"Defeat Itachi Uchiha, huh?" Deidara raised an eyebrow, his expression a mix of disbelief and amusement.
Sasori brandished Hiruko's mechanical tail, the chilling metal tip aimed directly at Menma's forehead.
"Rookie, you're already planning to defect like Orochimaru before you've even officially joined as a full member?" Sasori's voice was a low growl. "If that's the case, I wouldn't mind killing you before I take down Orochimaru himself!"
The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a kunai. Deidara, ever the opportunist, reached into his side pouches. A miniature telescope, hidden by his hair, extended near his left eye, zooming in on the confrontation.
"Hey, hey, hey, you guys aren't going to fight right now, are you, hmm?"
Sasori ignored him completely, his gaze locked onto Menma, his voice dripping with killing intent. "What is your purpose? And who is the face behind that mask? Where did you get that information? Tell me everything you know, or else..."
But his threat was cut short, interrupted by a sudden, terrifying gust of wind.
Deidara, standing at a distance, narrowed his eyes and raised a hand to shield his face from the pressure wave. "Just his aura alone is this powerful... Sasori, something seems off, hmm!"
Amidst Deidara's shock, the sound of knuckles grinding together echoed from Menma's direction.
Click.
Menma pressed his index finger. He squinted at the metal tail tip less than a centimeter from his eyes as a terrifying smile instantly spread across his lips beneath the mask.
"Looks like I've been a little too good-tempered lately," Menma said, his voice dangerously calm, "so much so that even stray dogs dare to bark at me so brazenly..."
As he spoke, a golden-red chakra erupted from his body, transforming into an armor-like cloak that enveloped him entirely like a raging inferno.
Eight enormous fox tails blotted out the sky, casting a massive shadow over the area, a tangible pressure, hot and heavy, showering down on them all.
"This is!!!"
Sensing the shift in power, Sasori quickly manipulated Hiruko to retreat, but it was already too late.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The fox tails behind Menma transformed into streaks of golden-red lightning, moving with impossible speed. The next second, a series of sharp cracks echoed through the air.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Hiruko, caught mid-retreat, was instantly covered in countless fine threads before exploding violently into a pile of wood chips. The puppet shattered, revealing Sasori—who had been hiding inside—his face filled with shock.
How could it be so fast? Sasori thought, his mind racing. And this Tailed Beast chakra... why is it so dense? No, I need to create distance immediately and use my other puppets to wear him down!
In mid-air, a solution flashed through Sasori's mind. But before he could even move to retreat, a massive, golden-red chakra hand rapidly enlarged before his eyes.
"Ugh!"
With no foothold to dodge, Sasori felt a tightness in his throat. The next moment, he was grabbed by the neck by the chakra hand and lifted into the air.
"How about it, Pinocchio?" Menma's voice was laced with dark amusement. "Do you still want my life?"
"Lord Sasori!" Deidara's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Although Sasori hadn't displayed his full strength, Menma's overwhelming dominance made it clear who was stronger. However, as one half of the artistic duo, Sasori naturally possessed immense pride, and this display of power wasn't nearly enough to make him submit. Besides, he wasn't made of fragile flesh and blood. Having achieved mechanical ascension, his neck was no weak point.
"You think you can subdue me like this? Not quite!" Sasori spat out.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As he finished speaking, a gaping wound opened in his abdomen, and countless chainsaws, swords, and other deadly weapons shot out from within, stabbing toward Menma's body. Simultaneously, his hands contracted and split open like magic, revealing the dark muzzle of a gun and a high-speed spinning windmill blade. All the attacks were aimed directly at Menma's head.
Facing this assault, Menma chuckled disdainfully. The massive fox tails behind him moved like swift, agile tentacles, responding instantly. They rushed toward Sasori with lightning speed, squeezing and tearing at him.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Wood chips flew everywhere as the puppet shattered. In the blink of an eye, Sasori's exquisitely crafted, doll-like puppet body was reduced to nothing but splintered wood.
Looking at the scattered fragments, Menma didn't stop. Instead, he stepped forward and grabbed the chakra core hidden among the pieces—the one with blood-red tentacles, about to fly away.
Snap!
He grasped the chakra core, its blood-red tentacles trembling and struggling. Menma raised it before him, his voice icy.
"Submit, or die."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several blue chakra threads responded to Menma's words, carrying pieces of wood from the ground and smashing toward his cheek.
"Looks like you made the wrong choice..."
With a cold laugh, Menma slightly tightened his grip. Purplish-red blood spurted from the chakra core.
"Bastard!" Sasori's voice echoed from the core. "Release me right now!"
The battle had been swift, and it ended just as quickly. Deidara, realizing Sasori was about to be killed, quickly conjured countless clay spiders and birds, surrounding Menma.
Although the golden-red cloak on Menma's body was stunning, Deidara still chose to side with Sasori, his eternal art, the opposite of his own!
"You also disagree with my recruitment, and you're going to attack me?" Menma tilted his head, his expression full of mock regret beneath the mask. "In that case, I'll have to kill you both. Even if Orochimaru doesn't find the rings, getting yours will fulfill my obligation to... Pain."
Feeling the palpable killing intent emanating from Menma, Sasori's chakra core finally yielded. Blue chakra lines shot out, connecting with his still-intact head on the ground.
"Stop. I agree to become your subordinate," Sasori's voice was strained. "However, I will tell Pain and Konan about this, since I'm no match for you either."
Although Sasori believed he hadn't used his full strength, Menma, clearly relaxed, also hadn't used his. You could even say they weren't taking it seriously! If they really fought, Deidara would probably be crushed just like him and die for nothing.
"Suit yourself," Menma said nonchalantly, releasing the chakra core in his hand. He wasn't worried at all about Sasori complaining like a kid. "Anyway, after I give you the Tailed Beast chakra, you'll naturally change your mind."
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