Awakening

Hearing Hatake Sakumo's calm, almost matter-of-fact words, Asuma nodded subconsciously.

But the shock in his eyes had clearly not completely faded.

Although he had known for a long time that Uncle Sakumo Hatake was very strong, it was only after witnessing the legendary White Fang of Konoha Ninja World battle that he truly felt—

Just how terrifying was the strength of this top-tier powerhouse who was once on par with the Konoha Sannin?

Inside Scarlet Amber's shell, the initial shock in Sasori's eyes had subsided.

He glanced at the ordinary tree branch in Hatake Sakumo's hand, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes:

"Inject Chakra into the tree branch, then let the Chakra form a rapidly flowing film on the surface of the branch."

"That layer of Chakra circulated along the texture of the tree branch at an extremely high frequency. The moment the branch touched the Iron Sand, the high-speed flowing Chakra instantly adhered to the surface of the Iron Sand particles, then penetrated the Iron Sand, interfering with my control over Iron Sand..."

It may only be a few words, but just to keep that branch from breaking under that density of Chakra requires extremely strong Chakra control.

To achieve what White Fang just did, one would need to maintain precise control over Chakra while moving at high speed.

Furthermore, at the instant the branch makes contact with each Iron Sand feather blade, the amount of Magnet Release Chakra contained in that blade must be calculated, and a proportional amount of Chakra must be output in the shortest possible time...

Even Scorpio, who is usually very critical of others, had to admit it at this moment.

Even as a genius puppeteer with top-tier Chakra control, I couldn't achieve the same perfection as Hatake Sakumo.

"White Fang of Konoha..."

Scorpion murmured the name softly, feeling a long-lost sense of frustration.

"Being outmatched... Ah, it's been a long time since I've felt this way."

Sasori said with a self-deprecating smile, his gaze towards Hatake Sakumo now filled with even greater seriousness.

He immediately suppressed the sense of defeat in his heart, and then frantically poured Chakra from the core of his body into the Human Puppet of the Third Kazekage beside him.

A large amount of Iron Sand re-condensed in the air, and within a few breaths, it transformed into a huge cube.

The cube was entirely black, its surface impermeable, and its enormous shadow cast a heavy, oppressive shadow over the entire battlefield.

Asuma and Hatake Sakumo noticed the unusual movement ahead at almost the same time, their gazes turning gravely to the ever-expanding Iron Sand cube.

"Can you still use that branch to deal with this move?"

Sasori stared intently at Hatake Sakumo, speaking coldly as he swiftly swung Scarlet Amber's arm down:

"Iron Sand World Method!!"

As Sasori finished speaking, the enormous Iron Sand cube hurtled toward Hatake Sakumo and Asuma at a speed completely disproportionate to its size!

The trees on both sides were snapped in half the moment it passed by, and the broken trunks were corroded into charred fragments by the toxins attached to the surface of the Iron Sand before they even hit the ground.

Sensing the terrifying pressure, Hatake Sakumo's eyes narrowed, and almost instinctively he wanted to stand in front of Asuma.

But Asuma was one step ahead of him.

The tall, muscular figure flashed and appeared in front of him, completely blocking him from view.

Looking at Asuma's broad back, Hatake Sakumo instinctively called out:

"Asuma, you..."

"Uncle Sakumo Hatake, you go deal with that guy first."

Asuma stared intently at the rapidly approaching Iron Sand cube ahead, and without turning his head, spoke to Hatake Sakumo behind him:

"Leave this to me."

Before Hatake Sakumo could answer, Asuma continued in a deep voice:

"During these years of searching for Kou, I have also been investigating the Akatsuki."

I also know a little about Sasori of the Red Sands.

"As far as I know, this guy isn't just skilled with puppets, he's also good with poison."

"Poison..."

Hatake Sakumo repeated the word in a low voice, and another figure involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Chiyo, the Sand Village elder who inflicted heavy casualties on Konoha during the Second Ninja World War using various bizarre and deadly poisons.

"Ah."

"Asuma responded in a deep voice, his gaze never leaving the approaching Iron Sand Cube:

"According to the intelligence I've gathered, Scorpion's specially made poison is extremely potent; contact with it is fatal. Even if you are only grazed by his weapon, you will definitely not survive more than three days."

The mechanisms on his puppets, and the Iron Sand he controlled with his Magnet Release, were probably all coated with this poison.

At this point, Asuma's tone became more serious:

"We absolutely cannot afford to engage in a war of attrition with this guy. For the sake of the overall battle, and in order to catch up with Kou as quickly as possible... we must finish this quickly!"

He turned his head to look at Hatake Sakumo behind him, a confident smile spreading across his solemn face:

"You can rest assured and leave this place to me, Uncle Sakumo Hatake."

I'm very strong now.

Hatake Sakumo was slightly taken aback when he saw Asuma's confident smile, but then a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"Asuma, that child, has really grown up."

He didn't say anything more, but simply nodded heavily.

"Then I'll leave this place to you, Asuma."

"Ah."

Asuma turned his head again, facing the overwhelming Iron Sand, and confidently responded.

Hatake Sakumo then shifted his gaze from Asuma to Sasori, who was not far away.

His eyes instantly turned cold and sharp, and with a flash, he sped off towards Scorpion.

Not far away, Scorpion immediately noticed the movement on the other side.

He watched the silver-haired figure rushing towards him at an astonishing speed, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes:

"Abandoning that brat, do you want to get closer to me, the puppeteer?"

He muttered to himself, then the light in his small eyes suddenly turned fierce:

"They actually used the same methods they use on those useless puppeteers to deal with me... They really underestimate me."

He glanced coldly at Asuma, who was facing the Iron Sand alone, a cruel glint in his eyes:

"I'll use that brat's life to teach you a lesson, White Fang of Konoha."

He suddenly swung his arm down, and the giant, high-speed Iron Sand accelerated abruptly in the same instant, crashing down on Asuma!

Asuma stared expressionlessly at the rapidly approaching Iron Sand ahead, and slowly exhaled.

He slowly clenched his fists, placing them one in front of his chest, assuming a standard Taijutsu starting stance.

The Chakra within his body was completely contained at this moment, so much so that even sensory ninjas could hardly detect any fluctuations.

Sasori sensed Asuma's current state and couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

An ominous premonition arose in his heart, but he clearly had no time to think about it at the moment.

He watched the silver-haired figure rapidly approaching him, clicked his tongue in annoyance, and then controlled the remaining Iron Sand to launch a high-speed attack on Hatake Sakumo...

Asuma calmly watched the Iron Sand hurtling towards him at high speed.

The wind whistled in his ears, and the sharp whistling of Iron Sand cutting through the air was almost within reach, but the scene before his eyes was no longer this battlefield filled with killing intent and danger.

What appeared before his eyes was a spacious courtyard.

That was many years ago, at the home in the Uchiha Clan Compound...