Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

The three men's jaws, which had just been corrected, dislocated again, and this time their eyes even bulged out.

This is insane! Just thinking about it is incredible; it's like Orochimaru summoning the Senju brothers to fight...!

1095. Now, handsome Scorpion is the main character.

"He's out of chakra, let's go!!"

"kill....!"

"No, you guys do it, my legs are too weak..."

After a series of ninjutsu exchanges, the Mist Ninja noticed that the puppets had finally stopped spewing fireballs. They quickly grabbed their weapons and closed in. Everyone knows that fighting a puppeteer requires hand-to-hand combat. However, the continuous barrage of attacks had little effect on Sasori's puppets, even though they were out of mana. Moreover, a group of Mist Ninja who had previously exchanged blows with the puppets were now exhausted, with hundreds of them lying on the ground. Even those who weren't lying on the ground were barely able to stand, and it was impossible for them to continue fighting.

However, the Mist Ninja were numerous and powerful. Although hundreds of them were eliminated, they were only the tip of the iceberg among the Mist Ninja. The remaining Mist Ninja rallied and advanced.

Even if we disregard the fact that Handsome Scorpion isn't a fool, do you think he's only been studying human performance art all these years?

No, that's not true. Handsome Scorpion's combat skills are top-notch. Although the puppet is out of mana, it still has various traps and hidden weapons on its body, plus a big sword in its hand.

So, when a new wave of Mist Ninja fodder charged forward, Sasori, the handsome young man, demonstrated to the world what the pinnacle of puppetry art truly meant. The puppets, equipped with various mechanisms and hidden weapons, unleashed a barrage of poisonous green senbon needles, poison gas, high-pressure water guns, and large firearms at the onrushing Mist Ninja fodder, leaving them unable to dodge and causing them to fall one after another.

Sasori's puppetry skills were truly breathtaking. Watching her underlings fall one after another, the Mizukage was extremely anxious. However, Kisame was blocking her way, leaving her helpless. With two bloodline limits, she was definitely a great mage. Both her Lava Release and Boil Release were very powerful. In fact, the two bloodline limit ninjutsu could complement each other, and their power was comparable to Onoki's map attack.

Unfortunately, her ninjutsu was completely neutralized when it hit Kisame's Samehada sword. Although she had some knowledge of taijutsu, it wasn't her strong suit. For a while, she was entangled with Kisame and couldn't help him at all.

She had experienced the Fourth Shinobi World War, but had never actually been on the battlefield. She had heard of puppeteers as a deadly weapon in group battles, but didn't know much about them. Chiyo had already retired, and she was still a young girl. She had never seen a powerful puppeteer before. Now, Sasori's solo fight against a whole group had completely refreshed her understanding of puppeteers. His various methods were endless and he was really too difficult to deal with. Originally, she thought that although they had a lot of people and were somewhat struggling against the four members of the Akatsuki, the pressure shouldn't be too great. These four were not at the level of ignoring numbers.

Even if Onoki's blond-haired disciple is more threatening with bombs in the air, it won't affect the overall situation. There are tens of thousands of people here. Do you think Onoki's blond-haired disciple can kill tens of thousands of people?

As for the renowned puppeteer Sasori, he's at best on par with Chiyo. Even if you really let him do the work, he wouldn't be able to create a new world. For the sake of peace in the ninja world, at worst, a few more of them will die. She was already mentally prepared for that. And none of the Hidden Mist Village are afraid of death.

But when she learned that Sasori had pulled out thousands of puppeteers, she had a bad feeling. When she saw thousands of puppets spewing fireballs, her worldview went completely shattered. It turned out that Sasori was a much bigger threat than Onoki's disciple who rode a big bird and threw bombs from the sky.

Watching her underlings being either struck by poison senbon or hit by all sorts of hidden weapons, with so many underlings lying on the ground, yet still unable to get close to Sasori, the Mizukage's heart was practically bleeding.

These are all the backbone of their Hidden Mist Village!

"Art is an explosion! Drink!"

"Boom boom boom..."

At this moment, Deidara, who was flying in the sky on a giant bird, also realized what was happening. He originally planned to take the lead in Kirigakure this time. His clay bombs were perfect for large-scale team battles. Throwing a bunch of clay bombs down would kill anyone who hit them.

That was their plan: he would act as the core force to hold back the Mist Ninja, allowing Itachi Uchiha and Kisame to deal with the Three-Tails as soon as possible.

But to everyone's surprise, the scorpion brother, who had always kept a low profile and was so handsome but hid in his strange shell, was actually so awesome that he took on an entire army by himself, turning the original protagonist into a supporting character.

That won't do!

Sasori is too awesome, he might not be able to beat him, but as a great artist, Deidara can't just be a supporting character, right? He should at least be nominated for a supporting role, right?

Seeing how much fun Scorpion was having, he couldn't fall behind for the sake of the art group's reputation...

"Cough cough cough... Damn it, this kid is cheating too much! If he's so tough, he shouldn't be flying in the sky, come down and let's have a one-on-one fight... (#｀皿′)"

After a series of explosions, the Mist Ninja underlings who were far from the bomb blast radius and were not hit by the explosions but were choked by the smoke pointed at Deidara, who was flying in the sky riding a large bird, and sprayed him with smoke.

They've really become famous; these Akatsuki members with double red staffs are all like they're cheating.

Kisame, a rogue ninja from their village, was entangled by the Mizukage, who was carrying one of the seven great swords of Kirigakure. Samehada is a disgusting sword; it's useless at cutting people but is the best at absorbing ninjutsu chakra.

Not only do Sasori's thousands of puppets breathe fireballs, but they also have all sorts of traps and hidden weapons on their bodies, making them impossible to defend against.

Now, there's this blond brat riding a giant bird, flying through the sky, helping them dodge the traps and hidden weapons while he frantically throws bombs. He's flying so high they can't reach him at all...

"He's used up all his traps and hidden weapons, let's attack!"

Although Sasori's puppets were very powerful, there were simply too many Mist Ninja underlings. He had just used up all his traps and hidden weapons when the Mist Ninja underlings, as if seeing a glimmer of hope, faced new pressure.

With so many people around them dead, the Mist Ninja underlings were not intimidated at all; instead, they became even more enraged, their eyes blazing as they charged toward Handsome Sasori.

Seeing the new wave of attacks from the Mist Ninja underlings, handsome Sasori remained calm and collected. A man born for big scenes, he showed no panic. He created afterimages with his hands in the Hiruko, and began to control thousands of puppets to engage in close combat with the Mist Ninja underlings who rushed up.

Scorpion's performance further pushed the limits of puppetry control. Even when controlling thousands of puppets simultaneously, he showed no signs of unfamiliarity. The thousands of puppets were agile and coordinated perfectly. Since they were painless and immortal, they managed to hold their own against the Mist Ninja, whose numbers far exceeded theirs. Not a single one of them could get close to Hiruko's range. It was truly the pinnacle of puppetry.

This is such a feat that even the legendary writer Bunzaemon would be moved to tears...

The eldest son is awesome, and the younger son also has a magical artifact.

The Mist Ninja were full of fighting spirit. Even though Deidara and Sasori had taken down many of their kills, and the Mizukage was being entangled by Kisame, it did not affect their spirit of sacrificing themselves for their country. After seeing that Sasori's puppets were no longer spraying water guns, flames, or poison senbon needles, a new round of charging began.

From the moment they embarked on the path of no return as ninjas, none of them were afraid of death. Death can be as light as a feather or as heavy as Mount Tai. To die on the battlefield, to be heroically sacrificed, and to be draped in the village flag and admired by future generations is the last dignity of a ninja. Moreover, since they had already reached the enemy's territory, if they didn't fight to the death, even if they survived, they would be ridiculed.

However, Sasori, controlling thousands of well-trained puppets in a coordinated battle formation, managed to hold his own against the Mist Ninja despite the overwhelming numerical disadvantage, thanks to the puppets' invincibility as long as the puppeteer remained unharmed. The Mist Ninja couldn't get close to him, and even if they did, it wouldn't make a difference. Even without Hiruko's presence, Sasori's skills, honed over many years by Shinto, were still at the elite Jonin level, despite his lack of focus on physical training. His resistance was also at maximum. Unless someone possessed the flashy movement of White Fang or knew the Flying Thunder God Technique, it was virtually impossible for them to defeat Sasori before the puppets were completely destroyed.

What's more, Deidara, riding a giant bird, is frantically throwing explosives from the sky to support Sasori. This combination of dodging falling clay bombs and fighting puppets covered in deadly poison is a considerable challenge for the Mist Ninja underlings. The puppeteers' poisons, like their puppeteers, are renowned throughout the ninja world. The deadly poison developed by Chiyo, the legendary poison master, can only be cured by Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha. Sasori's puppetry skills now far surpass Chiyo's, so his achievements in poison-making are certainly no less impressive. Many have been stabbed by puppets and are now lying on the ground, barely clinging to life, unsure how long they'll last. Facing such deadly weapons, carelessness is impossible.

"This is truly... unimaginable that one person can control thousands of puppets simultaneously..."

Deidara's clay bombs are quite effective in team fights. The clay bombs are incredibly destructive and have a huge impact when in the air. If it weren't for Sasori, he would be the only handsome guy on the field. However, because of Sasori's amazing puppeteer skills, Deidara's impressive and destructive performance has become just a backdrop in Huang Tu's eyes.

Although he wasn't a puppeteer, he was born into a wealthy family and received meticulous training from his father. Having spent so many years in the ninja world, he had a certain understanding of the ninjutsu and forbidden techniques of various villages. Puppet techniques were naturally familiar to him as well. Generally speaking, a puppeteer needs to multitask to control multiple puppets. For example, the famous White Secret Technique requires controlling ten puppets at the same time, which is already quite remarkable. But now, Sasori of the Sand can control thousands of puppets at the same time and do it so skillfully. This completely shattered his worldview.

If Sasori's previous control of thousands of puppets to breathe fireballs amazed him, but because the puppets' movements were all uniform, it was still within his comprehension, then this simultaneous control of thousands of puppets, each performing its own unique act, was completely beyond his understanding.

Before witnessing Sasori's abilities firsthand, if someone told him that someone could control thousands of puppets simultaneously, he wouldn't believe it even if he were beaten to death; he would even suspect that the person was drunk.

But now that he'd witnessed this puppetry technique, he was utterly speechless. He was certain that even if he told his father what he'd seen and heard today, his father would probably suspect he'd been drinking fake alcohol too...

"That's absolutely amazing!!"

Black Earth and Red Earth beside Yellow Earth nodded in shock as they watched the battle in the distance, unsure how to describe their feelings. They didn't know much about Sunagakure's puppetry techniques and thought that puppetry was simply about controlling puppets in battle. They believed that people were only afraid of the mechanisms and poisons on the puppets.

I never imagined that puppetry was so powerful that it could actually take on an entire team by oneself. It's absolutely insane!

"However... Lord Golden Lion, shouldn't we go? If we wait any longer, the Three-Tails might be captured by them."

The young girl was quite perceptive. While marveling at the puppeteer's power, she also realized their purpose in coming here: to take Deidara back while simultaneously working with the Mist Ninja to eliminate one or two Akatsuki members and weaken the Akatsuki's strength. Sensing the chakra fluctuations in the lake, she knew that the Three-Tails had probably revived and was already fighting her idol. How could the Three-Tails possibly be a match for her idol? In her mind, if she didn't intervene soon, the Three-Tails would be captured.

"...The little girl is quite rational. Onoki has a worthy successor! You're right, it's time to make a move, let's go!"

Shinto knew far more about the battle in the lake than Onoki's precious granddaughter. He had been watching with his Observation Haki the whole time. The reason he hadn't intervened was because he was worried that Itachi Uchiha would give up on capturing the Three-Tails because of his presence. After all, he knew Itachi's identity. That kid wasn't willing to work for the Akatsuki. If any small accident occurred, he would have a perfectly good excuse to capture the Three-Tails and leave. If the Akatsuki failed to capture the Three-Tails, that would be no fun at all.

So he waited, waiting for Itachi Uchiha to have dealt with the Three-Tails before he could step in. That way, he could legitimately bring Sasori back to the village while chasing them. At least with Nagato, Sasori was taken away, not defected from the Akatsuki. This would prevent Sasori from causing too much resentment and destruction when Nagato descended upon Sunagakure later.

Although the Six Paths Puppet's combat power is not that great, its destructive power is outstanding, especially the Heavenly Path and Animal Path, which are simply powerful weapons for conquering cities and seizing strongholds.

The battle in the lake was nearly over. Itachi, being the youngest son, despite his terminal illness, still possessed formidable fighting power, especially with the added advantage of his Mangekyou Sharingan. The Three-Tails, having just been resurrected, wasn't at its peak and was no match for Itachi. After only ten or so rounds, the Three-Tails was exhausted. It's undeniable that the youngest son is the youngest; Kishimoto certainly didn't skimp on the treatment his two sons received during their lifetimes. The eldest son's spatial abilities were so advanced that he didn't need any further enhancements, but the youngest son lacked such abilities. Therefore, to compensate, the youngest son was given two divine weapons—their ancestral giant swords—far more powerful than Madara's forty-meter-long blade. The newly resurrected Three-Tails couldn't withstand it. The fact that it lasted ten or so rounds was only because the youngest son's terminal illness had begun to manifest, and its strength had begun to decline...

The battle below is almost over, so they can go in now.

1097. Deidara: Brother Sasori, can you beat him?

"Nephew! Stop it! The area outside is full of... ugh! If this continues, it won't end well!"

"boom!"

Just as Handsome Scorpion was controlling his puppet army in a fierce battle against the Mist Ninja underlings, a heartbroken voice rang out from the sky, instantly drowning out the sounds of fighting.

At the same time, a powerful force suddenly pressed down from above, crushing the flowers, grass, and trees on the ground, and even causing cracks to appear in the ground.

"......."

"This is... a golden lion?! What a terrifying aura..."

"And the loess soil of Iwagakure..."

"What...what is he doing here?"

"Idiot, didn't you...didn't you hear? Shiki is probably here to find Sasori, and Kurotsuchi is probably here to find that blond brat riding that big bird, since he's the Tsuchikage's disciple..."

"So this is the Golden Lion? Its aura is terrifying..."

The sound came from above. Faced with the sudden and terrifying force, those below with weak mental fortitude instantly collapsed to the ground, their mouths watering and foaming at the mouth. Even those who were better off felt a tightness in their chests and almost spat out a mouthful of blood. They all struggled to look up. The Mist Ninja underlings saw an old man with blond hair and three others riding on a tree trunk. When they recognized the figure as the famous legendary Sand Village ninja, Golden Lion, they swallowed hard, their legs still trembling.

".....call!"

The Mizukage was also somewhat uncomfortable under this momentum, but she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With Shiki the Golden Lion here, they should have passed the Kirigakure hurdle. Although she didn't want to admit it, the four Akatsuki members were really strong. Kisame's Samehada sword was a natural counter to a powerful mage like her, making her quite passive and unable to break through Kisame's defense. Sasori and that brat riding a big bird and throwing bombs were also formidable, born to fight in groups. If this continued, it was uncertain whether they could hold off the Three-Tails, but heavy casualties were inevitable.

Seeing the cracks on the ground caused by today's powerful momentum, I couldn't help but admire how vigorous the Golden Lion truly is, even in his old age!

The sheer aura alone is terrifying...

"This is troublesome. I wonder if Itachi-kun has finished dealing with it..."

Kisame was so frightened that he almost dropped his Samehada sword. Under such powerful attacks, his condition was similar to that of the Mizukage, and the Samehada sword in his hand even seemed to transmit the feeling of fear to him.

After secretly wiping the sweat from my palms and calming down a bit, I glanced worriedly towards the lake.

The sheer aura of the Golden Lion made him feel uneasy, a feeling he had never experienced before. Even when facing his nominal boss, Circle Eyes, he hadn't felt this strongly. It was hard to imagine just how powerful the Golden Lion truly was.

It was even frightening to Samehada, a first in many years.

"...Wow...that's strong, Brother Scorpion, can you beat this old man...?"

Under the influence of this Conqueror's Haki, Deidara's giant bird instantly went out of control and turned into a pile of clay. Deidara fell to the ground next to Sasori, suppressing his heart that was about to jump out of his chest while secretly talking to Sasori beside him.

He never expected that the uncle who had been chatting with him in Konoha was so strong. After seeing the group of people with yellow soil next to the uncle, he was basically certain that the uncle and the group had come for them. However, he didn't want to go back to inherit the throne until his fame surpassed that of Uchiha Itachi and he could prove himself by fighting Uchiha Itachi and find the great art.

Comparing the two teams' lineups, he can fly, so Uncle Yellow Earth and Uncle Black Earth can't do anything to him. However, Scorpion's uncle can also fly, and can even carry others. Therefore, whether Scorpion can defeat Uncle becomes the most crucial point...

“…”

The handsome Scorpion, hiding in the Scarlet Amber, had a dark face and didn't want to talk to this idiot. The old bastard's aura was mainly focused on him, making him feel more uncomfortable than the others. It felt like a huge rock was pressing on his chest.

If he could defeat this old bastard, he wouldn't need to resort to the Crimson Secret Technique: Thousand Machine Manipulation. Who could withstand the puppets this old guy made...?

"Hiss...! Lord Golden Lion, please control your emotions..."

The three people closest to Zhen Dou, Huang Tu, were also in a terrible state. The sudden surge of power had startled them. Luckily, they were carried away, otherwise they would have been thrown to the ground. However, they were still feeling uneasy, their hearts pounding with anxiety, much like when they were kids and their beloved daughter's mother was caught peeping at her while she was bathing by Uncle Wang next door…

"Huh?? Sorry, this thing hasn't been used in many years, and I used too much force and couldn't take it..."

Seeing the three trembling figures on the yellow earth, Shinto withdrew his Haki and said apologetically, "I haven't used Conqueror's Haki much since I awakened it. Firstly, it's something you're born with; you can't train or upgrade it. It stays as strong as it was at awakening. Secondly, controlling Conqueror's Haki is difficult. And for me, it's rather useless. It's okay for showing off in large-scale battles, but completely impractical. At least with the buff from Shiki the Golden Lion in One Piece, Conqueror's Haki isn't very effective. If I were using Shanks' buff, it would be a different story..."

Therefore, he rarely uses Conqueror's Haki, and he is not very skilled at using it.

"Child, you've had enough fun. Come back with your uncle. No matter how long you wander outside, the village will always be your final haven..."

Shinto spoke in the tone of an elder addressing a disappointing junior, his words deeply moving and genuine. In the end, he managed to squeeze out two tears, reminiscent of 1982, which streamed down his face as he looked at the handsome Sasori.

This scene is very similar to what happens when a younger member of a family sneaks out to do bad things and is found by their elders.