When Sasori saw the attack coming, he leapt aside like a wolf. A chakra sphere, as large as a Heavenly Air Palm, exploded past his feet and shattered a sand dune more than ten meters away.
The failed assault filled Sasori with fury. He poured a massive surge of chakra into the Third Kazekage puppet, its body trembling from the overload. A moment later, the surrounding iron sand began to rise, vibrating with a strange, ominous hum.
Seeing this, Pakura's face went pale. "He's going to use the Iron Sand World Method! Everyone, move now!"
The Iron Sand World Method — the Third Kazekage's most devastating technique — was a forbidden jutsu developed specifically to suppress Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast.
Neji chuckled softly at her warning and slightly clenched his palm.
Sasori, ever alert, noticed Neji's faint movement and instantly shifted the Third Kazekage puppet in front of him while speeding up the gathering of iron sand. The puppet's defensive ability was unmatched — even most A-rank techniques couldn't break through it.
If he could block Neji's next move, he would have enough time to complete the Iron Sand World Method, creating a massive iron sand barrier spanning fifty meters in all directions. The Third Kazekage puppet could also fly, allowing Sasori to exploit its mobility to dominate the battlefield.
But just as he prepared for the counter, Sasori froze. Something felt wrong.
In the blink of an eye, a terrifying suction force erupted from Neji's direction. It was so strong that Sasori's chakra threads snapped instantly, and the puppet was yanked out of his control. Before he could even react, the Third Kazekage puppet was already in Neji's grasp.
The swirling clouds of iron sand lost their cohesion and fell to the ground with a metallic rustle.
Sasori's eyes widened in disbelief and rage. His proudest masterpiece — his finest work of art — had been snatched away effortlessly.
For the first time, he felt true fear.
"This man… is invincible," Sasori muttered.
Then, gritting his teeth, he said sharply to his partner, "Plan B!"
Hiruko swallowed hard. "Understood."
In an instant, Sasori pulled out a crimson scroll. With a flick of his hands, countless red shadows burst out, filling the sky.
Each shadow was a puppet — some wielding swords, others giant shuriken or spears.
Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!
It was the same technique that had once annihilated an entire small country.
At the same time, Hiruko summoned several monstrous composite creatures and positioned them protectively around him.
Neji merely sighed, unimpressed. "Are they serious?"
The difference in power between them was overwhelming. To Neji, this battle was nothing more than a cat toying with mice.
With a calm thought, nine glowing chakra orbs appeared from his forehead and began to spin rapidly around his palm.
In terms of sheer power and range, the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion surpassed even the Golden Wheel.
Just as Neji was about to unleash it, the puppet army surged forward — but not toward him. Instead, they scattered in all directions. Sasori's real body was hidden among the hundreds of puppets, impossible to distinguish by sight.
Meanwhile, Hiruko rode one of the summoned beasts and soared away into the distance.
"They're running?" Neji murmured, slightly amused. "Cautious indeed. But then again, you don't survive this long as a rogue ninja without being careful."
With a faint hum, Neji thrust his palm forward. A massive silver storm erupted — the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. Its gravitational pull swallowed dozens of puppets in an instant, tearing them to shreds.
Neji then sent a shadow clone to pursue Sasori while his true body launched skyward, chasing after Hiruko.
The Impure Resurrection Technique that Hiruko used could help Neji achieve Bloodline Fusion, and he couldn't allow that knowledge to slip away. Still, Neji had no intention of becoming a monster obsessed with power like Hiruko — a creature neither man nor ghost. To become a slave to strength was meaningless.
In Tenseigan Chakra Mode, Neji's speed far surpassed that of Hiruko's summoned beast. Within moments, he appeared above it.
"Going somewhere?" he said coldly.
Three chakra beads flew from his palm in a triangular formation, followed by an invisible gravitational force that pinned the beast in place. The Tenseigan's control over attraction and repulsion was as fierce as fire and as fluid as water.
A chilling scream echoed through the sky as the beast was crushed, blood splattering across the clouds.
Using gravitational force, Neji caught the falling Pakura before she hit the ground. Her delicate face had turned a purplish black — poisoned.
He checked her pulse. Only a faint heartbeat remained.
Moments later, Hiruko crashed to the ground, gasping for air. Before he could move, Neji appeared behind him like a ghost. One hand pressed onto Hiruko's shoulder, freezing him in place.
From his other palm, a small green light orb emerged and shot into Hiruko's forehead.
Curse Wheel: Sealing Heart Technique.
Once that was done, Neji immediately turned toward the distant battlefield where Sasori was still fighting.
The clang of metal echoed — the sound of Sasori's puppets clashing against Neji's shadow clone. Hiruko's puppet armor had been destroyed by the Silver Wheel, revealing Sasori's true form: a red-haired boy who looked no older than twelve.
To be honest, Sasori was strikingly handsome — almost as much as Neji himself. For someone so gifted in appearance to turn himself into a puppet was truly cruel.
Landing gracefully with the unconscious Pakura in his arms, Neji faced Sasori and said coldly, "Give me the antidote."
Neji's healing chakra couldn't neutralize Sasori's poison. Though poison would later become less effective against high-level shinobi, it was still deadly to anyone below Kage level.
Sasori hesitated, staring into Neji's emotionless eyes radiating killing intent. Finally, he spat out a small bottle containing a single pill.
Without hesitation, Neji took it, crushed it into powder, and fed it to Pakura. He then infused his chakra into her body.
The combined effect of the antidote and his Dragon Vein Chakra gradually dispelled the dark aura on her face. Though still unconscious, her breathing stabilized.
Neji exhaled softly, then handed her to his shadow clone and crossed his arms. His gaze returned to Sasori — cold and sharp as a blade.
Hiruko's Impure Resurrection was unique in the ninja world. The Hidden Sand Village was the only place with a complete puppet tradition, and Sasori was its greatest master.
Neji himself had little interest in traditional puppetry, but his village — and the Hyuga Clan — could benefit from such knowledge.
After a brief pause, he conjured another small green light orb and forcefully inserted it into Sasori's regeneration core. However, the usual mental connection failed to form.
"The Curse Wheel Sealing Heart Technique… failed?" Neji frowned.
The regeneration core allowed Sasori to perceive the outside world, granting him awareness but immunity to most genjutsu. In essence, Sasori was nearly immune to illusions — 99% of them would fail against him.
Neji examined the core thoughtfully, then glanced at Hiruko standing silently nearby. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
At Neji's command, Hiruko stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "My lord."
Seeing this, Sasori's eyes widened in disbelief. "Hiruko, you—"
But before he could finish, Neji's power flared again, silencing him.
---
Meanwhile, far away in the Land of Water, the Hidden Mist Village was shrouded in fog and chaos.
Orochimaru, dressed in a pale kimono and wearing a faint smile, strolled down a quiet street. Despite its reputation as the Village of the Bloody Mist, the village felt far safer to someone like him — a man who once ruled chaos itself.
Disorder was its own protection. Few spies dared to infiltrate such a place.
Orochimaru's purpose here was clear: to collect Bloodline Limits.
He had been in the Land of Water for nearly five years, and the results were promising. Yet, recently, the Mist had become restless again, daring even to challenge the Hidden Cloud — the strongest village in the world. Orochimaru didn't understand where they found such confidence, but he didn't care.
During the turmoil, clans with powerful bloodlines — such as the Kaguya and Yuki — had been wiped out, their survivors scattered across the land.
Years ago, Orochimaru had discovered a lone child of the Kaguya: Kimimaro, a prodigy even he admired. Originally, Orochimaru had planned to use Kimimaro as his next vessel, but the boy's illness ended that dream.
Now, Orochimaru sought descendants of the Yuki Clan. When the clan was destroyed, he hadn't yet arrived in the Land of Water, so he didn't know if any bloodline survivors remained.
He was still deep in thought when a harsh voice interrupted him.
"Hand over your valuables!"
From the shadows emerged a rough-looking man wielding a sword. Orochimaru had recently performed a soul transfer, taking the body of a young girl — about fifteen or sixteen years old, delicate and beautiful. To a bandit, she appeared an easy target.
Orochimaru's tongue slid across his lips in amusement, making the bandit freeze in confusion.
"What a foolish thing to do," Orochimaru said, his voice melodic yet chilling.
"Damn you!" the bandit shouted and lunged — only for his sword to slip from his hands.
He looked down in horror. A thick, venomous snake had coiled around his arm, its fangs buried deep into his wrist.
"Y-you're a ninja—" he gasped before collapsing, twitching violently.
Orochimaru stepped over his body without a glance. Since taking his new form, he had attracted countless fools like this — common thugs who mistook him for a helpless girl.
The Land of Water was steeped in chaos. Ninjas suffered under the Bloody Mist regime, and civilians lived in fear. It reminded Orochimaru of the Land of Rain during the Second Great Ninja War — equally broken, equally tragic.
Just as he was about to leave the street, a soft voice called out, "Big sister… please, don't hurt him."
Orochimaru paused, intrigued. Turning, he saw a ragged young boy sitting beside a trash bin, cradling a stray cat in his arms. His large, calm eyes met Orochimaru's unflinchingly.
"I didn't sense him at all," Orochimaru thought. "Interesting."
As Orochimaru studied the child, his tongue flicked out instinctively. The boy flinched and held the cat tighter. Then, chakra leaked from his body — cold and pure.
"You have chakra? You're a ninja?" Orochimaru's interest deepened.
He stepped closer, examining the faint frost forming on the ground around the child. This chakra… it carried a chilling aura.
"Tell me, child," Orochimaru asked gently, "what's your name?"
The boy trembled slightly. "My name… is Haku."
Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed. That confirmed it — a survivor of the Yuki Clan.
He extended his hand and smiled faintly. "Meeting you is my fortune, and meeting me is yours. Come with me, child."
There was a strange charm in his voice, almost hypnotic. Haku hesitated, glancing at the groaning bandit, then slowly reached out — only to pull back.
"That man…" Haku murmured softly.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. Children who were too kind were unfit to survive as shinobi. Were it not for Haku's precious bloodline, Orochimaru wouldn't have wasted another word.
"Heh… I only taught him a lesson," Orochimaru said and withdrew the snake.
The bandit staggered away weakly, and Haku exhaled in relief.
"Come," Orochimaru said again, hand extended.
Haku stood, clutching the cat, and took his hand. Then, with a shy blush, he added, "Big sister… I'm actually a boy."
Orochimaru blinked — then smiled wickedly, licking his lips. "What a coincidence. I'm a man too."
As they walked away together, Orochimaru's thoughts drifted to another child — Jugo. The boy's natural ability to absorb nature energy had inspired Orochimaru's research into the Cursed Seals. From that, he had created the Earth Cursed Seal and the Heaven Cursed Seal, granting power at a heavy cost.
Kimimaro and the Sound Four had already borne the Earth Seal. But the Heaven Seal still awaited a worthy host.
Glancing at the gentle yet powerful boy beside him, Orochimaru murmured to himself, "Perhaps… this child can endure the Curse Seal of Heaven."
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