“Red Sand Scorpion!?”
Both Mitsui Nakaji and Hyuga Kyo exclaimed in unison, staring at the red-haired man before them.
His identity was not unfamiliar to the two who had just experienced the war.
The Red Sand Scorpion, a genius puppeteer and one of the strongest ninjas in the Hidden Sand Village disappeared following the Third Kazekage’s disappearance and was eventually classified as an S-rank rogue ninja.
He was known for frequently appearing on battlefields to collect ninja corpses and had records of killing elite Jonin multiple times. His strength was such that the Hidden Sand Village eventually gave up on hunting him, making him a troublesome figure that none of the Five Great Ninja Villages wanted to provoke.
Scorpion, with one hand on his hip, chuckled lightly, “You’ve recognized me, huh? Well, Konoha ninjas, since we’ve met, why not help me test this newly crafted piece of art?”
With that, Scorpion took out a scroll marked with the kanji for “Three.”
Poof…
After a puff of white smoke, a human puppet appeared before Mitsui Nakaji and Hyuga Kyo.
Seeing the black iron sand floating around the puppet, Mitsui Nakaji trembled in shock, “Is that Magnet Release? The… the Third Kazekage!?”
Hyuga Kyo was also surprised, but not by the Third Kazekage puppet. He was shocked to encounter a high-level enemy like Scorpion in this remote place.
Hyuga Kyo couldn’t accurately gauge Scorpion’s current strength, but it was at least above that of an elite Jonin, an enemy he couldn’t possibly handle at the moment. The instant he saw Scorpion, he had only one thought: how to survive!
As he controlled the Third Kazekage puppet to float slowly, Scorpion smiled, “This is my most satisfying creation to date. Konoha, enjoy my art!”
As soon as Scorpion finished speaking, the iron sand surrounding the Third Kazekage puppet transformed into countless fine needles and rained down on Mitsui Nakaji and Hyuga Kyo.
Mitsui Nakaji retreated rapidly, launching three kunai with explosive tags from each hand towards the incoming iron needles.
Hyuga Kyo, following behind Mitsui Nakaji, also quickly retreated, using the opportunity to stay behind him.
Boom, boom, boom…
The explosion of the six explosive tags raised a cloud of thick smoke in the desert.
Seeing that the explosive tags barely held off the iron needles, Mitsui Nakaji coldly glanced at Hyuga Kyo before turning and fleeing towards the outpost without saying a word.
He didn’t even call out to Hyuga Kyo, fleeing alone!
It was clear that Mitsui Nakaji had torn off his mask, no longer hiding his malice towards Hyuga Kyo.
Hyuga Kyo, seeing this, also stopped holding back and fled in the opposite direction.
Watching the two scatter after a brief resistance, Scorpion leapt onto the back of the Third Kazekage puppet, which used Magnet Release to form two large wings from the iron sand, flying towards Mitsui Nakaji. It was clear that Mitsui Nakaji, the captain, was the Scorpion’s primary target.
“He can fly!?”
Seeing Scorpion flying using the Third Kazekage puppet, Hyuga Kyo felt a sinking feeling in his heart.
In the ninja world, the ability to fly was a significant advantage. On the battlefield, encountering a flying ninja often puts one at a severe disadvantage.
Given the current situation, Hyuga Kyo, running on the ground, certainly couldn’t outrun Scorpion in the air.
Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, Hyuga Kyo calmly observed Scorpion’s movements while secretly analysing his own situation.
“I’ve seen the Third Kazekage puppet; Scorpion won’t let me go!”
The fact that the Third Kazekage had been made into a puppet by Scorpion was still a secret. To avoid trouble, Scorpion wouldn’t let anyone who knew this secret survive.
In other words, the moment Scorpion revealed the Third Kazekage puppet, Mitsui Nakaji and Hyuga Kyo had been marked for death.
“This place is two and a half hours from the nearest outpost. Even if I reach the outpost, the stationed ninja there won’t be able to withstand an enemy like Scorpion.”
“I can’t just run; I need to find a way to repel Scorpion!”
As Hyuga Kyo was pondering his options, he suddenly noticed that Mitsui Nakaji, who was also fleeing, suddenly collapsed to the ground.
“What happened!?” Slightly startled, Hyuga Kyo quickly realised, “The iron needles were poisoned!”
Although the explosive tags had blocked most of the iron needles, one or two had still grazed Mitsui Nakaji’s arm.
Since it wasn’t a critical injury, neither Mitsui Nakaji nor Hyuga Kyo paid it much attention.
But seeing Mitsui Nakaji collapse, Hyuga Kyo immediately understood. According to his past life memories, Scorpion was indeed a master of poisons.
With Mitsui Nakaji to distract him, continuing to flee would save energy and increase his embarrassment. So Hyuga Kyo decisively stopped.
Scorpion, leisurely approaching after finishing off the paralysed Mitsui Nakaji, laughed mockingly, “What, giving up on running?”
Hyuga Kyo stared at Scorpion, “I’ve always wondered, why did you defect? With your strength and status, even becoming the Kazekage wasn’t out of reach.”
Surprised by Hyuga Kyo’s calmness, Scorpion sized him up and smiled, “No need to stall for time. No one can save you.”
As Hyuga Kyo walked towards Scorpion, he continued, “You’re right. If you dared to assassinate the Third Kazekage, hailed as the ‘strongest Kazekage,’ why would you care about the Hidden Sand Village?”
Scorpion didn’t reply, narrowing his eyes with interest. He was genuinely curious about what Hyuga Kyo intended to do when approaching him.
“Nineteen meters…”
“Seventeen meters…”
“Fourteen meters…”
Despite his outward calm, Hyuga Kyo was internally panicking, counting the distance between him and Scorpion.
His only chance of victory was to use Revolving Wish to pull Scorpion towards him unexpectedly, then use Gentle Fist to seal his chakra points and control him.
Revolving Wish had an effective range of only about fifteen meters, so he had to get as close to Scorpion as possible.
As Hyuga Kyo approached eleven meters, Scorpion slowly raised his hands.
Connected by faintly glowing blue chakra threads, the Third Kazekage puppet began to float, and the iron sand around it formed into spears.
Knowing he had reached the limit of his range, Hyuga Kyo didn’t hesitate. He extended his hands and activated Revolving Wish with all his might!
The moment Hyuga Kyo raised his hands, Scorpion, a seasoned warrior, smirked derisively. He commanded the Third Kazekage puppet to guard his front while retreating.
In Scorpion’s view, Hyuga Kyo’s actions were nothing more than a desperate attempt to use some self-destructive jutsu. He had seen this scenario many times and wasn’t worried.
As the creator, Scorpion was well aware of the Third Kazekage puppet’s defensive capabilities. Even A-rank jutsu couldn’t easily penetrate the iron sand defence. So those who attempted to take him down with them only ended up as marks on his record.
“This…!?”
In an instant, the smirk on Scorpion’s face froze.
With a massive whooshing sound, the Third Kazekage puppet shielding the Scorpion was pulled away by a powerful force, snapping the chakra threads connecting it to the Scorpion!
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