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"Your talk is literally out of this world for me. If I had the strength like yours, I would just relax and be sleeping somewhere peacefully," said Shikamaru.
"You think so because you don't know anything about this world. If you knew how powerful beings exist in this world or in the universe in which our world is currently located, then by those standards, I am still very weak," said Jiryoku.
Hearing this, Shikamaru scratched his head because he didn't understand a bit. According to him, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, who were treated like gods, were names more than enough to strike fear into an entire ninja village. They knew that if either of them intended to destroy their village, it would be as good as destroyed.
Shikamaru wanted to ask further, but he was stopped by Jiryoku, who said, "No need to ask; you will eventually come to understand in the future."
Shikamaru knew that once Jiryoku decided not to talk about something, he wouldn't discuss it further. Therefore, he refrained from asking any more questions related to what Jiryoku had just mentioned.
Instead, Shikamaru inquired about something he had wanted to ask since he met Jiryoku. "Jiryoku, have your eyes returned?" Shikamaru asked, noticing a bump on Jiryoku's eyelids, indicating that Jiryoku had eyes and was no longer blind.
"You're quite observant. Yes, now I have eyes, but I don't have control over them, so I have to keep my eyes closed," Jiryoku replied.
"Jiryoku, please don't misunderstand me, but did you use the eyes you took from the Hyuga clan elders and the Uchiha clan during the massacre?" Shikamaru inquired.
"Yes, it's more like I combined all those eyes into a pair of eyes for myself," Jiryoku confirmed.
Then Jiryoku explained, "I understand that it may seem inhuman to all of you, but I have to do everything within my abilities to become strong so that I can protect my friends and my future family. I wouldn't have taken those eyes if it was just about increasing my strength and harming others, but coincidentally, I obtained those eyes as prizes during my journey of revenge. So, it became a win-win situation for me."
"Thank you for sharing the truth with us, and we know you very well; you would never do something that goes against your morals," said Shikamaru.
"Yeah, Jiryoku, you don't have to feel any guilt," said Ino.
"Thanks for understanding," replied Jiryoku.
"Okay, we should go now; the fight between Sasori and the others is about to reach its climax," said Jiryoku.
Jiryoku then turned towards Kakashi and asked, "Are you coming with us, or are you going to search this area for any remaining clues?"
Kakashi responded, "I believe in your strength and my friend Guy's strength as well, so I will stay here and search for any clues that might have been left by those Akatsuki members."
"As you wish," said Jiryoku. He tapped his crutch-cum-sword on the ground, and a circular platform of earth rose into the air. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji stood on it, with Jiryoku in the middle.
"Wow, it's my first time flying in the air," exclaimed Ino.
"And mine too," added Shikamaru and Choji simultaneously.
----
On the battlefield, Sasori was locked in combat with 'Team Guy,' Sakura, and Chiyo.
This time, Sasori was taking the fight very seriously because right from the initial stage of the battle, he recognized that there were four opponents who possessed exceptional physical strength, and they were the bane of puppet masters. Additionally, the presence of Neji prevented him from using any sneak attacks, as Neji's Byakugan would easily detect any chakra threads he employed for such tactics.
For this reason, he maintained a distance from everyone, keeping his Third Kazekage puppet at a safe distance as well.
Sasori unleashed 'Iron Sand Gathering Assault,'causing numerous metal structures to descend upon the battlefield. Witnessing the large and heavy metal objects hurtling towards the ground, Might Guy activated the 'Eight Inner Gates: The Gate of Joy.' And with incredible speed and sheer strength, he kicked and punched all these metal structures back towards Sasori, as if returning the same gift Sasori had given them.
"It seems I need to use a chakra-consuming move so that I can, at the very least, injure them," thought Sasori.
After making up his mind, Sasori used 'Iron Sand World Method.' In an instant, sharp iron branches spread throughout the area. With her experience, Chiyo managed to escape, but Sakura, who was being controlled by her, couldn't be kept entirely safe. Sakura sustained a few scratches here and there from these metal branches.
Lee was also able to react and defend himself as he was in the 'Fourth Gate' state. However, he soon lost this state and became fatigued due to the use of the 'Eight Gates' for a long time. Neji, on the other hand, managed to dodge and destroy these metal branches with the help of his Byakugan. Guy easily evaded the attacks and destroyed them, benefiting from being in the 'Sixth Gate.' Unfortunately, it was a different story for Tenten. Although she wasn't injured at any critical places, due to her reflexes, but she sustained numerous injuries. The iron sand contained poison, which quickly took effect. Tenten began feeling dizzy and was about to fall to the ground, where more iron spikes awaited her. However, Neji came to her rescue. He destroyed these iron sand structures and saved Tenten.
This was also noticed by Sakura, who was injured and affected by the poison. She swiftly retrieved an antidote and injected it into herself. Immediately, she rushed toward Tenten, all while saying to Guy, "Please keep him occupied; I will treat Tenten."
Guy responded with a thumbs-up, saying, "Don't worry; I will definitely hold him back." With that, Guy sprinted at incredible speed toward Sasori.
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