After Uzumaki Naruto agreed, Kitazawa immediately activated the Flying Thunder God.

Space rippled.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished.

When they arrived in the Land of Wind, the battle between Chiyo’s squad and Sasori had already begun.

Kitazawa did not step forward right away.

Instead, he remained at a distance, quietly observing the battlefield through his Byakugan.

Naruto, meanwhile, looked around in confusion.

He scratched his head awkwardly.

Without the Byakugan, the chaotic clash between Chiyo’s group and Sasori looked like a blur of puppets and flying weapons.

He couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Still—

Out of trust in Kitazawa, he held back his questions.

A total of eight shinobi from Sunagakure had come.

Including Chiyo, every one of them was a jōnin.

Unfortunately for them—

Their opponent was Sasori of the Red Sand.

The strongest puppeteer in the ninja world.

A shinobi capable of destroying an entire small nation single-handedly.

And that wasn’t even his most terrifying trait.

Sasori was also the greatest poison master alive.

The battle had barely lasted a few minutes when two Sunagakure jōnin suddenly collapsed.

Their injuries had been trivial—mere scratches.

But Sasori’s toxins seeped through even the smallest wound.

Within moments, both men had completely lost the ability to fight.

Seeing this, Chiyo’s expression darkened.

"Hold him off!"

She quickly ordered the others.

"I’ll treat them!"

The remaining jōnin rushed forward to restrain Sasori while Chiyo hurried to the fallen shinobi.

But the moment she examined the wounds—

Her heart sank.

Even she couldn’t neutralize the poison.

Kitazawa, watching from afar, recalled Kankuro in the original timeline.

After Gaara’s capture, Kankuro had chased Sasori and been poisoned.

Even after being carried back to Sunagakure, the village’s medical corps had been unable to save him.

Not even Chiyo could help.

It had taken Sakura—with her extraordinary medical skills—to create an antidote and save him.

That moment had been Sakura’s first true highlight in the story.

But now—

Sakura wasn’t here.

And the situation had turned grim.

After all, fighting someone like Sasori without suffering even the slightest injury was nearly impossible.

Time slowly passed.

Sweat appeared on Chiyo’s forehead.

Of the eight Sunagakure shinobi who had arrived—

Only three remained standing.

Even the two who had avoided poisoning had already lost their nerve.

Facing Sasori felt like battling death itself.

At this rate, being poisoned was only a matter of time.

Finally, Chiyo took a deep breath.

"You two... take the injured and retreat."

"I’ll deal with Sasori."

She had made her decision.

If necessary—

She would sacrifice herself.

The two jōnin exchanged uneasy glances.

After a brief hesitation, they obeyed.

One by one, they carried away the poisoned shinobi.

Throughout the entire process—

Sasori didn’t move.

He simply watched silently.

"Sasori..."

Chiyo spoke slowly once they were alone.

"Why did you kidnap Gaara?"

During the battle, Sasori had already shed his puppet armor Hiruko, revealing his true body.

Or rather—

What remained of it.

Because Sasori had long since transformed himself into a human puppet.

His appearance had frozen in time, forever that of a young man.

"There is no reason."

Sasori’s voice was cold.

"If you want to see him..."

"...then kill me."

He paused briefly before adding with indifference,

"Though it seems you don’t have the strength."

Chiyo’s heart tightened.

She had never imagined that one day she would face her own grandson in a battle to the death.

But no matter what—

Gaara had to be rescued.

Her hands rose.

A scroll unfurled.

"White Secret Technique: Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu!"

Ten legendary puppets appeared around her.

Chiyo had finally decided to fight with everything she had.

Sasori watched calmly.

Then he casually opened a scroll.

With a sudden burst of chakra—

More than one hundred puppets flooded onto the battlefield.

Chiyo’s eyes widened.

"...What?"

Even the greatest puppeteers could control ten puppets at most.

Yet Sasori controlled over a hundred.

Shock quickly gave way to regret.

’Sasori should have been the pillar of Sunagakure...’

’Not its enemy.’

The Hidden Sand Village was already suffering from a severe lack of strong successors.

If Sasori had remained loyal—

The village would never have fallen into such a desperate situation.

The battlefield erupted.

Chiyo’s Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu clashed with Sasori’s Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets.

Wood, steel, blades, and chakra strings collided in a storm of motion.

For a time, the battle was evenly matched.

But Chiyo was old.

And gradually—

Fatigue began to creep in.

More importantly—

Sasori had yet to reveal his greatest weapon.

The human puppet of the Third Kazekage.

Chiyo knew the Third Kazekage’s strength better than anyone.

Even in death, his power remained terrifying.

Because human puppets retained the ninjutsu they possessed in life.

In other words—

The Third Kazekage’s strength had barely diminished.

Suddenly—

Sasori’s fingers stopped moving.

All the puppets withdrew two steps.

Chiyo blinked in confusion.

Why had he stopped?

Then she sensed something.

Two figures were approaching from the distance.

Reinforcements?

Perhaps shinobi from Sunagakure.

Or maybe support from the Hidden Mist Village.

But strangely—

Chiyo felt no relief.

Unless Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumī herself had arrived, she doubted anyone could defeat Sasori.

Even if Sunagakure reinforcements appeared, only a fully recovered Fourth Kazekage Rasa would make a real difference.

But when the two figures drew closer—

Chiyo froze.

They were neither from Sunagakure...

Nor from Kirigakure.

They wore the forehead protectors of Konoha.

"...Kitazawa?"

Chiyo stared at the man in disbelief before blurting out his name.

The moment Sasori heard that name—

His eyes sharpened.

Even someone as calm as him became wary.

After all—

Kitazawa’s reputation had already spread throughout the ninja world.

The man known as the second Wood Release user since Senju Hashirama.

"Elder Chiyo, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I bring greetings on behalf of my sensei, Tsunade."

Kitazawa spoke with a faint smile.

"You... why are you here?"

Chiyo stared at him, clearly bewildered.

"I just happened to be passing by," Kitazawa replied lightly.

Chiyo snorted.

"I’m not a three-year-old child. Do you think I’d believe that?"

Kitazawa shrugged slightly.

"The priority right now is saving Gaara."

At those words, Chiyo stiffened.

For a moment, she fell silent.

Previously, she had believed that only Rasa or Mei Terumī arriving personally could resolve this crisis.

But now that Kitazawa had appeared...

In theory, his presence might be even more effective.

The only problem was—

He was a ninja from Konoha.

And Sunagakure and Konoha were not currently allies.

Still...

Kitazawa was right.

Saving Gaara came first.

"Kitazawa," Chiyo said solemnly, her tone sincere, "I ask for your help. If Gaara is rescued, Sunagakure will provide appropriate compensation."

A veteran shinobi indeed knew when to bend.

Kitazawa nodded slightly, accepting the request.

After all—

His true objective here was Sasori.

With Chiyo’s request, he now had the perfect justification to intervene.

Sasori did not retreat.

He remained standing calmly.

He had great confidence in his own power.

Kitazawa’s reputation might be legendary—

But reputation alone meant nothing.

Sasori believed that with himself and the Third Kazekage puppet, even if he couldn’t defeat Kitazawa, he could escape.

After all, the Third Kazekage possessed Magnet Release.

Flying away with iron sand would make pursuit nearly impossible.

Even Kitazawa and Chiyo would struggle to stop him.

"Naruto."

Kitazawa spoke casually.

"He’s your mission target today."

"Just defeat him."

"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei!"

Naruto answered excitedly.

Although he hadn’t witnessed the earlier battle between Chiyo and Sasori, the sight of over a hundred puppets alone told him one thing—

This enemy was far from ordinary.

"Wait."

Chiyo’s eyes widened.

"You’re not going to fight?"

"I don’t need to," Kitazawa said calmly.

"And neither do you."

Chiyo nearly thought she had misheard.

Her first reaction was that Kitazawa had lost his mind.

Sending a child to fight Sasori of the Red Sand?

Even Sasori himself felt a flicker of irritation.

It had been a long time since anyone had underestimated him like this.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto," Kitazawa said, introducing him casually.

"He’s the son of the Fourth Hokage, and my student."

Chiyo froze for a moment.

Yes—Minato Namikaze had been a terrifying ninja.

But that didn’t mean his son would be the same.

Naruto looked far too young.

Even Minato had still been unknown when he was eleven or twelve.

Meanwhile, Sasori was the man who had killed the Third Kazekage—a genuine Kage-level shinobi.

"You—"

Chiyo had barely spoken a single word when she suddenly froze.

At the same moment, Sasori’s pupils contracted.

Dark-red chakra erupted from Naruto’s body.

It surged outward like boiling flames.

Then—

Four tails formed behind him.

"He’s... the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"

Chiyo finally understood where Kitazawa’s confidence came from.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki..."

Sasori narrowed his eyes.

His first thought was simple:

’Capture him.’

Bringing the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki back to Akatsuki would be an incredible achievement.

But capturing Naruto in front of both Kitazawa and Chiyo wouldn’t be easy.

Still—

Naruto was young.

Even if he was a Jinchūriki, his power shouldn’t be fully developed yet.

Sasori moved first.

His fingers twitched.

The puppets surrounding him surged forward like a crimson tide.

In an instant, Naruto was completely surrounded.

Seeing this, Chiyo instinctively raised her hands, ready to command her ten puppets to break the encirclement.

But when she noticed Kitazawa’s calm expression—

She stopped.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto formed a hand seal.

In the blink of an eye—

More than two thousand shadow clones exploded across the battlefield.

They surged forward like a living flood.

Chiyo’s mind went blank.

She had seen many Jinchūriki in her lifetime.

But she had never seen one fight like this.

The battlefield erupted with chaos.

Clones burst into smoke.

Puppets shattered into splinters.

The sounds of impacts and explosions echoed endlessly.

Normally, a puppeteer overwhelmed enemies through superior numbers.

But today—

The roles had reversed.

Sasori’s puppet army had become the outnumbered side.

Sasori’s gaze sharpened.

He immediately changed tactics.

Behind him, the Third Kazekage puppet rose into the air.

"Be careful of his Magnet Release!" Chiyo shouted urgently.

Naruto blinked.

"What’s Magnet Release?"

"...?"

Chiyo instinctively looked toward Kitazawa.

"Ahem," Kitazawa coughed lightly.

"He hasn’t graduated yet."

"He doesn’t know much about Magnet Release."

"...?"

Chiyo’s mind filled with question marks.

At that moment—

The Third Kazekage’s attack descended.

Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!

Endless waves of iron sand swirled into the sky.

They transformed into countless needle-like projectiles.

Then—

They rained down like a storm.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Shadow clones vanished one after another.

"So cool!" Naruto exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

Then he grinned.

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

The remaining clones clapped their hands together simultaneously.

A violent gale erupted.

The wind spiraled outward like a roaring dragon.

It blasted away the falling iron needles—

And continued forward with unstoppable momentum.

Like a transparent dragon made of wind—

It crashed directly toward the Third Kazekage puppet.

Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!

The Third Kazekage puppet rapidly formed hand seals.

In an instant, a thick wall of swirling iron sand rose before him, blocking the incoming attack.

Even so—

The relentless gale pushed against the wall with terrifying force.

The iron barrier bent inward in a dramatic arc, trembling as if it might shatter at any moment.

Chiyo stared in disbelief.

’A mere C-rank Wind Release technique...’

’How could Wind Release: Gale Palm possess such monstrous power?’

Sasori said nothing, but his eyes had grown colder.

For the first time, he began to take Naruto seriously.

His fingers twitched again, guiding the Third Kazekage forward.

Magnet Release: Iron Sand Dervish!

From the sky descended a massive spinning top made of iron sand, roaring down toward Uzumaki Naruto.

Although thousands of shadow clones filled the battlefield, only the original Naruto radiated the aura of Partial-Tailed Beast Transformation.

There was no need to guess.

Naruto tossed a scroll into the air.

With a flash—

Samehada appeared in his hands.

Gripping the massive blade with both hands, Naruto rushed forward to meet the attack head-on.

BOOM!

Samehada slammed into the iron dervish.

The impact produced a thunderous shockwave.

Naruto roared as his arms bulged with power.

Then—

Like someone smashing a tennis ball with a racket—

He batted the giant iron dervish back toward the sky.

Chiyo’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

’Is this what people mean when they say...’

"With enough strength, even a brick can fly"?

Magnet Release: Iron Sand Cylinder!

The Third Kazekage quickly formed another defense.

A cylindrical barrier of iron sand emerged, intercepting the rebounding dervish.

Then—

Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wings!

Two massive wings of iron sand unfolded behind the puppet.

With a burst of speed, the Third Kazekage shot into the sky, hovering directly above Naruto.

With a single flap—

Hundreds of razor-sharp iron feathers rained downward at terrifying speed.

"Wind Release: Shuriken!"

Naruto and his shadow clones hurled shuriken into the sky.

Metal clashed with iron sand.

Explosions burst across the air as countless projectiles collided.

Chakra turbulence rippled outward in chaotic waves.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki really is troublesome..."

Sasori muttered calmly as he raised one hand.

Scroll: Fire Sealing Release!

Flames erupted from his palms.

The moment the fire touched the ground, it spread wildly.

Within seconds—

The battlefield became a roaring sea of flames.

Naturally, the attack targeted Naruto’s massive army of shadow clones.

Caught off guard, countless clones were swallowed by the inferno.

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

Naruto shouted.

A violent gust erupted outward.

The roaring wind crashed into the flames, forcing the spreading fire to halt.

At that exact moment—

Sasori launched another attack.

High above, the Third Kazekage extended his arm.

Magnet Release: Iron Sand Giant Needles!

Eight massive iron spears shot downward like arrows.

Naruto instinctively looked up.

All eight spears were aimed at his vital points.

His reaction was instantaneous.

He thrust his hand forward.

"Yang Release: Rasengan!"

In a single breath, Naruto poured more than half of his chakra into the technique.

A dazzling glow erupted.

Before him appeared a brilliant blue Rasengan, blazing like a miniature sun.

The iron spears struck—

And were immediately blasted away.

Without stopping, Naruto charged forward, the massive Rasengan roaring in his palm.

Sasori immediately summoned puppets to intercept him.

But the moment they touched the Rasengan—

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The puppets shattered into splinters.

"Is... is that really a Rasengan?"

Chiyo muttered, completely stunned.

Sasori’s hands dropped slightly.

The Third Kazekage puppet descended in front of him.

The puppet raised its arm.

Seals embedded within it activated.

Suddenly—

Hundreds of mechanical arms burst forth, surging forward like a steel dragon.

They collided with Naruto’s Rasengan.

The battlefield thundered.

Arms shattered one after another.

Yet there were simply too many.

For a brief moment—

The two forces reached a stalemate.

Sasori seized the opportunity.

Scroll: Corrosive Stream!

His palms opened.

High-pressure jets of liquid shot outward like cannons.

Some puppets that failed to dodge were instantly dissolved into dust.

Naruto’s clones rushed forward.

"Konoha Gale!"

"Violent: Leaf Hurricane Strong Whirlwind!"

"Leaf Hurricane!"

Even while maintaining the massive Rasengan, Naruto’s shadow clones launched taijutsu attacks against the water streams.

But the moment they touched the liquid—

They screamed.

The liquid was laced with lethal poison.

One after another, clones collapsed, writhing in agony before dissolving.

Still—

Their sacrifice slowed the attack.

Naruto gritted his teeth.

"AAAAAAH!"

He pushed his chakra even further.

Behind him—

The tails increased.

From four... to six.

With overwhelming force, the Rasengan crushed forward.

The thousand mechanical arms shattered like glass beneath a millstone.

They crumbled into powder.

Sasori’s pupils narrowed.

Without hesitation, he commanded the Third Kazekage to grab him and shoot into the air.

Naruto’s attack lost its target.

With a furious roar—

He slammed the enormous Rasengan into the ground.

BOOOOOOM!!

The earth trembled violently.

When the dust settled, a massive crater had appeared, so deep it seemed bottomless.

Sasori hovered silently in the air.

Although his body was now a puppet, he still possessed a Core of Living Flesh.

If that core were destroyed—

He would truly die.

If he hadn’t dodged just now...

That Rasengan might have crushed him completely.

His core would not have survived.

Naruto’s strength had clearly exceeded his expectations.

Even without Kitazawa or Chiyo interfering—

Sasori wasn’t certain he could capture him.

Originally, he should have already retreated.

After all—

The One-Tail Shukaku had already been sealed into the Gedo Statue.

The mission was complete.

But when he heard that Chiyo was pursuing him—

He stayed.

Alone.

However—This was not the moment to admit defeat.

Sasori’s fingers twitched again.

The Third Kazekage puppet released him and floated into the air, its hands flashing through a series of seals.

Magnet Release: Iron Sand World!

A violent gale erupted.

It wasn’t merely wind—it was the pressure created by an overwhelming surge of chakra.

Iron sand compressed to its absolute limit spread outward from the Third Kazekage like a storm.

In an instant, a massive web of iron sand filled the sky.

The net expanded rapidly downward.

Wherever it passed, Naruto’s shadow clones were instantly pierced through and burst into clouds of smoke.

"Rasengan!"

Several clones tried to break through the barrier with Rasengan.

But when the spinning spheres struck the iron sand net—

Nothing happened.

The barrier remained completely intact.

Chiyo’s expression turned grim.

"This... is the Third Kazekage’s most powerful Magnet Release."

"Inside this field, he can control everything."

As she spoke, the iron sand speared deep into the ground, anchoring itself firmly into the earth.

The barrier was now complete.

The Third Kazekage moved his hands slightly.

The entire iron-sand domain responded instantly.

Countless needle-like spikes shot toward Naruto and his clones from every direction.

In mere seconds—

More than half of Naruto’s shadow clones disappeared.

"Konoha Dragon God!"

Naruto didn’t hesitate.

He immediately unleashed his strongest taijutsu technique.

Nearby shadow clones followed his lead, thrusting out their hands.

Chakra surged wildly.

Their spinning bodies were enveloped in energy, and one green dragon after another roared into existence.

But then—

A far more terrifying chakra burst forth.

A massive dragon surged into the sky.

Unlike the green ones, this creature was blood-red, wrapped in violent chakra.

It looked like a monster crawling out of the depths of hell.

"Full tailed beast transformation...? No—wait!"

Chiyo’s pupils shrank in shock.

"This isn’t it!"

The crimson dragon was already nearly the size of a tailed beast.

Kitazawa smiled faintly.

This was Naruto with six tails unleashed.

Combined with Konoha Dragon God, Naruto could already rival many Tailed Beasts in pure destructive force—even without using a Tailed Beast Ball.

The dragons surged forward.

The moment they began moving—

The entire battlefield shook.

The earth cracked open.

Dust filled the sky.

The supposedly invincible Magnet Release: Iron Sand World shattered instantly under the overwhelming impact.

Fragments of iron sand exploded outward like shattered glass.

Even the puppets summoned by Sasori’s Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets were swept away by the storm of chakra.

One by one—

They shattered into pieces.

Everything within sight was crushed beneath the rampaging dragons.

Chiyo stood frozen, her mouth slightly open.

She couldn’t recover her composure for a long time.

’Is this... the true power of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?’

Meanwhile, Kitazawa activated his Byakugan, locking onto Sasori’s position.

Faced with such overwhelming power, even Sasori couldn’t withstand the assault.

But Sasori was a human puppet.

He didn’t care if his body was damaged.

The only vital point—

Was the core of living flesh hidden inside him.

Kitazawa’s eyes narrowed.

In the next instant—

He vanished.

His figure flashed forward at incredible speed.

He appeared directly beside Sasori.

Byakugan: Pressure!

Sasori noticed him and instinctively raised his hand to attack—

But suddenly—

A terrifying pressure slammed down on him.

Caught completely off guard, Sasori was forced to the ground, unable to move.

Shock flashed across his face.

’What... what kind of technique is this?!’

Kitazawa’s hands moved rapidly.

Seal!!!

With Sasori immobilized by Byakugan Pressure, the black curse seal spread across his body instantly.

In just seconds—

Sasori was completely sealed.

Kitazawa had intervened for two reasons.

First—

To complete the system mission.

The mission required Sasori to be defeated. Although it didn’t specify who had to defeat him, participating personally ensured there would be no complications.

Second—

To save Sasori’s life.

A living Sasori was far more valuable than a dead one.

And Sasori wasn’t the only prize.

Kitazawa also took possession of the Third Kazekage puppet.

Even in death, the Third Kazekage’s strength as a human puppet remained formidable.

And with Kitazawa’s Byakugan: Puppet Control, he could now wield it himself as a puppeteer.

"Stop, Naruto!"

Kitazawa shouted loudly.

Naruto, who had been happily rampaging through the battlefield, immediately halted.

The Konoha Dragon God vanished.

The remaining shadow clones dispersed.

"Where’s Sasori?"

Chiyo rushed forward anxiously.

"Sasori was defeated by Naruto," Kitazawa said with a faint smile.

"According to the rules of the ninja world, he’s now Konoha’s trophy of war."

"That includes his puppets."

Chiyo hesitated.

But in the end—

She said nothing.

There was no way she could wrest Sasori or the Third Kazekage puppet away from Kitazawa and Naruto.

Perhaps later...

They could negotiate.

But now wasn’t the time.

"Let’s find Gaara first," Chiyo said quickly.

"Right."

Kitazawa nodded.

"I already know where he is."

"Follow me."

After all—

His Byakugan had already located Gaara earlier.

A system notification appeared.

[Current Mission: Defeat Sasori]

[Mission Reward: Red Secret Technique — Performance of a Hundred Puppets]

[Host has completed the mission. Reward issued.]

Kitazawa glanced at it briefly, then dismissed it.

Right now, something else mattered far more.

Naruto’s reputation.

He had already thought of the perfect headline:

The son of the Fourth Hokage defeats Sasori of the Red Sand—the murderer of the Third Kazekage.

As for Naruto’s identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—

There was no need to hide it anymore.

After all—There were barely any enemies left in the entire ninja world capable of defeating him.

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