Chiyo ultimately did not give Hatake Sakumo a satisfactory answer. She snorted in embarrassment and sat down by herself, sulking.
Orochimaru was also speechless at Hatake Sakumo's desperate attempt to seek help.
Without even a sample of the Salamander poison, unless Chiyo had mastered Yin-Yang Release to perfection, it was impossible to develop an antidote specifically for the Salamander poison based on imagination alone.
Putting the antidote issue aside for the moment, Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru discussed further and finally made some general arrangements regarding the possibility of Chiyo possessing the Salamander poison.
After some analysis, Orochimaru deduced that there were two likely combat compositions for Sand Village.
The first possibility was that Chiyo herself would come to the battlefield, carrying the container of Salamander poison. This situation would be the most troublesome, not only because of the addition of a Kage-level expert but also because the Leaf Village would have to face the threat of an currently incurable potent poison.
If this were to happen, Hatake Sakumo would continue to lead the Sand Village forces, while Orochimaru and Chiyo would work together to deal with Chiyo and the potential potent poison.
As for what measures they would take, Orochimaru's ideas were still in the theoretical stage, and he couldn't give a definitive answer, only saying that they would decide based on the situation at the time.
The second possibility was that Chiyo would not come, but would hand over the potent Salamander poison to the commander on the front lines of Sand Village. This situation would be much simpler.
In this case, Sand Village's personnel and strength would remain unchanged, and they would only need to find a way to deal with the potent poison.
With the general direction set, the Leaf Village began to actively prepare for war, aiming to resolve the troubles of Sand Village in one go with their strongest stance.
After all, if Chiyo and Hanzō indeed ceased hostilities as Orochimaru speculated, the battlefield in the Land of Rain would likely face the direct attack of a Ninja God.
Meanwhile, the Sand Village on the front lines of the Land of Wind was not idle.
Chiyo's reinforcement force arrived only half a day after the Sand ninja who delivered the sealing scroll.
When Chiyo appeared in the camp, all the Stone ninja seemed to have received a shot of adrenaline as if they were on the brink of death, and the entire camp instantly came alive.
"Mother, was the attack from Hidden Rain Village repelled by you?"
Takuma asked his mother, who had just arrived, with a look of pleasant surprise, still unable to believe it.
"Heh heh!"
"He's just an old man who can't see reality. We have the home advantage, so winning is nothing to be proud of!"
Chiyo waved her hand and calmly replied to her son.
"I heard you two suffered a defeat, and I was a little worried."
"I came to see for myself what kind of person this Leaf ninja is, who was given a title by my son Chiyo!"
Takuma was immediately filled with shame and knelt before his mother with a thud.
"I'm sorry, Mother!"
"I have disappointed you!"
Chiyo gave a soft hum and, with Mieko's support, took the seat of honor. She looked sternly at Takuma below and asked in a deep voice:
"Tell me!"
"By what means did that White Fang of the Leaf defeat you!"
Takuma was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
"That Leaf ninja, who calls himself Hatake Sakumo, did not use any despicable means. He defeated me entirely with his own strength."
"I..."
"I am completely convinced!"
Chiyo's eyes narrowed slightly, and she mused,
"Hatake..."
"There was indeed such a samurai family among the forces that followed the First Hokage during the Warring States period. Have they transitioned into ninja?"
"That makes sense!"
"Get up!"
Takuma bowed respectfully and then slowly stood up from the ground.
"Surviving in the ninja world until now, samurai combat abilities naturally have their unique merits."
"If I'm not mistaken, that White Fang of the Leaf broke through your defenses with high-speed movement and swordsmanship. Your mechanical hidden weapons were ineffective, and you were defeated in the end, wasn't that it!"
Takuma looked utterly impressed.
"Yes!"
"Hmph!"
Chiyo angrily slammed the table and looked sternly at Takuma.
"Meek and timid, you'll never achieve great things!"
"I told you long ago to focus on researching puppet jutsu, but you insisted on taking a detour!"
"It's understandable for ninja who are just starting with puppets, but you are already a Jonin, yet you always think of defeating opponents by poisoning your puppets."
"With your lack of ambition, when can I rest assured that the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu will be passed on to you?"
Mieko looked at her husband, whose head was almost buried in his chest, and reached out to pat Chiyo's shoulder, gently massaging it.
"Mother..."
"Takuma has been working very hard. He used five puppets in his previous fight with that White Fang of the Leaf."
"However, that Leaf ninja's strength is indeed a little too great!"
"With just one slash, he shattered my fully released Sand Shield..."
"So..."
Chiyo's expression softened slightly upon hearing the number of puppets Takuma controlled and Hatake Sakumo's general attack capabilities.
"Hmph!"
"It seems you have made some progress, but it's still far from enough!"
"If you cannot cultivate puppet jutsu to the point of dividing your attention among ten targets before you turn thirty, I will leave this inheritance to Sasori."
"At that time, let's see where you, as a father, will keep your face!"
Takuma looked up with surprise and, emboldened, asked Chiyo,
"Mother, are you serious about passing on the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu to Sasori?"
Chiyo immediately became enraged, grabbed the teacup beside her, and hurled it at Takuma.
"You rebellious son! Get out!"
Mieko looked at her husband, who was covering his head and fleeing in disarray, and shook her head speechlessly. As long as her son was involved, her husband seemed to lose his mind, which was why Mother was so angry.
"Mother, please don't be angry!"
"Takuma is just like that. I'll talk to him properly later and tell him to focus his efforts on researching puppet jutsu. What do you think?"
Chiyo sighed and gently patted her daughter-in-law's hand.
"Sigh!"
"If this rebellious son were half as sensible as you, it would be great!"
"Otherwise, the position of Kazekage..."
"Forget it!"
Chiyo shook her head helplessly and instructed Mieko,
"Go and inform the ninjas below to take a three-day rest for the entire army."
"I had a fight with that old man wearing a respirator earlier, and my puppets suffered some damage."
"Three days later, after my puppets are repaired, we will launch a general offensive against the Leaf Village."
"I want to see if that Hatake Sakumo truly deserves the title of White Fang of the Leaf!"
Mieko nodded in response.
"Yes!"
"I'll go and pass on the message now."
"Mother, what materials do you need to repair your puppets? I'll bring them to you personally later."
Chiyo waved her hand.
"Don't worry about the materials!"
"Go and find that rebellious son. Before I become senile, teach him what I can."
"Otherwise, if I'm not around one day, this rebellious son will be a disgrace to Sand Village and tarnish his father's reputation."
Mieko chuckled, excused herself, and went to make arrangements.
"Hatake Sakumo..."
"I had never even heard of his name before. I didn't expect the Leaf Village to hide such a strong expert."
"Third Hokage, I wonder if it was right or wrong to provoke a war with the Leaf Village this time!"
In the quiet tent, only Chiyo's long sigh remained.