A Draw! Sasori's Recognition

Even Konan, floating in the air, couldn't help thinking, Looks like... it's over. To have fought Sasori to a standstill like this is already quite impressive.

But...

"Is that so!"

Uchiha Ye suddenly laughed, and Sasori of the Red Sands immediately grew wary.

Uchiha Ye steadied his breath, his gaze sharpening as he shouted, "Lava Scorch Shot!"

The ground beneath Sasori of the Red Sands suddenly shook violently. As if he had realized something, his expression changed, and he hurriedly controlled the Third Kazekage to retreat.

Boom!

The next instant, crimson lava roared viciously out of the ground, forcing even Konan to retreat in haste.

"Heh, Lord Sasori, we're not done yet!"

As soon as the words fell, another pillar of crimson lava burst through the ground, taking precise aim at Sasori of the Red Sands.

"Whoosh!"

Sasori of the Red Sands and the Third Kazekage immediately dodged in opposite directions, avoiding the pillar of fire.

"Boom!"

But the next instant, two more pillars of lava erupted viciously from the ground, each rushing to devour the Third Kazekage Puppet and Sasori of the Red Sands.

"!!!"

At that moment, even Sasori of the Red Sands felt his soul shudder. I've actually been pushed this far? If that's the case, then I'll fight with everything I have!

"Iron Sand Wings!"

In a fraction of an instant, a pair of black wings formed behind the Third Kazekage, blocking the lava.

Meanwhile, Sasori of the Red Sands used a Sand Clone to dodge once more.

Boom!

The searing lava collided with the hard Iron Sand, sending waves of heat rolling through the air. Magma splattered everywhere, and the air itself seemed to blur from the clash.

The next instant, Sasori of the Red Sands reappeared some distance away.

But before he could make the Third Kazekage retaliate—

Uchiha Ye was already closing in at incredible speed. "Meteor Fire Rain!"

The scorching attacks came down like a torrential downpour, forcing Sasori of the Red Sands to retreat.

"Iron Sand..."

But Uchiha Ye gave Sasori of the Red Sands no chance to control the Third Kazekage.

Uchiha Ye narrowed his eyes and glared. "Genjutsu: Binding Technique!"

Sasori of the Red Sands immediately felt his body become bound.

Although a restraint of this strength was nothing to him, and he dispelled it at once—

that brief delay was already fatal for someone at his level.

"Dog-Biting Crimson Lotus!"

Faced with the enormous Flame Dog lunging at him in an instant, even Sasori of the Red Sands' pupils contracted. "I'm actually being pushed onto the defensive?"

His eyes flashed sharply. "Don't make me laugh!"

An extremely powerful surge of chakra erupted from his heart, oppressive enough to make it hard to breathe. "Iron Sand... World Method!"

In an instant, the air filled with terrifying Iron Sand. The particles linked together, forming a sea of thorns as countless razor-sharp Iron Sand spikes plunged down without mercy.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

The Flame Dog was pierced through in an instant, then crumbled and fell to the ground.

Uchiha Ye didn't even have time to dodge. His elementalized body was instantly riddled with holes.

Within a hundred meters, the area became a field of ruins in the blink of an eye, strewn with shattered rocks.

Every bit of space for movement was completely cut off, leaving him unable to move.

"Corrosive Mist Poison!"

The Third Kazekage rose into the air once more, spewing even more concentrated poison gas from his mouth. The air itself seemed to grow heavy; even breathing in a little from a distance made one feel dizzy.

"I won't give you another chance to counterattack!"

Seeing Uchiha Ye's presence fluctuate again, Sasori of the Red Sands, now fully aware of how dangerous he was, shouted once more, "Iron Sand Great Burial!"

The ground beneath Uchiha Ye suddenly surged with Iron Sand like a wave. It swallowed him in an instant, then immediately solidified into a mass, crushing and sealing him inside.

"This was the Third Kazekage's ability to suppress Tailed Beasts during his lifetime. Though I still can't bring out its full power, it's more than enough to deal with you!"

Sasori of the Red Sands continued, "To make it more lethal against shinobi, I also mixed in a poison I developed with great care. There's no way you won't be affected while trapped inside."

"Once you're poisoned, it's all over!"

Watching this scene, even Konan, floating in the air, was deeply shaken. "He's only thirteen, yet he's managed to push a master like Sasori into such a difficult position. No wonder Konoha classified him and Uchiha Itachi as S-rank missing-nin."

"But then again, his Kekkei Genkai ninjutsu, The Heat, can be used without Hand Seals; he can ignore attacks from sharp weapons; he has the keen insight granted by the Sharingan; and his tactical judgment is on par with the top fighters. A performance like this is only natural."

"But Sasori is still a little stronger. The battle is over!"

Yet just as she said this, the earth trapped by Iron Sand began to shake violently. The humming grew louder and louder. The surrounding temperature soared several times over in an instant, and Uchiha Ye's deep voice came from within. "Molten Realm: Scorching Flow Blast!"

This was Uchiha Ye's most terrifying single-target attack at present.

He compressed lava to generate intense heat, burning everything to ash.

Rumble!

The ground suddenly sank and split apart.

The next instant, a tremendous force of scorching heat burst from underground, blasting apart the earth for dozens of meters around.

The Iron Sand restraint shattered completely. The scorching force continued to surge outward, annihilating everything around it in an instant and lighting up the landscape for hundreds of meters in every direction.

"Iron Sand Wall!"

Sasori hadn't anticipated this either. Faced with such a horrifying attack, he hurriedly put up a defense.

But less than two seconds later, his expression suddenly changed. "How is this possible? The Iron Sand Wall... can't stop it?"

Fingers-width cracks had appeared in the thick Iron Sand Wall, while the rest of it was melting rapidly.

Shocked, Sasori of the Red Sands hurriedly retreated, forming another curved barrier in front of himself.

Boom!

The scorching force slammed into the barrier with a thunderous crash.

"You didn't take the opportunity to ambush me?"

Seeing nothing happening behind him, Sasori of the Red Sands couldn't help but feel surprised.

With such a good opportunity, Uchiha Ye hadn't attacked him from behind?

That made no sense!

"I'm above you!"

Just as he was wondering what was going on, a scorching presence suddenly descended from overhead.

Uchiha Ye swung his hand, holding lava, and a vicious Flame Dog rushed forward to bite him.

"Iron Sand Drizzle!"

The Third Kazekage immediately fanned out a dense volley of Iron Sand projectiles, scattering the incoming Flame Dog and forcing Uchiha Ye to retreat.

But Sasori of the Red Sands suddenly saw the smile tugging at Uchiha Ye's lips. Realizing something, he hurriedly turned around.

Another Uchiha Ye stood before him, his body transformed into lava as he threw a vicious punch that seared through the air.

"Not good!"

At this point, it was too late to defend himself.

Sasori of the Red Sands had only one choice: use the Third Kazekage to take his place.

Thud!

The scorching blow hit, and the Third Kazekage Human Puppet exploded.

That was only because, in that moment of crisis, Sasori of the Red Sands had covered the puppet's surface with a layer of Iron Sand.

Otherwise, the Human Puppet might have been completely destroyed.

"He actually... destroyed the Third Kazekage Human Puppet?!"

Watching this, Konan was deeply astonished. "Is Uchiha Ye really that strong?"

"His successive tactics have even made Sasori lose his judgment. Impressive!"

She knew it!

From this moment on, she had to treat Uchiha Ye as a powerhouse on the same level as them.

She couldn't look down on him as a junior just because he was young.