Tsunade was stunned.
Chiyo was also momentarily dazed.
That calm gaze, that silver arc of light… In that instant, the sight before them stirred up memories, memories of a nearly identical image: Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, severing Chiyo's puppet with a single strike during the Second Great Ninja War.
At this moment—
In both their eyes—
Kaede's figure seemed to completely overlap with that of Sakumo Hatake!
"It seems you bear a deep grudge against my father."
Kaede spoke calmly. As he did, he formed a one-handed seal with his left hand. The chirping sound of the Chidori echoed forth, entwining itself around the blade of the Kusanagi Sword. At the same time, the fourth gate within his body burst open.
Eight Gates Lightning Style – Fourth Gate,
Gate of Pain… Lightning!
Chiyo was a Kage-level powerhouse.
Even decades later, as an aged shinobi, Chiyo still retained Kage-level strength. And now, at her peak, both in chakra and combat experience, she was a formidable force even among the elite. To defeat her, Kaede had to go all out.
Originally, his plan had been to deal as much damage as possible to the Sand ninja first, but now that Chiyo had targeted both him and Tsunade, he had no choice.
Tsunade was in poor condition. Facing Chiyo alone, regardless of whether she had developed the Strength of a Hundred Seal at this time, even if she had, and could use it effectively, she wouldn't be able to withstand the endless piercing and stabbing of countless blades. Her chakra would eventually run dry.
So—
Chiyo had to be dealt with first!
The moment the fourth gate burst open, Kaede's figure flashed forward, turning into a streak of silver light that weaved through the puppets and charged straight at Chiyo.
"..."
Tsunade stared in astonishment at the figure bathed in silver light.
She could feel the raging chakra surging within Kaede's body, it was no less than hers, perhaps not even less than Chiyo's!
To a shinobi, chakra didn't represent absolute power, but it did determine the potential range of one's strength. A ninja without a sufficient chakra pool could never reach her level!
Kaede's chakra at this moment...
Combined with the speed he had just displayed…
Even if it was only for a brief instant, Tsunade was deeply shaken by a realization: Kaede's strength might not be below hers, he had reached the level of a Kage-tier ninja!
A little over a year ago, Kaede had only just become a Chūnin.
And now, a year later, his chakra was already comparable to hers!
Tsunade suddenly realized she had done something rather foolish, she hadn't taken the time to properly learn about Kaede's recent development. Relying on scattered bits of information, she had assumed he was still a young ninja not yet at Jōnin level, and had made the decision to protect him on the battlefield.
Clearly, the information she had was flawed. Kaede didn't need her protection, at least, not from someone like her, whose hemophobia hadn't even been cured and who could barely exert the strength of an average Jōnin.
So—
What in the world has happened over this past year?!
While Tsunade stood there, shocked, Chiyo's expression also changed dramatically.
"How is this possible?!"
The moment Kaede severed two of her puppets in a single strike, and released chakra far surpassing that of an ordinary Jōnin, her expression darkened.
Especially when she recognized the sword in his hand as the Kusanagi Sword, a storm of emotions erupted within her, she recalled Pakura's crushing defeat in the Amegakure!
Lightning Release ninjutsu…
Incredible speed…
Possession of the Kusanagi Sword…
All the pieces of intelligence matched the figure before her, which meant the person she was facing was not some easily eliminated kid, but a powerful shinobi, someone who had defeated Pakura!
"Puppet Technique: Chakra Shield – Photon Block!"
As Kaede charged in, Chiyo's expression twisted. She extended her hand, releasing chakra that instantly formed into a shimmering shield in front of her.
Clang!
Kaede's sword struck the chakra shield, causing ripples to spread across its surface, it had clearly absorbed a tremendous blow.
Chiyo leapt back as two puppets flanked Kaede from either side.
Swish!
Kaede swung his Kusanagi Sword, instantly slicing both puppets into four pieces.
Crack! Crack!!
The shattered puppet parts didn't fall to the ground. Instead, they transformed mid-air, unleashing a barrage of mechanical arms and blades aimed directly at Kaede.
His expression remained unchanged. The Kusanagi Sword in his hand turned into a silver blur, wrapped in lightning and fire. With a flick of his wrist, the four puppet fragments were again slashed into more than a dozen pieces, bursting into countless scattered components.
"...This brat…"
Chiyo's expression was grim. She continued controlling her remaining puppets to attack Kaede while throwing out a scroll behind her to summon even more puppet parts.
Bathed in silver light, Kaede moved effortlessly through the chaotic array of blades and components. Everything he touched, unless reinforced by chakra-based defensive puppetry, was sliced apart by the Kusanagi Sword, whether meant for attack or restraint, nothing lasted even a second.
Who was stronger now—Kaede or the White Fang?
In terms of overall strength, perhaps Sakumo Hatake still held the edge. But against puppet masters like Chiyo, Kaede's advantage was even greater!
If Sakumo had a 50-point advantage over Chiyo in terms of countering her techniques, then Kaede's was at least 70.
Because Kaede was faster, and the Kusanagi Sword sharper than Sakumo's White Fang Blade, even tempered steel stood no chance against a Chidori-infused Kusanagi!
Clang! Clang!!
Kaede's sword kept flashing, and Chiyo's puppets continued to be destroyed.
Chiyo, who was not only strong in taijutsu and chakra but also a master of puppetry at its peak, even Kage-level ninja found her troublesome. But unfortunately for her, she was being completely countered by a type of enemy like Kaede or the White Fang. Her puppets simply couldn't stand up to the Hatake clan's kenjutsu.
Just like back then against the White Fang, she was forced to retreat, summoning new puppets and manipulating broken ones to hold off the attacks.
And now, that exact scene was playing out once again.
Still a one-sided suppression!
only this time, her opponent was no longer the White Fang—it was Kaede!
"So fast…"
Standing not far away, Tsunade watched the battle between Kaede and Chiyo, emotions surging in her chest. She knew that even at her peak, facing Chiyo wouldn't necessarily grant her the upper hand. Yet Kaede had completely suppressed her!
Chiyo could no longer even spare a puppet to distract Tsunade, she was giving her all just to fight Kaede one-on-one. And even so, she still couldn't stop him!
Such strength shook Tsunade to her core, because she knew Kaede was at most eleven years old. To possess such power at that age was almost unimaginable.
If someone claimed that the White Fang had been reborn in Kaede's body, she might almost believe it!
The other Konoha shinobi were also watching the battle, and were equally stunned.
"That guy is actually suppressing Chiyo…"
Akimichi Chōza couldn't help but mutter in awe. At this moment, he no longer doubted the shocking achievements Kaede had claimed in the Lands of Grass and Rain.
With such terrifying power, those feats were definitely possible!
Alone, Kaede had suppressed Chiyo, the strongest puppet master in the ninja world.
Under the gaze of countless shinobi,
Chiyo was being forced to retreat step by step!
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