Chapter 239: Molecular Slash – Sasori Assassinates the Third Kazekage
Poof!
At an altitude of ten thousand meters, Li Yao created a shadow clone.
At this point, Li Yao had perfectly transformed into Kimura Yao.
Since Kimura Yao's body was compatible with Lightning Release Armor Mode, the clone also possessed that same compatibility and could activate the technique.
Zzzzzz…
With a mere thought, the clone entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Layer upon layer of black iron chains and Adamantine Sealing Chains coiled around him—eighteen times in total—forming a solid encasement.
From a distance of one hundred meters, Li Yao gazed at the clone now sealed in a massive golden chakra sphere suspended in the air.
With his current chakra level and Kimura Yao's enhanced physical defense, he was confident that even a small Tailed Beast Bomb wouldn't penetrate this setup.
It was the perfect scenario to test the power of Wind Release: Slash.
"Let's see how powerful it really is—this Wind Release: Slash, whose chakra strength rivals that of Dust Release."
Li Yao raised his right hand, forming a sword gesture with his fingers. Chakra condensed at the tips, forming a hyper-compressed blade of wind, so thin and clear it was invisible to the naked eye—light and elegant, yet unimaginably sharp.
In his chakra perception, the nature and strength of Wind Release: Slash were now on par with Dust Release.
Shing!
With a flick of his fingers, Li Yao sliced downward toward the golden chakra sphere.
In that instant, the world fell silent.
The air in front of him seemed to solidify—like thick, transparent glass—splitting cleanly in half.
Boom!
Inside the golden sphere, the shadow clone—armored with Lightning Chakra Mode and wrapped in multiple layers of black iron and sealing chains—was cleaved apart.
The external layers dissolved into particles as their structures collapsed under the cut.
The Wind Release: Slash didn't disappoint. It sliced through every barrier and bisected the lightning-armored clone effortlessly.
"Hahahaha… Excellent. That's exactly what I wanted!"
The clone's laugh echoed in the skies. The power of Wind Release: Slash was terrifying—it could cleave at the molecular level.
And more importantly, the chakra nature had reached the same strength as Dust Release.
That was the true breakthrough.
Had it only matched the level of a kekkei genkai, it might not have been enough for Li Yao to integrate it into the Kekkei Mōra.
But as a single-nature wind chakra now rivaling a kekkei tōta, it was qualified to be merged with other high-grade chakra natures to form Kekkei Mōra.
"Good—Wind Release is complete, Yin Release is ready. I only need the other five."
Li Yao believed that both Lightning and Water were close. Yang, Earth, and Fire would take more time.
But no rush. The Spirit Assimilation Technique was complete. His method to torture the Third Hokage was ready. Now he just had to finish the Perfect Transformation Technique and wait for Obito's Kamui Sharingan to awaken.
With him around, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya would never have a chance to resurrect.
"Come on, let's find that guy named Shinnō."
Back on the ground, Li Yao called to Koyoko. Together, they left the Land of Waves to find the ninja from the movie version of Naruto—the one from the Land of Sky: Shinnō.
He didn't remember much of the movie plot.
But the Zero-Tails... that stuck with him.
A being born from absorbing negative emotions and manifesting dark chakra—Li Yao found that concept fascinating.
Currently, his Perfect Transformation Technique was stuck on one point: the inability to reverse chakra into its constituent mental and physical energies.
Since the Zero-Tails was an artificial chakra entity, it might hold the secret.
…
Land of Wind
In the barren desert, water often came from underground springs.
Where water surfaced, an oasis formed.
Within one such oasis—
A red-haired boy, around fifteen or sixteen, stood by a small lake, controlling a massive Sasori puppet. His eyes were fixed warily on a man across the water, cloaked in black iron sand.
Huff… Huff…
The Third Kazekage panted heavily. His eyes briefly scanned his two fallen guards before turning to Sasori, who stood atop the puppet. Confusion filled his face.
He couldn't understand.
Why would Sasori, a boy born into one of Sunagakure's Three Great Clans, try to assassinate him?
Sasori was one of the village's most gifted puppet masters—highly regarded even among the elite puppet corps.
In terms of reputation, only the wind-style prodigy Kazekaze had ever outshone him.
But Kazekaze was a civilian. There was no chance he'd ever become Kazekage. The clans would never allow it. Someone would deal with him eventually.
Sasori, however, came from a prestigious clan. He had the blood and the skill.
The Third had even placed him in his personal guard unit—clearly grooming him as his successor.
Everyone knew the implication. He was sure Sasori did too.
So why?
Why assassinate him now, on the eve of secretly negotiating war with the daimyō?
Once he killed the Kazekage, Sasori would have no choice but to flee. There was no escape from that fate. Memory-probing would reveal everything. His family would know. The village would know.
The Third simply couldn't understand it.
"For eternal art."
Sasori replied coldly. It was as if this assassination was just a means to test a new puppet. But the flash of hatred in his eyes betrayed deeper motives.
To Sasori, the Third Kazekage was responsible for his parents' deaths.
War, ambition, and a lack of strength compared to the First Hokage—all of it had led to countless deaths, including his family's. His loneliness had always festered.
The day he became a guard for the Third, the seed of assassination had been planted in his heart.
But the Kazekage was the strongest in the village's history. He rarely left the village and was difficult to kill.
So Sasori waited.
Then came the incident in the Land of Water where the daimyō's household was wiped out. In response, the Land of Wind dramatically increased funding to Sunagakure.
Sunagakure's power surged.
Unlike other villages that needed talent and time, Sunagakure's puppet masters only needed money. With the right materials and poisons, their strength could grow rapidly.
With their capabilities skyrocketing, the Third Kazekage could wait no longer.
This was the best moment to launch war. Soon, the other villages would catch up, and the gap would close.
So he took three guards and secretly went to meet the daimyō.
And Sasori saw his chance.
While resting at the oasis, he had poisoned everyone's water. Only he had the antidote.
His poison was no ordinary toxin. Though the other two guards carried antidotes, they proved useless.
Only the Kazekage, through sheer willpower and chakra control, managed to resist the toxin.
But not for long.
Eventually, the poison would win.
And in this isolated desert oasis, with no reinforcements, the Third would die.
"Magnet Release – Iron Sand Drizzle!"
The Kazekage realized time wasn't on his side. Even if using chakra sped up the poison's effects, he had to act.
If he could kill Sasori and get the antidote, he might still survive.
"Sasori, did you forget? Puppet masters are helpless against my Magnet Release."
Despite the ambush, the Kazekage remained confident.
He had once defeated Chiyo, another famed puppet master from the noble clans, using his Iron Sand—a perfect counter.
"I know all too well how powerful you are, Lord Kazekage."
Sasori replied with a mocking smirk. He leapt from his Sasori puppet and summoned three more to fight from a distance.
The Kazekage had miscalculated.
Yes, Iron Sand countered puppets.
But if a puppet master simply stayed back, fought indirectly, and used many puppets to stall and bait—
Especially when the Kazekage was poisoned—
There wasn't much he could do.
As time passed, and he failed to defeat Sasori, the confidence in the Third Kazekage's eyes faded—replaced by desperation.
(END CHAPTER)
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