A Splendid Battle

However!

"Heh, you fell for it!"

The dark-skinned Oroi suddenly flashed a cunning smile.

In an instant, the two vanished from before Hiruko, reappearing right behind him, swinging their blades from left and right: "Cloud Style: Inner Slash!"

Compared to the front, the defense at the rear was far more lax.

The two were fully confident they would succeed and deal a heavy blow to Hiruko.

Yet, reality suddenly doused them with a bucket of cold water.

"Clang!!!"

Seeing the tail stinger that hadn't budged in the slightest, the joy on their faces froze.

"How is this possible?!"

The two retreated in horror, "We clearly aimed for the vulnerable joints of the tail stinger—why couldn't we break it?"

Hearing this, the voice of Sasori of the Red Sand rang out, sounding quite mocking: "You didn't think I would neglect such obvious weaknesses, did you?"

As a puppeteer, he understood the weaknesses of puppets better than anyone.

Therefore, after obtaining Chakra Metal from Uchiha Ye and discovering its extreme hardness, he had immediately plated all the vulnerable areas with a layer of Chakra Metal to bolster his defense.

The frequently used tail stinger, in particular, was his top priority.

Although the sneak attack failed, they are Jonin after all; their coordinated technique is truly impressive! Uchiha Ye praised inwardly while watching the battle. Using deceptive swordsmanship to ambush Hiruko from behind.

If Brother Sasori hadn't upgraded Hiruko's components, that strike just now would have been enough to cause severe damage.

In that regard, the two of them working together would have no trouble defeating Zabuza even without the Kubikiribocho.

Even if it meant paying the price of sustaining significant injuries!

However, the chances of Brother Sasori successfully pursuing the two of them right now are quite low!

Hiruko's arms suddenly split open, firing a barrage of poisonous senbon from the sealing charms within, while simultaneously spewing a cloud of lethal poison.

In a flash, the attack caught up to the retreating Oroi and his companion, forcing their expressions to change as their rhythm was completely disrupted.

Watching them retreat, Uchiha Ye thought to himself: Because Kamui will definitely step in to save them!

Sure enough!

Just as Uchiha Ye had predicted.

As Hiruko prepared to pursue the pair, Kamui, seeing the situation turn dire, immediately formed hand seals to intervene: "Lightning Illusion: Lightning Flash Pillar!"

The blinding light caused Hiruko to falter, forcing him to retreat and avoid the effects of the glare to prevent being ambushed.

"Hmph, you want to retreat? Do you think I'll give you that chance?"

Amidst the blinding radiance, Kamui appeared behind Hiruko like a bolt of lightning, swinging her blade: "Cloud Style: Inner Haze Slash!"

"Clang!"

The sharp blade collided heavily with the sturdy tail stinger.

But amidst the spraying sparks, two Shadow Clones of Kamui appeared on either side of Sasori of the Red Sand, surrounding him as they roared: "Cloud Style Slash!"

This was a strike that could not be dodged no matter what.

Hiruko was already entangled by Kamui's main body, and the possibility of retreat had been cut off by her two Shadow Clones; he had no choice but to face it head-on.

"Very good!"

Facing the incoming onslaught, Sasori of the Red Sand praised calmly: "Aside from Ye, you are the only one who has forced me to use more of my abilities. I acknowledge you!"

As he spoke, Hiruko's arms lifted simultaneously.

They blossomed like a flower, revealing the dense array of sealing charms within.

With a series of popping sounds, a swarm of puppet arms surged out.

Each arm was equipped with multiple blades, rushing toward Kamui's two Shadow Clones like a towering tidal wave.

It was the very technique that should have appeared on the Third Kazekage puppet in the original story, now manifested on Hiruko: Thousand Hands Manipulation!

Puchi!

The blades of Kamui's two Shadow Clones were incredibly fierce, severing numerous arms in a single strike.

The remaining momentum carried them forward, continuing their assault on Hiruko.

"Now... let's see how you handle this!"

Seeing this, Kamui couldn't help but smile triumphantly.

Combining the strength of three Jonin to drive Sasori of the Red Sand into a corner—she felt it was only logical.

As long as this puppet was heavily damaged, what was there to fear from Sasori of the Red Sand himself?

It was a universally accepted truth in the Ninja World that a puppeteer was not adept at close-quarters combat.

"Is that so? Aren't you rejoicing a bit too early?"

Hiruko's voice rang out, low and deep. Suddenly, both of Hiruko's arms opened once more, erupting with condensed chakra: "Machine Light Shield!"

Boom!

The blades of Katai's two Shadow Clones struck the shield, yet they could not break through it in the slightest.

"How is this possible!"

Katai's expression shifted instantly, and he retreated hastily along with his Shadow Clones.

"Did you ask for my permission to run?"

Seeing this, Hiruko's tail-stinger lashed out in pursuit.

Both arms continued to unfold, firing a dense, torrential rain of Kunai from the revealed sealing talismans.

But Katai suddenly dispelled his Shadow Clones and let out a sudden, triumphant laugh: "Heh, you've fallen for it again!"

The moment her words faded, Oroi and Katai burst forth at high speed from the smoke of the dissipated Shadow Clones, swinging their blades from the left and right: "Cloud Style Slash!"

At this moment, all of Hiruko's attention was focused on Katai.

Facing this sudden, rapid assault, it seemed impossible for him to dodge in time.

Katai was confident that even if this strike couldn't completely destroy the puppet, it would surely deal heavy damage.

By then!

Once Yugito arrived and held off Sasori of the Red Sand's other accomplice, the three of them could continue to surround Sasori of the Red Sand and would certainly be able to dismantle this puppet entirely.

And if a puppeteer lost their puppet, they would pose no further threat.

"Go to hell!"

Katai and Oroi roared, unleashing this exceptionally fierce strike.

"Squelch!"

Hiruko's body was ruthlessly torn open.

But immediately, a cloud of green poison mist exploded outward.

Seeing this, Katai and Oroi both cried out in alarm and scrambled backward.

Yet, they immediately felt dizzy and lightheaded, stumbling as they landed, unable to stand steadily.

Without a doubt, they had been poisoned.

"Brilliant!"

Watching the battle, Uchiha Ye couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"These three coordinate truly well!"

"Especially Katai; she is indeed impressive and worthy of being the captain. She guided her two teammates to launch a finishing blow at the perfect moment, even catching Brother Sasori off guard!"

To destroy Hiruko through joint effort was a very commendable feat.

Hiruko itself possessed the level of an elite Jonin!

Coupled with the addition of poison, it posed a certain threat even to Kage-level powerhouses.

Even without Sasori of the Red Sand underestimating them in the slightest, the fact that these three could achieve this through tacit coordination was truly excellent.

Of course, this was to be expected!

No matter how poorly three Jonin might coordinate, their strength would not be weak.

Not to mention that they were working together with such seamless synergy!

"However..."

Looking at the damaged Hiruko, which was clearly unusable, and Sasori of the Red Sand, who had already emerged from within: "The battle is coming to an end, isn't it?"

Hiruko was merely Sasori of the Red Sand's weakest tool.

It was usually used to probe for information.

Whether it was damaged or destroyed, it was all just an appetizer, of no real consequence.

It appeared that Katai had outmaneuvered Sasori of the Red Sand and destroyed his Hiruko.

In reality, Katai had merely pushed herself into the fire pit ahead of schedule.

Whether it was the Performance of a Hundred Puppets or the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, neither were existences they could handle.

Not to mention that two of them were already poisoned.