Kakuzu cast a dismissive glance at Juugo's lifeless body, then casually rolled his neck.
"This heart looks quite impressive. It might actually be a good one."
He looked down at the heart still pulsing with life in his hand, a bloodthirsty smile creeping across his face.
Without wasting another moment.
Kakuzu stored the still-active heart into a prepared scroll.
With that done, he turned his gaze toward the direction where Sasori and Guren were fighting.
"I've already finished on my end. How much longer do you need?"
"Want me to give you a hand?"
His languid voice carried across to both Guren and Sasori.
Hearing this, Guren snapped back to reality, her expression twisting with extreme gravity.
"Damn it!"
Seeing Juugo dead, a curse escaped Guren's lips.
She had come to Otogakure for one purpose — to bring Juugo back.
And now Juugo was clearly dead, which meant her mission had ended in failure.
More pressingly, the question was how she would escape from here.
The strength of both opponents before her had far exceeded her expectations.
Guren knew full well that Juugo's raw power was formidable. In his hardened state, his body became a weapon — bristling with offensive capability and tremendous defense. Killing him should have required considerable effort.
Yet Kakuzu had managed to slay Juugo in such a short time. His power was undeniable.
CRACK!
With a crisp sound.
The Third Kazekage puppet shattered free from its crystal bindings.
"I suppose it's time to end this."
Sasori murmured softly to himself. With a sharp pull on the chakra threads controlling the puppet, he yanked it back to his side.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wings!
A massive quantity of iron sand materialized behind the Third Kazekage puppet, compressing into high-density formations at its shoulders. Two wings of iron sand took shape.
With a powerful beat of those wings, the Third Kazekage puppet soared into the air, hovering directly above Guren.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!
The iron sand rapidly gathered together, forming what looked like a dark cloud. Then it shaped into countless long, needle-like iron sand projectiles that rained down from the sky.
Like a downpour of steel, they blotted out the sun as they descended upon Guren!
Guren's face was etched with absolute focus. Her hands flew through hand seals at breakneck speed.
Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Hexagonal Pillar!
With a tremendous rumble, several massive hexagonal crystal pillars erupted from the ground.
But Guren didn't stop there. Even as the pillars rose, her hands were already forming more seals.
Crystal Release: Crystal Dragon-Destroying Jutsu!
A dragon formed entirely of crystal roared to life, surging upward to meet the cascading iron sand.
The iron sand needles slammed into the crystalline dragon first, producing sharp, violent collisions that echoed across the battlefield.
The crystal dragon held for only a moment before shattering under the relentless assault, dissolving into nothing in midair.
But that brief window of respite was all Guren needed to complete her next technique.
Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Mirror!
A colossal mirror made entirely of crystal rose from the earth, positioning itself directly in front of Guren.
The rapid succession of jutsu had left her chakra reserves depleted, and a wave of weakness washed over her. But at the same time, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
BOOM!
The next instant, the sky-full of iron sand needles crashed down with earth-shattering force.
Dust and debris exploded in every direction, rocks and soil flying wildly.
At the sight of this, Sasori guided the Third Kazekage puppet back down from the sky to his side.
"Is it finished?"
By now, Kakuzu had also rejoined Sasori. He stared at the distant crater still shrouded in dust, speaking in a flat, unimpressed tone.
As he spoke.
Kakuzu casually formed a single hand seal and unleashed a Wind Release jutsu, blowing a powerful gust of wind toward the dust-covered crater.
The blast of wind swept the dust away in an instant, revealing the scene beneath.
All that met their eyes were countless craters gouged into the earth by the iron sand, and a landscape fractured beyond recognition.
At the very center lay the shattered remains of crystal pillars, surrounded by crystalline debris scattered across the ground.
But there was no sign of Guren anywhere.
"She escaped?"
"To think Orochimaru had a ninja of this caliber under his command."
Kakuzu paused, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his face.
That she had managed to escape from such a dense, overwhelming barrage of attacks was truly unexpected.
A knowing smile spread across Kakuzu's lips as he turned to look at Sasori, curious to see the puppeteer's reaction.
But Sasori's expression betrayed nothing.
"Interesting."
Sasori's tone remained as flat as ever. He seemed entirely unfazed by Guren's escape.
Without another word, he retracted the Third Kazekage puppet and turned to walk forward.
"After destroying Otogakure, we still need to annihilate the Land of Rice. We don't have much time to waste."
He spoke these words to Kakuzu as he walked, never looking back.
"How tedious." Kakuzu rolled his neck again, a note of irritation in his voice.
Their mission in the Land of Rice had two objectives. The first was the destruction of Otogakure.
The second was the complete annihilation of the entire Land of Rice itself.
And at this very moment.
Besides the Land of Rice, which had been aiding Konoha, the forces of Iwagakure had launched their assault.
Meanwhile, the Land of Hot Water — another ally of Konoha — had come under attack from Kirigakure.
A chain of explosive tags detonated in rapid succession, destroying the vast majority of the Land of Hot Water's famous hot springs.
Churning water surged outward in every direction.
The torrents quickly formed into various Water Release ninjutsu, crashing down upon the defending ninja of the Land of Hot Water.
"Thunder Funeral: Feast of Lightning!"
Ringo Ameyuri drove both blades of her Lightning Blade: Kiba into the wet earth below.
Bolts of crackling blue lightning raced across the water-soaked ground, surging forward at terrifying speed.
Screams of agony erupted one after another.
A dull thud echoed from the distance as the body of a Hidden Hot Spring Village ninja was slammed into the ground.
Blood poured from his mouth, and his chest had caved in completely. He was beyond saving.
Hozuki Suigetsu flashed into view before another Tsubagakure ninja, letting out a light laugh.
"That attack just now — that was yours, wasn't it?"
Suigetsu glanced at the sword wound on his shoulder, his expression one of clear annoyance.
The Tsubagakure ninja had no intention of answering. His long blade flashed toward Suigetsu in a deadly arc.
The blade gleamed with a cold, killing light. It was absurdly fast, carving a trail of afterimages through the air.
In an instant, the blade connected with Suigetsu's body.
But to the Tsubagakure ninja's shock, no blood sprayed from the wound. Instead, Suigetsu's body dissolved into a stream of water.
Hydrification Technique!
Suigetsu's entire body liquefied. Riding the surrounding water currents, he reappeared behind the Tsubagakure ninja in the blink of an eye.
"Die!"
Suigetsu raised the blunt end of Kubikiribocho and brought it crashing down toward the ninja's skull.
"Your speed is pathetic. Is this really the best the Seven Ninja Swordsmen can offer?"
The Tsubagakure ninja spun around just in time, parrying Suigetsu's strike with his own blade as he scoffed.
"Your skills are actually quite impressive."
"But you should never have tried to block my attack with a weapon."
Seeing his opponent deflect the blow with apparent ease, a smile instead crept onto Suigetsu's lips.
[
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