Inside the swirling storm of iron sand, the battle raged between the Third Kazekage and Scorpion. Sparks flashed with every clash of chakra metal, but even from outside, Lock could tell — neither of them was fighting at full strength.
Both men were holding back, keeping an eye on him.
And rightly so — to both the Kazekage and Scorpion, Lock was an unknown variable. Their temporary alliance meant little. In a fight between shinobi of this level, trust was a luxury.
So each of them reserved a hidden card, wary not just of defeat, but of betrayal.
Lock observed, eyes sharp. The Iron Sand World Method was truly overwhelming — a magnetic cage bristling with thorns, nearly impossible to shatter. He watched Scorpion attempt to pierce it several times with his puppets, only to be forced back by a wave of magnetic spikes.
Still, Scorpion's precision was impressive. He commanded ten puppets simultaneously, each moving fluidly as if alive, blades and poison strikes flowing in seamless rhythm.
Even protected by sand and iron armor, the Kazekage couldn't completely ignore such an assault. His defenses held, but his focus was split — unable to land a killing blow on the puppeteer.
The exchange was so fast that even Lock found it hard to follow. Ten puppets whirled around one man in a deadly dance — the scene more like art than combat.
What a monster of concentration, Lock thought. This guy's mind must be a battlefield of its own.
Controlling that many puppets wasn't like shadow clones — every motion, every strike had to be guided by chakra threads and willpower. Scorpion was practically a human CPU.
Lock remembered reading about the peak of Scorpion's strength — the "Hundred Puppet Performance." The idea of one man fighting with an army of lifelike puppets was almost unimaginable.
If this genius hadn't been so obsessed with turning himself into a puppet, he might've gone even further…
Five minutes passed. Gradually, the flow of battle shifted. The Kazekage's magnetic control pressed harder and harder, crushing the rhythm of Scorpion's puppets. Four had already been destroyed; the remaining six were slower, less coordinated.
Lock frowned. That's not right.
In the records, Scorpion was supposed to have killed the Third Kazekage. But right now, it looked like the opposite — the young puppet master was being completely overpowered.
If this continued, Scorpion would fall. And if that happened, Lock would have to face the Kazekage alone — the most dangerous opponent in the Sand's history.
He glanced at the barrier. He could leave anytime. His teleportation made escape easy. But something in his chest twisted.
If I walk away now… I'll never forgive myself.
Killing a Kage — one of the Five Great Ninja leaders — was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. A feat that would shake the world of shinobi.
Lock clenched his fists. No turning back.
He exhaled, opened the first three gates of the Eight Gates Formation, and let his chakra surge. The air around him shimmered with green heat.
Time to strike.
Lock's eyes locked onto a narrow gap in the Kazekage's attacks.
Blink Strike!
In an instant, he vanished — reappearing directly behind the Kazekage.
"Earth Style: Rock Fist Technique!"
Stone coated his arm in a split second, turning his fist into a boulder of compressed chakra. He slammed it into the Kazekage's ribs with brutal force.
"Boom!"
The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the sand. The Kazekage's armored body was hurled through the air, crashing into the desert floor with an explosion of dust.
But Lock didn't stop there. He followed up immediately, flicking six kunai toward the impact site.
From within the barrier, Scorpion barked a warning, voice strained. "Idiot! Magnetic weapons are useless — he'll turn them back on you!"
Lock didn't respond.
Sure enough, the Kazekage burst from the sand, his hands outstretched. The kunai halted midair, whirled, and shot back toward Lock under his magnetic control.
The returning blades sped straight at him — but Lock's expression didn't even flicker. He threw six more kunai, meeting each one midflight.
Metal clanged against metal — "ding! Ding! Ding!" — and the weapons scattered in all directions.
The Kazekage took that moment to rush him. Iron spears erupted from the sand, piercing Lock clean through —
—until the body dissolved into smoke.
Shadow Clone!
The Kazekage's eyes widened. He turned sharply, but too late — one of the deflected kunai shimmered, transforming back into Lock midair.
A substitution within a clone — layers of misdirection.
Lock's hand flashed through seals. Smoke bombs exploded around them, choking vision and magnetism alike.
Within the haze, the Kazekage felt his movement slow — his magnetic field weakening. His body dragged, as if gravity itself had turned against him.
Lock's voice cut through the smoke:
"This is it…! Now!"
"Water Style — Water Dragon Bullet!"
A roaring column of water surged from the mist, slamming into the slowed Kazekage with crushing force.
At that same instant, Scorpion — already waiting — unleashed every remaining puppet strike at once. Blades, chains, poison spikes — all converging on the same point.
The combined assault detonated in a wave of dust and pressure.
Lock landed lightly beside Scorpion, both watching as the Kazekage's body was flung backward, crashing deep into the sand.
Lock's breathing slowed, eyes narrowed. "Did that… do it?"
The Third Kazekage lay motionless, half-buried in the crater, his iron sand defense shattered.
The silence that followed felt heavy — like the calm before something far worse.
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