At this moment, only one thought filled Hyuga Kagami's mind: this time, he was truly done for.
Against a powerhouse like Sasori, with his seasoned expertise, landing a sneak attack after losing the element of surprise was next to impossible. In a fight with Sasori, even a minor scratch could lead to poisoning and loss of combat ability. But how could anyone face a ninja of Sasori's caliber without sustaining even the slightest injury?
Thus, the failure of this sneak attack meant, for Kagami, that the battle was already decided.
In a flash, the Third Kazekage puppet, pulled in by Wheel Rotation As Intended, was seized by Kagami, who gripped it by the neck and held it in his hand. Without the control of Magnet Release, the iron spears hovering in the air collapsed, disintegrating into black iron sand that scattered across the ground with a rustling sound.
From a distance, Sasori's face darkened as he stared at the Third Kazekage puppet held in Kagami's grasp. He was shocked, suspicious, and even a bit furious.
Though his mind was in disarray, Kagami maintained an impassive facade, showing no trace of joy or anger.
For a moment, the two, each wary of the other, faced off silently amidst the swirling sandstorm.
This standoff only heightened Kagami's tension, as he lacked confidence. Just then, he was shocked to notice that the chakra within his body was continuously flowing into the Third Kazekage puppet he held.
Caught off guard by this sudden change, Kagami dared not let any emotion show on his face, continuing to stare coldly at Sasori.
As more and more of his chakra surged into the Third Kazekage puppet, Kagami's courage waned. The thought that he had only just gained the Tenseigan, only to lose his life in his first battle, filled him with bitterness and unwillingness.
Creak, creak…
After about two-thirds of his chakra had poured into the Third Kazekage puppet, the puppet in Kagami's hand began to twitch erratically.
As the puppet moved, the iron sand that had scattered on the ground due to loss of control began to float upward again.
Seeing this, Sasori was startled and shouted, "Damn it, you know puppetry? Who the hell are you? Why are you meeting the Hidden Sand's assassination squad here?"
"The Hidden Sand's assassination squad!?"
Sasori's outburst sent a chill through Kagami's heart.
The identities of the corpses lying near Sasori were members of the Hidden Sand's assassination squad. This undoubtedly meant that the Hidden Sand Village was involved in Konoha's purge operation, and it also implied that Konoha's top brass had tacitly approved this purge.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Kagami refocused on the situation at hand.
After the initial confusion, he now understood why the Third Kazekage puppet had suddenly activated under his control.
Based on vague memories from his previous life, the Tenseigan, like the Rinnegan, possessed a significant ability: puppet control.
The Rinnegan controlled puppets through black rods, as seen with Nagato's Six Paths of Pain, which were puppets under his Rinnegan's control. The Tenseigan, on the other hand, controlled puppets by infusing them with Tenseigan chakra. Once enough Tenseigan chakra was injected, it could even activate a puppet's soul, granting it a degree of intelligence and autonomy.
In his memory, Toneri Otsutsuki had used such puppets to effortlessly defeat Hyuga Hiashi, the near-Kage-level head of the Hyuga clan, without even appearing in person. Toneri had also boldly infiltrated the village and abducted Hyuga Hanabi.
Realizing this, Kagami's mind stirred.
Without the need for chakra threads, the Third Kazekage puppet, under Kagami's mental command, slowly floated upward, positioning itself protectively in front of him and adopting an offensive stance toward Scorpion.
Only then did Kagami speak calmly, "I have no interest in eliminating rogue ninjas from the Hidden Sand. There's no need for us to continue fighting."
Sasori's face darkened. "You stole my beloved collection. Do you think I'll let you go?"
Even Sasori, faced with the mysterious techniques Kagami displayed—techniques he had never seen before—felt a creeping sense of caution. At this moment, he had already classified Kagami as a formidable opponent capable of threatening his life.
Kagami smiled. "This puppet retains most of its original combat strength. I must say, when it comes to puppet-making, you're truly a genius."
This smile wasn't an act—Kagami was genuinely thrilled. With the Third Kazekage puppet, he had indirectly gained the ability to fly, giving him the freedom to fight or flee as he chose.
The reason he didn't immediately retreat and instead continued exchanging words with Scorpion was to figure out how to conceal his identity and avoid Scorpion's future retaliation.
After all, being targeted by a powerhouse like Sasori could lead to an inexplicable death, much like what happened to the Third Kazekage.
"You can control a puppet without chakra threads. How did you do it?" Sasori paused, then tilted his head with a sinister smile. "Never mind. Once I capture you, everything will become clear!"
With that, Scorpion pulled out a red scroll.
With a shout, Scorpion flung the scroll open, and figures shot out, floating around him.
These were ten puppets, all cloaked in red, each with distinct designs—some wielding knives, others swords, and one carrying a massive shuriken.
Scorpion grinned. "Red Secret Technique: Performance of the Ten Puppets!"
Observing the scene, Kagami thought to himself, "It seems Scorpion hasn't yet mastered the Performance of a Hundred Puppets at this point. But even the Ten Puppets are tough enough for me!"
Clatter, clatter…
Amid the sound of the puppets' movements, the ten red-cloaked puppets lunged at Kagami.
Kagami frowned and raised his hand, unleashing Wheel Rotation As Intended once more.
Having lost two-thirds of his chakra, he had little combat strength left. After using Wheel Rotation As Intended to repel the ten red-cloaked puppets charging at him, he immediately leaped onto the Third Kazekage puppet.
Instantly, the swirling iron sand formed a pair of iron wings, and the Third Kazekage puppet carried Kagami toward the distant corpse of Mitsui Chūichi.
Sasori, knocked back along with his puppets, cursed under his breath, "Damn it, that move again!"
Scorpion was frustrated by Wheel Rotation As Intended, a technique that required no hand seals and could be used at will. However, through this encounter, he keenly deduced that its effective range was only about fifteen meters. He quickly adjusted his strategy, commanding his puppets to attack Kagami with long-range projectile weapons.
Almost without Kagami's instruction, the Third Kazekage puppet autonomously used Magnet Release, deflecting all incoming kunai and shuriken.
Sasori, pursuing from behind, saw this and his expression darkened, feeling as though his own masterpiece was slapping him in the face.
Soon, under Sasori's control, the ten red-cloaked puppets switched their throwing weapons to poisoned bone senbon.
Since Magnet Release couldn't manipulate non-metallic objects, the Third Kazekage puppet transformed some of the iron sand into a hemispherical shield, protecting its rear.
Clink, clank…
The sound of bone senbon striking the iron sand barrier echoed incessantly…
(End of Chapter)