Three Tomoe, Performance of a Hundred Puppets!

Yugito's gaze turned sharp as she spat out a terrifying fireball: "Mouse Tail Ball!"

This was a fireball even more agile than the Mouse Fireball.

It could be flexibly controlled by Yugito to track enemies, dealing powerful explosive damage upon impact.

Not giving me a single chance to breathe, are you?

Having just charged out of the smoke, Uchiha Ye was immediately faced with the threat of this superheated fireball hurtling straight toward his face.

Even Uchiha Ye couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle.

Without the aid of Observation Haki, attempting to use elementalization to dodge this strike was extremely difficult.

It might even result in him getting injured instead!

Therefore!

He had no choice but to retreat once more!

He had to constantly break through his existing shackles and enhance the insight of his Sharingan to avoid being forced into such a predicament again.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Relying on the insight of his Sharingan and the help of the forest terrain, he finally managed to narrowly dodge the bombardment of fireballs.

But!

"Your vigilance has dropped!"

Yugito appeared behind Uchiha Ye like a ghost.

Before Uchiha Ye could react, cold cat claws slashed a crimson gash across his back.

"Ngh!"

Uchiha Ye's figure stumbled, but he couldn't afford to worry about the pain; he hurriedly tried to track Yugito's movements.

Yet, there was already no sign of Yugito in the surroundings.

But!

Before Uchiha Ye could analyze the situation, a cold killing intent emanated from behind him once again.

"Hellhound!"

He launched a counterattack almost subconsciously.

Bubbling, scorching lava erupted from his arm as he twisted his body and threw a full-force punch forward.

In front of him!

Yugito's cold cat claws had already pierced through the air, striking directly toward his vitals.

Boom!

Uchiha Ye had responded in haste, while Yugito had attacked with her full strength.

Caught off guard, Uchiha Ye was naturally overpowered and knocked back several meters.

"It's over, Uchiha Ye!"

Seeing this, Yugito pressed her advantage and pursued the victory.

She flashed repeatedly around Uchiha Ye's figure, waiting for the opportunity to land the final, fatal blow: "This time, it is your... death day!"

But Uchiha Ye was already fully focused, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan capturing every one of Yugito's movements, not letting a single detail slip by.

The two tomoe within his eyes were spinning at high speed, already showing the shadow of a third.

Evolution was happening at this very moment!

"Whoosh!"

Yugito moved, her speed so great that the air she tore through erupted in violent sonic booms.

Here it comes!

Uchiha Ye's Sharingan immediately captured a blurred phantom.

Within his eyes, which felt as if they were about to split, the image slowly sharpened, and her trail could finally be slightly tracked.

Although he still couldn't perfectly capture Yugito's high-speed movements—it was still a bit blurry, like a nearsighted person looking at a distant scene—

"But this is already enough!!"

Even if the figure was blurry, as long as he could perceive the opponent's movement trajectory, it was enough to counterattack.

His right arm suddenly erupted with intense, scorching power, unleashing a full-force strike toward the trajectory captured by his eyes.

At this moment!

He felt an unprecedented heat in his eyes.

It was as if a volcano were erupting in his mind, with a mysterious power pouring into his eyes and surging through his entire body.

Suddenly, it was as if he had broken free from some kind of restraint; his body had also evolved, becoming fully capable of keeping up with the reaction speed of his Sharingan.

Furthermore!

The movements of Yugito before his eyes were branded into his mind, firm and unshakeable.

He could mimic them at will.

He knew it!

His Three Tomoe Sharingan had successfully awakened!

BOOM!

Their fists collided, and it was as if a mountain had collapsed and the earth had split; the ground all around them shattered incessantly.

The impact was so great that even Kamui and her two companions in the distance, as well as Sasori of the Red Sand, could not help but be affected.

Yugito's final, lethal strike had been firmly blocked.

"That guy, Ye..."

Watching Uchiha Ye's eyes, which had evolved into the Three Tomoe, Sasori of the Red Sand said with a sense of realization, "So the reason he suddenly fell into a disadvantage just now was merely to force his Sharingan to evolve?"

"What incredible nerve, to intentionally fall into a desperate situation against such a dangerous enemy just to stimulate his own potential!"

Even someone as indifferent as Sasori of the Red Sand could not help but be shocked by Uchiha Ye's insane actions.

"How is this possible!"

Watching Uchiha Ye once again stand on equal footing with Yugito, Kamui covered her mouth in disbelief.

Shouldn't Uchiha Ye have overused his Sharingan, allowed Yugito to gain the upper hand, and ultimately been severely wounded and finished off?

Why had the situation been turned around by Uchiha Ye in the end?

And!

"Why did this guy's Sharingan evolve?"

Kamui found it hard to believe, yet she was forced to consider a maddening thought: "Was his disadvantage just now intentional?"

"Was his only goal to force himself to complete the evolution of his Sharingan?"

Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and a chill shot straight from her heart to the top of her head.

Facing such a crazed enemy, did they truly have any chance of winning?

"Then, it is time for us to bring this to an end!"

Looking at Kamui, who had finished healing Oroi and Katai, Sasori of the Red Sand calmly pulled open his robes, revealing the core embedded in his chest marked with the character for 'Scorpion'.

He then produced a scroll marked with the character for 'Red' and opened it, saying as if sharing a precious treasure, "You are quite fortunate; this is the first time I have used this scroll!"

As he unfurled it, the seal within the scroll was immediately broken, and terrifying, ghastly figures surged out from within.

In no time at all, they shrouded the sky above the entire forest.

They were Human Puppets of all kinds, each clad in red robes.

Like a cloud of despair, they blanketed the wilderness.

Kamui and her two companions gaped in horror, completely unable to comprehend how such a scene could possibly exist.

"Controlling so many... puppets? Is this guy... a lunatic!"

"Are we... supposed to face this many puppets? Do we really have a chance?"

"How on earth... did he do this?!"

It was common knowledge that controlling ten puppets simultaneously was the absolute limit for a puppeteer.

No one could break this rule!

But what was this army of puppets, dense and numerous enough to block out the sky like a dark cloud?

There were certainly more than ten of them!

Even though Kamui had experienced the Third Ninja World War and possessed a strong will, she could not help but tremble, her lips quivering as she felt a deep, chilling sense of powerlessness.

They had struggled so much just facing one puppet earlier.

They had nearly lost Katai and Oroi!

Now, with so many puppets, how could they possibly win?

Even if each one could not be as powerful as Hiruko, the sheer number was simply too overwhelming!

"What... are you frightened?"

Sasori of the Red Sand looked at the trio's horrified, pale faces and said with a hint of smugness, "Since you know I am a genius puppeteer, you should have realized that I would not be restricted by the rules of puppetry!"

Dense threads of chakra shot out from the core in his chest, connecting to all the puppets as he declared, "This is my original school of puppetry, known as the Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets."

"In theory, it is enough to conquer a small nation!"

Yet, this explanation only served to plunge Kamui and her companions into absolute despair!