#62

Sand iron moved like a swarm of ants under the control of the Third Kazekage's puppet. It slithered through the gaps in Kuro Gundam's knees and feet, piling up as it clogged the joints.

Kankuro's eyes widened as he felt the resistance in the controls. Kuro Gundam was slowing down. He had planned to push forward, but instead, the massive puppet faltered, dropping to one knee.

Sasori's voice, calm and mocking, echoed across the battlefield.

"Brat, your puppet looks impressive, but it crumbles too easily. Your so-called new era of puppetry is nothing special."

Inside the cockpit, Kankuro's expression darkened. Was Kuro Gundam really so weak?

"Don't doubt yourself. Kuro Gundam is already stronger than most ninja."

A familiar voice called out from above.

Mufasa hovered in the sky, watching the battle unfold. He had remained hidden until now, observing the fight from a distance.

Kuro Gundam's potential was undeniable. Even if Sasori unleashed his Red Secret Technique—bringing out a hundred puppets—he still might not be able to pierce Kuro Gundam's thick armor. Puppet blades, poisoned needles, even steel axes wouldn't be enough.

Sasori had recognized Kuro Gundam's greatest flaw—its lack of internal defenses. This wasn't due to poor design but because the puppet had yet to be fully adapted to ninja warfare. It still needed modifications: countermeasures against ninjutsu, enhanced armor, and maybe even chakra amplification systems.

One blueprint alone wasn't enough to revolutionize puppetry. It needed refinement, evolution.

"You forced Sasori to reveal his strongest puppet. You're strong. Stand proud."

Mufasa descended gracefully, step by step, until he landed on Kuro Gundam's massive shoulder.

Sasori tensed, watching him closely. Judging by his presence, this man had to be the Kazekage. But the way he carried himself—it was as if he had already won. What was he planning?

Kankuro's chest swelled with pride. "Thanks, boss."

Mufasa placed a hand on Kuro Gundam's armor. "In the future, we'll integrate more ninjutsu into its systems. That way, something like this won't happen again."

"Yeah, boss!" Kankuro responded eagerly.

"For now, let's get you unstuck."

Mufasa's eyes flashed with lightning. His palm hummed with an unseen force as an electromagnetic field swirled into motion.

"Electromagnetic Release: Magnetic Field Rotation."

The energy surged through Kuro Gundam, generating a counterforce strong enough to eject the invading iron sand. Like dust caught in a whirlwind, the sand iron was forcefully expelled from the puppet's body.

Kuro Gundam rose to its feet once more.

Sasori's eyes widened in disbelief. "You… you negated the Third Kazekage's magnetic jutsu? How?!"

Mufasa turned his gaze toward him, smirking. "Simple. My electromagnetic release is stronger."

Kankuro grinned, pumping his fist. "Boss is even better at puppetry than you! He could destroy you in seconds with Godzilla's Breath!"

Mufasa chuckled. "Kankuro, stand down. He's not even worth using my mechanical puppets on."

The casual dismissal made Sasori's blood boil. His voice was cold. "You're confident. I'll give you that."

Mufasa rolled his shoulders. "Confident? No. Just stating facts."

He flexed his arms, muscles rippling beneath his robes.

From the control room, Shizune whispered to Tsunade, "My Lady… is his taijutsu really on your level?"

Tsunade hesitated. "It… shouldn't be worse than mine."

Sasori let out a dry laugh. "Taijutsu? Against a master puppeteer? That's absurd."

Mufasa curled his fingers, beckoning. "Then try me. I'll even let you make the first move."

Sasori's rage finally boiled over. "Fine. After I kill you, I'll turn your corpse into my finest puppet!"

With a flick of his fingers, Sasori unleashed a deadly storm of sand iron weapons—blocks, spears, spikes—each one moving at blinding speed.

Mufasa simply raised his palm.

"Electromagnetic Release: Magnetic Shield."

An invisible force swirled around him. As the sand iron weapons closed in, they veered off course, spiraling harmlessly into the air.

Sasori's smirk vanished.

Mufasa stepped forward. "That won't work on me. If that's all you've got, you might as well surrender."

Snarling, Sasori activated his ultimate technique.

"Iron Sand World Method!"

The battlefield shifted as massive iron branches sprouted, twisting and expanding to impale everything in their path. It was an inescapable death trap.

But something was wrong.

The sand iron… wasn't touching Mufasa.

Wherever he walked, the metal shifted away, parting like waves before a king.

Sasori's breath caught in his throat.

Mufasa smiled. "Before you stands the master of magnetism. The emperor of all metals."

He stretched out his arms.

"Kazekage—Mufasa!"

Mufasa walked toward Sasori, his steps steady and unshaken.

Sasori's voice trembled with fury. "Impossible! Impossible! I must kill you!"

The Third Kazekage's puppet had failed him, rendered useless. With a flick of his fingers, Sasori retracted it and prepared his ultimate technique.

"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets."

Above him, hundreds of cloaked puppets materialized, their strings extending from his open chest cavity like a vast, intricate web.

Mufasa halted, observing the spectacle before him with a hint of amusement.

"Impressive. You've taken puppetry to its limits at such a young age. Even perfected the art of human puppets. Truly a genius."

His smirk widened. "You'd make an excellent employee at my mechanical puppet factory—maybe on the assembly line, tightening screws."

Sasori saw Mufasa's expression and mistook his admiration for fear. He sneered. "Terrified, are you? This technique has wiped entire nations from the map."

Mufasa shook his head. "Terrified? Not in the slightest. But you should know—no matter how many puppets you have working under you, I'll only be paying for one salary."

Sasori's eye twitched. "What salary?! What screws?!"

He didn't understand Mufasa's nonsense, but he could tell one thing—the man wasn't taking him seriously. His rage boiled over.

"Enough talk! Die!"

With a single command, the hundred puppets lunged, a storm of blades, spears, and scythes blotting out the sky.

Mufasa remained still.

Then, he moved.

Twisting his torso, he coiled his muscles like a spring, then launched himself upward, hurtling into the storm of puppets. He disappeared into the swarm.

Inside the control room, Tsunade's fists clenched as she watched the screen.

Shizune gasped. "No! Those puppet weapons—they're coated in poison!"

Her medical expertise told her immediately—those eerie green and cyan hues on the weapons were unmistakably toxic. Charging into that was suicide.

Gaara, watching from the side, scoffed. "Outsiders sure are dramatic."

Meanwhile, Sasori was ecstatic. "He jumped right into his own grave!" He manipulated his strings with expert precision, commanding his puppets to strike relentlessly.

But something was wrong.

None of their weapons were hitting Mufasa.

An invisible magnetic field surrounded him, repelling every blade, every needle. The weapons floated, stuck in place just beyond his reach, like raindrops hitting an unseen umbrella.

Mufasa grinned. "Since you're so fond of puppets, let me show you a little trick I developed. Inspired by something called… Knight Kicks."

Lightning crackled around his legs.

"Lightning Dragon Drill."

He brought his left leg in, coiling his energy. Then, in an explosive burst, he kicked forward—straight at Sasori.

The magnetic field surged, spinning violently. Mufasa himself became a living drill, spiraling through the air like a lightning-coated spear.

The moment he made contact, the storm erupted.

Every single puppet caught in his wake was shredded apart, weapons scattering like debris in a hurricane. The entire battlefield lit up with blue-white electricity.

From the control room, Tsunade's jaw dropped.

"What in the world…?"

Gaara, watching calmly, explained, "That's one of my teacher's techniques—Lightning Dragon Drill."

Tsunade's expression twisted in disbelief. "What kind of ridiculous move is that?!"

Sasori had no time to react. The sheer force of Mufasa's attack severed his chakra strings. His hundred puppets—his life's work—became nothing more than a whirlwind of broken parts.

Then, a crack.

Mufasa's spiraling kick struck Sasori's chest, shattering his puppet body. Pieces flew in all directions, sparks of electricity dancing across the battlefield.

As the dust settled, only one thing remained.

A single, floating cylindrical core—the heart of Sasori's puppet body.

Mufasa landed effortlessly a few steps away, watching curiously.

Sasori's voice, though shaken, was still defiant. "You… you destroyed my body… but you can't kill me!"

With a flick of his fingers, his shattered limbs and torso pulled themselves back together. Within moments, he stood once more, his puppet body fully restored.

He sneered. "I am eternal."

Mufasa raised an eyebrow. "Oh? If you think eternity means being trapped in that brittle puppet body… then my definition of eternity is far superior to yours."

Sasori's eyes burned with fury. "You dare mock my art?!"

He raised his right palm, ready to unleash a blast of fire chakra. But before he could, Mufasa simply flicked his fingers.

Sasori's right hand spun backward at an unnatural angle.

The fireball shot harmlessly into the ground.

His eyes widened. "What…?!"

Gritting his teeth, he raised his left hand to attack instead.

Another flick of Mufasa's fingers.

Sasori's left arm spun a full 180 degrees in the opposite direction.

He froze.

His own limbs… weren't responding to him anymore.

Mufasa smirked. "Wow, you're surprisingly flexible. A real top-tier puppet, I must say."

Mufasa began to swing the body of the Sasori puppet, making it perform all sorts of weird poses.

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Word count: 1522