Conquering Temperament

When the time is right, the heavens and the earth lend their strength.

Sometimes, a person experiences a feeling where, for a period, they seem to have the assistance of gods and the favor of the heavens; whatever they wish to do, it almost always goes smoothly and according to their desires.

Even if they encounter setbacks or difficulties, they can quickly regain their spirit and rise again.

Jiang Feng used the Three Realms Qi Energy of this heaven, earth, and humanity to artificially create such a feeling for Sasori.

Because Sasori was unaware of the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique, this was both an amplification and a weakening.

This peculiar state of the heavens and earth lending their strength could indeed make Sasori's state of mind more complete, his fighting spirit more positive, and his mentality more optimistic, but it would also cause Sasori to reveal more weaknesses.

This was because this state was something Sasori should not have possessed, and the objective problems Sasori needed to face had not fundamentally changed.

For example, right now.

An infinite amount of Iron Sand formed giant needles, triangular cones, spears, and various other sharp weapons in mid-air. These countless Iron Sand weapons then formed an ultra-large barrier, completely locking down the space where Pakura was maneuvering.

An Iron Sand cylinder slammed into Pakura, sending her flying. The struggle between the two had finally reached a temporary conclusion.

Defeating such a formidable enemy caused the momentum of Sasori of the Red Sands, which was already burning like a wildfire, to grow even stronger—like flowers blooming in clusters, like oil added to a raging fire.

I am already invincible!

Subtly, Sasori of the Red Sands developed a hint of this feeling. Regaining some sanity and optimism, he manipulated the Kazekage puppet and charged toward the viewing platform where Jiang Feng was located.

"Uchiha Jiang Feng, go to hell!"

His reason and wisdom allowed him to see a glimmer of hope for survival; it seemed he had a possibility of staying alive: as long as he could kill either Rasa or Jiang Feng and then retreat in time, his desperate situation could be resolved.

This kind of reason was precisely a form of irrationality—a somewhat blind, somewhat overly optimistic delusion.

Theoretically speaking, the probability of him quickly killing one of them and then retreating unscathed was very low—so low that, previously, Sasori would have automatically ignored such a possibility.

Without the blessing of the Three Realms Qi Energy, even with the momentum of defeating Pakura, Sasori would likely not have thought in this direction.

But that feeling of the heavens and earth lending their strength amplified Sasori's fighting spirit and optimism, leading him to make a wrong judgment and believe that this plan might be feasible.

His temperament had been gradually breached and dismantled by the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique.

"Sasori, it is not your turn to be presumptuous here!

Lord Jiang Feng, I will leave the protection of the Daimyo to you."

Rasa hurriedly rode his cloud to block the path of Sasori of the Red Sands, manipulating his Gold Dust to unfold a barrier similar to the Iron Sand barrier, engaging in a fierce struggle with Sasori as he charged toward the central viewing platform.

Besides Jiang Feng, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and several ministers of the Land of Wind were on the viewing platform. How could Rasa allow Sasori to approach that area so easily?

Over a dozen Sunagakure Anbu Ninja stood in front of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, shielding the Daimyo and the high-ranking officials behind them. Even so, the Daimyo was so frightened that his face turned pale.

Sasori was truly insane—so insane that he killed commoners, aristocrats, and Daimyo without the slightest hesitation.

The Daimyo of the Land of Wind subconsciously glanced at Jiang Feng, who was also on the viewing platform. The young man stood there in white robes as pristine as snow, maintaining a calm and indifferent demeanor, possessing the natural air of a master who didn't even consider Sasori of the Red Sands worth his attention.

The Daimyo felt significantly more at ease. Calming himself, he waved a hand and said, "There is no need to panic. Even if that Sasori of the Red Sands were to kill his way to this platform, Mr. Jiang Feng would surely be able to slay him in an instant."

Slay Sasori of the Red Sands in an instant?

The Sunagakure Anbu Ninja looked at one another. They glanced at the expressionless, silent Jiang Feng, then back at Sasori, who was locked in combat with Rasa, and felt that the Daimyo was being far too optimistic.

No one doubted Uchiha Jiang Feng's strength. To be able to defeat the son of the Raikage and retreat unscathed from an encirclement of dozens of Jonin, he surely possessed extraordinary capabilities.

But likewise, no one doubted the strength of Sasori of the Red Sands.

As the most gifted and talented puppeteer in the history of the ninja world, Sasori's puppet manipulation techniques were even superior to those of Elder Chiyo.

Now that he possessed a human puppet made from the strongest Kazekage in history, his strength was likely on par with any Kage in the current ninja world.

The fact that he had defeated the Scorching Release User Pakura, and that Rasa—who was also a master of Magnet Release—was struggling to reach a stalemate with him after dozens of exchanges, was proof enough.

To kill Sasori of the Red Sands in an instant? How could that be possible?

Perhaps it was because the Daimyo of the Land of Wind placed such immense trust in Jiang Feng's strength and composure that even Konan became curious about whether Jiang Feng could kill Sasori in such a short time.

"Can you kill Sasori of the Red Sands?"

"I can."

"About how many moves will it take?"

Jiang Feng fell silent for a moment, then suddenly began to count down softly, as if reading a timer: "30, 29, 28, 26, 25, 24..."

Jiang Feng paused when he reached 14. Konan was greatly astonished; she also felt it was somewhat impossible. Could he really kill Sasori of the Red Sands in 14 moves at most?

It sounded like a fantasy, but if the man beside her said it, then it must be achievable. Perhaps he had discovered some weaknesses in Sasori that others could not perceive.

Jiang Feng had indeed discovered Sasori's weaknesses; those weaknesses were ones he had created himself using the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique.

Sasori's Chakra circulation and puppet manipulation skills remained near-flawless, but his temperament had been breached by the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique. His judgment now had flaws, and he had become overly optimistic and confident.

Such a temperamental weakness might be difficult for others to detect, but Jiang Feng, who had personally manufactured it, could perceive it with ease.

Utilizing the changes in the Three Realms Qi Energy to break an enemy's temperament was a relatively standard application of the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique.

And this was merely the beginning.

As Jiang Feng and Konan chatted, the battle situation shifted once more.

Carrying the momentum of heaven and earth and the prestige of having defeated Pakura, Sasori of the Red Sands—who held the initiative as the attacker—finally caught a weakness in Rasa and used the Iron Sand Technique to force him back.

"Uchiha Jiang Feng, how much longer are you going to hide? Come down and meet your death!"

Having bested Rasa by a single move, Sasori of the Red Sands felt his momentum climb from one victory to the next. At this moment, even the onlookers began to harbor the illusion that perhaps Sasori of the Red Sands was truly unstoppable.

He let out a sinister laugh, ignoring Rasa once more. He manipulated the Kazekage Puppet, unfurled the Iron Sand Wings, and charged toward Jiang Feng on the observation deck.

Konan's expression shifted slightly. She suddenly spread her Angel Paper Wings, intending to block the path in front of Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng raised a hand to stop the girl beside him. He activated the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique once again, manipulating the Three Realms Qi Energy imbued within Sasori, shattering the momentum the latter had gathered from his string of victories into pieces.

Then, he gathered all the manipulatable Three Realms Qi Energy in this world onto himself, manifesting the "Heavenly Son's Dharma Aspect."

From the peak of brilliance to the depths of decline, from the sky above to the earth below, Sasori's seemingly peerless momentum was crushed in an instant, cast down into the dust.

In contrast stood Jiang Feng, who remained as calm and indifferent as ever. In a split second, he was like a divine sword unsheathed, his sudden release of pressure so overwhelming it could not be looked upon directly, as if the entire world—the entire desert—had become one with him.

Even Sasori, who understood nothing of "momentum" and did not believe in it, could feel just how vast the gap in momentum was between the two.

A difference as great as clouds and mud.

8 moves.

Sasori's temperament had been breached once again. The flaws exposed in his personality and emotions had grown so large that even Rasa, Konan, and the others could vaguely perceive them.