Chapter – 698 A Good Plan, but Useless!

On the Battlefield

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

The battlefield echoed with repeated sounds of sharp metallic weapons colliding, accompanied by sparks and intermittent painful wails. Sasori's puppet, the one fashioned from the Kaguya Clan, moved like a dancer amidst this symphony of combat, engaging the Konoha Anbu. The razor-sharp blades of bone protruding from its body resembled the scythe of a Shinigami, ruthlessly claiming the lives of the Konoha Anbu.

Sasori's newly developed Puppet Technique proved to be truly formidable. With this innovation, he no longer needed to control his puppets using chakra threads as before. This not only granted him enhanced overall control but also increased the flexibility and maneuverability of the puppets. Furthermore, the absence of visible hand movements made his attacks utterly unpredictable.

As such, within a few minutes of the battle erupting between the Konoha Anbu and the Akatsuki Organization, Sasori's puppet had already claimed the lives of several enemy shinobi. Moreover, with Kakashi entangled with 'Madara' and Weasel (Itachi) attempting to halt Tobi, there remained no one among the Konoha Anbu capable of engaging Sasori and his puppets on equal footing. This dire circumstance only worsened the situation for Konoha.

Whoosh!

Slash! With a swift body flicker, the puppet materialized in front of Akame (Kurenai). Without affording her any chance to dodge, defend, or counter, it deftly slashed down both Bone Swords, severing her body into four parts.

Poof! The anticipated splatter of blood did not occur. Instead, the instant her body was cleaved by the two swords, it erupted into a cloud of white smoke, revealing that the combatant on the battlefield was, in fact, a Shadow Clone of her.

Upon the destruction of the shadow clone, the genuine Akame silently materialized behind Sasori, forcefully thrusting her kunai at him.

Ding! However, instead of slicing through his skin and piercing his heart, the kunai collided with a hard surface, and her hand was ensnared by him.

"Damn it!" she cursed under her breath, attempting to break free, but her efforts were futile. In the midst of her struggle, Sasori's head rotated one hundred eighty degrees. He regarded her mockingly and remarked, "Nice try... but it won't be so easy." Without giving her a moment to react, he wrested the kunai from her hand, thrusting it into her stomach while fiercely kicking her in the gut, sending her sprawling backward.

Under the monstrous force of the kick, Akame was hurled and crashed to the ground. Despite managing to rise, she soon coughed out blood and began to feel dizzy.

After dealing with Akame, Sasori leaped onto Hiruko's summon beast, surveying the injured and dying Konoha Anbu with a smirk.

"Everyone… how did it feel to face my puppet? I may have forgotten to introduce you to the identity of this puppet. He is the former Patriarch of the Kaguya Clan. Isn't his Shikotsumyaku just perfect?"

Akame wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and taunted, "Humph, don't get complacent. Compared to Fujin of the Amatsukami Organization, his Shikotsumyaku is simply trash…!"

In Akame's eyes, Fujin could even cut through the Susano'o with his bone blade. This guy, however, couldn't easily cut through a kunai or sword, let alone Susano'o. So, in comparison to Fujin, his Shikotsumyaku was nothing at all!

Sasori's expression turned cold at the mention of Amatsukami, "You seem to have a death wish!"

Unfazed, Akame retorted, "Do as you will. You don't scare me! No matter how proud you are of your puppets when facing a stronger shinobi, they can do nothing more than buy you some time while you people hide your tails between your legs and run away. Akatsuki members are nothing but criminals and terrorists who only dare to fight those weaker than them, causing destruction. When faced with anyone on the same level or stronger, you run away. If you were to encounter the Amatsukami Organization, you wouldn't be barking so much."

Sasori narrowed his eyes, uncontrollable murderous intent bursting forth. Just as he was about to end Akame's life, a sword suddenly slashed from behind him.

Slash! After the slash, Sasori's body was cleaved into two parts, its pieces soon scattering all over the place.

"Was this his real body or just a puppet body?" Rabbit (Hayate) muttered with a solemn expression as he released his invisibility, revealing himself on the back of the Summon Beast.

"Tch… so all that turned out to be useless!" Akame clicked her tongue in annoyance. Obviously, her taunts and the attention she drew from Sasori were aimed at creating an opportunity for Rabbit's successful sneak attack.

Even while injured and facing a formidable enemy, Akame was clear that victory hinged on defeating the puppet master. Instead of engaging the puppet directly, she devised a plan to divert the attention of the rest of the Anbu, creating an opportunity for Rabbit to strike.

However, observing that there was no core among the scattered parts, it became evident that the one she had been conversing with was nothing more than a puppet.

Clap! Clap! At this moment, another Sasori emerged in front of everyone from behind a tree, applauding with a mocking smirk. "I suppose I can at least compliment your efforts. Though futile against me, your plan was decent. Konoha Anbu aren't as disappointing and useless as the Suna Anbu, but then again, you're all a bunch of trash anyway, so it doesn't matter. And one more thing, your strategy, it was too outdated…!" He spoke these words while shifting his gaze in the direction of Rabbit.

"Not good." As soon as he saw Sasori looking his way, Rabbit instinctively sensed danger. Without hesitation, he activated the 'Transparent Escape Technique' to conceal himself. However, before he could completely disappear, an ice needle pierced through his abdomen from behind.

The moment the ice needle penetrated him, his body was stunned, as if freezing internally; even the 'Transparent Escape Technique' was interrupted. 

Panicked, Rabbit looked behind, only to find another puppet, this time with black hair, staring at him indifferently with its lifeless eyes.

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