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Chapter 159 - Chapter 159: Warm-up Completed

The sudden and effortless shift in momentum caught Mizuki off guard. Though he had expected Sage Mode to grant a clear advantage through overwhelming power, he hadn't anticipated that the Third Kazekage's Human Puppet would prove even more fragile than imagined. Perhaps Red Sand of the Desert hadn't fought alongside as he usually did in close-range combat, underestimating Mizuki's destructive capability entirely—never imagining his Iron Sand Body could be shattered head-on. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

[Sage Mode's total upgrade to a ninja's power is just too overwhelming...]

This kind of all-out transformation couldn't be matched by any ordinary ninjutsu. Sage Chakra was essentially a far superior type of energy compared to regular chakra—a qualitative leap forward and an overall enhancement. For ninja, regular chakra alone already set them apart from civilians; Sage Chakra was the final key to entering the realm of true power. Of course, one could still become a great expert without it—the ninja world held countless Kekkei Genkai bloodline limits and secret techniques, with extraordinary talents constantly emerging with brilliant ideas. Yet Sage Chakra was undoubtedly among the most elite—an ultimate weapon that struck at the very root of power itself.

"Still not coming out? So cautious—as expected of you. Without Hiruko shielding you, you're just sitting there letting your Iron Sand Body puppet get torn apart like this… how heartless."

For Red Sand to not personally intervene despite such an obvious disadvantage was truly difficult to imagine regarding his level of prudence. No wonder Red Sand had constructed such terrifying defenses inside Hiruko and holed himself away in there all this time. Whenever the situation turned unfavorable or unclear, this person practically never exposed himself to danger. As for why he died in the original storyline—maybe it was because Chiyo, his longtime rival, and her "father" and "mother" puppets had managed to break through Red Sand's otherwise cold puppet will!

Looking at the battered remains of the Third Kazekage's human puppet before him—though it looked dire, it still retained considerable battle power—Mizuki harbored no intention of underestimating it either. As long as its core body remained intact and capable of using the Iron Sand Body, it was still that fearsome weapon everyone feared. Thanks to its unique properties and deadly toxicity, no one would dare underestimate it—even for a second.

"Already given up on counterattacking?" The Iron Sand Body was no longer in an offensive stance. Inside, layers of iron sand hardened into a solid wall. Outside, a swirling mist of iron sand formed a defensive barrier. Clearly, it had given up on close-range fighting altogether. If regular ninjutsu might have some way to defend against it, pure physical strength in a head-on clash would leave the puppet helpless—no fancy tricks could help now.

"If that's the case, then I won't wait for your original body anymore."

After saying this, Mizuki prepared once again to launch a ninjutsu attack. Mizuki wouldn't hesitate against such a passive target that had completely surrendered resistance. Fire Release techniques were especially effective against Iron Sand defenses—especially those infused with natural energy. Iron Sand couldn't effectively insulate heat; at best, it could block explosive force, but the scorching burn effects remained virtually undiminished.

Bad news for Red Sand of the Desert. Right now, Sasori had no effective way to counter Mizuki's assault. Puppet masters usually protected themselves first—few ever saw such relentless targeting of a human puppet. A puppet master rarely found himself in a situation like this—relying on just one powerful puppet that was about to be destroyed. Most would have already retreated. But Sasori wasn't ready to give up yet. Why? Because he still had some comrades—unreliable maybe, but at least they were potential variables worth holding out for.

Facing the defensive stance of the Third Kazekage's human puppet, Mizuki experimented freely with combining regular ninjutsu and natural energy. From what he'd seen so far, natural energy had an incredibly broad compatibility with ninjutsu techniques. It could not only enhance ninjutsu like a catalyst, but also produce powerful effects on its own. A typical example was [Sage Art—Frog Kata] and [Sage Art—Frog Call], two techniques under Sage Mode (a state that allows ninja to harness natural energy) that directly used natural energy—to boost sensing and attacking power respectively. Of course, those advanced sage techniques required exceptional sensitivity toward natural energy. But if you stripped away all the unique effects tied to the Mount Myoboku (Miao Muxian) frog techniques and simplified it down to its core concept, it really wasn't complicated at all—a simple manifestation and use of energy. Just like how Naruto extended long arms made from tailed beast chakra during his Nine-Tails chakra surge, the principle remained the same: once control proficiency reached standards and sufficient high-quality chakra existed for consumption, executing such techniques wasn't actually difficult.

Take now for instance—Mizuki clenched his right hand midair, manipulating long limbs formed from natural energy into fists continuously hammering against the Iron Sand Body defense shield. Though the impact wasn't quite as strong as physical blows and chakra consumption was tightening, maintaining this pressure for a while wasn't a problem just yet.

["Offense and defense combined within Iron Sand Body techniques—you can't break through my offense, and your defense is barely holding together. So then—are you going to give up? Genius puppet master?"]

Beating Red Sand of the Desert when he wasn't at his best wasn't a big deal. During their initial test exchanges, Mizuki seized the initiative first, catching Sasori completely off guard. Such was the nature of ninja battles—victory often hinged upon fleeting moments. Probably Sasori had just wanted to seize this opportunity created by another squad's ambush, trying his luck—if things didn't work out, he could drag it into a war of attrition and wait for other Akatsuki members to arrive. Unexpectedly, Mizuki defied expectations—he immediately unleashed ultimate techniques nonstop without letting up, pursuing relentlessly without granting any breathing room, completely ruining Sasori's plans.

As the Iron Sand Body defensive walls cracked beneath relentless pounding, showing increasing signs of collapse, finally the real body of Red Sand of the Desert hiding in shadows could remain passive no longer. A stream of scorching flames erupted forward toward Mizuki, carrying tremendous destructive power, blasting everything in its way. Forced to abandon ongoing actions, Mizuki leapt backward rapidly, narrowly evading that terrifying [Fire Release] assault.

"This must be one of those scroll-based Ninjutsu techniques — looks like it's called Flame Prison Formation. The power here is seriously impressive! That concentrated effect from Fire Release Ninjutsu is truly amazing."

The thing about scroll-based techniques is they let you pack a punch with way less Chakra cost in the heat of battle. Although mainstream ninja rarely used this method, for someone like Red Sand of the Desert — not exactly known for mastering Five Elements advanced techniques as a Puppet Master — it was an unusually practical skill.

After forcing Mizuki back, Red Sand of the Desert quickly controlled the scale of his Fire Release, turning the area in front of The Third Kazekage's human puppet into a blazing inferno that blocked Mizuki's path. Then he rapidly dissolved his Iron Sand Body defenses, pulling The Third Kazekage's human puppet back to his side. His hand gently brushed over the scorched, battered form of the puppet.

...

Red Sand of the Desert's face remained unchanged — that lazy, indifferent smile never left his lips. His youthful red-haired teenage appearance showed no signs of aging, and even carried a hint of boyish shyness.

...

Finally decided to show yourself, S-rank rogue ninja Red Sand of the Desert from Sunagakure. Your reputation doesn't match your overly cautious personality at all."

Red Sand of the Desert's face remained unchanged — that lazy, indifferent smile never left his lips. His youthful red-haired teenage appearance showed no signs of aging, and even carried a hint of boyish shyness.

"Rogue ninja?" Red Sand of the Desert turned to Mizuki. "I seem to remember I'm not actually a rogue ninja, right? I just went missing — along with The Third Kazekage…"

...

"You know about that too? Did Deidara tell you? That doesn't make sense though… Looks like I was right about you after all. You're definitely not ordinary. Take a look at your stance — totally caught me off guard. They've improved you quite a bit. This time, I underestimated you..."

"And this miscalculation might just cost you your life. Also, we've talked enough, haven't we? We're done with the testing. Any last words?"

"Haven't you considered… maybe working together instead?" Red Sand of the Desert still wore that same calm, elegant expression, casually weaving his schemes.

"Cooperate?"

Mizuki smiled faintly and extended his right hand again. Natural energy gathered once more along his arm, forming a gigantic glowing palm that radiated deep, mysterious luster. He assumed an attacking posture toward Red Sand of the Desert.

"I really can't trust cooperating with a creature that doesn't even qualify as human. You're not even human... the ninja world's better off with less of your kind around."

"That's truly unfortunate. Originally I thought I'd found another force capable of controlling fate itself, but apparently my wish won't come true after all."

"Controlling fate? Your only fate now is to die here!" Mizuki suddenly thrust his right arm forward. The massive natural energy-formed appendage struck forcefully in Red Sand of the Desert's direction. "If you had simply retreated earlier, maybe you could have started over. But now, pray for a miracle."

With Mizuki's Sage Mode power and speed, how could Sasori the Puppet Master possibly escape? Before his chakra ran out, there was no way Sasori could outmaneuver him. If Sasori lost this battle, he would certainly perish.

"Though I must admit I'm impressed that you risked yourself just for a puppet, against someone cold-hearted like you, I won't show any mercy."

"You're underestimating me too much, aren't you? In that case, let's see who collapses first..."

[The bold talk has been said. Now it's time to prove it. Let's see who gets the last laugh.]

...

Baki stared grimly at Kakuzu, whose outfit looked strangely exotic. Their initial probe shocked him more than he expected.

[Earth attribute ninja - combining defensive capability and resilience with decent speed and tremendous strength. This kind of ninja can really mess with your head.]

This wasn't some fragile glass cannon type - strong on offense but weak defensively. No, Kakuzu was both offensive and defensive, a common combination among earth and water attribute ninjas determined by chakra nature transformation. Unlike lightning, fire, and wind natures which offered various offensive techniques but usually poor defense - only Sasuke Uchiha's Chidori Current could arguably be considered equally adept at attack and defense. Other elements generally left their users quite vulnerable defensively.

This characteristic made earth attribute ninjas typically well-balanced combatants. Without a reliable one-hit knockout technique, battles against them would likely drag into prolonged engagements.

[Now this is troublesome. Should I signal for help?]

Actually, the situation hadn't originally been that bad for Suna's forces. Although three jonins were relentlessly attacking Hidan, whose raw power proved inadequate, things changed when Maki seized an opportunity to use Cloth Binding Technique on him. Once immobilized and unable to wield the Triple-Bladed Scythe freely anymore, Hidan practically became toothless. With no choice, Hidan had to humbly seek Kakuzu's assistance before finally breaking free from that tight spot.

What had begun as a 3-on-1 battle had become a 3-on-2 scenario. And it wasn't just about enemy numbers changing - rather, it might very well mark a complete reversal in relative strengths between both sides.

Take the current situation — Baki was blocked by Kakuzu and couldn't provide support. Unable to freely command his subordinates Maki and Yura, he could no longer maneuver the battlefield as skillfully as before.

"In that case, we fight individually then. Maki, Yura — both of you be careful."

Though Hidan had already revealed his [Immortal Body], his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu skills were, in truth, rather mediocre. Anyone capable of partnering with the Red Sand of the Desert must surely be an elite ninja of equal strength. In this case, there was a good chance Hidan still had other trump cards up his sleeve. For a ninja, intelligence sometimes meant the difference between life and death. The fear of the unknown far outweighed the terror even the fiercest enemy could inspire.

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