At close range, the three puppets all wielded gleaming steel blades, each coated with a layer of purple poison.
Haneda Zaimon truly lived up to his reputation as a Kage-level shinobi.
Faced with Sasori's sudden outburst, he didn't panic in the slightest.
A surge of black sand iron erupted from the ground, transforming into three iron pillars that blocked the puppets' attacks.
The letter Sasori had thrown earlier was also intercepted by the sand iron.
"You raised your hand against your own Kage..."
"Sasori, are you planning to betray the village...?"
Haneda Zaimon's expression darkened, his voice tinged with anger.
A massive amount of sand iron began to rise, turning the office into a cage made entirely of iron sand.
"You! Someone like you isn't fit to be Kazekage!"
"My parents died because of you!"
"Red Secret Technique!"
"Triangle Kill!"
At that moment, Sasori had fully snapped, his hands swinging rapidly.
The three puppets, which had been blocked by the sand iron, simultaneously retreated, then launched a fresh attack.
Countless threads shot out from the elbows of the three puppets, intertwining with each other.
The puppets charged toward Haneda Zaimon, dragging the threads along.
The threads were also coated in poison.
"Hmph! Petty puppet techniques."
"Even Chiyo had no chance of victory against me!"
"Sand Iron World Method!"
Haneda Zaimon raised one hand. Under the control of his Magnet Release, the iron sand transformed into countless sharp spikes. The sheer number and intensity of the attack far exceeded Sasori's expectations.
The three puppets were instantly pierced and pinned in midair.
"Do you see now?"
"Your puppet arts are nothing but child's play before me."
Haneda Zaimon's face was eerily calm, as if Sasori's attack were nothing more than a child's tantrum.
But in the next second, the puppets moved.
Despite being bound by the sand iron, they suddenly launched a barrage of senbon needles, each one coated in purple poison, spraying directly at Haneda Zaimon.
"Poison needles, huh..."
"You puppet users always come up with these little contraptions."
"Too bad... it's still useless!"
Haneda Zaimon took a slight step back, and a large shield of sand iron instantly formed in front of him, blocking all the senbon.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, Sasori panicked and tried to recall his puppets, but they were completely immobilized and couldn't move.
Just then, a masked figure suddenly appeared in the room.
Before Sasori could react.
In the next second, the scene before Sasori's eyes shifted. The office transformed into a vast desert stretching endlessly in every direction.
Before Sasori could voice his surprise, a huge cloud of scale powder slammed into his face, sending him straight into unconsciousness.
"Space-Time Ninjutsu..."
Haneda Zaimon dispersed the sand iron and locked his eyes on the person before him.
"Hehehe... Kazekage-sama, you're quite knowledgeable."
Gekko Chizan chuckled behind his mask as he looked at Haneda Zaimon.
Suddenly, a kunai appeared in his hand, its blade soaked in purple poison.
"Sasori's poison, huh..."
"So the brat actually teamed up with outsiders just to deal with me..."
"Hmph. But you overestimate yourselves. Just the two of you? You think you can take me on?"
"Hmm?"
Before he could finish speaking, Haneda Zaimon noticed that Sasori was already lying motionless on the ground. A trace of confusion flashed through his eyes.
"No... you're not an accomplice Sasori brought."
"Who are you!"
A flood of sand iron surged once again. The desert was filled with iron sand, making it Haneda Zaimon's domain with his Magnet Release.
"Who am I? That question's meaningless."
"What matters is this, Kazekage-sama—today, you may not leave this desert alive."
In the next second, Gekko Chizan vanished from Haneda Zaimon's sight.
He reappeared behind him, kunai laced with deadly poison slashing from the rear.
But Haneda Zaimon was no ordinary opponent. With his rich battle experience and awareness, sand iron instantly rose to shield him.
However, was Gekko Chizan's attack really that simple? Of course not.
Haneda Zaimon suddenly felt a slight numbness in his body.
"Not good!"
In a panic, he commanded the sand iron to form a whirlwind, kicking up a storm of yellow sand and wind.
"You noticed?"
"Just as I guessed."
Along with the kunai attack had come a blast of scale powder.
A thick cloud of it sprayed out, but Haneda Zaimon reacted quickly and mitigated the effects in time.
"Damn..."
"That's your jutsu, huh... powder... a paralyzing agent..."
Even though Haneda Zaimon responded quickly, he still inhaled a small amount of the scale powder.
It was thanks to the natural metallic scent of the sand iron that he noticed something was wrong. For a moment, the iron rust smell was overwhelmed.
Though Chōmei's scale powder was colorless and odorless, in heavy enough concentrations, it could mask other scents.
This allowed Gekko Chizan to identify a minor flaw in the powder's stealth.
"Sand Iron World Method!"
Though half his body was numb, Haneda Zaimon launched a powerful attack.
The sand iron turned into a storm of sharp spikes, raining down toward Gekko Chizan.
"Tsksk, I'm flying!"
Flying Thunder God activated. Gekko Chizan instantly teleported over a kilometer away.
As he put it: you do your attack, I do my escape; once you're done, I'll be back.
"Chōmei! Finish it fast—we can't drag this out!"
"Okay! Tailed Beast Transformation?"
"Yeah!"
Taking advantage of Haneda Zaimon's distraction during his attack, Gekko Chizan went all out—half-Tailed Beast Transformation.
Four tails and a crimson Tailed Beast cloak erupted in an instant.
The terrifying red chakra added an eerie glow to the night.
"Four tails isn't enough? Let's go for five!"
"I can take it!"
Sensing Gekko Chizan's resolve, Chōmei surged with chakra once more.
The fifth tail appeared instantly.
This time, the crimson Tailed Beast cloak began to shift.
Layer upon layer of insect-like armor manifested over his body.
"Chizan, keep your mind clear!"
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing! I'm going in!"
Gekko Chizan let out a fierce roar and charged at Haneda Zaimon at full speed.
With the crimson chakra raging, Haneda Zaimon finally understood who his opponent was.
"Tailed Beast Transformation! You're a Jinchūriki!"
Though surprised, Haneda Zaimon was still a Kage-level shinobi. Even facing a Tailed Beast, he had the strength to fight.
"Ninja Art! Sand Iron Drizzle!"
Countless fine needles formed from the sand iron, shooting toward Gekko Chizan at high velocity.
"Heh! That's nothing!"
Even in Tailed Beast form, he could still talk—another shock to Haneda Zaimon.
The phrase "Perfect Jinchūriki" flashed through his mind.
But Gekko Chizan's attack was already upon him.
The crimson chakra swirled as Gekko Chizan raised his right hand, transforming it into a massive scythe.
The scythe swung down—shattering the sand iron completely.
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