Facing such an assault, Natsuhiko remained completely calm.
He knew very well that without absolute composure in battle, the one ending up buried underground would likely be himself.
With a light turn of his body, Natsuhiko deftly avoided the iron spear thrust from behind by the Third Kazekage puppet.
He formed a one-handed seal, and at the instant Hiruko's massive tail stinger was about to strike him, chakra suddenly erupted from his body.
Poof!
Thick smoke spread through the forest, and Sasori's gaze turned slightly strange.
He suddenly realized that the opponent he was facing had reaction speed that was absurdly fast, and his mastery of basic ninjutsu was excessively refined.
Looking at the log pierced by his tail stinger, Sasori casually flung it aside. At the moment he was about to land the hit, the white-haired brat had used the Substitution Technique to evade.
And Sasori also noticed something else—
That white-haired kid's speed was outrageously fast.
Natsuhiko had no idea what Sasori was thinking. Hidden within the smoke atop a tree branch,
Even against a Sasori who was still treating this like a game of cat and mouse, Natsuhiko's current arsenal felt insufficient.
He suddenly felt that Kakashi was truly a walking jinx.
Before Kakashi joined his squad, when had he ever encountered opponents this terrifying?
In five or six years, the worst he had faced were merely elite jōnin-level enemies, at least according to the system's evaluation.
But the very first mission after Kakashi joined—they ran into Kakuzu.
And though later missions brought him some benefits—like acquiring Lizardmaru—
He had barely gained that advantage before running straight into Sasori.
This kind of disaster-attracting trait was honestly too much for Natsuhiko to handle.
Still, blaming fate wasn't his style.
He had already sensed three ANBU approaching their position.
If nothing unexpected happened, they were likely the ones meant to mislead Sasori into choosing the wrong path.
But after realizing Sasori hadn't pursued the others, they had chosen to come provide support instead.
That decision aligned with what Natsuhiko had hoped for.
Although the Commander's earlier actions had left him feeling cold—
Even if the decision itself wasn't wrong.
But when dealing with someone as petty as Natsuhiko, that choice had been a grave mistake.
"Going home" didn't necessarily mean returning to Konoha.
Natsuhiko would show him what it meant to offend someone petty at the brink of death.
"Sage Art: Water Release: Water Dragon Biting Explosion!"
As Natsuhiko's chakra surged, the ground—despite there being no natural water source—suddenly burst apart.
A massive vortex of water erupted violently from beneath the earth.
Sasori frowned slightly and leapt lightly aside to avoid the water pillars.
But the spiraling torrents shot into the sky, converging into a colossal water dragon.
Roaring, it charged once more toward Sasori's position.
Sasori was forced to respond.
He could sense that this brat's chakra intensity was abnormally high.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!"
Manipulating the Third Kazekage puppet, Sasori used the swirling iron sand to rapidly construct a sturdy wall—
Blocking Natsuhiko's Water Release attack
To prevent Natsuhiko from escaping, Sasori also split off a portion of iron sand, quietly guiding it toward Natsuhiko, ready to attach to him at any moment.
Sasori wasn't worried at all about them splitting up and fleeing. The moment he summoned the Third Kazekage puppet, he had already made preparations.
Although he wanted to test its power, he hadn't intended for this matter to be exposed so soon.
Of course, even if it were exposed, Sasori wouldn't care much. From the moment he chose to assassinate the Third Kazekage, he had already prepared himself mentally.
And he was rather curious—
When the people of Sunagakure discovered that the Kazekage they had been searching for had actually been turned into a puppet… what expressions would they make?
For Rasa, it would probably be a delight beyond measure.
For his grandmother, Chiyo, it would be an unimaginable blow.
The massive water dragon slammed violently into the Iron Sand Wall.
Empowered by senjutsu chakra, the impact actually caused cracks to form across the wall!
Moments later, it shattered completely, and the enormous dragon surged straight toward Sasori.
This time, Natsuhiko had not been stingy with his chakra.
The Third Kazekage's Magnet Release was formidable—but senjutsu was no joke either.
After executing the attack, Natsuhiko immediately turned to retrieve Kusunoki.
He would not leave that man here—even if only as a corpse.
Moreover, the three ANBU were already approaching. This was no time for him to falter.
"Hmm?"
Just as he moved, his body suddenly stiffened.
In the next instant, he twisted sideways—barely dodging senbon that shot up from underground.
Before he could fully stabilize himself, the Third Kazekage puppet had already arrived in front of him.
A massive triangular prism floated beside it—
Then, under its control, came crashing down toward Natsuhiko.
"Magnet Release — Iron Sand Triangular Prism"
One of the Third Kazekage's signature techniques.
Now, it had become one of Sasori's tools of slaughter.
Natsuhiko flipped backward swiftly to evade the strike.
But he had no time to reposition—
Countless senbon formed from iron sand once again shot toward him.
Facing such an assault, he gritted his teeth.
Midair, he forcibly executed a sideways Body Flicker Technique—
Barely avoiding the deadly barrage.
But he paid the price.
His body felt stiff, and a sharp, strained pain flared through his muscles.
"Looks like there's no other choice."
Every technique came with a cost—
Whether ordinary ninjutsu, taijutsu, or forbidden techniques.
Forcibly executing a Body Flicker like that—
Even with Natsuhiko's mastery and exceptional fundamentals—
It was impossible to avoid backlash entirely.
That the side effect was merely muscle strain was already proof of his astonishing control.
Taking a deep breath, Natsuhiko watched as Hiruko and the Kazekage puppet converged on his position. His chakra began to gather at a furious pace.
Kusunoki , watching from the sidelines, let out a silent sigh of admiration. This "Nightingale" was far stronger than he had imagined. Even in his prime, Kusunoki wasn't sure he could have performed better.
Most crucially—
Natsuhiko appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old.
A true genius.
For such a prodigy to fall here…
Kusunoki felt immense regret.
But he also knew that such a fall seemed inevitable.
From the moment Natsuhiko arrived, the ending had felt predetermined.
What a pity… he shouldn't have come.
Kusunoki sighed, watching Natsuhiko bite his thumb and blur through a set of hand seals as chakra churned around him. He wondered if the boy had one last trick up his sleeve.
Soon enough—
The instant Natsuhiko completed his hand seals, he slammed his right hand onto the ground.
A summoning seal instantly spread across the earth.
"Summoning Jutsu: Come forth, Lizardmaru!"
...
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