Chapter 131: Haku Gradually Falling into Disadvantage
Chapter 131: Haku Gradually Falling into Disadvantage
Having made his decision, Haku resumed forming hand seals in mid-air.
Previously, his one-handed seal formation was slower, and coupled with the interruption caused by an explosion, he couldn't complete the jutsu. Now, using both hands, his speed significantly increased.
In the blink of an eye, the ninjutsu was ready!
"Water Release Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
With a shout, countless water-formed needles transformed into ice and shot toward the three members of the Akatsuki.
Against Chūnin-level opponents, this technique could inflict massive damage. For Jōnin-level opponents, it posed a serious threat and could even lead to casualties.
However, using this technique against Kage-level opponents, especially Akatsuki's Kage-level fighters, was utterly ineffective!
Kisame casually waved his Samehada, nullifying the attack.
Sasori used Hiruko's tail to intercept all the needles.
Deidara, with no excess flair, simply used a clay clone technique to block the assault.
By this time, Haku had landed on the ground!
"Now's my chance!"
Without hesitation, Kisame brandished Samehada, swinging it fiercely toward Haku. Sasori also coordinated, swiftly using Hiruko's tail to attack. Together, they completely sealed off Haku's escape routes—except into the air!
As Haku prepared to jump to evade, a small white clay bird appeared overhead.
Without needing to look, he knew it was Deidara's handiwork.
At this moment, Haku found himself entirely surrounded, with no way out!
"Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome!"
Without hesitation, Haku unleashed an Ice Release jutsu.
An ice wall formed behind him, and he gripped his ice blade tightly, preparing to block Kisame's attack. He knew the ice wall couldn't withstand Kisame's power; only he could attempt to defend against it.
The question remained—could the ice wall hold off Sasori's attack?
Crack!
To Haku's surprise, Kisame's sheer strength was overwhelming!
Caught off guard, his ice blade shattered instantly in his hands. Fortunately, he dodged quickly, avoiding a fatal strike, sustaining only a minor graze.
Even so, in that brief contact, he felt his chakra being drained—Samehada could devour his opponent's chakra!
On the bright side, Haku's ice wall successfully blocked Sasori's attack. Hiruko, an older puppet of Sasori's, lacked significant offensive power, though its poison was deadly.
Just as Haku felt relieved, Deidara spoke up.
"Katsu!"
Boom!
The white clay bird overhead exploded, engulfing Haku in thick smoke.
When the smoke cleared, Haku, bleeding from the corner of his mouth, maintained his composure as he scanned his surroundings. Taking advantage of the trio's momentary inattention, he rapidly formed seals again.
"Ice Release Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
Instantly, countless ice mirrors appeared around them.
Haku could now move at light speed within the mirrors, attacking from any direction. This was his trump card.
However, to Kisame and the others, this technique wasn't as powerful as it seemed. If they were fighting alone, they might find it troublesome, but they were three Kage-level fighters!
Deidara smirked, inserting his right hand into his pouch and kneading clay. Soon, a row of small clay spiders formed in his hands.
"Go."
The spiders crawled toward the ice mirrors.
Haku immediately understood Deidara's intention—he was trying to destroy the mirrors! There was no way Haku would let that happen. He flitted between the mirrors, launching waves of ice-crafted needles to pin the spiders to the ground.
Meanwhile, Sasori watched the jutsu intently. A sense of excitement began to stir within him.
This Haku... what excellent material!
He would make a remarkable addition to Sasori's collection—a masterpiece of puppet artistry!
From the beginning, none of them had been fighting seriously. They were Akatsuki members—three Kage-level fighters. Encountering something interesting during a mission naturally made them want to toy with their opponent.
Now, however, Sasori decided to get serious. Such a fine specimen couldn't be allowed to escape.
At that moment, Kisame found an opening!
"Gotcha!"
He gripped Samehada with both hands and smashed it toward a specific ice mirror.
Haku had just shifted into that very mirror, completely unprepared for Kisame's strike.
Crack! Boom!
The mirror shattered, and Haku was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, blood spraying from his mouth mid-air.
"Hey! Don't kill him—I need him intact to make into a puppet!" Sasori snapped, annoyed at Kisame's heavy-handedness. Damaging the body would make assembly far more troublesome!
On the side, Deidara couldn't help but mock sarcastically.
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