116. Going Berserk

If his arms had been intact before, with the wings of his arms spread wide to maintain balance, the Third Kazekage puppet could have easily evaded it through sheer speed.

If he had not unleashed his Magnet Release technique and expended so much iron sand, he could have raised a wall of iron sand and endured the impact head-on behind that sturdy barrier.

But there were no ifs.

The Third Kazekage puppet could neither evade nor withstand it. It was swallowed by the surging mudflow and slammed heavily into the earth.

The moment Sasori had been tempted by Orochimaru, standing atop Manda’s head, to attempt a decapitation strike, this scene had already become inevitable. It was merely a question of method and timing.

Sasori’s thoughts flickered, and he understood the reason clearly. It was a gap in both intelligence and absolute strength, yet he felt no discouragement.

Controlling Hiruko, he leaped into the air to avoid the aftershocks of the turbid flow. At the same time, he strengthened the chakra threads controlling the Third Kazekage puppet, trying to drag it out of the mud.

Had the Third Kazekage been alive, enduring such a strike from the mudflow would likely have left him gravely wounded even if it did not kill him. But now that his body had been transformed into a human puppet, he had lost most of the weaknesses of a living man.

So long as the puppeteer himself remained unharmed, the Third Kazekage puppet could continue attacking under the control of its chakra threads, no matter how badly damaged it became.

That was how it should have been.

Inside Hiruko, Sasori’s expression was grim. His features had not changed noticeably, yet an exceedingly dark air emanated from him.

He had already increased the strength of the chakra threads to its absolute limit. Yet the Third Kazekage puppet was like something trapped in a swamp. Not only could it not escape, it was sinking deeper and deeper.

How was this possible?

Sasori turned his gaze toward the mass of gray mud and stone, his eyes shifting several times.

This was certainly no ordinary Earth Release technique!

“Fool. You dare take my senjutsu head-on?”

Only now, after receiving Orochimaru’s signal, did Manda—who had long been struggling to suppress his nature—finally let out a wild, arrogant laugh. Like a proper villain, he began explaining his technique.

“Don’t worry. Once your little toy has been petrified, you’ll be next.”

Amid the giant serpent’s hissing laughter, its massive tail lashed about like a whip, violently pounding the scaffolding formed from iron sand and mudstone.

The makeshift cage swayed precariously. Clearly, it would not be able to hold Manda for much longer.

“Senjutsu?”

Inside Hiruko, Sasori was startled when he heard the term. He had never imagined that a mere beast could use senjutsu.

Among the publicly known shinobi of the ninja world, only Jiraiya of the Leaf Village could use senjutsu. Even the man in the Akatsuki who called himself a god had failed to master it.

And the power of senjutsu was indeed formidable. Because of a single moment of carelessness, his strongest human puppet had fallen into its grasp.

Sasori’s eyes flickered. If this continued, he might truly die today.

With that thought, Hiruko sprang into the air and fled directly into the distance. It was a decisive sacrifice: he abandoned the precious human puppet without hesitation.

Sasori’s reasoning was clear. Even if he used a ninjutsu to break through the petrified mudflow and rescue the Third Kazekage, the puppet might no longer be capable of carrying him through the air.

And by then, Orochimaru would have had more than enough time to escape the cage, leaving Sasori to face the combined assault of man and serpent once again.

Risking his life for a mere object would be nothing but foolishness.

So long as he remained alive, and so long as powerful shinobi still existed in this world, human puppets would never be in short supply.

“One last use for you, then.”

Sasori glanced at the mudflow. Not only did he cease controlling it, he directly returned consciousness to the Third Kazekage, accelerating his awakening.

Imprisoned within the body, a soul that had slumbered for a long time began to awaken from its confusion. Once more, it possessed reason.

…

“That fellow Sasori actually ran?”

Kakuzu had naturally noticed what was happening over there, and he was startled.

But he did not question Sasori, nor did he intend to hold out alone. Instead, he forcibly drove back the frenzied Tsunade and prepared to withdraw immediately.

Kakuzu did not know exactly what had happened, but he trusted his comrade’s judgment.

Moreover, if something could send Killer B fleeing in panic and make the proud, rational Sasori collapse at the first clash, then Kakuzu had no choice but to reassess Orochimaru’s strength—and whether the mission could still be completed at all.

“Trying to run?”

In her feral state, Tsunade’s instincts had become extraordinarily sharp. Although Kakuzu had not yet begun his retreat, the sudden collapse of his fighting spirit had completely betrayed his intentions.

After being hunted for so long and forced into such a humiliating state, how could Tsunade be willing to swallow such a massive loss in silence?

She let out an enraged roar and, disregarding her injuries, charged straight into Kakuzu’s wind-and-fire ninjutsu.

“Fool. Have you lost all reason?”

A trace of mockery flashed through Kakuzu’s eyes. Without sparing a thought for the loss of chakra, he further intensified the power of his ninjutsu.

He had originally intended to abandon the technique, but such a perfect opportunity had presented itself. It would be a shame to waste it.

The red-masked monster opened its mouth and spat out a sea of fire. The darkness of night was dyed crimson as blazing flames surged toward Tsunade.

The blue-masked monster drove the raging wind forward. Arriving after the flames yet overtaking them, it fanned the fire and twisted the blaze into a roaring tornado, which came howling toward her.

Tsunade sprinted forward. The fire tornado before her illuminated her face a vivid red. With such power, even she could not ignore it; she might even be burned into a withered corpse.

Yet Tsunade did not retreat. Instead, she bit through her fingertip, formed a seal, and shouted, “Summoning Technique!”

The white smoke was blown away and consumed by the fire tornado. Yet it seemed to collide with an immense wall and could advance no farther.

“Hiss… Little Tsunade, don’t use me as a shield!”

A gentle woman’s voice echoed through the forest, carrying a hint of indulgent reproach.

A faint blue radiance rose across her body, firmly stopping the force of the fire tornado. Even the supple skin that had initially been scorched by the flames healed rapidly, returning to its original state.

Tsunade leaped onto the enormous back of the Slug Sage and looked down at Kakuzu, who was unleashing wind and fire. A trace of struggle passed through her eyes.

Kakuzu’s guess was precisely opposite to reality. Tsunade had not lost her reason. She was gradually coming back to her senses from the extreme pain.

The special constitution of the Senju clan had granted her an extraordinary capacity to adapt. Here, however, the word “adaptation” would be better written as “numbness.”

But Tsunade would rather not have regained her senses. Fortunately, she and Kakuzu were now far enough apart that the blood clinging to his body would not affect her ability to fight.

With a turn of her thoughts, Tsunade told the Slug Sage about her situation and asked for her help.

“You really are impossible. You know perfectly well that fighting is what I’m worst at.”

The woman’s voice was as gentle as water. Blue light shimmered across her enormous body, yet the intense heat seemed unable to affect her. She charged rapidly through the sea of flames, heading straight for its source.

At the same time, amid a continuous series of deafening metallic clashes, Manda broke free of the cage and regained his freedom.

Yet he did not hurry to pursue the little insect. His slit pupils fixed upon the figure slowly rising from the mudflow, and a hint of apprehension flashed through his eyes.