That icy trace of Sasori's chakra flickered through the pink mist like a venomous snake's tongue, then vanished, but it had locked firmly onto Ling. Its malice was undisguised, carrying the cold cruelty of a researcher examining a test subject.
[He's targeting you, Ling.] Kakashi's voice came through the link, grave. [Is he testing a new weapon? Or is he after you personally?]
[Perhaps both.] Ling answered calmly, his Senjutsu perception sweeping the thick mist around them like radar. [Neji, can you pinpoint his location?]
[No!] Neji's voice held a trace of frustration. [His chakra is mixed with this mist and something underground. It's like a drop of water in the sea-I can't distinguish it! I can only sense his general direction, and he's moving fast!]
Just then, the ground beneath Ling's feet split open! Several scorpion-tail puppet tentacles burst from the earth, their metal gleaming coldly and pink poison mist gushing from their joints. Like scorpions lashing their tails, they stabbed toward Ling's vital points from vicious angles, shrieking through the air at astonishing speed!
"Sage Art: Pure Water Release: Round Dance Wall!" Ling spun sharply, and an azure wall of water instantly rose and whirled around him like an enormous spinning top. The puppet tentacles struck it with a rapid series of metallic clangs. Though they could not breach his Senjutsu-enhanced Water Release defense, their impacts and the poison mist pouring from them made the wall shudder violently, draining his chakra.
[There's more than one! They're coming from every direction!] Ino's startled cry came through the link. On the sensory map she shared, more than ten puppet tentacles attacking from different directions were marked in an instant!
"Wood Release: Hell Rampage!" Yamato slammed both hands onto the ground. Masses of wooden vines erupted from the earth, trying to