After Sasori cast aside his Akatsuki robe, the true nature of his upper body was exposed under the sunlight coming from the top of the crumbled cave. Both Sakura and Chiyo gasped in unison, eyes wide with disbelief.
Chiyo's expression darkened with a mix of grief and disgust. "So this is why you haven't aged a day…" she said bitterly. "You turned yourself into a puppet."
Sakura turned to her, her voice laced with shock. "He made himself into a puppet? How is that even possible? Why would anyone…?"
Sasori chuckled darkly, his voice metallic and hollow. "What's so shocking? Look at me. No disease can touch me. No aging. No death. I've transcended the fragile limits of the human body. I am perfection—immortal and unchanging."
He slowly spread his arms, revealing the hidden mechanisms and weapons embedded in his body. "It's been a long time since I used this—the true puppet body I created. But now that it's back in action… You all can die here."
No sooner had the last word left his lips than a thick metal cable burst forth from Sasori's chest compartment. The wire gleamed wickedly, its pointed tip slicing through the air like a serpent lunging toward its prey—aimed directly at Inoiki.
But Inoiki was already in motion.
His body flickered as he shifted just slightly to the side, narrowly evading the strike. The cable stabbed into the ground where he had stood a split-second earlier, shattering stone and sending a cloud of dust spiralling into the air.
Inoiki's gaze didn't waver. He looked down at the impact point, then back up at Sasori.
Sakura called out urgently, "Inoiki, be careful! His weapons are laced with poison. I only have one antidote left, so please—don't take any unnecessary risks."
Inoiki gave a silent nod, acknowledging her warning.
High above the ground, the massive sword floating beside him suddenly began to shift. With a smooth, mechanical precision, it unfolded like a puzzle, segmenting into a hundred smaller blades. In an instant, each blade became cloaked in crackling lightning, glowing with fierce energy. Without hesitation, the electrified blades shot forward, targeting the metal cable Sasori had launched.
As the lightning-infused blades struck the wire, their enhanced speed and razor-sharp edges made quick work of the reinforced metal. Sparks erupted in every direction as the blades clashed repeatedly with the cable, slicing it into dozens of segments in mere seconds.
Sasori's expression twisted into mild shock. The wire he had crafted from reinforced chakra-infused metal wasn't supposed to be destroyed so easily. But as he watched, realization dawned on him.
"It's not just the blades…" he muttered. "It's the precision."
Indeed, each segment of the wire had been severed not by brute force, but by uncanny coordination. Two blades would strike a single cross-section of the cable simultaneously, like scissors closing with lethal accuracy. And it wasn't a single lucky strike—this had happened again and again, a continuous storm of precise, surgically aimed cuts.
Sasori narrowed his eyes. "So, you're not just strong… you're a tactician."
Inoiki said nothing in response. He didn't need to. His blades, still swirling in a deadly formation, answered for him.
Sasori raised both his arms and aimed his open palms toward Inoiki, Sakura, and Chiyo. From the center of each palm, narrow nozzle-like pipes emerged—and without warning, a torrent of flames burst forth, roaring toward them in a blazing wave of fire.
Inoiki's eyes narrowed as he sensed the searing heat rushing his way. Without hesitation, he commanded his floating blades with pinpoint precision. Instantly, they assembled into a large, rectangular formation in mid-air, positioning themselves like stars aligned within a perfect frame. From a distance, the arrangement looked almost artistic—beautifully symmetrical, yet deadly.
Each blade acted as a node, and from those nodes, Inoiki spread his psychokinetic power outward. A translucent barrier began to form between them—an advanced version of his Psychokinetic Barrier. Unlike his usual quick-cast defence, this one was reinforced through the network of blades, forming a vast, invisible shield infused with his chakra.
The inferno struck the barrier with explosive force. Upon impact, the invisible wall lit up in brilliant sky-blue light, crackling with psychic energy. The flames raged on, relentless, like a wall of fire seeking to devour everything in its path. Yet the barrier held.
For several long seconds, fire poured forth without pause. The heat distorted the air, and stress lines flickered across the glowing shield. Cracks began to form under the unending assault, veins of light spider-webbing across the barrier's surface—but Inoiki stayed focused. His mind reached into the structure, repairing the fractures as they appeared, seamlessly restoring the barrier in real time.
Behind him, Sakura and Chiyo stood safe, their eyes wide with awe.
Sasori narrowed his eyes when he saw that his fire attack had failed. The inferno had done nothing—his flames hadn't even left a mark on the barrier Inoiki had created. Realizing it was futile, he cut off the fire.
Sakura and Chiyo exhaled in relief, but it was short-lived.
From the same nozzles on Sasori's palms, a sudden blast of water shot out—no longer fire, but a razor-sharp, high-pressure jet that sliced through the air like a blade. The stream tore through the stone floor of the cave effortlessly, carving deep gashes wherever it passed.
Inoiki's expression turned serious. He immediately recognized the danger—this attack was different. Unlike the wide-range flame assault, this jet was focused and far more destructive in a concentrated spot. His previous barrier might hold, but not for long. It wasn't worth the risk.
Without a word, Inoiki dissolved the wall formation of his blades. The individual weapons scattered throughout the cave, hovering with eerie precision. As the water jet whipped toward them—first toward Sakura, then Chiyo, then himself—the blades moved in sync. They assembled instantly into smaller, localized shields, intercepting the jets before they could land a hit. The sound of water crashing against metal echoed throughout the cavern.
Sasori growled in frustration. His mechanical eyes narrowed further as he shifted his tactic again. He redirected the water stream upward—toward the roof of the cave just above his enemies. The weakened stone ceiling cracked under the pressure, and massive chunks began to fall directly over their heads.
But Inoiki was ready.
Before a single rock could get close, his lightning-infused blades shot into motion. Moving with a blinding speed, they slashed through the falling boulders, turning them into harmless debris that scattered harmlessly across the ground.
Sakura and Chiyo looked on in astonishment.
Even Sasori, for the first time, seemed unsettled.
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