WEEKLY POWER GOALS đđ„ 30â2ch | 60â5ch | 100â8ch | 200â15ch | 400â25châ° Resets Monday!
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SWISH!
Sasori unfurled the scroll. Ten summoning formulas were arrayed in a line across its surface.
Forming a seal with two fingers, he poured a torrent of chakra into the very first formula on the left.
"After reaching the pinnacle of human puppet technique, I began to see the limitations of using the human body as material. I grew unsatisfied. A new vision took root in my mind. What if I could merge Tailed Beast power with mechanical puppetry? It would elevate my art to an entirely new plane!"
"When this masterpiece is complete, it will be the ultimate weapon to crush a Great Nation!"
"The leader of the Akatsuki acknowledged my vision. He promised that once the organization's grand goal of collecting the Tailed Beasts was achieved, he would make my dream a reality."
"For now, using Shukaku chakra I collected long ago, I have completed a 'prototype.' It is still a distant cry from my ultimate dream. But without a doubt, it is a weapon that rivals a true Tailed Beast!"
From a massive plume of white smoke, a colossal entity descended onto the surface of the river by the Tenchi Bridge.
It shared the same form and size as the One-Tail, Shukaku. Its entire body was clad in high-strength puppet armor, its interior packed with potent mechanical systems, all powered by the chakra of the One-Tail.
âThe Puppet Colossus: Sand-Shukaku!
Sasuke: "A puppet colossus modeled after a Tailed Beast? Is this Akasuna no Sasori's trump card?"
Orochimaru: "I see. So Nagato's plans for Tailed Beast weapons were inspired by Sasori. And Obito, obsessed with his 'Infinite Tsukuyomi,' naturally wouldn't want that to come to fruition. That's why, not long after the Akatsuki began collecting the Beasts, Sasori became one of its earliest casualties. Then Obito replaced him, stepping onto the Akatsuki's stage as 'Tobi,' the new Jade. And Sasori's final scroll⊠vanished without a trace."
SWISH!
Sasori rolled up the scroll and leaped onto the colossus's head. Steel cables from his abdomen slotted into grooves on the giant's forehead.
âPuppet Art: Feigned Sleep Technique!
The puppet eyes of Sasori's core closed. The star-shaped eyes of the Shukaku colossus lit up with a metallic gleam.
"Even the control method mimics a Shukaku jinchƫriki's Feigned Sleep. This⊠will be a true baptism."
Sasuke reactivated his skeletal Susano'o, bracing for impact.
CRACK!
The Shukaku colossus opened its maw. Internal wind-release puppet mechanisms unleashed a powerful suction force forward.
WHOOSH!
The river churned. The Susano'o's massive form, caught in the reverse gale, was pinned firmly to the water's surface.
Sasuke: "A wind release similar to DanzĆ's summoned beast, BakuâŠ"
WHOOSHâWHOOSHâWHOOSH! Sheets of water were torn from the river, funneling into the colossus's gaping mouth.
Sasuke: "And fighting on water means my usual fire-release counter won't work. Still, this simple reverse wind can't inflict any real damage on the Susano'o."
CLACK!
The Shukaku colossus raised its left arm. A built-in grapnel shot from its wrist, its claw hooking around a rib of the Susano'o.
Sasuke: "I see. The wind release was to pin the Susano'o, setting it up for this grapnel to get a direct grab!"
SCHWIPâ!!
The Susano'o was yanked forward at explosive speed by the retracting cable!
The reverse wind ceased abruptly. From the colossus's mouth erupted a condensed sphere of wind chakra!
âWind Release: Vacuum Blast!
BOOMâ!!!
The combined forces of the pull and the point-blank blast multiplied the destructive power. The Susano'o shattered into fragments. Sasuke was sent tumbling into the water.
"It smashed the Susano'o's first stage defense so easily⊠He's a completely different opponent now."
But this was exactly what he wanted.
SLAP! Sasuke skidded across the water's surface, his hands coming together in a seal.
âWood Release: Advent of a World of Trees!!
A forest erupted from the river, vines lashing toward the Shukaku colossus.
CRUNCH! CRACK! VRRRRRâ!
Hundreds of whirring, spiral saw blades sprang from the colossus's armor. They spun at high speed, shredding the advancing trees into splinters.
The mechanical eyes of the Shukaku locked onto Sasuke.
SHWING-SHWING-SHWING!
The spiral saws detached from the puppet's shell, screaming through the air toward Sasuke, now without his Susano'o shield.
CRACKLE!
Sasuke wreathed his ankles in lightning chakra, sprinting across the water. But the saws curved in mid-air. They followed him.
"Homing attacksâŠ"
CLANG! CLANG! CLANGâŠ!!
Sasuke deflected several saws with his Kusanagi sword. A glance back confirmed it. The Shukaku puppet's gaze was tracking him, turning steadily.
He understood. "So the saws change trajectory based on the puppet's line of sight. In that caseâŠ"
As he ran, Sasuke hurled smoke bombs. Thick clouds billowed up, blocking the Shukaku's vision. Deprived of a target, the homing saws lost their guidance, plunging harmlessly into the water with a series of splashes.
SHWOOPâ!!
Sasuke burst from the smoke, ready to counter-attack. What he saw froze his blood.
Within the Shukaku's wide-open maw, a terrifying sphere of swirling black energy was coalescing.
"It can even use a Tailed Beast Bomb?!"
Sweat finally beaded on Sasuke's brow.
"My current wood release isn't enough to stop that. Only the Susano'o's third stage stands a chance. But my ocular power is already drained. If I force it⊠these eyes won't last until the second round."
"No choice⊠Orochimaru will figure something out!"
BOOMâ!!
The Susano'o stood once more. Wary of the grapnel, Sasuke swiftly retreated, putting distance between himself and the colossus.
The Susano'o evolved. From the skeletal first stage, to the muscular second. As Sasuke pushed his drained eyes further, violet flames erupted, crystallizing into majestic armor that clad the giant's form. The Susano'o's Third Stage. Resembling a mythical creature, it was also known as the 'Crow Tengu Susano'o'!
Sasuke shielded his aching eyes. "This is the form I used against Kakashi, after killing DanzĆ. The final stage usable with the MangekyĆ⊠it's devastating to one's sight. Honestly, I still don't understand how Itachi used this form and preserved his vision until our final battleâŠ"
BOOMâ!!
The Heavenly Bow of Amaterasu manifested once more. But this time, the 'arrow' was a shaft of jet-black Amaterasu flames, shaped by Kagutsuchi.
Before the Shukaku colossus, the Tailed Beast Bomb was complete. The sheer pressure from its ultra-dense chakra created a ten-meter deep crater on the river's surface!
BOOMâ!!!
The Beast Bomb launched.
At the same instant, the Kagutsuchi arrow was loosed!
BOOMâ!!!
The two forces collided mid-air over the river, birthing a cataclysmic vortex of fire and wind!
BOOMâ!!
A furnace-hot gale whirled. The river boiled. SNAP! CRACK! The cables of the Tenchi Bridge severed. The entire bridge was torn from its foundations by the storm and raging waters. The surrounding forest was flattened by the shockwave.
Orochimaru and Kabuto had no choice but to retreat to a distant cliffside to observe.
Kabuto watched, awestruck. "A battle of monsters⊠I never imagined the first round would reach this intensityâŠ"
Orochimaru smiled into the wind. "A shinobi's strength isn't measured by destructive power, but by the ability to land a lethal blow. The second round won't have this spectacle, but the trial of life and death Sasuke will face may be unprecedented."
Black flames from the dispersed Beast Bomb now ringed the riverbank, dancing and leaping hungrily.
SWOOSH!
The Shukaku puppet released the grapnel from its left arm!
SHING!
A greatsword of black flames ignited in the Susano'o's right hand. It sheared through the cable and the colossus's left arm in one stroke.
A massive torrent of sand erupted from the stump. Part of it transformed into a hail of sand pellets, blanketing the sky and forcing the Susano'o's charge to halt.
In the Shukaku's right hand, sand coalesced into a gigantic spearâthe Spear of Shukaku!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG-CLANGâŠ!
Then, within the ring of black fire, the two titans began a devastating exchange of blows.
The black flame sword held the offensive edge. But each time a killing strike was imminent, sand would surge up autonomously, forming massive shields to protect the colossus.
Sasuke had to admit it. "Using only a fraction of Shukaku's chakra, yet replicating the original's power through machinery. Akasuna no Sasori's puppet art is truly peerless. If he had really created complete 'Tailed Beast Weapons' for the Akatsuki, destroying a Great Nation would have been child's playâŠ"
His resolve hardened. "Therefore, not just for this round. I must eliminate this threat for the sake of the entire shinobi world."
Overhead, dark clouds gathered, heavy with the promise of thunder.
On the cliff, Orochimaru looked up. "Look. The weather is changingâŠ"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, solemn. "That technique⊠should be Lightning Release: Kirin."
Orochimaru watched with keen anticipation. "Kirin alone obviously can't destroy that colossus. Sasuke-kun knows this. So⊠what will he do?"
BOOMâ!!!
After another colossal clash, Sasuke and his Susano'o retreated explosively to the base of a cliff. The black flame sword extinguished. Sasuke covered his trembling eyes.
"This third stage⊠is truly at its limit. From our exchanges, I've gauged that puppet's defensive strength. To destroy it completely in one strike⊠I have to use that move."
SWOOSHâ!!!
The Crow Tengu Susano'o raised its hand high!
ROARâ!!!
The thunder gathering in the sky coalesced into the furious form of Kirin. But the Kirin did not strike the enemy. Instead, it converged into the outstretched palm of the Susano'o!
Kabuto gasped. "He's channeling 'Kirin' through the Susano'o⊠using it as a 'Chidori'!"
Orochimaru smiled. "No⊠not just that. He's integrating the 'White Cursed Seal' with the 'Susano'o'."
ZZZRTâ!
Sasuke tore open the front of his white robe. Patterns of the White Cursed Seal spread from his own body, etching themselves across the armor of the Susano'o!
Orochimaru marveled. "I thought I'd see this application of the White Seal in the third round at the earliest. It seems Sasuke-kun's growth in this battle has exceeded even my expectations."
CRACKLEâ!!
Infused with the power of the White Cursed Seal, the Kirin-turned-Chidori lightning in the Susano'o's palm shifted in hue⊠becoming PURE WHITE.
On the opposite cliff, atop the Shukaku colossus, Akasuna no Sasori opened his eyes, ending the Feigned Sleep. He stared at the phenomenon across the river, his expression stark.
"That⊠is his full power? A true monster. If he continues to grow like this⊠he might actually have the power to kill Itachi."
FWOOM!
Another Tailed Beast Bomb formed in the Shukaku's maw. The newly reformed Spear of Shukaku was thrust horizontally into its core!
BOOMâ!
Across the river spanned by hundred-meter cliffs, the two titans began their final charge.
âShukaku Colossus: Black Sand Spear!
âSusano'o: White Kirin!
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