Contempt

"Naruto, keep your movements quiet! Do you think you're having a fight?"

"Hehe, I didn't expect this branch to wither. It broke as soon as I stepped on it. There's nothing I can do about it!"

"Alright, alright, hurry up and find a sturdy tree branch to stand on, this is... really exciting!"

Shuyuan and Naruto stood on a big tree, parting the leaves in front of them. A gust of wind blew in their faces, and they couldn't help but squint.

Garden.

Or rather, the former park; now, more accurately, it's a battlefield.

The soil was plowed over and over by Ninjutsu, burning it until the air was thick with a pungent, acrid smell.

"Click-clack!"

The four-headed, six-armed puppet, wielding poisoned swords, charged towards Katsuki at the forefront.

"Clang! Clang!!"

The razor-sharp blade cleaved through Katsuki's head and neck, producing a metallic clang. The cut that struck her collarbone, in particular, not only failed to cause any damage but also chipped a nick in the blade.

"We haven't started playing yet!"

Scorpion's ten fingers twitched wildly, and the four-headed, six-armed puppet opened its four large mouths, hissing as it spewed out purple poisonous smoke.

In an instant, a large amount of toxic smoke engulfed the area around Katsuki.

"Ugh! I can't see it anymore! This red-haired bastard, can't he come up with some other tricks? How am I supposed to watch like this?"

Naruto; if Shuyuan hadn't been holding him back, he would have jumped out and challenged Sasori to a duel.

"Magnet Release, Sand Shower"

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique"

"Lightning Release: False Darkness"

The Human Puppets pursued closely, soaring into the sky and unleashing a torrent of extremely violent attacks.

Countless sand bullets shot into the poisonous smoke, and a fire dragon, wrapped in spear-like lightning, struck the stationary target within the smoke.

The earth trembled under this series of fierce blows, and poisonous smoke spread in all directions.

"Hey, is Uncle alright? Hey, Shuyuan, say something! Don't stay silent!"

Naruto turned to look at Shuyuan beside him.

"... Can't you see for yourself? Speaking of which, you should really focus on training your Mind's Eye of the Kagura! Don't just focus on learning those offensive Ninjutsu; Sensory Ninjutsu is also very important..." Annoyed by Naruto, Shuyuan grabbed Naruto's collar and unleashed a torrent of abuse.

"Ah! I see, so what happened? Tell me quickly!"

Naruto chuckled foolishly, which made Shuyuan feel frustrated. Why did this idiot always manage to provoke him so much?

"The outcome will be revealed soon, watch closely..."

Before the words were finished, a colorless aura shot into the sky, engulfing the three Human Puppets that were unable to dodge in mid-air. In the blink of an eye, they were shredded into a pile of debris.

"Boom--!"

The roar then spread to the surrounding fields.

"Holy crap, what kind of Ninjutsu is that? It's incredibly powerful!"

Naruto clung tightly to the thickest branch beside him. Standing on the tree felt like being on a boat, especially in a storm, swaying and almost throwing him off.

"Ninjutsu? Look closely, that's not Ninjutsu at all, it's just a storm caused by the punch."

"······"

Naruto wore a pained expression, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"

Shuyuan shrugged, as if to say, "Believe it or not." Naruto was immediately shocked, his mouth agape, and then... he swallowed a mouthful of dust and coughed violently.

"Hey! Really? Although... I knew the natural disaster in Konoha would be terrifying... this is way too terrifying, isn't it?"

Scorpion's face was gloomy, as if he had seen a ghost.

His position allowed him to see things that Naruto and Shuyuan could not. He watched the man in the poisonous smoke throw a punch. It was a simple punch; he didn't feel any intense Chakra fluctuations, lightning flashes, or gusts of wind. It was just a pure punch.

Then, the punch aimed at the sky unleashed a massive, surging shockwave that not only killed three of his Human Puppets in one fell swoop but also cleared away the surrounding poisonous smoke.

"Is that all? The missing-nin of Sunagakure... Sasori of the Red Sands!"

With his upper body bare, Katsuki swayed as he walked forward, his strong, restrained muscles bulging slightly. It didn't look exaggerated, but the power he possessed was not to be underestimated.

"Well! But to be honest, you're the strongest guy I've ever had to get revenge on over the years. The other guys never even got their clothes dirty after I finished cleaning them up, but you... at least you ruined my whole shirt!"

"... I am truly flattered!"

The scorpion's teeth clenched together with a grinding sound, and its ten fingers flicked, guiding the puppets to hover in mid-air, ready for battle.

"Aren't you going to keep attacking?"

Katsuki beckoned to him provocatively.

"Are you perhaps going to give me a chance to attack?"

"Yeah! That's right. After all, if I attack and it ends too quickly, it'll be boring. It's been a long time since I've had anything that can get me excited. I'm a little reluctant to break it too soon... And there are two unruly brats watching. I'd also like to let them see more of Puppet Master's skills."

Katsuki pinched her chin and glanced casually at the bushes at the edge of the battlefield.

After all, he used to be a teacher at the Ninja Academy, and now he's the Principal. Using every available resource for teaching and nurturing students has almost become a habit.

Upon hearing this, Scorpion's face immediately darkened. The fact that he still had the nerve to take his hand and lecture him was no longer a provocation, but utter contempt.

Naked contempt.

"Good! Good! Good! As expected of Konoha's Calamity, truly heroic. I hope you won't go back on your word." Five or six scrolls slipped from Sasori's sleeve. He unfolded them one by one and summoned puppets from them. Most of them were traditional puppets, and there weren't many Human Puppets.

Only Jonin possess the value to be made into Human Puppets. The scarcity of materials results in a limited number of Human Puppets, and even with the newly summoned ones, only twenty more can be assembled.

Scorpion's puppet army is mainly composed of traditional puppets, and their numbers are quite large, all of which are stockpiles he accumulated during his research on Puppet Technique.

"Come on, bring it on! If you can force me to go back on my word, that's a skill in itself!"

Katsuki stamped her foot and lowered her waist slightly. She could blow on it without any problem, but her actions showed no sign of letting up.

"Come on! Let me show you my ultimate technique." Sasori removed his robes, revealing his puppet-like body. Hundreds of Chakra Threads shot out from his chest, controlling all the puppets. "Come on! Let's dance together on this battlefield! Secret Red Technique, Hundred Puppets Performance!"

Hundreds of puppets draped in crimson robes rose into the sky and converged in one place, making the sky look like a fiery cloud. (To be continued)