"For the third time..."
Link stopped forming seals, and a Stand appeared behind him—a pink humanoid figure with distinct feminine features. Its green pupils were devoid of emotion, and its body was adorned with mathematical symbols: plus, minus, multiply, and divide.
[This one... "Spice Girl." A Stand with double A ratings for strength and speed. It can make any object it touches as soft as rubber while significantly enhancing its durability.]
As the details of the Stand's abilities flashed through Link's mind, he quickly got accustomed to controlling it. Unlike auxiliary Stands that required minimal effort to operate, humanoid Stands like this one felt like controlling an entirely separate body.
"No need to waste this kind of power," Link thought as he familiarized himself with "Spice Girl." He directed it to touch the clothing of his team members.
"Ah!"
Kankurō, who had been on high alert, suddenly felt his clothes soften and cling to his skin. Shocked, he instinctively pulled out a kunai to cut the seemingly sticky material, thinking it was an enemy's technique.
To his surprise, the kunai barely caused a dent in the softened fabric, which bent and stretched like rubber but remained intact.
Meanwhile, Gaara reacted defensively by wrapping his body in sand, trying to strip off the suddenly flexible clothing.
"Relax," Link said calmly. "This is my jutsu, designed to protect you."
He adjusted his clothing, allowing the soft material to cover all exposed skin. "When softened by 'Spice Girl,' the fabric becomes extremely durable. Even if it absorbs impact, it can prevent most piercing injuries."
The explanation reassured Temari, who curiously touched her now-rubbery outfit. Even Gaara, though uncomfortable, began to accept the change. Kankurō, on the other hand, embraced the innovation and even used his now-flexible hat to cover his face, resembling a traditional Japanese thief.
"Underground!"
Link suddenly shouted and leaped away. With his chakra sensing abilities and expertise in Earth Release, he immediately noticed something amiss beneath them.
His teammates followed without hesitation, jumping clear just as the ground erupted.
Deidara emerged, his body grotesquely swollen.
"Boom!"
The massive explosion left the already loosened earth collapsing into a crater.
"What a pity, hm..." Deidara remarked from a distant tree, clasping his hands as the sound of clay being chewed emanated from his palms.
"Your turn, Brother Sasori!" Deidara shouted. He seemed slightly strained, his chakra running low after the relentless attacks.
Standing before the battered Kabuto, Sasori readied himself. The Shadow Clones guarding Kabuto had been dealt with. Floating nearby was his prized puppet—the Third Kazekage—its mouth emitting streams of dense iron sand.
[Against Link, there's no room for holding back. No close combat either...]
He extended chakra threads from his fingers, manipulating the iron sand into a torrent of deadly spikes aimed at Link's group.
"Whoosh!"
A large fallen tree, softened and reinforced by "Spice Girl," flew through the air. Despite the spikes' immense piercing power, the altered tree absorbed the impact, bending and deforming but refusing to break.
"What is this?" Sasori frowned, momentarily thrown off. A material capable of withstanding iron sand so effectively was entirely new to him.
Meanwhile, Link canceled the softening effect on the tree. It snapped back into its original form, rebounding the embedded iron sand with equal force.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The ricocheting iron sand pelted Sasori's puppet. Although he managed to intercept some with controlled sand, the force damaged the Third Kazekage puppet significantly, leaving only its head, torso, and one arm intact.
"!"
Caught off guard, Sasori's cloak tore, revealing his puppet-like body. Ten spinning blades emerged from his back, shredding nearby shadows while steel cables and spikes from his abdomen lashed out, destroying dozens of attacking clones in seconds.
Meanwhile, Gaara enveloped Sasori in sand.
"Sand Coffin!" Gaara clenched his fist, but Sasori broke free with brute force.
"Tch." Sasori glanced at his damaged Kazekage puppet. "This is troublesome."
Deidara, observing from the sidelines, smirked inwardly. [Brother Sasori's mad now...]
Producing a large clay dragon, Deidara mounted it. Sweat dripped down his forehead; he was running dangerously low on chakra but prepared to ensure their retreat if necessary.
Kankurō, meanwhile, attempted to use his puppet, Karasu, to flank Sasori.
"Don't use my old work against me," Sasori said coldly, tightening his steel cables.
"Crack! Boom!"
Karasu shattered into pieces. Kankurō froze momentarily, stunned by the destruction of his creation.
"Get back!" Temari yanked him aside as the Kazekage puppet unleashed a barrage of kunai.
"Thud!"
Gaara's sand shield intercepted the kunai, though many embedded themselves deeply.
"..."
The kunai's explosive tags began to glow ominously.
~~~
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