Bang!
A red flower exploded in the sky, dazzling even in the daylight.
Yugito Nii, who had been assaulting the Hidden Mist forces, felt her heart tighten at the sight of the distress signal behind her. She immediately turned back.
A short while later, Yugito came to a halt.
Four figures had suddenly appeared before her.
She recognized one of them: Ao of the Hidden Mist, flanked by two Mist Anbu. The fourth man was white-haired and powerfully built, dressed in a black cloak adorned with red cloud patterns. The fact that the Mist ninja stood behind him indicated his superior status.
"I told you I could handle this myself. Why did you have to follow me?" Kawasaki, disguised as Hibaku, grumbled in dissatisfaction. With Ao and his two lackeys watching, there was no way he could hold back. Especially not with Ao's Byakugan; what if he saw through the deception?
"Lord Hibaku, our opponent is a jinchuriki. It is better to be cautious."
For days, Ao had been trying to uncover Hibaku's true identity, but Hibaku's tight lips had left him frustrated and empty-handed. Today, Hibaku had announced that his companion had arrived and it was time to make their move. Ao had used his knowledge of the terrain as an excuse to tag along, eager to see just how powerful this Hibaku truly was. He never expected Hibaku to target the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii.
"I already told you, you shouldn't have come. Now I have to protect you," Hibaku said, waving his hand impatiently.
Across from them, Yugito's expression was grave. Since she was their target, they must be confident in their success. Thinking of Samui's squad waiting for aid in the distance, she knew she couldn't afford to waste a single moment.
"Get back!" Yugito slammed her hands on the ground, and a chakra cloak with the blue pattern of a spectral cat materialized around her. Her braided hair instantly came undone, flying wildly as a massive wave of chakra erupted from her body. She kicked off the ground, stirring up a furious gale.
Kawasaki had no intention of clashing with her head-on, not while using a Transformation Jutsu. He formed hand seals, gathering an immense amount of chakra.
Water Style: Water Wall Formation!
Boom!
Where the chakra converged, a colossal wall of water rose from the earth, completely sealing off Yugito's path. Even though Ao had been expecting something impressive, his eyelids still twitched at the sight of such a massive Water Wall.
But it wasn't over.
Since he had decided not to let Yugito get close, Kawasaki's hands never stopped forming seals. He leaped up, tapped his foot on the newly formed water wall, and launched himself even higher.
Water Style: Great Exploding Water Wave!
A torrent of water spewed from Hibaku's mouth. Roaring, the deluge descended from the heavens, completely surrounding Yugito. In an instant, the water formed a gigantic, oval-shaped prison, trapping everyone inside.
Jutsu did not discriminate between friend and foe; the three Mist ninja were also caught in the water. However, as shinobi of the Hidden Mist, they were extremely familiar with Water Style and were excellent swimmers. They quickly held their breath and began swimming for the edge. Thanks to his high affinity for the water element, Kawasaki felt little pressure and could likely hold his breath for a very long time.
Submerged, Yugito's speed was severely restricted. Despite her Tailed Beast Cloak, moving freely within the sphere of water was difficult. Her priority was to escape its range as quickly as possible.
Hibaku continued to form hand seals inside the water.
Ao and the two Mist ninja, who had already escaped the water sphere, watched with dumbfounded expressions. The scale of his Water Style was immense, and he was using one massive jutsu after another. Just how much chakra did this man possess?
Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!
A huge water dragon rapidly took shape within the sphere. Though its form was indistinct, its two glowing eyes locked onto Yugito. Just as she was about to break out of the water sphere, the dragon coiled around her, trapping her once more.
As Kawasaki moved with it, Yugito was again plunged into a watery predicament. A sharp pain shot through her chest, and her consciousness began to waver. She worried about Samui and the others. How were they faring after all this time? Her gaze flickered to the three Mist ninja outside the sphere.
Her chakra suddenly exploded.
The water began to boil and churn violently.
From a distance, Ao shouted, "Lord Hibaku, watch out! Yugito's chakra is fluctuating wildly!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a deafening roar erupted.
BOOM!
The chakra detonation shattered the water sphere, revealing a spectral cat completely wreathed in blue chakra flames. The searing heat had vaporized the water.
Full Tailed Beast Transformation!
Taking advantage of the moment the water sphere shattered, Yugito, now in the form of Matatabi, spat out a gigantic fireball. But her target wasn't Hibaku—it was the three Mist shinobi outside. The fireball, radiating an aura of death, shot toward them. It was too fast; Ao and the two Anbu had no way to dodge.
Fortunately, though the water sphere had burst, the water dragon within it had not yet dispersed. Under Hibaku's control, it surged forward to intercept the fireball. The two attacks collided with a massive explosion, sending water splashing everywhere and filling the air with a thick cloud of steam.
Ao activated his Byakugan, nervously scanning his surroundings. The two Anbu behind him formed seals in unison.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
Whoosh... A powerful gust of wind blew from their mouths, dispersing the steam. Yugito was nowhere to be seen.
Hibaku, soaking wet, walked over. "Are you three all right?"
Ao waved a hand. "We're fine, Lord Hibaku."
Hibaku looked them over. "See? I told you not to come."
"We are truly sorry, Lord Hibaku."
He and the two Anbu behind him bowed their heads in apology. After witnessing Hibaku so easily control the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, they felt a mixture of reverence and fear toward him.
Hibaku waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. She just didn't want to get tied down in a fight. Otherwise, she could have kept going."
Yugito had been focused on reinforcing her teammates, while Hibaku had been focused on stalling for time. In this battle, there was no winner and no loser. If Kisame had been here, Yugito would never have escaped. Kisame hadn't departed at the same time as Shisui and the others, nor could he catch a ride with the Hidden Cloud, so his current whereabouts were unknown.
At that moment, somewhere on the sea, Kisame stood on the back of a shark, Samehada on his back, speeding toward the Land of Water.
"So many Hidden Cloud ships. I'll have to take a detour," he muttered. "I hope the boss doesn't dock my pay for this."
Jinren Island, deep within the dense forest.
Sasori had shed his Hiruko shell, revealing his true puppet body. "Not bad. To think you could break my Hiruko," he sneered.
Although the Hidden Cloud ninja had destroyed his puppet, only three of them remained. The others had been struck by the Third Kazekage's iron sand combined with Hiruko's poisoned needles and had died on the spot. After its needles were exhausted, Hiruko had been shattered.
Samui and the others stood ready with their swords drawn. After exchanging a look, the three of them covered one another and charged toward Sasori.
The Third Kazekage's arms opened, and countless more arms shot out toward the trio.
"Cloud Style: Flash Cut!" Karui shouted. Her body flickered with lightning, her speed increasing dramatically as she slashed at the incoming limbs. Samui weaved between them with agile movements, following close behind.
"Cloud Style: Flying Blade!"
She leaped into the air, her sword tip gathering lightning as she brought it down in a powerful strike. With a flick of Sasori's finger, countless blades shot out from the Third Kazekage's left arm, blocking Samui's lightning-infused attack. Omoi used the opening to close in on Sasori's main body.
"Cloud Style: Crescent Moon Beheading!"
His blade flashed like a crescent moon, unleashing a wide-arcing slash. Sasori's fingers danced, showcasing the skill of a master puppeteer. The Third Kazekage's severed arms released a volley of kunai and a cloud of poison gas. Karui parried the kunai with her blade, holding her breath as she retreated from the poison's range.
At the same time, Samui's lightning blade sliced through the blades extending from the puppet's arm. But unexpectedly, another blade shot out, striking her sword directly. Fortunately, her blade was sharp, and she was only knocked back. Faced with the spreading poison gas, she too had no choice but to retreat.
Omoi's Crescent Moon Beheading, however, failed to connect.
Clang!
His sword struck a heavy barrier of iron sand. Sasori had constructed a defense in front of himself. Omoi could only beat a hasty retreat.
Sasori discarded the summoned arms and pulled the Third Kazekage back slightly, noting the large gap where its blades had been deployed. It seemed the Cloud ninja's swords were exceptionally sharp.
An idea sparked in Sasori's mind.
The Third Kazekage puppet jettisoned its ruined arm mechanism. More and more iron sand began to flow from its mouth and body, joining the sand on the ground. It all shot into the sky, gathering into massive, needle-like spears.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand Giant Needles!
The Third Kazekage's chest cavity opened wide. A torrent of Magnet Release chakra poured out, and the giant iron sand needles shot toward the three ninja like arrows.
They scrambled to dodge. Karui was a fraction too slow, and one of the needles tore through her clothes, drawing blood instantly. Samui yanked her out of the way just before another needle could have burst her head open.
Omoi's eyes were fixed on an approaching needle. He sidestepped and swung his weapon with all his might, striking its tip. With a piercing shriek, the needle collapsed into a pile of sand.
"Nice swordsmanship," Sasori commented dryly. His eyes flickered to Karui's injured leg, and his finger twitched.
The Third Kazekage's iron sand rose into the air again, reforming into a triangular prism and a large rectangular block. The prism spun, howling as it flew toward Omoi. He was so startled he nearly dropped the lollipop from his mouth; this was obviously something he couldn't block head-on. He desperately dodged, using the trees for cover.
The rectangular block shot toward Samui and Karui. Samui was agile, but with the burden of a wounded Karui, her evasions were clumsy.
Crash! Crash! Tree after tree was mercilessly felled by the iron sand. At this point, the three of them had forgotten all about counterattacking; their only thought was survival. After several exchanges, the surrounding forest had been completely leveled. The three Cloud ninja panted heavily, their situation critical.
A cruel smile touched Sasori's lips. With the obstacles cleared, it was time to send them to the next world.
The triangular prism and the rectangular block interlocked. The chakra inside the Third Kazekage's chest continued to surge.
"Iron Sand World Method!"
The iron sand spread like twisting tree roots, digging deep into the ground.
Shink! Shink! Shink!
The tendrils of sand writhed, plunging violently into the earth. Without any cover, the three ninja were forced into a desperate scramble. Karui's injured leg gave way, and a spike of iron sand pierced through it. She cried out in pain and collapsed. Omoi rushed to defend her, swinging his sword down, only for the blade to be violently knocked from his grasp.
Their situation grew ever more hopeless.
Boom!
Suddenly, a sharp roar echoed from the distance.
Sasori caught the sound of the wind. The Third Kazekage puppet immediately moved to protect him, its iron sand swirling defensively.
Swoosh!
A spectral cat wreathed in blue flames shot through the forest in an instant. Its ferocious chakra flared as it sped toward Sasori. Sasori's eyes narrowed. With a flick of his finger, several hidden weapons shot out from the discarded puppet parts on the ground, flying straight toward the three downed Cloud ninja.
Samui and her team were on their last legs. Without this rescue, they would have surely died.
Yugito had no choice but to abandon her attack and rush back to defend them. She moved like lightning, her claws extended, and deflected the incoming weapons with a few swift strikes.
When she turned back, Sasori was gone.
Yugito suppressed her agitation and canceled her Tailed Beast transformation.
Karui was gravely injured; any further delay would have serious consequences. She was pale from blood loss and had already fallen unconscious. Omoi was covered in scrapes and had lost his weapon. Samui was in slightly better shape but couldn't fight on her own. All the other Cloud ninja who had accompanied them had fallen in battle.
Seeing the enemy retreat, Samui quickly administered first aid to Karui.
"Return to base immediately!" Yugito ordered, preparing to take the three of them back for treatment.
"Damn Uchiha, of all the times for them to be gone."
Yugito seethed with frustration. The Uchiha had been staying at the base every day recently, which had led to another argument between her and Yoyue. The Uchiha had then used reconnaissance as an excuse to leave with their entire team. And now, of all times, they had run into a powerful enemy.
The man they just fought was the renowned Sasori of the Red Sand. Almost none of the Cloud ninja who were wounded by him had survived. They never imagined that a master of poison like Sasori was hiding here, and they could only watch helplessly as their comrades succumbed. Samui's team had been incredibly lucky to survive until Yugito arrived.
Even more shocking was the puppet that used the iron sand secret technique. Wasn't that an ability unique to the Third Kazekage? They never thought the Hidden Mist would be able to recruit such a powerful shinobi. Karui and Omoi were both Chunin; their survival was nothing short of a miracle.
Just as Karui's wounds were bandaged and they were preparing to retreat, a series of massive explosions erupted from the direction of their base.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Huge plumes of smoke rose into the sky.
Yugito's face turned ashen. She was desperate to return and see what was happening, but she feared that Sasori was still lurking nearby. Not daring to act rashly, she could only begin a slow retreat with the wounded.
While Samui and her team were fighting Sasori, another battle was unfolding.
Deidara had stealthily approached the Hidden Cloud base.
His intelligence indicated that there were no particularly strong shinobi inside at the moment, save for one named C who required caution. C possessed rare abilities in genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, and sensory perception, making him a versatile support ninja. With C present, infiltration would be nearly impossible.
But it didn't matter. Deidara had already obtained the patrol routes back at the waterfall. There were still places he could plant his bombs.
Hiding behind a large rock formation in the distance, Deidara's two hand-mouths were busy chewing clay. He spat out the prepared clay and kneaded it, transforming it into a swarm of clay spiders which he stored away. With one hand, he formed a seal, while the other continued to create more clay.
The swarm of clay spiders crawled around the rocks, heading toward the Hidden Cloud camp.
The remaining clay in Deidara's hands was also chewed and molded, forming a massive dragon.
It was his C2 Dragon.
Deidara mounted the colossal creation.
Whoosh... whoosh...
The dragon beat its wings twice, lifting its heavy body into the air. Such a conspicuous target was quickly spotted by the Hidden Cloud.
"Enemy attack!"
Numerous Cloud shinobi were instantly on alert.
Deidara shouted from above, "Oh, good afternoon, everyone! Today, I'm going to show you true art!"
As he spoke, the dragon opened its mouth and spat out smaller, missile-like dragons that shot toward the ground.
"Art is an explosion! Ha!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A chain of explosions forced the Cloud ninja on the ground to scatter for cover.
"Who is that? He can fly!"
C dodged the first wave of explosions and quickly moved to rally his troops. "Lightning Illusion: Flash Pillar!"
A blinding light emanated from C's entire body. Up above, Deidara's vision swam.
"Everyone, stay calm! Those with flying summons, call them out!"
Due to the distance, Deidara was only visually impaired and not caught in the genjutsu, but his bombing temporarily ceased.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Summoning Jutsu..."
Four ninja below summoned four giant hawks, which soared into the sky and charged ferociously at Deidara. The Cloud ninja on the ground also began to perform their own jutsu.
Deidara ascended higher. The mouths on his hands chewed again, and he tossed down several small birds. The birds flapped their wings rapidly and collided with the ninja hawks.
"Ha!"
BOOM! BOOM!
With a series of loud blasts, the hawks were blown to pieces.
While everyone's attention was focused on the sky, Deidara's spiders crawled toward the Cloud ninja.
"What is this thing!?"
"Watch your feet!"
A triumphant grin spread across Deidara's face. "Art is an explosion! Ha!" he cackled. "Alright! See that? That's art, hmm!"
A chain of explosions ripped through their ranks. The weaker Cloud ninja were mostly unable to escape the spiders. After the smoke cleared, the ground was littered with bodies.
C watched his comrades lying in pools of their own blood while the enemy celebrated arrogantly in the sky. He was furious, but his opponent was too high to reach.
Suddenly, a violent roar echoed from the distance.
A spectral cat wrapped in blue chakra appeared on the battlefield.
"It's Yugito!"
"We're saved!"
Seeing the devastating casualties in the camp from afar, Yugito had immediately entered her Tailed Beast form and raced to the scene. She looked up at Deidara in the sky and opened her mouth, spitting a massive fireball.
Deidara agilely soared higher, easily dodging the attack.
"Hmph, your aim is off."
He failed to notice the fireball detonate behind him, bursting into countless mouse-shaped, blue-flamed homing projectiles.
They were too close. The C2 Dragon was hit head-on.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Amidst a deafening chain of explosions, the C2 Dragon disintegrated in midair.