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Seeing that everyone else had stepped back, leaving only him facing Orochimaru, Sasori unfurled a scroll. At the very center of the scroll was the character for "Three" (三).
"I have the terrain advantage here!"
A puff of smoke appeared, and after it dissipated, a puppet clad in a black robe was left behind.
"The Third Kazekage's strength, surely you know of it, right?" Sasori addressed Orochimaru. The black-robed puppet he had just summoned was none other than the Third Kazekage, renowned as the strongest Kazekage!
Sasori had killed the Third Kazekage and used his body to create this puppet. Individually, this was Sasori's strongest puppet!
Orochimaru continued to smile faintly.
"Yes. When I see something good, I desire to make it my own. So I took a little sample."
As he spoke, Orochimaru raised two fingers in front of his face.
Immediately, the sand beside Orochimaru erupted, and a coffin marked with the character "Three" emerged from below.
Kagaya's pupils contracted.
Impure World Reincarnation!
This was one of his targets.
The coffin lid fell away, revealing the figure inside: a man with blue hair, wearing a white robe over blue clothing.
This was the Third Kazekage, resurrected via the Impure World Reincarnation!
"Sasori? How dare you..."
The moment the Third Kazekage appeared, he saw Sasori and the puppet of "himself" behind Sasori.
Although Sasori wasn't in his main body currently, the Third Kazekage recognized Sasori through the puppet made from his own corpse.
"What is this guy about? You stinking snake!" Sasori narrowed his eyes, instinctively sensing something amiss.
Orochimaru showed no intention of hiding it and explained directly to Sasori.
"The Third Kazekage you killed, I revived him using a forbidden technique."
The Third Kazekage said hatefully, "It won't be like last time!"
In life, the Third Kazekage had been killed by Sasori. His words now meant that this time, he wouldn't be killed by Sasori like last time.
However, Orochimaru wasn't concerned with the grudge between the Third Kazekage and Sasori; he only wanted to see the power of his forbidden technique.
"Enough complaining."
Orochimaru pulled out a kunai with a paper tag attached to its end. He then inserted this kunai into the Third Kazekage's head, as easily as if sliding it into water.
Although the Impure World Reincarnation could revive the dead, during the process, the reincarnated individual could potentially be controlled by their own emotions, leading to self-liberation where their soul returns to the Pure Land.
Put simply, the reincarnated person might break the technique themselves. The solution to this problem was to implant a talisman in their brain, completely erasing their personality and turning them into a mere killing tool.
This way, the reincarnated person would be fully under the caster's control. The side effect was that with their personality erased, their strength would be significantly reduced compared to when they were alive.
However, it was clear that Orochimaru hadn't yet fully mastered the Impure World Reincarnation technique at this point. Even with the talisman implanted, the Third Kazekage's personality wasn't completely erased.
Orochimaru smiled slightly and looked at Sasori.
"Now, let me see which is stronger: your puppet or my forbidden technique."
Sasori frowned. "You bastard..."
But the Third Kazekage had no interest in listening to Sasori and Orochimaru banter. He immediately formed hand seals.
"Satetsu Shigure!" (Iron Sand Drizzle)
A large amount of black iron sand was extracted from the ground. Under the Third Kazekage's control, it formed into numerous needle-like projectiles that shot towards Sasori, incredibly dense, like rain during a downpour.
Sasori manipulated the Third Kazekage puppet to position itself in front of him. The puppet's mouth opened, releasing a stream of black iron sand that formed a large shield, blocking the Third Kazekage's attack.
However, due to the wide area of effect of this technique, Deidara, flying in the sky, was also hit. The left wing of his clay bird was shattered, forcing him into an emergency landing.
Elsewhere, Kagaya was about to move with Haku to avoid the Third Kazekage's attack when, unexpectedly, Haku spread his hands.
"Hyōton: Hyōgandōbu!" (Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome)
A wall of ice materialized in front of Kagaya and Haku, blocking the Third Kazekage's attack.
Kagaya looked at Haku in surprise.
Haku smiled faintly. "I... I'm working hard too. I will be of help to you, Kagaya."
Kagaya said nothing but smile at him.
Back with Sasori, the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand Drizzle changed its angle of attack, no longer coming from the front but instead falling from above Sasori—an angle his shield couldn't protect against.
Orochimaru grinned.
"If sand gets into the puppet, it won't be able to move, right?"
Sasori retreated while speaking with clear annoyance.
"I don't need you explaining puppets to me!"
After stopping, Sasori controlled the Third Kazekage puppet to extend a rapidly rotating tool, slashing towards the Third Kazekage.
But the Third Kazekage leaped high into the air, evading the attack.
However, countless arms instantly emerged from Sasori's puppet, rapidly reaching the Third Kazekage mid-air and mercilessly delivering a barrage of blows.
The body formed by the Impure World Reincarnation was directly shattered into fragments by the brutal assault.
Sasori retracted the puppet to his side and spoke triumphantly.
"I can hide many things inside my puppet. You're next."
Orochimaru's smile didn't waver in the slightest.
"It's not over yet."
As he finished speaking, the fragments shattered by Sasori began to gather, starting to reform into the Third Kazekage.
"What?!"
Sasori, witnessing the Impure World Reincarnation for the first time, appeared utterly shocked.
Orochimaru spoke with intoxicated delight. "This is also a form of eternal life. He cannot die! Although he is already dead."
Sasori refused to believe it and controlled his puppet to attack again.
"How can he not die!"
The iron sand formed into a sharp cone shape, thrusting towards the Third Kazekage.
The attack struck the Third Kazekage squarely, but soon, white mist rose, and the injury was repaired. The Third Kazekage then took control of the very iron sand Sasori had used to attack him and retaliated against Sasori with an identical attack.
Sasori used his iron sand to form a shield, blocking the attack once again.
At that moment, numerous small spiders suddenly fell from the sky, landing around the Third Kazekage.
Immediately after, Deidara, having regained his ability to fly, raised two fingers.
"Katsu!"
"Boom!"
A massive explosion erupted. Deidara had made his move. Attacking him while he was merely observing from the sidelines came with a price!
Deidara crowed triumphantly.
"How's my art?"
Orochimaru smiled without answering.
A few seconds later, the Third Kazekage revived once more.
Deidra asked, puzzled.
"Why isn't he dead?"
Orochimaru smiled.
"After you die, I will revive you all just like this. As long as—"
Here, Orochimaru looked at Kagaya.
"—as long as Kagaya-kun doesn't intervene."
In Orochimaru's view, as long as Kagaya didn't intervene, he could use this Impure World Reincarnation to kill Sasori and Deidara.
The iron sand around the Third Kazekage began to coalesce.
"Although, the body I desire most is actually Itachi's."
Deidra flew down next to Sasori and asked,
"Old man, does that guy have any weakness?"
Sasori spoke with a helpless expression.
"Revival isn't the Third's ability."
As he spoke, the iron sand around the Third Kazekage puppet behind Sasori also began to gather.
Deidara flew off in frustration and landed next to Kagaya. "Hey, you guy, are you just going to watch?"
Kagaya pointed at Sasori.
"He told me not to intervene."
*****
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