On the battlefield between Sasori and the Kaguya Clan Head.
By now, the area was filled with a black Iron Sand barrier and a white Bone Forest. It was a fierce clash between two Kekkei Genkai: Magnet Release: Iron Sand and Shikotsumyaku.
Standing atop the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, Sasori looked down at the Bone Forest, his face alight with excitement at finding a worthy opponent.
He had already thought highly of Shikotsumyaku, but after facing it for real, he realized he had still underestimated the Dance of the Seedling Fern.
If his Third Kazekage Human Puppet hadn't been able to control Iron Sand and fly, and he'd had to fight the Kaguya Clan Head on the ground, it would still be anyone's guess who was stronger.
But now, he was sure his opponent was exhausted. He would claim victory any moment.
Just as Sasori had expected, the Bone Forest began to shrink. The Kaguya Clan Head clearly no longer had enough chakra to maintain the forest summoned by the Dance of the Seedling Fern.
With his secret technique's duration over, he was powerless to turn the tables and was about to be captured by Sasori.
As the Kaguya Clan Head emerged from underground, Sasori immediately urged the Third Kazekage Human Puppet into action. Using Magnet Release, he shaped Iron Sand into a giant black hand and sent it reaching for the Kaguya Clan Head.
The Kaguya Clan Head had exhausted all his chakra and no longer had the strength to dodge.
Just as he resigned himself to his fate and closed his eyes, an orange-red fireball flew toward the giant Iron Sand hand.
Rumble!
The fireball and the giant Iron Sand hand collided in midair and exploded with a deafening boom. Thick white smoke billowed out, completely blocking Sasori's view from above.
That kind of power couldn't have come from ordinary Fire Release Ninjutsu. An orange-red fireball... Could this be the power of the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai?
Had the attacker chosen this moment because they were after the Kaguya Clan Head too?
Recognizing the fireball, Sasori guessed who the newcomer was and why they had interfered.
But his expression barely changed. He didn't seem worried that someone might take the Kaguya Clan Head from him when victory was so close.
When the smoke cleared, the place where the Kaguya Clan Head had been was empty. Clearly, someone had taken him while the smoke blocked the view.
Taking someone right under my nose? Dream on.
Sasori controlled the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, which propelled him through the air with Iron Sand in pursuit of a certain direction.
In the direction Sasori was chasing, Pakura hurried along with several puppets. The Kaguya Clan Head had passed out, and one of the puppets carried him over its shoulder.
After witnessing Sasori fight the Kaguya Clan Head with the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, she realized she couldn't beat Sasori alone. So the moment she'd seized her chance, she'd chosen to retreat.
Even with puppets to back her up, Pakura had no intention of fighting Sasori. Just facing the Third Kazekage Human Puppet was already daunting. Who knew what other trump cards he might have hidden?
She'd never imagined that the Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest Kazekage in history, had really been killed by Sasori, and that his corpse had been turned into a puppet for someone else to control. She wondered what Elder Chiyo would think if she found out.
As Pakura hurried onward, her view suddenly darkened.
Realizing something was wrong, she quickly looked up. A black cloud had appeared in the sky above her without warning.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Countless black raindrops poured from the cloud. As they fell, they took the shape of senbon, blanketing the area around Pakura.
Seeing this, Pakura hurriedly summoned four orange-red fireballs and sent them flying upward.
"Scorch Release: Extreme Steam Killing!"
The fireballs merged as they flew, forming one larger orange-red fireball, which then exploded.
Rumble!
The explosion of the Scorch Release fireball destroyed a large portion of the Iron Sand Drizzle. But as Sasori continued to control it, the iron cloud grew larger and kept releasing Iron Sand Drizzle.
Under this large-scale Magnet Release attack, Pakura and the others began dodging in a panic.
Even Pakura could barely evade the attack with her skill, let alone the puppets around her.
Before long, the puppets activated by the Tenseigan were completely wrecked by the Iron Sand Drizzle. With no other choice, Pakura took the Kaguya Clan Head herself and desperately dodged Sasori's attacks.
As they fled and were pursued, Pakura and the Kaguya Clan Head both suffered minor injuries. Just as she began to feel weak all over from her injuries and the poison, a black-robed figure wearing a mask appeared in her field of vision.
Thank goodness. He made it after all.
When Pakura saw Hyuga Lan, she felt her worry ease.
No matter how strong Sasori was, he probably wouldn't stand a chance against The Fool and his unfathomable abilities.
With The Fool's methods, removing the poison from her body should be no trouble at all.
As Pakura looked at Lan, Sasori naturally noticed the oddly dressed figure too.
When he saw Pakura run toward the newcomer with such excitement, he realized that this mysterious arrival was almost certainly her ally.
If the two of them joined forces, he'd be facing two opponents at once. That would be troublesome.
If only he hadn't held back earlier out of fear of hurting Pakura and the Kaguya Clan Head. Now he could only watch as Pakura and Lan drew closer.
Just as Pakura was glad to be on the verge of escaping danger, she had no idea that danger was already closing in.
The space behind Pakura twisted, and Obito appeared without a sound.
Then, just as he had ambushed Lan, he used the same method to attack Pakura. The instant his hand grabbed her shoulder, he activated his Dojutsu, Kamui. A spatial vortex appeared and began warping Pakura's body.
Unlike Lan, Pakura couldn't instantly perform a jutsu without hand seals. In her shock, she was sucked into the Kamui Dimension along with the Kaguya Clan Head.
After swiftly dealing with Pakura, Obito looked toward Lan again.
Seeing someone dressed in Akatsuki robes deal with Pakura using such bizarre abilities, Sasori's pupils contracted.
He couldn't help thinking that the organization was full of hidden talents. It not only had someone with the legendary Rinnegan, the Sage's Eye, but now another member had appeared who was skilled in Space-Time Ninjutsu.
The organization he'd just joined was clearly no ordinary group. Still, that was a good thing. The stronger its members were, the safer he would be as a missing-nin.
Having reached that conclusion, he controlled the Third Kazekage Human Puppet to land and stood beside Obito, facing off against Lan.
Lan looked at Obito and Sasori, his brow furrowing beneath his mask.
To be honest, he hadn't wanted to clash with Akatsuki so soon. But now that Pakura and the Kaguya Clan Head had fallen into their hands, a confrontation was inevitable.
Without hesitation, he raised one hand toward Obito and Sasori.
Seeing Lan's gesture, Obito prepared to use his Dojutsu at any moment to make himself intangible, while warning Sasori,
"Be careful. This guy is dangerous. Watch out for his attacks."
Sasori didn't understand what Lan was doing, but seeing his teammate on high alert, he controlled the Third Kazekage Human Puppet to stand in front of him.
The next moment, something completely beyond Sasori's expectations happened.
The Third Kazekage Human Puppet, which had been standing in front of him, seemed to be pulled by some invisible force and flew straight toward Hyuga Lan...