Chapter 66: Your Father Was Stolen  

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As the sudden flames roared toward them, Gaara didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately controlled all the sand from the gourd on his back, forming a protective barrier.

''Sand Shield!'' Gaara shouted, clenching his fist.

The sand enveloped both Gaara and Chiyo, but when the intense flames from Madara Uchiha's Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation hit, the sand was transformed into crystal-clear glass.

A moment later, the glass shattered with a loud crack.

Gaara stood frozen in disbelief. This was the first time his sand defense had failed. His once invincible sand now seemed pitiful in front of Madara's overwhelming power.

Chiyo, sensing the danger, did not dare to let her guard down. This could be the moment that determined the fate of both herself and the Kazekage.

Without wasting time, Chiyo unfurled a scroll from her back, revealing ten symbols.

''White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets!''

This was Chiyo's most formidable technique, the pinnacle of puppet mastery.

The skill of a puppeteer was often measured by the number of puppets they could control simultaneously. Chiyo, with a puppet for each finger, was among the most skilled.

Madara watched this unfold with a smirk, finding it almost laughable.

When had puppeteers ever stood a chance against him? The only exception was Sasori, the puppet master who had transcended the art itself.

As the ten puppets charged at him—some wielding swords, others chains, and some carrying explosive tags—Madara stretched out his hand.

From behind him, vines shot out, and from these vines, countless wooden spikes erupted, piercing the puppets' bodies.

Madara clenched his fist, and in an instant, the wooden spikes destroyed the puppets from within.

''Wood Style: Piercing Thorn Technique!''

Thanks to the cells of Hashirama Senju that now made up part of his body, Madara could use Wood Style Ninjutsu. Chiyo's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"How... How did he destroy my Chikamatsu Collection so effortlessly?" Chiyo gasped.

Without a word, Madara lunged at Chiyo.

Gaara, feeling the intense pressure, screamed internally, ''Shukaku! Don't you want my body? I'll give it to you!''

Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, responded with a mocking tone, ''Heh, you hated me all this time, and now you want my help?''

Gaara pleaded, ''Please... Save Grandma Chiyo!''

For the first time, Gaara felt the warmth of love in Chiyo's actions—a grandmother's love for her grandson. He didn't want her to die.

Shukaku sneered, ''And you're willing to use the chakra of the beast you despise so much? How pitiful.''

Gaara fell silent. It was true; he had always hated Shukaku, blaming the beast for his miserable life.

Yet, now, in this moment of desperation, he found himself relying on Shukaku's power. This realization filled him with self-loathing.

Finally, Shukaku gave in, ''Fine, fine. I'll step in, but only because you're crying like a baby.''

Gaara's expression twisted into a strange grin as his body began to transform. Sand materialized out of thin air, and his chakra grew wild and uncontrollable.

Seeing this, Madara muttered, ''A Tailed Beast, huh? In that case, your opponent isn't me anymore.''

The space around them distorted, and with a dark aura, the massive and terrifying Gedo Statue appeared on the battlefield.

The moment Shukaku saw the Gedo Statue, he recoiled in fear. ''No!'' Shukaku cried out, retreating into Gaara's body.

Gaara, now without Shukaku's power, stood no chance against Madara. Chiyo, a puppeteer without her puppets, was helpless.

''I've won,'' Madara declared coldly. He grabbed Chiyo by the throat, and with a twist of space, disappeared.

In the Hidden Rain Village, Madara appeared before Nagato, throwing Chiyo to the ground.

''Use the Human Path to search her soul,'' Madara ordered.

Nagato hesitated, ''What is this about?''

Madara's voice was cold and commanding, ''She's Chiyo of the Sand Village. Use the Human Path to extract the secret of the [Reanimation Jutsu] from her mind.''

The Reanimation Jutsu was a forbidden technique that could transfer one's life force to another, essentially reviving the dead.

After using the Rinne Rebirth to bring Rin back to life, Nagato was left on the brink of death. Madara needed this technique to save him.

Nagato, sharing his abilities with the Human Path, watched as it grabbed Chiyo's head, pulling her soul out to extract the needed information.

The process was excruciating for Nagato, but eventually, the knowledge was obtained.

''I found it,'' Nagato said. ''But why do you need this technique, Madara?''

Madara's response was curt, ''Don't ask questions you shouldn't. And one more thing—don't call me Madara anymore. Call me... Obito.''

Nagato sneered, ''So, even someone like you cares about a name?''

Obito's voice softened, ''I want to live for myself, for once.''

This only angered Nagato, ''And what about Yahiko? If you live for yourself, what happens to Yahiko's dream of world peace?''

Ignoring Nagato's fury, Obito vanished.

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On the other side, Orochimaru and Kabuto had split up. Kabuto, having mastered the Impure World Reincarnation, sought to refine his techniques further, intending to assist Orochimaru.

Meanwhile, Sasuke led Orochimaru to the Land of Whirlpools, where they sought a way to break the Shinigami's curse and retrieve those souls trapped within.

After searching, Orochimaru found a specific mask in the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools.

With it, he summoned the Shinigami and, using the Kusanagi sword, cut open his own abdomen, mimicking the Shinigami's actions.

The souls swallowed by the Shinigami were released, including the ones Orochimaru had lost.

As his hands were restored, Orochimaru clenched them in triumph, knowing he could now pursue his goals unimpeded.

Meanwhile, Kabuto, on a mission to gather the remains of powerful shinobi, targeted the Hidden Cloud Village.

Disguised, Kabuto infiltrated the village's cemetery, where the past Raikages were buried.

After digging up the grave of the Third Raikage, known for his unparalleled strength, Kabuto fled with the body.

When Darui discovered the grave had been disturbed, he panicked, rushing to inform the Fourth Raikage, who was working on controlling his temper.

Upon hearing that his father's body had been stolen, the Fourth Raikage's anger erupted, lightning crackling around him as he stormed out to confront the situation.

Back in the Hidden Sound Village, a battered Kabuto returned, carrying the Third Raikage's body.

Orochimaru, seeing the powerful shinobi before him, was elated, recognizing the potential for furthering his research.

He planned to turn the Third Raikage into a puppet—not just any puppet, but one with independent thought, obedient only to its master.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Tsunade, who had just assumed her role as Hokage, encountered Sasuke.

Still indebted to him, she suggested a wager. If he won, she would owe him a favor, anything he asked for. Sasuke accepted, and with his usual luck, won again.

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