In a forest somewhere in the Land of Water.
"Clan Head Kaguya, surrender. Perhaps the Mizukage will spare your life."
Surrounded by Kirigakure Anbu, the Kaguya Clan Head seemed to notice something. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Countless senbon and Kunai suddenly shot in from every direction, engulfing the Kirigakure Anbu.
The sudden attack startled them, and they hurriedly used all kinds of techniques to defend against the projectiles.
When the attack ended, the Kirigakure Ninja saw a figure in a Blood-Red Cloud Robe approaching, controlling more than a dozen puppets.
"A puppeteer?"
"Could they be from Sunagakure?"
"Clan Head Kaguya, you've even allied with outsiders? You're dead now."
In response to the Kirigakure Ninja's accusations, the Kaguya Clan Head lowered the bone shield in his hand. Slightly out of breath, he looked at the newcomer, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
That guy was... Sasori?
What was he doing here?
Though he couldn't figure out why Sasori had appeared here, the fact that he'd attacked everyone just now made it clear he wasn't on the Kirigakure Anbu's side. That meant things weren't too bad.
Sasori ignored the Kirigakure Anbu and focused his attention on the Kaguya Clan Head.
The man's display just now, using Shikotsumyaku to summon a bone shield that perfectly blocked his projectiles, had stirred his interest again. The last time he'd felt this way was when he'd faced the Third Kazekage.
If he turned someone like this into a Human Puppet, he'd create yet another eternal work of art.
Sasori's gaze, as if he were appraising an object, infuriated the Kaguya Clan Head. Did he think he already had him in the bag?
Just then, many of the Kirigakure Ninja suddenly turned pale. They looked as though they hadn't eaten in ages; their limbs were weak, and they could barely stand. They'd clearly been poisoned.
Only then did they belatedly realize that the poison had spread through their wounds. In the barrage of senbon just now, they'd all been injured to some extent.
Against other ninja, injuries like these might have been inconsequential. But Sasori was different. He was not only the strongest puppeteer in the Ninja World, but also a poison expert. Even the Third Kazekage had been poisoned and killed by him. In a fight against Sasori, you couldn't afford to get hurt at all.
Before long, the Kirigakure Anbu had been wiped out by Sasori. Only the Kaguya Clan Head remained, struggling to hold on.
"This game is over. Becoming my perfect work of art is your destiny."
Faced with Sasori's arrogant words, the Kaguya Clan Head gave up on the hope of escaping.
It seemed he had no choice but to use that technique. He probably wouldn't have much time left afterward, but he would never surrender without a fight.
Crack...
Crack...
The earth trembled.
Countless Bone Spears burst from underground. Soon, a Bone Forest of white bones spread across the battlefield...
Not far from where Sasori and the Kaguya Clan Head were fighting, Pakura quietly approached with several Tenseigan puppets.
Pakura looked at the figure in the distance floating in the sky and controlling black sand, then at the enormous Bone Forest surging below. A flicker of surprise crossed her face.
Was that Magnet Release: Iron Sand?
Could that guy be the missing Third Kazekage?
And that Bone Forest—could it be the strongest Shikotsumyaku secret technique, Dance of the Seedling Fern?
"Go report to The Fool. Tell him I've found the target."
Just as Pakura was about to lie in wait and reap the benefits after the others had fought, she failed to notice a White Zetsu quietly emerging from behind a tree nearby, then silently burrowing underground and disappearing.
"So this must be the helper Pakura mentioned. Puppet Technique? Is he from Sunagakure too?"
A group of White Zetsu surrounded Hyuga Lan, who was wearing a mask and posing as The Fool. Several puppets guarded Lan, and the two sides were evenly matched in numbers. So the White Zetsu merely surrounded him without attacking, as if they were waiting for someone.
He'd rushed over as soon as he received Pakura's message, but just before reaching her, he'd been intercepted by this group of White Zetsu.
Still, that wasn't so bad. These creatures, made from weakened Hashirama Cells, could be of some use to him. He'd considered capturing White Zetsu before, and now they'd practically delivered themselves to him, saving him the trouble.
Before long, Lan had slaughtered all the White Zetsu. Just as he happily began storing their bodies in a Storage Scroll,
he failed to notice the space behind him twisting. A figure in a Blood-Red Cloud Robe and Spiral Mask quietly appeared: Uchiha Obito.
The moment Obito appeared, he activated his Sharingan and used the Dojutsu Kamui. Space began twisting around Lan's back, as if it were about to warp his entire body away along with the surrounding space.
By the time Lan noticed Obito behind him, the spatial distortion had caused such an intense feeling of being torn apart that his body had gone rigid. He couldn't form Hand Seals.
Most people hit by this move would have been helpless, since without Hand Seals, they couldn't use ninjutsu to fight back.
But Lan, with his Tenseigan, certainly wouldn't let Obito get the better of him so easily. Knowing that Obito became tangible while using Kamui to attack, he immediately unleashed the Tenseigan's ability to control repulsive force.
Rumble!
An invisible force of repulsion burst outward in every direction, centered on Lan.
Obito, caught in the blast, seemed not to have expected his ambush to be resisted. Taken by surprise, he was struck by the repulsive force and sent flying.
At the same time, Obito's Dojutsu was interrupted, and the half-formed spatial vortex vanished on its own.
Once free, Hyuga Lan turned to look at Obito as he flew away. Beneath his mask, Lan's face showed a hint of lingering fear.
He'd been careless this time. He hadn't expected Obito to play dirty and ambush him. He'd nearly succeeded.
Meanwhile, after crashing through several trees, Obito finally came to a stop. A moment later, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The repulsive force had clearly left him with internal injuries. It was only the second time he'd made a miscalculation since obtaining the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The first time had been against the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. One move too slow, he'd been gravely injured by Minato's Rasengan, and even the Nine-Tails had been taken back.
This time wasn't much better. Lan's repulsive force had left his internal organs aching, and he was having trouble breathing.
If he hadn't fused with White Zetsu Cells, his body was sturdy enough that most people would have lost the ability to fight after taking a powerful Tenseigan repulsive-force attack at such close range.
But he had no time to worry about his injuries. Staring at Lan in the distance, he looked uncertain and wary. Lan's attack felt familiar, but how could that be? How could there be a second pair of those eyes in the Ninja World?
Just as Obito was about to ask, Lan stretched out a hand toward him. Realizing what was coming, Obito immediately jumped backward and vanished into a spatial vortex, looking thoroughly panicked.
Watching Obito retreat into the Kamui Dimension, Lan activated his Tenseigan and carefully scanned the surroundings, ready for another possible attack.
But even after quite some time, Obito still hadn't reappeared. Just as Lan began to wonder if he'd been frightened off, he sensed something and quickly turned to look in a certain direction.
The direction he was looking in was where Pakura was...