Chapter 38: The Puppet's Gambit
However!
"Heh, you've been tricked!" the dark-skinned Omoi suddenly smirked, a sly look on his face.
The two Cloud ninjas vanished from in front of Hiruko in an instant, reappearing directly behind it. Their blades swung in a deadly pincer movement from left and right. "Cloud Style: Severing Slash!"
Compared to the front, the puppet's rear defense was far more lax. They were confident of success.
CLANG!
But reality doused their enthusiasm with cold water. The joy on their faces froze solid as their blades met the unyielding tail sting, which had twisted around with impossible speed to block both attacks.
"How is this possible?!" they gasped in shock, leaping back. "Our attack was aimed precisely at the weak joint of the tail sting! Why didn't it break?"
"You didn't honestly believe I would leave such weaknesses unaddressed, did you?" the Scarlet Sand Scorpion's voice rasped, tinged with dark amusement.
As a master puppeteer, he knew a puppet's vulnerabilities better than anyone. After acquiring the Chakra Metal from Uchiha Naoki and confirming its extreme hardness, he had immediately reinforced all of Hiruko's weak points with a layer of the material. The frequently used tail sting had received the most significant upgrade.
Though the sneak attack failed, they are Jonin after all. Their combination technique is truly impressive, Uchiha Naoki thought, watching from the sidelines. Using feinting swordplay to surprise Hiruko from the rear... If Brother Sasori hadn't upgraded Hiruko's components, that blow would have caused serious damage. On this point, their coordinated strength could indeed rival Zabuza's, even if it would cost them.
However, if Brother Sasori intends to use this opening to seriously injure them, it might be difficult, Naoki analyzed. Because Yugito will surely intervene.
Indeed, as he predicted, Yugito, who had just landed, immediately acted to disrupt the assault. "Lightning Style: Flash Pillar!"
The dazzling light once again forced Hiruko to break off its offensive and retreat rapidly to avoid being surrounded.
"Trying to escape? Hmph, I won't give you the chance!" Unaffected by her own glare, Yugito transformed into a bolt of lightning and closed the distance behind Hiruko, her blade swinging down. "Cloud Style: Thunder Fall Slash!"
CLANG!
The sharp sword met the sturdy tail sting in a shower of sparks. But amidst the clash, two Shadow Clones of Yugito materialized on either side of the Scarlet Sand Scorpion, shouting in unison as they launched a pincer attack. "Cloud Slash!"
It was an unavoidable blow. Hiruko's main body was entangled with the real Yugito, and its retreat was cut off by her clones. A direct confrontation was its only option.
"Very good," the Scarlet Sand Scorpion praised, his tone unnervingly calm. "Aside from Naoki, you are the only one who has forced me to use more of my abilities. I acknowledge you."
As he spoke, Hiruko's arms rose. They then bloomed open like sinister flowers, revealing dense arrays of sealing formulas inside. With a series of sharp shunks, a dense wave of segmented puppet arms, each tipped with multiple blades, erupted forth, rushing toward Yugito's two Shadow Clones like a tidal wave.
It was a technique that belonged to the Third Kazekage's puppet in another timeline, now bestowed upon Hiruko: Thousand-Arms Murderous Dance!
SHINK! SHINK!
The blades of Yugito's clones were lethally sharp, shearing through many of the incoming arms. Unabated, they continued their charge toward Hiruko's core.
"Now... let's see what else you can do!" Yugito couldn't help a triumphant smile. It seemed reasonable to her that the combined might of three Jonin would push the legendary Scorpion into a corner. Once this puppet was seriously damaged, the puppeteer himself, notoriously weak in close combat, would be easy prey.
"Really? Are you celebrating too soon?" Hiruko's low voice intoned. The puppet's two main arms snapped open again, erupting with condensed chakra. "Machine Light Sealing Shield!"
BOOM!
The swords of Yugito's clones struck the shimmering shield but could not pierce it. Yugito's expression shifted drastically, and she and her clones hurriedly retreated.
"Run? Did you ask for my permission?" Seeing this, Hiruko's tail sting shot out in pursuit. The puppet's arms continued to open, unleashing a dense storm of kunai from the exposed sealing formulas.
But Yugito suddenly dispelled her Shadow Clones and smiled, the expression of one whose plot has succeeded. "Heh, you're the one who's been tricked this time!"
The moment she finished speaking, from within the smoke of the dispersed clones, Omoi and Karui burst forth at high speed, their blades swinging from left and right. "Cloud Slash!"
Hiruko's full attention was on Yugito. Faced with this sudden, coordinated assault from the flanks, it seemed impossible to avoid. Yugito was certain that even if this blow didn't destroy the puppet completely, it would cripple it severely.
Then, once backup arrived and they dealt with the Scorpion's accomplice, the three of them could focus their assault and shatter the puppet entirely. And a puppeteer without his puppet was no threat at all.
"Go to hell!" Karui and Omoi shouted, putting all their strength into the fierce strike.
CRUNCH!
Hiruko's body was mercilessly torn apart. But immediately, a cloud of virulent green poison mist exploded outwards.
"Damn it!" Omoi and Karui cried out, recognizing their fatal error too late. They recoiled backwards, but already felt a wave of dizziness, stumbling unsteadily upon landing. They were undoubtedly poisoned.
"Marvelous," Uchiha Naoki, observing the battle, couldn't help but admire the scene. "Their coordination is truly excellent. Especially this Yugito; as expected of the captain. She guided her teammates to launch the decisive blow at the perfect moment, and even managed to catch Brother Sasori off guard."
Destroying Hiruko through combined effort was already a significant achievement. Hiruko itself operated at the level of an Elite Jonin. Enhanced with poison, it posed a tangible threat to Kage-level opponents. For these three to accomplish this against a Scarlet Sand Scorpion who wasn't holding back was a testament to their skill.
Of course, this was to be expected. Three coordinated Jonin shouldn't be weak, and these three clearly knew how to work together.
"But..." Naoki's gaze shifted from the clearly ruined, inoperable Hiruko to the figure of the Scarlet Sand Scorpion, who had now emerged from his puppet shell. "...the battle is practically over."
Hiruko was the weakest of the Scarlet Sand Scorpion's arsenals. Freed from it, his other two primary methods were both solidly at the Kage level. Whichever one he used now, he could easily suppress these three.
Especially since two of them were already poisoned.