Chapter 356: The Akatsuki on the Other Side of the Battlefield—Byakugan Fusion!
The raging storm that had swept across the entire battlefield finally came to a halt, and the rumbling rock flow in the distance also stopped at that very moment.
Suddenly, everything fell into an eerie silence.
The clouds drifted gently across the sky.
The blazing sun slowly peeked through a gap in the thick clouds, and its rays gradually spread across the scarred and devastated earth, illuminating the collapsed giant of flames lying on the ground—making it look like a god descended upon the world.
However—
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
A continuous barrage of armor-piercing shells was fired in rapid succession.
These were cluster armor-piercing rounds launched from a massive chakra cannon. Though smaller than the earlier round that blew off an entire leg of the Susanoo, they were designed specifically to pierce Susanoo's defenses and deliver a saturation strike on Uchiha Ci, who was protected within!
In an instant—the ground quaked, and a sandstorm erupted!
The seemingly divine Susanoo giant, under the power of technology, was momentarily unable to rise, falling into a disadvantage.
All eyes in Yunming City had now shifted entirely to this battlefield on the northern side of the inner city.
"That giant of light... is that Ci?"
On the eastern inner wall—where a massive breach had been torn open—
The Akatsuki members, who had forcibly broken through the Cloud Hidden defenses and climbed the fifty-meter-high city wall, were stunned as they looked northward.
Mei Terumi's face was full of worry as she bit her lip and looked to the others.
At this point, in order to break through the Cloud Hidden Army's line, Kakuzu had overexerted himself by repeatedly unleashing high-powered jutsu and needed to rest. Hozuki Mangetsu had become unable to continue charging after tanking a shot from the chakra cannon.
Even Mei Terumi herself was exhausted after using Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength to shatter the city wall and collapse a mountain in order to capture a Hyuga clan member, Hyuga Shota, for the team.
The efforts of these three—along with Sasori—had smashed through an opposing force of three thousand soldiers, opening a path into the inner city's core for Yahiko's group and Oyashiro En.
Of the eight-person team, two squads of four continued forward to the Tenshukaku tower to carry out the assassination mission, while the remaining two squads stayed behind, standing by to hold the position and secure a retreat route for those ahead.
Now, seeing Uchiha Ci in a "hard fight" on the northern front, Mei Terumi naturally wanted to rush to his aid.
However—among the members staying behind, aside from Sasori, the others were in no condition for intense combat.
She couldn't help but look to Sasori.
At this moment, the unreadable red-haired young man was leaning against the base of the wall, casually swaying a transparent container. Inside it, a white eye floated in an unknown liquid. Even as the sounds of battle came from the north, his face remained expressionless.
Right...
No one knew what Sasori of the Red Sand was thinking, nor did they have the standing to ask him to do more.
The fact that he had come here, used his skills to clear a path, and eliminated the threat of the chakra cannon—that was already more than enough.
Mei Terumi stared at him, unsure how to speak.
"...Why are you still standing there?"
Just then, Sasori turned his head and gazed at her calmly.
"If you want me to help that brat, why don't you just ask?"
"Is it because he's not important enough to you?"
"No—no, it's not like that!" Mei Terumi was taken aback, her cheeks flushing red.
"I..."
She was so anxious she was almost ready to punch Sasori in the head and bark at him to go save him already—or she'd let him find out what it meant to have his skull used as a water ladle. How could she possibly be as indifferent as Sasori suggested?
"As I thought... still too green," Sasori glanced at her with a smirk.
"What you should be doing now is forcing me—at all costs—to follow your will."
"Not standing there tongue-tied like a child playing house."
"Like that orange-haired brat said, the 'White' ring on your hand symbolizes the White Tiger—majesty and command—it marks you as the one who unites this team."
"This team came for Uchiha Ci, but it was you who bound them together."
"So what are you hesitating for?"
Hearing this, Mei Terumi's face burned like fire. Though she had made up her mind, she was still only twelve, and lacked experience in these crucial moments.
Just as she was about to speak, trying to recover the initiative—
Sasori had already stood up. He opened the glass container in his hand and, with a single hand, pulled out that pristine white eye.
Then—without a word, he drew a syringe filled with a preparation meant for creating human puppets, and stabbed it straight into Hozuki Mangetsu's carotid artery. He then peeled open Mangetsu's hollow left eye socket—the one Uchiha Ci had blinded—and shoved the Byakugan into it with his bare hand!
The entire process was swift and ruthless, catching the others completely off guard!
"If he dies, his body belongs to me."
"If he lives—then follow me immediately!"
"I hate waiting!"
With those words from Sasori—
Whoosh!
He dissolved into a pile of sand right before their eyes, scattering across the wall.
It was the Sand Clone Technique, a standard skill for puppet masters.
The real Sasori was already long gone.
From the moment the chakra cannon fired, and he sensed someone launching an attack simultaneously from another direction, he had realized something was amiss—
And now, on the battlefield...
He was even more eager than Mei Terumi to see Uchiha Ci!
"That guy…"
Mei Terumi stared blankly for a moment, then gritted her teeth, inexplicably filled with a sense of defeat.
She then turned to the limp Hozuki Mangetsu, who had collapsed after using Water Release: Shielded Eboshi.
"How are you feeling?"
Mangetsu looked a bit dazed. The sudden influx of vision from the new left eye overwhelmed the right, forcing him to close his right eye just to see clearly.
Soon, the pain from the forced eye implant faded as the injection Sasori used—seemingly laced with something like adrenaline—surged through his system, invigorating him.
Veins bulged around Mangetsu's left eye as he raised his head in shock.
"That bastard Sasori's already halfway down the wall—looks like he's headed to Uchiha Ci's location."
"He left long ago!"
"And on the northern side…"
"Uchiha Ci…"
Mangetsu's expression suddenly turned strange, a hint of confusion rising on his face.
"What's he doing?"
"Those shells didn't hurt him at all."
"Then why isn't he moving?"
"Wait…"
Mangetsu's eyes widened in sudden realization. His gaze locked onto Uchiha Ci's hand—
Where a mass of lightning was wildly crackling!
"You can see that with the Byakugan!? What's going on over there!?"
Mei Terumi, stunned, grabbed Mangetsu by the collar and dragged him while running eastward, shouting urgently:
"What's happening with Ci!?"
"Uh—" Mangetsu hesitated, then a look of utter shock spread across his face.
"This… this is insane!"
"Water, fire, wind, earth, lightning—all five elements fused and inverted…"
"What the hell kind of jutsu is this!?"