Deidara skillfully chewed a fresh batch of explosive clay, molding it into the shape of a small, cute bird. With a crazed glint in his eyes, he tossed it into the air and formed a one-handed seal.
"Katsu!"
BOOM! A massive explosion created a rolling screen of smoke. From the center of the blast, a giant white clay bird descended, its massive wings flapping with enough force to blow the smoke away. The clay bird extended its neck, scooping Gaara's lifeless body into its mouth.
Deidara looked back at Sasori, his voice dripping with mockery. "You know, Danna, you seem to have gotten weaker."
But Sasori already had his own plan. With a flicker of movement, Deidara leaped onto the back of the flying giant bird. The bird's talons gripped Gaara as it banked toward the cave exit.
"Tch. Goodbye, brats."
Deidara gave a polite wave before turning to Naruto, whose emotions had finally reached critical mass. Deidara smirked provocatively. "Better keep up, little guy. Don't lose me now, hm!"
Deidara knit his brows, looking at the battlefield below. "I'll handle Naruto. You take care of Sakura and the old hag."
Witnessing Deidara fly off with Gaara's corpse was the final straw for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Naruto's rage erupted like a long-dormant volcano. He slammed his feet into the ground, spiderweb cracks spreading through the earth as he launched himself forward like a cannonball. He tore through the air, kicking up a massive sandstorm in his wake—a golden dragon of fury.
"Naruto! Naruto, wait!" Kakashi shouted, his voice tight with anxiety.
Seeing the boy act so recklessly, Kakashi sighed. He knew once Naruto's temper flared, ten bulls couldn't pull him back. Realizing words were useless, he took on his usual "babysitter" role and sprinted after him.
Mid-pursuit, Kakashi nearly tripped over a protruding clay bomb.
BOOM!
The bomb swelled instantly. Kakashi's battle reflexes saved him; he slammed his hands into the ground, flipping through the air and utilizing a Body Flicker to escape the blast radius.
"Sensei, be careful!"
Kakashi skidded to a halt, leaning forward as he offered a final warning to Sakura. "I've got this! You two be careful. Sasori isn't someone you can take lightly—don't force a direct confrontation if it's too dangerous!"
His eyes were full of worry, and sweat beaded on his forehead. Sakura gave a firm nod, her gaze steady. She didn't say a word, but her resolve was clear.
With Kakashi and Naruto gone, only Sakura and Lady Chiyo remained to face the Akatsuki legend.
Sakura let out a shaky breath, her nerves taut. She looked at Chiyo. "I heard you retired a long time ago. Suddenly appearing like this... I imagine you really wanted to see your grandson again."
Her voice was soft, probing for the old woman's state of mind.
Chiyo remained stoic, her expression like weathered stone. "Hmph. I didn't come here for a family reunion. Some things just need an ending. That boy Sasori has walked the wrong path for too long; I have to pull him back with my own hands."
Sasori, inside his Hiruko puppet, glared at Sakura. The sheer pressure emanating from the mechanical beast made Sakura swallow hard, her fists clenching instinctively.
"Don't be afraid, Sakura," Chiyo whispered. "Stay behind me. Grandma will protect you."
Chiyo reached into her wide sleeves. As she pulled her hands out, a row of kunai, tethered by chakra threads, hovered in the air like a line of cold, venomous snakes.
"Rise!"
With a sharp cry, Chiyo pulled her hands back. The kunai shrieked through the air, curving in elegant arcs like falling stars toward Sasori.
However, despite being guided by chakra, the kunai only managed to scratch the surface of the Hiruko puppet. The damage was negligible. Hiruko's mechanical frame barely swayed.
Sasori suddenly ripped through his Akatsuki cloak, revealing the scorpion-like mechanical structure of the puppet. The metal joints clicked and whirred with a menacing rhythm.
He let out a cold sneer. "Such primitive puppet construction. Fall before me. You clearly don't understand what true art is."
He wove a rapid sequence of signs, preparing a devastating counterattack. Chiyo's eyes flashed with a spark of genuine anger. She gritted her teeth, her knuckles turning white.
"Sasori," she breathed. "Today, I'm going to show you exactly how ridiculous your 'art' is."
She reached into her sleeves again. More puppets emerged, spinning around her to form a rotating, impenetrable defense.
In a pocket dimension hidden within the very walls of the cave, two observers sat on a plush sofa, leisurely snacking as they watched the drama unfold.
Hiruko had used his Wood Style to carve this space into the rock, lining the walls with glowing green vines that emitted a soft, dreamlike light. Combined with the amenities Hiruko had brought along, they were quite comfortable "eating melon" while watching the show.
"I have to say, Sasori," Hiruko remarked, his voice full of mock disdain, "your taste is atrocious. That puppet is hideous."
"Look at that thing. It's a pile of scrap metal held together by spit. It's ugly as hell." Hiruko chewed on a slice of melon, the juice dripping from his chin as he looked at the screen with genuine disgust.
The "Original" Sasori sitting beside him huffed. "What do you know? That is the pinnacle of functional art. Every gear, every wire is a masterpiece of design. A layman like you could never comprehend it."
Hiruko laughed, waving him off. "Fine, fine. Let's not fight. Just enjoy the show. This battle is a rare treat—missing it would be a tragedy."
Hiruko was tired of the art debate. He looked at the "Future" Hiruko puppet again and muttered, "Seriously, though... look at the mess. No aesthetic at all."
"Shut up," Sasori snapped. "That's just raw material for a human puppet. It's meant to be functional, not pretty. It has nothing to do with my personal style."
Inside the cave, the Future Sasori began to taunt Sakura. "How do you think my collection is made?" his voice was low and rasping. "First, I remove the organs. Then I flay the skin, wash away the blood, apply preservatives, and install the weaponry. Thus, a puppet beast is born."
Sakura felt her skin crawl, cold sweat drenching her back. Chiyo, though pained, remained undeterred.
"The old bag is right," Sasori continued. "This Hiruko shell is part of my collection. With you and that little girl, I'll finally hit an even three hundred pieces for my gallery. That is my art."
The exchange between the two master puppeteers was more dangerous than any observer could fathom. However, the "Original" Hiruko noticed that the Future Sasori wasn't going all out. It felt more like a twisted demonstration—a way to show Chiyo his "progress."
Unfortunately, for an ordinary ninja, such a "demonstration" was usually fatal.
As the battle progressed, Sakura showed surprising flashes of brilliance. She feigned being poisoned to lure Sasori in for a finishing blow, only to shatter the Hiruko shell with a single, chakra-enhanced punch.
The Original Sasori, watching from the sofa, couldn't help but curse. "The future me is an idiot! He has the Third Kazekage puppet out and he's using Iron Sand! Chiyo is controlling the girl—just use a wide-range sand attack and crush her! Why get close?!"
Getting countered so clumsily was humiliating. Sasori's face was as dark as a pot bottom, especially with Hiruko laughing next to him.
However, Sasori noted that the future version of himself was no longer flesh and blood. He had successfully turned his own body into a puppet. "It seems I was right," he murmured. "The path of eternal art is achievable."
Hiruko was genuinely impressed by Sakura. She wasn't doing half-bad for Tsunade's student (even if she wasn't his world's Sakura). He had no "first-love" attachment to the character; his impression of her from the original series was mostly "When things happen, it's Naruto; when nothing happens, it's Sasuke."
He didn't particularly like her, but he realized he was going to be in this world for a while. He needed a "toy" to pass the time.
I wonder if this little thing is durable enough, he mused darkly.
The battle reached its climax. The Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets clashed against the White Secret Technique: The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu. The Original Sasori's fingers twitched; he was itching to jump in and test himself against both his future self and his grandmother.
"Stay cool," Hiruko said, sensing his partner's restlessness. "If we jump in now, whose side are we on? Or do you want to fight everyone at once?"
Hiruko kept his hand firmly on Sasori's shoulder. Sasori shrugged it off. He didn't care about complications; he just hated waiting.
"Fine," Hiruko sighed. "I wanted to see the end, but if you're that bored..."
He had seen enough. It was time to introduce a variable.
"Sage Art: Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Hiruko instantly entered Sage Mode and slammed his palms together.
The world seemed to end. Massive, dark-green vines, thick as ancient pythons, erupted from the earth like dragons.
When the quality and quantity of chakra are high enough, even basic jutsu can achieve god-like scale. And Deep Forest Emergence was a terrain-altering monster of a technique.
"Dammit!" Sasori cursed as the shockwaves hit. He used Earth Style to merge into the small safety zone Hiruko had intentionally left for him.
RUMBLE!
The earth heaved and churned, the cavern floor replaced by a surging sea of timber. The hundreds of puppets locked in combat were instantly swatted into the air, entangled, and crushed by the sentient vegetation.
"What?! What is this?! Who did this?!" Chiyo and Sakura were thrown into the air, desperately trying to find a footing amidst the rising forest.
Against an attack of this magnitude, there was nowhere to hide.
BOOM!!
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: [email protected]/c/wildsparkstudios
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.