NT: 117: Konoha’s Genius

Explosions and flames erupted before the Konoha camp.

Chiyo aside, the other Suna-nins knew they'd been trapped.

"You…" Chiyo glared at the ninja beside her.

"Chiyo-sama, I didn't know!" He stammered nervously.

"No excuses. Break out." Chiyo ordered coldly. Caught in an ambush, reckless attacks would only deepen their losses.

But as they withdrew, countless kunai rained down.

Each trailed a burning exploding tag.

Faced with swarms of kunai and tags, the Suna-nins paled, hands weaving seals. Defensive ninjutsu raised sand barriers, catching the kunai, which detonated.

Flames flared. When the assault ended, more Suna-nins fell.

Chiyo seethed, her plan unraveling. Her reputation was in tatters.

"Kill!" Konoha-nins emerged, charging the Sand forces.

The Suna-nins countered, forced into combat.

"Don't engage. Retreat while fighting." Chiyo shouted, manipulating three puppets to attack Konoha-nins and shield her allies.

A Sand Jonin carved through Konoha ranks, leading a breakout, as others fled rearward.

"Tengen, that Suna-nin's mine." Kushina said, eyeing the Jonin.

"Be careful." Tengen warned. "I'll handle Chiyo."

"You sure? I can take her." Kushina offered.

"Trust me, I'm kinda Chiyo's counter, like Tsunade." Tengen grinned, vanishing toward Chiyo.

Kushina charged the Sand Jonin.

These two stood out among Sunagakure's ninjas.

"Die!" Chiyo's puppet lunged at a Konoha-nin.

The ninja parried with a kunai, but the puppet's chest sprang open, an arrow gleaming with cold light.

"Damn!" The Konoha-nin froze, too late to react.

As he braced for death, a sharp tremor rang out. The puppet shattered, debris scattering.

A boy's back appeared before him, familiar.

"Tengen-sama!" The ninja exclaimed.

"Watch yourself." Tengen said.

"Yes, sir!" The ninja nodded, rejoining the fray against the Sand.

He didn't worry for Tengen.

New to the battlefield, Tengen's Jonin prowess was known in Konoha, hailed as a genius beyond Kakashi.

Chiyo's face darkened as her puppet broke, worse knowing it fell to taijutsu, not ninjutsu.

"Like Tsunade?" Her expression soured. Puppeteers like her dreaded brute-force taijutsu masters like Tsunade, natural counters.

"Sunagakure's famed puppeteer, Jonin Chiyo?" Tengen's gaze met hers, tinged with intrigue.

A system prompt had triggered: defeat Chiyo for half an HD Dragon Ball video.

Dragon Ball videos were rare, especially HD ones. A standard one granted Flight Technique; an HD one, Senzu Beans, both treasures.

With this task, Tengen was determined.

Even half a video was worth it. He trusted the other half would follow.

The system worked that way.

From countless videos, Tengen had learned its patterns.

"Konoha's genius, Tengen?" Chiyo's face tightened. Rasa, present earlier, had shared his defeat by Tengen's overpowering taijutsu, not ninjutsu.

Her least favorite kind of foe.

"Yes, that's me. Nice plan, Chiyo, but it flopped. Your Suna-nins took a hit." Tengen said, eyeing the heavy Sand casualties.

A hundred-plus dead might seem minor, but for ninjas, that loss rate was steep.

Ninja teams often numbered a few or dozens, larger groups were rare.

"This time, Konoha wins." Chiyo admitted.

"Honestly, Chiyo, I admire you. That contagious toxin was eye-opening, crafting such a potent agent." Tengen's eyes flickered.

The contagion spread on contact.

"Were they cured?" Chiyo asked, curious.

"Yes, and those fighting here include them." Tengen replied.

"Tsunade left Konoha. Does Konoha have another genius medic?" Chiyo pressed, confident in her toxin.

In such a short time, who could counter it? Yet reality slapped her, someone did.

"Sorry, that'd be me." Tengen said coolly.

"You…" Chiyo's pupils shrank. She believed him, making it all the more shocking.

This was Konoha's genius?

"Truly Konoha's genius." Chiyo praised.

"Pity, Chiyo. I've got to take you down." Tengen grinned.

***

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