Puff! Puff!
When the cylinder shot by Hiruko flew toward Uchiha Chizuru, it suddenly split into two sections. Numerous senbon needles burst from within, and Uchiha Chizuru was instantly pierced like a hedgehog.
Chao Yanqian had been watching the battle from a distance, secretly prepared. At the first sign of danger, he was ready to flee.
This mission to confront Sasori of the Red Sand had made Chao Yanqian overestimate both his own strength and that of Uchiha Chizuru while seriously underestimating Sasori's power.
Sasori was not like ordinary prodigies. Even geniuses like Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru gained their power through relentless training and experimentation. Sasori, however, could display overwhelming strength simply by controlling a powerful puppet.
He possessed an extraordinary talent for creating puppets. Hiruko, the puppet he currently used, was originally a human puppet crafted from a ninja Sasori had killed. Sasori typically stayed hidden within Hiruko, compensating for the puppet master's usual weakness in close combat.
Moreover, puppet attacks differed from standard ninjutsu. A puppeteer seals hidden weapons inside their puppets and can unleash them mid-battle without using much chakra. As long as the number of puppets is sufficient, a skilled puppeteer can outlast even a seasoned shinobi in prolonged combat.
Chao Yanqian was now unsure how long Uchiha Chizuru's stamina would hold out
Poof!
The pierced "Chizuru" suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke a Shadow Clone!
At the same time, the ground beneath Sasori cracked open. Two Uchiha Chizurus emerged, holding steel wires that wrapped around Hiruko, restricting its movements.
[Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique]!
Both Chizurus unleashed simultaneous Fire Style jutsu. Flames raced along the wires and consumed Hiruko in an instant.
The sudden reversal stunned Chao Yanqian he hadn't noticed when Uchiha Chizuru used the Shadow Clone Technique.
Seeing Hiruko engulfed in flames, Chao Yanqian wasn't confident that the flames could pierce its defenses. Judging from the trap Sasori had set with the hidden needles, Hiruko had clearly been reinforced against fire.
Don't waste the opportunity!
Chao Yanqian charged toward Hiruko, determined to land a finishing blow and force Sasori to reveal his true body.
"Retreat!" Uchiha Chizuru shouted at once, alarmed by Chao Yanqian's recklessness.
Chizuru knew from experience that Sasori wasn't afraid of fire. But if Sasori's real body was inside Hiruko, the intense heat could cause serious damage. However, it likely wouldn't be fatal. Chao Yanqian had yet to reveal the secret behind awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, and Chizuru didn't want him to die in vain.
"He's not dead yet!" Uchiha Chizuru warned.
As the flames died down, the scorched Hiruko was still moving, though sluggishly. Chizuru knew Sasori wouldn't fall so easily.
Just as Chao Yanqian closed within a meter of Hiruko, its wires snapped and it lunged at him!
[Earth Style: Hardened Skin]!
Chao Yanqian quickly formed hand seals. His skin turned dark under the influence of earth-nature chakra, forming a defensive shell.
Once fully activated, this jutsu allowed Chao Yanqian to block most physical attacks. But the technique consumed a lot of chakra. Under normal conditions, he could use it only five times, each lasting just three seconds. Worse, he had already created a Shadow Clone his chakra reserves were dangerously low.
Hardened Skin was supposed to be his last line of defense. But there was no time to hesitate. He had to strike Hiruko before it struck him.
The plan, so long in the making, was on the verge of success. Chao Yanqian refused to back down.
One who fears death can never become strong. Caution and cowardice are different. If he feared death, he wouldn't have joined Orochimaru. If he feared death, he wouldn't have become a shinobi.
In that decisive moment, Chao Yanqian bet it all.
Clang!
Hiruko's tail stabbed Chao Yanqian's stomach but met hardened skin and rebounded with a metallic sound.
Chao Yanqian soared over Hiruko, fists clenched. From above, he launched his ultimate attack: [Guilty Fist], crashing it down onto Hiruko's strongest defense.
Boom!
Under the immense force, Hiruko shattered.
At that moment, it felt like destiny. Though the time and setting were different, Hiruko met the same fate as in the original story. It was destroyed by overwhelming force. What remained uncertain was Sasori's future.
Whoosh!
A dark figure shot from the remains of Hiruko, rapidly retreating from both Chao Yanqian and Uchiha Chizuru. Chizuru dispelled his Shadow Clone and approached, watching Sasori warily.
Reddish-brown hair. Handsome features. Calm demeanor. Youthful appearance.
If you didn't see it with your own eyes, it would be hard to believe this boyish figure was a demon capable of leveling cities Sasori of the Red Sand.
But by this world's standards, Sasori was powerful. His crimes were a testament to his strength. The bloodshed in his past merely proved his dominance. No one mourns the weak. No one condemns Sasori for them.
It's the cruel logic of the ninja world that spawns countless warriors like Sasori—those who wage war in pursuit of peace. Everyone has their own version of peace, so they destroy others' peace to protect their own.
"That's Sasori of the Red Sand?" Uchiha Chizuru asked, stunned.
Sasori had taken a direct Fire Style hit, while inside Hiruko, and emerged unharmed. No wonder Chizuru couldn't believe it.
Had he not known Sasori's true nature, even Chao Yanqian wouldn't have believed it.
"I think… he turned himself into a puppet," Chao Yanqian said.
"He made himself a puppet?" Chizuru gasped.
"If the intel's right, yes," Chao Yanqian replied, blaming his "prophetic" insight on gathered intelligence.
"Hmph. Even human puppets have weak spots. Once we expose his real body, the rest is simple," Chizuru said with a snort.
"Don't get careless. Just one more step," Chao Yanqian warned.
Next, Sasori would likely use the Third Kazekage puppet his strongest. The real fight was just beginning.