Chapter 135
Chapter 135
Seeing Obito bound by the mysterious ninja in front of them, a glint of worry flashed in Kakashi's eyes.
"Idiot! How could you be so careless?" Kakashi muttered under his breath.
Haneda's three-tomoe Sharingan observed the familiar chakra, instantly recognizing the intruder—it was Sasori of the Red Sand! This just got complicated.
Haneda's brow furrowed as he quickly understood Sasori's intention. Besides wanting to kill or capture Haneda to threaten Uncle Sakumo, Sasori also needed to avoid Suna's attention. If any Suna ninjas saw the Third Kazekage puppet in Sasori's possession, he'd have serious problems.
"Big Brother Haneda! Don't worry about me!!" Asuma shouted to Haneda.
"Run, Haneda!!" Obito joined in, shouting as well.
Obito was willing to sacrifice himself if it meant not endangering Haneda. With Kakashi there, he refused to show any fear of death.
Just then, Haneda replied calmly, "Fine. But how can I trust you'll keep your word and let them go?"
Sasori's eyes narrowed as he responded, "I'll release this girl first. Once we reach the designated location, I'll release another one. As for the last, you should know what to do."
"Alright," Haneda nodded slightly.
Though defeating Sasori was uncertain, Haneda knew he could stall him for a while. Once Suna's forces were fully defeated, Tsunade and Kakashi would undoubtedly come looking for him. Plus…
Sasori had no idea a tiny Katsuyu slug had hidden itself in Haneda's clothing.
"Damn it, Haneda! How could you agree with that slimy bastard?!"
"Because I don't want to lose you," Haneda smiled.
Obito was taken aback, remembering something Haneda had once told him: "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum!"
Prideful as he was, Haneda would never abandon a friend.
"It's time for you to keep your promise," Haneda said, looking at Sasori.
Without hesitation, Sasori released Kurenai. To him, the three captives were simply tools to lure Haneda somewhere isolated. Especially Kurenai—his intel showed no special connection between her and Haneda.
"Haneda!"
Kakashi's voice called out as he watched Haneda follow Sasori's figure fading into the distance.
In reply, Haneda flashed him a confident smile. "With the name of Uchiha, I can't lose."
…
After a long walk, they reached a secluded valley far from the hospital behind Konoha's lines. Even a top-ranking ninja would need at least fifteen minutes to reach this place at full speed, plenty of time for Sasori to take Haneda down. Confident in his victory—especially with Haneda's weakened state from earlier battles—Sasori was ready.
"Here we are."
Sasori tossed Asuma and Obito aside, facing Haneda with a calculating look.
"There are no traps here."
"Those two—I've injected them with a fatal poison that will take effect in half an hour."
"I'll kill you openly and honestly to prove my art."
Haneda's eyes narrowed. "You're very arrogant."
"Just as you once were," Sasori replied, unfurling a scroll as the puppet of the Third Kazekage emerged. With a wave, a mass of iron sand launched toward Haneda.
Ducking and weaving, Haneda attempted to flank Sasori to reach Obito and Asuma. However, Sasori swiftly blocked his way with several more puppets, forcing Haneda into a frontal confrontation. Haneda understood that to save his friends, he'd first need to defeat Sasori.
Drawing his blade, the sound of Chidori filled the air as he struck, slicing through the iron sand and closing in on Sasori. But Sasori smirked, waving his hand again as the Third Kazekage's puppet released a Sand Iron Formation, producing long spikes that halted Haneda's advance.
Haneda attacked with Chidori Blade, but the spikes resisted, forcing him to retreat several steps to avoid being trapped.
Sasori sneered. "I learned from our last fight—I won't underestimate magnet release again."
"This time, you're facing the real Third Kazekage!"
Haneda felt the puppet's power and became serious. Sasori had grown stronger since their last encounter!
Haneda glanced at the sky, seeing the moon high overhead, cloudless and bright. Moonlight shone on his blade, illuminating his youthful face.
Without warning, Sasori launched his next attack.
"Magnet Release: Sand Iron Shower!"
Countless iron particles rained down like needles, accompanied by a barrage of hidden weapons from Sasori's puppets. Haneda quickly formed hand seals, creating an Earth Release: Mud Wall to block the attacks. Then he dove underground, hoping to catch Sasori off guard.
But Sasori had anticipated this, directing the Third Kazekage's magnet release to flush Haneda out.
"I won't fall for the same trick twice," Sasori said coldly, his gaze fixed on Haneda.
"After your fight with Rasa, I'm sure you're nearly out of chakra. Even if you had more, you couldn't pull off a large-scale jutsu now. So, how will you face my iron sand?"
Sasori moved his hands as if orchestrating a performance, chakra threads pulling his puppets into a coordinated assault. Iron sand surged forward like a wave, while the surrounding puppets tightened their encirclement.
"This is the end," Sasori declared eagerly, admiring the beauty of his art.
"Become eternal art, Uchiha Haneda! And soon enough, your teacher Sakumo will join you!"
The Third Kazekage's puppet advanced, releasing an Iron Sand World Method.
Sensing something, Haneda glanced up at the sky with a smile.
"You're right. I'm low on chakra. But… the wind's picking up."
"What?" Sasori looked up, noticing a strong wind blowing from the direction they'd come. Clouds had gathered, hiding the moon, while lightning flickered across the sky.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
With swift hand seals, Haneda summoned a massive wave that flooded the area, drenching the iron sand. The surge of water swept over Sasori's puppets, momentarily halting his attack. Haneda now stood atop a massive pool of water, his hand raised toward the sky.
White lightning crackled above him, and a small Katsuyu slug emerged from his clothing.
Sasori felt the danger too late.
He quickly called the Third Kazekage puppet back, preparing to counter whatever Haneda was about to unleash.
"This is a technique carried by the winds of the Leaf Village," Haneda said calmly. "Originally meant for Rasa, but since you're here, you can experience the power of nature itself."
"This move is called Kirin!!"
With that, a massive creature of pure lightning formed in the sky, shaped like a mythical beast only visible to a three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Kana!!"
In an instant, the Kirin crashed down from the sky, directly toward Sasori. For a brief moment, time seemed to slow as Sasori faced the creature, a single thought forming in his mind.
Haneda's art surpassed his own.
"No! True art is eternal!" Sasori screamed defiantly, summoning a mountain of iron sand in a last-ditch effort to block the Kirin.
But the thunderous explosion shattered the iron sand barrier, scattering rubble, lightning, and iron sand in all directions.
Haneda stood atop the water, watching the scene as the dust settled.
"Did he escape?"
Haneda saw a damaged puppet and Sasori's retreating form. Exhausted, he finally collapsed from the strain.
Just then, Kakashi arrived, catching Haneda before he hit the ground.
"Kakashi, as an Uchiha, I can't lose."
"Yeah. I believe you."
Under the returning moonlight, Tsunade and a team of Konoha ninjas arrived. Seeing Obito and Asuma being healed by Tsunade, Haneda finally relaxed and drifted into unconsciousness.