An Unexpected Turn

Meanwhile, on Scorpion's side of the battlefield.

The surrounding forest was unrecognizable, and the ground was covered with holes and ravines of all sizes, with the remains of puppets scattered everywhere.

Through the cracks in the destroyed golem shells, a sophisticated and terrifying internal mechanical structure was revealed:

Before the poisoned Senbon Cards could even be launched from the firing slot, the poison mist device hidden in the abdominal cavity was sliced in two by the blade, and dark green venom was slowly seeping out from the cut...

Scorpion's gloomy gaze swept across his surroundings, and he felt as if his heart was bleeding.

Each of those puppets was a masterpiece he personally modified, transforming the flesh and blood of the ninjas he had killed into eternal works of art.

Now, they've all become a pile of waste, with little value left for recycling.

With a heavy heart, he shifted his gaze, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he looked at the two culprits who had caused all of this.

Asuma was slightly out of breath, sweat dripping from his forehead onto the potholed ground.

He stared intently at the red-haired boy in front of him, and at the puppet army that still numbered about half above his head, and his heart sank.

"There are still so many...?"

"Is it alright, Asuma?"

Hatake Sakumo stood in front of Asuma, observing Sasori's every subtle movement, and whispered to Asuma behind him.

"Ah, so far there are no problems."

Asuma responded instinctively.

He felt his Chakra, nearly half depleted, drain from his body, and looked at the still densely packed puppet army above Sasori's head. Finally, feeling deeply troubled, he added:

"It's just that this guy has... way too many puppets."

"Um."

Hatake Sakumo nodded in deep agreement.

He looked at the gloomy-faced red-haired boy in front of him, and a rare hint of genuine amazement appeared in his calm gaze:

"To be able to maintain this level of control while manipulating such a large number of puppets..."

Sasori of the Red Sands was indeed the most outstanding puppeteer in the history of the Ninja World.

Hatake Sakumo turned his head slightly, glancing at Asuma behind him out of the corner of his eye, and said with satisfaction:

"To think you could push him to this point in such a short time, Asuma, you've really gotten stronger."

You should know that even among all the ninjas I've ever encountered, his strength is definitely among the top.

Asuma listened to Hatake Sakumo's words of praise, but simply shook his head heavily.

"I'm still far from good enough. It was you, Uncle Sakumo Hatake, who took care of most of the puppets."

If I were to face him alone, I simply couldn't do that in a short time.

Hatake Sakumo sensed the urgency in Asuma's words, slowly shook his head, and said gently:

"No need to be in such a hurry. The current situation is in our favor. As long as we maintain our current pace, defeating him is only a matter of time."

He paused, briefly shifting his gaze from the scorpion to the direction Kou had left in not long ago, his voice softening slightly:

"Once we take care of this guy, we can set off immediately to find Kou."

Upon hearing Kou's name, Asuma's eyes, which had been filled with weariness and solemnity, instantly ignited with passionate light.

He gripped the Chakra Blade tightly in his hand and nodded heavily:

"Um!"

Scorpion stared at the two people in front of him, who were ignoring him and whispering amongst themselves, his eyes filled with a murderous intent that was almost tangible.

This was the first time in his nearly thirty years of life that he had ever suffered such contempt.

Scorpion looked up at the sky, where the puppet army that had once covered half the sky was now reduced to less than half its original size.

"I must admit, I underestimated you all."

Scorpion looked at the knife marks and wind blade cuts left on the puppets and muttered to himself:

"To think you could force me into such a sorry state, White Fang of Konoha, and that brat next to you who uses Wind Release..."

I have to admit, you guys are really strong.

But this is the last time.

Scorpion stared at the two people in front of him, his voice filled with murderous intent as he whispered:

"Enjoy your final moments, and let me send you on your way with this ultimate art!!"

Having said that, he reached behind him with his left hand and grasped the final sealing scroll...

At the same time, Hatake Sakumo and Asuma noticed Sasori's movements almost instantly.

They instinctively gripped their weapons, preparing to act swiftly to stop Scorpion from using the final scroll.

However, just before the two sides were about to make their move, a deafening roar that echoed throughout the entire forest suddenly exploded from the Yamanaka in the distance!

Boom!!!

A violent shockwave swept in from the direction from which the roar came.

As the roaring sound rang out, the three of them stopped what they were doing almost simultaneously.

They all turned their heads at the same time, looking in the direction from which the roaring sound came.

A colossal purple figure stood majestically amidst the distant mountains and forests.

It was a giant serpent with a deep purple body, its head held high and its tail coiled among the mountains. With each breath, it stirred up a wave of air powerful enough to create a gust of wind.

"That is..."

As Scorpion gazed at the giant snake that had suddenly appeared in the distance, a clear look of surprise appeared on his usually indifferent young face.

"That stinky snake's summoned beast?"

As he gazed at the enormous figure of the Manda, his expression shifted between light and shadow.

Scorpion seemed to have remembered something, his gaze quickly shifting between the ten Manda and the two troublesome creatures in front of him that were still unresolved.

For the first time ever, a hint of struggle appeared in his usually cold eyes.

"That's... Manda?"

Looking at the familiar, colossal shadow in the distance, Hatake Sakumo subconsciously uttered the name of the giant serpent.

He murmured softly, his voice deepening slightly:

"It seems that Koko has already clashed with Orochimaru over there."

Asuma's expression changed instantly. Almost instinctively, he took half a step forward and said urgently:

"He might be in danger! Uncle Sakumo Hatake, we can't delay any longer."

We must take care of this guy as soon as possible and then get to Kou's side!

Hatake Sakumo remained silent for a moment, then looked into Asuma's anxious eyes and shook his head heavily.

"No, Asuma, we... we should go."

Asuma stared blankly at Hatake Sakumo, unable to react for a moment.

"... White Fang is right."

A hoarse voice came from not far away.

Scorpion had already retrieved the unsealed scroll behind him at some point, and was now collecting the remaining puppets and scattered debris into the scroll.

He put his Black Cloak with Red Clouds back on and coldly swept his gaze across the faces of Hatake Sakumo and Asuma.

The intense killing intent that had been in Scorpion's words was gone, replaced only by a deep frustration and resentment at not achieving his goal.

"Be thankful... you escaped with your lives."

After saying this, Scorpion suppressed the murderous intent that was still stirring within him, turned away without looking at White Fang of Konoha, and left immediately.

Asuma stared in disbelief at the empty woodland.

That monster, who was just moments ago brimming with murderous intent and ready to strike, simply Earth Flow without a second thought?!

He couldn't help but turn around, looking in shock at Hatake Sakumo, who hadn't stopped Sasori from leaving at all, and couldn't help but ask:

"Uncle Sakumo Hatake, what exactly happened?"

Hatake Sakumo stared grimly in the direction Sasori had disappeared, then let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, Asuma, although we haven't achieved our goals yet, we must leave now."

Meeting Asuma's puzzled gaze, he said meaningfully:

"Don't forget, we are now... in the Land of Lightning."

Upon hearing White Fang's words of reminder, Asuma instantly realized what was happening.

Having traveled the Ninja World alone for many years, he was enlightened by a single sentence from Hatake Sakumo and immediately understood the reason.

Hatake Sakumo shifted his gaze from Asuma's face, casting a deep, penetrating look towards the direction of Kumogakure.

Among those mountains shrouded in mist, an extremely powerful Chakra was approaching this place at an astonishing speed.

"Such a huge summoning beast has suddenly appeared in the Cloud Thunder Mountain Range. That guy from Kumogakure Village will probably be here soon."

Hatake Sakumo said in a low voice, looking back at Asuma, his tone tinged with helplessness:

"It is regrettable, but to avoid unnecessary diplomatic conflict, we... must leave as soon as possible."

Asuma gritted his teeth, looking unwillingly in the direction Koko had left.

He understood everything that Uncle Sakumo Hatake was saying.

They are the ninjas of Konoha.

More accurately, one is an active Konoha Ninja, and the other is a legendary figure who, although retired, is still regarded as a symbol of Konoha by the entire Ninja World.

If they were to encounter the Kage of Kumogakure head-on in the heart of the Land of Lightning, regardless of whether they had any reason to fight, it would be interpreted as Konoha provoking Kumogakure.

No matter how much he didn't want to leave, for the sake of everyone in Konoha, he had to go...

Asuma took a deep breath, suppressing all the reluctance and impulse in his heart, and then said in a deep voice to Hatake Sakumo beside him:

"Uncle Sakumo Hatake, let's... go."

Hatake Sakumo looked at his junior with satisfaction, patted Asuma's broad shoulders twice, and whispered words of comfort:

"Don't be so sad, Asuma. One day, we will definitely meet Koko again."

Asuma glanced one last time in the direction Koko had left, and nodded slightly.

"Kou, one day, I will definitely take you back!"

He silently uttered this vow in his heart, a vow he had made countless times before, then turned away with a heavy heart.

They strode away in the direction where they had first stepped onto this battlefield...

Hatake Sakumo first looked at Asuma's broad back, then looked worriedly in the direction where Kotori had left.

He sighed heavily, then quickened his pace to catch up with Asuma, and together they disappeared into the depths of the dense forest...

Shortly after they left the war-torn forest, a fierce and intense bolt of lightning pierced through the dense woods at an astonishing speed.

Wherever the lightning passed, the nearby roads were scorched with black cracks.

But he didn't linger for a moment; instead, with an almost violent pace, he raced after the enormous purple figure at breakneck speed...