svetikya Chapter 463: He's slipped away.
Chapter 463: He's slipped away.
Chapter 463: He's slipped away.
"Magnetic Release·Sand Iron Wall!"
At the critical moment, Sasori relied on his instincts honed over decades of combat and his absolute control over the puppet to manipulate the Third Kazekage puppet beside him to make the fastest possible reaction.
The blue-haired puppet raised its hands expressionlessly, and the black sand iron swirling around it instantly responded, surging wildly towards Scorpion's feet and surroundings like a living black tide.
Whoosh!
A thick, sturdy wall of sand and iron, its surface gleaming with a cold metallic sheen, just before the bone spikes were about to strike, managed to close in around Sasori and the Third Kazekage's puppet, forming a hemispherical protective shield.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
The next second, sharp collision sounds rang out one after another!
Countless pale bone spikes slammed into the iron sand wall, sending up bursts of sparks and iron sand dust.
The iron sand wall rippled and caved in violently, but ultimately withstood the deadly attack thanks to the powerful defensive capabilities and density unique to Magnet Release.
However, just as Sasori's attention was completely drawn to the frenzied "Dance of Ferns," he sensed several subtle but crucial breaks in his perception network of the remaining puppets through the chakra threads.
"Not good!" Scorpion immediately realized the other party's true intention.
A feint to the east while attacking in the west!
Sure enough, at the same time, on the other side of the thick fog, some distance from the scorpions protected by the bone spike jungle and the iron sand wall, several faint whooshing sounds rang out.
Those were countless senbon made of ice!
They shot precisely at the red-robed puppets that were firmly holding Temari and Kankuro in place!
These ice needles, almost invisible under the cover of thick fog and night, precisely struck the drive joints of the puppet's arm and the core transmission node connecting the chakra threads.
click-
Clapping—
A slight cracking sound was heard.
The two puppets that were restraining Temari had their arm joints instantly covered with a thin layer of ice. Then, the intricate gear structure inside was corroded and jammed by the cold air, and the force loosened.
The puppet holding Kankuro was shot down by an ice senbon needle, severing the chakra threads controlling its core, causing it to freeze instantly.
"Now!"
A clear shout rang out in the thick fog, and a figure as swift as the wind swept across the ground, instantly appearing beside Temari and Kankuro.
He swiftly reached out with both hands, grabbing the siblings' arms precisely, one in each hand.
"Walk!"
With a low shout, Shiro's body seemed to transform into a beautiful ice shadow, carrying Temari and Kankuro, and retreated rapidly.
At the same time, where they had originally stood, a crystal-clear ice mirror instantly condensed and then shattered into countless ice crystal fragments, which shot backward like shotgun shells, knocking back several puppets that were trying to regroup and further blocking their pursuit route.
Almost at the same moment that Haku completed his rescue operation, the battle to rescue Gaara on the other side also reached its climax.
"Ice Release: Ice Sealing Technique!"
In the thick fog, a white shadow clone formed hand seals.
The temperature around the writhing, churning black iron sand surrounding Gaara suddenly plummeted!
The abundant moisture in the air was rapidly drawn out and condensed, and a thick, hard layer of ice crystals spread and thickened on the surface of the iron sand at a speed visible to the naked eye, making a "crackling" freezing sound.
The flow rate of the iron sand slowed down significantly, and it even began to stagnate.
"break!"
A sharp, short shout rang out!
Kimimaro's figure burst forth from the thick fog, his right sleeve ripped, his entire forearm and elbow twisted in a spiral pattern.
Covered by a pale white bone sword with an incredibly sharp tip!
The bone sword spun rapidly, emitting a deep hum, and with an indestructible penetrating force, it pierced fiercely at a point on the sand iron cocoon that was already covered in ice!
laugh--!!
A piercing, high-frequency scraping and cutting sound rang out!
The spiral bone sword clashed fiercely with the ice-covered iron sand, sending ice shards and iron sand dust flying everywhere!
Kimimaro's Byakugan had already seen through the weakest point of this iron sand defense under the ice.
The stalemate lasted only a moment before the Spiral Bone Sword broke through!
The covering ice layer shattered first, and then a gap was forcibly drilled into the iron sand below!
"Gaara!"
Kimimaro flicked his left hand, and a flexible bone whip, made of connected bones and resembling a white centipede, shot out with a "whoosh," precisely drilling into the hole in the sand cocoon and instantly wrapping around Gaara's waist and abdomen.
He exerted force with his left arm, tensed his muscles, gave a low shout, and pulled outwards sharply!
Whoosh—!
The iron sand cocoon shattered completely, scattering a mixture of ice and iron sand across the ground.
Gaara, pale-faced and weak, was pulled out of the air by the bone whip, freeing him from the iron sand's restraints.
The transparent conduit connected to his neck, which was drawing chakra from the tailed beast, was also forcibly severed by this pull.
Kimimaro's movements didn't stop at all. His bone whip curled back, catching Gaara steadily. At the same time, his right hand swept across with his spiral bone sword, severing several remaining iron sand tentacles that tried to wrap around him.
Chakra erupted beneath his feet, and he retreated rapidly. In a few leaps, he reunited with Haku, who had rescued Temari and Kankuro. The three of them landed steadily beside Shisui and Yukimi.
The entire rescue operation, from the rising fog to Kimimaro's surprise attack with "Dance of the Ferns" to draw attention, to Haku's precise destruction of the puppets with his ice needles and his use of Body Flicker Technique to rescue Temari and Kankuro, and finally Kimimaro and Haku working together to break through the iron sand to rescue Gaara—
It was done in one go, as fast as lightning, taking only a few seconds.
As Sasori manipulated the Third Kazekage's puppet to slowly remove the Iron Sand Wall, this was the scene that unfolded before him:
Shisui stood before the crowd, sword in hand, his expression resolute.
Turning to the side, Yukimi was enduring her pain as she quickly checked Gaara's condition.
The catheter on Gaara's neck had been removed, and the wound had temporarily stopped bleeding thanks to Yukimi's simple medical ninjutsu. However, his complexion was still very poor, and his chakra was disordered, indicating that the effects of poisoning and chakra extraction were still present.
Temari and Kankuro were put down by Haku. Although they were a bit disheveled, they were not seriously injured and were anxiously surrounding Gaara.
Kimimaro stood slightly ahead, his pure white eyes coldly scanning the area in front of him. The spiral bone sword on his right arm was still in place, and the bone whip in his left hand twitched slightly as if it were alive, maintaining his vigilance.
Bai's figure seemed to blend into the lingering mist around him, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
On Sasori's side, behind him was a forest of wrecked puppet remains, in front of him stood the expressionless Third Kazekage puppet, and around him were only a dozen or so red-robed puppets that were still relatively intact.
Hidan's cursing head and headless body lay alone on the sand not far away.
The night wind blew, stirring up the fog and dust, and bringing with it the biting chill of a desert night.
The atmosphere on the battlefield was even colder and more tense than the night wind.
Sasori remained silent, his empty eye sockets fixed on the people of the Land of Stars who had reversed the hostage situation in a short time, especially Kimimaro and Haku who had just completed a brilliant coordinated surprise attack.
Iron sands hovered silently around him and the three Wind Shadow puppets, as if gathering their strength.
"Kaguya's Corpse Bone Pulse—and the Yuki Clan's Ice Release." Sasori's voice rang out again, still hoarse.
"Unexpectedly, the two bloodline limits that were wiped out long ago still have their lineage in the Star Kingdom."
"And—the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan?" His gaze swept over Kimimaro's striking gray-white hair and red eyelids, finally settling on the other's pure Byakugan, where he paused for a moment.
Thick fog drifted in the night wind, blurring the figures of the people from the Star Kingdom.
Not only were Temari and Kankuro rescued, but the most crucial Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast was also freed from the iron sand's restraints and was firmly protected in the center by the enemy.
What's even more troublesome is the sudden increase in the enemy's combat strength.
Uchiha Shisui, Kaguya's Shikotsumyaku, the Yuki clan's Ice Release, and that female ninja with smoke transformation and Wood Release bloodline limit —
Scorpion's gaze lingered particularly on Shisui.
He had been deeply impressed by Itachi Uchiha's eye technique in the organization, but the person in front of him, Shisui, had an even more famous reputation during the Third Shinobi World War.
Outnumbered and outgunned, facing so many formidable bloodline limit ninjas, especially those with Sharingan eyes—
Even Scorpion, who was full of confidence in his puppetry, instantly realized that the cost of a direct confrontation might exceed expectations.
Moreover—the established task has already been completed, there's no need to fight to the death.
The scorpion slightly turned its head, and the mist grew thicker and thicker.
These mists are silently spreading and seeping in, constantly interfering with vision and even blurring the perception of chakra to some extent.
It reminded him of the ninjas in Kirigakure who were skilled in assassination.
"Hidden Mist Technique? The ninjas of the Land of Stars have even mastered this kind of ninjutsu?" A hoarse mutter came from Hiruko, tinged with a hint of solemnity.
These mists have a subtle effect on the puppeteer's manipulation of chakra threads. Although they will interfere with the opponent, the interference is not equal for enemies with Byakugan and Sharingan.
Just then, an annoying shouting came from the other side.
"Hey! Scorpion! What are you looking at, you bastard! Kill them! Put my head back in!"
"I'm going to slice that woman who uses smoke into pieces and offer her to the evil god! And these guys too! Sacrifice them all!!"
Hidan's head, lying alone on the sand, was still roaring with boundless energy, spewing out profanities and insane curses that sounded particularly jarring in the suddenly quiet battlefield.
He seemed completely unconcerned that he was now just a head, and was only consumed by his desire for battle and sacrifice, as well as his anger at his partner's inaction.
The noisy noise drew the attention of the group from the Star Kingdom.
Bai frowned slightly, looking at the head that was still cursing angrily in the sand, its expression vivid, a hint of coldness flashing across his handsome face.
"Only a head remains, yet it retains a clear consciousness and keeps shouting—is this what they call immortality?" Bai said in a low voice, his fingers gripping the senbon needles tightening slightly.
On their way to provide support, the Dark Division's communications team had already relayed the enemy's intelligence analysis. However, seeing something like this for the first time would make anyone feel uncomfortable.
Kimimaro merely glanced at it coldly, his Byakugan showing no emotion whatsoever.
His attention remained mostly focused on Sasori and the Third Kazekage's puppet.
"Noise," Kimimaro commented succinctly, slightly adjusting the angle of the spiral bone sword on his right arm.
"It is indeed very noisy," Shisui replied.
He took two steps forward, came to Hidan's head, and squatted down.
Hidan immediately turned his attention to him: "Red-eyed bastard! What are you looking at! Lord Jashin will punish you! Wait until I get up—"
Zhengshui ignored his curses and simply looked into Hidan's frantic eyes with his scarlet Mangekyou Sharingan.
Their eyes met.
Hidan's cursing stopped abruptly.
As if a hand had suddenly grabbed his throat, the ferocious and crazed expression on his face froze instantly, then quickly blurred and became dull, like a faded oil painting.
The frenzied gleam in his eyes vanished, replaced by an empty, blank stare. His eyelids blinked twice in a struggle before drooping limply, and he fell silent.
The world is quiet now.
"Finally, it's quiet." Shisui stood up, no longer looking at the head trapped in a deep illusion at his feet.
The Sharingan's genjutsu seems to be particularly effective against this kind of guy.
However, this brief silence was immediately shattered by "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
On the opposite side, Sasori's hoarse shout suddenly rang out!
The Third Kazekage puppet, which had been standing still, had already completed the hand seals and suddenly inhaled and exhaled in front of him!
boom-!!!
A violent, raging gust of air slammed forward!
Wherever the airflow passed, it plowed a shallow trench in the ground, sending sand and gravel flying everywhere.
The thick white fog was forcibly torn apart by this man-made hurricane!
The field of vision widened instantly, and the moonlight shone on both sides of the battle once again.
Sasori stood side by side with the Third Kazekage puppet.
As the fog cleared and his vision returned, his gaze quickly swept over Hidan's now-quiet head before returning to Shisui and the others who were on high alert.
"That annoying guy has finally quieted down." There was even a hint of sarcasm in Scorpion's voice.
"Well then, the annoying fog has cleared up, let's continue."
Before he finished speaking, the Third Kazekage puppet beside him made a new move.
The Third Kazekage puppet clasped his hands together in front of his chest, forming a simple "未" (un) hand seal, and his chakra surged violently!
Buzz!
A deep resonance filled the air.
Centered on the Third Kazekage puppet, countless tiny black iron sand particles suddenly condensed and emerged from the surrounding sand and air!
These newly formed iron sands quickly mixed and converged with the original swirling iron sands, and their volume and scale expanded several times in the blink of an eye!
Like a living black tide, they rolled and surged before the Third Kazekage puppet, emitting a deep, booming sound like ocean waves.
Immediately afterwards, this massive wave of iron sand surged upwards, rapidly shaping and solidifying as it rose!
call out!call out!call out!
Dozens of massive iron sand cones, each as thick as a water bucket and two meters long, took shape instantly under the moonlight!
They formed a suffocating array of death, shooting towards Shisui, Kimimaro, Haku, and the siblings Yukimi and Gaara behind them with a shrill scream that tore through the air!
It has an extremely wide coverage area, almost completely blocking any space for dodging!
"Watch out!" Xuejian called out in warning.
Kimimaro stepped forward without fear, his right arm outstretched, the spiraling, menacing tip of his bone sword aimed directly at the incoming iron sand trident.
"Corpse Bone Pulse - Bone Iron Cannon!"
Kimimaro's cold voice rang out.
The spiral bone sword structure on his right arm changed instantly!
The numerous joints that were originally tightly intertwined to form the drill bit suddenly loosened and separated!
Every pale bone was instantly enveloped and expanded by powerful chakra!
The next moment, these fully charged joints shot out one after another like giant crossbows fired from siege ballistae, accompanied by muffled sonic booms and blinding white light!
The quantity corresponds exactly to those dozen or so iron sand triangular cones!
This is an advanced version of Corpse Bone Vein - Ten Fingers Piercing Bullet, which activates the entire large bone that makes up the arm weapon in segments, each segment containing terrifying kinetic energy!
Bang! Bang! Bang—!!
A series of deafening explosions erupted from the collision!
White light and black light collided violently in the air!
Break the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand Technique in the most brutal and direct way.
The pale, bone-like shell, with overwhelming force, crashed into the tip of the iron triangular cone!
The Magnetic Release Sand Iron, touted as having the strongest defense, was actually pierced through by this Corpse Bone Pulse Secret Technique with its extreme penetrating power!
The pitch-black iron sand triangular cone began to crack from its tip, and then completely disintegrated under the impact of enormous kinetic energy, exploding into black iron sand dust that filled the sky and swirled in the moonlight.
Just as the Bone Iron Cannon and the Sand Iron Spike perished together, the exploding iron sand and dust obscured a small patch of vision.
A gray-blue figure blended into the night, passing through the swirling, still-falling iron dust, and silently appeared beside the Third Kazekage puppet!
It's Shisui!
The true art of instantaneous movement!
The ninja sword in his hand drew a graceful arc, the wind-style chakra on the blade humming slightly, and the edge gleamed with a cold light as it precisely slashed at the neck and torso of the Third Kazekage puppet.
The blade flashed, as if slicing through the air.
scoff.
The figure of the Third Kazekage puppet was easily sliced into two pieces diagonally with the flash of the sword.
However, the anticipated scene of the puppet structure breaking apart did not occur.
The two severed body parts suddenly lost all sense of reality the moment they separated, turning into two loose, flowing pools of black iron sand that splashed to the ground with a "whoosh" and quickly merged into the surrounding sand.
"Hmm?" Shisui's pupils contracted slightly. He landed with his sword in hand, his sharp gaze sweeping towards the area where Sasori had originally been.
There, the hunched-over Fei Liu Hu body rapidly "melted" and collapsed from head to toe, turning into ordinary yellow sand that fell softly and was scattered by the night wind.
Sand clone!
Both of them!
"When?" Bai's figure tensed up instantly, holding a senbon needle in each hand to protect Gaara and the others, and looked around warily.
Kimimaro activated his Byakugan to its fullest extent, and a sharp white bone shot out from his right palm as a weapon.
The 360-degree panoramic view expanded to its limit in an instant. Within the Byakugan's field of vision, the flow of chakra, the details of the terrain, and the reactions of life surged into his mind.
"Northeast, one kilometer away!" Kimimaro suddenly turned his head, staring intently in that direction with his white eyes, and spoke faster.
"The chakra reaction is moving away at high speed! He's still accelerating!"
"They ran away?" Shisui was also slightly taken aback upon hearing this.
He sheathed his sword, looked at the deep night sky to the northeast, and a look of surprise flashed across his face.
That aggressive demeanor just now, controlling the Third Kazekage to unleash powerful ninjutsu as if he were ready for a final battle, was actually just a pretense to create clones and buy time.
Even that partner with the bizarre immortality, was abandoned so easily?
After the thick fog dissipated, under the cool moonlight, only the wreckage of puppets remained, along with Hidan's unconscious head and headless body in the distance, and the people of the Land of Stars looking at each other.
The anticipated fierce battle with Sasori of the Red Sand unexpectedly came to an abrupt end in such a surprising way.