Naruto:Suna Shinobi

The fight had reached a stalemate.

Sasori's Black Ant puppet was impressive, but Little Boy had the advantage in speed and maneuverability.

It was a battle of technique vs. innovation, and for now, neither side had gained the upper hand.

But Hiriito wasn't done yet.

He stepped forward, manipulating Fatty to take heavy, deliberate steps toward Sasori.

Then—without hesitation—he activated the puppet's hidden weapon system.

A row of hidden compartments on Fatty's shoulders popped open, revealing poisoned senbon launchers.

The poisonous needles shot straight at Sasori.

Sasori reacted instantly, flicking his hand.

The Salamander puppet jumped in front of him, deploying its protective shield.

The senbon bounced harmlessly off the metal plating.

Hiriito expected this.

He wasn't trying to hit Sasori—he just wanted to force him to defend.

With Salamander occupied, Sasori couldn't fully focus on Black Ant, giving Little Boy the chance to go on the offensive.

Hiriito smirked.

"Now…"

"Black Secret Technique: Air Fist!"

The compressed air valve in Fatty's left arm released, converting stored high-pressure air into raw mechanical energy.

BOOM!

The pneumatic punch smashed into Black Ant's six arms, shattering them on impact.

The puppet crashed into the wall, breaking apart.

Sasori's heart sank.

Even with upgraded materials, Black Ant can't withstand that level of force…

He gritted his teeth and switched tactics.

Rather than continuing head-on, he redirected Black Ant toward Little Boy while retreating to keep his distance.

He kept Salamander between himself and Fatty—exploiting Fatty's only real weakness: speed.

Fatty was strong and sturdy, but it wasn't fast enough to close the gap easily.

Sasori smirked.

"I noticed something during our last mission," he called out.

"You only use your pneumatic fist after a certain period. That means it must consume a lot of chakra."

"If I just keep you moving, you'll run out of chakra before I do."

Hiriito laughed.

"You can try," he said.

"Let's see what runs out first—my chakra or your puppet."

Sasori thought he had figured out the flaw in Hiriito's design.

But he was wrong.

The biggest limitation of the pneumatic fist wasn't chakra—it was hardware.

The air pump had a set compression speed, and the cylinders could only withstand so much pressure before breaking down.

Hiriito couldn't overuse the technique because it would damage Fatty, not because of chakra drain.

Still, he let Sasori believe his theory.

Then—he switched tactics.

"Black Secret Technique: Extension Maneuver."

Fatty's armor split apart, its modular components reconfiguring in mid-air before snapping back together—but this time, the weight was reduced.

Without Hiriito inside, Fatty was significantly lighter—and faster.

The pneumatic fist charged again.

BOOM!

The punch slammed into Salamander's shield, denting it deeply.

Sasori barely managed to dodge the follow-up volley of kunai and senbon.

Meanwhile, Black Ant was barely holding itself together—two of its six arms had been severed.

Sasori made a split-second decision.

He pulled Black Ant back, sacrificing two more arms in the process.

Then—he activated its last resort feature.

A mechanical click echoed as Black Ant detached the remaining limbs.

Its abdomen opened, revealing thin metallic tubes.

Hiriito recognized the mechanism immediately.

Oh no—!

He didn't wait.

Using chakra threads, he yanked Little Boy back as fast as possible.

The tubes hissed.

A cloud of thick green gas erupted from Black Ant's core.

The poison spread quickly, filling the air within seconds.

Hiriito was ready.

He activated a hidden feature in Little Boy's mechanical arm—a small fan mechanism.

At the same time, he formed hand seals.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A powerful gust of wind surged forward, blowing the poison cloud back toward Sasori.

Sasori's eyes widened.

He barely had time to react before the toxin surrounded him.

Even though he hid behind Salamander, he still inhaled some of the poison.

A moment later—

"Cough! Cough, cough—!"

Sasori collapsed, gasping for air, his body shaking uncontrollably.

Hiriito immediately canceled his jutsu, dispersing the last of the toxin with another wind technique.

Sasori was lying on the ground, his face turning blue.

"Oi…" Hiriito sighed, walking over.

"Are you okay?"

Sasori weakly lifted a hand.

"Antidote… it's in my… ninja tool pouch…"

Hiriito quickly retrieved the antidote and poured it into Sasori's mouth.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, Sasori's breathing returned to normal.

Hiriito shook his head.

"Seriously?" he muttered.

"It's just a sparring match—why did you use a lethal toxin?!"

Sasori sighed.

"It's just a nerve toxin," he said, still catching his breath.

"It only causes paralysis and muscle spasms."

Hiriito narrowed his eyes.

"Do you have another antidote?"

Sasori smirked.

"I mixed something into the volatile agent," he admitted.

"Only I know how to detoxify it."

Hiriito froze.

Then—

"You little sh—"

"You two!"

A loud, booming voice interrupted them.

A massive, shirtless figure wearing a gas mask stomped into the training ground.

It was Sayama, one of the puppet corps instructors.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO BRATS DOING?!" he bellowed.

"You think the puppet corps is your personal poison-testing lab?! If this wasn't the puppet unit, you'd be thrown into Anbu prison for murder and threatening the village!"

The giant man held out a massive hand, veins bulging.

"Antidote. NOW."

Hiriito and Sasori exchanged looks.

"…Oops."

End of Chapter