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The puppet he summoned was no ordinary doll.
Kankurō? Please. This was the real deal.
The puppet of the Third Kazekage towered before Sasori, who stood behind it, ten chakra threads extending from his fingers to its joints. His center of gravity lowered. A poised, waiting stance.
Sasuke's Sharingan locked onto the puppet, and his eyes widened slightly. Chakra… flowing inside that puppet? Don't tell me…
"The human puppet of the Third Kazekage," Sasori's smooth, proud voice cut through the tension. "My finest collection to date. Don't worry, Uchiha Sasuke. After I kill you, I'll add you to the collection as well. With Orochimaru, that will make a nice, round three hundred."
Sasuke's voice was flat. "I'm afraid I can't let you have your way."
"Heh. Then let the show begin!"
Scorpion tugged his chakra threads. His hands formed a seal before his chest.
CLICK!
A compartment in the Third Kazekage's mouth snapped open.
A soft, grating shu-shu-shu sound followed. Seals within activated, releasing a wave of iron sand into the air, dark and menacing like a storm cloud.
Sasuke recognized it instantly. Iron Sand Magnet Release… So, a human puppet can use the Kekkei Genkai of the deceased…
— Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!
Shu-shu-shu…!
The cloud of sand condensed in an instant. Countless fine needles, sharp as hell, shot toward Sasuke like a horizontal downpour.
Against an attack with powerful magnetic force, blocking with the Kusanagi Sword like he did against Senbonzakura was impossible.
Sasuke sheathed the sword. In one fluid motion, he whipped the white cloak from his back, holding it before him. Two fingers formed a seal. His arm spun, whipping the cloak into a furious, rotating barrier.
— Wind Style: Wild Cloak Dance!
WHOOSH! The spinning cloak, infused with Wind Release chakra, generated a powerful vortex of suction. The incoming iron sand needles were all pulled in, trapped within the billowing fabric.
Sasuke advanced. He used the swirling cloak as a moving shield, pushing forward against the iron sand rain.
"You certainly are… creative with your ninjutsu," Scorpion mused.
The frequency of the sand needles increased dramatically. Sasuke's cloak spun faster. The powerful white vortex intensified, forming a visible whirlwind field in front of the cloak, pulling in even more sand.
But that was the limit.
The more sand it absorbs, the heavier the cloak gets. I need to counterattack. Now!
A defensive wind… how to turn it into a powerful attack? Just add fire.
— Fire Style: Whirling Blaze!
BOOM! Along the path of the dispersing air current, lotus-like flames erupted violently.
"Well, I'll be damned…" Scorpion muttered.
— Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!
CRUMP!
A massive amount of iron sand gathered before the Third Kazekage, solidifying into a formidable, dark wall. It perfectly blocked the combined assault of wind and fire.
Knowing the properties of iron sand all too well, Sasuke tore off the sand-laden cloak. He didn't hesitate. He flung it directly into the churning river below the Tenchi Bridge.
At that moment, the sand wall dissolved and reformed. This time, it took the shape of a terrifying, massive iron sand drill. It hovered, humming with lethal intent.
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
He knew. That was the real deal. A genuine killing weapon. No ordinary defense would work.
"Time to get serious…"
ZZZT!
The three tomoe in his eyes spun violently, morphing into a brilliant, six-pointed star.
Sasori's expression turned grave. "Those eyes… I'm surprised. You possess the Mangekyō Sharingan, just like Itachi. And the Wood Release earlier… Did Orochimaru implant Hashirama Senju's cells into you?"
"Fine… It seems treating you like a brat would only be an insult—to myself."
Scorpion's ten fingers jerked violently.
— Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drill!
BOOM! Guided by magnetism, dodging was futile. Sasuke never planned to dodge.
BOOM! The skeletal ribcage of the Susano'o erupted upward, meeting the drill head-on.
"That power… the 'Susano'o'?" Sasori murmured. "So, it wasn't Itachi's exclusive technique…"
BOOM! BOOM! CRACK!
Under Scorpion's control, the massive drill shifted angles, relentlessly hammering the Susano'o's skeletal frame. Cracks spiderwebbed across the bones, but the structure held, refusing to shatter.
Within the Susano'o, Sasuke's eyes flickered, tracking every movement. As the drill charged again, the skeletal arm of the Susano'o cocked back and punched forward.
CRUNCH…!!!
Fist met drill. In a pure contest of force, the Susano'o's fist proved superior.
The drill shattered, dispersing back into loose, swirling iron sand.
Sasori's eyes darkened. Unwilling as I am to admit it, that Susano'o's defense can't be broken by iron sand alone… But if his Susano'o is like Itachi's… then the lower section, the feet, should be the weak point.
CLICK-CLACK!
The scattered sand gathered again. But this time, it formed not a drill, but a massive, dense cylinder.
Sacrificing piercing power for overwhelming crushing force.
WHOOSH…!
The cylinder came down—not on the Susano'o.
Sasuke's gaze snapped to the bridge. He missed? Or…
KABOOM!!!
The iron sand cylinder smashed into the deck of the Tenchi Bridge. The entire structure shuddered violently. The point of impact cratered inward.
Scorpion controlled the cylinder for another strike. The already battered bridge couldn't take it.
With a deafening groan of tortured wood and metal, the Tenchi Bridge snapped in two at its middle.
Sasuke and Scorpion both dropped, landing on the surface of the rushing river below.
SPLASH!
The iron sand cylinder rose from beneath the water, dissolved into its component particles, and reformed above the Third Kazekage. Then, with another seal from Scorpion, it shifted back into the piercing, deadly drill form.
This time, it was different. The drill was spinning. Violently. The piercing power would be magnitudes greater.
"…" Sasuke watched silently. Within his Susano'o, a massive chakra blade condensed in its skeletal hand.
At this point, words were useless. Only survival.
Scorpion struck first.
— Magnet Release: Iron Sand Top!
VRRRROOOOM…! The spinning drill shot forward.
Sasuke's Susano'o raised its sword to meet it!!
At that exact moment, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk touched Sasori's lips.
SNICK!
A separate stream of iron sand erupted from the water right beneath Sasuke's feet. It wrapped around his ankles like metallic vines. As Scorpion pulled back with his hand, Sasuke was yanked—forcibly, violently—out from the protective interior of his Susano'o!
"Now!!!" Scorpion hissed.
Simultaneously, the massive Iron Sand Top, which was on a collision course with the Susano'o's sword, veered sharply. It changed trajectory, now aiming directly for the exposed Sasuke!
"Sasuke, look out!!!" Kabuto shouted, already moving to use his jutsu.
Orochimaru's hand clamped down on his shoulder. "Wait. Sasuke-kun's combat experience is beyond your imagination."
Because in the split-second he was pulled out, the Susano'o's other skeletal arm shot out. Not from within, but from the outside. It reached in and grabbed Sasuke.
At the same time, the Susano'o's sword altered its swing. Not a full-force chop, but a precise, deflecting flick.
CLANG!
The Iron Sand Top was knocked off course, dissipating harmlessly into the river.
"He… saw through it." Scorpion's voice was low, grim.
Yes. Deliberately destroying the bridge, moving the fight to the water… but the volume of the cylinder had changed slightly after submerging. Sasuke's Sharingan caught that. The frontal assault with the Top as a distraction, the hidden sand trap from below… a seemingly flawless killing move, shattered by sheer, instinctive combat awareness.
Swoosh…
The Susano'o gently placed Sasuke back inside its skeletal ribcage, shielding him once more.
Orochimaru's gaze was profound. "It's not just experience. Too many of Scorpion's puppet mechanisms are simply impossible to predict completely…"
A smile returned to Scorpion's lips. "But… the next one is the real finishing move."
— Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wings!
Iron sand gathered behind the Third Kazekage, forming two great, dark wings. Scorpion's fingers danced. The puppet shot forward, skimming the water's surface. Its left arm extended, and from seals along its limb, thousands of segmented, mechanical arms erupted like a metallic flood!!
Sasuke's brow furrowed. The Susano'o's great sword swung, cleaving through the advancing arms. But the number was absurd. The sword couldn't intercept them all.
Breakthrough arms snaked past the blade. They latched onto the Susano'o's skeletal frame, wrapping around the ribs, clinging tight.
Scorpion revealed his true aim. "The Susano'o isn't airtight! So, you can't defend against this mechanism!!"
PSSSSHHH!
Toxic, purple vapor spewed from the tips of every mechanical arm entangled around the Susano'o.
The poison seeped through the gaps in the skeletal armor.
Sasuke held his breath instantly. But it was too late. A wisp, a single, unavoidable breath, entered his lungs.
CRACK!
The Susano'o exerted its brute strength, snapping the binding arms. Its sword whipped through the air, the resulting gale dispersing the purple mist.
But the poison worked fast. Excruciating pain lanced through his body. His central nervous system screamed, muscles locking up, going numb.
Sasuke sank to one knee on the water's surface. The Susano'o flickered, growing unstable.
His mechanisms… too unpredictable… I still got hit…
From the sidelines.
Kabuto: "Scorpion's poison is incredibly potent! Sasuke-kun is in serious danger!"
Orochimaru: "Hashirama Senju's constitution naturally possesses resistance to toxins. But at his current stage of cellular integration, Sasuke-kun cannot be immune. Therefore… accelerating the absorption of the White Cursed Seal in this dire situation is his only path to survival."
On the water, Sasori delivered his cold verdict. "The pain is making it hard to stand, isn't it? Don't worry. Your life is already on a countdown. Even if I do nothing, you'll die from the poison in three hours. But… I won't let you die so peacefully."
Above the Third Kazekage, iron sand gathered once more. Needles. Countless needles.
— Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!
Sasuke gritted his teeth. Dragging his half-paralyzed body, he moved with desperate, ugly motions. His eyes had reverted to the three-tomoe Sharingan, using its predictive sight to avoid fatal spots.
Thwick! Thwick! Drip… drip…
Wounds bloomed across his arms, his legs. Blood stained the water around his feet.
Scorpion watched like a man observing a dying insect. His tone was mocking. "My, my… how tenacious."
He failed to notice. On Sasuke's already pale skin, the faint, almost invisible lines of the White Cursed Seal were rapidly fading. Not disappearing. Being absorbed.
As the surface-level seal was absorbed, a fresh, deeper layer of the White Cursed Seal was being unlocked and released from the mark on the nape of his neck…
The Hashirama cell integration accelerated. Sasuke began to feel it—the paralyzing, burning effects of the poison… were fading.
"If I recall correctly," Sasori said, his voice dropping, "your goal is to take revenge on your brother, Uchiha Itachi. Dying by my hand must be terribly frustrating. But this is reality. Bow your head to fate."
He raised his hands, forming a cruel, final seal.
— Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Order!
Sasuke's downcast eyes slowly lifted.
ZZZT. The Mangekyō Sharingan blazed to life once more.
"Wrong." His voice was a low rumble, devoid of a youth's passion, filled instead with a weary, hardened resolve. "It's not about revenge. And I will never bow to fate."
SLAM! Sasuke brought his hands together in a powerful, decisive seal before his chest.
— Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!
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