Sasori's true form

With a thunderous roar, the power from Sakura's fist surged through Scorpion's body and into the ground beneath his feet, instantly causing rocks to crumble and the hill to shatter into a pile of rubble!

Even the ground beneath him was shattered, and the scorpion's body was even worse, completely scattered into fragments.

Only...

"Something's not right." Sakura withdrew her fist and silently glanced at the scorpion's corpse on the ground.

Broken pieces of iron and mechanisms from the puppet lay scattered on the ground.

The only problem is that there's no scorpion carcass.

She sensed something was wrong when she hit Sasori earlier; it wasn't the feeling of hitting flesh and blood. Of course, it wasn't the feeling of hitting a substitute tree or a clone whose position had been swapped by the Substitution Technique either.

As expected, she only hit one of Scorpion's puppets. From the beginning, she didn't believe that such a straightforward attack could kill Scorpion.

Sakura is very self-aware in this regard, knowing that her Taijutsu, Body Flicker Technique, isn't extremely fast; even Hidan was only defeated by her Ice Body Flicker Technique.

So, what about scorpions?

Sakura caught a glimpse of a dark shadow out of the corner of her eye and immediately realized that it was Scorpion's true form.

Sakura, in her Cherry Blossom Impact state, quickly followed the incredibly fast figure with her eyes, watching as he stopped a short distance away, revealing his true form.

It turned out to be a boy with crimson hair, delicate features, and melancholy eyes.

Sakura was slightly taken aback.

Although she doesn't judge people by their appearance, she doesn't assume that the enemies standing opposite her are all grotesque-looking monsters.

However... the gloomy and eerie appearance and rough, dry voice of Scorpion just now were vastly different from the handsome, pretty boy in front of me, who was even more beautiful than a girl.

"Are you the true form of Scorpion?" she asked, somewhat surprised.

Seeing the other person nod, she quickly realized what was going on.

Just now, Scorpion was probably hiding inside the puppet she shattered, manipulating that outer shell Monstrous Strength Technique only shattered the puppet that served as a protective shell; it didn't affect Scorpion herself.

The girl bit her lower lip. The attack just now... for a battle of this level, it wasn't even a warm-up; it was just to give Scorpion a warning and curb his arrogance.

Being able to destroy one of Scorpion's puppets was a pleasant surprise.

After all, a puppeteer's number of puppets is limited! Most puppeteers are already quite lucky to have one or two puppets at their disposal. Even a puppeteer at the Jonin level has at most three to five usable puppets. Anyone would feel a pang of pain if one of them were destroyed.

But... if you count them, Hidan, Kakuzu, and now Sasori of the Red Sand, this is already the third person whose Monstrous Strength Technique is ineffective against them.

The Monstrous Strength Technique, which was invincible when defeating weaker opponents, became ineffective against members of Akatsuki, making her wonder if the technique had lost its effectiveness in higher-level battles!

Is this technique destined to follow in the footsteps of the Great Fireball and become the Ninjutsu with the fewest activations?

No... it's extremely effective even against puppeteers. She's already verified the power of the Monstrous Strength Technique.

One punch, one puppet.

If this fight continues, Sakura is curious to see how many puppets Sasori has that he can handle!

Scorpion, who had stopped not far away, slightly furrowed his delicate eyebrows.

"Impressive. You shattered my Hiruko with a single punch. This power reminds me of someone..." He spoke with a hint of surprise, his voice no longer the hoarse, deep tone hidden beneath the puppet, but a pleasant, clear, and crisp one. "What are you to Tsunade? A disciple?"

"Who knows? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't," Sakura replied evasively.

She frowned slightly, looking at the boyish-looking Scorpion with some surprise. He should be in his thirties already... why does he still look like a teenager?

Is this still your puppet, while your true self remains hidden in the shadows?

No... a puppet couldn't possibly have such a strong Chakra sense. Sakura could feel that Sasori's true form was indeed there.

Is this some kind of Secret Technique?

"Tsunade's disciple... Sakura Haruno? I see." Sasori's expression, which had been nonchalant at first, finally became somewhat serious.

He quickly recalled that during a recent Akatsuki gathering, the outspoken Hidan had recounted their experience of clashing with Konoha Ninja.

A girl named Sakura Haruno was mentioned by both Hidan and Kakuzu... Although it was only a few words, and the other members of Akatsuki showed no sympathy for Hidan and Kakuzu, Sasori did have some recollection of the girl who could beat Kakuzu so badly.

It's normal for a ninja who can fight Kakuzu to be full of self-confidence.

Although she appears to be just a delicate and frail girl, her slender figure and the hidden depth of her Chakra are indeed very deceptive.

However, she should be a ninja who uses Ninjutsu, right? We can infer this from Kakuzu's few words...

But why is his Taijutsu so strong?

"Ordinary puppets are meaningless against Monstrous Strength Technique. Rushing in will only result in them being easily crushed by that power. When I was young, the puppeteer unit issued an ironclad order: puppeteers must retreat when they encounter Tsunade, who wields Monstrous Strength Technique," Sasori said leisurely. "It seems you have inherited Tsunade's Monstrous Strength... no wonder you are so confident in fighting me."

As he wrote, he took out a scroll from his pocket. "At this rate, no number of puppets will be enough for you to fight."

"The prerequisite is... that you can hit the target."

Bang!

A new puppet was summoned from the scroll in Scorpion's hand.

Strangely, Sakura could sense a strong Chakra emanating from the puppet...

Do puppets also have Chakra? And such a huge amount at that!

"Let me introduce this to you. This is my masterpiece, my favorite piece in my collection..."

Satisfied, he watched as the girl opposite him widened her eyes slightly, revealing a surprised expression, and Scorpion chuckled.

"... a puppet created using the body of the Third Kazekage."

After realizing the true nature of the puppet before her, Sakura's expression turned grim.

"A puppet made from a living person, so that's why it retains its Chakra from its previous life?" She finally realized that Sasori's disgusting claim of turning her into a collectible wasn't just a bluff; it was something he had already done!

"That's right, this is my Human Puppet." A faint smile appeared on Scorpion's delicate face.

His innocent and pure smile made it seem like he was just a boy showing off his toys.

Perhaps, in his eyes, the Kazekage Puppet was nothing more than an exquisite toy.

But the words uttered by Scorpion were utterly wicked, the complete opposite of the bright and captivating smile on his face.

"First, remove the internal organs, peel off the skin, wash away the blood, and after some processing, install the mechanisms to complete the creation of the Human Puppet. However, a girl like you should receive preferential treatment... It's such a waste to peel off your flawless skin like this; we'll use special techniques to preserve your face!"

Even in battle, Sakura, whose negative emotions were suppressed by the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, felt nauseous at this moment.

The calm, seemingly frozen lake of my heart is now rippling with gentle waves.

With her thin lips slightly parted, the girl softly spoke as they touched each other.

"You're disgusting."

"No, you don't understand... this is art."

"Eternity is beauty," he said, staring intently into the girl's eyes.

The light green eyes that met his gaze grew increasingly cold, and the killing intent that gathered within them became ever more sharp.

However, what Sasori didn't notice was that, out of Sakura's sight, Sakura's left hand, hidden at her side, was quietly Hand Seals.

She stood proudly on the pile of pebbles. A spring breeze swept across the river, playfully lifting her clothes, ruffling the hem of her dress, caressing her skin, and gently brushing past the faint lines of her abs, making a rustling sound.

"That nonsense," Sakura Haruno said coldly, "You can save it for hell with your cellmates!"

Her billowing clothes fluttered in the wind, losing their concealing function and revealing the curves of her waist, as well as the movements of Sakura's hands.

She is forming One-Handed Hand Seals.

Scorpion was startled, realizing that Sakura had secretly Hand Seals while she was speaking!

However, this discovery came too late.

Water Release: Wind Blade Torrent!

(Minimum guaranteed 1/1, bonus chapter 0/1.)

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