Facing Kakuzu's money-grubbing nature, Kabuto didn't care in the slightest. After all, for him, money was something he could just ask Uchiha Makito or Zetsu for.
Still, Kakuzu was indeed important to him—he was a money-maker, after all.
For the sake of future research funds, Kabuto stepped in directly.
"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!"
Kabuto thrust his right hand forward. Amid a series of cracking sounds, his arm began to transform. In the blink of an eye, the entire arm had turned into something resembling a circular ring.
Visible chakra flowed across its surface.
This was a modification Kabuto had made to himself based on the puppet techniques left behind by Sasori.
Immediately after, he pulled out a scroll with his other hand and unfurled it. A continuous stream of puppets poured out from within.
These puppets wore crimson outer robes, each shaped in bizarre and varied forms. Even the weapons in their hands were all different.
It was a scene of complete chaos, like demons dancing wildly.
"Hm? Puppets?"
"That shouldn't be right. Isn't that bastard Sasori serving as Orochimaru's experimental material?"
"Where did this puppet master come from?"
Gekko Chizan, who had been gathering natural energy, had been observing the battlefield the entire time.
Suddenly seeing a large number of puppets appear, his eyes widened in shock. He couldn't understand it. He couldn't make sense of it.
Red Sand Sasori was already practically out of the picture—so how did another puppet user suddenly show up?
And that… was that the Third Kazekage?
Sand Iron filled the sky, gradually condensing into various geometric shapes before smashing toward Urokohane in the air.
"Where did this Sand Iron come from?"
"And it's poisonous too…"
"Tch!"
As a snake, Urokohane was extremely sensitive to toxins. Her senjutsu energy wasn't for show either—at a glance, she could tell the thing blocking her was filled with deadly poison.
Unfortunately, this kind of attack didn't do much against her.
Although her flight wasn't ordinary flying and lacked quite a bit of maneuverability, she had trained for countless years. The abundant chakra within her allowed her to evade midair with ease.
At the same time, a trace of displeasure flashed in her eyes. For all these years, she had dominated Ryūchi Cave as the eldest sister. Other than the Three Snake Princesses, who dared strike at her?
"Scale Strike!"
With an angry shout, more of her scales transformed into streaks of light and shot downward. The sheer force of them even suppressed the Sand Iron from before.
This move caused a flicker of shock to flash through Kabuto's eyes.
"So easily neutralized my Sand Iron?"
"No wonder they're wary of her."
"Too bad—that still doesn't impress me!"
"Go—my puppet army!"
The puppets launched a full-scale assault. At the same time, the Sand Iron in the air transformed again, turning into countless sharp spikes that shot toward Urokohane once more.
Controlling both fronts of battle simultaneously was nothing to Kabuto.
With Kabuto joining the fray, Kakuzu's situation improved slightly.
After all, although Jinlin was powerful, she couldn't ignore a swarm of puppets clinging to her. These puppets were like old farmers breaking new ground, hammering away at her body with their weapons.
"So annoying!"
"Yamoryū, Kurohebi, stop watching the show!"
Jinlin already had a short temper. Being repeatedly thwarted made her grow irritable.
Kurohebi chuckled from the back but still joined the fight.
The poison she spat out transformed into long green serpents that slithered toward the puppets.
These toxins possessed extreme corrosive properties.
With just the slightest touch, a puppet would be corroded into a puddle of green sludge.
As for Yamoryū's attack, it was simple and unadorned—she simply swung her tail.
Wave after wave of sound blasts slammed into the puppets, instantly reducing these ordinary constructs to piles of fragments.
"Tch, damn snakes!"
At that moment, Kabuto suddenly thought of his former teacher, Red Sand Sasori—the man who despised snakes to the extreme.
Now he felt like he understood a little.
If they were this kind of snake, then yes—they were truly infuriating!
"You damned puppet brat, stop holding back!"
"Composite Ninjutsu! Pressure Damage! Intelligent Hard Work!"
Kakuzu's sea of flames once again engulfed the entire battlefield. At the same time, he roared at Kabuto, because he had just noticed that this damn kid had actually been spacing out at a time like this!
It infuriated the veteran to no end.
Startled by Kakuzu's shout, Kabuto snapped back to his senses. He tore off his upper garment in one motion, revealing a body that had undergone modification. Then he pulled out another scroll and slammed it against his chest.
"Don't remind me!"
Kabuto raised his other hand. From his palm, something like a cannon barrel extended outward. The next second, fierce flames gushed forth from it.
The power was astonishing—it shot straight past Kakuzu in front of him and slammed heavily into Jinlin's body.
"I'll tear you apart!"
Being suddenly roasted by fire—though the damage wasn't great—the humiliation was immense.
Jinlin instantly went berserk.
"Jinlin! Snap out of it!"
"Soundwave Strike."
Just as Jinlin was about to completely lose control, a cold voice suddenly rang out.
The next moment, a visible soundwave struck Jinlin on the head, pulling her back from the brink of frenzy.
"Tch! Yamoryū, can you not be so rough next time!"
"I won't go berserk!"
Yamoryū didn't believe her. Among the four sisters, Jinlin was the most prone to losing control.
She had already shown signs of it just now—that was why Yamoryū had decisively intervened. On a battlefield like this, going berserk brought nothing but harm.
"Oh, give me a break. Don't you know what you're like?"
Kurohebi moved to Jinlin's side. After mocking her, she unleashed her power.
A large amount of poison spewed from her mouth, quickly forming into a massive python the same size as herself.
Composed entirely of lethal venom, it took her place and began attacking.
Gekko Chizan also recognized the identity of the puppet master.
"I didn't expect it to be this guy."
"I thought history had already changed—I thought I'd never get the chance to see him."
"Is this the world's corrective force? It just had to push him onto the big stage?"
Looking at Kabuto's body, already transformed into a puppet, Gekko Chizan felt just how powerful this world's corrective force truly was.
Wasn't this guy originally supposed to be following Orochimaru doing research?
And now? He'd switched careers with Red Sand Sasori to play with puppets???
What kind of development was this?
"Tagitsuhime, are you done?"
"The main act is about to appear!"
Through his insect eyes, Gekko Chizan had already spotted two figures emerging in the distance—no, not two. One person and a whole group.
It was Uchiha Makito and Nagato.
Seeing that the island had completely turned into a battlefield, a trace of impatience flashed through their eyes.
"I haven't even stepped onto the stage yet, and you think a bunch of snakes can cause trouble?"
"Gekko Chizan, you're too arrogant!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"