chapter 126 part 2
The Third Kazekage was flying high in the sky, declaring to the entire village that he, the Kazekage, was holding the fort. He manipulated a large amount of Iron Sand, constantly attacking and efficiently clearing out zombies, attempting to quell the chaos.
He immediately saw that the purpose of these zombies was to provoke chaos and mislead. As for causing significant damage to the Hidden Sand Village... that wouldn't happen at all.
So, Tsukasa Kaede's true objective might be...
*Whoosh!* The moment the Third Kazekage flung out Iron Sand, exposing his body, Sasori of the Red Sand, who had been lying in wait, made his move.
*Click, click, click, click!* The distinctive sound of puppets echoed. By the time one's ears registered the sound, it was often too late, because puppets moved faster than sound!
"Hmph, I expected this."
The Third Kazekage's expression remained unchanged as he coldly snorted. More Iron Sand surged from within his clothes, forming a shield in front of him, and he immediately prepared to engulf the puppet.
The instant that puppet was destroyed, a second puppet emerged from it.
"This is..."
"It's me."
Sasori of the Red Sand personally emerged, one of his hands suddenly bursting open to reveal hidden sharp needles. They instantly pierced the Third Kazekage's body, drawing a splash of blood.
Even a mere graze was enough. Sasori of the Red Sand's main goal was to poison the Third Kazekage. While the more severe the injury, the better, it didn't matter if it wasn't serious.
"This is my first time using this body in actual combat. I hope I haven't disappointed you, Lord Kazekage. You never expected to die by my hand, did you?" Sasori of the Red Sand said expressionlessly.
He pulled back, retracting his hand. The white fleshy mass on the surface of his palm disintegrated, revealing the true puppet structure underneath.
The Third Kazekage said coldly, "Sasori of the Red Sand, it seems you've completely become Tsukasa Kaede's lackey, striking down the village that nurtured you!"
"Don't be so self-righteous. The village under your leadership has only brought me pain and numbness. Killing you might even be a good thing for this village. Besides, I prefer the term 'fellow traveler', though telling you now is useless."
Angry? Sasori of the Red Sand had no such trivial emotional fluctuations. He was like a cold machine, operating according to fixed logic.
A vast amount of Iron Sand surged furiously, forming a giant needle that fiercely stabbed towards Sasori of the Red Sand.
The battle between Kage-level powerhouses began. If all went smoothly, this battle would strip the Hidden Sand Village of its last Kage-level powerhouse. Below him, Rasa, Pakura, and others temporarily lacked the strength and temperament of a Kage.
However, it might not go smoothly.
At least, from Tsukasa Kaede's observation, although Sasori of the Red Sand gained the upper hand through a sneak attack, truly killing the Third Kazekage would require a bitter struggle. The most fundamental challenge was not to be beaten to death on the spot before the toxin in the Third Kazekage's body took full effect.
"Magnet Release, truly an excellent bloodline limit."
Tsukasa Kaede watched the black Iron Sand flying everywhere, transforming into various chaotic weapons, densely bombarding the earth. And these temporarily created weapons were not one-time use or immutable; they could transform into different shapes at any time. At first glance, the Third Kazekage seemed more like an insect control user than someone from the Aburame Clan, commanding a swarm of whirring "black insects" in battle.
Some Hidden Sand ninja, after dealing with the zombies, intended to join the battle and besiege Sasori of the Red Sand with the Third Kazekage.
"Pakura, you lead the Third and Fourth platoons to continue maintaining order in the village. Make sure to cut off every zombie's head. Those bitten or scratched by zombies must not be spared; decapitate them all. There must be no omissions!"
Rasa gave orders: "I will lead two teams to Lord Kazekage!"
"What? You bastard, you're not even one of the village's higher-ups, how dare you order me?" Pakura was very displeased. "I can also go deal with Tsukasa Kaede!"
Rasa sneered, "Lord Kazekage often keeps me by his side for guidance, and my merit system for the village is higher than yours. What are you dissatisfied with? Or do you think your strength surpasses mine? I can cover enemies from long range with Gold Dust. Can the fireballs you create with Scorch Release achieve super long-range effects?"
Pakura was about to curse, but the next second she shut her mouth.
Because Tsukasa Kaede arrived, appearing casually before everyone. Though he was just a single figure, he was like a mountain, casting a huge shadow that blocked all sunlight.
Everyone knew that Tsukasa Kaede appearing alone definitely didn't mean he was alone.
"My apologies, everyone. I cannot allow you to act under my nose. This is a duel between Sasori of the Red Sand and the Third Kazekage. I will not permit anyone to interfere," Tsukasa Kaede said.
No one dared to disobey his words; everyone stood rigidly in place, stiff with fear.
If it were merely helping the Third Kazekage deal with Sasori of the Red Sand, that would be the "simplest" task—Sasori of the Red Sand was strong, but not as strong as Tsukasa Kaede himself.
But now it was troublesome. Tsukasa Kaede alone had surrounded all of them.
The Third Kazekage was originally agitated. He turned his head and saw Tsukasa Kaede intimidating a large group of people, nearly spitting blood in frustration. He felt that the correct choice was to quickly kill Sasori of the Red Sand himself, and then turn back to organize the ninja forces to counter Tsukasa Kaede's offensive.
"You're distracted, idiot."
Sasori of the Red Sand seized the opportunity again. "However, your movements are also becoming sluggish, a little later than I anticipated, which means you possess a stronger body. That's good; I'm even more eager to see what strength you will unleash after I turn you into my Human Puppet."
"Chiyo's Human Puppet secret technique, in your hands, has actually become a weapon against the village! If Chiyo knew, she would surely be ashamed of raising a grandson like you!"
"Is that so? Then I'll send your soul to the Pure Land. You can go tell granny about this and ask her what she thinks. Anyway, neither I nor Tsukasa Kaede need your soul," Sasori of the Red Sand said indifferently.