Chapter 280: Puppet Master Showdown

Boom!!

By the time everyone reacted, Biwa Juzo had already been kicked by Yu, transforming into a beam of light and sent flying.

He slammed hard into the wall of the hotel's first floor, creating a huge crater. The force didn't stop there; he slid across the vast fields outside the town for a considerable distance before coming to a halt.

"Juzo?!"

Seeing Biwa Juzo getting blown away into the countryside with a single kick from Yu, Sasori and Konan, who had just leaped down from the second floor, couldn't help but exclaim.

Although Biwa Juzo, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, might not be as powerful as the two of them, he was at least above the level of an ordinary elite Jonin. He excelled in Taijutsu and swordsmanship, his strength far surpassing that of Momochi Zabuza, the next generation's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and inheritor of the Seversword: Executioner's Blade. Yet, to their astonishment, Yu had sent him flying with a single blow.

"You are too arrogant! Boy!!"

Faced with the white-haired teenager whose hands were radiating with an infinite, violent black lightning, Sasori of the Red Sand, hidden within Hiruko, had a flash of murderous intent in his eyes. "Hiruko: Prosthetic Senbon!!"

As he spoke, the laser cannon installed on Hiruko's left arm began to fire. It was loaded with a cylindrical device containing more than a dozen poisoned needles. Once fired, the cylinder would scatter in all directions, and the needles within would be launched simultaneously, covering the entire first floor of the hotel.

"The arrogant one is you..."

"If you insist on hiding in that boring turtle shell, then I will let you die in it!!"

At the moment Hiruko launched the laser cannon, Yu, standing in front of Sasori and Konan, disappeared in an instant, transforming into a streak of black lightning. The terrifying physical activation brought by Sage Art: Lightning Release granted Yu a speed far beyond their imagination.

So fast!!

Seeing Yu disappear in an instant, transformed into black lightning, Sasori hidden inside Hiruko and Konan beside him were immediately startled. When they managed to capture Yu's silhouette again, the wailing Chidori in Yu's hand was already being thrown towards them from a distance!

Sage Art: Chidori – Star Crusher!!

The power unleashed by the S-rank Lightning Release Ninjutsu, Chidori, activated with Senjutsu Chakra, was unimaginable. Under all the shocked gazes, the entire hotel building was engulfed in terrifying black lightning and then exploded violently.

The crowd on the street outside was blown away by the terrifying explosion, witnessing the entire hotel being reduced to rubble in a single strike by Yu, revealing the vast, green fields beyond the street.

"Hiruko has been destroyed..."

"Damn... this guy's power..."

At the moment Hiruko, along with the entire hotel, was destroyed by Yu's single move, Sasori's true body had already instantly relocated to the expansive fields outside.

However, a pair of desolate, hollow eyes stared intently at the figure slowly emerging from the rubble and dust. A trace of heaviness appeared on his numb, cold face.

"Even with you and Juzo combined, you still can't handle him..."

"It seems the legends circulating in the ninja world are true. This guy is no ordinary ninja."

A cold voice appeared behind Sasori. 

Behind Konan, a pair of giant white wings made of paper had appeared at some point, gently flapping as she floated in mid-air, resembling a beautiful angelic painting.

Unlike the last time Yu saw her, this time Konan was wearing the Akatsuki's distinctive black cloak with red clouds. Although it concealed some of her enchanting curves, it added an extra layer of mysterious allure.

"Can't handle him? What a joke!!"

Hearing Konan's words from the air behind him, a barely noticeable ripple flashed through Sasori's beautiful yet numb eyes. "Betting on the name of Sasori of the Red Sand, I will definitely show this kid what it means to be a master puppeteer at the pinnacle of his craft!!"

Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!!

As Sasori's low voice fell, everyone present felt the sky above them darken. Sasori had directly summoned hundreds of puppets draped in red robes using the scrolls on his body, densely covering almost the entire sky.

"This is…"

"Is this the technique Sasori of the Red Sand used to conquer and destroy a country?"

At this moment, Biwa Juzo, who had fallen to the ground, trembled as he stood back up. Suddenly seeing Sasori summon hundreds of puppets at once, his blood-streaked face was filled with shock. "This number… For a puppeteer to be able to control so many puppets simultaneously…"

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes… it's simply unbelievable…"

Indeed, even though they were all members of Akatsuki, this was the first time for Biwa Juzo, who had joined not long ago, to see Sasori's true form and his use of the Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets. The overwhelming visual impact was indescribable.

In Sasori's puppet form, he can use scrolls to summon hundreds of puppets clad in red robes to participate in battle. Each puppet wields different weapons and is controlled by Chakra Threads emitted from the "Core of Living Flesh."

Thanks to the "Core of Living Flesh" within him, these hundreds of puppets do not need to be controlled by his fingers. Instead, they can reflect the puppeteer's will through the movements of the puppets, allowing Sasori to manipulate them as freely as his own limbs.

Because they are connected to the Core of Living Flesh, Sasori's will synchronizes perfectly with the movements of the puppets, ensuring no delay. These puppets possess formidable combat power, and Sasori once used this technique to destroy and conquer an entire country.

It is also noteworthy that in the Land of Wind, the birthplace of Puppet Jutsu, a puppeteer's strength is measured by the number of puppets they can control.

Since a person only has ten fingers, being able to control ten puppets simultaneously is already considered the pinnacle of puppetry. An example is the Sand Village elder and advisor Chiyo, who can use the White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets.

For example, Kankuro, who can only control four puppets simultaneously, has already attained the rank of Jonin. This shows the inherent difficulty involved. Therefore, Sasori being able to control hundreds of puppets at once is truly revolutionary in the history of Puppet Jutsu.

"Controlling hundreds of puppets simultaneously…"

"No wonder he is hailed as the genius puppet master, Sasori of the Red Sand…"

A voice filled with admiration arose as the fully blackened Yu gradually walked out from the ruins and dust. His white hair fluttered chaotically in the wind, and as he looked at the countless puppets seemingly blotting out the sky, his amber eyes remained utterly calm.

"Since this is the long-awaited puppet master showdown…"

"Let me show you my puppets as well!"

Feeling all eyes on him, facing Sasori of the Red Sand with his countless red puppets capable of destroying nations, Yu lightly snapped his fingers. A mysterious dimensional gate opened behind him.

Tyrant, Michael, Toshogun, three Devil Puppets, appeared behind Yu. Shrouded in matching black cloaks, they exuded an ominous aura that sent chills down one's spine.

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