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In the midst of the battlefield, Shuuzawa and Shisui continued their relentless clash with Sasori.
There was no denying that Sasori's use of the Third Kazekage's abilities made him a near-perfect balance of offence and defence.
The highly concentrated Iron Sand, combined with his unparalleled puppet mastery, made it nearly impossible for an average opponent to find an opening.
However, both Shuuzawa and Shisui noticed that Sasori still seemed to be toying with them, like a cat playing with a mouse.
"Looks like... he's underestimating us," Shuuzawa raised an eyebrow, but he did not see that as a bad thing.
After all, neither he nor Shisui had gone all out yet. Shuuzawa had not used his Cursed Seal or Yin Release abilities, and Shisui had not activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
For now, they were still in the probing phase. But Shuuzawa no longer intended to keep playing around.
The moment he laid eyes on Sasori, a 'little plan' had already formed in his mind!
Originally, he had planned to make things difficult for Shisui, but now he had found an even better target.
"Time to step things up. Wouldn't want him to escape," he thought to himself as he instantly activated his Cursed Seal state!
The natural chakra absorption of the Cursed Seal required no extra effort on his part. Just like Orochimaru's seal, it could restore itself.
While its duration was an issue—since this technique was still at level three—the power boost it provided was already essential for Shuuzawa when facing formidable foes.
"Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction!" Forming hand seals, Shuuzawa pressed his hands against the sandy ground, and in an instant, the earth began to tremble violently.
"Hmm?" Sasori's expression changed immediately, but he had no time to react before the ground beneath him started to collapse!
A massive section of the desert crumbled at high speed, and a deep pit formed out of nowhere, swallowing Sasori within.
"Now's my chance!" Without hesitation, Shuuzawa pulled out a signal flare he had taken from Pakura and immediately ignited it.
The flare exploded into a dazzling display in the sky, while deep within the pit, Sasori's expression darkened.
"You…" Sasori glared at Shuuzawa, his tone cold.
"Brat, you're looking to die?"
"Shuuzawa, you…" Shisui rushed over, understanding the reasoning behind Shuuzawa's actions but still finding them a bit reckless.
"Isn't this too risky?"
"Senpai, do you remember what I just said?" Shuuzawa didn't answer directly but instead smiled at Shisui, causing him to pause, momentarily unsure how to respond. Shuuzawa patted his shoulder.
"Just leave it to me. Trust me." With that, he shifted his gaze back to Sasori.
By now, Sasori had already lifted himself into the air using the Third Kazekage puppet. Smirking, Shuuzawa spoke.
"It seems you misunderstand me. I was simply thinking—someone as skilled in puppetry as you, capable of creating human puppets that retain their former bloodline abilities…"
"Your craftsmanship is perhaps only rivaled by Lady Chiyo of Sunagakure. So, I figured the two of you might enjoy a little reunion."
Shuuzawa's words made Sasori's expression grow even darker. He genuinely wanted to strangle this brat. It was obvious that Shuuzawa was doing this on purpose.
If the Sunagakure forces arrived, things would spiral completely out of control.
"But do you really think you can keep me here?" Sasori's voice was ice-cold as he addressed Shuuzawa and Shisui.
"You should be more concerned about how you'll deal with the Sunagakure reinforcements."
"Senpai, we need to push harder." Shuuzawa ignored Sasori and turned to Shisui.
"Make a big scene, and don't let him escape. Got it?"
"Understood." Shisui nodded. At this point, there was no turning back.
Shuuzawa had already sent out the signal flare, and once the Sunagakure shinobi arrived, retreat would be impossible.
No matter how strong they were individually, being surrounded by an army of shinobi meant certain death if they made a single mistake.
Their only option was to force the murderer of the Third Kazekage to stay behind so that Sunagakure would tear him apart themselves.
That was their only chance. With this realization, Shisui's Sharingan began spinning, while the Yin Release energy within Shuuzawa quietly began to surge.
"Move faster!" Elsewhere in the Land of Wind, countless squads rapidly converged toward the signal's location. Sunagakure was already on high alert.
Iwagakure was constantly pressuring them from the outside, while Kirigakure had infiltrated their village and launched attacks from within.
To make matters worse, their hero—the one who had inflicted heavy losses on Kirigakure—Pakura, had mysteriously vanished.
The entire village was on edge. They had been waiting for any sign of information, but days had passed with nothing significant. It was unbearable.
Now, with the sudden appearance of a signal flare, there was no way they would ignore it.
However, as they moved closer, the Sunagakure shinobi began to sense that something was off.
The nearer they got to the flare's location, the more unnatural the desert seemed.
The sharp rumbling, the eerie howling, and the constant trembling of the sand dunes all seemed to warn them that a massive battle was underway.
"What… is going on?" With growing unease, they pressed forward—until they finally arrived close enough to witness the scene before them. And then, they were completely stunned.
"What… is this?" Above them, countless black shadows darted through the sky—puppets.
A seemingly endless swarm of puppets filled the air as though blotting out the sun.
Among them, one particularly distinct puppet was surrounded by black Iron Sand, which continuously rained down, piercing into the ground.
These dense formations of Iron Sand shaped into massive, barrier-like constructs while iron spikes launched relentless assaults.
Below, a massive green figure lurked within the storm of puppets and sand, and the ground was littered with the wreckage of destroyed puppets.
But what truly sent chills down their spines was the presence of a roaring stone dragon, seemingly over fifty meters long, relentlessly attacking everything in sight.
The desert trembled, the earth roared, and the sheer scale of the battle left the Sunagakure reinforcements in shock. "Quick! Send an emergency signal!"
Finally, one of the Sunagakure shinobi snapped out of their daze and shouted at his comrades.
"Send it immediately! And report this to the village—we may have found traces of the Third Kazekage! Report it at once!"
"Understood!" Although they had been momentarily overwhelmed, the shinobi quickly regained their composure.
The meaning of the countless puppets was clear. The sheer scale of the battle and the power behind that massive stone dragon spoke for themselves.
But the Iron Sand alone was enough for them to understand the gravity of the situation.
The Third Kazekage—the strongest Kazekage in history, who had vanished without a trace—had appeared here?
No matter what, this information had to reach the village, and fast! Not just them—other Sunagakure squads also reacted immediately.
At that moment, countless signal flares and messenger hawks shot into the sky, filling the already blazing heavens with even more bursts of light.
"Any news yet?""Apologies, Lord Kazekage, not at the moment."
Inside the Kazekage's office in Sunagakure, Rasa sat with a grim expression as he faced a group of shinobi before him.
His mood was at an all-time low. Days had passed, yet there was still no sign of Pakura—dead or alive.
To make matters worse, Kirigakure stubbornly focused on capturing her, as if they would stop at nothing.
Meanwhile, Iwagakure was growing increasingly aggressive. If things continued like this, the situation would only deteriorate further.
"Damn it." Rasa was on the verge of snapping, nearly blurting out an insult at his subordinates.
Fortunately, he managed to restrain his emotions just in time before speaking in a weary tone.
"Continue searching with full force, but we need to start pulling some of our forces northward. We can't afford to keep committing so many troops."
"Understood." The Sunagakure shinobi exchanged uneasy glances, frustration evident on their faces. But there was nothing they could do.
The power struggle between shinobi villages was ruthless, and even the smallest advantage had to be fought for with everything they had.
"Lord Kazekage!"Just then, a voice suddenly called out from outside the office, followed by an urgent knocking on the door.
"Enter." Rasa frowned. The urgency in the voice was slightly disrespectful, but now was not the time to dwell on such matters.
Soon, the door was flung open, and a panting shinobi rushed in. After a quick bow, he wasted no time in delivering his report.
"Lord Kazekage, urgent news!"
"Is it about Pakura?"
"Not exactly, but this matter might be even more dire... and more important."
Rasa's disappointment was evident. Right now, Pakura's whereabouts were his top priority, but he still forced himself to remain patient. "Let's hear it."
"According to our reports, there is a large-scale battle occurring in the central desert region. One of the combatants..."
The shinobi hesitated for a moment before continuing with a shaky voice. "Seems to possess puppet techniques on par with Elder Chiyo and more importantly, witnesses have confirmed the presence of the Third Kazekage's black Iron Sand!"
The moment those words left his mouth, every single person in the office turned pale. The next second, they all rushed out of the room.
....
"Damn it." Sasori glanced at the approaching Sunagakure shinobi, then shifted his gaze back to his two opponents. His expression grew darker by the second.
These two brats were far more troublesome than he had anticipated. The moment he saw the first signal flare go up, he had wanted to retreat.
But these two had successfully blocked his escape at every turn!
Their speed was ridiculous, their combat techniques were relentless, and their coordination was even more frustrating.
And most infuriating of all was the little brat standing atop a massive stone head—the very same one who had fired the first signal flare.
Sasori felt an overwhelming urge to tear him apart. It was this brat who had set everything in motion.
It was he who, along with his companion, had turned a simple battle into a siege, making it nearly impossible for Sasori to escape.
If he didn't suppress them, they would keep harassing him with Fire and Earth Release techniques.
But if he focused on attacking them, he would lose his chance to escape, and the Sunagakure shinobi were getting closer by the second.
The mere thought made his anger boil over. "Die!"
Sasori rapidly manipulated a swarm of puppets to surge toward Shuuzawa.
The floating puppets rattled as they launched forward, some wielding blades, others hurling ninja tools from afar, creating an overwhelming barrage of attacks.
"Should've invested in more Fire Release techniques…"
Shuuzawa muttered a curse under his breath as he saw the incoming wave of shadows.
Fire Release might not be the most lethal, but its destructive and suppressive capabilities were undeniable.
However, most of his ability points had already been allocated to enhance his physical prowess.
While he would have preferred to invest everything into physical strength, he knew that ninja battles weren't like those of samurai.
Even someone as physically gifted as Might Guy still had enormous chakra reserves.
Without elemental jutsu and chakra enhancements that complemented his physicality, he wouldn't have been able to reach his current combat level.
"But if it comes to close combat, I have nothing to fear!"
Shuuzawa swiftly maneuvered the giant stone dragon, twisting its body to form a protective barrier around himself.
A series of metallic clangs echoed as countless weapons deflected off the stone surface. When the barrage ceased, Shuuzawa shot out from within the dragon, grabbing a fallen ninja blade.
"Konoha-Style: Hazy Moon!"
In an instant, afterimages of the blade flickered through the air, cleaving multiple puppets apart. As more puppets landed, Shuuzawa suddenly raised a single-hand sign.
With a thunderous roar, countless sharp earth spikes erupted from the stone dragon's body, tearing through the battlefield.
The sheer number of puppets destroyed in an instant was immeasurable! But Shuuzawa didn't stop.
He kept his sensory abilities active, tracking Sasori's movements to ensure he didn't slip away while simultaneously monitoring the approaching Sunagakure shinobi.
Meanwhile, his blade continued to flash, slicing through the unrelenting swarm of puppets. The battlefield was quickly becoming littered with broken wooden remains.
"But this can't go on forever."
After smashing yet another puppet, Shuuzawa took a moment to assess his own condition.
With his Cursed Seal and Yin Release at level three, prolonged combat wasn't an option. While his body was holding up, his chakra reserves were depleting fast.
No matter how efficient he tried to be, he was beginning to reach his limit.
"In that case…"
Shuuzawa's eyes flickered toward the approaching Sunagakure shinobi.
They were now less than a hundred meters from the battlefield, beginning to spread out as if to surround the three fighters. This was his chance!
"You've been watching for long enough. Time to step in!"
With a final slash, Shuuzawa cleaved another puppet in half before swiftly commanding the stone dragon.
"ROAR!"
The colossal dragon let out an earth-shaking roar before charging straight at the Sunagakure forces!
"Huh?"
The shinobi barely had time to react. When they realized the danger, the stone dragon was already upon them.
"Dodge!"
Panic-stricken shouts filled the air, but it was too late. The dragon crashed down mercilessly!
A deafening explosion shook the sky as massive clouds of dust and debris engulfed the battlefield.
The entire area was plunged into a storm of sand and shattered rock while sharp stone fragments were sent flying in every direction.
Those fortunate enough to avoid direct impact were still caught in the shockwave, rendering them immobile.
Amidst the chaos, screams and shouts of agony filled the air.
"Hmm?"
As Shuuzawa monitored the Sunagakure forces, he suddenly sensed several powerful chakra signatures rapidly closing in.
His eyes narrowed as he turned to the distance. The moment he saw them, a grin formed on his face.
"Die!"
At that moment, Sasori unleashed the Third Kazekage and a horde of puppets in an all-out assault.
The overwhelming pressure was suffocating. But this time, Shuuzawa didn't dodge. Instead, he quickly formed hand seals.
"Sage Art: Yin Release—Earth Spear Barrage!"
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