Just when Sasori thought victory was already in his grasp, what happened next completely wiped the smile from his face.
Takeshi paid no mind to his chakra consumption and launched a second, third, even a fourth wave of attacks.
One after another, massive Ice Circles roared toward the Iron Sand.
Under the relentless bombardment of ice, the once-unchecked advance of the Iron Sand was halted, and the spray of frozen shards caused the Third Kazekage's puppet to lose its sense of direction.
It was only then that Sasori realized Takeshi's earlier Great Exploding Water Wave had been cast for this very moment.
The rushing water beneath their feet had completely frozen into solid ice, and under Takeshi's control, it became his most formidable weapon.
What made it even harder for Sasori to accept was that he was gradually losing control over the Third Kazekage.
He had no choice—he had to recall the Iron Sand.
With a grim look in his eyes, Sasori was forced to dispel the Iron Sand jutsu from his frost-covered puppet, reforming the sand into a massive conical spear.
"Ice Release: Ice Age!"
This was exactly the moment Takeshi had been waiting for.
An enormous cage of ice surged upward, wrapping around the conical Iron Sand, sealing it into a massive frozen sphere.
"Sealing Technique: Ice Coffin Seal!"
Before Sasori could even process what was happening, Takeshi slipped into the ice and carved sealing formulas across the frozen orb.
Whether it was the Third Kazekage or the Fourth, both who wielded Magnet Release shared the same flaw—if they lost their prepared Iron Sand or Gold Dust, they would be forced to extract it again from the environment.
In other words, they would temporarily lose their offensive capability.
"Damn it."
Feeling his puppet lose control over the Iron Sand, Sasori immediately realized Takeshi's true intent. He quickly recalled the Third Kazekage puppet back into its scroll.
That was his proudest masterpiece—it must not be destroyed by this brat before him.
With a dark expression, Sasori pulled out another scroll, summoning ten additional human puppets.
Fudō tried to rush in to help, but Akimichi Shitō and Tobitake Tonbo immediately intercepted him.
Only ten puppets—that meant Sasori had yet to fully complete his body modifications.
Seeing the flesh still clinging to Sasori's arms, Takeshi drew Flying Thunder God kunai from his pouch and scattered them around in plain sight.
[Flying Thunder God—he can teleport instantly to wherever those kunai land.]
Recalling the intel on Flying Thunder God, Sasori first sent two puppets forward to attack.
Two blade-wielding puppets screeched as their joints locked into place, charging at Takeshi. In response, Takeshi inhaled sharply, then spat out several razor-sharp wind blades:
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave Barrage!"
Sasori yanked his arm, pulling a third puppet in front with its Light Shield Defense to block the attack.
The first wave barely held. The second sliced one puppet clean in half.
The third and fourth blades shot straight toward Sasori himself, forcing him to retreat rapidly to avoid being cleaved down.
Even while dodging, Sasori never stopped manipulating his puppets. One puppet slipped into Takeshi's blind spot and opened its mouth wide, unleashing a massive fireball.
At the same time, the first two puppets pressed Takeshi at close range.
Trapped on three sides, Takeshi pressed his hands together. Ice surged from beneath his feet, encasing him completely, causing Sasori's attacks to strike empty air.
By the time Sasori commanded his Wind Release puppet to shatter the ice shell, Takeshi's figure was already gone.
"Not good—the Flying Thunder God kunai from earlier!"
Realization hit Sasori. He quickly hooked his pinky finger, pulling the nearest puppet back to shield himself.
"Hatake Style!"
The S-shaped trajectory slashed through the chakra threads controlling the puppet, while the blade simultaneously cut across Sasori's chest.
"Damned Shimura Takeshi!"
Sasori coughed up a mouthful of blood but forced himself to reconnect his chakra threads. He manipulated his puppet, triggering the explosive tags embedded across its body.
"Boom!"
The explosion thundered as Sasori's body was blasted backward in smoke and flames. Takeshi flickered away to safety with Flying Thunder God.
"Bu-ga! You fool, Shimura Takeshi! This was my escape route all along!"
Rolling across the ground in smoke, Sasori ignored the pain coursing through his body. He summoned another puppet, which slung him onto its back and began carrying him away.
"Nani?"
Takeshi noticed immediately. As the distance between them grew, he slammed his hands together, unleashing one of his strongest jutsu without hesitation.
"Sage Art: Ice Release—Wind Spirit!"
...
With the wheels embedded in its heels, Takeshi's Wind Spirit slid at tremendous speed, quickly catching up to the puppet clumsily running on two legs.
"Nani?"
Now it was Sasori's turn to be shocked.
That towering giant behind him, glowing with strange, radiant light—what the hell was it?!
And yet, to Sasori's disbelief, he felt something indescribably beautiful emanating from the colossal construct.
A work of art… this was a work of art!
As that thought filled him, Sasori watched helplessly as the Wind Spirit's colossal fist came crashing down.
"Is he dead?"
When the smoke cleared, Takeshi leapt down from the Wind Spirit, scanning for Sasori's body.
...
"Damn, he's still alive?"
Before long, Takeshi found Sasori amidst the wreckage, barely clinging to life, surrounded by the shattered remains of countless puppets.
In the final moment, Sasori had thrown out every scroll he carried, using his puppets as a buffer to survive the crushing blow.
Elsewhere, Fudō, having witnessed Sasori getting smashed, panicked at the thought of sharing his fate. He immediately performed his jutsu.
The ground beneath softened into quicksand, pulling both Akimichi Shitō and Tobitake Tonbo down as the spinning soil generated suction, trapping them in place.
"Damn it—Expansion Jutsu!"
Swelling his body to massive size, Akimichi Shitō resisted the suction of the earth, and after hauling Tobitake Tonbo free, Fudō had already slipped away, dragging his battered body to escape.
"Enough. Don't chase him."
Just as Tobitake Tonbo was about to give pursuit, Shitō held him back.
Their opponent's strength far surpassed that of an ordinary jōnin. Even heavily wounded, he could fight the two of them to a standstill. Without Takeshi's aid, it was impossible to detain him.
"Let's check on Captain Takeshi first."
When they reached Takeshi, they found him tending to Sasori's injuries.
"I've already applied a sealing technique and a binding curse mark. Tonbo, prepare yourself—see if you can extract his memories."
After stabilizing Sasori with basic treatment, Takeshi stepped aside, allowing Tobitake Tonbo to attempt a memory read, hoping to uncover useful information.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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