Shock! Zabuza Concedes

"Clang!"

With a piercing clash of metal, Zabuza's expression shifted violently once more.

The force transmitted through the tail spike was so immense that he found it difficult to withstand.

How could he... be this strong!

Zabuza gritted his teeth, holding his ground, yet he was still forced back, his heart filled with utter shock.

He was, after all, a dignified Jonin of Kirigakure!

To be suppressed by a mere puppet?

Are all puppeteers this powerful?

After being forced back, Zabuza did not dare to hesitate, immediately weaving hand seals at high speed.

How could he allow himself to be dragged into his opponent's rhythm?

He had to seize control of his own pace!

He was confident that he could hold his own against this puppet of Sasori of the Red Sand using his own lethal techniques.

"Not a bad reaction!"

Sasori of the Red Sand offered a rare word of praise for Zabuza's performance in this exchange.

Even Uchiha Ye, back in the day, had only reached this level of reaction.

But!

"That is only if I give you the chance to finish those seals!"

As the words fell, before Zabuza could finish his seals while retreating at high speed, Hiruko suddenly pulled back its mask and spat out a massive volley of poisonous senbon: "Needle Eight Waves!"

The speed was not a fraction slower than the previous tail spike, and the sharp, piercing force made Zabuza's expression change again.

Damn it, he doesn't intend to give me any chance to weave seals at all?

Facing the rain of poisonous senbon, Zabuza had no choice but to abandon his seals to gain the speed necessary for evasion.

Not everyone could be like Jiraiya, capable of dodging while perfectly completing the release of a ninjutsu.

Weaving seals, mobilizing chakra, and then releasing the technique.

Even for battle-hardened Jonin, this process could not be interrupted.

If the process was broken, the ninjutsu would fail to manifest.

Even if one resumed the hand seals and finished the chakra distribution, the power of the technique would be significantly diminished.

"Mr. Zabuza... is actually falling completely into a disadvantage like this?"

Watching from the side, Haku felt a surge of shock.

Although he knew Sasori of the Red Sand was strong.

This seemed excessively powerful.

Just by using a single puppet, he could suppress a powerhouse like Zabuza to such a state?

"Whoosh!"

In the distance, Zabuza had only just barely dodged the rain of poisonous senbon when the tail spike that made his scalp tingle struck again.

"Clang!"

Zabuza could only raise his blade to block once more, but he immediately showed signs of strain.

Even the long blade in his hand emitted the sound of cracking under the unbearable pressure.

This, without a doubt, terrified Zabuza even more.

Was he really being crushed this thoroughly?

It was somewhat hard to accept!

By utilizing Chakra Metal, the faster and stronger transmission of chakra has granted Hiruko such terrifying power?

Watching Hiruko suppress Zabuza with brute force, Uchiha Ye analyzed in his mind.

And compared to before, its agility and speed have also improved.

Even the sharpness of this tail spike has increased significantly.

Although the long blade in Zabuza's hand could not compare to the quality of the Kusanagi Sword, it was still a rare and precious weapon.

Yet, under the pressure of Sasori of the Red Sand's tail spike, it had developed cracks, which was enough to prove the point.

The standard of Hiruko has indeed reached a height never seen in the original story!

Just as he was analyzing this, Hiruko's mask opened again, and a cloud of poisonous mist erupted from its mouth, engulfing Zabuza.

"Oh no!"

He was already struggling to cope; how could he possibly handle this sudden poisonous mist?

He only inhaled a tiny amount, and immediately, he felt his head begin to spin.

He immediately recoiled, refusing to remain within the poisonous mist, lest the situation become even more troublesome.

However, no sooner had he landed after retreating than the lethal tail-stinger struck again, leaving him no opportunity to react.

"Not good!"

Zabuza hurriedly deployed a Water Clone to evade.

He needed to create distance immediately; only by casting the Hidden Mist Technique would he have a sliver of a chance to counterattack.

But!

Even though he had prepared himself for the crisis he would face upon reappearing, the poison he had just inhaled caused his movements to falter for a split second when the crisis actually arrived.

And this!

This decided the outcome!

The tail-stinger lashed out like a rainbow, binding Zabuza and leaving him without the slightest strength to resist.

"It's over!"

Sasori's low voice emanated from within Hiruko.

Watching Zabuza held high by Hiruko, Sasori asked, "Well? Do you surrender? Or do you die!"

"I give you ten seconds to answer; I do not like to wait!"

Haku was horrified by this scene!

Zabuza had been defeated by his opponent without even being able to use his signature Silent Killing Technique or the Hidden Mist Technique.

"Is this... Sasori of the Red Sand, who successfully assassinated the Third Kazekage?"

Haku couldn't help but clench his fists. "Is the gap in strength between him and Zabuza truly this vast?"

Uchiha Ye, seeing this, simply brushed the dust off his backside and stood up.

He was not at all surprised by this result.

In the original story, Sasori could easily dispose of Kankuro, who had already been promoted to Jonin.

Dealing with a Zabuza who lacked the bonus of the Kubikiribocho, it was only natural for him to defeat him after a bit of effort.

After all, those who play with poison have always been dangerous!

Once poisoned, any advantage one might have is leveled out.

And if one had no advantage to begin with, then there is even less of a chance.

Clearly, Zabuza belonged to the latter.

"It's just a pity I didn't get to see the full power of Hiruko; it leaves me wanting more!"

Having fought against Hiruko himself, he was well aware of the methods Hiruko had yet to unleash.

Perhaps a Zabuza wielding the Kubikiribocho could have forced Hiruko to reveal them.

"I surrender. I accept your invitation!"

Zabuza naturally chose the outcome that was favorable to him.

He had no reason to choose death!

Knowing when to concede is also a form of survival wisdom.

This was especially important for rogue ninjas like them.

"That is a very wise choice!"

Hearing this, Sasori set Zabuza down. "Since that is the case, I welcome you to the organization on its behalf!"

Meanwhile!

"So it is true... after all!"

In the Konoha Root organization, Shimura Danzo stared at the intelligence report from the Third Hokage, his expression filled with extreme apprehension. "This fellow Uchiha Ye actually joined forces with Sasori of the Red Sand to finish off Orochimaru!"

"Has he grown to such a level already?"

He knew full well how strong Orochimaru was.

Even if he couldn't defeat Sasori of the Red Sand and Uchiha Ye, he should have at least been able to escape with his life.

Yet, the result was that he was forced into a desperate, fatal situation by Uchiha Ye and Sasori of the Red Sand.

How could he not feel apprehensive toward Uchiha Ye, the mastermind behind it all?

"But precisely because of this, he must be eliminated even more!"

Shimura Danzo had a strong feeling that Uchiha Ye would endanger the interests of Konoha in the future.

Furthermore!

Now that he had confirmed it was Uchiha Ye who sabotaged his Sharingan transplantation project, he naturally hated Uchiha Ye to the bone.

Whether out of personal vendetta or for the sake of Konoha's security, he could not tolerate such a person continuing to grow.

"The only question is, how do I get rid of this guy?"

If possible, Shimura Danzo would naturally prefer to eliminate Uchiha Ye by the hand of Uchiha Itachi.

But clearly!

That method would not work.

Not unless Uchiha Ye were to voluntarily defect from the Akatsuki.