Chp-84: Don’t Look, Rasa… I'm Already…

Years later, someone suddenly asked Rasa:

"Rasa, what is the one thing you regret the most in your life?"

Rasa replied: "Once, I had a genuine opportunity to kill that little bastard with all my might, but I didn't cherish it. When I realized my mistake, it was too late, and there was nothing more painful than that in life. If heaven gave me another chance, I would use every possible means to kill that little bastard at any cost. If I could add a number, I would hope for... ten thousand times..."

...

"Lady Chiyo!"

"Lady Chiyo, how could you..."

Rasa's pupils contracted as he trembled, staring at the unseemly sight of Chiyo below.

The esteemed advisor of Sunagakure was right there on the battlefield in front of everyone, performing such an obscene and shameful act with her ten puppet men!

Is this even possible?

Can puppets be used like this?

All his previous anxious speculations vanished, leaving only pure shock and hesitation.

"I… I'm already…"

Chiyo bit her lips hard, turning her head away as a tear slid down her cheek.

"Don't look… don't look, Rasa… I'm already…"

Rasa felt like his heart was about to shatter, his breath nearly halting.

This was Sunagakure's advisor, Chiyo, the most powerful puppeteer of the era. Who could possibly do this to her, reducing her to such a state…

His eyes scanned the surroundings.

A sense of horror and sorrow welled up within him.

The battlefield was strewn with the corpses of Sand ninjas, most of them struck by shuriken at critical points. Some had even been turned into porcupines, their bodies pierced with kunai and shuriken, forming shapes resembling "S" and "B."

Defeat…

Defeat…

Rasa knew that this battle was lost.

Not to mention that this part of the battlefield had no remaining Sand ninja forces, and their strongest warrior, Chiyo, had been publicly humiliated by her own puppets and was now unable to continue fighting.

Rasa took a deep breath, knowing that they had to retreat.

He threw his head back and roared.

"Retreat!"

"Retreat!"

Sand gold waves surged from beneath him, forming a giant sand gold hand that grabbed the still-dancing Chiyo and quickly fled.

Retreat... retreat...

Rasa's shout echoed across the battlefield, and the remaining Sand ninjas, hearing his command, immediately fled without hesitation.

The Konoha ninjas wanted to pursue it, but Orochimaru rasped out an order.

"Do not chase. They have not lost much of their strength. If we pursue, it won't benefit us."

Hearing this, the Konoha ninjas gave up the chase, instead hurling kunai at the retreating Sand ninjas.

Standing on his sand gold carpet, Rasa couldn't help but frown, gazing down at a particular Hyuga ninja below.

The ninja was also looking back at him.

Their eyes locked.

Who is this person… Why does he seem so familiar…

This thought suddenly emerged in Rasa's mind.

He didn't stop, continuously manipulating the sand gold to carry himself and Chiyo away.

Until that, Hyuga Ninja was completely out of sight.

Rasa, seeing that Konoha hadn't pursued, finally relaxed.

He turned to the dazed Chiyo and asked in a deep voice.

"Lady Chiyo, what happened? Why did you suddenly…"

Chiyo's fingers trembled slightly as she swallowed hard.

As if recalling some terrifying event.

She rasped out.

"It was that… that Hyuga ninja…"

Him!

Rasa's pupils contracted instantly!

He immediately thought of the figure he had locked eyes with earlier.

Could it be...

...

"We won?"

"Did we really win?"

"The Sand ninjas are retreating. We really won!"

"Fantastic! Hahaha…"

The Konoha ninjas, after a moment of hesitation, began to cheer, standing on the bodies of the Sand ninjas and celebrating loudly.

Konoha and Sunagakure had been old enemies for a long time.

During the First and Second Shinobi Wars, countless Konoha ninjas had died in battles against Sunagakure.

Both sides hated each other intensely.

Orochimaru arrived, first scanning the battlefield and taking a deep breath.

Then he laughed, looking at Satoru with delight, and rasped.

"As expected, I didn't misjudge you, Satoru. Your magnetic release truly shines on the battlefield."

"Did you also defeat Chiyo?"

"She's known as the strongest puppeteer. How did you manage to defeat her?"

Hearing Orochimaru's voice, the surrounding Konoha ninjas looked at each other with strange expressions, hesitant to speak.

"Puppets contain metal," Satoru said lightly.

"I see." Orochimaru nodded in understanding.

Satoru was curious about how Chiyo would be treated when she returned to Sunagakure. She had been utterly humiliated. 

The esteemed advisor Chiyo, seen by so many Sand ninjas in such a state…

Tsk tsk…

That's what you call social death!

Knowing that letting Chiyo live would be devastating for Sunagakure, Satoru had chosen not to kill her.

If he had wanted to, he could have ended her life instantly, given she had become a puppet controlled by his magnetic fluid.

A living Chiyo had far more use.

Satoru was already looking forward to it.

Rasa's sudden appearance had interrupted his plans. He hadn't expected Chiyo to have the courage to call for help in that situation.

The time spent playing tricks on the battlefield and dealing with hundreds of puppeteers, making Chiyo and her ten puppets dance…

It had all drained him significantly.

His chakra was nearly depleted.

If Rasa had chosen to fight instead of retreat, it could have been troublesome.

Luckily, Rasa chose to retreat. This might have been his only chance to kill him, but he didn't seize it.

Satoru shrugged, expressing regret.

...

After cleaning up the battlefield, the Konoha forces returned to their camp.

Although the Sand ninjas had been severely weakened, they still possessed considerable strength. Launching a full-scale attack on their camp wasn't feasible yet.

Besides, after such a battle, many Konoha ninjas were wounded or dead.

The immediate priority was to assess the casualties and treat the injured.

Satoru returned to his tent.

After this battle, Satoru's reputation in the Konoha camp soared.

Along with it, the tale of Chiyo's enchanting dance spread wildly…

One day, as Satoru was about to sleep, he heard a commotion outside his tent.

"Please save him! Please!"

"He's just a child!"