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The desolate rocky mountain region had completely transformed into a raging battlefield. Roaring, tearing, and clanging sounds of metal were incessant, while violent chakra and magnetic fields distorted the air, kicking up dust everywhere. Sayo and Sasori, two genius puppeteers from different eras of the Hidden Sand Village, had already pushed their respective techniques to the limit.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Great Needle!"
Sasori's cold voice transmitted through Hiruko. The Third Kazekage human puppet swung its single hand down, and massive amounts of iron sand instantly coalesced into several gigantic sharp cones capable of piercing bedrock. They shot toward the high-speed moving "Mirage" in the air from different angles, accompanied by a chilling sound of rushing air!
Sayo's pupils contracted. He yanked hard on the chakra threads he controlled with both hands. The Vector Thrusters at the tail of the "Mirage" erupted with powerful airflow, allowing the machine to narrowly avoid the main spikes with a high-difficulty, near-right-angle twist. Simultaneously, the Magnetic Levitation Array beneath the platform shone brightly, generating a strong horizontal repulsive force!
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Barrier!"
He roared, manipulating the iron sand he could control to quickly form a relatively thin but extremely solid black shield at his side.
Boom! Boom!
The gigantic iron sand needles grazed the edge of the "Mirage" and slammed violently into the rock face behind, causing a fierce collapse. A portion of the iron sand shield that failed to fully dodge was instantly shattered by the residual force of one of the giant needles, but this bought Sayo precious time to evade. Iron sand scattered everywhere, and Sayo felt a sweetness in his throat, forcing down the surging blood pressure.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Ball!"
Having avoided the fatal blow, Sayo immediately counterattacked. Runes preset on the side of the "Mirage" lit up, and a highly compressed air cannon roared down toward the Hiruko below.
"Hiruko: Needle Eight Waves!"
The mechanism on Hiruko's back opened wide, and countless poison-tipped senbon sprayed upward like a torrential rain, colliding with the air cannon. A series of muffled 'puffs' sounded as the poisoned needles were shredded and blown away by the airflow, successfully neutralizing the Wind Release attack.
The battle on the ground was equally fierce. After sacrificing over two-thirds of the medium and large "Spider" puppets Sayo had released, a few finally charged fearlessly toward the Third Kazekage human puppet.
"Explode!"
Sayo's eyes sharpened, and he unhesitatingly detonated the exploding tags preset inside those few Spider puppets!
Boom!
The fierce explosion engulfed the figure of the Third Kazekage! However, before the smoke could dissipate, countless amounts of iron sand surged out like a living black tide, instantly extinguishing the residual flames and shockwaves of the explosion. The Third Kazekage stood unharmed in place, surrounded by a flowing defense of iron sand, with Sasori's chakra threads still firmly connected to it.
"Futile," Sasori commented coldly.
The battle lasted from day to dusk. Both sides traded blows, and their puppets fought fiercely. They were even forced into several perilous close-quarters combats—Sayo controlled the "Mirage" to slash with Magnetic Blades, while Sasori retaliated by swinging Hiruko's steel tail and poisonous arm blades. Sayo maneuvered using the "Mirage's" mobility and the flexibility of his own Magnet Release, while Sasori relied on the absolute strength of his two top-tier puppets and his abundant combat experience.
The rocky mountain region was devastated beyond recognition. Sayo's chakra reserves were severely depleted; his face was pale and his breathing ragged, yet his eyes remained sharp. He struggled to sustain the fight, relying on the continuous energy supply from the Natural Energy Core and the resilient body forged by the Body Tempering Furnace.
Sasori, hidden inside Hiruko, appeared outwardly composed, but controlling two such powerful puppets in such high-intensity combat was also a huge drain on his chakra and stamina. What astonished him more was that this kid in front of him could actually fight him to this extent! Although the quantity and quality of this kid's Magnet Release were far inferior to the Third Kazekage's, the finesse of his control and the speed of his transformations proved incredibly difficult to deal with.
'I can't drag this out any longer...' A desire to retreat sprouted in Sasori's heart. This was still within the Land of Wind. Given the magnitude of the battle, the longer it lasted, the greater the chance of attracting a large force from the Hidden Sand Village.
With his mind made up, Sasori's attacks suddenly became even more ferocious!
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!"
The Third Kazekage clapped his hands together. Massive amounts of iron sand instantly formed countless huge spikes and cubes, crushing down on the "Mirage" from all directions like a gigantic cage!
Sayo's expression changed drastically. He fully activated the "Mirage" and his own Magnet Release, attempting to find a breakthrough. However, at that moment, Hiruko suddenly opened its large mouth!
"Hiruko: Prosthetic Arm Senbon!"
An extremely concealed mechanism activated, launching several special senbon aimed at Sayo's vital points. This strike was treacherous and vicious—a true killing move! Sayo's entire focus had been drawn to the massive iron sand World Method, and he was half a beat too slow in noticing the concealed sneak attack! He struggled to twist his body, and the "Mirage" shifted rapidly sideways!
Pffft! Pffft!
Although he avoided his vital points, two senbon still grazed his arm and calf, instantly causing numbness and sharp pain! His movements paused!
Now! Sasori didn't even look at the result. The moment he launched his strongest attack, he had already retracted most of his chakra threads. Hiruko abruptly burrowed into a fissure, while the Third Kazekage human puppet transformed into a black shadow and fled toward the depths of the desert!
The massive iron sand World Method lost its support. Just before it could completely close in on the "Mirage," it suddenly collapsed into black sand. Sayo gasped for air, enduring the numbness from his wounds. He watched Sasori flee and chose not to pursue. He knew that if Sasori had fully committed after that last strike, his own fate would likely have been grim.
The outcome was undecided, but Sayo clearly understood that a huge gap still existed between himself and that rogue genius. The poison was slowly being neutralized by the body that had been strengthened by the Natural Energy Body Tempering Furnace.
Sasori's resolute retreating figure and his ruthless appearance were deeply imprinted in Sayo's heart. The conviction to become stronger had never been so intense.
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