The mine echoed with the rustle of sand grains rubbing together-the low resonance of dragon crystal sand reshaping itself after devouring the Third Kazekage Human Puppet.
Tufeng stood behind the golden waves of sand, maintaining his hand seals. His breathing was steady, his gaze calm, as though the overwhelming clash of sand techniques had been no more than a warm-up.
Sasori's fingers froze in midair. The invisible Chakra Threads between them had lost their target and swayed gently in the air like broken instrument strings.
He fell silent for a moment, then slowly raised his head. With a new, complicated look in his eyes, he glanced at Tufeng, then at Uchiha Makoto, who stood at the edge of the battlefield and had yet to act.
"...Dragon crystal sand." Sasori repeated the name quietly, as though savoring all the information it contained. "It doesn't just absorb chakra. It can also sever the controller's sensory link-this is no ordinary variant of Magnet Release. It's a sealing-type kekkei genkai you developed specifically to counter puppet masters and control-based ninjutsu, isn't it?"
Uchiha Makoto did not answer directly, but the faintest smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, serving as confirmation.
What he did not say was that dragon crystal sand was indeed a targeted countermeasure he had developed specifically against secret techniques that relied on chakra links, such as Impure World Reincarnation, puppet manipulation, and Contract Summoning.
In this world, only a handful of shinobi could resist the control of Impure World Reincarnation, and their methods relied either on special kekkei genkai or on power at the level of the Sage of Six Paths.
Uchiha Makoto's approach was more direct. If making himself immune to control was difficult, he would render the control itself ineffective. By blocking chakra links and absorbing the