Sigurd VS Sasori of the Red Sands

The Land of Bears is a country perpetually wreathed in toxic gas, which is precisely why it is rarely invaded by other nations.

The land is covered in dense forests teeming with poison; even a Jonin would fall victim to it if they were the slightest bit careless.

Furthermore, there lies a natural hazard known as "Hell Valley."

The air there is thick with toxic mist, and the ground is swarming with all manner of highly venomous creatures—it is, in every sense, a paradise for poison-wielding ninja.

After about half a day of flight, Sigurd finally arrived within the borders of the Land of Bears.

Having easily passed through the toxic mist surrounding the border, Sigurd remarked, "It's no wonder other nations have no interest in this place. The geography alone, surrounded by lethal toxins and easy to defend but hard to attack, is enough to deter anyone from harboring ambitions here."

"Moreover, the Land of Bears happens to border the southeastern corner of the Land of Fire. Geographically speaking, it is of great strategic importance to the Land of Fire."

"If any nation were to actually attack this place, the Land of Fire would be the first to jump in protest; after all, this serves as a defensive line against the Land of Water."

Leaving the mist-shrouded border behind, Sigurd immediately headed toward the direction of Hell Valley.

Before long, he had flown into the territory of Hell Valley.

Looking down at the toxic mist, which was even denser than at the border, Sigurd let out another exclamation: "Whoa! If it weren't for this mechanical puppet body of mine, I wouldn't dare step foot in here."

After his grumbling, Sigurd immediately descended, landing in the treacherous terrain known as Hell Valley.

Once he stood firm, he immediately injected a surge of chakra into his Vermilion Ring and spoke to it: "Hey! Bonsai Brother, I've arrived at Hell Valley. Hurry up and tell me the exact location of Sasori of the Red Sands."

Before long, Zetsu's dark, raspy voice drifted from the ring: "Sasori of the Red Sands is currently in the heart of Hell Valley. The toxic gas is thickest there, but if it's you, I imagine that shouldn't be a problem."

"Understood. Watch me go snatch him up now, so he can provide some entertainment for the Leader when he's bored."

Nagato: ? When I typed this question mark, it wasn't because I had a problem, but because you do!

After that casual quip, Sigurd began to advance toward the center of Hell Valley.

Along the way, he constantly encountered obstacles in the form of various poisonous insects and plants.

But thanks to the formidable physical constitution of his mechanical puppet body, he was able to handle them with ease.

Soon, Sigurd reached the center of Hell Valley, where he spotted a strange, quadrupedal, humanoid-looking object.

Seeing the bizarre thing before him, Sigurd sighed, "No way, has Sasori already built Hiruko this early on?"

"Who's there!"

Sigurd's self-perceived quiet grumbling had immediately alerted Sasori, who was busy collecting venom samples.

Sasori instantly manipulated the steel tail-stinger on Hiruko's back, firing it toward Sigurd in a flash.

Seeing this, Sigurd reacted instantly, leaping aside to dodge Sasori's attack.

Seeing that Sigurd had easily evaded his strike, Sasori retracted Hiruko's tail-stinger, staring fixedly at Sigurd.

Sigurd did not attack first; instead, he waved his hand and said, "Hey there, brother, no need to be so hot-headed. I come in the name of friendship."

The Sasori opposite him did not lower his guard.

He continued to glare at Sigurd, silently pulling out a scroll and remaining on high alert.

"Did that old hag send you to find me? Has she still not given up after all these years?"

Sasori manipulated Hiruko to emit a low, gravelly voice as he questioned Sigurd.

After all, at this point in time, only his grandmother, Granny Chiyo, would still be sending people to try and talk to him so politely.

Sigurd shook his head immediately and said, "Not at all. Our Leader has taken an interest in you, so he arranged for me to invite you to join our organization."

As he spoke, Sigurd began to complain, "Honestly, they wouldn't even let me have a peaceful holiday; they just had to send me out to work overtime."

With that, Sigurd waved his hand again and said, "Ah, excuse me. I said a bit more than I should have. Please, don't take it to heart."

After apologizing, Sigurd held out a hand and offered an invitation: "So, how about it? Will you join our Akatsuki, or would you rather be killed by me right here? Please, make your choice quickly."

"Hah! Akatsuki? Never heard of it. If you want me to join, let's see if you have the capability to make me!"

Sasori sneered, then immediately manipulated Hiruko to open its maw, and countless tiny steel needles shot out instantly.

"Hiruko: Needle Eight Waves!"

These needles traveled with extreme speed and covered a wide area, making them very difficult to dodge.

Seeing this, Sigurd flipped the hand he was using to offer the invitation and barked, "Moonlight: Golden Moonlight Shield!"

In an instant, a bright, golden-yellow translucent shield appeared before Sigurd's palm, completely blocking the barrage of steel needles.

That's right, the color of Sigurd's moonlight was golden-yellow.

This was the result of an active modification; he had slightly altered the reflectivity while manipulating the light, causing its color to change.

It might sound simple, but it was actually the result of over a month of hard work by Sigurd and Tokiju.

The purpose was to ensure there was a clear distinction when Sigurd and Tokiju fought using light-based techniques.

Seeing the opponent block his attack in such a manner, a look of surprise appeared on Sasori's face, and he muttered to himself, "Moonlight!? What kind of Ninjutsu is this?"

However, after the initial shock, he quickly regained his composure and continued to manipulate Hiruko to attack.

The pale purple glow on the tail-stinger made it clear that it had already been coated in poison.

Sigurd was not one to be outdone, immediately swinging the magic sword in his hand to parry.

"Dance of Sun and Moon: Magic Sword Gram!"

With the magic sword in hand, Sigurd leaped into the air and charged straight toward Hiruko.

Seeing this, Sasori immediately manipulated the tail stinger on Hiruko's back, launching a direct attack at Sigurd.

Sigurd was not one to be outdone, immediately swinging the magic sword in his hand to parry.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As their weapons clashed repeatedly, sparks flew in every direction.

Sigurd's magic sword was, after all, a product of fused solar and lunar energy; its offensive power was far beyond that of ordinary metal.

With every collision of their weapons, a distinct scar was left on Sasori's tail stinger by Sigurd's magic sword.

Hidden inside Hiruko, Sasori saw this and realized that if things continued this way, his tail stinger would surely be the first to break.

Thinking of this, Sasori's gaze sharpened, and he immediately unfurled the scroll in his palm.

Once the scroll was fully opened, Sigurd saw the character "Three" written upon it.

Seeing this, Sigurd knew instantly that the Sasori before him was about to get serious.