"That's true! But I still want to try once more!"
Tenten gritted her teeth and took out a scroll, her tone serious. "This still uses Natsuki's power, but it's better than calling him here in person. Be careful, everyone—I can't fully control it."
Everyone was momentarily stunned, then started to suspect what she meant.
If it was Natsuki's power… Could it be one of his techniques sealed in that scroll?
Tenten gave them the answer soon enough. She opened the scroll slightly and summoned a Water Circular Slash the size of a millstone, aiming directly at Hiruko.
Zzzzz! With a sharp slicing sound, Hiruko's scorpion tail was cleanly severed by the water slash.
"Beautiful!" everyone couldn't help but cheer.
"Geez, Tenten, if you had something like this, why didn't you use it earlier?" Shikamaru couldn't help complaining.
If he had known she had one of Natsuki's jutsu sealed, there would've been no need to call Natsuki at all. They might have been able to hold off these two Akatsuki members until Asuma and Guy arrived.
Sasori was clearly surprised. He examined the cleanly cut edge of his scorpion tail and said, "This Natsuki you speak of—he's the Demon Blade of Konoha who defeated Orochimaru and drove off Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame? It seems his fame is well-earned. Just one sealed technique managed to sever Hiruko's steel tail. I must admit... it's impressive."
His words made everyone even more cautious.
With his tail gone, Sasori would surely unleash something new.
Sure enough, in the next second, Hiruko raised an arm and fired it like a cannon. It landed among the Konoha group and suddenly split open—dozens of poisoned senbon shot out like a rainstorm.
"Hiruko: Arm Senbon Barrage!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The senbon were too fast. Many couldn't react in time—even those who did often couldn't fully dodge and were hit.
Neji instinctively activated Kaiten, deflecting all the senbon and shielding both Tenten and Lee. Shino used his Iron Block technique to tank the hits and remained unharmed. The others relied on their own skills, and fortunately, not many were seriously hit.
Megumi and Sakura rushed in, carrying the injured Ino, Hinata, and Choji to the rear for treatment. The wounds weren't severe—the real threat was the poison.
"Is everyone okay?" Tenten called out anxiously.
"It's just senbon… probably fine," Shikamaru muttered uncertainly.
But soon, Megumi gave a grim diagnosis. "The poison is strong. Sakura and I can only draw out part of it. For full detox, we'll need our teacher's help!"
Now this was serious.
Tenten, Neji, Shino, and Shikamaru all furrowed their brows.
They had thought they could still manage the fight, but this sudden counterattack was far more lethal than expected. Sasori was definitely not to be underestimated.
Tenten blamed herself deeply. "I'm sorry, everyone… It's my fault for trying to act tough. This poison can't be delayed. I'll call Natsuki right now and have him bring the poisoned back to Konoha for Tsunade!"
She quickly took out paper and pen to write a message.
But before she could, Hiruko suddenly removed his faceplate—and launched another barrage of poisoned senbon from his mouth.
Everyone was forced to dodge again.
Luckily, the medics in the rear were far enough away to avoid the attack for now. But this couldn't go on—Tenten couldn't even find time to write the message safely.
Even hiding behind her giant shield didn't guarantee protection.
Yet even as they dodged, Shino spoke. "Tenten, don't blame yourself. You're not the only one trying to be strong… I'm also—"
Neji added, "He's right. This isn't just your burden. In the end, we're still too weak. We always end up needing Natsuki."
Their words brought silence. Everyone's mood sank heavily.
Shikamaru understood the feeling, but now wasn't the time for guilt. "Talk about blame later. We need to find a way to create an opening for Tenten to send the message!"
Shino and Neji exchanged glances, ready to throw themselves forward.
But Tenten suddenly unrolled another scroll. "I'll do it! Since it was my pride that caused this, I'll make one last effort. Let me borrow one more of Natsuki's techniques!"
"Take this—Miniature Vortex Boil Bomb!"
Boom! A fist-sized spiraling water orb shot from the scroll, hurtling toward Hiruko.
Sasori didn't take it seriously at first—just another Water Style jutsu. No way it could damage Hiruko's tough armor.
But when the orb got close, and he saw the intense spiraling motion within it, he sensed danger.
"…Troublesome."
Without hesitation, Sasori activated his emergency eject mechanism to launch his true body away.
BOOM!
Though it was only a "miniature" Vortex Boil Bomb, the force was incredible. The orb exploded into a swirling mass of steaming water, ripping into Hiruko like a whirlpool of death. The surrounding air steamed and hissed violently—as if it could cook a person instantly.
Tenten quickly yelled for everyone to retreat before they were caught in the blast.
Luckily, it was a small-scale version. Had it been a full-size Vortex Boil Bomb, being this close would've been fatal for everyone.
Back when Natsuki sealed the technique for her, he'd deliberately made only a few miniature versions—any larger and they'd be too dangerous for Tenten to safely use.
Right now, she couldn't afford to hold back.
Once they were at a safe distance, Tenten hastily wrote the message and sent it off.
She finally exhaled in relief, but when she turned and saw her poisoned comrades, guilt still lingered in her eyes.
When the swirling water finally faded, a large circular crater was left in its wake. Within it lay scattered chunks of Hiruko's armor—clearly, the puppet had been completely destroyed by the attack.
Everyone drew a sharp breath.
Even a miniature Vortex Boil Bomb had destroyed the enemy they struggled to face. Natsuki's strength felt terrifying.
Not far from the crater, Deidara and a red-haired boy sat slumped on the ground, looking dazed. They had been partially caught in the blast and had barely survived.
Deidara muttered with lingering fear, "Sasori-sama… your artwork just turned into scrap…"
Sasori snapped, "Shut up! We're retreating!"
They had no choice.
That twin-bun kunoichi had casually unleashed such a terrifying jutsu—who knows how many more were sealed in that scroll? And from the chatter, it sounded like the Demon Blade of Konoha was already on his way.
Trying to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki now was impossible. Better to retreat than risk being buried here.
Deidara didn't argue. He immediately summoned a clay bird and took off with Sasori in tow.
Everyone watched them flee—and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment, WHOOSH! Natsuki and Sasuke appeared on the battlefield.
Seeing the devastation all around and the exhausted, battered state of the group, both of their faces darkened.
(End of Chapter)
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