Shota knew that he was at a very big disadvantage in the fight. He was injured even though he was slowly healing with the help of nine tails chakra but with his poor chakra control he could not use his jutsus properly.
The wound in his foot still throbbed with every step, and the burns on his back stung whenever he moved too quickly. The nine tails energy was knitting the flesh back together, but the process was slow because he could not guide the healing with precise control.
Every time he tried to form a proper technique the chakra leaked out in wasteful bursts. He felt the frustration building inside him as another failed attempt left him open for a moment.
What was even more annoying was that the Iwa shinobi did not seem to be even surprised that he could erase chakra of more than one person.
It seemed as if they had already known about it. The way they moved told him everything. They never clustered together for long.
They stayed spread out in careful positions so that his eyes could never lock onto more than one or two at the same time. They had prepared for his Erasure ability to erase chakra of multiple opponents specifically.
They were actively even trying to stay in different directions making it difficult for him to use Erasure at even two of them at once.
One jonin would attack from the left while another stayed far to the right. A third would hide behind trees or earth walls. Every time Shota turned his head to erase one set of chakra, the others regained their power and pressed forward again.
The constant switching drained his focus and left him little time to plan his own moves.
'There is only one way that they would have known about this. Danzo must have sold this information to Iwa. And while he hates Iwa, he would be hating me more than anyone since I helped drive him off Konoha and made him a criminal. Still giving me trouble, eh Danzo?' Shota thought.
He also knew that Pakura would also be at a back foot as she had to protect her genin while fighting a jinchuriki and an experienced one at that, Roshi of the four tails.
And he himself also had to protect his shadow clone with Fū. The clone carrying the baby stayed at the edge of the clearing, ready to run if the fight turned worse. Shota could not afford to let any Iwa shinobi get close to the clone.
Things looked bleak for him. But he was going to fight till the end. He took a fighting stance. His feet settled into a solid position, his remaining binding cloth ready, and his eyes scanned the circle of enemies.
The Iwa shinobi smiled surrounding him with only one of them out of the fight with the chakra enhanced punch that Shota had delivered and then from the explosion.
Five of them still stood strong. They closed the circle slowly, confident that victory was near. Their smiles showed they believed the young Suna shinobi was finished.
"Die Shota Aizawa!" the explosion release guy whose name he had already forgotten shouted from behind an earth wall that was hiding him from his sight.
Shota was pretty sure an explosion was coming his way. He tensed his legs and got ready to jump out of the way when a voice sounded across the battlefield.
"Oi, that brat is only mine to kill, Iwa scum." The words cut through the noise of the fight like a sharp blade. Something walked onto the field. The Iwa shinobi turned their heads in surprise.
One of them shouted in recognition and in panic. "That's Sasori of the Red Sand!" The name spread fear through the Stone group at once.
Before they could say anything more, they were surrounded by dozens of puppets. Wooden and humanoid figures rose from the ground and the trees as if they had been waiting the whole time.
The puppets moved with deadly grace, their joints clicking softly as they formed a second circle around the Iwa forces.
The first wave of puppets attacked without mercy. Long poisoned blades and hidden weapons shot out from their arms and mouths. One Iwa jonin tried to raise an earth wall for protection, but three puppets slammed into it together and shattered the wall into pieces.
The man barely had time to scream before a puppet's blade found his neck. Gaku activated Explosion Release and tried to blast a path through the wooden army. The explosion tore apart two puppets, yet three more took their place immediately and drove long spears into his chest. He fell without another word.
Sasori stood calmly in the center of his creations and watched the slaughter with cold eyes. "You should have stayed in your village," he said in a quiet voice that still carried clearly.
"Now you will become material for my art." One of the remaining Iwa fighters shouted a challenge and charged at Sasori himself. Two tall puppets intercepted him. Their arms transformed into spinning drills that tore through the man's defenses in seconds. He collapsed in a pool of his own blood.
The last two Iwa jonin tried to flee toward the trees. Puppets dropped from the branches above them and pinned them to the ground. Sharp blades ended their lives before they could call for mercy.
Within less than a minute the clearing that had been filled with confident Iwa shinobi was now filled only with dead bodies and puppets.
Shota stared at the sudden end of the fight with wide eyes. He let out a long breath he had not realized he was holding. The shadow clone carrying Fū stayed still at the edge of the field, equally stunned by the arrival.
"Woah, I knew Sasori nii san, you could not live without him." Shota said almost jumping at Sasori but then he froze mid step when he noticed the deadly stinger pointed straight at his chest.
The cheerful expression stayed on his face even while the weapon threatened him. "Come on, nii san, is that any way to say hello after all this time?"
The stinger was pointed at him. Sasori's puppet body did not move, but the sharp tip stayed fixed on Shota's heart. The red haired puppet master's voice came out coldly.
"Tell me brat... What did... you do!?" Sasori said.
--------Author Notes---------
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