Naruto and Sasuke Enter the Fray

In an instant, a roar beyond words erupted, as though a star had been born inside the ship and died just as quickly!

A blinding white light, ten—no, a hundred—times brighter than any previous explosion swallowed everything. A storm of destructive energy followed in its wake!

The alien ship's once-impenetrable interior collapsed layer by layer before that force, crumbling and vaporizing like a sandcastle!

The blast tore open a colossal hole. Through it, they could even see the black void of space and distant stars!

The explosion dwarfed Naruto's Tailed Beast Ball!

With the wall breached, the violent pull of space nearly swept Naruto and Sasuke off their feet.

Then a spare Mark V puppet stepped out of the shadows behind them. It spoke in Sasori's distinctive electronic voice, edged with mockery:

"Breaking into a puppeteer's puppet is one of the stupidest things anyone can do in the Shinobi World."

"To power its immense firepower and mobility, I fitted my Gundam with multiple Miniature Nuclear Reactors."

"Add Deidara's Explosive Clay, infused with every last bit of his Chakra, and the combined detonation probably reduced him to atomic dust."

In the distance, Deidara had shed his Clay Giant form. Pale-faced but elated, he scrambled back and shouted to Sasori:

"Brother Sasori! Did you see that? That was our ultimate combo! Yeah! I'm calling it C12: Starfall Combo Blast! What do you think? Now that's true, ultimate art! Yeah!"

His fervent voice rang especially clear through the deathly silence left by the blast.

"Call it whatever you like!" Sasori knew Deidara's personality and paid it no mind.

But just as everyone thought the battle was settled, something unexpected happened!

Along the edge of the vast hole blasted open by C12: Starfall Combo Blast, silvery liquid metal flowed across the damaged walls. The