So this is the jutsu that severely wounded Pakura? No wonder.
Caught off guard just now, he had taken a direct hit to the abdomen from that high-pressure water jet.
Even with the protective layer of Iron Sand covering his body, the Coral Water Cannon hadn't been able to pierce through the Third Kazekage's defenses.
Still, the impact sent waves of pain radiating through the struck area.
The Third Kazekage glanced at Takusaburō, who lay on the ground, his left abdomen pierced through. He struggled to prop himself up, but his wound was rapidly draining his life away.
The unfortunate puppet master coughed weakly, his voice barely audible.
"Why… why can you still move?"
Sasori's poison should have taken effect. It wasn't lethal, but it was supposed to render him unconscious.
Before the mission, Sasori had assured him of this.
He had tested the poison himself. Even a small dose was enough to make a living being fall into a deep sleep.
"Oh, that?" Yagura formed a seal as he casually answered, "My Tailed Beast woke me up. Sorry, but we actually get along pretty well."
The Third Kazekage's expression darkened.
A Jinchūriki… who could communicate with his Tailed Beast?
Impossible!
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Jutsu."
A thick mist swiftly engulfed the area.
Yagura recalled his earlier conversation with Sasori, the details seared into his mind.
Survive against the Third Kazekage's subordinates for one minute… You sure love setting the difficulty high.
"Hey, old man, what happened to the hunchback who poisoned me? Did you switch out? Who are you?"
Yagura deliberately spoke slowly, trying to buy himself some time.
"Wait, wait, wait. That hat of yours… it looks kinda familiar. I think I've seen it before—"
—Feng!
He didn't even see the movement.
In the instant he heard the air whistling around him, Yagura found himself lifted off the ground, his throat locked in a vice-like grip. He dangled midair like a helpless kitten.
Cough—
What kind of broken speed was this?!
This guy wasn't even in the same league as Might Guy or Jinin Akebino!
The Third Kazekage had no intention of wasting time with Yagura.
This was the Land of Fire. He had to take his target and leave as quickly as possible. If he caused too much commotion or took too long, Konoha would get involved, and that would be troublesome.
The feeling of suffocation was far from pleasant. Yagura's face flushed red from lack of oxygen, his legs kicking wildly in the air. He clawed at the Kazekage's arm with all his strength, trying to break free.
The Iron Sand surged forward, replacing the Kazekage's grip, binding Yagura tightly from the neck down.
Smack!!
Yagura's body suddenly burst apart, dissolving into a splash of water.
A Water Clone?
Trying to play tricks?!
The Third Kazekage immediately grasped the situation. There was no way Yagura had formed a clone under his watchful eyes.
The real body was still inside the puppet.
Realizing this, the Kazekage's eyes flicked toward the Black Ant puppet—just as Yagura leaped out from within it.
He formed a Water Release seal—no Shape Transformation, just sheer volume—to retreat into the mist at high speed!
Yagura didn't hold back in the slightest, rapidly channeling his chakra. With a wave of his hand, a massive tidal wave rose, blotting out the sky!
But even such an overwhelming flood failed to touch the Third Kazekage.
A towering wall of Iron Sand had already risen around him, forming an airtight barrier that nullified the impact of the raging water.
The mist thickened, shrouding the nighttime forest. By the time the torrent subsided, Yagura was nowhere to be seen.
First, a high-pressure water jet to attack the enemy outside the puppet. Then, a Water Clone to create an opening. Finally, a massive Water Release jutsu to obscure vision and buy time to escape using the mist he had set up earlier.
Petty tricks.
The Third Kazekage didn't think much of these minor tactics. He swiftly formed a seal.
"Wind Release: Raging Sandstorm!"
A surge of chakra sent his white cloak billowing!
The Iron Sand scattered instantly, spreading out like an enormous net.
A violent gust erupted, sweeping up countless grains of Iron Sand.
Yagura hadn't activated Lightning Release mode—doing so would have increased his oxygen consumption.
He was pushing his normal speed to the limit, holding his breath as he fled.
The further he got, the more time he could buy.
He knew that the Kazekage wouldn't let him go, so he had been waiting for the inevitable attack.
Now, it had been eighteen seconds since he cast the mist.
Boom!
From the start, he had heard the relentless crashing of trees being felled behind him.
Coral Rising!
Yagura dared not slack against a Kage-level opponent. He immediately turned to face the attack head-on, slamming his palm onto the ground to raise three towering walls of coral!
The violent winds struck, shattering the first coral wall on impact!
Wind Release alone was strong enough to destroy his coral defenses?!
SOU—SOUUUUUUUUUU!—
Amid the howling storm, piercing sonic booms ripped through the air like bullets!
Yagura instantly recognized the sound.
—Iron Sand!
It wasn't just Wind Release. The wind carried Iron Sand within it!
The Third Kazekage's infamous Magnet Release!
Yagura was even more shocked by the fact that the Kazekage could simultaneously use both Wind Release and Magnet Release chakra attacks—one of which was a Kekkei Genkai!
Crack—
A sharp, splintering sound rang out from the coral, like a ripple disturbing the surface of a pond. In the next instant, the entire coral wall crumbled under the violent storm!
It all happened in the blink of an eye. Yagura didn't even have time to reinforce his defenses!
The raging winds blasted him backward, sending him crashing through a dozen trees!
Yagura barely had time to react. "Damn! If I get hit by that Iron Sand—"
...
The wind gradually died down.
The mist had been completely blown away.
Yagura's body, riddled with countless Iron Sand projectiles, fell limply from the tree, landing with a dull thud.
Blood oozed from the countless puncture wounds.
He clenched his hand into a fist, grasping at the dirt beneath him, dizziness overwhelming him from blood loss.
Struggling to steady himself, he planted a water blade into the ground, using it as support to half-kneel, panting heavily. He summoned Isobu's chakra to recover his strength.
The Third Kazekage had used only one technique to force him into this state.
The gap between a Kage and a Jōnin…
Kong!
Yagura's body stiffened, his muscles locking up!
The Iron Sand inside him had magnetized!
He gritted his teeth, unable to move—his body trapped in an inescapable magnetic field!
Tch, tch, tch…
Rhythmic footsteps approached, pressing down on his chest like a suffocating weight.
The Third Kazekage loomed over him, gazing down with a detached smirk.
"You've got talent, little Mist brat."
Yagura met his gaze, despair clouding his eyes.
This time, it was his real body.
...
Within the darkness of the puppet's interior, Yagura closed his eyes, retreating into the mental plane where Isobu awaited.
He wasn't about to entrust his fate to Sasori. He had his own escape plan.
[Isobu, I need your power.]
[Isobu, for once, actually sounded alarmed: Use it! You're being way too reckless!]
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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