Analysis, Strategy

Shuichi himself is a user of Magnet Release, so of course he knows what the biggest weakness of this Kekkei Genkai is.

Using physical objects as a means of attack and defense means that a ninja's strength will be greatly affected once the manipulation of objects becomes ineffective.

Based on the Gaara's sand sinking when it comes into contact with water, developing corresponding countermeasures shouldn't be too difficult.

If the scorpion reacts quickly enough, the best course of action is to carefully peel off the outer layer of Iron Sand covered in mucus, leaving the middle part intact to continue fighting.

Although the overall power of the Iron Sand will be reduced, it's still better than being in this predicament.

The C-rank Ninjutsu, Water Sticky Syrup, is actually severely underestimated.

Most ninjas excel in mobility. If you can seal off the enemy's ability in this area, you can easily gain the upper hand in battle, whether it's killing or capturing them.

After learning Yin-Yang Release, Shuichi specifically researched and improved the power of this technique. It's not surprising that two disciples who are also proficient in Water Release would know this move.

While it might not be so effective against large areas of placer Gold Dust and sand, the high-concentration slime is a nemesis for small quantities of high-quality Iron Sand.

Not to mention that there's a layer in between when using the scorpion.

Even with its full chakra output, the Iron Sand is struggling to even perform simple Shape Transformation, and its impact is reduced by more than 50%. It's probably just wishful thinking to expect it to pose a threat to the two from Konoha.

"Damn it, you've angered me!"

With a wave of his hands, Sasori 'Third Kazekage Puppet temporarily abandoned the Iron Sand and quickly leaped over the strange object, extending its left arm during the high-speed dash.

The mechanism activated, and numerous tentacles burst forth from several talismans, slamming fiercely towards Itachi and Haku.

Swish!

The two immediately separated and jumped apart. Bai formed a hand Hand Seals with one hand, unleashing the secret technique: Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals!

Several ice mirrors, each as tall as a person, condensed in the air. Wooden tentacles extended from their tubes, spewing out poisonous mist. The white horse darted into the ice mirrors and quietly waited for the smoke to slowly dissipate.

Crackling sounds...

Itachi continued moving, charging towards Sasori's main body from the side, as if trying to seize an opening in the puppet's attack to launch a close-range assault.

Scorpion, whose true form was a puppet and whose body was covered in mechanisms Hidden Weapons, no longer let his guard down.

This Uchiha brat has exceptional opportunity-grabbing and analytical skills; he's not an easy opponent to deal with.

Judging from their actions against the Iron Sand, they are clearly very familiar with their intelligence. They are deliberately betting on the fact that the Puppeteer are not good at close combat, hoping to catch the enemy off guard and potentially cause unforeseen changes.

Click click click--

The Third Kazekage Puppet detached from the touchscreen, drifting laterally at the shortest distance. Multiple giant blades appeared from the sleeve of his right hand, with visible dark venom flowing across them, and he slashed at Itachi with incredible speed.

Itachi kept a close eye on his surroundings, his Mangekyo's extraordinary perception clearly detecting the puppet's movements.

He didn't stop drawing his sword, but unexpectedly turned to the side, unleashing his Body Flicker Technique to confront the puppet head-on. In such a short time, neither side had time to change their moves.

With one hand outstretched, a chakra ball the size of a human head lit up— the Great Ball Rasengan!

Snap... crack...

In a flash, intense chakra pressed down on the steel blade, shattering the incredibly hard edge and sending countless fragments scattering in all directions.

The Rasengan was unstoppable, shattering the paper-thin puppet's body with a deafening roar!

A sudden storm arose, and the Third Kazekage Puppet was repeatedly pushed back by the violent energy, its entire body disintegrating as it was sent flying backward.

The Rasengan continued to explode, carving a long trench in the ground, surrounded by countless tiny wood chips of unknown origin.

Until something the size of a palm fell down with a "thud."

A few strands of blue hair, a single, narrowed eye, almost like a shattered mask...

"These two..." Sasori's face darkened completely, "They unleashed a barrage of techniques, and the Third Kazekage was utterly pulverized..."

"Judging from their appearance, they still have quite a bit of chakra left."

Sasori pulled back his outer garment, revealing his puppet body, and stared at Uchiha Itachi with a sinister grin, saying, "That look... did it mean you didn't want to let me go at all?"

After fighting for so long, I've ended up being the prey... Hah, die!

Whoosh whoosh--

He raised both hands, each producing a section of iron pipe, and a raging sea of fire erupted from his palms, chasing and burning fiercely towards Itachi and Haku, leaving scorched black patches wherever the flames passed.

After destroying the Third Hokage's sealed puppet, Itachi did not become complacent. As if he was wary of the puppet's unusual nature, he did not act rashly before the flames attacked and quickly retreated to Haku's location.

Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome!

Bai leaped out of the ice mirror and immediately erected a thick, circular Ice Wall.

When the scorching fire scorched the solid ice, the defense melted at a visible rate, but he still maintained his chakra output.

Even after Scorpion's first Scroll was completely destroyed and the flames disappeared, the Ice Wall remained unbreakable.

Splash! Splash!

Just then, countless puppets soared into the sky.

Before long, a densely packed army appeared before the two of them. Kotaro was forced to fly back by this force and dared not get too close.

There are just too many puppets. If it destroys one, it will likely be attacked and injured by the others. Even if birds are more resistant to poison than humans, they may not be able to withstand it.

Red Secret Technique: Hundred Puppet Performance!

A massive number of puppets lunged down, their overwhelming force creating a truly spectacular sight.

Itachi immediately made a hand gesture, and Haku quickly understood. The two of them took a deep breath and Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

A wide-ranging gust of wind met all the puppets head-on, deflecting countless Hidden Weapons and interrupting the scorpion's legion charge, barely managing to neutralize the first wave of attack.

"There are so many! We can't possibly kill them all!" Kotaro lacked combat wisdom, but he was perfectly capable as a broadcaster. "What should we do? Should we summon Shuichi?"

"There's no need for our Konoha to Hokage against an opponent like this," Itachi said calmly. "I already have a plan. Haku, can you hold on?"

"No problem, I have enough chakra... to cast three more techniques!" Bai replied. "But if it's just one hand, the preparation time will be a bit longer."

If his hand hadn't been ambushed and severed, followed by massive blood loss, he probably could have fought the entire battle without any problems.

The reason why the two are so strong is inseparable from Hashirama Cells. After all, they are his disciples, Shuichi is willing to spend a lot of money to give them injections every year.

Kekkei Genkai ninjas already possess large chakra reserves, and with the added support of the First Hokage Cells (albeit a milder version), their physical foundation is more than capable of training in Sage Mode...

Itachi made a sword-finger gesture with one hand, activating Mental Secret Technique to quickly communicate with Haku.

"Sasori of the Red Sands's puppets are generally divided into two types: so-called Human Puppet that possess special abilities and may inherit the chakra of the deceased..." Itachi analyzed expressionlessly, "And the kind we see before us, the vast number of ordinary puppets."

"Puppeteer can never escape the realm of ninjas. If they use chakra to unleash Ninjutsu, they won't have much energy left to attend to other aspects."

Bai nodded calmly, thinking to himself, "That must be right, otherwise he would definitely be using both Human Puppet and ordinary puppets at the same time; there's no reason for him to hold back his full strength."

Their teacher had already compiled extremely detailed information about the Puppeteer, and coupled with their previous encounters, the two knew that Scorpion had actually been serious all along.