Hagoromo's words were layered with absurdity. His tone sounded less like a ninja in a life-or-death struggle and more like an old rogue with some very specific, questionable hobbies.
However, in reality, he was being cautious to the extreme. The moment the words left his mouth, his clone took the rear while his original body began a slow, deliberate march toward Hiruko.
Hagoromo had a vague memory of Hiruko's capabilities. Most of the time, Sasori hid inside this puppet to compensate for a puppeteer's traditional weakness: close-quarters combat. From that perspective, Hiruko was a versatile masterwork—equally deadly at range and up close, with a defense as solid as its offense.
What Hagoromo didn't know was that this puppet was actually a modified human ninja Sasori had killed. It made sense that he and Orochimaru would eventually team up in the Akatsuki; they were both modification-obsessed madmen.
Feigning an air of relaxed confidence, Hagoromo's original body closed the ten-meter gap. But it was the clone in the back that moved first.
Its hands wove signs rapidly—not for an attack, but to release the Summoning Jutsu.
He sent The Splitting Hound back to its realm to end its suffering. The beast's frantic roars hadn't just been from the physical pain of its bones being crushed by the iron tail; it had been poisoned.
Puppeteers and toxins are inseparable. Considering whose grandson Sasori was, his mastery over poison was practiced to the extreme.
Hagoromo knew without looking that Hiruko's tail was coated in something lethal. While a human would have dropped dead instantly, the hound's massive size and innate resistance bought it enough time to be de-summoned back to a "Holy Land" like Shikkotsu Forest, where it could enter an auto-recovery state.
But he wasn't done. Poof! As Hiruko's tail slackened and the hound vanished into white smoke, the clone's next set of seals was already finished.
Summoning Jutsu!
The clone bit its thumb, smeared blood across its palm, and slammed it onto the ground. The Yatagarasu erupted into existence.
"On the bird!!"
The team didn't need further instructions. First the dog, now the bird—Hagoromo was providing a full spectrum of transportation services. The three injured ninjas scrambled onto the giant crow's back. With a piercing cry, the Yatagarasu took flight, streaking toward the Land of Fire.
Sasori didn't stop them. He allowed them to leave with an air of utter indifference.
This was largely due to Hagoromo's opening taunt. Information is the most valuable currency to a ninja, and Hagoromo had revealed things that made Sasori curious enough to focus entirely on him.
Firstly, Hagoromo had called out his name. Sasori had almost never appeared in public as Hiruko; this puppet was a brand-new creation.
Secondly, Hagoromo seemed to know Sasori was inside the puppet. At this point in history, no one outside of Sasori himself should have known that. Yet here was this brat, acting as if it were common knowledge.
Sasori's cautious nature wouldn't allow Hagoromo to leave. As for the other three? Irrelevant. He had only attacked the squad because they happened to be behind him. He expected an instant kill; he didn't expect to find a mystery he couldn't solve.
As the hound vanished and the bird rose, Hagoromo's original body made its move.
The seal-less Lightning Style usually caught ninjas off guard. Those who failed to react died instantly. But Sasori was a Kage-level threat; if he could be one-shotted, he wouldn't be a so feared.
The Chidori surprised Sasori, but it didn't disrupt him. The metallic tail, now freed from the hound, whipped around with a vicious crack, aiming for Hagoromo's throat.
Here, Hagoromo's lack of a specialized ocular trait became apparent. His dynamic vision was excellent, but he lacked the precognitive edge of the Sharingan. Against a standard ninja, he could charge recklessly at max speed.
Against Sasori, he had to trade speed for agility. If he moved too fast to dodge and the tail so much as grazed his skin, the game was over.
Furthermore, while Lightning Style paralyzes flesh, it does nothing to wood and metal. Does Hiruko have insulation? Hagoromo didn't know, but he did know the tail was made of metal.
"BOOM!"
Hagoromo ducked. The tail whistled over him and slammed into the ground. At this range, he could clearly see the purple, viscous poison seeping from the silver segments of the tail.
He kicked off his right leg, darting further to the right.
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Hiruko's mechanical jaw unhinged, its gaze tracking Hagoromo's movement.
Hiruko: Heavy Thousand Needles!
A dense storm of poisoned needles erupted from the puppet's mouth. Fearful of the toxin, Hagoromo dodged like a frantic monkey, never staying in one spot for more than half a second.
But he wasn't just running. He was leading Hiruko to face him head-on, purposely leaving his back exposed to the clone.
Hiruko didn't have eyes in the back of its head. Sasori wasn't being careless; he simply didn't view a single Shadow Clone as a threat—especially one he thought was busy evacuating teammates.
He was wrong. Hagoromo's efficiency was terrifying. The moment Sasori turned to face the original, the clone had already finished its third set of seals.
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
A direct hit! A wall of scorching flame engulfed Hiruko instantly.
Hagoromo didn't expect a single Fire Style to end the fight. He didn't know if Hiruko was insulated, but now he knew it had a certain degree of fire resistance. After releasing the flames, the clone didn't press the attack; it backed away instantly.
As the fire roared, Sasori counter-attacked. The silver tail lunged out of the flames like a snake, striking at the retreating clone! It was fast and lethal.
But even a mechanical tail has a maximum extension. It reached its limit just inches from the clone's chest. For a split second, it hung there, fully extended, before it could be retracted.
That was the moment Hagoromo was waiting for.
The original body lunged. A Chidori Sharp Spear swung down like a guillotine.
The tail of Hiruko was severed clean in two.
Hagoromo had prioritized the tail; that poisoned whip was far too dangerous to leave intact.
Why did he dare stay behind to face Sasori? On paper, the power gap was clear—Sasori was vastly superior.
But as Hagoromo looked at the mechanical wreck before him, a thought occurred to him: Wait... my entire combat style is actually a hard counter to puppeteers, isn't it?
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