Chapter 192: Performance of a Hundred Puppets
"Turn back?"
Sasori repeated the phrase from Shisui's words with confusion. Shisui nodded solemnly, clearly articulating his conditions.
"That's right. Turn back—meaning if you're willing now to abandon the forbidden art of making puppets from living people, to stop arbitrarily taking others' lives for your so-called 'art'... I won't kill you for it."
In the next moment, his tone turned incomparably sharp and cold. "However, if you choose to continue down this twisted path in obstinate delusion, insisting on filling your collection with others' flesh and lives... then I will show absolutely no mercy."
Sasori's puppet face, indistinguishable from a living person's, showed no expression, only coldly observing Shisui.
And Shisui's Sharingan remained locked on Sasori, his focus highly concentrated—Sasori's next answer would directly determine whether his next action would be submission... or destruction.
This time, the leader hadn't personally appeared due to other pressing matters, entrusting them with full authority for the task of recruiting, or rather dealing with, Sasori of the Red Sand. Before they departed, Menma had given special instructions.
"The 'eternal art' that Sasori of the Red Sand pursues is built on the foundation of countless innocent sacrifices. If he's willing to abandon this path centered on slaughter and plunder, his puppet techniques themselves might still have other value... In that case, you can try to bring him back."
"But if he remains obstinately deluded, even taking pleasure in creating slaughter and suffering, believing others' lives are merely consumables for his art... then for that kind of person, there's no need to waste any more words."
Kill him.
That was the ultimate price for Sasori choosing "not to turn back."
Of course, the premise of this ruthless decision was—that Sasori was still a normal human who could be "killed."
Though he didn't know where the leader's intelligence came from or why he seemed particularly knowledgeable about Sasori, Shisui had already made complete preparations at this moment, only waiting for Sasori to give that final answer.
Suddenly! He moved! Sasori abruptly manipulated his chakra threads, yanking out a special scroll from his back that he'd never used before and hurling it into the air like lightning!
The scroll unfurled completely with a whoosh, and in the next moment, a scalp-numbing scene appeared—countless figures surged forth from the scroll like a breached flood!
Simultaneously, the device at Sasori's chest opened, instantly ejecting countless densely packed blue chakra threads that, like living tentacles, precisely and rapidly connected to each figure rushing from the scroll!
In an instant, the figures floating in the sky nearly blotted out the sun! A full hundred or more!
Shisui, Deidara, Zabuza, and Haku watched this nightmare-like scene before them, unable to conceal the horror on their faces.
In the sky, those hundred-plus figures were each uniquely designed human puppets wielding different weapons! They hovered in the air, all lifeless yet simultaneously locked onto the four below, emanating a suffocating sense of oppression.
This was Sasori of the Red Sand's hidden ultimate trump card, the forbidden technique of controlling a hundred puppets with the power of one person—
Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!
"Won't kill me?" Sasori's voice came through the puppet army, carrying cold mockery and boundless confidence. "Looks like I've been thoroughly underestimated."
He controlled his massive puppet legion while slowly expounding his philosophy.
"Forbidden? Living itself is nothing but a slow and inevitable process of decay. Fragile, brief, ultimately returning to dust."
"And I liberate them from this mortal fate, transforming them into eternal, imperishable art, granting them meaning that transcends their brief lives—eternal meaning! This is true mercy!"
"Your 'not killing' and your 'killing' hold no value to me—they're even laughable. My art needs no one's approval, nor is it subject to anyone's threats!"
"Witness it well! My Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!"
"It's completely different from when I was a brat... The me of now is strong enough to rival a nation."
The situation instantly reversed!
The battle that moments ago had been four people—Shisui, Deidara, Zabuza, and Haku—surrounding and attacking Sasori alone had instantly transformed into the four of them facing a siege by over a hundred killing puppets precisely controlled by Sasori, puppets that feared neither death nor pain!
In other words...
Deidara looked at the desperate numerical difference before him. After his initial surprise passed without fear, a flash of understanding crossed his eyes. Since this guy had also transformed himself into a puppet... then as long as they seized that core device in his chest that contained his true body, the battle could end, yeah!
From the intelligence obtained from the leader before departure, Deidara had grasped the key to completing the mission!
Looks like what's coming next will be a grand melee! How exciting!
Looking at the puppet legion surging toward them like a tide, far from retreating, Deidara's eyes burned with even more intense battle spirit.
The mouths on both his hands once again greedily devoured explosive clay, but this time, the clay didn't take shape as birds or dragons—instead it transformed into resilient clay threads.
In the next moment, these clay threads wove and coiled with seemingly living urgency, ultimately forming two bizarrely shaped humanoid figures constructed of clay!
They had no facial features, their body lines smooth yet eerie. These were new techniques Deidara had specifically developed after learning about puppet masters' combat methods!
Explosive Clay: Puppet Animation Technique!
To avoid large-scale explosions accidentally injuring nearby teammates in close combat, Deidara decisively chose to fight using these precisely controllable clay puppets instead!
On the other side, Shisui's hands had already become afterimages.
Accompanied by a series of afterimages, dozens of solid Shadow Clones identical to Shisui's main body instantly appeared on the battlefield! All the Shisuis—whether original or clones—simultaneously drew the sharp short blades from their backs!
In the next moment, dozens of figures vanished like phantoms, at a terrifying speed the naked eye couldn't capture, boldly meeting that overwhelming puppet legion!
Blade light flashed, instantly engaging with the foremost puppets in deadly combat!
Zabuza also drew his long blade again with force, his gaze focused. In this situation, the Hidden Mist Technique obviously couldn't be used... Looks like he could only rely on taijutsu and Water Style.
"Haku, stay close to me, don't go too far!"
"Yes, Zabuza-san!" Haku immediately nodded in response, staying close at Zabuza's side. At the same time, his hands quietly formed seals. The temperature of the surrounding air began dropping at a visibly perceptible rate. Bone-piercing cold spread rapidly with him as the center like a domain. The sand beneath their feet even began condensing tiny ice crystals!
The two charged into the puppet frenzy like interdependent fangs, carrying bitter cold and resolute killing intent!
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