"Earth Release Technique can be used like this?"

Sougen's use of the Earth Release technique was beyond the understanding of Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi. It was well known that the effects of ninjutsu followed certain rules, not just Earth Release. The five elemental nature transformations of ninjutsu all adhered to these rules without exception.

The Earth-Style: Earth Wall technique could only create a wall of rocks and soil. Even though different users might show slight variations in its form—like how Kakashi's version of the Earth Wall had a row of dog head sculptures on top—the core element remained a 'wall' and wouldn't become anything else.

However, at this moment, Sougen's Earth Release technique defied these norms. The waves of surging earth continuously shifted forms with each rise and fall—rock walls, rock spears, rock pillars—combined with a flow that seemed almost liquid. This Earth Release technique had transformed into something unrecognizable.

The high-rising earth blocked the iron sand gyro, which was falling at high speed.

The collision caused a thunderous boom to echo out.

Dust was swept in all directions by the violent wind.

In this exchange, Sougen successfully defended against Sasori's attack. The rolling earth was torn open by the impact, but the gap was instantly filled again.

The scattered iron sand flew a considerable distance before re-collecting in front of the human puppet of the Third Kazekage, swirling like a dark cloud. It didn't launch a third attack because Sasori, after this probing exchange, had somewhat realized the terrifying power of the "Flame Demon." The Susanoo from earlier could be left aside for now.

Sasori had witnessed the might of this power during the battle between Konoha and the Cloud Village. But what concerned him more was Sougen's peculiar Earth Release technique, which was bizarre and ingenious. Though Sasori was a puppet master, having developed the human puppet technique that allowed him to wield various nature releases and even Kekkei Genkai, his understanding of ninjutsu was far above that of a typical puppet master.

From the moment Sougen appeared, Sasori had already abandoned the idea of capturing Kakashi, Itachi, and the others. Now, his desire to fight had diminished even further. Although he was proud, he wasn't foolish enough to believe he could contend with a nearly invincible power like Susanoo after witnessing its overwhelming force.

After pondering ways to break Susanoo, Sasori had to admit that other than using a more powerful force than Susanoo itself, there seemed to be no effective countermeasure.

Sasori, being a former Sand Village ninja, knew that there were three methods to deal with Earth Release techniques like the Earth Hardening technique, which made the user tough as stone.

First, Lightning Release, which could easily break through Earth Release hardening due to the natural chakra weakness.

Second, genjutsu. Though not exactly a direct counter to Earth Release, it bypassed the physical defense by attacking the mind and spirit.

Third, poison—using toxic smoke or mist to attack, avoiding the tough physical defenses altogether. However, this method was difficult to execute and not as convenient as the other two.

In Sasori's view, Susanoo was essentially a super-enhanced version of Earth Hardening.

But unlike Earth Hardening or Lightning Release Body Reinforcement, Susanoo had no elemental weaknesses. Poison wouldn't work either because Susanoo was too massive, making it nearly impossible to poison the Uchiha hidden inside.

As for genjutsu, no one in the ninja world dared claim superiority over the Uchiha in that regard. Even the Kurama clan, during their prime, could only match the Uchiha, never surpassing them.

After considering all this, Sasori realized he had no way to deal with Susanoo. If not for this, a genius puppet master who had the audacity to assassinate the Third Kazekage and turn him into a human puppet would not hesitate to plot against Sougen.

Puppet masters relied on technique, not brute force. If they did, poison wouldn't be their go-to method to make up for the inherent lack of killing power in puppets.

Even though Sasori had pioneered human puppetry, allowing him to wield various nature releases and Kekkei Genkai, it was not perfect. The strength of the human puppet was limited by its capabilities in life. Even a genius like Sasori couldn't make the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand Technique stronger than it had been in life.

In fact, just the opposite.

The fact that Sasori could make the Iron Sand Technique of the Third Kazekage's puppet not much weaker than it was in life was a testament to his genius.

Now, Sougen had only briefly used Susanoo when rescuing Kakashi and the others, and then stopped using it in battle, opting instead to fight with Earth Release. The strange Earth Release technique he demonstrated added even more pressure to Sasori.

The thought of retreating grew stronger in his mind.

Sasori understood clearly.

Staying to fight Uchiha Sougen would bring no benefit, only waste his time. As long as Sougen used Susanoo, Sasori would be helpless. Instead of revealing more of his cards, it would be better to leave now.

Although he had no way to counter Susanoo, Sasori was confident he could escape unscathed.

"If only I had a powerful technique like Dust Release!"

Sasori sighed inwardly.

The Iron Sand Technique of the Third Kazekage puppet was certainly not weak. It was versatile and effective in both offense and defense, but in terms of raw destructive power, it paled compared to techniques like Dust Release.

Unfortunately, when Sasori went to the Land of Earth, he couldn't find the corpse of the late Second Tsuchikage. As for the Third Tsuchikage, despite his old age, he was still strong, surrounded by elite Iwa-nin bodyguards, leaving Sasori no opportunity to strike. Unlike the Sand Village, it was nearly impossible to plant spies in Iwa, not even close to the ease of infiltrating the Sand Village, where even the Third Kazekage's inner circle had been compromised.

After some attempts, Sasori realized that he couldn't do anything about Ōnoki unless he directly confronted the village, which he wasn't crazy enough to try.

"Uchiha Sougen, if you stop here, I can return those bodies to you," Sasori said in a deep voice.

His words were half true. If Sougen agreed, Sasori wouldn't mind making such a deal. Although giving up so many high-quality materials was a pity, he had plenty of time, and since he'd already taken a significant step towards immortality, he no longer feared the passage of time.

While he hadn't achieved true immortality, Sasori had already found his own path to a form of eternal life.

Even if Sougen didn't agree, delaying him a bit would still be a win.

"Return them? They were Konoha's property to begin with. Returning them is only right, yet you're trying to negotiate as if you're doing me a favor. I almost admire the thickness of your skin," Sougen laughed, but the smile quickly faded. "I've already said it—you puppet-playing coward, enough talk. Let's settle this with our fists!"

As he finished speaking, Sougen once again swung his sword through the air.

The ground beneath his feet surged toward Sasori like a flood breaking through a dam.

"So domineering!"

Sasori's voice turned cold instantly. "In that case, let me witness the power of the Uchiha!" His taunts didn't back down one bit, and his actions followed suit. The ten puppets he'd been using were either completely destroyed or on the verge of being scrapped, or they were so restrained that they were entirely unusable.

Without hesitation, he abandoned those ten puppets, pulled out a new scroll, and summoned four new puppets. This time, all of them were human puppets, dressed in uniform dark red robes. From the outside, aside from trying to maintain the appearance they had in life, it was hard to tell any other differences between them.

Only Sasori, as their creator and controller, knew the unique traits of each puppet.

The four human puppets he summoned this time were meticulously crafted from two Iwagakure jōnin and two Kumogakure jōnin. While they weren't as formidable as the Third Kazekage puppet, they were top-tier in every other aspect.

[Lightning Style: False Darkness]

[Lightning Style: Great Snake Lightning]

As Sougen's Earth Style attack advanced, the two puppets crafted from Kumogakure jōnin launched their assault first. One opened its mouth and unleashed a massive lightning spear—a powerful technique capable of piercing through stone and metal, a high-level Lightning Style jutsu only a few geniuses could master.

As a purely offensive technique, the greater the difficulty, the more devastating the damage. The lightning spear split the rolling waves of earth like a flood, carving a deep ravine through it.

Immediately after,

The other puppet's attack followed, a lightning bolt in the shape of a giant snake, striking the split earth. Unlike 'False Darkness,' which concentrated its destructive force on a single point, 'Great Snake Lightning' was a wide-range attack.

The lightning serpent collided with the rolling earth, shattering into wild flashes of electricity that whipped every inch of the rocky terrain. It managed to obliterate a large portion of the earth, but Sougen's strange Earth Style technique was formidable.

Even though its power had been reduced by the two Lightning Style jutsus, the earthen attack still couldn't be fully stopped.

The surging earth, like a raging flood, continued to advance,

But Sasori still had more tricks up his sleeve.

[Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall]

[Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall]

The two puppets made from Iwagakure jōnin acted next, simultaneously opening their mouths to release a massive amount of chakra, converting it into the nature of earth. From their mouths, thick rock walls rapidly grew, like seeds sprouting in spring, creating a vast barrier of earth that blocked the advance of the attacking earth.

First, Sasori tried to counter Sougen's Earth Style with Lightning Style. If that didn't work, he used Earth Style to defend against the weakened attack. Sasori's tactics were undeniably effective, as the flood-like wave of earth had lost its momentum and couldn't break through the Earth Flow Wall conjured by the two human puppets.

Behind the wall,

The Third Kazekage puppet grabbed Sasori by the shoulders, its wings made of iron sand propelling them into the sky. Sasori, as a puppet master, wasn't one to be easily provoked into a life-or-death battle with Uchiha Sougen.

He had already decided to retreat, and everything he did was centered around that goal. The fierce stance he showed, as if he was ready to fight Sougen for 300 rounds, was nothing more than a diversion to cover his escape.

"'Flame Demon' Uchiha Sougen, I wasn't prepared this time, but next time we meet... we'll have a proper showdown."

Sasori muttered to himself.

"Why wait until next time? Opportunities like this are rare. If you back down today, you might never get another chance to 'play' with me!"

"Uchiha Sougen?!"

The voice suddenly reached Sasori's ears, making him, a puppet himself, feel a long-forgotten sense of terror deep in his soul. He followed the sound and saw Sougen flying toward him atop a giant black eagle.

In that instant, Sasori was shaken!

He had witnessed Sougen's overwhelming power on the battlefield with Susano'o, but he had no idea that Sougen also mastered the [Super Beast Imitating Drawing] technique. Sasori never expected Sougen to possess such a rare flight ability in the ninja world, even rarer than Kekkei Genkai.

"You..."

"I've told you enough times, less talk, more fists!"

Sougen rudely interrupted Sasori, swinging his long sword lightly, causing a massive gust of wind—not just any ordinary wind, but a storm with the force of a typhoon. Even the Third Kazekage puppet struggled to maintain flight under its power.

The iron sand wings that formed its wings were starting to lose shape.

In other words,

The Third Kazekage puppet could no longer fly!

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