Chapter 109 – Suppressing Sasori of the Red Sand
As soon as Sasori re-established his chakra threads with the iron sand beneath Nan's feet, a triumphant grin spread across his face.
Even the sand suppressed by that blade can still be controlled. Perfect.
"All I need to do now… is strike directly at him."
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Burial!"
From the ground, black sand surged upward and wrapped around Nan like a coffin.
"What?!" Nan's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected the iron sand, drained of chakra by Eclipse, to move again. In an instant, he was engulfed and bound tight.
Susanoo shattered and faded, collapsing along with his control.
Sasori's heart pounded with excitement. He had done it—he had captured the wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Soon, that overwhelming power would be his. Just imagining it—creating a puppet that could suppress even a tailed beast—made his hands tremble with glee.
But before his laughter could escape his lips, a mocking voice drifted over from behind him.
"You don't actually think this is over, do you, Sasori? That was just me warming up. Now the real fight begins."
Sasori whipped his head around. Standing there, in the guise of Uchiha Han, was Nan himself, smirking with cold amusement.
Impossible! I just saw him bound by my Iron Sand Burial…
Could it have been a shadow clone all along? But no—even Sasori knew no mere clone could wield power of that magnitude.
His mind flashed back to Nan's sudden appearance earlier. That strange teleportation technique… could it really be so fast I never even noticed?
For the first time, true unease gnawed at Sasori.
Nan, meanwhile, exhaled silently in relief. That was too close. Fighting a seasoned shinobi like Sasori was nothing like battling a rampaging tailed beast.
Shukaku had been overwhelming in raw force but witless, relying only on brute strength. Against Nan, who countered it perfectly, the beast had fallen quickly.
But Sasori—Sasori was a master of experience and tactics. Every exchange, he was adapting, probing, adjusting his strategy. He had already noticed the weakness in Nan's incomplete Susanoo—the unprotected footing—and nearly exploited it to fatal effect.
Only by activating the Flying Thunder God in the instant before the iron sand closed in had Nan escaped. With the aid of White Lightning's thought-acceleration, his reflexes had finally reached the threshold to weave the jutsu mid-battle. He wasn't yet the Fourth Hokage, flashing across the field multiple times in a blink, but for a single escape? It was enough.
Sasori's expression twisted with frustration. His carefully prepared killing move had failed. Nan wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
And Nan had no intention of dragging this out. Their clash was happening dangerously close to Konoha, and the ANBU's response time was swift. It wouldn't be long before reinforcements arrived. This had to end quickly.
His Mangekyō spun, and from his body erupted a towering giant of shadowed flame.
This Susanoo was different. It stood fully formed, feet planted firmly on the earth, eliminating the weakness Sasori had exploited.
Sasori's confidence wavered. He knew he could no longer win. A tactical retreat flickered through his thoughts—survive, gather more intel, and return with a better plan. But even as he thought of escape, the gleam in his eyes betrayed his obsession. Such power… if I could only claim it…
Nan, reading him, smirked. He had already decided—he wouldn't let Sasori walk away. Not now.
He had noticed something crucial: Sasori's body had not yet been fully transformed into a puppet. That meant his mind and knowledge were still intact, vulnerable, and ripe for harvest.
Nan's arsenal was vast. He had mastered countless ninjutsu, honed his genjutsu with Uchiha Kagami's notes, tempered his taijutsu with Godspeed and monstrous strength, and wielded high-tier techniques like the Flying Thunder God. Above all, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan granted him overwhelming might.
But two limitations still shackled him.
First—his chakra reserves, still too shallow, not yet tempered by years of battle, leaving him vulnerable in protracted fights.
Second—his lack of true combat experience against high-level shinobi. He couldn't always predict what aces a veteran might play.
Sasori, however, had both: deep wells of chakra and the cunning of a battle-tested strategist. And he was a Sand ninja, likely adept with Wind Release—precisely the chakra nature Nan lacked.
A plan crystallized. Perfect. I'll use Formless Reincarnation to devour him.
Not only would it patch the gaps in his chakra natures, it would also grant him access to Sasori's mind—a treasury of advanced knowledge.
To Nan, who even in this life still trusted in the supremacy of science, Sasori's work was invaluable. To preserve human puppets, to retain their techniques, even to refashion himself—such feats proved his genius. If Nan could seize that knowledge, it would propel his own evolution forward by leaps.
But Formless Reincarnation demanded proximity.
His Sharingan spun, eyes narrowing. So… I'll just have to get close enough to touch him.
But this time was nothing like when Nan had devoured Uchiha Han. Back then, Han had dropped his guard against a seemingly weakened opponent, allowing Nan to strike effortlessly.
Now, he and Sasori were locked in a brutal battle. The only way to get close enough was to beat Sasori down—hard. That would also prevent any last-minute counterattack from the Red Sand that might ruin everything.
Nan's gaze sharpened. He gathered a torrent of chakra, pouring it into Eclipse's blade, preparing the very technique that had nearly cleaved Shukaku's head in two.
A massive black crescent slash roared across the battlefield, cutting straight toward Sasori.
Sasori had already witnessed the terrifying durability of Susanoo. Seeing Nan finally unleash an attack, his instincts screamed that this was no ordinary strike. He hastily summoned his strongest defense.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!"
A massive barrier of compressed iron sand surged up between him and the Third Kazekage puppet.
The black crescent slammed into the wall with an ear-splitting crash.
The Iron Sand Wall was once developed by the Third Kazekage himself, modeled after the defenses of Shukaku's jinchūriki. Its reputation as an impenetrable shield was well earned.
But Nan's slash wasn't a simple attack. It was Eclipse's unique ability unleashed—a strike that devoured chakra itself.
The moment blade met sand, the wall's chakra was swallowed whole. The mighty barrier crumbled in an instant, collapsing like dry sand in the wind.
And still the slash tore forward, aimed straight at Sasori.
Eyes widening in alarm, Sasori leapt onto the back of the Kazekage puppet and commanded it to unfurl massive wings of iron sand.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wings!"
With a thunderous beat, the wings carried him into the air, barely evading Nan's strike.
The slash carved through empty space, scything down a swath of forest and gouging a vast scar into the earth.
It lacked the sheer force of the blow Nan had once dealt Shukaku, but its destructive power was still overwhelming.
Sasori's heart pounded. He had already been considering retreat; now there was no hesitation. He no longer wanted victory—only escape.
Commanding the Kazekage puppet, he soared higher, fleeing without a backward glance. He had always prepared this technique as a lifeline, relying on flight to break away from an overwhelming foe. That was why he executed it so swiftly.
But Nan's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Running? Not so easily."
From within Susanoo, he drew a kunai marked with his Flying Thunder God seal and hurled it with monstrous force.
Like a bullet, it shot through the sky—not toward Sasori himself, but at the iron sand wings keeping him aloft.
The impact made the wings shudder violently, nearly throwing Sasori from his perch.
And in that moment—
Nan vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared beside Sasori, Eternal Mangekyō blazing, his fist clenched with monstrous strength.
"Monster Strength Fist!"
He swung down with all his might.