Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Another upgrade?
Sasori and Ringo Ameyuri sprang into action, prompting everyone else to prepare for battle as well.
"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!" As the Mist ninjas surged forward, Sasori—true to his earlier boasts—unleashed his unique technique, determined to face the elite warriors of the Mist Village on his own.
"What is this? A puppet technique? They look like real people!" muttered Zabuza, slicing through several puppets with his executioner's blade. Blood dripped from the puppets, revealing not only muscles and tissue but also metal mechanisms and skeletal braces within.
"Are these puppets crafted with the Dead Bone Pulse? But how can he control so many?" Ao observed, activating his Byakugan to inspect the chakra threads connecting the Sasori to his puppets, trying to find a way to interfere with his technique.
"Hmph, no matter what they are, let's cut them down!" Ringo Ameyuri shouted. Electric currents surged over her body as she disappeared in a flash, darting among the puppets with high speed, her figure enmeshed in lightning as she clashed with them.
Sasori felt little concern for the close-range fighting style of someone like Ringo—his puppets were laced with various poisons. However, Mangetsu's ability to liquefy his body posed a real problem, as he was nearly immune to poison. Furthermore, his twin blades could store and release chakra, making him especially dangerous in group combat.
While Sasori focused his attention on Mangetsu, he failed to notice Terumi Mei, whom he had dismissed as insignificant compared to the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen and members of the esteemed Hozuki clan. He thought she was just a nobody.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Jutsu!" she called out, unleashing an acidic mist that quickly eroded most of the Sasori's hundred puppets.
"Curse it all!" Sasori's eyes filled with rage—these puppets were a decade's worth of painstaking collection! Enraged, he prepared to summon his trump card, the puppet from the corpse of the Third Kazekage.
Watching from the sidelines, Shin placed a hand on the Sasori's shoulder. "Allow me."
Despite the recent upgrades to Sasori's puppets, they were merely enhanced versions of their original forms. Even if he gave his all, he might only eliminate a few Kiri ninjas before needing to flee—and even then, his chances of escape were slim.
Sasori let out a frustrated huff, knowing that even with the Kazekage puppet, he had little chance against this formidable group. Their collective strength was overwhelming; even the actual Third Kazekage himself might struggle against them.
"Who are you? Have you come to die as well?" Ringo Ameyuri sneered, baring her sharp teeth.
Shin grinned at her, his expression relaxed. Both Ringo Ameyuri and Mangetsu Hozuki had died young of mysterious illnesses—he suspected the Mizukage silenced them.
Illnesses rarely plagued ninjas; medical ninjutsu could cure almost anything apart from genetic blood diseases.
Shin was glad to see the group—their unique bloodlines, the famous Lightning Sword and Executioner's Blade, and Ao's Byakugan all piqued his interest.
"I'm Shin," he replied casually. "Perhaps you haven't heard of me, but I go by the name 'Kurogami.'"
His words caused a visible reaction—Zabuza Momochi and Terumi Mei's eyes widened in recognition.
Then, as Shin finished speaking, he struck.
"Universal Pull - Primal Void!"
A massive gravitational force erupted, pulling all the enemy ninjas toward him. The force, a combination of the Rinnegan's Universal Pull and his Dark-Dark Fruit ability, not only heightened the attraction force but also drained chakra from them as they approached. Within moments, they felt as though their chakra were being siphoned away.
Ao, the weakest of the group, was the first to falter. His transplanted Byakugan added to his chakra consumption, and he was soon pulled into Shini's grasp, vanishing into a dark void.
"Ao!" Terumi Mei cried out. Ao might not have been her official deputy, as he would be years later, but they were close comrades.
However, her shout was all she could manage. As Shin's pull intensified, the ninjas were drawn in individually, unable to break free. Even as they attempted to strike back, the attractive force warped their attacks, rendering them ineffective. In a minute, the elite squad of Hidden Mist Village found themselves absorbed into Shin's dark dimension.
"All done." Shin dusted off his hands, smiling.
Sasori looked on in awe and envy. Witnessing Shin easily eliminate such a powerful group made his earlier fight feel insignificant by comparison.
"Is this the power of dark release? I've really underestimated him. He's on another level. In comparison, my puppets are weak."
Feeling a sudden loss of motivation, Sasori even questioned the value of his prized Third Kazekage puppet.
"No…there's still a chance," he thought, a strange resolve forming. "After all, Shin is just a regular human. He can't escape the fate of aging and death. Maybe I can't make him a puppet now, but one day…one day, he'll grow old."
Unbeknownst to him, Shin had already achieved longevity. He could live for centuries, even millennia. If Sasori planned to outlast him, he'd find himself waiting a very long.
Unaware of the Sasori's musings, Shin was more focused on his latest haul. He gestured, and the captured ninjas, now utterly depleted of chakra, were expelled from his dark dimension, sprawled helplessly on the ground.
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