On the battlefield,
Yagyu and Sasori of the Red Sand stood facing each other.
Holding his Chakra Blade, Yagyu observed Sasori with a thoughtful expression.
Behind him, Anko stood ready with a kunai in hand.
At this moment she had already understood something.
Yagyu had never planned to escape alone.
That realization both moved her and made her curse inwardly at Yagyu's stubbornness.
Facing three enemies who were clearly each stronger than the last, stubbornly continuing the fight was not a good decision.
But things had already reached this point.
Anko could only remain silent and support Yagyu from behind.
She could not act.
Because she could not guarantee that if she moved, Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi would remain still.
Yagyu's strength was powerful.
Facing the strange enemy in front of him alone did not seem particularly difficult.
But if Uchiha Itachi entered the battle,
Everything would become extremely unfavorable.
Therefore no matter how Anko felt right now, the best choice was simple.
If the enemy did not move, she would not move.
That was the judgment she had made after assessing the situation.
At this moment,
Standing opposite Yagyu, Sasori had already become serious.
"This brat can actually see the chakra threads I use to control the puppets."
Silently watching Yagyu, Sasori thought to himself,
"And his swordsmanship is astonishing. Most importantly, the sword in his hand must be a Chakra Blade."
Only chakra blades could cut through the chakra threads used by puppet masters.
So Sasori concluded that the sword in Yagyu's hand was definitely a Chakra Blade.
"And this brat is incredibly fast, and his timing is extremely precise."
Sasori recalled the brief exchange from earlier.
"Ordinary puppets will not be enough to deal with him. But that works perfectly. If I turn him into a puppet, my collection will gain a high-quality specimen skilled in swordsmanship and taijutsu."
While thinking this,
Sasori was already preparing to bring out something truly powerful.
At that moment,
Yagyu, who had not spoken since forcing Sasori back, casually spun his sword in a flourish.
"You still don't plan to come out?"
His calm voice sounded.
Looking directly at Sasori, Yagyu said indifferently,
"Your real body should be hiding inside that puppet. It's a very good puppet, but using only this much to deal with me is far from enough."
With a single sentence, Yagyu exposed Sasori's current situation.
This caused Sasori, Itachi, and Kisame to glance at him with surprise.
Ignoring their reactions,
Yagyu continued in a speculative tone,
"Your puppet might not be impressive, but your puppet manipulation technique is outstanding. As far as I know, the only ninja in the world capable of such powerful puppet techniques come from Sunagakure."
Clang.
Raising his Chakra Blade and pointing it at Sasori,
Yagyu spoke confidently.
"You should be a rogue ninja from the Hidden Sand. And a powerful one at that. But in recent years Sunagakure hasn't reported any powerful puppet masters defecting. So who exactly are you? Now I'm truly curious about your identity."
Although Yagyu knew exactly who Sasori was,
He could not reveal everything directly.
Leaking some information could create pressure and increase the chances of successfully bluffing.
But saying too much would only create trouble for himself.
Inside Hiruko,
Sasori paused slightly as he prepared to take out other puppets.
"This brat… what a sharp mind."
The one who was also somewhat shocked was Anko, as well as Kisame.
As for Itachi,
He remained as expressionless as ever.
Before Sasori could respond,
"Heh heh heh…"
Kisame chuckled.
Then he spoke to Sasori.
"Sasori, this brat figured out your origin just from a brief exchange. Before long he might even uncover your identity. How does that feel?"
Those words directly confirmed that Yagyu's guess was correct.
But whether Kisame said it unintentionally was another matter.
After all, the Akatsuki was far from perfectly united.
Perhaps Kisame was deliberately causing trouble for Sasori.
The moment Kisame finished speaking,
Boom.
A terrifying killing intent erupted from Sasori's true body.
Snap.
A scroll appeared in Hiruko's mechanical arm.
While forming hand seals, Sasori spoke calmly.
"How do I feel? Do you think I still have any attachment to that village? Sorry, I abandoned such things long ago. Now I only wish to create eternal art."
Bang.
With a light sound, white smoke spread.
Five puppets equipped with various weapons appeared behind Sasori.
"Brat, you are very intelligent."
Through Hiruko, Sasori's cold gaze locked onto Yagyu.
"Konoha truly is a village that produces geniuses. Among my high-quality collection, there should be a place reserved for you."
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
The moment Sasori finished speaking, the five human puppets hovering in the air transformed into streaks of light.
Their speed far exceeded Hiruko's earlier attacks.
They charged directly toward Yagyu.
From five directions.
Ignoring whether the puppets would be damaged or not, Sasori sealed off every possible escape route.
He intended to kill Yagyu in a single strike.
"So fast."
Yagyu's eyes grew serious.
"He's serious now. But… I can still see everything."
His eyes moved rapidly.
In an instant he captured the movement paths of the five puppets and every subtle variation.
Buzz.
Yagyu quickly raised his Chakra Blade, preparing to strike.
"It's not over yet."
Seeing Yagyu's movement, Sasori spoke coldly.
"I will take your life."
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
From inside Hiruko, several poisoned kunai were launched by mechanical devices.
They shot toward Yagyu at extreme speed, leaving faint trails in the air.
"A killing move."
Sasori's voice was icy.
"Brat, regret ever being born into this world."
Six attacks rushed toward him at once.
Yagyu's expression became extremely serious.
His grip on the Chakra Blade loosened briefly.
Then tightened again.
"Yagyu Style…"
He raised the blade.
His sharp gaze reflected on the sword's surface.
Yagyu took a deep breath and thought to himself,
"Iai Flash, Six Consecutive Strikes."
Boom.
His foot stepped forward.
The ground shattered.
Yagyu's figure left behind an afterimage.
Clang.
A flash of blade light appeared first.
Only afterward did the sound of the sword ring out.
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