บท 23: Dead?

The sudden retreat of Chiyo left the battlefield in a state of shock. Ninjas from both Sunagakure and Konoha, and even Rasa and Orochimaru in the midst of their fierce combat, were momentarily paralyzed by disbelief.

"Chiyo?!" Rasa's voice, filled with anger, resonated through everyone. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! You'll become the shame of Sunagakure for ten thousand years!"

His shout seemed to break the spell of silence. Suddenly, the air was filled with the desperate pleas of Sunagakure ninjas:

"Chiyo-sama, you can't abandon us like this!"

"We're not defeated yet!"

"Please, don't be the first to desert!"

Their voices blended into a chorus of desperation. Everyone understood the implications: if Chiyo, a pillar of Sunagakure, abandoned the field, the total collapse of their army would be inevitable.

However, the retreating figure showed no signs of hesitation. If anything, she seemed to accelerate even more.

Observing the scene with a smile, Luo Lei almost distractedly destroyed the 5 puppets trying to block his way. "How interesting," he murmured. "The old lady is cleverer than I thought. Does she really believe she can escape?"

His smile widened, an expression that would have chilled the blood of anyone. "Well, if she wants to play... let's play!"

In that instant, his eyes lit up with a crimson glow.

FZZZZT!

Two blood-red energy beams exploded from his eyes. They tore through the air at an impossible speed, covering the distance of hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.

BOOM!

The impact was devastating. The beams hit the fleeing figure directly in the chest, piercing through it as if it were made of paper. But instead of the bloody spectacle everyone expected, "Chiyo" exploded into a shower of fragments.

"A puppet?" The exclamation of surprise was unanimous among the spectators. Chiyo's cunning had surpassed even her allies' expectations.

"Be careful, Luo Lei-kun," Orochimaru, observing the scene from his own combat, couldn't help but remind him out loud.

"Hahaha, it's too late!" Chiyo's triumphant laugh echoed.

Suddenly, without warning, the ground around Luo Lei collapsed. As if the earth itself had come to life, more than a dozen puppets emerged from the depths, their bodies covered in explosive seals.

"Explosion!"

In that instant, the real Chiyo emerged from one of the puppets, her eyes fixed on Luo Lei with a look of triumph.

For her, she was no longer looking at a fearsome opponent, but at a walking corpse.

It had all been an elaborate trap. The escape, the puppet destroyed by Luo Lei's ocular beams, everything was part of a plan designed for this moment.

The avatar that Luo Lei had destroyed was a special creation of Chiyo's, capable of deceiving even the sharpest eyes.

But the explosive puppets were just the beginning. Each one was not only loaded with normal explosive seals, but also with special explosives impregnated with a lethal poison. The slightest wound, the smallest inhalation, was enough for the poison to do its deadly work.

BOOOOOM!

The explosion was apocalyptic. A monstrous shock wave spread in all directions, raising a cloud of dust that darkened the sky.

The ground itself seemed to roar in pain, cracking and shaking as if a magnitude 12 earthquake were shaking the world.

At the epicenter, a mushroom-shaped cloud slowly rose.

The battlefield was paralyzed. Ninjas from Sunagakure and Konoha alike, even Rasa and Orochimaru in the midst of their fierce combat, came to a sudden halt.

All eyes were fixed on the center of the explosion, minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed.

Among the Konoha shinobi, shock quickly gave way to horror. Pale faces and expressions of disbelief spread through their ranks. Even Orochimaru couldn't hide the stiffness that took over his face.

The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the distant crackle of falling debris and the hiss of smoke. The question on everyone's mind was clear: Could anyone, even someone as monstrously powerful as Luo Lei, survive such an attack?

Chiyo, tired, observed the scene with satisfaction.

She had played her strongest card, a stratagem that would have annihilated any Kage. But a small part of her, the part that had seen Luo Lei's terrifying power, couldn't help but wonder: Would it be enough?

Rasa couldn't contain his emotion. His face, previously tense with worry, lit up with a smile of relief. "Chiyo!" he exclaimed gratefully, "I misjudged you. Forgive me."

The idea that Luo Lei, the monster who had massacred so many of their ninjas, could have been eliminated, filled Rasa with a bittersweet mixture of joy and sorrow.

Victory was assured, but the cost had been devastating.

Suddenly, the trembling voice of a Sunagakure sensor ninja sounded. "No... I can't sense Luo Lei." His words were laden with disbelief.

"We did it! The demon has fallen!"

"Counterattack! Victory is ours!"

"Chiyo-sama is incredible!"

Shouts of joy spread like wildfire among the Sunagakure ninjas. The crushing pressure that Luo Lei had exerted on them had vanished, replaced by a surge of renewed hope and determination.

In contrast, silence took hold of the Konoha ranks. The faces of their ninjas reflected disbelief. "Lord Luo Lei... is dead?" The question was repeated in incredulous whispers.

Even their most skilled sensors couldn't detect any trace of Luo Lei's overwhelming presence.

Amidst all this, Chiyo collapsed on the ground, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "Vengeance," she murmured with emotion. "Finally... my son, daughter-in-law, brother... Sasori... you can rest in peace. I have avenged you all."

Tears of relief and exhaustion ran down her wrinkled face. After so many years of pain and waiting, this moment had finally arrived.

But fate had other plans.

"Oh my. How touching."

A voice filled with coldness emerged from the center of the explosion, cutting through the entire atmosphere.

The effect was instantaneous. Chiyo froze, her face transforming into a mask of absolute horror. Her pupils contracted to tiny dots, shock paralyzing every fiber of her being.

________

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