"How did you dodge Hiruko's needle attack? Logically, you should be dead from poisoning by now."
Sasori asked with a look of genuine curiosity, as if he were discussing a dry academic thesis rather than a life-or-death battle. From his perspective, the "needle shower" was an area-of-effect saturation attack; it was physically impossible to dodge every single projectile in such a confined space.
Yet, Ui stood there without a scratch.
The truth was, Ui hadn't "dodged" them at all—at least not in the traditional sense. But would he explain the mechanics to his enemy?
"Guess?"
While Ui didn't believe in "Absolute Defense"—after all, even Shinra Tensei could be overwhelmed by brute force—his Electromagnetic Defense was a nightmare for small, metallic projectiles. Deflecting needles and senbon was like breathing for him; a localized magnetic field could neutralize them even with a split-second activation.
This was the beauty of a "cheat" ability.
However, this defense was exclusive to the original body. Due to the fundamental nature of Shadow Clones and the logic of this world, a clone could replicate his chakra and ninjutsu, but it could not manifest his Level 5 Esper abilities. Only the "Prime" Ui was a true Railgun.
It made sense. If his clones could use Level 5 powers, why bother with ninjutsu? He wouldn't study Rasengan or Chidori; he'd just spend all his time perfecting the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Imagine the horror of a "National Grid Jutsu," where twenty thousand "Ui Sisters" (for lack of a better term) marched across the shinobi world.
"The revolution has arrived," declared Ui #10032 with a deadpan expression.
"Ui, Ui, when will you become the best in the world?" asked Ui #10086, knowing the answer full well.
The answer: Right now.
In that scenario, Nagato and Uchiha Madara would be out of a job. Anyone who disagreed would simply have their head detonated by a localized microwave burst.
Regrettably, that dream was a fantasy. The possibility of one man soloing the ninja world had been nipped in the bud by the limitations of his clones.
The Art of the Human Puppet
Sasori wasn't shocked by the destruction of Hiruko, merely surprised. It just meant the ninja before him was stronger than he'd initially calculated. Besides, while Hiruko looked like "non-biodegradable trash" right now, it was still repairable.
"You knew my identity before we even traded blows," Sasori said, stepping out of the wreckage. His personality seemed to shift once he was outside the shell; he was less abrasive, almost like a shy boy—if that boy happened to be a mass murderer. "I don't expect you to tell me how. But you can give me your name. You'll eventually become part of my collection, and out of respect for the original 'material,' I'll let you name your puppet form."
Sasori was cautious. He was a puppeteer, not a brawler. Seeing Ui's explosive speed, he purposely kept a wide distance between them.
"I'm a Chunin of the Hidden Leaf... a student of Uzumaki Kushina..." Ui paused for a beat. "Uwabami Ui."
Sasori's hand, reaching for a scroll, twitched. Why the dramatic pause?
He pulled out a scroll labeled "Red Secret Technique," hesitated, and then shoved it back. As a self-proclaimed artist and a perfectionist, Sasori hated using incomplete works. His "Performance of a Hundred Puppets" required his own full puppet transformation to be perfect, and his current collection hadn't hit the hundred mark yet.
Instead, he pulled out a scroll marked with the kanji for "Three."
"As a puppeteer, I have one masterpiece that stands above all others. You should feel honored; you're the first person to witness it."
Ui's eyes were sharp. When he saw that "Three," he knew exactly what was coming, and he felt zero "honor."
The seal broke. A puppet with blue hair and yellow eyes appeared...
The Third Kazekage. In the world of Naruto, he is arguably the strongest "extra" in history—a character whose only narrative purpose was to prove how much of a badass Sasori was by becoming his furniture.
"This puppet is almost complete," Sasori noted. "The only thing missing is a poison strong enough to match its power. I haven't finished that yet."
The puppet began to click and rattle.
"Is it really okay to tell me that?" Ui asked, shifting into a defensive stance.
It didn't matter. Sasori was simply a child with a new toy, looking for a place to test it out. His fingers blurred, invisible chakra threads jerking the Third Kazekage forward.
The Railgun's Gambit
Ui didn't engage. He turned and bolted.
A high-speed chase began: Ui in the lead, Sasori in the rear, and the Third Kazekage puppet acting as the deadly bridge between them. Ui wasn't running at full tilt; he was pacing himself, leading Sasori on a specific path that finally crossed the border back into the Land of Fire.
Close enough, Ui thought.
He leaped high into the forest canopy, twisting his body in mid-air to face his pursuer. He raised his hand to his temple, his index and middle fingers extended in a V-shape, pressed against his brow at a sixty-degree angle.
In any other context, he looked like he was about to unleash a "Solar Flare."
But there was no light. Only silence.
Then, a brilliant, blinding streak of blue-white lightning erupted from his forehead. It didn't aim for the puppet. It aimed straight for the artist behind it.
In theory, this was the fastest thing in the world—electricity moving at the speed of light.
Lightning Spear!