At this moment, Hyuga Kagami's mind was consumed by a single thought: this time, he was truly done for.
With a formidable opponent like Sasori, once the element of surprise was lost, a successful ambush became nearly impossible. Fighting Sasori meant even the slightest scratch could lead to poisoning and incapacitation. But against a foe of his caliber, how could one expect to avoid injury entirely?
Thus, the failure of this sneak attack signified the battle's outcome was already decided.
In a flash, the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, which had been drawn toward him by Rotation Ruyi, was grasped firmly by Hyuga Kagami's hand around its neck. Deprived of Sasori's magnetic manipulation, the iron spears suspended in midair crumbled into black iron sand, cascading to the ground with a rustling sound.
From a distance, Sasori's expression turned dark as he watched his prized puppet in Hyuga Kagami's grasp. He was not only shocked but also filled with disbelief and even a hint of panic.
Although rattled internally, Hyuga Kagami maintained a composed exterior, revealing neither joy nor fear.
The two warriors, wary of each other, found themselves locked in a silent standoff amidst the swirling desert winds.
The tension of this impasse only heightened Hyuga Kagami's anxiety. But at that moment, he suddenly noticed his chakra was surging uncontrollably into the Third Kazekage Puppet he was holding.
A sudden change erupted, but Hyuga Kagami didn't let it show on his face. Instead, he kept his cold gaze fixed on Sasori.
Feeling an increasing amount of chakra pouring into the puppet, Hyuga Kagami's heart sank. The bitterness of possibly dying in his very first battle after obtaining the Tenseigan filled him with frustration and unwillingness.
Clatter… Clatter…
Once two-thirds of his chakra had been drained into the Third Kazekage Puppet, the puppet in his grasp suddenly began twitching erratically.
As the puppet convulsed, the previously scattered iron sand in the surroundings rose into the air once more.
Sasori's eyes widened in shock. "Impossible! You can use Puppet Jutsu? Who are you? And why were you meeting with the Hidden Sand's assassination squad?"
"The Hidden Sand's assassination squad!?"
Hearing Sasori's outburst, Hyuga Kagami's heart tightened.
The corpses that lay near Sasori… they belonged to the Hidden Sand's assassination unit. This revelation confirmed that the Hidden Sand had also been involved in the purge within Konoha. It also meant that the top brass of Konoha had tacitly approved of this operation.
Suppressing his inner fury, Hyuga Kagami redirected his focus to the present.
Through his initial confusion, he now understood why the Third Kazekage Puppet had suddenly activated under his touch.
From his vague memories of his past life, he recalled that the Tenseigan, much like the Rinnegan, had a special ability—the power to control puppets.
The Rinnegan's method of puppet control relied on black rods, as seen in the Six Paths of Pain, all manipulated by Nagato's Rinnegan. Meanwhile, the Tenseigan's method involved infusing its chakra into the puppets. If infused with enough Tenseigan chakra, the puppets could even awaken a semblance of intelligence and autonomous thought.
In his recollection, Otsutsuki Toneri had used such puppets to effortlessly defeat the near-Kage-level Hyuga clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, and infiltrate the village to abduct Hanabi without even revealing himself.
Now understanding this, Hyuga Kagami focused his thoughts.
Without the need for chakra threads, the Third Kazekage Puppet floated up at his mental command, positioning itself in front of him protectively. It then assumed an attack stance toward Sasori.
Finally, Hyuga Kagami spoke, his tone indifferent: "I have no interest in eliminating rogue-nin from the Hidden Sand. There's no need for us to continue fighting."
Sasori's face darkened. "You think I'll just let you go after you took my most treasured puppet?"
Even Sasori, for all his confidence, felt a creeping sense of unease toward the mysterious techniques Hyuga Kagami had just displayed. In this moment, he had already recognized Hyuga Kagami as a dangerous opponent capable of threatening his life.
Hyuga Kagami smiled slightly. "This puppet retains most of its former strength. I must admit, in the art of puppet-making, you truly are a genius."
This smile wasn't just for show. He was genuinely pleased because, with the Third Kazekage Puppet under his control, he had effectively gained the ability to fly. Whether to fight or retreat was now entirely his decision.
The only reason he hadn't immediately fled and was still exchanging words with Sasori was to figure out how to conceal his identity and avoid future retaliation.
After all, being targeted by someone of Sasori's caliber meant that a single mistake could lead to an inexplicable death—just like the Third Kazekage's fate.
"How are you controlling a puppet without chakra threads?" Sasori suddenly tilted his head, a sinister smirk forming on his lips. "Never mind. Once I capture you, I'll find out everything!"
With that, Sasori pulled out a crimson scroll.
At his command, the scroll unfurled, and multiple figures shot out from within, hovering around him.
Each of these figures was a puppet draped in a red cloak—ten in total, each with unique weapons. Some wielded swords, others brandished massive shuriken, and still others carried blades and spears.
Sasori sneered. "Red Secret Technique: Performance of Ten Puppets!"
Observing the scene, Hyuga Kagami mused, "Looks like at this point in time, Sasori hasn't mastered the Hundred Puppet Performance yet. But even ten of them are enough to be troublesome for me."
Creak… Creak…
With the sound of mechanisms activating, the ten red-cloaked puppets lunged toward Hyuga Kagami.
Frowning, Hyuga Kagami raised his hand and once again used Rotation Ruyi.
With two-thirds of his chakra already spent, he was nearly out of stamina. So after repelling the ten puppets with Rotation Ruyi, he immediately leaped onto the Third Kazekage Puppet.
Instantly, the iron sand in the air formed into wings, and the Third Kazekage Puppet carried Hyuga Kagami toward the distant corpse of Mitsui Ichiro.
Watching this, Sasori cursed. "Damn it! That technique again!"
The unpredictability of Rotation Ruyi, which required no hand seals, was giving Sasori a headache. However, through this skirmish, he had keenly noted that its effective range was only about fifteen meters. Adjusting his tactics, he directed his puppets to launch a long-range attack.
Without any command, the Third Kazekage Puppet instinctively used its Magnet Release to block all incoming kunai and shuriken.
Seeing this, Sasori's expression darkened—he felt as though he had been outmatched by his own masterpiece.
Quickly adapting, Sasori switched his puppets' projectile weapons to bone needles coated in lethal poison.
Magnet Release couldn't manipulate non-metallic objects, so the Third Kazekage Puppet formed a hemisphere of iron sand to shield its back.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
For a moment, the relentless sound of poisoned bone needles striking the iron sand barrier filled the air…