The brilliance of the explosion lasted for a full ten seconds before it ended.
Kakashi knelt on one knee, gasping for air, his body covered in wounds, big and small.
Some were caused by the iron sand barrier, and others were from the recent explosion.
His head was buzzing, his consciousness hazy, and he could pass out at any moment.
Drip—
Kakashi heard a sound and looked down. A bead of crimson blood landed on the ground, splashing into a small flower of red.
He wiped his face and realized his palm was covered in blood.
At the same time, a fierce stinging pain suddenly appeared.
Kakashi clutched his left eye, closing it tightly. The pain in his eye was as if someone had used a magnifying glass, focusing sunlight to burn his pupil.
He had just awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, and using it so extensively without limits, it was a miracle he hadn't been blinded or died on the spot. Kakashi was truly lucky.
"What happened? What was that explosion just now?" Kakashi asked.
"A true artist is dead," Sasori said softly.
Sasori had removed the defensive net of hundreds of puppets and sat on a rock, completely unharmed, coldly watching the core area of the explosion.
Kakashi drew another kunai from his waist, trying to get into a fighting stance, but he couldn't lift his hand. It felt as if this small kunai weighed a ton.
"Stop pushing yourself, incompetent one."
Sasori's cool voice came through. "The Mangekyo Sharingan… is indeed a very interesting ability. It's just a shame it doesn't belong to you. You're still using someone else's work."
"What nonsense!"
Kakashi slowly stood up, staring intently at Sasori.
"If you want to fight, then fight on."
"Not today. I've lost interest."
Sasori still looked at the core battlefield, his expression more stern than ever.
His and Deidara's views on art were completely opposite. Sasori pursued eternal beauty, so he created different puppets, freezing many strong individuals at their most powerful moments.
Deidara pursued a burst of momentary expression, where all his pent-up feelings, patience, and desires were sublimated in the explosion.
It was like the last quarter of a movie, reaching its climax.
His explosion was the peak of that climax.
Although Sasori and Deidara had opposing philosophies, they both respected each other's pursuit of their respective arts and believed that art was most interesting when it bloomed in diversity.
From the beginning of the fight, Sasori had dozens of small reconnaissance puppets patrolling above the three battlefields.
He saw Deidara, who had been the last one thrown out by Obito, with vacant eyes and an abnormal expression. It was clear he had been manipulated by illusions.
This was disrespect to an artist.
Sasori was quite fond of the Akatsuki organization.
A group of lunatics with their own obsessions gathered together to do something very interesting. Although, Pain's tailed beast weapon plan seemed to align more with Deidara's artistic style.
"But since this guy named Tobi appeared, there have been many disruptions."
Sasori looked back at Kakashi, who was struggling to stand up.
"When you have your own work, I'll come to kill you. Until then… I have someone else to kill."
Kakashi heard the sound of something breaking through the air from a distance and knew Linto was coming. He grinned and said:
"Running away is running away, don't say 'lost interest.'
It's like a middle schooler pretending to be tough when they find out the other side has too many people, just to save face.
Besides, at this distance, can you really escape?"
"Of course. I'll split up and leave."
"Huh?"
Before Kakashi could understand what he meant, he saw Sasori's head fly off, followed by his arms, thighs, and torso… over a dozen body parts, each with its own propulsion system, flying in all directions.
No one knew which body part concealed the core that bore the inscription 'Sasori'.
"I'm off, old lady. Don't die on me."
Sasori's voice came from the sky.
Grandma Chiyo glanced at Linto, who had flown close, her face stern. She didn't reply, but quietly extended her hand and made an OK gesture to Sasori in the sky.
Linto looked at Sasori splitting up to escape and then at the severely injured Kakashi, who was close to collapsing. After hesitating for half a second, he decided not to pursue.
He could kill people anytime, but if he missed the chance to save someone, there would be no opportunity.
He landed on the ground, threw Hiruko, who was unconscious and slung over his shoulder, to the ground, and began to check Kakashi's injuries.
Penetrating wounds, burns, impact injuries… these were not the main problems. More serious was the depletion of his chakra.
Kakashi's condition was like someone who was already frail being forced to run a marathon at gunpoint.
What was even more troublesome was that even though Kakashi wasn't doing anything, his chakra was still being drained.
Since his chakra was depleted, his life force would be drained next.
Grandma Chiyo leaned in and explained:
"He awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and overused its abilities, causing a backlash."
"What should we do then?"
Grandma Chiyo was stunned. "You're an Uchiha. You're asking me about Sharingan matters?"
Linto fell silent.
While it was true that Linto had witnessed Itachi's Amaterasu and Susanoo, and Obito's intangibility, and it was impossible for him not to be envious – no one would refuse more abilities.
However, Linto's chakra was so scarce it was almost non-existent, and he considered himself emotionally stable. He had been in this world for several years, and had not awakened a single tomoe.
After some thought, Linto decided to use his most skilled method.
Ripple energy flowed into Kakashi's body, stimulating his life force. He then summoned earth fire and transformed it into pure chakra to replenish Kakashi's consumption.
After nearly twenty minutes of treatment, Kakashi suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for air. His ashen face gradually regained some color.
"He's alive! He's alive!"
Grandma Chiyo gave Linto a thumbs up. "I told you, for Sharingan matters, you have to ask an Uchiha."
Linto helped Kakashi up and then released Rasa, Amber, and Gaara from the ghost room.
They looked at each other and then at the devastated battlefield. For a moment, no one could speak.
Based on the paper records:
Deidara was dead, Obito was severely injured and fled, Hiruko was captured alive, and only Sasori had left "gracefully."
On Linto's side, only one person, the weakest in combat power and tactically insignificant, the blind beggar, had died.
Comparing the two, this battle was a great victory.
But no one could feel happy.
Linto remembered that all along the way, the blind beggar had always worn a smile. He was genuinely happy.
He was always the first to wake up, busy with tasks. Every time Linto urged him to rest, the blind beggar would scratch his head and say:
"I'm old, I can't sleep."
He wasn't unable to sleep; he was clearly overwhelmed with excitement from personally experiencing such a "major event," feeling like he had boundless energy.
Linto broke off his recollection and looked around.
The Dragon Vein detonation, the widespread earthquake, and finally Deidara's C0 self-destruction.
All the sand and rocks within tens of kilometers were melted, crystallized, and crushed by the high temperature, repeating this process several times. As a result, there was no yellow sand visible on the ground.
As far as the eye could see, there were crystal-clear, colorful fine sands, complemented by the purple earth fire constantly spreading from the abyss, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
Linto held the broken hairpin he had picked up earlier, unsure how to face the blind beggar's wife.
"Let's go. First to the royal capital, and then…"
Linto glanced at Hiruko, who was slung over Amber's shoulder.
"Heh—"
He chuckled.
His laughter carried a resolute determination tinged with anger.