"Orochimaru! What's your relationship with that guy, Orochimaru?"
In the pitch-black cave, a voice filled with hatred and gritted teeth echoed from the other end.
Noticing the resentment in the other party's tone, Sasori of the Red Sand responded with an intrigued voice.
"We're barely former colleagues, I suppose. That guy is a very talented ninja with a unique artistic perspective on life. I've discussed it with him many times in private."
Realizing the other person's hatred for Orochimaru, Sasori deliberately praised Orochimaru without reservation, hoping to provoke the other party's animosity.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, an angry roar erupted from the end of the cave!
"What talent does that guy Orochimaru have?!"
*Rumble!*
Accompanying the rumbling vibration of the cave, a colossal beast with a massive body charged forward.
It was shaped like a turtle, with a huge shell on its back, but it had a dog's head, baring its fangs.
"What kind of ninja beast is this?" Sasori muttered in disbelief.
With his extensive experience, he couldn't even identify the species of this creature. 'Where did the turtle's head go? Was it forcibly replaced with a dog's head?'
In that brief moment of surprise, the mutated giant beast had already charged, opening its gaping maw and lunging at him.
Sasori of the Red Sand leaped back to dodge, the metallic tail under his black robe reflecting a cold glint as it fiercely stabbed toward the beast's right eye.
*Pfft!*
Crimson blood splattered.
The dog-headed chimera let out a pained shriek, its massive body writhing in agony within the cave. The poison from Sasori's tail stinger was taking effect, rapidly eroding the chimera's cells through the damaged eyeball.
Being too large wasn't necessarily a good thing, especially in a cave with limited space. Sasori of the Red Sand watched the struggling chimera with a look of pity.
The enemy at the other end of the passage seemed to have noticed this problem as well. With a sudden bang, the struggling chimera dissolved into a puff of smoke.
Sasori narrowed his eyes. "A summoning…?"
From the darkness, a strange purple glow suddenly flared, and then, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble slightly.
The tremor quickly intensified. The entire cave began to shake.
Sasori's eyes widened as he saw the scene unfolding before him.
Chimeras!
Dense masses of chimeras!
It was as if different types of ninja beasts had been haphazardly stitched together, forming a horrifying horde that filled the cave to the brim, surging forward like a tidal wave.
"Damn it!"
Sasori quickly retreated. Even though he was in his puppet body now and incapable of feeling goosebumps, the grotesque sight before him was enough to unsettle him.
Forcibly stitching together different types of creatures into one being—even Orochimaru had never attempted something so abominable. Could this unknown shinobi really have gone so far?
Outside.
With a few whooshes, Sasori, clad in the black robe patterned with red clouds, shot out of the cave. Behind him, the cave entrance rumbled as if the earth itself was groaning.
Less than a second later, the cave erupted like a volcano, spewing out a dense mass of chimeras that came gushing forth.
"Do you really think I'm easy to deal with?"
Being chased by a horde of chimeras, even Sasori, with his usually calm and calculating demeanor, grew furious. Beneath his cold exterior, he was inherently short-tempered, and this insult only fueled his anger.
The metallic tail of Hiruko swung violently, firing a dense shower of poisoned needles, raining down over the leading wave of beasts.
*Shhh!*
As the poisoned needles pierced their flesh, the leading chimeras staggered. Their bodies swayed as though drunk, foam bubbling at their mouths, before they collapsed into lifeless heaps.
But Sasori's momentary satisfaction vanished almost instantly. The chimeras from behind pressed forward, filling the gaps without hesitation. They poured forth endlessly, a tide without end.
"Hmph. When it comes to numbers, I've never been afraid of anyone."
With a sharp tug, Sasori tore off his Akatsuki robe. His true form detached from the Hiruko shell and shot into the air with eerie grace.
The third of the four scrolls on his back had already been taken out, and the regeneration core on his chest, marked with the kanji for "Scorpion", split open, releasing dense blue chakra threads.
In an instant, puppets clad in dark red robes appeared, summoned from the scroll. They floated into formation, clutching an array of weapons. Their shadows loomed over the ground, casting a dark veil over the chimera horde below.
"Now we can have a fair fight."
His voice was calm, but his eyes glinted with menace.
Performance of a Hundred Puppets!
The ultimate art of a master puppeteer.
The oppressive wave of chakra threads connected to each puppet shimmered faintly in the air. The army of a hundred puppets spread out, forming an unbreakable wall of weapons and steel.
Apparently startled by this sudden display of overwhelming might, the previously rampaging chimeras froze in place, their snarls turning uncertain.
"It's too late to regret now." Sasori said coldly.
With a flick of the strings, the hundred puppets surged forward in a synchronized assault.
The grudge of being forced into retreat earlier would be thoroughly repaid!
The chimeras roared in unison and charged back, their grotesque bodies lunging at the descending puppets.
A fierce battle between beasts and puppets erupted, a clash of numbers against precision, of flesh against steel.
*Boom!*
Two black lines—threads of chakra and waves of chimeric flesh—collided violently like crashing tides.
In an instant, the battlefield was consumed by chaos. Roars, metallic clangs, and the shattering of puppets echoed in the night.
*Clang!*
A puppet wielding a massive cleaver swung down at a chimera's neck. But the beast, reacting with unnatural speed, twisted its head and bit down on the blade with jagged teeth.
*Grrrk!*
Sparks flew as metal ground against bone.
But the puppet's poison proved deadlier. The chimera's body stiffened, its jaw trembling as paralysis spread through its veins. Unable to hold on, its lower jaw snapped, and with one decisive swing, the cleaver severed its head. The beast collapsed in a bloody heap.
Before the victorious puppet could turn to its next target, a gust of foul-smelling wind burst from behind. Another chimera, larger and more feral, lunged and sank its fangs into the puppet's neck, tearing it apart in an explosion of splintered wood and scattered gears.
The victorious beast barely had time to growl before two puppets slid in from the sides. Their blades pierced its unguarded abdomen, twisting viciously. The chimera's howl ended in a wet gurgle as its body fell limp.
Savage flesh battled against mechanical artistry. Every second, puppets were torn apart, and chimeras fell lifelessly to the earth.
Gradually, the ground was buried beneath piles of shattered puppet fragments and grotesque chimera corpses. The metallic tang of blood mixed with the acrid scent of poison filled the battlefield.
Yet as the battle raged, it became clear that the tide was shifting.
Flesh and blood could not hold against puppets that felt no fatigue, no pain, and no fear.
Even these abominations—though far tougher than ordinary beasts—were succumbing.
At first, the chimeras' numbers gave them an edge. But with each passing moment, their numerical advantage dwindled.
By the midpoint of the battle, Sasori's puppets were overwhelming them with coordinated strikes.
Chimeras that once fought three puppets at once now struggled even against two. Their stamina waned, their bodies weakened by poison coursing through their veins.
Meanwhile, Sasori's puppets pressed on relentlessly. Their wooden limbs did not tire, and their poisoned blades claimed kill after kill.
"Damn it!"
The shinobi hidden in the shadows, the one orchestrating the chimeras, clenched his fists tightly. He had clearly noticed the shift in momentum.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before all of his creations were slaughtered.
"I can't let this continue!"
His hands blurred through hand seals in the darkness.
*****
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