Three, two, one.
Countdown complete!
Rumble... Boom...
As the first bomb exploded, a chain reaction followed—triggering the various explosives that Kawaki Aoba had scattered earlier. They were of all types: some designed to collapse terrain, others made to destroy bridges, a few packed with shrapnel, and even a handful of basic firecrackers thrown in for distraction.
Despite their variety, they shared one effect: the shockwave of explosions startled Sasori of the Red Sand.
But Sasori's reaction was instant. Realizing something was off, he swiftly commanded the Third Kazekage puppet to form four massive iron sand walls, encasing his core body in a protective cocoon.
Amid the thunder of detonations, Sasori finally pinpointed the culprit who had interrupted his creative process—Kawaki Aoba.
The boy had already made a break for it, racing away while shouting back to a nearby comrade.
> "Shinku-sensei! Take Kurenai and Asuma—get out of here, now!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Kawaki Aoba vanished in a blur using Shunshin no Jutsu ("Body Flicker Technique") to rejoin his teammates.
Without a moment's pause, he hoisted Yuhi Kurenai over his shoulder and sprinted.
Behind him, Yuhi Shinku arrived at the scene just in time to see the kid absconding with his daughter. With a grimace, Shinku picked up the unconscious Sarutobi Asuma and took off after them.
> "Shinku-sensei," Aoba called over his shoulder, "when we get back to the village, how about some taijutsu training?"
Shinku groaned. "You little brat... Don't underestimate your teacher! My taijutsu may not be elite, but I can still hold my own. That said, against a monster like Sasori—already infamous at his age—and that terrifying Third Kazekage puppet, do you really think taijutsu is going to help?"
Still fleeing, Shinku kept glancing back to monitor Sasori's movements.
> "Maybe," Aoba replied. "But I don't think it's useless.
And besides, you focus on escaping. As for Sasori... leave him to me."
With that, Aoba shifted his grip on Kurenai so he could form hand seals mid-run.
> "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Clone after clone emerged as Aoba darted through the trees. Shinku opened his mouth to scold him—but stopped mid-thought. He suddenly slapped himself on the forehead.
> Why didn't I think of that?
Worn down by Sasori's psychological warfare, Shinku had completely forgotten about the strategic value of Kage Bunshin. With his chakra slowly regenerating, it was a perfect countermeasure.
Grimacing, he formed his own hand seals.
> "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Though unsure what Aoba's ultimate plan was, Shinku wasn't about to let his student face Sasori alone.
> What kind of teacher would that make me?
Behind them, a familiar whir of magnetic chakra buzzed ominously.
> "Magnet Release: Iron Sand Shower!"
Thousands of iron sand needles, sharp as senbon and fast as rain, shot forward in a lethal barrage. This wasn't like Sasori's earlier restraint—he was furious now. The sheer scope and density of the attack far surpassed the last one.
Even an experienced jonin like Yuhi Shinku wouldn't have lasted more than seconds if caught unprepared.
But this time, he wasn't alone.
A dozen shadow clones—split between Shinku and Aoba—turned to face the incoming storm head-on.
Eight of Yuhi Shinku's shadow clones turned their heads in unison, eyes narrowing at the Kawaki Aobas beside them.
Didn't this brat say he had a trump card?
Fine. Let's see it.
Even if that kid made a mistake, it wouldn't matter—he had summoned so many chakra-infused shadow clones, and each one was capable of dispersing Magnet Release with a Wind Release jutsu.
Yuhi Shinku then watched as the Kawaki Aobas reached into their clothes and pulled out… heavy metal blocks?
No, not just any metal—these were clearly lodestones.
Trying to deal with Magnet Release using magnetic ore?
Naive.
If Magnet Release were that easy to counter, the Kazekage title would've changed hands long ago.
It looked like this battle would still rely on him, the teacher.
Yuhi Shinku's shadow clones began forming hand seals, preparing to release Wind Release jutsu in unison.
But then, the Kawaki Aobas hurled the lodestones skyward—and what Yuhi Shinku witnessed next nearly made his jaw drop.
The dense iron sand needles controlled by Magnet Release disintegrated on contact with the airborne lodestones.
Even the needles that hadn't touched the stones but were merely nearby began to fall apart—losing form, turning into harmless iron dust that drifted to the ground.
Outrageous.
Not just Yuhi Shinku—even Kawaki Aoba himself looked shocked by the result.
Was the effect really supposed to be this strong?
But he quickly reasoned it out.
Even if Magnet Release is a Kekkei Genkai, it's still a form of magnetic control. And as long as it's based on magnetism, it can be disrupted.
The reason no ninja had thought of using lodestones before was likely due to their weak magnetic field.
Now, by using neodymium magnets—which he acquired at great cost—the results spoke for themselves.
Neodymium magnets not only disrupted the control of iron sand, they completely destabilized the underlying chakra framework of the Magnet Release technique.
If neodymium magnets can neutralize the Third Kazekage puppet's Magnet Release under Sasori's control... then isn't this the moment to strike boldly?
Could they really steal the puppet?
Capture or even kill Sasori and bring him back to the village?
Is that possible?
---
Shadow Clone Grand Melee
While Kawaki Seiu was still thinking, Kurenai Yuhi's shadow clones had already surged forward.
Never mind the Kazekage puppet—was Kurenai-sensei really trying to face Sasori head-on?
Apparently, yes.
After all, this was the infamous Akasuna no Sasori.
With an abundant chakra reserve, Kurenai Yuhi had created dozens of shadow clones—far faster than Kawaki Aoba, who could only maintain one at a time.
At that moment, Kawaki Aoba saw a glimpse of Naruto Uzumaki in her.
"Let's go!" Kurenai shouted.
Her clones charged forward in unison.
Now that's more like it.
Smirking, Kawaki Aoba's clones followed closely behind.
Still, a nagging thought crept in: Why did every serious fight involving chakra pills feel like he was up against a final boss?
---
Meanwhile, in the heart of the battle...
Akasuna no Sasori watched with growing confusion as his iron sand attacks failed again and again.
Could it be... that the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release had weakened after being made into a puppet?
Fine, he thought coldly. Let's test that theory again.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!
Counter: Neodymium Scattering Technique!
The results were undeniable.
The moment Sasori's sand entered the magnetic interference field of the neodymium stones, it lost cohesion—falling harmlessly as inert iron sand.
Under Kawaki Aoba's support, the genjutsu team led by Kurenai Yuhi closed the distance.
Sasori's face darkened. His strongest creation was being rendered ineffective in its very first real battle.
He blamed himself—perhaps his puppetization of the Third Kazekage hadn't fully preserved the Bloodline Limit.
---
Kurenai Yuhi and her clones were now in range.
Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique.
Genjutsu: Mirage.
Genjutsu: Absolute Lotus Flower.
Genjutsu: Threefold Cherry Blossoms.
Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death.
One by one, genjutsu cascaded from the clones like an endless wave.
It was as if dozens of genjutsu-specialized jōnin were casting simultaneously on the same target.
Even Akasuna no Sasori—master of poisons, puppets, and terror—was feeling the strain.
However, the expectation was beautiful, and the reality was cruel.
Akasuna no Sasori was far from dead—and far from standing still like a passive target.
Having prepared himself in advance to resist genjutsu, Sasori had no intention of engaging Kurenai Yuhi in a direct confrontation. Instead, he unfurled a summoning scroll with a single motion of his hand. From it, ten distinctive puppets emerged—each clearly different from ordinary mass-produced creations.
The moment they materialized, the puppets launched into action simultaneously, each ejecting a barrage of unique weapons that flew toward Kurenai's shadow clones with deadly precision.
Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets.
Although Sasori was capable of controlling a hundred puppets at once thanks to his fully mechanized body, this time he chose to operate only ten—a nod to his restraint while still human. Yet even ten elite puppets, hand-crafted and equipped with lethal poisons, were formidable enough to overwhelm most opponents.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In mere moments, seven or eight of Kurenai's shadow clones erupted into puffs of white smoke, vanishing under the coordinated assault.
Ahead of the collapsing clones, Kurenai herself was seen staggering, still carrying the unconscious Asuma. She nearly tripped, her chakra flickering with strain as she retreated across the sands.
This encounter was a devastating blow to her composure. Her pride as a jōnin was shaken in front of her students, and the sheer gap in ability was too stark to ignore. Shadow clones were fragile, yes—but Sasori's puppets were not mere weapons. They were death machines laced with toxins that could paralyze or kill with a scratch. Had her real body taken even one of those hits, she likely wouldn't have made it far.
Moreover, the puppets Sasori wielded were no ordinary tools. Each one was capable of combat on par with an elite jōnin. Their agility, precision, and lethality were the product of Sasori's genius as a puppeteer—and his madness as a rogue ninja.
This was not a shinobi you simply fought head-on.
Kurenai clenched her teeth. Sasori was once hailed as a prodigy of Sunagakure, but this… this was beyond prodigious. This was monstrous. He wasn't just on par with Kage-level combatants—he had defeated one.
Could it really be true? Had he killed the Third Kazekage himself…?
That puppet with the magnetic iron sand—was it really the remains of the Kazekage, turned into a tool?
Kurenai shivered.
Even more chilling was the fact that they had almost faced both Sasori and the Kazekage puppet at once—until Kawaki Aoba had intervened and destroyed it in a well-timed assault.
If not for that, they might not have made it out alive.
As Kurenai prepared another series of shadow clones to delay their relentless pursuer, she spared a glance behind her—toward Kawaki Aoba, who had just downed another vial of red and blue chakra-replenishing fluid.
So the boy had the same idea. They couldn't defeat Sasori in open combat. Their only option was to rely on misdirection, clones, and speed—to buy just enough time to vanish into the desert.
As for leaving a trail? That's what the shadow clones were for. Multiple escape routes, decoys, and confusion—classic misdirection tactics.
But just as Kurenai turned her gaze away, something caught her eye.
Wait a moment… where the hell are that brat's hands?!
Was that how Kawaki Aoba was carrying her daughter while running away? His hand was definitely in the wrong place!
Were it not for the dire circumstances, Kurenai might've stopped everything just to beat the boy black and blue herself.
Back at the battlefield, the clash of shadow clones and puppets continued. White smoke never ceased. Clone after clone was cut down by spinning blades, needles, and scorpion tails.
And the puppets showed no signs of slowing down.