Grandmother Chiyo's eyes widened in both surprise and delight.
"Hinata... well done!"
"So this is Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength?"
"I never imagined it could be combined with the Gentle Fist..."
"You're truly a genius!"
Hinata let out a quiet sigh.
"What a shame. If my Heavenly Light Palm had landed directly, it wouldn't have mattered how many puppets he possessed. It would have struck his vital core and severely injured him."
"But his reaction was incredibly fast. He cut off the chakra threads binding him and escaped before the attack connected."
"It'll be much harder to catch him with the same technique again."
Grandmother Chiyo nodded solemnly.
"Defeating Sasori was never going to be easy."
"But that final strike forced him to acknowledge your strength."
---
Kuroari, which had taken the full force of Hinata's Heavenly Light Palm, was covered in deep cracks.
Realizing it could no longer be used, Sasori abandoned the puppet, allowing his true body to emerge.
Grandmother Chiyo's eyes lit up.
"So... that's Sasori's real body..."
Sasori spoke coldly.
"I underestimated you, little Hyuga."
"But I won't make that mistake again."
He slowly removed his hood, finally revealing his true appearance.
Both Hinata and Grandmother Chiyo froze.
"This..."
"No way..."
Standing before them was a handsome young man.
The contrast between his true appearance and the old, grotesque puppet he had been hiding inside was like night and day.
Grandmother Chiyo stared at him in disbelief.
"How...?"
"How has your appearance not changed at all?"
"Don't tell me..."
"You really transformed yourself into something completely different..."
Even Sasori's voice had changed.
The old, raspy tone was gone, replaced by the calm voice of a young man.
"You guessed correctly, old lady."
"Isn't this the ultimate art of a puppeteer?"
Hinata's eyes widened.
"Grandmother Chiyo..."
"Did he... turn himself into a human puppet?"
Chiyo nodded heavily.
"Yes."
"That's exactly what happened."
Although shocked, Hinata quickly refocused on the battle.
"So that means..."
"The core I sensed inside his chest..."
"That's where his real heart is."
"All of his chakra threads converge there."
"As long as that core is destroyed, he won't be able to move anymore."
Grandmother Chiyo nodded.
"That's right."
Sasori smiled faintly.
His handsome face carried an expression of complete indifference.
"Exactly."
"But..."
"Can either of you even touch me?"
With a light clap of his hands, he activated another summoning technique.
A moment later...
A human puppet emerged from a sealing scroll.
Grandmother Chiyo's face instantly changed.
"That..."
"The Third Kazekage?!"
Hinata gasped.
"The Third Kazekage?"
"The one whose mysterious disappearance triggered the Third Great Ninja War?"
Cold sweat rolled down Grandmother Chiyo's face.
"Yes..."
"I never imagined he had actually killed him."
"Sasori..."
"You monster."
Sasori smiled calmly.
"That's right."
"The strongest Kazekage in history."
"And my favorite masterpiece."
He manipulated the puppet with chakra threads.
The Third Kazekage suddenly opened its mouth.
An endless stream of iron sand poured out, spreading rapidly across the battlefield until it blocked out the sun itself.
Grandmother Chiyo shouted,
"Hinata, be careful!"
"This is the Third Kazekage's famous Kekkei Genkai—Magnet Release!"
"One careless mistake could cost you your life!"
"And knowing Sasori..."
"The iron sand is undoubtedly coated with deadly poison."
Hinata's face turned pale.
The combination of the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release and Sasori's lethal poison made this an unimaginably dangerous battle.
Retreat was no longer an option.
Hinata nodded firmly.
"I understand, Grandmother Chiyo."
"Don't worry."
"I won't let my guard down."
Chiyo smiled faintly.
"I believe you."
"Then I'll give this battle everything I've got."
She unfurled another summoning scroll.
Two familiar puppets emerged.
Father...
And Mother.
Sasori's expression remained unchanged.
"Oh..."
"Those old puppets again."
"How boring."
"Old woman..."
"You seriously think those childish puppets can stand against my greatest masterpiece—the Third Kazekage?"
Grandmother Chiyo calmly replied,
"I'm not fighting alone."
Sasori frowned slightly.
Whether she meant Hinata or the two puppets didn't matter.
"Hmph."
"No matter how many of you there are..."
"The outcome won't change."
"Old woman..."
"Little girl..."
"You'll both die here."
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!"
Grandmother Chiyo wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"It's coming, Hinata!"
Hinata took a deep breath.
"I'm ready."
"The true battle..."
"Begins now."
---
While Hinata and Grandmother Chiyo fought desperately against Sasori...
Naruto's team continued racing forward in search of Gaara.
Might Guy spoke with a serious expression.
"Naruto, since yesterday we've been repeatedly delayed by members of the Akatsuki."
"That can only mean one thing."
"They've been buying time to accomplish something."
Naruto clenched his fists.
"Grandmother Chiyo said the same thing."
Guy nodded.
"But now no one is trying to stop us anymore."
"Which means..."
Naruto immediately understood what he was implying.
Perhaps...
The Akatsuki's ritual had already been completed.
He didn't dare say those words aloud.
He didn't even want to think about them.
"Bushy Brows Sensei..."
"Please don't say it."
"It doesn't matter now."
"The only thing we need to do is find the Akatsuki base as quickly as possible and rescue Gaara."
Guy sighed softly.
"I understand."
"You're right."
Thanks to Neji's Byakugan, the search progressed smoothly.
After another two or three hours of travel...
Neji suddenly stopped.
"I found it."
"The Akatsuki base is just ahead."
"I can sense several incredibly powerful chakra signatures."
Everyone immediately halted.
Naruto asked anxiously,
"Neji..."
"How many people are inside?"
Neji continued observing with the Byakugan.
Cold sweat slowly formed on his forehead.
"It's difficult to tell."
Naruto frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Neji answered quietly,
"There's an unimaginably terrifying chakra inside."
"I can sense many powerful chakra signatures..."
"But..."
"They all seem vague."
"It's almost impossible to distinguish their true forms."
Even Neji, with the Byakugan, couldn't clearly perceive what lay inside.
Sasuke activated his Sharingan as well.
He could only sense a massive concentration of chakra.
Naruto's sensory abilities also failed to penetrate the underground hideout.
Finally, Naruto asked the question he feared the most.
"What about Gaara's chakra?"
Silence.
Neji lowered his head.
After a long pause...
He slowly shook it.
Everyone immediately understood.
Naruto felt as though something inside his heart had shattered.
"...Gaara..."
"No..."
"That can't be..."
Memories of Gaara flashed through his mind.
Their first meeting.
Their battles.
Their promise to meet again someday as fellow Kage.
Who could have imagined...
That their next meeting would come so soon—
And under these circumstances?
Naruto raised his head toward the sky.
"GAARA!!!"
His anguished roar echoed across the heavens and the earth.
________________________________________
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