Hidden within Hiruko, Sasori burned with fighting spirit.
Defeating Tsunade would be an immense honor.
Orochimaru had always shown subtle disdain toward him.
But if Sasori defeated someone on par with Orochimaru—
One of the legendary Sannin—
Then what?
The Sannin are impressive?
Believe it or not, I can take you down in minutes.
Sasori had long wanted to say those words to Orochimaru's face.
Though paired together under Pain's orders, the two were fundamentally incompatible.
Both extreme individualists.
Temporary allies at best.
Even Pain had considered reassigning partners—but Akatsuki's recruitment standards were high, and suitable replacements were scarce.
Tsunade Presses the Advantage
Sasori calculated quickly.
Tsunade possessed monstrous strength and unparalleled medical ninjutsu.
Defeating her required strategy.
But Tsunade had no intention of giving him time to think.
Punch.
Kick.
Each strike lethal.
Brute force was her doctrine.
Hiruko staggered under the assault.
If Tsunade were any faster, the puppet would already be scrap metal.
"Hiruko — Scorpion Tail!"
Sasori seized an opening to counter.
"Perfect!"
Tsunade roared—
And grabbed the poison-coated metal tail with her bare hand.
"Super Strength Impact!"
Her fist smashed into Hiruko.
CRACK!
The puppet shattered into pieces.
For the first time—
Sasori revealed his true form.
A red-haired boy.
Fourteen, maybe fifteen.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
But she sensed it immediately—
He was older than he appeared.
Far more dangerous than his face suggested.
Sasori smiled faintly.
"Fighting with my own body… it's been a while."
Tsunade scoffed.
"With that fragile frame? Can you take one punch?"
"Ordinary people cannot comprehend art," Sasori replied calmly.
"Art is eternal."
"When I kill you… you'll become part of my collection."
Tsunade's lips curled.
"Kill me?"
"Try."
She hadn't heard arrogance like this in years.
Even the current Five Kage were merely her equals at best.
And killing a Kage-level medical ninja?
Far harder than killing a normal Kage.
The True Trump Card
Sasori didn't underestimate her.
He immediately brought out his ace.
A scroll unfurled.
A new puppet appeared.
Tsunade's pupils shrank.
"That's…"
Sasori smiled proudly.
"You recognize him."
"This is the desert."
"You know what the Third Kazekage represents."
"Still think I can't kill you?"
Silence.
Shock rippled outward.
Genma and the others stared in disbelief.
The Third Kazekage—
The strongest Kazekage in history—
Killed by this boy?
Orochimaru licked his lips.
"So you're using that already…"
"Interesting."
Battle with the Strongest Kazekage
Sasori's fingers danced.
The Third Kazekage puppet lunged.
Its speed far surpassed Hiruko.
Tsunade met it head-on with Chakra Scalpel.
They clashed.
Evenly matched.
"Secret Technique: Arm Mechanism!"
Thousands of mechanical arms erupted—
Each laced with poisoned blades.
Tsunade's hands became blades.
Metal rang out as weapons fell.
Sasori smiled.
"Impressive… as expected of Tsunade-hime."
"But I'm not finished."
"Thousand-Arms Manipulation!"
The arms reactivated mid-fall—
Binding Tsunade in an instant.
"Now!"
Purple poison mist flooded the area.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Genma and the others moved—
But Orochimaru stopped them.
"Don't interfere."
"Tsunade isn't that fragile."
They hesitated.
He was right.
If she fell that easily, she wouldn't be Tsunade.
Within the poison cloud—
Sasori smiled.
Even the greatest medical ninja would succumb.
But suddenly—
The mechanical arms were ripped upward violently.
"Scrap metal… become scrap!"
Tsunade roared—
And tore the arms off the Kazekage puppet entirely.
Sasori severed the chakra threads instantly to save it.
His heart pounded.
That was close.
And she wasn't poisoned?
Tsunade had sealed her breathing the moment the mist spread—
Then dispersed it with a shockwave of brute force.
Sasori narrowed his eyes.
Prepared in advance, huh?
Fine.
She couldn't block everything.
If she bled—
She would lose.
Magnetic Release: Iron Sand
"You know why the Third Kazekage was called the strongest?"
"Witness the power of Magnetic Release!"
Hand seals formed.
"Magnetic Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
Black iron sand surged like waves—
Splitting into countless razor-sharp needles.
Wide area.
Sustained duration.
Hard to dodge.
Yet Tsunade moved like a phantom.
Leaping.
Weaving.
Deflecting needles midair.
Untouched.
Genma exhaled in awe.
"Even the Hokage might not match that footwork…"
Sasori admired silently.
Chiyo had struggled with this woman for good reason.
But this was merely an appetizer.
"Iron Sand Pillar!"
A massive black column formed—
Crashing down.
Instead of retreating—
Tsunade charged forward.
BOOM!
One punch.
The multi-ton pillar flew backward.
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
"Her strength hasn't changed."
"Even Kage-level opponents wouldn't want to take that head-on."
Sasori reshaped the iron sand midair.
"Iron Sand: Triangular Prism!"
Tsunade kicked it away.
"Iron Sand: Spinning Top!"
The prism spun violently.
Tsunade's patience thinned.
"Enough!"
"One punch ends this!"
CRASH!
The iron sand construct shattered completely.
Sasori's eyes flickered.
Conventional methods were useless.
Time for the true ultimate technique.
"Prepare yourself…"
"The Third Kazekage's strongest art."
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