The Third Kazekage had been hailed as the strongest Kazekage in life. He wielded Magnet Release with incredible skill, countering the specialty of eighty percent of all ninja—the art of throwing weapons!
All metal projectiles were completely ineffective against him.
The Third Hokage's signature trick, the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, was child's play in the face of Magnet Release.
Magnet Release also countered sword techniques. Anyone using metal blades would be affected by it.
Hearing Baiyu's words from inside Hiruko, Sasori of the Red Sands paused in surprise and asked, "Where did you get that information? Almost no one has seen this perfect work of art since I completed it."
Everyone who had seen it was dead.
That was how fearsome he was!
Baiyu gave a disdainful snort.
Sasori of the Red Sands was a mad genius devoted to the art of puppetry. He had even gone so far as to turn himself into a puppet.
Immortality.
That was the lifelong ambition of this legendary puppeteer!
Sasori had loved puppetry since childhood and possessed extraordinary talent for it. He was hailed as the greatest puppeteer in Sunagakure's history.
The puppets he made were treasured by later generations.
The techniques he used were already old hat. Sasori had been active in the Shinobi World before the Third Shinobi World War, yet he was still young.
His appearance had been frozen forever at around sixteen or seventeen.
"Kazekage Puppet!"
A scroll shot out from Hiruko and landed on the ground. A corpse emerged from it.
A tattered cloak hung over its frame. Its mouth opened and closed, entirely under Sasori's control.
The puppet still bore some resemblance to the Third Kazekage. Under the influence of Magnet Release, it floated in midair.
"Magnet Release. What a nuisance!"
Baiyu knitted his brows. Using a sword would leave him vulnerable to Magnet Release. His sword techniques would be distorted, greatly diminishing their power.
"A wooden sword could counter it, but it's not sturdy enough to be of any real use..."
Baiyu considered his options. A wooden blade wouldn't be controlled by the Iron Sand, but it still couldn't stop the Iron Sand's attacks.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Shower!"
The Third Kazekage Puppet flew into the sky. Countless grains of Iron Sand rained down, attacking at once.
An iron rain fell from above. There was nowhere to hide—he could only take it head-on.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Baiyu used an ordinary C-rank jutsu. He had copied it with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and though his Hand Seals were clumsy, he could at least complete them properly.
Countless grains of Iron Sand pelted the earthen wall. In that moment, Baiyu felt utterly powerless.
He had planned to use a sword technique to deflect the Iron Sand, but every grain contained magnetic chakra. All metal blades and weapons would be drawn toward it.
As the grains approached, he had felt the scabbard at his waist shudder violently.
"Magnet Release..."
"How do I fight against it?"
Baiyu had never considered that question before. Now, it had become his biggest problem.
He relied on unfamiliar jutsu to dodge the Third Kazekage's attacks.
He racked his brain for a way out.
If this went on, he wouldn't just fail to protect Miroku and the others—he might not even escape alive himself.
His chakra was draining rapidly, and the situation was only getting worse.
"What should I do? Is my first mission as a team leader really going to end with me abandoning it?"
He was up against two S-rank rogue ninja.
With just him and Itachi, protecting a whole group was too difficult.
A path through death...
A flash of inspiration...
Baiyu suddenly wondered if he had been too cautious all along.
He took stock of himself, and Sword Heart returned!
A free and unconstrained swordsman didn't worry about the consequences of anything he did.
The sword spoke for itself.
Baiyu thought about how he had carefully prepared for this mission for an entire day.
And yet, faced with a powerful enemy, he was still helpless.
Wanderer!
He had boundless confidence!
A path through death!
Baiyu stopped using jutsu and stood squarely beneath the falling Iron Sand, quietly facing his enemy.
"What, are you giving up on resisting?"
The voice that emerged from Hiruko was distorted. Sasori chuckled.
The Uchiha weren't all that impressive. He had heard that Orochimaru had lost an arm to an Uchiha. Judging by how the two had greeted each other earlier, this weakling was probably the one who had cut off Orochimaru's arm.
Sasori's estimation of Orochimaru dropped another notch.
What a useless fool.
Sasori didn't understand why Zero had recruited Orochimaru into the organization. As far as he was concerned, there was no need.
The Akatsuki only had ten main positions, and they all needed to be filled by elite members.
Being in the same organization as a disgusting piece of filth like Orochimaru had always made Sasori uncomfortable.
"If you've decided not to resist, then I'll make it quick, since you cut off Orochimaru's arm!"
Sasori spoke bluntly as chakra began gathering around the Third Kazekage.
"Magnet Release Form Seven: Iron Sand World Method."
This was the Third Kazekage's strongest state. His attacks and the Iron Sand's density were raised to their maximum. Even a single strike would be several times stronger than before.
Another Iron Sand Shower followed, and countless pellets rained down from the sky.
Baiyu lightly rested both hands at his waist and closed his eyes. He felt the touch of a wooden sword and a clear stream of energy sweeping through his body.
Wind Trace!
So this was wind?
Though Baiyu's eyes were closed, it was as if he could see everything. Countless pale streaks of light flashed across the space before him.
It seemed all he had to do was give a light swing to divert them.
All of it!
It was all under his control—the sword in his hand controlled it all!
"Wind Trace... I can see the wind's path. How can you see the wind when everything is still? So Wind Control... refers to the state you enter when facing an enemy's attack. Every attack stirs the air around it—and that is wind."
"Wind Taming Sword Technique: Wind Wall!"
The paths formed by the unnatural wind were clear in Baiyu's "sight."
He opened his eyes again. As the Iron Sand pellets drew closer, the traces of wind became clearer.
Even with his eyes open, he could still see one streak after another of white swirling around the Iron Sand.
Baiyu drew his wooden sword with a smooth motion and gave a slight sweep in front of him.
"Wind Wall!"
One wind wall after another appeared, each about two meters wide and tall—just enough to shield Baiyu's body.
Every grain of Iron Sand struck the walls and bounced away. The wind wall directly changed the laws of physics governing the Iron Sand.
Guided by the traces of wind around him, the grains scattered in all directions.
"Yasuo's Wind Wall... So that's how it works!"
He controlled the traces of wind created by every projectile, changing their trajectories and cutting off the flow of air!
Most jutsu were blocked by the wind wall, unable to reach Baiyu.
He had Wind Trace. He had the Wind Wall.
Baiyu felt that his body could move faster now...
As impulsive as ever, wooden sword in hand, he felt invincible.
"Hassagi..."
Baiyu followed the traces of wind and swung his blade. Wherever its tip pointed, a gale followed.
A strong wind leaped from the tip of his sword, throwing the entire world into chaos.
As the gale rushed toward the Third Kazekage, it gradually formed a tornado, trapping him inside.
"Wind. What a beautiful creation."
Baiyu looked at his handiwork, quite pleased.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Funeral!"
Sasori muttered the words, and a massive black wall surged from the Kazekage Puppet. The dense Iron Sand gradually brought the storm to a halt.
"Too late."
The corner of Baiyu's mouth curled up. Sasori had reacted quickly, but once the Third Kazekage Puppet had been caught in the tornado, it was already too late.
"So lei ya gai duo!]["][
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