Hiruzen persuaded me to die

"Rasa! Do you know what you're saying?"

Chiyo frowned deeply.

To suggest killing your own child...

How could a father say such a thing?

The previous assassination attempts had been little more than tests of Gaara's control.

With his automatic sand defense, Gaara had never truly been in danger.

The goal wasn't to kill him—but to observe whether the stimulation triggered mastery over One-Tail's power.

But now?

The Fourth Kazekage was openly suggesting execution—death for Gaara!

"I know exactly what I'm doing."

Rasa pulled away from Pakura's Scorch Release attacks just in time to speak.

"Either One-Tail is stolen..."

"Or we kill its jinchūriki and let the beast resurrect in a few years."

"At least then, we'd have a second chance to reclaim it!"

He didn't even look at Gaara as he said it.

His voice was firm—resolute.

"Heh, what a wonderful father you are, Rasa."

Pakura sneered coldly, her orbs of searing heat spinning silently around her.

The dancing light from her Scorch Release flickered across her face as she caught a glimpse of Gaara's blank, broken expression.

"Even willing to kill your own son—just to keep me from taking One-Tail?"

Hyuga Naraku placed a hand protectively on Gaara's head and stood before him.

Clack-clack!

The sound of puppet joints echoed sharply as Chiyo summoned her signature puppets: the "Father" and "Mother."

They confronted Naraku head-on.

"Must it really come to killing Gaara?"

Naraku asked, his glowing Tenseigan locking onto Chiyo's eyes.

Chiyo's weathered face looked pained. She was silent for a moment before replying.

"Killing another's child with your own hands... it's not something I ever wanted to do."

She had her reasons.

During the Second Great Ninja War, her son and daughter-in-law—Sunagakure's elite puppet squad captains—were slain by Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.

She knew the grief of losing a child better than anyone.

Now, she was being asked to become the very blade that would kill another.

"You're Konoha's current Hokage? So young..."

Chiyo sighed, sizing up Hyuga Naraku.

Even the White Fang and the Legendary Sannin weren't this young when they earned renown.

And this one... he wielded Wood Style!

Her gaze swept across the massive forest swallowing Sunagakure.

"For the village's sake, I'll do what must be done."

She unfurled a scroll with a snap!

Poof!

Ten distinct puppets in white cloaks materialized—each with a unique appearance.

The legendary Chikamatsu Ten Puppets.

These were left behind by the founding father of puppetry, Monzaemon Chikamatsu.

Facing someone with Wood Style mastery, Chiyo didn't dare hold back.

She deployed her strongest technique from the start.

"Interesting..."

Naraku smiled.

"Gaara, stand back and don't move."

An outsider protecting Gaara—

While his own father and village elder plotted his death.

The absurdity of it all made Naraku laugh quietly.

Clack!

Five of the ten puppets lunged straight at Naraku.

The others waited for the right moment—to strike at Gaara directly.

"Father" and "Mother" stretched their wires taut, ready to cut through any trees spawned by Wood Style.

Naraku calmly raised a hand.

BOOM!

A sudden burst of gravity from the Tenseigan!

The five puppets were yanked mid-air—violently torn from Chiyo's chakra threads.

"Wha—?!"

Chiyo's expression twisted in disbelief.

What was that ability?

Just a single motion—and she'd lost control of half her puppets!

"Fascinating craftsmanship."

Naraku examined the intricate internals of each puppet, nodding with approval.

Though he lacked formal training in puppetry, Tenseigan offered another route.

He channeled light-blue Tenseigan chakra into the broken puppets.

Buzz!

Instantly—

The five puppets twitched, then came to life!

This was the Tenseigan's Puppet Technique—a unique ability similar to the Rinnegan's.

Like Nagato's Six Paths of Pain, the Rinnegan transmitted chakra via black receivers.

The downside: puppets had to stay within a certain range.

But they also received chakra in real-time, as long as the user had reserves.

Tenseigan worked the opposite way.

Like Ōtsutsuki Toneri in the original timeline—

It injected autonomous chakra directly into the puppet.

The trade-off?

Once the Tenseigan chakra was spent, the puppet ceased functioning.

The advantage?

Unlimited range.

Just like how Toneri could command Tenseigan puppets from the Moon.

In short—

Tenseigan and Rinnegan puppetry had different strengths.

Clack! Clack!

The five puppets turned toward Naraku and bowed in unison.

"Master!"

These autonomous puppets now answered only to Naraku.

Chiyo's mouth fell open.

Just now, her puppets had... spoken?

And called him master?

Since when did the Fifth Hokage of Konoha master puppetry?

"No... that's not it!"

Chiyo shook her head hard.

She hadn't seen a single chakra thread!

And yet—

The puppets moved, attacked, and even spoke!

Her heart raced.

She was the puppet master—why couldn't she understand what was happening?

"Not bad."

Naraku nodded.

He raised a hand and waved toward Chiyo.

"Go. Show me your true strength."

Whoosh!

The five puppets spun and launched themselves at Chiyo.

"Yes, Master!"

The five white-cloaked puppets, once her strongest weapons, now attacked her without mercy.

Chiyo scrambled to defend, her own puppets moving to intercept.

She wanted to scream.

Was this some kind of joke?

She was being beaten—

By her own puppets!

"Watch out! There's an explosive tag on that one!"

One of the autonomous puppets called out to its allies.

The rest immediately dodged.

They recognized the trap—a trick designed by Chiyo herself!

The puppet leapt clear of a hidden device.

BOOM!

A massive explosion rocked the area.

Chiyo stood frozen.

Even that... they avoided it?

These puppets...

They were learning.

And now, they might just outmatch her.

Chiyo: "…"

Damn it… these puppets are better than fine—they're monsters!