Chapter 198 - 198: Chiyo’s Impulsiveness
After hearing Shamon's assessment, those present immediately found it reasonable. Ōnoki had always been a cautious schemer—he never fought unprepared wars. The Second Great Shinobi War itself had only begun after he was seventy percent confident of success.
Even then, he fought cautiously from start to finish, rarely launching direct assaults and often letting Sunagakure take the lead. As a result, Iwagakure's casualties were actually lower than Sunagakure's.
Still, because Iwagakure remained wary of a possible Kirigakure sneak attack, they never committed their full high-level forces. In terms of top-tier combat power, they weren't stronger than Sunagakure at all—if anything, the two sides were evenly matched.
This balance had been agreed upon beforehand; otherwise, they could never have coordinated their joint assault on Konoha as effectively as before.
But now the alliance faced a problem. The emergence of a monster like Arata forced them to reconsider the feasibility of continuing the war.
It was obvious that once Ōnoki confirmed Arata had reached peak super-Kage level, he would not continue the conflict.
The elders present fell silent. But Chiyo, the elderly woman, suddenly spoke up in defiance:
"Even if the Iwagakure's troops are gone, we cannot retreat in such a pathetic manner! I will make that Arata pay in blood!"
Her clenched teeth showed the depth of her hatred.
And it was understandable. Arata had personally killed her beloved son—the sole heir and future hope of the Monzaemon family.
Her son had already reached Kage level and was highly accomplished in puppet techniques. He had even acquired ten Senju corpses and pioneered human puppetry.
With the Senju Puppet Ten, Monzaemon Shirō had gained the strength to contend with Chiyo herself—despite being at least twenty years younger. His talent explained why Chiyo took his death so hard.
Had he lived, he might even have competed for the position of Third Kazekage.
Now not only was her son dead, but his masterpieces had been reclaimed by Konoha. Though she had risked much to retrieve his body, she still deeply regretted losing the Puppet Ten—they were both her son's legacy and exceptional creations.
As for Sunagakure's ban on human puppets, such rules hardly constrained the higher-ups. Prohibitions were flexible when research benefited the village's strength.
Still, Chiyo's outburst was unreasonable. As a veteran since the First War, she fully understood the impact of a super-Kage on warfare. And Arata wasn't merely early super-Kage—he was peak super-Kage.
In shinobi history, only the legendary Sage of Six Paths, Uchiha Madara, and Senju Hashirama had reached that level.
Her younger brother Ebizō quickly grabbed her arm and urged:
"Sister, don't be reckless! That's peak super-Kage—we absolutely can't underestimate him!"
His words calmed her somewhat. She understood what that level meant; she just couldn't accept that the man who killed her son was such a monster.
Did that mean she would never avenge him?
Back when Arata was only Kage level, revenge had already been elusive. Now he had skyrocketed to peak super-Kage—perhaps no one in the shinobi world could threaten him anymore.
Seeing her rare loss of composure, the Second Kazekage Shamon did not criticize her. Whether in seniority or strength, Chiyo ranked among Sunagakure's best and was usually level-headed. Her reaction came purely from grief.
Shamon understood that pain all too well. It was also why he poured his efforts into nurturing his only son, Saro, hoping he would one day stand out and help the Land of Wind secure its footing in a chaotic world.
Once Chiyo returned to her seat, Shamon said:
"Chiyo, if you truly want revenge, then you must not fight Arata now. That would only throw your life away—and leave your son's death unavenged forever."
Her expression dimmed, but she no longer seemed impulsive.
She knew that although she ranked among the strongest in the Land of Wind, facing a peak super-Kage would make her no more than an ant. Charging Arata now would only ensure her son's revenge was never realized.
If revenge were to happen, it required patience and strategy.
After all, Arata's strength lay in himself alone. Meanwhile, Konoha's overall forces had been heavily depleted in this war. By their estimates, most major Konoha clans had suffered devastating losses.
After this war, the only clan still relatively intact might be the Uchiha.
Even then, the Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Tsuki, was already on their assassination list. According to their plans, he would encounter a Land of Wind assassination squad at the border that very day.
These were specially trained operatives immune to Sharingan genjutsu—an elite force capable of eliminating him.
More importantly, intelligence suggested Tsuki would be resting at the time, completely off guard.
That was the advantage of having an insider. With Hiruzen Sarutobi, who would do anything for victory, Sunagakure found it much easier to target Konoha's shinobi.
After Chiyo calmed down, Shamon did not immediately present a strategy. He waited for her input.
Though powerful and strategically minded, he still considered himself slightly inferior to Chiyo in planning. He could think of retreat—but how to deal with Arata remained unclear to him.