Lock's first instinct was to reject Scorpion's offer. He didn't trust the boy — and everything about that sly grin screamed manipulation.
But after a heartbeat of thought, he changed his mind.
"Fine," Lock said flatly. "We take down the Kazekage first."
The Third Kazekage had already marked him for death — no point holding back now. And if killing a Kage-level opponent boosted his reputation and strength, then offending the Sand Village would just be another problem for later.
Scorpion's lips curved faintly. "A wise choice."
He spoke quickly, his tone calm and calculating. "I'll have my puppets keep him occupied. You strike from the openings. Be careful — his Magnet Release controls sand iron. Once it touches you, you won't live long enough to regret it. Aim for power — light attacks are useless."
Lock shot him a sidelong glare. So that's his plan — I take the risk, he reaps the safety.
He exhaled once, closing his eyes. Fine. If Scorpion wanted to use him as bait, he'd use Scorpion's distraction right back.
"Eight Gates Release Formation — Gate of Opening, open!"
"Gate of Healing, open!"
"Gate of Life, open!"
A surge of green chakra burst from Lock's body. His skin flushed red, his muscles swelled, and a hot wind rippled outward from his stance.
This was his first real use of the Eight Gates — but with his immense physical conditioning, his body could handle the first three gates without tearing itself apart.
Power roared through him like a storm. His fists trembled not from strain, but from exhilaration.
Strength, speed, focus… all doubled. Maybe more.
Scorpion's voice snapped from across the battlefield. "What are you waiting for? Move!"
Lock didn't even bother replying. With a flicker of chakra, he vanished.
"Flash Step!"
The Kazekage barely turned before Lock's fist crashed through the air — smashing aside a wall of iron sand. The next instant, his knuckles slammed against the Kazekage's back, driving the man forward through his own storm of sand.
"Impressive," the Kazekage muttered, twisting midair and halting his spin.
Lock was already on him again — another punch, faster and heavier than before. Each strike forced the sand armor to shudder under impact, the magnetic field around the Kazekage flaring brighter as it struggled to repel the attacks.
Sand iron lashed out like snakes, but Lock's speed now surpassed even their control. He weaved through the black storm, fists leaving shockwaves in his wake.
"What power…"
Even the Kazekage's eyes flickered with surprise. For a brief moment, he acknowledged the strength behind those blows. But something else drew his attention — a subtle, disturbing change in his chakra flow.
Every time Lock's strike connected, his chakra seemed to dim slightly.
He's draining my energy?
His expression hardened. "I can't let him hit me again."
He flung his hand outward. Iron sand gathered into three spinning, pyramid-like projectiles that hummed with magnetic force.
"Magnet Release — Iron Sand Gyro!"
The weapons launched forward at blinding speed. Two slammed directly into Scorpion's puppets before they could dodge — their bodies instantly pierced and paralyzed as the magnetic current disrupted their systems.
The last one streaked toward Lock.
Lock's eyes narrowed. "Too slow."
His body blurred again, flickering behind the Kazekage in a burst of green light. The iron sand projectile twisted midair to pursue — but Lock had already moved again, retreating toward Scorpion's line of puppets.
Scorpion's brows furrowed. "What are you doing—"
Lock struck the nearest puppet with his palm, shoving it straight toward the Kazekage.
"Hey! That's mine!" Scorpion shouted furiously.
"You said to use them as distractions," Lock called back coldly. "So I'm using it."
The puppet slammed forward, crashing into the storm of iron sand surrounding the Kazekage.
"Burn."
Lock's fingers snapped through a rapid seal sequence — and the puppet erupted in flame.
BOOM!
The explosion was massive — a rolling inferno that devoured everything within its reach. The heat distorted the air, swallowing the Kazekage's silhouette in a blaze that refused to fade.
Even Scorpion flinched at the blast wave. His eyes narrowed, analyzing the pattern of the continuous detonations.
That wasn't just one explosive tag… It's layered.
He could sense the chakra from each explosion rippling in rhythm — delayed, chained, controlled.
"How many tags did he plant on that puppet?" Scorpion muttered in disbelief. "No… that's not ordinary chakra combustion. He's controlling the sequence directly."
His gaze shifted toward Lock, who stood with his hands in constant motion — his chakra flowing precisely through the last few seals.
He's manually guiding every detonation… what kind of monster is this guy?
The battlefield was swallowed by fire and magnetic screams.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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