"Is this all you've got?" Sasori tilted his head slightly, his tone calm and unimpressed.
"You bastard! This bastard!"
"What's with that expression? Don't look down on us!"
"I'm from the Shimura clan! Since childhood, I've been a genius among my peers. Back in the Academy, I was always top of my class. I graduated as the number one student of my year, passed the Chunin Exams that very same year, and became a Jonin within just two years."
"Five years after becoming a Jonin, I was promoted to Elite Jonin. I've completed eleven S-rank missions, and the only one I ever failed was because the client died unexpectedly, forcing the mission's cancellation."
"Whether it was the Third Hokage in the past or the Fifth Hokage now, every time they see me, they greet me with respect! Even the heads of the great ninja clans in the village treat me with courtesy!"
"And yet you dare to look at me with such contempt!"
"You dare to belittle me?!" The Shimura clan ninja roared in madness. His pride, carefully built over years of achievement, shattered under Sasori's silent disdain. Being beaten so one-sidedly was already humiliating enough—what made it unbearable was that expression of absolute indifference on Sasori's face.
"Are you done talking?" Sasori's head tilted slightly in the other direction, his face still carrying that same innocent expression.
As if to say, It's not my fault. You're just too weak.
"You think your worthless puppets can kill me?!"
"Watch this! Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
A dozen razor-sharp air blades sliced through the air, instantly shredding one of Sasori's puppets into pieces.
"How about that?! Don't think I'm as weak as them! I'm strong!" The Elite Jonin from the Shimura clan bellowed, trying to suppress his rising fear with arrogance.
Sizzle!
From the shattered puppet, a thick plume of toxic smoke burst forth. At the same time, a severed puppet arm suddenly sprang to life, revealing a gleaming dagger that shot straight toward Shimura's heart at terrifying speed.
This was the true terror of puppets. Even in pieces, they could still kill.
"Like hell you will!"
Poof!
In an instant, the ninja turned into a wooden log—the Substitution Jutsu saving him just in time. He reappeared a short distance away, eyes wary.
Sasori's gaze flickered slightly. This one was strong—an Elite Jonin. If he wanted to finish him off quickly, he'd have to divert more focus to the surrounding puppets. That would increase his overall losses, but it didn't matter. He had as many puppets as he wanted. After all, weren't the Konoha ninja before him the best raw materials?
Zzzzt!
Balls of crackling lightning shot out from the mouth of a puppet behind Shimura Ryūsei. At the same time, other puppets launched coordinated attacks from the sides.
Ryūsei immediately dropped to the ground and rolled forward, dodging the attacks before using the Body Flicker Technique to reposition. His kunai flashed as he lunged toward another puppet's neck.
Clang!
A hidden blade shot out of the puppet's mouth, charging at him with reckless abandon. It was a clear trade of life for life.
Ryūsei didn't dare take the hit head-on. He retreated two steps and tried to attack again.
"See that?! I told you, I'm strong!" He laughed wildly. But his laughter was cut short.
Guh—!
His body stiffened, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
He looked down.
A sword had pierced cleanly through his chest.
How? He had been so careful! He had observed everything, accounted for every angle—so why?
"You don't seem much stronger than the others."
Sasori's indifferent voice reached his ears.
A transparent figure slowly emerged from the shadows. It was another puppet—one that had been completely invisible until now.
"That's the Getsugami clan's Transparency Jutsu!" someone screamed in horror.
Over a hundred puppets, each with its own unique abilities—this was the true nightmare of facing Sasori. No matter how skilled they were, the Konoha ninja found themselves completely overwhelmed, unable to defend against attacks they couldn't even see coming.
"We need to retreat! These things are impossible to fight!"
The Konoha forces were beginning to crumble. Even veteran ninja, experienced in countless deadly missions, couldn't withstand such a completely one-sided slaughter.
"Hold your ground! Reinforcements are here!"
A Nara clan ninja, in charge of command, shouted at the top of his lungs.
From the distance, a large group of Konoha shinobi rushed in, stabilizing the chaotic battlefield.
"It's the Hokage's Nine-Tails Unit! We're saved!"
Relief washed over the Konoha forces. Just yesterday, many of them had resented this unit, but now, their feelings had done a complete 180.
The price for wielding the Nine-Tails' chakra was steep. Out of every ten ninja selected, at least eight died. The two survivors were forever changed—most became violent and bloodthirsty, unable to control their killing intent.
But now, those same unstable warriors were their greatest hope.
"Nine-Tails Unit, advance! Kill the enemy!"
The unit consisted of just over twenty shinobi. Each one was cloaked in a bubbling, red-tailed beast chakra shroud. Some had three tails behind them, while the weaker ones had only one.
Their faces bore whisker-like markings, their bodies hunched forward as they ran on all fours. Their expressions were feral, eyes filled with savage bloodlust. Some even drooled uncontrollably, having long since lost any shred of reason.
After all, this was the power of the strongest Tailed Beast—the Nine-Tails. Bearing its chakra came at a terrible cost.
Rumble!
With the Nine-Tails Unit entering the battlefield, Sasori's puppets began to fall in droves.
It wasn't just their ferocity—the real problem was their chakra cloaks. Ordinary attacks couldn't harm them, making them far more difficult to deal with than regular ninja.
"Yes! The enemy's puppets are breaking!"
The Konoha forces rallied.
But the Nara commander remained uneasy.
Sasori had yet to summon the Third Kazekage. And his most terrifying puppet—Hiruko, the one that could use Wood Release—was still untouched.
They weren't close to victory.
On a distant rooftop, Kisame watched the battle unfold. He turned to Itachi.
"Itachi-san, looks like Sasori is in trouble. Should we help him?"
Itachi glanced at him.
"Kisame, if you're itching for a fight, go ahead. I'll stay here."
Kisame chuckled, seeing through Itachi's words immediately.
"Ha, as expected of you, Itachi-san. You see right through me."
"But nah, if I went down now, Sasori would just get mad at me."
On the battlefield, the tide seemed to be shifting. Within minutes, the number of remaining puppets had dwindled to a mere dozen.
Dozens of Konoha ninja surged toward Sasori's true body.
But his expression remained unchanged.
"It's useless."
He clapped his hands together.
"I don't need hand seals, but let's add a little flair for dramatic effect."
"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
In an instant, the entire district was swallowed by rapidly growing trees.
Dense, writhing branches twisted like the grasping hands of the damned, entangling, piercing, and crushing all in their path.
Combined with the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release, the battlefield was instantly transformed into a nightmarish bloodbath.
Sasori's voice echoed through the forest.
"How do you like my eternal art?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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