Why Do You Have Asura's Chakra on You?

Bang--

Bang--

Bang--

In the forest of the Land of Rivers, Hyuga Makoto continued to dance through the sea of puppets, constantly weaving between them.

His hands were covered in Chakra that roared like a lion, and every strike he made shattered a puppet instantly!

Kakashi, on the other hand, looked somewhat battered. His Chidori could be just as effective, and his Sharingan could also see the Chakra threads.

Scorpion, however, was taking special care of him. The immense number of puppets was entirely focused on him!

"Eight Trigrams Empty Wall Palm."

Another wave of attacks came. When Hyuga Makoto saw an opening behind Kakashi, he immediately struck to intercept the puppets hurtling toward him.

The two of them quickly regrouped, standing back-to-back.

"Captain, do you have some kind of grudge against him?"

Makoto was being somewhat "deliberately obvious," but he really couldn't stop himself from complaining.

"This guy doesn't just have a lot of puppets. Every single one of them wants you dead."

"...Focus on the battle."

Kakashi really didn't want to answer that question. After all, they genuinely did have a grudge!

"But if this drags on, it'll be too dangerous for us."

The best way to deal with a puppeteer was to fight them at close range.

The key problem was that Scorpion had too many puppets under his control!

Kakashi wasn't Uchiha Madara. There was no way he could "dance" in front of all these puppets. Besides, he was running low on Chakra.

He had to think of a better way to solve the problem.

"I can see some of his weaknesses, but he's too well protected by his puppets."

Hyuga Makoto spoke in a low voice while estimating how much Chakra his Shadow Clone had left.

"Unless we can get close, we won't be able to land an effective hit."

"Is that so..."

Kakashi nodded secretly and began rapidly thinking of a way to get Makoto through.

Boom--

However, just as he was thinking, the earth suddenly trembled.

Looking into the distance, he saw a giant snake as large as a small mountain appear in the forest amid a cloud of smoke!

"Manda?"

Kakashi grew even more tense at the sight. Manda's appearance was definitely not a good thing.

It was enough to show that Orochimaru was about to get serious!

"Oh, has that guy gotten bored of playing?"

Scorpion also noticed the scene in the distance and let out a cold snort.

"If that's the case, I'll speed things up too. I don't want to lose to someone like him."

As he spoke, he casually took out a scroll with the character "three" engraved on it.

The next moment, amid billowing smoke, a human puppet quietly appeared!

"This is..."

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly. He naturally recognized the identity of the human puppet, but the realization made cold sweat run down his body!

"The Third Kazekage... So you were the one who killed him when he disappeared, and then turned him into a human puppet?"

"That's right. And you don't need to rush..."

Scorpion nodded indifferently, and iron sand had already gathered around the Third Kazekage.

"Because you'll be joining him very soon!"

Buzz--

In an instant, under Scorpion's control, the iron sand around the Third Kazekage transformed into a huge pillar and smashed heavily toward Hyuga Makoto and Kakashi.

"Get out of the way!"

Kakashi immediately shoved Makoto aside before leaping in the opposite direction.

Bang--

The pillar slammed into the ground, sending up a vast cloud of dust!

A visible shockwave struck Kakashi in midair, making him crash to the ground in a disheveled heap.

Before he could even get up, he saw countless puppets already rushing toward him.

The sky was also filled with countless black needles formed from iron sand.

"Magnet Release: Sand Rain!"

Scorpion had no time to hesitate. He was enjoying himself far too much now!

White Fang of the Leaf had died long ago. Since he couldn't kill Hatake Sakumo, killing his son would do just as well.

"Hmph!"

Yet at that moment, Hyuga Makoto instantly took down several puppets and rushed in front of Kakashi, pulling him up.

Boom--

The black iron needles pierced the ground, and the continuous thunderous roar was deafening!

"Makoto, you..."

Kakashi's lips moved slightly, but Makoto shook his head and cut him off.

"If I were the one in this situation, Captain, you'd come save me too, right?"

"But now you've put yourself in the most dangerous position."

Kakashi sighed and looked up. The space above them had been completely covered by puppets and black iron sand!

They truly had no way out now.

"That was a touching performance, but it was completely meaningless."

Scorpion let out a cold snort and spoke indifferently.

"Since the two of you are so close..."

"Then I'll send you on your way!"

The moment Scorpion finished speaking, he immediately controlled all the puppets to move.

However, at that moment, Scorpion's expression changed...

"So it was Itachi, huh? What an unexpected reunion."

Atop Manda's head, Orochimaru was covered in slime, and his face was slightly pale, but his gaze was burning.

He had always felt that the short Anbu member looked familiar. Now he knew that this was the body he had long desired!

"Itachi's genjutsu really is something to marvel at. Even I had difficulty enduring it. The only regrettable thing is that you probably won't get the chance."

Orochimaru was excited now. Although certain minor circumstances had exposed his identity, and Pain's orders disgusted him, it was precisely because Konoha's investigation had reached the Land of Rivers and Pain had ordered him here that this had happened!

This "wonderful encounter" would not only let him reclaim the Wood Release experimental subject but also obtain a genuine Sharingan. How could he not be delighted?

"Even if it is somewhat troublesome, but..."

Orochimaru licked his lips. The next moment, he controlled Manda and sent him crushing forward.

"You're all mine!"

"Oh no..."

Seeing this, Tenzo gritted his teeth and prepared to start Forming hand seals again, but Uchiha Itachi stopped him.

"Senior, look over there!"

"Hm?"

Tenzo was somewhat confused. The next moment, his eyes widened.

The countless puppets and black iron sand filling the sky suddenly charged toward Orochimaru as if they had gone mad!

"Hm?!"

Orochimaru was caught off guard, but he still quickly began Forming hand seals.

"Summoning Technique: Rashomon."

Boom--

The enormous impact made the entire forest tremble, while the vast cloud of dust spread across the sky!

Beneath the smoke, Orochimaru watched Scorpion with tightly furrowed brows and a somewhat grim gaze.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know why, but my puppets suddenly went out of control."

Scorpion controlled Hiruko and swayed to his feet. Even the puppet body seemed to convey his solemn expression.

"Someone actually managed to seize control of my puppets..."

"The control was seized?"

Orochimaru's face was filled with bewilderment, but the next moment, he suddenly froze.

It wasn't just him. Scorpion also sensed something at that moment. The two of them instantly looked up at the sky!

"What is that..."

A figure was floating in the sky, looking down at them with an indifferent gaze!

"How strange. Why is there a trace of Asura's Chakra clinging to you?"

At that moment, the figure suddenly spoke. He raised his hand, and a black prayer bead appeared at his fingertips.

"But it doesn't matter. If I take you back, I should be able to find the answer..."

Buzz--

In an instant, the prayer bead began spinning, wrapped in a layer of pale golden Chakra.

In the blink of an eye, it seemed to transform into a sharp Shuriken and shot toward them at incredible speed!

"What the hell is that?"

Orochimaru and Scorpion were both bewildered, but they still prepared themselves to defend.

"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!"

Scorpion instantly controlled the iron sand to form an iron wall, while Orochimaru also prepared to reinforce Rashomon.

But in the next instant, their expressions changed drastically. The sturdy iron wall was like a sheet of paper, pierced in an instant by the Shuriken formed from the prayer bead.

The prayer bead's power did not diminish at all. It slammed heavily into them!

Boom--

The violent explosion was deafening, and an invisible shockwave frantically spread in every direction.

In an instant, the surrounding trees, rocks, and mountains were torn apart and collapsed beneath the visible shockwave...