Stepping into the Kamui Dimension

Such an uncanny maneuver naturally caught Sasori off guard, and by the time he tried to react, it was already too late.

The chakra threads connecting him to the human puppet had snapped due to the excessive distance, causing him to lose control over the Third Kazekage human puppet entirely.

Snap!

Lan pulled the Third Kazekage human puppet into his hand. Looking at this masterfully crafted puppet, he nodded in satisfaction.

Such an act naturally infuriated Sasori. Incensed, he immediately shouted at Lan.

"You damn bastard, give my puppet back!"

With that, Sasori pulled out a Crimson Scroll. As it unfurled, dozens of puppets flew out from within.

After connecting to these puppets with chakra threads, Sasori began to command his puppet army, launching a massive assault toward Lan.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The puppets fired hidden weapons, released ninja tools, or extended their limbs into various mechanical armaments, swarming toward Lan like an entire ninja army.

Facing the overwhelming barrage of hidden weapons, ninja tools, and puppet attacks, Lan merely raised his other hand with nonchalant ease.

Thump!

A resonance, like a heartbeat, echoed in everyone's chest.

In an instant, an invisible, surging repulsive force erupted from Lan, sweeping outward in all directions.

Trees were uprooted in its wake, and the earth itself piled up in ripples.

The various weapons flying toward Lan, along with the puppets themselves, were all sent flying backward by this invisible force.

The range of the repulsion was so vast that even Sasori, who was controlling the puppets nearby, was caught in the blast and forced to retreat several meters before he could steady himself.

When the dust settled, the area for dozens of meters around had been completely transformed; the ground had been leveled into a circular crater, leaving a barren, empty space in the middle of the dense forest.

Watching the exaggerated scene Lan had created with a mere wave of his hand, Sasori was left dumbstruck, unable to even spare a glance for his scattered, broken puppets.

How... how does this guy possess such an ability?

Sasori had only recently joined the Akatsuki. It was Konan who had invited him, and because her abilities countered his own, he had been defeated in their skirmish. Combined with his growing interest in the organization, he had agreed to join.

After learning that their leader, Pain, possessed the legendary Sage's Eye upon joining, he had suppressed his own ambitions and begun following the organization's orders, intimidated by the sheer power of the Rinnegan.

In other words, Sasori was one of the few in the current Ninja World who had witnessed the power of the Rinnegan.

It was precisely because of this that his shock was far deeper than anyone else's upon seeing Lan display the exact same power.

Could it be that this masked guy also possesses the same eyes as the leader?

Before joining the Akatsuki, he had always assumed the Rinnegan was merely a legend; why were they appearing one after another now?

Since when did the Sage's Eye become so common?

Sasori couldn't help but look toward his companion, wanting to hear what he thought.

At this moment, Obito's expression beneath his mask was exceptionally grim. If his previous suspicion during the sneak attack on Lan had been mere speculation, seeing Lan repeatedly display the ability to manipulate gravity and repulsion left no room for doubt.

In Obito's understanding, controlling repulsion and attraction was the exclusive domain of the Rinnegan. Since his opponent could wield such power, there was no doubt: the person before him was also a wielder of the Sage's Eye.

How did he come to possess those Rinnegan?

Clearly, Obito's limited perspective prevented him from knowing that, beyond the Rinnegan, the Tenseigan also possessed the ability to manipulate repulsion and attraction.

However, whether it was the Tenseigan or the Rinnegan, their power far exceeded other Kekkei Genkai. Both Obito and Sasori had seen the power of the Rinnegan, and coupled with Lan's calm and composed demeanor, the two were momentarily intimidated, not daring to continue their assault.

"Hand over Pakura and the Kaguya Clan head, or don't think about leaving here alive today."

Facing Lan's threat, Obito didn't take it to heart.

No matter how strong the power of the Rinnegan was, he still possessed the Kamui ocular jutsu; he could leave whenever he pleased.

"How about this? Let's make a trade. I can give you Pakura, but you must return that puppet. One for one—a fair trade."

Facing the condition proposed by Obito, Lan refused without hesitation.

"You are in no position to negotiate. Either hand over my people, or I will kill you both first and rescue them myself."

With that, Lan injected his Tenseigan chakra into the human puppet in his hand.

Soon, after a few twitches, the human puppet stood up on its own, bowed respectfully to Lan, and moved with such fluid grace that it seemed as if it had come back to life.

The human puppet then manipulated Iron Sand to guard Lan's side. This display of loyalty, like a devoted bodyguard, left its original owner, Sasori, both furious and terrified.

Such a method shattered his understanding; his own puppet arts, which he took such pride in, were not even worth mentioning in the face of this power that seemed to create life itself.

Is this the power of the Sage's Eye?

Truly an incredible existence!

Seeing that the situation had turned into a two-on-two stalemate and was becoming increasingly unfavorable, and noting that Lan was even more arrogant than Pain, Obito knew that further communication was meaningless.

Moreover, he still wanted to use Pakura to extract information about Lan to find a way to deal with him. The trade he had proposed was merely to dispel Sasori's fantasies. Now that his goal was achieved, and unable to gauge Lan's true depth, the cautious Obito did not want to rashly engage in battle.

He walked over to Sasori and said, "This guy is no simpleton. I fear only the leader can deal with him. Let's withdraw for now."

Sasori's gaze remained fixed on the Third Kazekage human puppet—the crystallization of his life's work, which had now become someone else's collection.

Although Sasori was unwilling, he knew full well that with his current abilities, it would be difficult to snatch the Third Kazekage puppet back from Lan.

Seeing that his teammate was intimidated by the power of the Rinnegan and intended to retreat rather than force a confrontation, he had no choice but to agree to the suggestion.

In this way, he could only pin his hopes of recovering the Third Kazekage puppet on their leader.

After casting a glance at Lan filled with resentment and hidden hatred, Sasori followed Obito into the swirling space vortex. Just before disappearing, Obito spat out a harsh threat:

"Don't get too full of yourself, you brat. The foundation of our organization is beyond your imagination. Making an enemy of us will be the greatest mistake you ever make..."

Inside the Kamui Dimension, Obito and Sasori appeared side by side.

Sasori first looked around this magical different dimension with curiosity, inwardly marveling at his companion's extraordinary power.

Soon, his attention was drawn to Pakura and the Kaguya Clan head not far away.

Looking at Pakura, who was delirious from the poison, a flicker of malice flashed in Sasori's eyes.

"I'll let you become my new puppet to satisfy the hatred in my heart."

As he spoke, Sasori was about to step forward, but Obito grabbed him by the collar.

Just as he was wondering why, he saw a yellow halo appear behind Pakura.

As the halo suddenly bloomed, it transformed into a vortex radiating golden light.

The vortex expanded rapidly, revealing an unfathomable space-time passage.

Hiss!

Seeing this scene in the Kamui Dimension, Obito and Sasori both gasped.

Immediately after, a voice that Obito and Sasori least wanted to hear at this moment drifted out from the passage, growing clearer as it drew near.

"I told you, you wouldn't be able to escape!"

Thud!

A foot stepped across the exit of the space tunnel, landing heavily on the ground of the Kamui Dimension...