi, Ren, and three other Uchiha Jonin stepped out into the open path just as a figure emerged from the gloom.
Lady Chiyo stood there, surrounded by ten white-robed puppets—the legendary Chikamatsu Collection.
"I smell rats," Chiyo croaked, her fingers twitching. "Konoha rats."
Before she could launch into a monologue, Satoshi moved.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Satoshi inhaled and exhaled a massive sphere of flame, illuminating the camp and cutting off Chiyo's line of sight to Fugaku's retreating team.
"Crude," Chiyo scoffed.
She flicked a finger. A puppet in white robes flew forward, its mouth opening to reveal a complex seal. The fireball was sucked into the puppet's vacuum core and nullified instantly.
"Don't let her pass!" Satoshi roared.
Chiyo launched her puppets forward. "Insolent fools!"
Ren's eyes snapped open, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly. He drew his blade, deflecting a poisoned blade meant for his neck.
Satoshi was already moving. He was engaged by three of the elite puppets simultaneously.
One puppet wielded Dual Swords, slashing with mechanical precision. One puppet possessed massive fists for Taijutsu, capable of crushing rock. And the third hung back, clicking with the sound of Hidden Mechanisms.
Clang! Clang!
Satoshi parried the dual swords, sparks flying. He was fast.
On Satoshi's shoulder, hidden beneath his flak jacket, a Special Tag glowed with a rhythmic, pulsating light. It was a prototype Ren had made. It constantly leaked high-grade medical chakra into Satoshi's body, repairing micro-tears in his muscles instantly and allowing him to push beyond 100% human limits.
Satoshi grunted as the Taijutsu puppet slammed a fist into his ribs. The bone cracked, but the tag pulsed, and the rib knit back together in a second.
He channeled lightning chakra into his blade.
"Chidori Blade!"
His sword chirped like a thousand birds. Taking advantage of his enhanced recovery speed, Satoshi ignored defense and lunged.
Slash!
He cut clean through the Dual Sword puppet's arm, severing the limb.
The Taijutsu puppet rushed him.
Satoshi didn't dodge. He spun, throwing his lightning-infused sword like a javelin.
THWACK!
The blade pierced the Taijutsu puppet's chest, the electricity frying its internal chakra threads and pinning it to a wooden post.
"Two down!"
Click.
The third puppet—the Ranged model—opened its chest. A metallic spear coated in purple poison shot out, aiming directly for Satoshi's heart.
Satoshi's eyes tracked the spear. He couldn't block it; his sword was gone.
He dropped low, his speed blurring. The spear grazed past his left shoulder, tearing the flak jacket and drawing a line of blood.
Satoshi rolled forward, coming up right inside the puppet's guard. He raised his right hand. Chakra spiraled violently, compressing into a ball, but unlike a normal Rasengan, this one was infused with Fire nature.
"Fire Style: Flame Rasengan!"
An orange, fiery Rasengan slammed into the puppet's chest.
BOOM!
The puppet exploded into splinters and burning gears.
"Ren!" Satoshi turned to check on his son.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Ren shifted. A hidden puppet—the Lion Head—erupted from the sand, clamping its massive wooden jaws around Ren's leg.
"What?" Ren gasped.
Another puppet's head split open. A massive, spinning circular saw made of chakra blades emerged. The puppet detached its own hand, holding the spinning blade, and hurled it at Ren with the speed of a bullet.
Ren gritted his teeth, gathering Reishi under his feet to use Hirenkyaku to escape.
'I just need to flash step out—'
But Chiyo wasn't done. She slammed her palms together. Three puppets formed a triangle around the trapped Ren.
"Three Jewels Suction Crush!"
A terrifying vacuum gravity field began to form in the center, pinning Ren to the spot. He couldn't move.
"REN! MOVE!" Satoshi screamed.
Satoshi didn't hesitate. He activated Chidori in his hand again, ignoring the exhaustion, and sprinted towards the closest puppet in the formation to break the jutsu.
Ren watched the spinning saw blade flying toward his chest.
'Well,' Ren thought, time seeming to slow down as the serrated blade inched closer.
WHAM!
The spinning blade slammed into Ren's chest just as Satoshi smashed the triangle puppet, shattering the gravity field.
"NO!" Satoshi yelled, horror etched on his face.
The dust cleared.
Ren stood there. The massive chakra saw was grinding against his chest, sparks flying wildly.
But there was no blood. No torn flesh.
Instead, a glowing, neon-blue pattern—like a complex circuit board—pulsed rhythmically across Ren's skin.
Ren looked down at the blade that failed to even scratch him. He grabbed the spinning weapon with his bare hand and crushed it.
He looked up at Chiyo, his blue veins glowing in the darkness.
Chiyo and Satoshi both stood frozen, staring at the boy who had just turned his skin into something harder than steel.