"Enough of the nonsense—Magnetic Style: Sand Iron Rain!"
The powerful Magnet Release surged forth, drawing nearly all surrounding metal to Sasori's back. Behind him, controlling everything, stood the puppet of the legendary Third Kazekage.
"Magnet Release, huh?" Uchiha Shisui muttered, the kunai in his hand vanishing into thin air. "It's definitely a convenient ability."
Beside him, Uchiha Itachi narrowed his eyes, analyzing the battlefield.
"We need to end this quickly," Shisui said. "To counter the Third Kazekage's magnetic control, we have two options: break through and destroy the puppet from within, or take out the caster directly."
"Or…" Shisui's Sharingan spun, his voice laced with confidence. "We just crush it."
"Susanoo!"
A surge of emerald chakra erupted around Shisui, rising from the ground in a blaze of power. In an instant, the fully formed second stage of Susanoo towered over the battlefield, its spectral armor shimmering with deadly intent.
"Everyone always says the Uchiha and Senju clans are unmatched," Shisui spoke with rare bravado, his voice echoing through the chakra. "But most people have never seen Susanoo with their own eyes. Consider yourselves lucky."
Even Itachi raised an eyebrow. Shisui was typically humble and reserved—but the power of Susanoo had a way of changing people.
Across the battlefield, Sasori smirked. "So this is the Uchiha clan's legendary ninjutsu... I'll admit, it's beautiful. But let's see how it holds up!"
"Magnet Style: Sand Iron Rain!"
Thousands of iron sand projectiles shot toward Susanoo at blinding speed. They could pierce solid rock with ease—but against Susanoo, they shattered harmlessly, clanging off its armor like pebbles.
"Tch," Sasori clicked his tongue. "As expected… an impenetrable fortress."
"Magnet Style: Iron Sand Triangular Pyramid!"
Iron sand surged again, this time forming a massive, three-sided pyramid that hurtled toward Susanoo like a missile. Mass meant momentum, and momentum meant destruction.
But Shisui's Susanoo moved swiftly. One arm shot up, catching the pyramid with ease. In its other hand, the spiral sword flared to life—and with a single swing, the massive pyramid was cleaved in two and dissolved into dust.
"Brother Sasori, I'm going aerial!" Deidara shouted, launching into the sky atop a clay bird. It was his first time witnessing Susanoo in battle, and he couldn't believe his eyes. Not even the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release could land a scratch.
But Shisui wasn't done yet.
"Susanoo—Ninety-Nine!"
The breastplate on Susanoo's chest snapped open, revealing searing chakra stored within. In the next moment, a volley of chakra arrows erupted from the opening like a storm.
"Crap!" Deidara barely had time to react before multiple arrows tore through the sky. In seconds, he was slammed into the ground, his bird clipped, his body pinned.
He gritted his teeth, pain flaring. "Damn it… is this the end already?"
From his position, he saw Sasori still locked in a futile clash with Susanoo. Meanwhile, Itachi hadn't even lifted a finger yet.
"I'm sorry, Brother Sasori…"
Frustrated, Deidara tore open his Akatsuki robe and shoved the remaining clay into the mouth on his chest. Black veins bulged across his skin as chakra surged violently to his core.
From a distance, Hyuga Neji's Byakugan flared. "No good! The enemy's chakra is converging around the heart. It's a self-destruct technique!"
"No need to panic," an aged voice said calmly.
In a flash, Uzumaki Masahiko appeared beside Deidara.
"So fast!" Chiyo and Neji were stunned. For a man over a hundred years old, his speed was unreal.
Masahiko placed a palm on Deidara's stomach. "Sealing Technique: Four Symbols Seal!"
An intricate black seal spread across Deidara's torso like wildfire. His swelling chakra instantly vanished, his explosive energy drained.
The once-bulging Deidara deflated back to his normal state, breath ragged and eyes wide.
"Damn old man! What did you do?! My art—my ultimate art—it's gone!"
Masahiko raised an eyebrow, unbothered. "Your ultimate art is self-destruction? Are you out of your mind?"
Deidara growled. "You're mocking me?!"
"Kid, the Four Symbols Seal can suppress the Nine-Tails. You think your little fireworks are going to escape it? You're not even worth half a tail."
"You bastard… My art!"
"Seriously, what kind of brain circuit do you have? Who in their right mind calls blowing themselves up 'art'?"
Masahiko sighed. "Even the Yasaka Magatama my nephew tosses out casually packs more punch than your suicide trick."
"Yasaka what now?! Are you insulting my art again?! Who is this 'nephew' anyway? Stop bluffing!"
"Uchiha Xiuyu—ever heard of him?"
Deidara froze. The name alone sent a chill down his spine.
"You… You mean that Uchiha Xiuyu? The God of Shinobi?!"
Masahiko gave a smug nod. "I introduced him to Mito myself. What do you think?"
Deidara's mind raced. For the first time, he didn't respond with a rant. Instead, he stared at Masahiko, almost… hopeful.
"Then… then maybe I can learn from him too? Do you think he'd teach me?"
Masahiko blinked. "...What's wrong with your brain?"
Even for a man who had seen over a century of war and madness, Deidara's logic left him speechless.
"You tried to blow yourself up ten seconds ago, and now you want to be his apprentice?"
Back on the battlefield, Sasori's confidence was waning. Watching Shisui's Susanoo dominate the field with such ease, his puppet-based strategy was crumbling.
Magnet Release was supposed to be his trump card—powerful, flexible, devastating. But against the Uchiha's ultimate defense, it might as well be sand in the wind.
"Is there no weakness to this technique?" he muttered. "Is this the power of the Uchiha…?"
In his worldview, all powerful jutsu came with trade-offs. The stronger the ninjutsu, the harsher the consequences. But Shisui's Susanoo showed no signs of strain.
Unbeknownst to Sasori, Shisui had undergone genetic enhancement—breaking free from the typical Mangekyō's curse of blindness. While he hadn't reached the level of the Eternal Mangekyō, he was no longer bound by its weaknesses.
-----------------
No matter how refined the Third Kazekage puppet's magnetic release was, it stood no chance against the might of Uchiha Shisui's Susanoo. Each movement of the spectral warrior was decisive and deadly—just a single strike left massive craters in the ground.
And Shisui didn't just fight with brute force. His Susanoo was equipped with both close-combat weaponry and long-range chakra arrows, making it a nightmare for enemies at any distance.
After a few intense exchanges, Sasori was finally defeated. Uchiha Itachi barely lifted a finger during the battle, watching silently from the side. It was only then that Chiyo fully understood the true roles of these shinobi sent from Konoha.
This man fought off two Kage-level opponents like it was a training session, she thought, stunned. Shisui wasn't just holding his own—he had power to spare. If not calm, then at least utterly composed in combat.
Once the battle ended, Uzumaki Masahiko resealed the defeated Sasori. As he worked, he discovered something unusual.
"So... he's already become a human puppet," Masahiko muttered. "A clever design—only the vital organs remain to regulate chakra. I have to admit, your talent in puppetry is unparalleled in this era."
Coming from Masahiko, a man with vast knowledge and experience, that was high praise. Sasori's transformation wasn't just gruesome—it was genius. And now it made sense why the mission directive was to capture both Sasori and Deidara alive, if possible. Killing them would've been a waste of rare genius.
With the two enemies bound and secured, the group's attention turned to the more pressing concern—Gaara, who was still unconscious and being treated by Chiyo. However, the elderly puppeteer was clearly reaching her limit.
"Finally… it's done," Chiyo exhaled shakily before collapsing to the ground.
Itachi and Shisui exchanged a look, puzzled.
"…The healer passed out?" Shisui asked.
Masahiko scratched his chin and sighed. "Neji, start a fire and catch some fish. It'll take time for them to wake."
"Yes, sir..." Neji replied, grumbling under his breath as he headed off. Being the youngest—and least experienced—meant chores always fell to him.
By evening, after a warm meal and some quiet waiting, both Chiyo and Gaara finally came to.
"Well, look who's awake. That's good to see," Masahiko greeted with a rare softness. He wasn't mocking her—he'd seen what jutsu she used.
"You figured it out… as expected of you, Senior." Chiyo gave a weak smile. "It's a technique I developed myself. A forbidden jutsu—Kishō Tensei."
"I could tell. You sacrificed your own life force. If Gaara hadn't still had a flicker of his left… you would've died for sure."
Chiyo's smile faltered slightly. The heavy loss of chakra and vitality made her feel like a shell of her former self.
"I probably only have three to five years left now," she said, voice quiet.
Masahiko nodded solemnly. "Still, it was your choice. Your grandson brought ruin to the village. You're trying to atone. I get it. Life gets complicated when you live this long."
Chiyo chuckled hoarsely. "So you've faced something like this before, haven't you?"
Masahiko leaned back, folding his arms behind his head as he looked up at the night sky. "Not quite. The biggest mess I got into when I was young… was the whole situation with Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Xiuyu. Next thing you know, the Uchiha were proposing marriage. The Senju were still our allies back then."
"That name… Xiu Yu?" Chiyo blinked. "Didn't he fight Tobirama over that?"
"Yeah. Xiuyu already outclassed Tobirama at the time. Funny thing is, he'd only been training in ninjutsu for a little over a year."
Chiyo stared at him, lips twitching. "You old fox. That's not a hardship story, you're just bragging about your clan's glory days!"
Masahiko grinned unapologetically. "Maybe. But how often do two old-timers like us get to swap tales?"
Intrigued by their conversation, Itachi and Neji quietly joined them, sitting near the fire to listen.
"Wait," Neji interjected curiously. "During the Warring States Period, there were three people called gods among shinobi—Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Xiuyu, and Senju Hashirama. Who was the strongest?"
Masahiko chuckled knowingly. "I figured one of you would ask that. We were just as curious back then. The truth is, Xiuyu never officially fought Hashirama or Madara."
"Still," he continued, "both Hashirama and Madara acknowledged him as the strongest among them. If those two ever clashed too violently, only Xiuyu had the strength—and the authority—to make them stop. I once saw him use Wood Release to separate them mid-battle."
"…He could really use Wood Release?" Neji asked, brows furrowed. "Isn't that supposed to be a bloodline limit?"
Masahiko smiled faintly. "It is. But if you trace it far enough, the Uchiha and Senju are branches of the same bloodline. That's not something I said—Xiuyu discovered that himself."
Neji fell silent, his Byakugan eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
Itachi spoke next. "There was an ancient stone tablet in the Naka Shrine. It supposedly held the secrets of our clan's origin. But…"
"But it was destroyed," Shisui finished. "By Uchiha Xiuyu."
Neji looked at them in shock. "Why would he destroy something like that?"
"Because it was a lie," Masahiko said. "That stone tablet was practically indestructible—until Xiuyu reached Six Paths-level power and shattered it himself."
Itachi nodded. "He claimed the tablet's contents were false—planted by someone manipulating our clan from the shadows."
"Black Zetsu," Masahiko added. "He used Yin-Yang Release to inscribe lies into that stone to twist the future of the Uchiha. Xiuyu realized the danger and ended it before it could poison more minds."
For a while, the group fell quiet, letting the weight of history settle in their hearts.
No one rushed to return to the village. Instead, they stayed near the fire, listening as Masahiko continued recounting stories of the Warring States Period. For Neji and Gaara, both young and burdened by their own duties, it was a rare comfort—hearing tales from a time before their suffering began.
Three days later, they finally reached the gates of Sunagakure.
Gaara's safe return stirred the hearts of the Sand Shinobi, restoring confidence in their young Kazekage.
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