The harsh landscape of the Land of Earth seemed to hold its breath as the three combatants faced each other across the blood-soaked rocky ground. The acrid smell of explosive clay mixed with the metallic tang of iron sand and the distinctive chemical odor that always accompanied Sasori's poisons, creating an atmosphere that spoke of deadly artistry and calculated violence.
"The moment you discovered our tracks," Sasori responded with the kind of calm certainty that came from decades of perfecting his lethal craft.
His beautiful, ageless features remained completely composed as he raised his gaze toward the distant horizon. Even from their current position, his enhanced senses could detect the moment when their carefully laid trap reached its inevitable conclusion.
Far in the distance, the Rock ninja who had fled under Han's protection suddenly stumbled and collapsed to the ground. The figure's desperate escape came to an abrupt end as Sasori's poison finally overwhelmed his system, proving that distance meant nothing when facing a master of chemical warfare who had spent decades perfecting his methods.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Sasori had demonstrated his capabilities by simultaneously poisoning thousands of Konoha ninja troops without any of them detecting the attack until it was far too late to mount effective resistance. The feat had been considered legendary even among the puppet masters of Sunagakure, cementing his reputation as someone whose abilities transcended conventional understanding.
Now, more than a decade later, his methods of deploying and controlling toxins had evolved to levels that bordered on the supernatural. The poisons he employed were no longer crude chemical weapons—they were precision instruments capable of targeting specific physiological systems with surgical accuracy.
"As expected of a jinchūriki," Sasori observed with detached admiration as he studied Han's condition. "You only collapsed instead of dying immediately."
The comment was delivered with the clinical interest of a researcher observing the results of an experiment. In Sasori's mind, every battle served as both practical application and data collection, adding to his ever-expanding understanding of human physiology and the limits of poison resistance.
He glanced toward Deidara with the casual efficiency of someone accustomed to coordinating complex operations. "Take him away," he instructed, his tone suggesting that the capture phase of their mission was now a mere formality.
Deidara nodded in acknowledgment and reached into his ninja tool pouch, preparing to create another explosive clay construct that would serve as transportation for their unconscious prisoner. His fingers were already working the clay when an unexpected sound drew both Akatsuki operatives' attention back to their supposedly defeated opponent.
Hissss!
The sound was like steam escaping from a pressure vessel, but it emerged directly from Han's body as his internal systems began to respond to the chemical assault in ways that neither opponent had anticipated. The steam that had been pure white during his earlier attacks was now taking on a distinctly purple hue as it interacted with the foreign substances in his bloodstream.
Sasori's eyes snapped back to focus on Han's prone form, and for the first time since the battle began, his composed expression showed genuine surprise. His pupils contracted as he processed what he was witnessing, and his voice carried urgent alarm when he spoke.
"Quickly retreat!" he shouted to his partner. "This guy is using steam to evaporate the toxins in his body!"
The realization came almost too late. Sasori had encountered opponents who possessed unusual resistance to his poisons before, but he had never faced someone capable of actively neutralizing chemical attacks through the application of superheated vapor.
BANG!
Before either Akatsuki operative could react to the warning, the man who had been lying helplessly on the ground just moments before exploded into violent motion. Han, still shrouded in the purple-tinged steam that marked his body's fight against the poison, smashed through the final layer of iron sand defenses with devastating force.
The blow that connected with Sasori contained not just physical impact but also the corrosive effects of the steam and the residual heat that had been generated by his detoxification process. The attack first ate through the fabric of Sasori's Akatsuki robe, then sent his body flying through the air with bone-crushing force.
At the same moment, Deidara's combat instincts took over. His hand emerged from his ninja tool pouch already holding a prepared explosive, which he hurled toward the chaos with practiced precision.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The detonations created a wall of fire and smoke that temporarily obscured the battlefield, giving both sides a moment to reassess and reposition. Through the flickering light of the explosions, Deidara executed a rapid tactical withdrawal, his feet carrying him to what he hoped would be a safer distance.
In the heart of the firelight, a beast-like shadow moved with predatory grace, its form becoming clearer as the smoke began to dissipate. What emerged was no longer entirely human in appearance—Han's body was now wreathed in the distinctive red chakra that marked the influence of his tailed beast.
White steam continued to rise from the chakra cloak, creating an otherworldly effect that made him appear more like a force of nature than a conventional ninja. The transformation was both beautiful and terrifying, representing power that few humans could hope to control without losing themselves in the process.
"I'm not going to kill you," Han declared, his voice carrying harmonics that spoke of the Five-Tails' influence on his vocal cords.
His scarlet eyes, now bearing the distinctive characteristics of his tailed beast, fixed on Deidara with unwavering intensity. The gaze was predatory but controlled, suggesting that Han retained enough of his human consciousness to make strategic decisions despite his transformation.
"You are a traitor to Iwagakure," he continued, each word carrying the weight of absolute judgment. "I will bring you back to the village and hand you over to Lord Tsuchikage for punishment."
The declaration revealed as much about Han's character as it did about his tactical priorities. Even in his enhanced state, even facing opponents who had demonstrated the ability to threaten his life, his first instinct was to capture rather than kill. It was the response of someone who still believed in justice and due process, even in the midst of deadly combat.
Seeing the dramatic changes in Han's appearance and capabilities, Deidara's expression shifted to one of recognition mixed with concern. His visible eye narrowed as he processed the implications of what he was witnessing.
"The Tailed Beast Transformation," he murmured, his voice carrying a note of understanding. "That technique was probably taught to him by that guy Rōshi."
The connection was logical once he considered it. As the previous jinchūriki of Iwagakure, Rōshi had possessed decades of experience in managing and controlling tailed beast power. Although there had been constant political disputes between the Four-Tails' host and Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki—conflicts that had twice resulted in Rōshi leaving the village entirely—the former jinchūriki had apparently shared his hard-won knowledge with his successor before his departure.
Han's ability to manipulate steam at will was clearly a direct result of this training, representing not just raw power but sophisticated technique that had been refined through generations of experience. However, when Deidara had originally defected from Iwagakure, Han had not yet demonstrated these advanced capabilities.
The fact that such abilities were absent from the intelligence reports suggested that Han had deliberately concealed the full extent of his powers, maintaining strategic deception that could provide crucial advantages in exactly the kind of situation they now faced.
"No wonder old man Ōnoki lets you come and go as you please," Deidara observed with grudging respect for both Han's abilities and his political position within Iwagakure.
His tone shifted to one of mocking challenge as he continued. "Want to catch me? You should worry about yourself first."
"Interesting."
The voice that interrupted their exchange came from an unexpected source. Sasori, who had been launched across the battlefield by Han's devastating attack, was somehow speaking despite the fact that his physical form had been shattered by the impact.
Han's attention immediately shifted toward the source of the voice, his enhanced senses trying to locate the puppet master among the debris and scattered iron sand. What he found there made him realize that he had been underestimating the true nature of his opponents.
"A human puppet? It's really troublesome to deal with," Han muttered, his expression growing more serious as he processed the implications.
Ever since the Akatsuki organization's failed assault on Konoha several years earlier, Fourth Hokage Minato had shared detailed intelligence about the enemy with all allied villages. The information had included comprehensive data about Sasori's transformation into a human puppet, making it common knowledge among high-ranking ninja throughout the elemental nations.
What Han hadn't expected was the sheer durability that the puppet body provided. His near-full-strength attack, delivered while in partial tailed beast transformation, should have been sufficient to completely destroy any conventional opponent. The fact that Sasori had survived, even in reduced form, spoke to engineering capabilities that went far beyond ordinary puppet craftsmanship.
The figure that now stared back at him consisted of little more than a head and a few essential components, but those beautiful, emotionless eyes showed no sign of concern or distress. For Sasori, losing his body was apparently nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Bang!
As Han watched, the shattered remains of Sasori's puppet body began to move with purpose. Hidden within the wreckage, a scroll unfolded automatically, revealing prepared sealing formulas that had been designed to activate in exactly this kind of emergency situation.
"Deidara!" Sasori called out, his voice carrying urgent instruction.
"Understood," Deidara responded with a grin that suggested he had been anticipating this development.
Rather than targeting Han with his next explosive, the blonde missing-nin hurled his clay creation toward Sasori's position. The detonation that followed was carefully controlled, designed to provide concealment rather than destruction, creating a wall of flame and smoke that completely obscured the area where the puppet master was located.
Han didn't understand the tactical purpose behind Deidara's seemingly counterproductive action, but his combat instincts drove him to advance toward Sasori's position almost immediately. His movement was noticeably slower than his earlier burst of speed, however—a limitation that his opponents were quick to notice and exploit.
Whoosh!
From within the concealing flames, Sasori emerged in his true form, stepping onto steel cables that allowed him to soar through the air with the grace of a master acrobat. His expression was one of cold satisfaction as he gazed down at Han with the superiority of someone who had successfully implemented a complex strategy.
"Even if you can evaporate the toxins in your body," Sasori observed with clinical precision, "the poisons that have already invaded your organs and bloodstream cannot be eliminated through such crude methods."
The statement was delivered with the confident authority of someone who had spent decades studying the interaction between human physiology and chemical agents. Sasori had immediately identified the fundamental limitation of Han's detoxification technique—while steam could neutralize surface contaminants, it was powerless against substances that had already been absorbed into vital systems.
"What troublesome opponents!" Han exclaimed, his voice carrying genuine shock as he felt the truth of Sasori's analysis in his own body. "Did Konoha really face an attack from people like this?"
Just as the puppet master had predicted, the poison was still working its way through Han's circulatory system, gradually paralyzing his nervous system and disrupting his motor functions. Although he had managed to evaporate the external toxins through steam application, the substances that had already entered his bloodstream continued their deadly work.
His forced transformation into partial tailed beast form was providing some resistance to the chemical assault, but it was a temporary measure at best. The enhanced state was already putting tremendous strain on his body, and he couldn't maintain it indefinitely while simultaneously fighting off systemic poisoning.
It was only at this moment that Han fully understood and believed the warnings that Fourth Hokage Minato had shared with Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki years earlier. The Akatsuki organization wasn't simply a collection of missing-nin seeking profit or revenge—they were a coordinated force of specialists whose individual capabilities were terrifying enough to threaten entire villages.
The realization was accompanied by a deeper understanding of Konoha's current power and resilience. If the Akatsuki organization were to launch a coordinated assault against Iwagakure using the same methods they had employed against the Leaf Village, the Hidden Stone would likely be completely destroyed within a matter of hours.
"With this body, it's impossible to escape from these two," Han acknowledged with the grim acceptance of someone who understood that his options had been systematically eliminated.
His strategic mind, still functioning despite the chemical assault on his system, quickly assessed his remaining possibilities. Flight was no longer viable—the poison was already slowing his reflexes and limiting his mobility. Prolonged combat would only accelerate his deterioration as the toxins continued to spread through his vital organs.
"The only option now is to defeat them before the poison completely paralyzes me!" he concluded, his voice carrying the desperate determination of someone who had run out of alternatives.
His scarlet eyes began to glow more intensely as he prepared to stake everything on a final, overwhelming assault. A low growl emerged from his throat, carrying harmonics that seemed to resonate with primal forces beyond human understanding.
"Kokuō, lend me your power!" he called upon his tailed beast with the formal respect that marked their partnership as more than mere host and prisoner.
BANG!
The response was immediate and spectacular. Red chakra erupted from Han's body like a volcanic explosion, the energy so intense that it created pressure waves that disturbed the very air around him. The chakra gradually took on more structured forms, condensing into five distinct tails that emerged from his back with serpentine grace.
At the same time, white steam began to pour from his mouth and nostrils, carrying with it traces of purple that marked his body's ongoing battle against the chemical assault. The steam wasn't just a byproduct of his transformation—it was actively working to burn away the remaining toxins in his respiratory and digestive systems.
"Are you going to fight to the death?" Sasori observed, his voice carrying a mixture of professional interest and genuine respect for his opponent's determination.
His analytical gaze took in every detail of Han's enhanced state, cataloguing the visible changes and estimating the power levels involved. The jinchūriki was now operating at maximum capacity, drawing on both his own chakra reserves and the vast energy of the Five-Tails to create a combination that represented genuine danger even to opponents of Akatsuki caliber.
Under the protection of the tailed beast chakra cloak, Han was using his steam techniques to gradually burn away small amounts of toxin from his internal organs. The process was obviously painful and taxing, but it was buying him precious time to mount one final offensive.
"Facing such a brutal opponent, I feel somewhat sorry for my collection," Sasori murmured with the detached regret of an artist who was about to employ methods that would damage his carefully preserved works.
Han's expertise in steam-enhanced physical combat made him a uniquely challenging opponent for conventional puppet techniques. The superheated vapor that surrounded him would quickly destroy ordinary materials, while his enhanced strength and speed could overwhelm even the most sophisticated mechanical constructs.
Against such an enemy, standard puppets would indeed appear pathetically vulnerable. The situation demanded a response that matched the scale of the threat—something that would demonstrate why Sasori was considered the greatest puppet master in history.
He chuckled softly, then reached behind him to produce a scroll that was markedly different from the storage devices he had used earlier. This one was larger and more ornate, marked with sealing formulas that spoke of contents too dangerous for casual deployment.
The scroll was divided into red and white sections, each one pulsing with contained chakra that made the air around it shimmer with potential energy. When Sasori unrolled the parchment with deliberate ceremony, the effect was immediate and awe-inspiring.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Chakra threads began extending from each of Sasori's ten fingers, but these weren't the simple control lines he had been using for the Third Kazekage puppet. These threads were thicker, more complex, and designed to handle vastly greater amounts of information and control input.
Nine puppets began to emerge from the scroll, each one a masterpiece of engineering and artistry that represented decades of accumulated skill and knowledge. The constructs were immediately recognizable as human puppets, but their craftsmanship surpassed anything that had been seen before in the history of puppetry.
A tenth chakra thread reached down to retrieve the Third Kazekage puppet from its position below, bringing the total collection to an even ten figures that arranged themselves around Sasori with perfect symmetry.
"Isn't this the Performance of a Hundred Puppets?" Han asked, his voice carrying confusion despite his weakened state.
His remaining consciousness was struggling to process what he was seeing. The legendary technique that had made Sasori famous involved controlling hundreds of puppets simultaneously, not the mere ten that currently surrounded him. The discrepancy suggested either that his opponent was holding back, or that something fundamentally different was taking place.
"Is this what Sasori-senpai was referring to as his new art?" Deidara wondered aloud, his visible eye wide with anticipation.
As Sasori's partner, he was aware that the puppet master had been working on new techniques and expanding his collection, but he had never witnessed their actual deployment in combat. The level of craftsmanship and chakra density emanating from the assembled puppets was unlike anything he had encountered before.
These were clearly the strongest group of puppets in the entire history of puppetry, surpassing even the legendary Chikamatsu Ten that had been created by the art's founder, Monzaemon.
"Everyone claims that the strongest puppet collection in the world is Monzaemon's Chikamatsu Ten," Sasori began, his voice taking on the passionate intensity that he reserved for discussions of his art.
His beautiful features were transformed by genuine enthusiasm as he prepared to demonstrate the culmination of his life's work. The cold, analytical demeanor that had characterized his approach to the battle was replaced by the fervor of a true artist about to unveil his masterpiece.
"That's ancient history," he declared with absolute conviction.
His eyes suddenly blazed with the kind of fanatical enthusiasm that bordered on madness, the expression of someone whose dedication to his craft had transcended normal human limitations.
"Now I am the strongest!" he proclaimed, his voice carrying across the battlefield with ringing certainty.
"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!"
The declaration marked the beginning of what would undoubtedly be one of the most spectacular displays of puppet mastery ever witnessed. The ten figures that surrounded Sasori represented not just individual weapons, but components of a coordinated system whose combined capabilities would test the limits of even a tailed beast's power.
The final phase of the battle for the Five-Tails was about to begin, and the outcome would determine not just the fate of the participants, but the future balance of power in the ongoing conflict between the Akatsuki organization and the hidden villages of the ninja world.