The suddenness left no time to react. Some unlucky Sunagakure Ninja had their heads flung into the air, faces still locked in shock. Others were cut straight through the chest or waist in a single blow.
Screams of pain and fear erupted as half bodies slid from the rest, blood and organs spilling onto the ground. Those cut in half did not die at once, instead crying out clearly in agony and terror. Their voices echoed through the tent.
"Ah, it hurts!"
"Lady Chiyo, save me!"
"My guts, no…"
Chiyo had already leapt back, yet a curved spray of blood still splashed onto the ground near her. She spat out blood and staggered, looking down at the wound on her abdomen. Her waist was soaked red, and the cut was only just short of tearing her open.
She looked again at the Sunagakure Ninja left crawling with only half their bodies, dragging their insides across the floor as they screamed. Rage surged through her as she raised her head. "Hanzo!"
Veins stood out on Chiyo's face as she stared coldly at the figure on the table. "Dare to break into the camp of Sunagakure, you are asking to die."
With a heavy sound, Chakra burst from the Scroll in her hand. Symbols surged outward and formed three humanoid puppets wrapped in white cloaks. They were three of Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets.
Chakra threads stretched from her fingers to the puppets as she barked a low command. One puppet wielding two great blades charged at Hanzo and swung down in anger. The strike tore the air apart with its force.
"Good!"
Hanzo grinned as he raised the Kusarigama to meet it. The clash rang out with a deafening boom, sparks scattering as violent air currents blew the rain aside between them. The power sent back through the Chakra threads made Chiyo's expression change.
"How is this possible?"
As a puppet master, her strength had not faded much with age, while a Taijutsu-focused Ninja like Hanzo should have declined. Yet the man before her felt faster and stronger than ever. The difference was undeniable.
"Hmph, old puppet hag, you really are old."
Blades ground against each other as sparks fell, and Hanzo glanced past the puppets toward Chiyo with growing excitement. "If that's the case, then I'll send you to your death."
He forced the two puppets back with raw strength. Several Sunagakure Ninja rushed toward him as his teeth bit into his finger, blood spraying into the air. Chiyo's cry of fear came too late.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A roar louder than thunder erupted from beneath their feet. The packed ground burst upward without warning, shattering in an instant. The earth broke apart like brittle crackers, flung aside by unimaginable force.
A massive black shape burst out with a deafening roar, filling their vision as it clawed its way free.
At the same time, atop the High Tower in Amegakure, Shadow stood alone in the rain. In his hand, the cube-sized Box of Ultimate Bliss turned endlessly. Inside it, a twisted powerful form devoured and fought, swallowing the souls gathered so far.
"Don't rush," Shadow said with a smile as he looked into the rain. "The food is on its way."
Rain was the eternal background sound of the Land of Rain, like a low groan from the ground. While Chiyo and a small group held a meeting that would decide the future direction of Sunagakure, most of the other Sunagakure Ninja were on alert or resting in simple tents or lookout posts.
Some Ninja sat by a stove drying their wet clothes, others secretly gathered to play cards, and logistics personnel rubbed rustproof oil onto weapons. The newly promoted Jonin Maki was still too junior to attend the meeting, so he lay on his bed with his eyes closed, resting.
The sound of rain hitting the tent roof made him drowsy, and the camp carried a tired but lifted mood. They all believed that Sunagakure would defeat Konoha this time, and they enjoyed this rare short calm during the war.
However, that brief calm was broken. A sharp scream came from outside the tent, short and full of fear, cutting through the silence of the camp.
"That direction…" someone shouted. "The main command tent where Chiyo is!"
Maki opened his eyes and got up at once, moving together with other alert Ninja. They used Shunshin and rushed straight toward the main tent.
The entire camp fell into chaos, with footsteps, collisions, and the sound of metal as weapons were drawn. When they rushed out from their cover and looked toward the center of the camp, everyone froze at the same time.
With a deafening boom, the solid ground was forced upward as if struck from below. Wooden stakes holding several tents groaned before being ripped out, and soil, stones, and broken pieces of wood were thrown into the air.
The violent force scattered debris like pellets in all directions. Screams rang out again as sharp fragments pierced bodies, and heavy rocks smashed people into bloody shapes.
Maki managed to dodge and was not hit, but when he looked toward the main tent where Chiyo had been, his pupils shrank. Broken limbs and pieces of flesh were thrown into the air and then fell back down under gravity and impact.
It was like a horrifying rain of flesh, crashing onto the heads, faces, and shoulders of nearby Ninja. Warm, sticky, foul-smelling blood spread through the camp at once.
Within the rolling smoke, a massive and terrifying shadow could be seen. Someone cried out, asking what it was.
As the dust was beaten down by the rain, the sight became clear to the shocked and terrified Sunagakure Ninja. They watched as dozens of companions, thrown into the air, struggled in vain and fell screaming into the open mouth of the giant shadow.
The screams ended instantly as the huge mouth snapped shut. There came the sound of crushing and chewing, followed by a wet swallowing noise.
All sound turned into cold fear that crawled up their spines. Death felt close enough to touch.
"That is the salamander… Ibuse," Maki said stiffly, staring in shock. The Sunagakure Ninja around him also stood frozen, looking up at the towering figure.
As the dust cleared, the form of the salamander Ibuse appeared fully before them. It was huge, ugly, and bloated beyond reason.
Its gray, slippery skin dripped with poisonous slime, and its body loomed like a small hill among the ruined tents. The massive head swayed slightly, and thick saliva mixed with blood and bone fragments poured from its mouth.
Below it formed a filthy pool that reeked of blood. Maki suddenly realized something, and his already wide eyes trembled.
Other Sunagakure Ninja realized it as well, just as fear pushed them to the edge of collapse. At that moment, a hoarse and aged voice roared out, filled with killing intent.
"What are you standing around for? I am not dead yet!" The familiar voice cut through the panic in the ears of the Sunagakure Ninja who were about to flee.
As the words fell, the battered figure of Chiyo flew out of the smoke and landed hard. She stared at Hanzo in the distance, with two of the three puppets in her hand already shattered.