Chapter 258: The Pursuit of the Perfect Susanoo
Uchiha Akira has arrived!
Tsunade, standing in the heart of the puppet swarm, knew time was up.
"Hmph!" Tsunade roared, her already immense chakra erupting once more!
Boom! Boom!
Her fists struck out simultaneously, a crushing double-punch. The violent, focused force instantly pulverized the two puppets blocking her path into scattered fragments of wood and metal!
Immediately after, Tsunade powerfully pushed off with her legs, carving a bloody path through the puppet army's encirclement. She leaped directly to the figure that had just appeared—Uchiha Akira.
Tsunade landed beside him, panting heavily, her chest rising and falling slightly from the exertion.
"Akira!"
"Be careful! All of his puppets and weapons are laced with potent, paralyzing poison! Even a slight graze will be troublesome!" she warned, her voice urgent.
Uchiha Akira nodded, his dark eyes fixed on the remaining puppet swarm.
A chilling, absolute killing intent emanated from his body, replacing the desert air.
"I understand."
The moment his words fell, Uchiha Akira's Mangekyō Sharingan suddenly lit up, burning with a deep, furious crimson!
Buzz—
A terrifying ocular power, a massive surge of dark chakra, descended instantly and erupted from the ground.
The next second...
A towering, deep purple energy giant, dozens of meters tall, rose from the sand!
Dai-san Keitai, Susanoo! (Third Stage, Susanoo!)
[Inorin's Note: The Third Stage (complete armored Susanoo, lacking only the outer coating) offers near-absolute defense, completely nullifying conventional ninjutsu and poisons.]
The massive energy giant firmly enveloped Uchiha Akira and Tsunade at its core, forming an instantaneous, insurmountable barrier of raw chakra.
Standing within the protection of the Susanoo, Tsunade looked up at Uchiha Akira's calm profile, a mix of awe and relief swelling in her chest.
No matter how desperate the situation, no matter how close to the brink she felt, as long as Uchiha Akira appeared, his sheer, overwhelming power was enough to make one feel incredibly, absolutely safe!
"What?!" Sasori, who had just emerged from his shattered Hiruko shell and was controlling his remaining forces, was utterly stunned.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"How are we supposed to fight something like this? It's invulnerable!"
Akira's Susanoo instantly countered Sasori's entire fighting style. It was the absolute nemesis of a puppeteer.
But Sasori no longer had time to think further! His only remaining strategy was overwhelming force.
"Kill him for me! NOW!" Sasori screamed through his puppet voice.
His ten fingers danced wildly, a blur of motion!
Under his frantic control, the remaining hundreds of puppets—a terrifying legion of man-made death—charged forward fearlessly, throwing away all pretense of strategy!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Countless glowing, purple-laced poisonous needles shot out like a torrential downpour, aimed at the giant's head!
Many puppets also opened their grotesque, specialized mouths, spewing out large clouds of highly poisonous smoke!
Even more puppets brandished poisoned blades, madly hacking and slamming at the Susanoo's thick, armored shell from all directions!
For a moment, the clang of metal on metal was incessant, deafening. Sparks flew everywhere!
But all of it was futile!
All the attacks—the poisonous needles, the venomous smoke, the chopping blades—could not breach the Susanoo's perfect chakra defense!
Uchiha Akira's Susanoo completely, utterly countered Sasori's puppets.
In the face of this absolute, mobile defense, the Akahigi: Hyakki no Sōen (Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets) was reduced to a frantic, pathetic joke!
Deidara, that good-for-nothing, is probably already defeated... Sasori's heart instantly sank to rock bottom.
I must retreat! My puppets can't even break through his defense! I'm completely outmatched!
With this thought, Sasori lost all desire to continue fighting! Survival was paramount!
A cold, ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He suddenly clapped his hands together!
"Explode... for me!"
From behind, a dozen large puppets rushed forward, their bodies instantly swelling with compressed, unstable chakra!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A continuous, violent series of explosions boomed! The sound was localized, concussive!
Violent flames and shockwaves, mixed with large clouds of thick, highly poisonous smoke, completely engulfed and obscured Uchiha Akira and Tsunade's Susanoo!
Meanwhile, Sasori's main body—the small, true core—using the thick, chaotic smoke as cover, unhesitatingly turned and rapidly fled into the distant desert!
Inside the Susanoo.
Akira watched the residual smoke plume in the direction Sasori was fleeing. He let out a disdainful snort.
"Trying to run?"
"In front of me, Sasori, do you truly believe you have that right?"
Akira slowly raised his right hand, enveloped by the deep purple energy of the Susanoo.
The next moment!
The deep purple energy giant arm suddenly extended. The Kusanagi no Tsurugi (Sword of Kusanagi) appeared out of thin air, a massive, glowing ethereal blade in its hand!
SWISH—!!!
A flash of sword light—so immense it cleaved the smoke—gone in an instant!
Immediately after...
Crack! Crack! Crackle!
Countless parts, broken weapons, and puppet wreckage rained down onto the sand!
With just one strike!
All the puppets still remaining in front of Uchiha Akira were instantly annihilated! Reduced to debris!
A terrifying wave of air followed closely, sweeping outwards. It reached Sasori's fleeing position!
BOOM!!!
The terrifying air current, the force of the Susanoo's sword swing, instantly sent Sasori flying again, tumbling end over end across the dunes!
Sasori struggled, his main core exposed, to climb out of the sand pit. The mechanical joints on half of his body were dislocated. His mechanical systems ground horribly, revealing the gruesome internal modifications.
Must escape! Must ESCAPE!
Only this thought, burning like an electric current, remained in Sasori's mind!
If he didn't escape now, he would definitely die here!
A final trace of cold, desperate madness flashed in Sasori's eyes. The chakra in his small human core circulated wildly!
This was the ultimate escape method. The last resort he had reserved when he first modified his 'human puppet' body—to deal with the most extreme, unexpected situations!
Snap!
Chakra-powered, high-speed propellers popped out from specialized ports in Sasori's back!
Immediately after!
The soles of his feet detached, snapping away to reveal two dark, hollow jet nozzles!
Fūton: Fūsoku Jetto! (Wind Release: Jet Stream!)
[Inorin's Note: This is a fanfiction-specific jutsu, utilizing Wind Release in a mechanical way for propulsion.]
Boom—!
Two light blue Wind Release air currents suddenly jetted from his feet, generating immense, sustained thrust!
The propellers on his back also began to spin frantically, emitting an ear-piercing hum!
WHOOSH—!
Sasori's entire body instantly shot up, becoming a tiny black dot. He fled rapidly, vertically, and horizontally, accelerating out over the desert!
"Trying to run?!"
Tsunade's expression changed. She had been observing the fight, feeling uselessly protected. She subconsciously wanted to give chase!
But Tsunade was currently inside Uchiha Akira's Susanoo. She couldn't pursue him even if she wanted to.
If such a heinous, S-rank rogue ninja escapes, the consequences will be endless! He knows all of Suna's secrets! And he's in Akatsuki!
She looked at Akira, her voice urgent.
"Akira! He's too fast! His propulsion is immense! If he gets away..."
"He won't get away, Tsunade."
Uchiha Akira interrupted her, his voice absolute.
"Running away in front of me?"
"Who gave him the courage to even try?"
Then, Akira's Mangekyō rotated. More ocular power—more pure chakra—was instantly released.
Buzz—!
The deep purple Susanoo's energy form began to undergo a final, terrifying, and drastic change!
The heavy, static armor that originally covered its body shattered inch by inch, transforming into pure energy particles.
Immediately after, beneath the armored shell, clear skeletal Veins grew wildly. Massive, sinewy muscle fibers rapidly wrapped around the bone structure!
Click! Crackle!
Upon the deep purple energy flesh and blood, an even more ferocious, winged, heavier Uchiha Tengu armor re-formed!
Behind it, a pair of gigantic energy wings, obscuring the sky, suddenly unfolded with a sound like tearing spacetime!
Kanzen-tai Susanoo! (Perfect Susanoo!)
[Inorin's Note: Kanzen-tai Susanoo (Perfect Susanoo) is the final, ultimate form, possessing flight capabilities, immense speed, and the power to destroy mountains.]
High in the sky.
Sasori's speed had already soared to the limit his puppet body could withstand!
"Almost there! I'm almost out of his range!"
Sasori looked back over his shoulder.
Uchiha Akira's Third Stage Susanoo had become a tiny, receding black dot, left far behind him.
Deidara, that good-for-nothing, must have been defeated and captured. But it doesn't matter!
As long as I can escape... and bring this terrifying intelligence back to the Akatsuki organization... this mission won't be a complete failure after all!
Then, Sasori looked again at the receding black dot.
And just as Sasori let out a slight sigh of desperate relief...
Uchiha Akira, from behind, had already fully activated his Perfect Susanoo.
BOOM—!!!
A deafening, shattering sonic boom suddenly came from behind, rapidly closing the distance!
"What?!"
Sasori spun his head around in panic!
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