Seizing the Puppet

At that moment, Hyuga Kagami had only one thought left in his mind: This time, I'm really finished.

Against a veteran powerhouse of Sasori's caliber, once the element of surprise was lost, pulling off another successful sneak attack would be exceedingly difficult. And when fighting Sasori, even a trivial scratch could result in losing combat ability due to poison. Yet against a powerhouse at Sasori's level, how could anyone possibly emerge without the slightest injury?

So, to Hyuga Kagami, the failure of this ambush meant that the outcome had already been decided.

In a flash, the Third Kazekage Human Puppet drawn in by Rotation was seized by the throat and lifted into Hyuga Kagami's hand. With Magnet Release no longer controlling them, the iron spears in the air collapsed one after another, turning into black Iron Sand that scattered across the ground with a clatter.

Looking from afar at the Third Kazekage Human Puppet dangling from Hyuga Kagami's hand, Sasori's expression became exceptionally ugly. At that moment, he was shocked and suspicious, with a trace of frustrated fury.

Although his thoughts were already in disarray, Hyuga Kagami remained outwardly calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Thus, the two men, each wary of the other, stood in silent confrontation amid the windblown sand.

This standoff made the already insecure Hyuga Kagami increasingly nervous. Then, to his surprise, he discovered that the chakra within his body was continuously flowing into the Third Kazekage Human Puppet in his hand.

Though this sudden change had occurred, Hyuga Kagami did not dare reveal even the slightest reaction. He continued staring coldly at Sasori across from him.

As more and more chakra flowed from his body into the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, Hyuga Kagami's courage weakened further. Thinking of how he had only just obtained the Tenseigan, only to lose his life in his very first battle, his heart filled with bitterness and unwillingness.

Clack, clack...

After roughly two-thirds of the chakra in his body had flowed into the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, the Human Puppet in Hyuga Kagami's hand suddenly began twitching erratically.

As the Human Puppet twitched, the Iron Sand that had scattered across the ground after losing control also began floating into the air.

Sasori was startled by the sight and shouted, "Damn it, you actually know Puppet Technique? Who exactly are you? Why were you meeting Sunagakure's Assassination Squad here?"

"Sunagakure's Assassination Squad!?"

Hearing Sasori's question, Hyuga Kagami's heart tightened.

The identities of the corpses that had been lying near Sasori turned out to be members of Sunagakure's Assassination Squad. This undoubtedly meant that Sunagakure had also participated in the Purge on Konoha's side, and that all of Konoha's upper ranks had tacitly approved of it.

Forcibly suppressing the indignation in his heart, Hyuga Kagami refocused on the situation before him.

After his initial confusion, he now understood why the Third Kazekage Human Puppet had suddenly been activated by him.

According to vague memories from his previous life, like the Rinnegan, the Tenseigan possessed a major ability: controlling puppets.

The Rinnegan controlled puppets through Black Rods. The Six Paths of Pain were all puppets controlled by Nagato's Rinnegan. The Tenseigan, meanwhile, controlled puppets by infusing them with Tenseigan chakra. Once enough Tenseigan chakra was injected, it could even awaken souls within the puppets, granting them a certain degree of intelligence and independent awareness.

As he remembered, Otsutsuki Toneri had relied on such puppets to effortlessly defeat Hyuga Hiashi, the Hyuga Clan head who was close to Kage-level, without even showing himself. He had then infiltrated the village and brazenly abducted Hyuga Hanabi.

Upon realizing this, Hyuga Kagami's thoughts shifted.

Without needing chakra threads, the Third Kazekage Human Puppet slowly floated up at Hyuga Kagami's command, guarding him from the front and assuming an attacking stance toward Sasori.

Only then did Hyuga Kagami say blandly, "I have no interest in eliminating Sunagakure's Rogue Ninja. There's no need for us to keep fighting."

Sasori's face darkened. "You stole my beloved collection. Do you think I'll let you go?"

Even Sasori felt a faint sense of apprehension toward the mysterious methods Hyuga Kagami had displayed, methods he had never seen before. At that moment, he had already regarded Hyuga Kagami as a powerful opponent capable of threatening his life.

Hyuga Kagami smiled. "This Human Puppet preserved the greatest amount of its combat strength from when it was alive. I have to admit, you truly are a genius when it comes to making puppets."

That smile was not an act. Hyuga Kagami was genuinely happy, because with the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, he had effectively gained the ability to fly. Whether to fight or flee would now be entirely up to him.

The reason he had not immediately left the battlefield and instead continued exchanging meaningless words with Sasori was merely to figure out how to conceal his identity and avoid Sasori seeking revenge later.

After all, if a powerhouse of Sasori's caliber set his sights on someone, one careless mistake could lead to an inexplicable death like the Third Kazekage's.

"You can control puppets without chakra threads. How did you do it?" After a pause, Sasori suddenly tilted his head and gave a wicked smile. "Forget it. Once I catch you, everything will become clear!"

With that, Sasori took out a red Scroll.

At Sasori's sharp cry, the Scroll was flung open. Figures flew out one after another, hovering around Sasori.

All of them were puppets draped in red cloaks, ten in total. Each had a different appearance: some held blades, some carried swords, and others bore enormous Shuriken on their backs.

Sasori smiled. "Aka Higi: Jikki Chikamatsu no Shu, make your entrance!"

Watching the scene before him, Hyuga Kagami thought, It seems Sasori hasn't mastered Hitokugutsu: Hyakki no Soen yet. But even Jikki Chikamatsu no Shu will be more than enough trouble for me!

Rattle, rattle...

Amid the sound of puppets shaking, the ten red-cloaked puppets pounced toward Hyuga Kagami.

Hyuga Kagami frowned and raised his hand again, unleashing Rotation.

Having lost two-thirds of his chakra, he was practically incapable of fighting anymore. Therefore, after using Rotation to blast away the ten red-cloaked puppets rushing him, he immediately leaped onto the Third Kazekage Human Puppet.

In an instant, Iron Sand filled the sky and transformed into a pair of iron wings. Carrying Hyuga Kagami, the Third Kazekage Human Puppet flew toward Mitsui Chuichi's corpse in the distance.

Sasori, who had been sent flying along with his puppets, cursed inwardly, Damn it, that move again!

Sasori found Rotation, a technique that could be cast freely without hand seals, extremely troublesome. But through this test, he had keenly noticed that Rotation's effective range was only about fifteen meters. He immediately changed his strategy and controlled his puppets to launch long-range throwing attacks at Hyuga Kagami.

Almost without needing Hyuga Kagami's command, the Third Kazekage Human Puppet used Magnet Release on its own, blocking every incoming Kunai and Shuriken.

Sasori, chasing after them from behind, darkened his expression. It felt as though his own masterpiece had slapped him in the face.

Before long, under Sasori's control, the throwing weapons of the ten red-cloaked puppets were all replaced with bone senbon coated in deadly poison.

Magnet Release could not control nonmetallic objects, so the Third Kazekage Human Puppet transformed part of the Iron Sand into a hemispherical shield, completely protecting its rear.

Clink, clank...

For a time, the sound of bone senbon striking the Iron Sand barrier rang out without end...