Although Jun Ma Lu possessed the Shikotsumyaku bloodline, he was not skilled in a wide variety of ninjutsu. Unlike Orochimaru, who mastered countless techniques over his long life, Jun Ma Lu specialized almost entirely in close-range combat.
His fighting style was direct, brutal, and overwhelmingly aggressive.
After Chiyo, Sakura, and the others safely left the cave with Gaara's body, Jun Ma Lu immediately launched another attack.
"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"
Bone bullets erupted from his fingertips and rained toward Sasori and the Third Kazekage puppet.
Crack!
The earth wall Jun Ma Lu had created earlier finally shattered under the pressure of the Iron Sand.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!"
Sasori manipulated the Third Kazekage puppet, forming a dense wall of Iron Sand to block the incoming barrage.
But Jun Ma Lu had already moved.
His body flashed past the Iron Sand barrier in an instant. He appeared directly before the Third Kazekage puppet and drove his fist forward.
Boom!
The punch pierced straight through the puppet's chest.
Even Sasori's puppet body could not react fast enough to Jun Ma Lu's terrifying speed and raw power.
Sasori immediately retreated, pulling the damaged puppet back with chakra threads.
His expression finally changed slightly.
The Third Kazekage puppet was his greatest masterpiece. Its body was reinforced far beyond ordinary puppets, yet Jun Ma Lu had nearly destroyed it with a single strike.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand!"
Black Iron Sand shot toward Jun Ma Lu once more.
"The Dance of the Clematis!"
Jun Ma Lu calmly dodged the Iron Sand attacks while a massive spiral bone lance formed from his arm.
His figure blurred.
Boom!
The spinning bone lance smashed through the Iron Sand barrier and drilled directly into the Third Kazekage puppet.
Crack! Crack!
The puppet's body exploded apart under the overwhelming force. Metal fragments and broken mechanisms scattered throughout the cave.
Jun Ma Lu slowly lowered his arm and looked toward Sasori.
"You're next."
Sasori remained calm despite losing the Third Kazekage puppet.
"I haven't used my real body in years," he said coldly. "Perhaps today is finally the time."
"Or perhaps today is the day you die," Jun Ma Lu replied indifferently.
Sasori's chest opened slightly, revealing his true puppet body hidden within.
"You would make an excellent collection," Sasori said. "A Kaguya clansman with a perfected Shikotsumyaku… far more valuable than the Third Kazekage."
Jun Ma Lu showed no reaction.
Chen Xing had already informed him about Sasori's abilities and weaknesses long ago.
Without hesitation, Sasori pulled out a scroll.
Bang!
A massive cloud of smoke filled the cave.
When the smoke cleared, over a hundred human puppets surrounded Jun Ma Lu from every direction.
These were Sasori's Human Puppets, each created from real shinobi corpses.
"The Performance of a Hundred Puppets!"
Countless chakra threads extended from Sasori's chest and connected to the army of puppets.
Every puppet carried poisoned weapons.
Jun Ma Lu glanced around calmly.
"You really are insane."
"This is eternal art," Sasori replied coldly. "Someone like you, who only understands battle, could never comprehend it."
The hundred puppets attacked simultaneously.
Jun Ma Lu did not retreat.
"Dance of the Larch!"
Sharp bones erupted from his body, forming a natural armor of white spikes.
The puppet army crashed toward him.
Boom!
Jun Ma Lu shattered the first puppet with a single punch.
Swords and spears struck his body from every direction, but the hardened bones beneath his skin blocked every attack.
Another puppet exploded apart.
Then another.
"Three…"
"Four…"
"Five…"
Jun Ma Lu advanced through the puppet army like a monster from the battlefield, destroying puppet after puppet with overwhelming force.