Blossoming and Withering

The ice shattered, and Sasori of the Red Sand broke free of the technique's range.

The Magnet Release of the Third Kazekage Puppet reconnected with the earth. Iron particles emerged one by one from the yellow sand beneath its feet, then flowed into the air and gathered into an iron sphere.

Frost still clung to Sasori's hair and brows. His face was pale, but the wound in his chest had been frozen over and had stopped bleeding.

"What a fragile body." He mocked himself.

Sasori was in terrible shape. The unexpected encounter had dealt him a grievous blow.

But his eyes shone brightly, as if he had found a fascinating new toy.

He chased after Mo Jingxian, leaving a battlefield in ruins behind him.

At first, perhaps it was hatred that drove him. He had only wanted to crush a few Konoha Ninja.

Then he discovered the Byakugan. That was a pleasant surprise.

He was very particular about his collection, and the Byakugan was undoubtedly a first-rate specimen.

But that wasn't the only surprise. Their fight had revealed that the Konoha Ninja who used Ice Release was worth even more than the Byakugan.

Instant ninjutsu, a Kekkei Genkai, and the hard-to-defend-against genjutsu and Sealing Jutsu—all of it fascinated Sasori deeply.

At that moment, he admired Mo Jingxian more than anything except the perfect Puppet in his hands.

Sasori's pursuit of the art of puppetry had long since descended into madness. In his eyes, Mo Jingxian's team was a gorgeous collection of mobile materials.

The desert's scorching heat was nearing fifty degrees. Using Ice Release in such conditions made Chakra consumption increase exponentially.

The tiny bit of Chakra squeezed out of the Military Ration Pill was a drop in the bucket. Mo Jingxian's speed kept falling.

[Reputation from Sasori +50]

He spared a glance at the panel. His reputation stood at 934 points.

He was short by 66 points. It seemed he couldn't count on a trade to turn things around.

The thought flashed through his mind. He pushed his body harder, and his pace quickened once more.

He hadn't gone far before the enemy behind him caught up again.

Sasori was determined not to stop until he got what he wanted, driving Mo Jingxian into a dead end.

This wouldn't do.

If things continued like this, he would be worn down to death. He might as well risk everything.

Once he'd made up his mind, Mo Jingxian stopped and turned around, steadying his breathing.

Sasori arrived quickly. This time, not only did he keep his real body at a distance, but he also kept the Third Kazekage Puppet a safe distance away.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Arrows formed from Iron Sand fired in rapid succession like a machine gun.

Mo Jingxian sprinted in circles around Sasori, dodging the attacks while searching for an opening.

His Chakra had dwindled to almost nothing, and what he could recover was nowhere near enough to keep up with what he spent.

For now, he could only rely on pure Taijutsu to keep Sasori at bay.

"Bang!"

Mo Jingxian seized his chance and charged in, only to be blocked halfway by an Iron Shield that appeared out of nowhere.

He struck it with his palm, but the Iron Shield remained unscathed. Instead, suddenly extending iron spikes left two wounds on his body.

The Third Kazekage Puppet was extremely powerful, its secret techniques equally suited to offense and defense.

Mo Jingxian tried twice more. Other than gaining a few new wounds, he had nothing to show for it.

The only consolation was that Sasori was badly wounded too, with little Chakra left.

So Sasori was now unable to perform some of the more difficult puppet-control techniques or unleash a large-scale ninjutsu to blanket the area.

The two of them were like beasts in an arena. One of them had to fall.

Sasori wasn't in a hurry. No one could outlast a puppeteer in a battle of attrition.

He had used Puppets to wear down many opponents before. All he had to do was wait until his prey ran out of strength, then move in for the kill.

Today's work of art would be no exception. Things had gone awry at first, but he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

His control of the Puppet was sharp and methodical.

Like an experienced hunter, he wore his opponent down little by little.

Mo Jingxian charged in once more.

A rain of Iron Sand needles fell from the sky.

He released a burst of Chakra beneath his feet and used the instant he suddenly changed speed to shake off the Puppet.

Throughout their earlier fight, Mo Jingxian had kept his speed constant, hoping to lull his opponent into the misconception that he would continue at the same pace.

He hadn't given up. He was still searching for a way to carve a path out.

With the Puppet's attack fooled, he seized the gap between its strikes and quickly closed in on his enemy.

The corner of Sasori's mouth lifted in a tiny smile, so faint it would have gone unnoticed if you weren't looking closely.

But he really was smiling.

"Boom!"

Yellow sand filled the air as a huge crater blasted open in the ground.

A humanoid Puppet crouched in the crater, a long steel scorpion tail whipping behind it.

Puppet: Hiruko.

The scorpion tail left a blur as it stung at its enemy in an instant.

Sasori had been holding something back too, taking advantage of his opponent's expectations.

That was the nature of a ninja's battle: a clash of both strength and wits.

Mo Jingxian dodged and weaved, moving quickly over short distances within the limited space.

As he evaded, his hands swiftly formed Hand Seals, using the newly revealed Puppet to conceal his movements.

He pushed his elemental sensing to its limits.

The Iron Sand fired from behind him grazed his cheek as he dodged. The friction left a bloody line across his skin, stinging fiercely.

The scorpion tail, coated in poison, stabbed down at him.

He dodged to the side and kicked the tail away, only for another Magnet Release attack to follow.

He seemed to dance on the tip of a blade, using every trick at his disposal in the space of a few feet.

"Whirrr!"

Large amounts of Iron Sand rose from the ground, gradually gathering into a massive iron sphere.

Sasori was preparing his final strike, while Mo Jingxian still hadn't gotten past Hiruko.

Suddenly!

The sand and stones beneath Sasori's feet turned into mud. Someone grabbed his ankle, and his body sank rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he was submerged up to his knees in the Mud Swamp.

The yellow sand around him burst apart with a series of bangs, and two figures suddenly appeared.

They were Ayako Hyuuga and Shinju Ishikawa, who had already escaped.

They had used the terrain to set an ambush here long ago.

Their timing was perfect. They attacked just one second before their enemy's victory seemed certain.

With Sasori's attention entirely fixed on Mo Jingxian, he naturally failed to notice what was beneath his feet.

The only C-rank ninjutsu Shinju Ishikawa knew, the Mud Swamp Technique, had produced an effect equal to an A-rank technique at just the right moment.

The two appeared behind Sasori.

Shinju held a Kunai and stabbed toward his heart, while Ayako Hyuuga thrust out her palm with Eight Trigrams Palms.

The tide had turned!

Only a moment ago, Sasori of the Red Sand had controlled the pace of the fight. Now he was trapped in a deathly swamp.

The Third Kazekage Puppet rushed back to protect him, but it was too late.

The skin on his back could already feel the sharpness of the Kunai, along with the flow of Chakra at Ayako Hyuuga's fingertips.

"Iron Sand Drizzle!"

He released all the Chakra in the Third Kazekage Puppet at once. Iron Sand transformed into countless spears, engulfing all three of them.

Ayako Hyuuga gave up her chance to live and didn't dodge.

If Sasori didn't die, they would all die. There was no other choice.

She had long grown tired of being a burden. Every time she watched Mo Jingxian stand in front of her, she was powerless to do anything.

The feeling suffocated her.

Now... her chance had come.

Without hesitation, she drove her Chakra into the enemy's body.

One palm strike, then another...

Unfortunately, her training was still lacking. The enemy's attack had already arrived.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her by the back of her collar and hurled her away with tremendous force.

Her body flew back, out of the ninjutsu's range.

In her field of vision...

Shinju Ishikawa clung tightly to the enemy, iron spikes of every shape pinning them together.

Shinju raised his head. Blood poured from his mouth as he smiled at the girl who had always stood behind him.

"Boom!"

The flames of the explosion buried them both.

The blast wave from the Explosive Tags sent the Third Kazekage Puppet flying.

At the last moment, Sasori used the Puppet Substitution Technique, switching places with Hiruko.

His life was spared, but he was injured as well.

The Chakra wedges Ayako Hyuuga had left inside his body had severed two of his Chakra pathways.

The Explosive Tags had injured his internal organs.

In less than two seconds, everything was over in the blink of an eye.

A line of water pierced Sasori's chest like a blade, passed beside his heart, and shot out through his back.

Mo Jingxian used the ninjutsu he had yet to master completely: "Water Release: Water Severing Wave."

His original plan had been to use the Puppet as cover and launch a surprise attack.

He hadn't expected the situation to change so violently. It had taken everyone by surprise.

Perhaps Sasori of the Red Sand wasn't meant to die just yet. The Water Severing Wave dissipated just like that, causing no further cutting damage.

Sasori didn't want to die. He still had many ambitions left unfulfilled.

Using what little Chakra he had left, he controlled Hiruko and fled without looking back.

Mo Jingxian could no longer hold on. His body and mind were both utterly spent, and everything before his eyes blurred.

Before he passed out, he vaguely saw Shinju Ishikawa smile and wave goodbye to him.

After an unknown amount of time...

Mo Jingxian felt as if his eyelids weighed a ton, and his head throbbed... It was like someone had opened his skull and was stirring around inside with a stick.

He also smelled a faint fragrance. It seemed to be Ayako's.

He seemed to be lying on someone's back, swaying gently.

He was too sleepy. His eyes closed against his will, and then he knew nothing more.

By the time he woke up again, three days had passed.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a charred beam. He seemed to be lying in a wooden house.

He turned his head. His joints cracked twice, and his body felt like an old machine that had just been restarted.

Ayako Hyuuga was keeping watch by his side. The girl had her arms wrapped around her knees, her face buried between them.

The room was very quiet. Every so often, sounds drifted in from the street outside.

As his awareness returned, the many things he had experienced flooded into his mind.

"Ayako."

The girl jerked her head up, delight in her eyes. "You're awake!"

"Mm." Mo Jingxian looked around. "Where are we?"

"The Land of Earth." Ayako reached out and placed a hand on his forehead.

"That rogue ninja escaped. He hasn't shown up since, so we're safe."

"That's good."

Mo Jingxian started to sit up, and Ayako came over to help him.

His body hadn't fully recovered yet. He felt like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.

Simply sitting there took a lot out of Mo Jingxian.

"Shinju..."

Mo Jingxian hadn't brought it up on purpose, but some things had to be faced.

Ayako Hyuuga looked grief-stricken. "Shinju saved me..."

The room fell silent again.

Mo Jingxian gathered his thoughts. "Don't blame yourself too much. This is a ninja's fate. Maybe one day, we'll..."

"Fate." She repeated the word, thought for a while, then suddenly turned to stare at Mo Jingxian.

"Fate can be changed too, right?"

"Maybe." Mo Jingxian nodded. "Maybe if we're strong enough to change the rules, we can change our fate."

"Change the rules!"

Something seemed to catch fire in Ayako's heart. The confusion in her eyes gradually gave way to determination.

"You're right. If we're strong enough to change the rules, there won't be any more suffering."

The girl brought out a pile of scrolls and pushed them over to Mo Jingxian, keeping only Shinju's Forehead Protector.

"What are these?" Mo Jingxian asked, puzzled.

"Trophies," she said. "Including the Third Kazekage Puppet, there are nine of them in all.

We can trade them for plenty of resources and use them to get stronger."

"Whoa!" Mo Jingxian was startled.

Then he mercilessly mocked, "Hah! Sasori of the Red Sand lost everything—even the clothes on his back!"