Shikamaru was hoping for Kakashi's support, but that was not going to happen anytime soon.
Because right now, Kakashi was being held up.
And the one holding him up was none other than Kakuzu.
Kakuzu, however, was irritable.
Extremely irritable.
He had lived more than ninety years.
He had been through countless battles and faced countless opponents.
But a situation as stifling and humiliating as today was rare even for him.
"Raiton: Raikiri (Lightning Blade)!"
A streak of silver lightning screamed in from the left, accompanied by the shrill chorus of a thousand birds.
Kakuzu leaned back and barely avoided it.
Even so, the lightning still skimmed his cheek.
A charred line was left behind.
Before he could steady himself…
"Konoha Dai Senpū (Leaf Great Whirlwind)!"
A green figure shot in from the right.
A sweeping kick cut across the air, the pressure hitting like a solid wall!
Kakuzu dropped low and rolled away.
He escaped the blow in an ugly scramble.
He rose and fixed his eyes on the two men in front of him.
One: silver hair covering an eye, posture lazy, but his strikes were fast as lightning.
One: a green jumpsuit, thick brows and wide eyes, taijutsu so fierce it felt unreasonable.
Copy Ninja Kakashi.
And Might Guy, the Blue Beast of Konoha.
Kakuzu's mouth twitched.
In a one-on-one, he feared neither of them.
He had five hearts, five lives, and five chakra natures.
If it came down to it, he could outlast either man.
But with both of them together…
It was a completely different story.
Kakashi's Raikiri was practically made to counter his Jiongu (Earth Grudge Fear) tendrils.
Every strike was aimed with surgical precision at the locations of his hearts.
And Guy's taijutsu was even more of a headache.
That man's speed was terrifying.
One kick came in and it was hard to even read it, let alone block it.
Then there was the strange steam rolling off his body.
Troublesome.
"Huff… huff…"
Kakuzu panted, and two tendrils at his chest hung limp…
Severed by Kakashi.
Two of his hearts were already gone.
If this kept up…
His eyes flickered as he began seriously considering retreat.
But Kakashi and Guy clearly had no intention of giving him that chance.
The two exchanged a look, their timing perfectly in sync.
"Raiton: Raikiri (Lightning Blade)!"
"Konoha Dai Senpū (Leaf Great Whirlwind)!"
Silver light and green motion interwove again, swallowing Kakuzu whole.
…
Compared to Kakuzu's frustration, Deidara's situation was even worse.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
He hurled clay bombs at the sky in a frenzy.
But those bombs could not fly far at all.
That damned "no-fly" Domain was still there, pressing down on everything above.
Forget taking to the air and bombing from above.
And what made him truly despair was…
Sand.
Sand everywhere.
Gaara hovered in midair, standing on a drifting mass of sand.
Behind him loomed an enormous sand sphere like a second moon.
His gaze was cold as he looked down at the blond young man hopping and scrambling below.
Like he was watching an ant struggle for nothing.
"Saton: Suna no Te (Sand Hand)."
He lifted a hand slightly.
The sand on the ground surged up, forming a massive palm that grabbed for Deidara.
"Damn it!"
Deidara rolled away in a mess.
But in the next instant, the sand re-formed and lunged again.
Deidara whipped his arm and threw several bombs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The blasts scattered the sand hand.
But the grains immediately gathered, reassembling into shape and reaching for him again.
It would not end.
Deidara panted, drenched in sweat.
His art, his explosions, they were useless against that defense.
No matter how much he blew apart, it just reformed.
And that damned Kazekage could still fly.
Deidara could not even catch him.
"Hey! If you've got the guts, come down and fight me!"
He screamed up at the sky.
Gaara looked at him without expression and could not even be bothered to answer.
He simply raised his hand again.
More sand flooded in.
Deidara's face finally changed completely.
…
Compared to the brutal clashes on the other two battlefields, the two puppeteers were locked in a silent standoff.
Chiyo stood atop the rubble, her aged body held straight as a spear.
Those cloudy eyes of hers were fixed on the figure hidden inside Hiruko.
Her grip on her cane tightened until it creaked.
Sasori stayed silent.
He did not move, as still as a statue.
But the eyes visible through the puppet's seams never stopped watching Chiyo.
Watching the grandmother who had once loved him most.
"Old woman…"
He spoke softly, voice hoarse and complicated.
Chiyo's body trembled slightly.
But she did not reply.
She only lifted her hand, and chakra threads extended soundlessly from all ten fingers.
"Sakura."
Her voice was rough but steady.
"Stay behind me. His poison is lethal. Don't let it touch you."
Sakura nodded nervously.
Kankuro stood to the side, a hand pressed to a puppet scroll.
His eyes were locked on Sasori's every movement.
His heart was pounding fast…
Not from fear.
From excitement.
This was the legendary Sasori of the Red Sand.
"Kankuro."
Sasori's gaze suddenly shifted to him.
Kankuro stiffened.
"Don't even bother bringing out those trash puppets of yours."
Contempt dripped from Sasori's voice.
"You're embarrassing yourself."
Kankuro's face flushed bright red.
He wanted to retort, but his throat felt clogged shut.
Chiyo spoke coldly.
"Sasori, your mouth still stinks."
Sasori did not respond.
Hiruko's tail only swayed slightly.
The air tightened, heavy with the pressure of an oncoming storm.
But Chiyo knew in her heart…
She might not lose this fight.
Not because she was stronger than Sasori.
But because…
Sasori's heart was not hard enough.
She had watched this child grow up with her own eyes.
She understood better than anyone…
What kind of fragility he hid inside.
When his parents died, he cried until he could barely breathe.
When he defected, he could not even turn his head back.
Now…
Chiyo stared at the eyes peering through the puppet's seams.
A bitter smile slowly lifted at the corner of her mouth.
Child, do you really hate me?
Do you really… have it in you to strike me down?
She did not ask it out loud.
She only flexed her fingers, tightening the chakra threads.
At the same time, Sasori's eyes narrowed.
The Third Kazekage puppet slowly rose from the scroll…
…
On a rooftop somewhere in the distance, Teizawa withdrew his gaze, the curve of his mouth deepening.
Three battlefields were now in motion.
On Kakuzu's side, with Kakashi and Guy working together, Kakuzu would not be able to stir up much trouble.
On Deidara's side, the flight ban plus Gaara's absolute defense had him pinned down completely.
As for Chiyo and Sasori…
Teizawa looked in that direction, his gaze deep.
Even if Kankuro could only play a supporting role, with Chiyo's understanding of her own grandson…
The outcome would not differ much from the original story.
Because Sasori's heart was never hard enough.
Teizawa turned around.
That way lay Sarutobi Asuma's battlefield.
His opponent was Hidan.
That unkillable madman.
A cold curve lifted at Teizawa's mouth.
In the original plot, Asuma died to Hidan.
For some reason, Teizawa thought of Kurenai, the woman whose virginity he had already taken.
He let out a quiet, humorless laugh and muttered to himself, "Maybe… I'll just let Asuma die."
After all, Teizawa had felt Asuma's hostility from the start.
His ending was already decided.
As for Hidan…
Teizawa had plenty of ways to deal with him.
Cannot be killed?
Then he would make him unable to move.
Forever.
(End of Chapter)
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