[A/N: Jeez, you guys make me doubt my own work and make me recheck... So many comments about chp 781 being short when it is 1,550 words long (without the a/n at the bottom). The comments made me think that I uploaded half a chapter or something ????]

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    "Heh, I didn''t think I''d run into Sasori of the Red Sand here. What an honor."

    Fujin was genuinely happy. He couldn''t even hide the glint in his eye! The last time they met, Sasori had given Fujin quite a gift. Fujin had even traded some of it with Hiruzen and got his hands on a very useful rank S jutsu. Even though he still wasn''t very comfortable with handling the other puppets, there was no reason to decline another generous gift. He couldn''t help but wonder whether Sasori would give him the legendary puppet of the Third Kazekage during their second meeting!

    A chill passed down Deidara''s spine as he shivered involuntarily and wondered, ''I have never seen such a passionate gaze. Why is he staring at Sasori in such a manner? It''s almost as if he found some great treasure!''

    Sasori, despite having changed his body to a puppet, immediately lost his temper. Needless to say, he had already connected the dots when Zetsu reported Fujin''s abilities. However, he never imagined that Fujin would look at him in such a brazen manner on their second meeting. There wasn''t a hint of doubt in his mind that Fujin wanted to steal more of his clones.

    He cursed, "It was you wasn''t it, Suzuki Fujin? You are the one who stole my puppets!"

    The Konoha ninjas, who were following Fujin, were dumbfounded. None of them ever imagined that their commander would be accused like this by a rogue ninja. Konomi wondered, ''What in the hell? He stole puppets from Sasori? Is that even possible? No wonder he is so angry. I can feel his bloodlust.''

    To the surprise of the Konoha ninjas, Fujin immediately replied aggressively, "Bullshit! This is the first time I have seen you. Don''t try to sully the reputation of Konoha ninjas without any proof."

    Fujin''s words confused the Konoha ninjas. They wondered who was lying. While they would normally believe their commander, they saw no reason for Sasori to make such a ridiculous lie. Even Deidara was confused. He thought, ''Such a passionate response, it almost makes me believe him. However, what was the glint in his eyes earlier? No, Sasori should be the one telling the truth. Still, to steal his puppets... What a lunatic!''

    Unlike the confused fellows, Sasori was even more enraged. Not only had Fujin humiliated him by interfering with his mission, defeating his puppetry and stealing his invaluable puppets, but he also refused to take credit for any of those achievements! For a moment, Sasori wasn''t sure what was more humiliating.

    A dozen puppets suddenly appeared around Sasori, and he said, "It doesn''t matter whether you lie or not; I''ll refine you into my next puppet."

    Seeing the puppets, the Konoha ninjas became slightly nervous. Sasori may have gone rogue over a decade ago, but his reputation still remained. No one wanted to deal with his countless, unpredictable and poisonous traps. Thankfully, Fujin ordered, "Retreat. I''ll handle these two. Don''t come close to our battlefield."

    The Konoha ninjas nodded and immediately retreated. While some were worried for Fujin, the ones who saw him fight in the arena were confident in his abilities.

    Deidara put his hands in his bag and began eating clay with the mouths on his hands while looking at the retreating ninjas. However, before he could make a move, Sasori said, "Let them go. We can''t afford any distraction against him."

    Deidara frowned and asked, "Wouldn''t it be better if we forced him to protect his weaker allies?"

    Sasori answered, "No, he isn''t soft like the recent generations of Konoha ninjas. He is as ruthless as their older generations."

    Sasori moved a few fingers, launching several poisonous needles at Fujin. However, a breeze appeared, blocking them with ease. Soon after, Fujin expelled large amounts of chakra, immediately transforming into winds.

    Darui was extremely strong just by himself and was supported by two Elite Jounins. However, it was Yugito who made Orochimaru''s subordinates feel helpless. A near-perfect Jinchuriki was too strong for them. Even at his peak, Orochimaru wouldn''t take her lightly.

    To make matters worse, 36 more Kumogakure ninjas had joined in the battle. While they lacked in strength, they took away the numerical advantage of Orochimaru''s subordinates and put them at a heavy disadvantage even in this aspect. In just a couple of minutes, four of Orochimaru''s subordinates had sacrificed their lives.

    ''Dance of the Seedling Fern!''

    Kimimaro dug his right arm into the ground and sprouted a bone forest around him! Thousands of blades of bones rose from the ground, piercing several Kumogakure ninjas. Due to her massive form, even the cloak around Yugito was pierced.

    Kimimaro huffed as he said, "I''ll stall them, Orochimaru-sama. You must escape."

    Orochimaru immediately left with the rest of his subordinates. Had Kimimaro been in good condition, there was some hope of him making it out alive. Unfortunately, his condition had only worsened after Rasa''s final blow. Even without this battle, he didn''t have much time left to live.

    Orochimaru could only sigh at how rapidly he kept losing his most reliable subordinates. Kabuto, Guren and the Sound Four, all had died due to his plans of attacking Konoha! And now, Kimimaro was about to join them.

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    ''How did we go from hunting that snake to fighting this monster? My art has no effect on him... The birds just explode whenever they enter those winds. Even the shockwaves of the explosions don''t reach him. I suspect that he might repel even the C4 Karura!'' Deidara sighed helplessly.

    [A/N: Latest chapter : The Most Valuable Resource!]

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