Swish!
A scroll unfurled, covered in mysterious sealing scripts—clearly one of Sasori of the Red Sand's trump cards. The moment he activated it, Sasori's aura shifted, and even his fighting style against Kongou changed drastically.
The damaged puppets that Kongou hadn't already smashed beyond repair? Sasori abandoned them. He no longer relied on low-grade puppets.
Aoyama narrowed his eyes with interest.
"So it's coming out, huh? The legendary strongest Kazekage. They say the Third Kazekage, with his Magnet Release: Iron Sand, once ruled the battlefield. No one in the shinobi world dared underestimate Sunagakure back then. His power alone elevated the might of an entire village."
Beside him, Little Godzilla let out a hungry roar, clearly asking if it could eat whatever was about to appear. Still being in its growth stage, food was always its first concern.
Aoyama firmly shook his head.
"No way. That thing's been dead for who knows how many years. There's no meat left—just painted wood. You bite into that, and you'll wreck your stomach."
"Raaawr!"
Little Godzilla groaned in frustration, looking both helpless and aggrieved. Why was it always so hard to find something to eat?
"Summoning!"
The Third Kazekage puppet—Sasori's greatest masterpiece—appeared. Normally sealed away inside a summoning scroll, it was reserved only for fights where Sasori was forced to go all-out.
Now, with Kongou pressuring him so relentlessly, Sasori had no choice but to bring it out.
The kind of puppets that could "conquer nations" by sheer numbers? Those were just disposable. His true weapon was this: the human puppet crafted from the strongest Kazekage in history.
"Raaawr!"
Kongou pounded its chest and roared at the puppet, full of challenge and defiance.
The youthful Sasori, standing at a safe distance, flicked out chakra threads from his fingers, binding them to the Third Kazekage puppet. He sneered:
"Now, it's my turn to demonstrate true art. Even if they're from the so-called Three Great Summoning Realms, against the might of the strongest Kazekage in history, these beasts will be shredded by Iron Sand!"
"Magnet Release Secret Technique: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
From the puppet's sleeves poured an endless storm of black iron sand, rattling like machine-gun fire as it shot toward Kongou.
Aoyama's face hardened. He grabbed Little Godzilla and hurled it in front of Kongou, shouting:
"Go! I'm counting on you!"
Little Godzilla hunched over, exposing its armored back to shield Kongou from the iron barrage.
Kongou roared in fury, smashed the ground, lifted a massive boulder, and hurled it at the Kazekage puppet.
But the black sand quickly formed into three giant blades, slicing the boulder apart midair. The puppet then rose into the sky, hands flashing through seals as more iron gathered into a massive triangular prism.
"Magnet Release Secret Technique: Iron Sand Triangle Pyramid!"
The colossal construct surged forward, crashing down toward Kongou and Little Godzilla.
Aoyama grimaced. Something that huge—if it connects, it'll crush anything beneath it. I'll have to smash it head-on.
"Gate of Opening… third gate, Open!"
The chakra of the Eight Gates flared to life around him, flames bursting from his body as his aura skyrocketed to a level that felt almost tailed-beast-like. Just his presence alone radiated terrifying power.
But before he could act, Little Godzilla let out two determined roars, signaling Aoyama not to interfere.
Looking at the serious expression on the little kaiju's face, and then at Kongou, Aoyama exhaled and nodded.
"…Alright. I'll leave it to you two."
Both Kongou and Godzilla had their pride. These monsters were champions of their worlds. Neither would accept help, even when facing overwhelming danger. To them, fighting with dignity mattered more than anything.
Sasori barked coldly:
"They're just mere summons! Did you think beasts could withstand the might of the strongest Kazekage?!"
But Little Godzilla proved otherwise. Its dinosaur-like body braced against the massive iron pyramid, small foreclaws gripping it tightly.
The crushing weight drove the kaiju backward, gouging trenches into the earth as its feet sank deep into the ground. Even so, it refused to yield.
Kongou leapt in, hammering its fists against the iron prism. Its knuckles stung, but the effort weakened the crushing force significantly, allowing Godzilla to finally stabilize.
Sasori's eyes widened in disbelief. What kind of insane wilderness could produce such monstrous creatures?
His gaze darkened with killing intent.
"If you love fighting so much… then let's see how long you last. Try enduring my Iron Sand World Method!"
Aoyama twitched an eyebrow.
"…Why's he yelling at me? Kongou's the one punching his pyramid."
Meanwhile, Little Godzilla growled and tried to hurl the giant prism back. But just as it lifted it, an unseen force seized the construct, levitating it upward toward the Kazekage puppet's altitude.
Kongou tried leaping up to smash it, but fell short again and again, growing increasingly frustrated.
Sasori's fingers danced as the puppet began another set of seals—preparing its strongest attack.
Hidden in the trees, Obito, watching with his mask on, muttered:
"That's enough. Don't let them kill each other."
Zetsu nodded.
"Understood. I'll stop Sasori."
"Good. I'll leave this to you. The show in Kirigakure is reaching its climax—I can't afford to miss it."
With that, Obito vanished silently into the Kamui space, leaving only Zetsu aware that he'd even been present.
Seeing Sasori about to unleash his technique, Zetsu emerged a short distance behind him and said flatly:
"That's enough. The assessment mission is over."
"What did you say?"
Sasori's voice dripped with killing intent. He hated being interrupted.
His eyes flicked between Kongou, Godzilla, and Aoyama, still burning with the energy of the Eight Gates. He turned back toward Zetsu and hissed:
"Missions follow my mood. Right now, I want them dead. And you're telling me it's over? Are you looking to die?"
Zetsu remained calm.
"The leader ordered you only to test him, not to kill him. Kakuzu has already been defeated. You were forced to bring out your ultimate trump card against his summons. That's more than enough to prove his strength.
The target has shown power sufficient to join the organization. Surely, you can't dispute that."
Little Godzilla suddenly growled, pointing a claw toward Zetsu as if asking Aoyama for permission:
"Raaawr! Raaawr!"
Aoyama waved his hands quickly.
No, no! That thing doesn't look healthy at all. Black and white like that? Looks like it's overdosed on steroids. Not edible.