In the desert of the Land of Wind, a group traveled forward at a rapid pace.
To maintain speed, Tahm unceremoniously placed Karin atop his head, making her the third customer of the Tahm Jumbo Express.
After traveling a long distance, Tahm still looked full of vigor, jokingly saying to Kakashi, "Evenly matched, it seems your genjutsu effect is pretty good. No one has chased us down yet."
"This mission should be smooth sailing now." Kakashi also relaxed a bit. Having secretly run this far, it should not be too difficult for him and Tahm to safely return to the Land of Fire with their strength.
However, invoking whoever's flag had taken effect, a bizarre figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the desolate desert, blocking Tahm and company's path.
Tahm and Kakashi were forced to a halt, immediately adopting combat postures and vigilantly staring at the freak ahead.
A black cloak with red clouds, a hunchbacked physique, looking like a dried corpse, coupled with that familiar avatar in Tahm's mini-map—even before anyone spoke, Tahm recognized the identity of the roadblock.
What the hell! This was Tahm's first time making a move in the shinobi world, and he had to go toe-to-scale with Sasori of the Red Sand?
A wave of frustration welled up in Tahm's heart. He had originally imagined some blind fools coming to waylay them so he could casually kill a couple to earn some experience and gold coins.
Now, his physical stats were not even stronger than a standard jounin, yet an elite kage-level powerhouse was sent to waylay him? The cruel reality gave Tahm the disorienting feeling that he was still leveling up in the starter village while the main quest commanded him to slay a dragon.
"May I ask why your excellency blocks our path?" Despite knowing the chances were slim, Kakashi still politely inquired.
A sinister voice came from beneath that terrifying exterior, "I merely require your corpses." Without even mentioning money, the situation escalated straight to a fight to the death.
Kakashi's heart tightened, knowing this could not end peacefully, but his battle-hardened self felt no fear. Instead, he silently channeled chakra to infuse his limbs, ready to strike at any moment.
Tahm also quietly put down the worried-looking Karin, solemnly instructing her, "No matter what happens later, do not get close to the battlefield." Karin nodded sensibly, obediently hiding far away. Having experienced the ravages of war, she felt no fear; she only worried for Tahm.
The atmosphere was already hair-trigger tense, yet neither side made the first move.
After pondering for a moment, Tahm spoke directly to Kakashi, "Kakashi, mentally prepare yourself. This freak is a kage-level powerhouse, an S-rank rogue ninja of Sunagakure, Sasori of the Red Sand. His old man was killed by your old man. We're in trouble now."
"How do you know?!" A single sentence shocked even Sasori. This current appearance of his was a newly crafted human puppet that virtually no outsiders had ever seen. How did this toad instantly call out his identity?
Kakashi also looked at Tahm with suspicious eyes, transforming the atmosphere from an arena into a tea party instantly.
Seeing that the two of them still hadn't fought and were staring at him instead, Tahm immediately decided to seize the opportunity to spill everything he could. Letting teammates know the enemy's intel was the greatest guarantee of victory.
Thus, Tahm continued addressing Kakashi, "Not only do I know he is Sasori of the Red Sand, I also know his current appearance is the human puppet Hiruko he crafted himself. This puppet is drenched in lethal poison throughout, its hands and head house poison needle launchers, and its tail is exceptionally sharp. It is best not to engage in close combat without anti-poison measures."
Seeing even Sasori himself wearing a ghost-seeing expression, Tahm seized the moment to continue spreading knowledge, "Aside from this puppet, he has two trump cards. One is the Red Secret Technique: Hundred Puppet Performance, which can simultaneously manipulate a hundred powerful puppets with immense lethality. The other, even more formidable, is a human puppet made from the corpse of the Third Kazekage, capable of perfectly wielding the Third Kazekage's abilities in life, equivalent to yet another kage-level combat force."
Kakashi felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this. If this were true, wouldn't he have to face an army of puppets and two kage-level powerhouses?
"His true body is hidden inside that puppet. Notably, he has also modified himself into a human puppet, making his entire body indestructible, but his heart houses his core. Puncturing the core will kill him."
Sasori's state of mind had already shifted from curiosity to fear. This fellow even knew secrets like this—vital points that not even members of Akatsuki knew.
"Enough!" Sasori's voice held a trace of bluffing fear. His methods and fatal weaknesses had all been laid bare by the enemy; this toad had to die!
Sasori violently initiated the attack, raising Hiruko's hands to pop out iron tubes resembling Gatling guns, and poison needles assailed the two like a rainstorm.
Although battered quite a bit by the massive influx of information, Kakashi had seriously engraved that intel into his mind and had long been prepared. Seeing the puppet raise its hands, he immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge swiftly.
Tahm still lacked a bit of ninja combat experience. Seeing the attack, he subconsciously tried to sidestep, but restricted by his physical stats, he was savagely pierced by several needles flying at high speed.
Once the poison needles embedded themselves into his body, while they caused no direct damage themselves, they inflicted Tahm with a terrifying poisoned status. Tahm could see his health bar frantically dropping at a rate of over 100 points per second.
Tahm hurriedly used Cure for Scurvy. A flash of orange light flickered over his body, removing the negative status and restoring the recently damaged health.
Seeing Tahm completely unfazed after being hit by the poison needles, Sasori—who had always been confident in his poison arts—suddenly felt as though he had smeared fake poison. And Kakashi's fully prepared, effortlessly dodging appearance made Sasori even more furious.
"Since you know so much, then you shall properly witness my eternal art!" Sasori abandoned playing house with Hiruko, directly deploying his trump card: the Third Kazekage!
When that bizarre humanoid covered in iron sand appeared on the battlefield, the entire ground trembled! Innumerable iron sand surged from underground, converging behind the humanoid like lively spirits to form a pair of massive black wings. Under the protection of the Iron Sand Wings, the Third Kazekage stood suspended in mid-air, black clouds of iron sand gathering and dispersing around him like gods or demons.
"Hahaha! Come and witness my proudest creation!" Sasori uninhibitedly vented the unique pleasure of a murderous monster.
Sasori manipulated the Third Kazekage to respond to his will. The iron sand accelerated rapidly like raindrops, covering the entire battlefield with nowhere to hide.
In a split second, Kakashi rapidly formed hand seals and slammed a hand onto the earth: Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Walls! Several massive rock barriers protruded from underground, blocking the path in front of Kakashi and Tahm. Yet the penetration force of that iron sand was terrifyingly formidable, piercing straight through several thick rock walls before losing its momentum.
Giving them no time to breathe, the Third Kazekage flapped his Iron Sand Wings behind him, propelling his entire body like lightning to the front of the rock walls. His right hand condensed iron sand into a massive drill, sweeping forward to tear apart the thick rock wall like tofu. Boulders shattered, and Kakashi could no longer care about Tahm at this moment, using the Body Flicker Technique to evade.
Seeing the shattered rock wall before him and the rapidly approaching iron sand drill, Tahm also entered combat state. Calm and unpanicked, he silently chanted in his heart: Alpha Strike!
Tahm's figure instantly vanished from the spot, the Third Kazekage's attack missing completely, while the Kazekage himself was engulfed by several streaks of flowing light. The light slashed past, friction generating muffled thuds, but it only excited a few layers of iron sand to scatter, failing to inflict any substantive damage on the Third Kazekage.
"An interesting move, but its power is far too small." Seeing his opponent beaten into a sorry state, Sasori playfully critiqued.
This caused a chill in Tahm's heart. He only now realized that although he possessed many skills, when facing a true powerhouse, he lacked any effective means of attack. All of his current offensive skills fundamentally relied on physical strikes with his tongue; against the formidable bodies and bizarre defensive methods of kage-level powerhouses, they were utterly useless.
There was no help for it. He had to use Devour! Tahm really did not want to use this move. Swallowing a hack jounin previously had consumed so much; swallowing a former Kazekage this time would probably wipe out his chakra completely, wouldn't it? Without chakra to use skills, Tahm would truly be no different from an ordinary toad.
However, the battle situation did not allow Tahm to ponder much longer. The Third Kazekage was gathering an iron sand storm once again; under such large-scale attacks, even if Tahm used Riftwalk to escape, it would merely be a lingering, desperate gasp.
He had to take the initiative! Hardening his heart and staring at the ferocious red fish mark on the Third Kazekage's body, Tahm activated: Devour!
A distortion of space occurred. The iron sand masking half the sky seemed to lose its master, dropping limply to the ground. The Third Kazekage, so arrogant just a moment ago, vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye!
Kakashi was aware of Tahm's special swallowing ability and did not relax his guard in the slightest due to the enemy's disappearance. Based on past observations, Tahm seemed unable to trap opponents for long.
Sasori, however, lost his composure entirely, roaring like a madman, "What did you do? Where did you take my art?"
Tahm, on the other hand, was shocked by the effect of his own move!
The instant he swallowed the target, Tahm immediately felt that it was different from the sensation of swallowing people previously. Instead, it felt just like swallowing dead objects like bento boxes—it did not consume his chakra.
Immediately following that, he heard the system prompt:
Defeated target to gain EXP 1120, Gold 530
The lavish rewards blinded Tahm's eyes. The massive amount of experience directly promoted him from level 5 to level 7, his physical stats received two rounds of enhancement instantly, and Tahm's ultimate skill was unlocked: Abyssal Dive. Begin channeling for up to 6 seconds; within these 6 seconds, an ally can choose to join this dive. Upon reactivating or when an ally joins, Tahm dives toward the target area. Any damage will interrupt this channeling.
What was going on here?
Tahm instantly realized that although this Third Kazekage indeed possessed kage-level strength, it was actually just a lifeless human puppet whose offensive actions were entirely realized through Sasori's manipulation. When Tahm swallowed it into the pocket dimension inside his body, the connection between the Third Kazekage and Sasori was instantly severed, turning it into a thoroughly dead object.
Unlike the "Team Space" capable of storing items, lifeless dead objects entering this dark space would be corroded completely clean, leaving not even a scrap behind.
On the other hand, from the system's perspective, Tahm's action had indeed "defeated" a kage-level powerhouse, and it did not skimp on the rewards of experience and gold coins.
That meant—Tahm looked at Sasori, whose mentality had already exploded, as if looking at a walking experience baby.
Hiruko. That seemed to be a puppet too, right? Seeing that ugly design, a hungry and thirsty look of desire actually welled up in Tahm's eyes, giving even Sasori a chill.
Tahm suddenly accelerated, charging straight at Sasori in what was commonly called a warrior's pig-rush charge skill.
Why is this fellow's speed a notch faster than before? Sasori's heart tightened, a vague sense of wrongness welling up as he manipulated Hiruko to open its hands and mouth, spraying a metal storm composed of poison needles.
Reduce cooldown via Time Warp! Activate: Alpha Strike!
The dense metal storm missed completely, Tahm's bulky body bizarrely transforming into a streak of flowing light that slipped right through the gaps, solidly striking Sasori.
Having leveled up to 7, Tahm's physical stats increased by a large margin, and the power of his tongue lash was no longer what it used to be. These attacks caused several dents to instantly appear on the sturdy Hiruko. However, attacking Sasori directly with his tongue inevitably stained it with potent poison, but to Tahm, this poison was merely a trivial problem solvable by a single skill.
Use again: Devour!
If the previous disappearance of the Third Kazekage puppet only left him furious and confused, this current situation was enough to fill him with terror.
Clearly hiding inside Hiruko, the tight chakra threads were severed instantly, and his piece of "clothing" had vanished into thin air without any warning just like that! In the blink of an eye, his true body—crafted to look like his 15-year-old self—was exposed.
Just as Tahm said, he modified himself into an ageless human puppet, huh? Kakashi looked at that youthful face with inward shock. Tahm, was his mouth really so unerringly prophetic?
"How could this be!" Sasori could not help but scream.
Tahm, however, was ecstatic beyond measure. Although the reward wasn't as lavish as swallowing the Third Kazekage just now, Hiruko was still Sasori's proud creation. This single bite netted Tahm another 80-plus gold coins in reward, far higher than the yield from farming mobs in the Forest of Death earlier.
Tahm taunted leisurely, "Your art doesn't seem all that eternal."
"Damn you, damn you!" A ferocious expression surfaced on Sasori's delicate face as he roared madly, "I'll kill you! I'll turn you into a puppet!" Right now, he desperately wanted to smash Tahm's mocking, fat face to pieces, completely ignoring his original target, Kakashi.
Sasori pulled out another scroll. After violently ripping it open, figure after figure materialized out of thin air.
Red Secret Technique: Hundred Puppet Performance! Dense threads of chakra connected from Sasori's ten fingers to these hundred figures, and a hundred puppets armed with various ferocious weapons instantly occupied the entire sky.
Seeing this scene that ought to have possessed immense deterrent power, Tahm instead revealed the expression of a fiend lusting after beauty.
Experience babies, line up obediently!
At this moment, inside the Imperial City, outside the main hall of the inner palace.
Emperor Tianwu sat upon the dragon throne, his gaze piercing through the heavy palace doors, fixed upon the direction of the capital's south gate.
"Reporting!" A breathless imperial guard staggered into the hall, dropping to one knee with a heavy thud. "Your Majesty! The... the battle at the southern gate is over!"
Emperor Tianwu's hand, resting on the dragon-head armrest, tightened slightly, yet his expression remained unreadable. He spoke in a deep, steady voice, "Whose victory?"
The guard swallowed hard, his voice trembling uncontrollably as he answered, "It... it is Prince Chen's manor! Lord Su Yi has emerged victorious!"
Silence. Absolute silence fell over the grand hall.
Although the civil and military officials standing on both sides had long since speculated about this outcome, hearing it confirmed still sent a violent shock through their hearts.
Lord Su Yi had truly defeated the Imperial Preceptor's faction!
He had actually overthrown the towering, seemingly insurmountable colossus that was the State Preceptor's Office!
"Hahaha..."
After a brief, suffocating pause, a burst of wild laughter suddenly echoed through the hall.
Emperor Tianwu threw his head back and laughed heartily, the sound filled with an overwhelming, cathartic release. For so many years, the State Preceptor's Office had acted as a shadow looming darkly over the imperial authority, a knife pressed against the throne's throat. Now, that knife had finally been shattered.
"Good! Very good!" Emperor Tianwu stood up abruptly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the assembled officials. "Summon my decree! Lord Su Yi has rendered an extraordinary service in protecting the nation. Immediately dispatch the imperial physicians, and send the finest treasures from the imperial treasury to Prince Chen's manor to tend to his wounds!"
"Understood!" The chief eunuch bowed deeply and rushed out to carry out the order.
Meanwhile, the chaotic turmoil at the southern gate had gradually subsided.
The elite troops of the State Preceptor's Office had either surrendered or been completely routed, leaving the wide avenue littered with the debris of battle. Thick plumes of smoke still drifted into the air, carrying the heavy, metallic stench of blood.
Su Yi stood amidst the ruins, his white robes stained with dust and faint specks of crimson. His breathing was slightly uneven, and his face pale, but his spine remained as straight as a drawn sword.
Ningxi hurried over, her expression a mix of lingering fear and profound relief. She looked at Su Yi and asked softly, "Lord Su, are you alright?"
"I am fine," Su Yi replied calmly, shaking his head. He looked toward the distance where the imperial capital stretched out beneath the setting sun, a faint glint flashing in his eyes.
The storm had finally passed, but he knew very well that a new chapter for the Great Zhou Dynasty was only just beginning.
(Sigh, somehow I ended up writing five updates in a day today. Pity my padded word count!)
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