Chapter 12: “Arrogance isn’t my nature. Caution is.”

There was no time to think.

Chiyo's expression turned grim as she immediately pulled out a scroll.

With a swift press of her palm and an infusion of chakra, ten white-robed puppets appeared—her signature technique: White Secret Technique: The Ten Puppet Chikamatsu Collection!

"Puppet Art: Mechanized Light Wind Release!"

With a low mutter from Chiyo, two puppets stood together, merging their limbs.

Chiyo poured chakra into them, and a translucent blue energy shield formed, blocking the roaring flames entirely.

"Water Blade Slash!"

Her fingers moved.

Almost simultaneously with the barrier forming, a puppet with a blue mask raised its right hand, from which a high-pressure water jet shot out.

With a sharp hiss, the pressurized water extended into a ten-meter-long blade.

The water blade cut through the air and sliced the enemy's body in half. But in an instant, the severed figure turned into smoke and dissipated.

"A clone?!"

Chiyo's pupils shrank sharply.

Her hands trembled—not due to age, but because she could hardly believe that such a massive Fire Release technique had been cast by a mere clone.

And at some point…

Uchiha Kagami had silently appeared behind her, his blade descending toward her back.

Despite her age, Chiyo's combat experience was vast. With a slight movement of her chakra threads, two puppets shifted into position behind her as a shield.

Her wrist flicked, releasing a dense cloud of poison mist.

"Heh, mere poison and puppets won't stop me."

Kagami smirked, holding his breath as chakra surged into his right hand.

Sparks crackled.

A sharp snap rang out.

Lightning flickered across the blade of his White Fang tanto.

Covered in Lightning Release chakra, the sword cut through the poison mist effortlessly, slicing the white puppet in front of him in half in the blink of an eye.

But that was far from the end.

The lightning-covered blade slashed downward.

A wet squelch echoed.

Chiyo let out a muffled grunt as fresh blood spilled onto the ground.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, she manipulated her chakra threads, commanding her remaining eight puppets to encircle Kagami.

However…

Kagami had anticipated this.

His pitch-black eyes spun, transforming into crimson Sharingan adorned with three tomoe.

The seemingly deadly puppet assault was filled with openings in his sight. Effortlessly dodging each attack, he once again closed the distance.

"The Uchiha Clan… just a three-tomoe Sharingan, yet you've pushed me this far? Looks like I have no choice…"

Chiyo's gaze filled with despair.

The damage from the Lightning Release blade was severe—nearly cutting her in half.

Though she could use medical ninjutsu to stop the bleeding, Kagami wouldn't give her the chance.

But to Kagami, this battle was dull.

Puppetry had a fatal flaw—most puppeteers had little means to protect their real bodies, aside from rare human puppets.

Thus, they relied on maintaining distance while controlling their puppets.

Against ordinary opponents, puppetry's attacks were overwhelming. But its lack of wide-area saturation attacks made it almost laughable against Sharingan, reducing even the swiftest puppet strikes to slow-motion.

Even though his Sharingan was still at the three-tomoe stage…

The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan granted him insight far beyond the norm. And Chiyo was far from her prime.

She wasn't weak—just unlucky.

Had her opponent been anyone else, she would have stood a high chance of winning. But against him, she was doomed.

"It's over."

Kagami's expression remained calm.

His blade fell once more.

Wrapped in crackling Lightning Release chakra, it aimed straight for Chiyo's head—without hesitation, without mercy.

But just as the blade was about to land…

Chiyo remained utterly unfazed, allowing the sword to pierce her head.

Just then, from a distance, an anxious voice rang out.

"Kagami! Behind you!"

"You're too late! Die, arrogant Uchiha!!"

"I am the Flower of Sunagakure! Your failure to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan will cost you your life!"

Chiyo's body, impaled by the blade, crumbled into sand.

At some unknown moment, her real body had shifted behind Kagami, three white puppets forming a triangular formation around him.

With a sudden snap—

A mechanical click—

And another—

The three puppets activated simultaneously.

Chiyo poured a massive amount of chakra into them.

The moment the mechanism engaged, a violent tornado erupted, unleashing a powerful suction force.

This was the White Secret Technique: Three Treasures Suction Crush!

A devastating puppet technique that could pull in enemies and crush them under immense pressure within seconds.

In Chiyo's eyes…

Even if Kagami awakened the Mangekyō now, it would be too late.

This technique left no room to move, let alone form hand seals for a counterattack. To her, his death was certain.

"Arrogant Uchiha, this is the price of underestimating me. Konoha will be cast aside by history—"

Chiyo smirked in victory.

However…

Her smile froze in the next instant.

Before her, Kagami's body suddenly radiated a white glow.

Her mind went blank.

As if something had invaded her consciousness, her thoughts came to a complete halt.

In just a second—

The chakra-infused puppets collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.

The tornado dissipated.

And in that moment…

A flash of red Sharingan light.

A silhouette dashed forward.

The White Fang tanto in Kagami's hand sliced cleanly across Chiyo's throat.

Blood sprayed into the air.

Chiyo clutched her neck, her face pale with horror.

"What… was that? Why did my mind freeze for a second?"

"A Sharingan illusion? But… I never made eye contact… How did I fall for it? No… The blood… I can't stop the bleeding… Sunagakure's future… Sasori… I'm sorry…"

With a heavy thud,

Chiyo collapsed, blood soaking the earth.

Regret and unwillingness were written all over her face.

Even if the sands of time could not erode her, death had claimed her all the same.

Kagami calmly withdrew his blade.

His gaze rested upon Chiyo's corpse, his expression unmoved.

"You were right. Most Uchiha are arrogant, and the Sharingan often leads to overconfidence."

"But you never understood me."

"Arrogance isn't my nature. Caution is."

....

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