Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Kakashi didn't expect to inflict any significant damage on Sasori with the "Earth Split Palm" technique. As mentioned before, this technique is most effective against a large number of enemies. Against a single target, it would be best if it could hinder or restrain them to some extent.

This is exactly Kakashi's goal.

By altering the terrain, they aimed to defeat and restrain Sasori, thus creating an opportunity for Itachi and Kimimaro to escape.

only--

"Your determination is commendable, but unfortunately you made the wrong choice."

Sasori's voice reached Kakashi's ears.

Kakashi's attack distorted the ground beneath their feet, making it look like an earth dragon turning over. Small hills collapsed, deep cracks appeared in the ground, and there were protruding rocks and deep pits everywhere.

The scorpion stood on a large, protruding rock.

Seemingly unaffected, the puppets floated in mid-air under the control of the chakra threads. Their dark red robes were only stained with a few specks of dust at the hem. Apart from that, they were completely unaffected!

in contrast,

Even after Itachi and Kimimaro received Kakashi's warning,

However, they cannot fly, and compared to the puppets floating in the air, they are more affected. Although they are not injured, they have no chance to escape, and all their efforts have been in vain.

"You're right, I did make a mistake, but... luck is on our side."

Kakashi reached out and touched Pakkun, who had just jumped onto his shoulder.

At the start of the battle, Parker cleverly hid to the side, and Scorpion did not take this seemingly harmless little dog seriously. In fact, Parker was not very good at fighting, but it had a keen sense of smell.

It smelled the scent of victory.

Then he told Kakashi about it.

"luck?"

As Scorpion muttered the word, a sense of displeasure and wariness arose in his heart.

then,

A light hook of the finger.

The puppets suspended in the air pounced down.

His pursuit of eternity made him dislike anything uncertain like luck. This unpleasant statement and his intuitive sense of crisis led him to decide to fight quickly, even if it caused some damage, as long as his body remained at least 70% intact.

Whether Kakashi was bluffing or something actually happened that he didn't know about, what he wanted to do remained unchanged.

Complete the material collection as soon as possible!

That's it.

Under Sasori's control, the seven puppets launched a simultaneous attack on the three below. Itachi Uchiha frowned slightly, gripping his katana tightly, ready to parry. Kimimaro was panting heavily, and white bones protruded from his palm... In stark contrast to the two of them was Kakashi's completely unguarded posture.

Kakashi's unguarded stance filled Itachi Uchiha with deep confusion.

In that split second, he considered whether to go and provide support. Kakashi's behavior was really too strange. But in the next instant, a flash of inspiration struck him. Could it be that the clan...? Almost at the same time, a gentle voice entered his ears, confirming his guess.

"Kakashi, Itachi, Kimimaro, thank you for your hard work."

A skeletal hand wreathed in deep crimson flames swept across from afar, sending the puppets flying like drifting catkins. Faced with that overwhelming power, the puppets were utterly powerless to fight back. Four of the seven puppets were shattered into pieces scattered on the ground, while the remaining three were in a state that seemed ready to break at the slightest touch.

then,

In the blink of an eye, Zong Xian's figure came into their view.

"Hokage, my lord."

"Chieftain!"

Kakashi and Itachi walked up to Sogen.

Kimimaro stood behind Itachi, glanced at Sogen, and remained silent with a tense expression.

"Well done."

Zongxian sincerely praised him.

To actually track down Scorpion was a wonderful surprise, like a pie falling from the sky. It made his sneaking out worthwhile.

"You flatter me. If it weren't for your help, Hokage, we would be in a much worse situation right now." Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally saved. Sasori's strength had exceeded their expectations, causing them to fall into an unexpected and difficult battle.

"There's no need to underestimate yourselves; you still have a lot of room for improvement! Just because you're not our opponent now doesn't mean you will be in the future."

Zongxian looked at the three people in front of him.

Itachi Uchiha needs no introduction. The difference in combat power between the Uchiha clan before and after awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan is quite significant. While Itachi is already very powerful now, it was only after awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan that he truly stepped onto the top stage of the ninja world.

The only problem is that Shisui is currently very active and energetic, and it's unclear when Itachi Uchiha will awaken his Mangekyou Sharingan.

As for Kimimaro, there's no need to say more. A child who's not even ten years old yet, expecting him to compare himself to an enemy like Sasori... that's just too much of a bully.

Even Kakashi,

In fact, he is about five years younger than Sasori, and Kakashi is far from reaching his peak.

As for Sasori, who was their opponent, although he had not yet accomplished the feat of conquering a small country by himself, strictly speaking, after he turned the Third Kazekage into a human puppet and transformed himself into a puppet body, Sasori's strength had almost reached the peak of his power.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Kakashi and his friends were no match for Sasori.

"The Hokage's assistant, the head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Sogen?" Sasori stood on a large rock, looking down at Sogen and Kakashi. "I never expected such an important figure as you to personally come. I am truly flattered!"

He said this,

But his right hand had already pulled out a scroll.

The moment Zongxian appeared, he felt an elusive yet undeniably real pressure fall on his shoulders.

It's a monster!

He had an intuitive feeling.

It was as if he had returned to the time when he first witnessed the sandstorm that swept across most of the land of the Wind Kingdom in his childhood. This man, who was wearing a blue-black robe and did not look like he was going to fight anyone, was extremely dangerous to him. He was like a natural disaster that had taken human form!

Faced with such a monster, he dared not be careless in the slightest. Without thinking, he took out one of his strongest trump cards. The scroll that slowly opened revealed a number 'three' surrounded by a circle of tadpole-shaped incantations.

"Is that so? But don't be too excited yet, the real show... has only just begun! Since you dared to infiltrate my army to steal things, you must be prepared to pay the price. I won't waste any more words, let's see who's the best!"

Zongxian said with a smile.

He waved his hand.

He gestured for Kakashi and the others to step back, saying he wanted to have some fun with Sasori.

Although his goal was not to kill Sasori, but to capture and control Sasori to work for him, given the nature of ninjas, they wouldn't talk to someone properly without first beating them into submission. To be honest, using genjutsu to forcibly control someone would only work with a genjutsu of the level of Kotoamatsukami.

Otherwise, even if conventional illusion magic can control Scorpion, it won't be able to get Scorpion to work wholeheartedly for you!

You can't do scientific research without a clear mind!

Of course, one must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. Zongxian did not expect to subdue Sasori in a few quick steps and make him work for him wholeheartedly. What he needed to do now was to make Sasori clearly realize the gap between them, and then try to communicate to see if they could cooperate with Sasori without the help of other gods!

Sasori's mood became extremely heavy at this moment. Zongxian's uncompromising attitude made him realize that negotiation would be useless. The idea of ​​using the more than one hundred Konoha ninja corpses for negotiation was completely shattered. Now there was only one way to go.

Only war.

As a genius puppeteer of Sunagakure, Sasori was also a veteran of countless battles, having struggled to crawl out of piles of corpses. Moreover, as an S-rank rogue ninja who had wandered around various countries for many years, his fighting spirit had never slackened. After realizing that there was no room for negotiation, he immediately summoned one of his strongest trump cards, the Third Kazekage's human puppet.

He had dark yellow eyes, handsome yet stiff features, and wore a long black robe.

The Third Kazekage, once hailed as the strongest Kazekage, is now nothing more than an unconscious puppet.

"This is the Third Kazekage? How pathetic!"

Zongxian sighed.

Not only did he die, but he couldn't even rest in peace after death. His body was turned into a puppet to continue fighting and conquering in the ninja world. In the original history, even his soul couldn't find peace and was summoned by Orochimaru, that unscrupulous bastard, to work for him!

But thinking about it carefully,

It seems that few of the Shadows throughout history have died peacefully; the idea of ​​their graves being dug up is almost a consensus in the underworld.

"Pity? Wait until you've witnessed the Third Hokage's ultimate technique before you say such things!" Sasori didn't mince words. Facing Zongxian, he decisively abandoned all his useless tricks. The puppet Third Hokage opened his mouth, and jet-black iron sand quickly poured out and floated in mid-air, like swirling black clouds.

"It's the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand Technique!!"

Kakashi, who had retreated ten meters behind Zongxian, blurted out.

Speaking of the Third Kazekage, his title as the strongest Kazekage is truly different from Hiruzen Sarutobi's title as the strongest Hokage, which was just hype. The Third Kazekage was genuinely powerful. The First Kazekage was a top-tier master who made his name with Wind Release, while the Second Kazekage was a research fanatic similar to the Second Hokage. Although he possessed the Magnet Release bloodline limit, his most powerful technique, like the First Kazekage's, was Wind Release.

But by the time of the Third Kazekage...

The Second Kazekage's research and development of the 'Sand Technique' finally reached its zenith. The Third Kazekage was the most perfect achievement of the Second Kazekage. The Sand Iron Technique, which combined offense and defense and allowed him to fly and escape from the ground, was virtually flawless. It was with this power that the Third Kazekage earned the title of the strongest Kazekage.

Kakashi remembered that his father had repeatedly mentioned in his notes how powerful the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand Technique was, and had even tried to devise a way to counter it. Unfortunately, the notes did not record any countermeasures, because the White Fang of Konoha failed!

They couldn't find any weakness in the Iron Sand Technique.

"interesting!"

Zongxian looked at the black, cloud-like iron sand with interest in his eyes. He drew the long sword hanging at his waist. Since obtaining the Uchiha fan and the Bashō fan, he had not used these ordinary swords in battle for a long time.

Today I'm in a rare good mood.

Therefore, there's no rush to end the battle quickly.

"go with!"

Scorpion was unaware of Zongxian's thoughts. He focused on controlling the Third Kazekage's puppet and launched the first attack on Zongxian.

【Magnetic Release: Iron Sand Rain】

Like waves rising and falling, the iron sand suddenly spread out, and thousands of tiny iron sands flew out like bullets. The dense and wide attack range left no place to hide, like a rainstorm falling from the sky, impossible to avoid.

but,

Zongxian had no intention of avoiding it.

Logically, using the Flame Fan for protection is the best choice at this time. The Flame Fan, which can even reflect Tailed Beast Balls, is so hard that these flying iron sands cannot break it. Alternatively, using Susanoo is also a good choice. Susanoo can adjust the strength of its defense at will, so there is no need to worry that the Susanoo in the initial stage cannot withstand the attack of iron sands.

However, Zongxian did not choose either of these options.

He used the Earth Escape Technique.

[Earth Escape·Earth Flow Wall]

Under the condition of abandoning hand seals,

A rock wall, only one person tall, was summoned and stood in front of Zongxian. Its thick body blocked the iron sand from eroding it. The rock wall, which was about one meter thick, was directly eroded down to only half its original thickness by the iron sand, which was so small that its movement was difficult to see with the naked eye.