Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!

Before the Iron Sand Iron Sand fully coalesce, the ordinary tree branch in Hatake Sakumo's hand had already bypassed it and was heading straight for the head of the Third Kazekage Puppet!

Sasori knew something was wrong. Almost instinctively, he controlled the Third Kazekage's puppet to retreat quickly, while simultaneously gathering all the remaining Iron Sand in front of him, attempting to build a final line of defense.

But before the Iron Sand could condense into a solid shape in the air, the branch in Hatake Sakumo's hand had already pierced the face of the Third Kazekage Puppet!

At the same instant, the metal scorpion tail of Scarlet Amber, coated with deadly venom, shot out from its side and blocked the Third Kazekage Puppet's path.

"Clang—Snap!"

The tip of the branch collided head-on with the metal scorpion tail. The seemingly fragile pine branch, empowered by Hatake Sakumo Chakra, actually pierced through the steel scorpion tail!

"Clang!!"

Broken metal fragments flew everywhere, exposing the internal mechanisms of the scorpion's tail to the air!

Thanks to the fleeting opening gained by the scorpion's tail, the Third Kazekage's puppet managed to shift slightly to the side, avoiding the fatal blow that pierced through its core.

But the twig still grazed its mouth, shattering the golem's mouthparts used to release Iron Sand.

Countless unformed Iron Sand lost control and scattered in mid-air.

Sasori's heart sank as he looked at the Third Kazekage Puppet, which had temporarily lost its ability to attack with Iron Sand.

Just as he was about to put the puppet, which had lost its fighting ability, back into the scroll, the silver-haired figure had already arrived in front of Scorpion!

Scorpion abruptly turned his gaze, and what came into view was Hatake Sakumo's cold and ruthless eyes, devoid of any warmth.

"Hatake Blade Technique - Draw Sword - Slash!"

A sharp silver light suddenly flashed from the scabbard, the speed of the blade so fast that its outline was almost invisible.

Only that silver-white arc streaked through the air, slashing straight towards Scarlet Amber's left chest!

Sasori, seeing the direction of Hatake Sakumo's attack, and his true form hidden within Scarlet Amber, instantly changed his expression.

In that instant, he didn't even have time to think about how White Fang knew his vital points.

Just before the silver blade touched Scarlet Amber's shell, Scorpion swiftly detached himself from the puppet's outer shell in a nearly disheveled manner.

With a crisp cutting sound, the Scarlet Amber puppet that had accompanied Sasori for many years was cut in half right in the middle!

The two pieces of wreckage tilted to either side, kicking up a cloud of dust as they landed.

But Hatake Sakumo's expression remained completely unperturbed.

He didn't look at the falling puppet remains, but quickly shifted his gaze to the short figure that had detached from its shell and landed steadily in the open space in the distance just before the blade touched Scarlet Amber.

The scorpion's true form landed steadily on the ground several feet away, looking at the two people in front of it with a gloomy expression.

Asuma's gaze followed Sasori's figure closely, and his eyes widened suddenly the moment he saw the figure clearly.

Standing before him was a red-haired boy who looked much younger than him.

He wore Black Cloak with Red Clouds, typical of the Akatsuki. He was slender, handsome, and had fair skin.

No matter how you look at it, he's a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy...

"That Old Man was just his puppet? This is his real body?!"

Asuma murmured incredulously:

"But how is that possible? He looks... younger than me!!"

Scorpion clearly had no intention of answering Asuma's questions.

He was staring at Hatake Sakumo, his eyes filled with deep fear and incomprehension.

White Fang's attack was aimed directly at the core of his left chest—the only weak point in his current eternal body!

"No one should know this secret! How... how did he find out?!"

Sasori stared intently at Hatake Sakumo, his voice hoarse as he questioned:

"Where did you get that information from?!"

Hatake Sakumo did not answer him.

He simply stared quietly at Scorpion's young and handsome face, his brows slightly furrowed, as if examining something bizarre and beyond reason.

After a long silence, Hatake Sakumo finally spoke slowly and solemnly:

"Based on the information I have, you should be twenty-seven years old now."

But your face still looks like that of a teenager.

He paused, then asked in a serious tone:

"What exactly are you now?"

Sasori met Hatake Sakumo's scrutinizing gaze, and the last bit of patience in his eyes was exhausted.

He stared at the man before him, who had killed his parents and somehow discovered the secrets of his true form; the killing intent in his eyes was so intense it was almost tangible.

It doesn't matter if you don't answer.

After all, no matter what, you're going to die here today!

As Scorpion spoke coldly, he reached out and grabbed the collar of the Black Cloak with Red Clouds on his shoulder, forcefully throwing it away!

As the large dawn robe was torn off, a puppet body covered with intricate mechanisms appeared before the two of them!

Asuma stared at the body that shouldn't belong to any living person, his voice filled with deep shock:

"This is... a puppet?!"

He subconsciously looked at Hatake Sakumo ahead and asked in a low voice:

"Isn't this also his true form?!"

Hatake Sakumo shook his head heavily, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and replied in a low voice:

"No, what lies before us is undoubtedly his true form."

He shifted his gaze from Scorpion's Regeneration Core, scanning every part of his body, before finally settling it back on Scorpion's still-young face, which no longer possessed any human warmth.

"This monster... he turned himself into a puppet too!"

Sasori met the shocked gazes of Hatake Sakumo and Asuma, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

He spoke calmly, almost dismissively:

"Monster? My current posture is the embodiment of eternity and true art."

Looking at the two "ordinary people" still trapped in their flesh and blood, Scorpion's voice even carried a hint of genuine superiority:

"After this battle, you too will become eternal art in my hands."

As he spoke coldly, he pulled a dark red scroll from behind his waist.

Sasori unfurled the scroll, then raised his head, his gaze dark as he looked at Hatake Sakumo and Asuma before him, and hissed in a low voice:

"Untie!!"

As he finished speaking, hundreds of puppets surged out of the scroll at the same instant!

They floated in mid-air, densely packed together, like an entire undead army summoned from the depths of hell!

Each puppet's outer shell was polished to an exquisite degree, and its joints were equipped with Senbon and mechanisms coated with potent poison, gleaming with a chilling light that sent shivers down one's spine in the sunlight.

Among these puppets are many powerful figures who were once known throughout the Ninja World.

There were elite ninja from various villages who went missing during the Third Ninja World War, as well as rogue missing-nin who disappeared after defecting...

They were all transformed by Scorpion's skillful hands from living people into "works of art" that would never age, representing "eternal beauty."

"Red Secret Technique - Performance of a Hundred Puppets!!"

Sasori raised his head and suddenly swung his arm down in the direction of Hatake Sakumo and Asuma.

The hundreds of puppets suspended in mid-air swooped down at the same moment, rushing towards the two people at lightning speed!

He coldly stared at the two men in front of him, their gazes heavy with killing intent, and whispered:

"Die at this move!!"

(I'll finish the next chapter tomorrow, I really can't finish writing it ꒦ິ^꒦ິ)