"How exactly did you dodge Hiruko's poison needles?"
Sasori asked with genuine curiosity, his expression so serious it was as if he were discussing an academic thesis rather than a life-or-death battle. From his perspective, the fire from Hiruko's mouth was an area-of-effect attack; Hagoromo, caught mid-air and off-balance, should have been turned into a mummified pincushion.
Yet, Hagoromo stood there, completely unscathed. He hadn't dodged in the traditional sense; he had simply rendered the attack irrelevant.
"Take a guess?" Hagoromo replied.
He didn't put absolute faith in "Absolute Defense"—in the world of Naruto, even absurd moves like Almighty Push could be torn apart by raw power.
But against small, metallic projectiles? His Magnetic Field was the ultimate counter. A flick of his will was enough to negate the momentum of thousands of needles.
Of course, this "cheat" was restricted to his original body. His Shadow Clones, being constructs of chakra based on the A-rank ninjutsu, couldn't channel his esper abilities.
If they could, Hagoromo wouldn't bother learning ninjutsu at all. He would just spam thousands of clones and create a forbidden Jutsu to electrocute the entire planet. He'd be winning fights before the enemy even finished their monologue.
The destruction of Hiruko in a single exchange was a surprise to Sasori, but not a shock. It simply meant the ninja before him was stronger than his initial estimate. And while Hiruko looked like non-recyclable trash right now, it was still within the realm of repair.
"You knew my identity before we even traded blows. I doubt you'll tell me why," Sasori said, walking away from the wreckage. His voice had lost its earlier arrogance; he sounded almost... shy? "Leaf ninja, you may state your name. You might become a part of my collection soon. Out of respect for the original, I'll allow you to name your puppet form."
Sasori was cautious. He knew puppeteers were vulnerable in close combat. Having seen Hagoromo's explosive speed, he maintained a significant distance between them.
This vulnerability was likely the deep-seated psychological reason why he would eventually turn himself into a puppet—to eliminate the weakness of the flesh.
Hagoromo wasn't stingy with a name. "Hidden Leaf chunin, Uzumaki Kushina's... disciple, Hagoromo Kamishiro."
Sasori's hand, reaching for a scroll, twitched. Why the long pause? Just say your name.
He pulled out a scroll labeled with the kanji for "Red," then hesitated and tucked it back. As a self-proclaimed artist and perfectionist, he wouldn't use his masterpiece—the Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets—until he had actually reached one hundred puppets and completed his own transformation.
Instead, he pulled out a scroll marked with the number "Three."
"As a puppeteer, I have a masterpiece. You should feel honored; you are the first to see it."
Hagoromo's vision was sharp. The moment he saw that "Three," he knew exactly what was coming. He felt zero honor.
The seal broke, and a puppet with messy blue hair and yellow eyes emerged. It was the strongest "extra" in the history of the show: The Third Kazekage.
"This puppet is nearly finished," Sasori remarked as the joints began to clatter. "The only thing lacking is a poison strong enough to match its status."
"Is it really okay to tell me that?" Hagoromo asked, going on high alert. He wasn't stupid enough to believe Sasori's "incomplete" claim.
Sasori wasn't showing off because he respected Hagoromo; he was like a child with a new toy, desperate to test it out on a live target. With a flick of his fingers, invisible chakra threads jerked the Third Kazekage forward.
Hagoromo's response? He turned tail and ran.
The chase moved out of the Land of Rain and back into the Land of Fire. Hagoromo didn't sprint at full speed; he kept just enough distance to lure Sasori deeper into his own territory.
"Close enough," Hagoromo thought.
He leaped high into the canopy, spinning in mid-air to face his pursuer. He held his hand to his temple—index and middle fingers extended, thumb pressing down the others—at a sixty-degree angle.
In a different world, this would be the setup for a Solar Flare. Here, it was much more lethal.
Silence.
Then, a brilliant, focused lance of lightning erupted from his forehead. Not at the puppet, but directly at Sasori.
This was Hagoromo's fastest attack. Not a strike, but a laser. In the physical world, electricity travels at the speed of light.
Lightning Spear!
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