Even among the Akatsuki, Sasori had never encountered someone as abnormal as Shigure.
To cultivate a single type of ninjutsu to such an extreme level was already rare beyond measure.
Yet Shigure's mastery of Water Release alone was enough to leave him feeling completely outmatched.
And that wasn't even the most terrifying part.
Shigure was also a Jinchūriki—one who could freely control the power of three Tailed Beasts.
"No wonder he's known as the strongest Mizukage in history…"
Sasori stared at Shigure, his voice heavy.
"He truly is terrifying."
In the next instant, Shigure's body dissolved into countless streams of water.
They shot across the air like flowing threads, landing effortlessly atop the ice arena. In the blink of an eye, Shigure reformed on the frozen surface.
He casually rolled his neck, then waved toward Sasori.
"Come on," he said lazily. "It's starting."
Sasori's mouth twitched.
Does he really think everyone is like him?
Even if Sasori jumped with all his strength, there was no way he could cross nearly a hundred meters and land safely on the ice arena.
That distance was far beyond the limits of normal shinobi movement.
At best, he would need to descend first and take a boat to reach the battlefield.
Just as Sasori was about to move—
"So troublesome," Shigure said impatiently.
"You can't even cross such a short distance?"
As he spoke, a surge of water burst forth, instantly coiling around Sasori's body.
Before Sasori could react, he was hurled through the air in a perfect arc—
—and slammed heavily onto the ice arena.
From the island, Gaara opened his mouth as if to say something, then stopped.
The battle hadn't even begun.
And Shigure hadn't used Water Release to attack Sasori—only to move him.
By his own words, that didn't violate the agreement at all.
"Let's begin."
Shigure looked down at Sasori, who was still lying on the ice.
"I'll let you make the first move. Otherwise, you probably won't even get the chance."
Sasori slowly lifted his head, meeting Shigure's gaze.
That faint smile…
He was almost certain now.
He did this on purpose.
The black cloak he wore wasn't ordinary fabric—it was formed from Magnet Release sand, designed to carry and store additional sand at all times.
Others might not notice.
But Shigure definitely could.
And sand—whether ordinary sand, Magnet Release sand, or gold dust—had a fatal weakness.
Water.
Once soaked, sand became heavier and sticky, making separation and control far more difficult.
That alone would drastically increase the burden on his chakra control.
"Did Lord Mizukage do that intentionally?" Sasori asked coldly.
Shigure laughed.
"Intentionally? What do you mean?"
"Deliberately using Water Release against me."
"That was just to bring you onto the arena," Shigure replied calmly.
Sasori stared at him.
"Did you really have to use Water Release?"
"Of course not," Shigure said, laughing.
"I could've used Fire Release instead."
"But by the time you made it onto the stage, you'd probably be missing a few pieces."
Sasori fell silent.
Thinking about it carefully… it was true.
Fire Release, Lightning Release, Wind Release, Earth Release—none of them could have brought him onto the battlefield without causing serious damage.
Only Water Release allowed him to arrive intact.
Perhaps…
Shigure really had acted on a whim.
If that was the case, this battle was even more hopeless than he had imagined.
"Feeling uncomfortable because your sand got wet?" Shigure asked casually.
"That's easy to fix."
He raised one hand and formed a single hand seal.
Then he inhaled deeply.
Fire Release — Great Fireball Technique!
A terrifying sea of flames erupted forth.
In that instant—
Sasori's vision was swallowed completely by fire.
What kind of monstrous Fire Release was this, to be unleashed so casually?
And at such terrifying speed?
Crack!
Bang!
Boom—boom—boom—boom!
The raging flames spread wildly, engulfing the entire ice arena.
Under that overwhelming heat, it felt as though everything touched by the fire would melt in an instant.
From the island, Tsunade and Gaara both stared in shock.
Shikaku spoke slowly, his voice heavy.
"It seems Shigure's other ninjutsu are just as terrifying as his Water Release."
This wasn't a specialist limited to a single element.
Shigure had mastered all Five Nature Transformations.
And his proficiency in the others was clearly not far behind his Water Release.
Against such a shinobi—
Sasori had no room to retaliate at all.
After Shikaku finished speaking, the raging flames gradually dissipated.
What shocked everyone, however, was the battlefield itself.
The ice arena beneath them showed no signs of melting at all.
Not even cracks.
"No way…!"
Kankurō stared in disbelief. "The ice wasn't affected at all?!"
He couldn't understand it.
At this moment, Gaara frowned slightly.
"If a shinobi's chakra control is precise enough, different jutsu won't interfere with each other."
"That's only the theory," Shikaku continued calmly.
"In reality, achieving that level of control is extraordinarily difficult. Even elite medical-nin—masters of chakra control—would struggle to do so under ninjutsu of this scale."
The more this happened, the more terrifying Shigure appeared to everyone present.
At that moment, Sasori stepped onto Magnet Release sand, lifting himself into the air and narrowly avoiding the aftermath of the previous attack.
But Shigure didn't even look up.
He lowered his head slightly and began forming hand seals.
Lightning burst violently from his palms, crackling and surging outward.
Shigure smiled faintly.
"You dodged the flames… but can you dodge lightning?"
Lightning Release — False Darkness!
A blinding surge of lightning erupted, tearing through the air.
In the blink of an eye, it reached Sasori.
The Lightning Release struck him head-on.
Thunder exploded across the sky, lightning raging wildly as Sasori stared at Shigure in disbelief, fear flashing in his eyes.
Terrifying Water Release.
Overwhelming Fire Release.
And now even Lightning Release—used so casually, yet with devastating power.
Has he… mastered all Five Nature Transformations?
Sasori had prepared everything.
He planned to rely on the Third Kazekage's body to control Magnet Release while simultaneously unleashing his specialized puppets.
He wanted Shigure to witness the pinnacle of puppet techniques of this era.
Yet before he could even launch a proper counterattack, Shigure's relentless assault had already pushed him to the brink.
Boom!
The Third Kazekage puppet suddenly burst apart.
Magnet Release sand exploded outward in all directions, forcibly diverting the lightning and preventing it from dealing fatal damage to Sasori.
At that moment—
"Fire Release."
Shigure's calm voice rang out.
In the next instant, a massive dragon-shaped head of flames roared forth.
Not good!
Sasori hurriedly tried to manipulate the Magnet Release sand, attempting to form a defensive barrier.
But before he could—
Shigure took a deep breath.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Wind Release — Great Breakthrough!"
Wind howled violently.
The flames surged.
Compound Ninjutsu — Scorch Release: Flame Dragon!
The enormous flaming dragon opened its jaws and charged straight toward Sasori.
The terrifying heat caused the Magnet Release sand to melt.
The sight stunned everyone present.
What kind of temperature was required to melt iron so easily?
"This—this—!"
Sasori lost control and fell from the air.
At that moment, Shigure spat out two clumps of earth chakra.
The instant Sasori hit the ground—
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
Two massive earthen walls erupted from the ice on either side of him, slamming inward and crushing down mercilessly.
Sasori was trapped completely.
Unable to move.
Unable to resist.
Even defensive ninjutsu…
Could it really be used like this?
(End of Chapter)
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