Capítulo 24: Chiyo!

The silence that followed Luo Lei's voice was so profound that even the slightest whisper of wind seemed deafening.

The entire battlefield was paralyzed, as if time itself had stopped.

Chiyo, still on the ground, seemed to have turned to stone. Her eyes, wide open, reflected a terror and disbelief beyond words.

A collective murmur began to spread among the ranks of both armies. The question on everyone's mind was the same:

How was it possible that Luo Lei had survived an explosion that would have annihilated any other living being?

Seconds dragged on like hours as the dust began to dissipate. Every eye on the battlefield was fixed on the epicenter of the explosion, holding their breath in anticipation.

Finally, when the last cloud of dust settled, it revealed a massive crater tens of meters in diameter. And there, at the center of that devastation, a figure stood.

WHOOSH!

With a movement that defied logic, Luo Lei rose from the crater, landing softly on firm ground. Calmly, he dusted off his clothes.

"I-IMPOSSIBLE!"

"It can't be!"

"What kind of monster is he?!"

Gasps and exclamations of amazement filled the entire field. Sunagakure ninjas rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing. Some even pinched their own arms, convinced they must be trapped in some kind of genjutsu.

Among the ranks of Konoha, initial disbelief quickly gave way to overwhelming joy. "Lord Luo Lei lives!"

He felt the world crumbling beneath his feet. Rasa's face turned pale, and for a moment it seemed he was going to faint. "This... this can't be happening," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "What kind of demon have we awakened?"

Orochimaru, for his part, observed Luo Lei with amazement.

A twisted smile formed on his lips, "Luo Lei-kun, always full of surprises." His eyes shone with barely contained interest. "With him on our side, this battle is practically won."

But no one was more shocked than Chiyo. The old woman, once proud and confident, now seemed a shadow of herself, her face a mask of disbelief.

"I-IMPOSSIBLE...," she mumbled, her voice barely audible. "What... are you?"

Regret flooded her heart. Now she understood why Pakura hadn't even dared to return to the battlefield.

It wasn't cowardice; it was the realization that they were facing something beyond their understanding.

Oblivious to Chiyo's tormented thoughts, Luo Lei reflected aloud: "The defense isn't bad. No wonder Homelander can withstand missiles or even bombs. According to the comics, he could probably also withstand nuclear explosions."

Suddenly, the frantic voice of a Sunagakure sensor ninja interrupted his thoughts. "This can't be true! I can't sense his chakra... He shouldn't be alive!"

Luo Lei's eyes narrowed, a flash of irritation crossing his face. Without a word, his eyes began to glow with that crimson radiance.

FZZZZT!

Two beams of energy exploded from his eyes. In an instant, they tore through the air and struck the sensor ninja's head directly.

SPLAT!

The impact was instantaneous. Where once there was a shinobi, now only a rain of blood remained.

A silence fell over the battlefield. The Sunagakure ninjas, already terrified, now seemed petrified with fear.

Undisturbed by what he had just caused, Luo Lei turned his attention to Chiyo, "It's your turn, Chiyo. Don't use those boring puppets. I don't want to have to play along with you again."

Chiyo's eyes widened, "Y-You..." A belated realization hitting her. "So... you knew from the beginning? All of this was intentional?"

Luo Lei nodded without changing his expression.

A bitter laugh escaped Chiyo's lips. "Hahaha..." The sound was devoid of all joy. The realization that she had been a pawn in Luo Lei's game all along was crushing.

"I see I was always the clown," she muttered. "All of this... just a cruel joke."

The understanding of her imminent defeat reflected in her eyes, "I've lost! I've lost completely! Sakumo Hatake, I've lost to you again!"

Looking at this grotesque scene, Luo Lei indifferently replied: "Shut up and die quietly, old woman."

In an instant, the atmosphere on the battlefield changed.

SWISH!

Before anyone could blink, Luo Lei's short sword returned. An arc of white energy cut through the air swiftly, heading directly towards Chiyo.

The veteran, despite her exhaustion, reacted on pure instinct. "Even if I lose, I won't go without a fight," she growled through gritted teeth.

In a fraction of a second, she channeled all the chakra she had left, forming a protective shield around her body.

But reality is cruel, and the difference in power, overwhelming.

CRACK!

The sound of Chiyo's shield breaking was like thunder in the midst of silence. The chakra fragments scattered like broken crystals, leaving her vulnerable.

At that moment, Chiyo felt a stinging cold on her neck. A trickle of blood began to flow from the wound, marking the end of an era.

"Released..." she whispered. She made no attempt to stop the bleeding. Instead, she let herself fall to the ground, her face a mixture of sadness and acceptance.

As life escaped from her body, her thoughts wandered. Her son and daughter-in-law, dead. Her brother, murdered. Sasori, a deserter. And now her, falling before the apprentice of her old enemy.

"This... this must be the fate of a ninja," she thought with bitter irony.

Chiyo's eyes, once full of thirst for revenge, lost their shine. The great puppet master of Sunagakure had fallen.

The impact of her death was immediate and devastating.

"Chiyo-sama!" The cry of desperation spread among the ranks of Sunagakure.

"What do we do now?! We're lost!" Morale crumbled completely. Terror seized their faces, replacing any vestige of fighting spirit.

Among the ranks of Konoha, the reaction was one of amazement and disbelief. Chiyo, a legendary figure, had been defeated with apparent ease.

"It's as if history is repeating itself," muttered a Konoha veteran. "Chiyo survived Sakumo in the Second War, only to fall to his apprentice in this one."

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