Tsunade shot Orochimaru a vicious glare before charging straight toward Kakuzu.
She knew full well that her current state—driven by nothing but raw rage and pain—was unsustainable. Her control could slip at any moment. But before that happened, she was determined to turn at least one of these two S-rank rogues into a smear on the ground.
As for the other? That was Orochimaru's problem.
They'd fought together through life-and-death more times than she could count. At this point, their teamwork didn't need words—it was instinct.
"Troublesome... this bounty's more trouble than it's worth," Kakuzu muttered.
Calm and composed, he retracted the eight thick black tendrils from his back and braced himself as Tsunade barreled toward him. The two masked monsters on his shoulders opened their jaws wide, spewing flames and gusts of wind.
In their earlier clashes, he'd already learned the hard way—Tsunade's taijutsu and monstrous strength were beyond absurd. In close combat, he didn't stand a chance, especially now, with her in this berserk state.
He didn't expect to defeat her quickly. But he didn't have to. Once her rampage burned out, she'd be nothing more than a blood-phobic woman exhausted beyond saving. Killing her would be easy then.
The firestorm raged violently, wind feeding the flames until the entire area was engulfed. Even with Tsunade's insane endurance, she didn't dare charge through it and was forced to retreat.
Using that brief opening, Kakuzu summoned two more masked monsters. Now he had four elemental hearts deployed and ready, effectively forming a deadly perimeter around him.
If Tsunade were still in her right mind, she might have been able to break through his setup. But now, running purely on instinct, she was unpredictable and reckless. Against a seasoned fighter like Kakuzu, that gave her little chance.
Still, she was strong enough to stall the battle.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Orochimaru was locked in a fierce fight with Sasori.
Shff—
A sharp gust tore through the air as Manda's colossal tail swung down like a thunderous whip, targeting Hiruko—the puppet shell Sasori used.
In the face of overwhelming force, Sasori's eyes narrowed. From beneath Hiruko's carapace, six metallic limbs shot out. He launched himself into the air, barely avoiding the devastating blow.
Boom!
The earth exploded on impact, rocks and soil flying as Manda's tail left a deep trench in its wake. But Sasori had already moved.
Manda didn't let up. The serpent's slit pupils shrank into pinpoints, scanning for its target like twin searchlights. Its tail whipped around again and again, relentless.
The ground trembled under the assault. Jungle trees cracked and fell. Hiruko darted back and forth like a flea in a storm, narrowly dodging each strike.
Sasori hadn't designed Hiruko for offense—it was a life-preserving puppet. Agile and evasive, it was made for survival, not direct confrontation. Though it looked like he was in constant peril, he wasn't in any immediate danger.
At least, not from Manda alone.
High above, standing on the serpent's head, Orochimaru remained still—silent, observant, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Inside Hiruko, Sasori's eyes gleamed with focus. From within, he deployed the Third Kazekage puppet. Its iron wings spread wide, and massive blades slid from its arms.
Like a diving hawk, the puppet launched toward Orochimaru at blinding speed.
"Heh... I've been waiting for this," Orochimaru murmured with a smirk.
He drew the Kusanagi sword from his waist. The moment the Third Kazekage puppet neared, he shifted from stillness to sudden motion—one fluid, lightning-fast slash.
One-on-one, or even one-on-two, Orochimaru wasn't concerned about losing. What he worried about was these two retreating once they sensed the tide turning.
Sasori and Kakuzu were both survivalists—crafty veterans who had invested heavily in life-saving techniques. Orochimaru knew them too well. If things started looking bad, they'd vanish without hesitation.
Just like this puppet—the Third Kazekage was Sasori's only flying puppet. If it escaped, there wasn't much Orochimaru could do to stop it from fleeing.
Before clashing head-on with Sasori and Kakuzu, Orochimaru knew he had two options: either take them down in a single devastating blow, or completely eliminate their means of escape.
The first option was nearly impossible, even for him. But the second—cutting off their retreat—was something he could do.
He had been preparing for this moment. Strengthened by Sage Mode, Orochimaru had pushed his physical abilities far beyond his previous limits. This time, he aimed to destroy the Third Kazekage puppet with a single strike.
Shua...
In an instant, the Kazekage puppet veered to the side, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in half. However, one of its arms, including the massive blade attached to it, couldn't escape. The blade shattered as the sand-iron armor split like paper under the force of Orochimaru's sword.
Inside Hiruko, Sasori's face remained unreadable—he lacked facial expressions, after all. But his cold, glinting eyes betrayed his frustration.
Sasori had studied Orochimaru for years. The Sand Village had faced Konoha on several occasions, and before defecting, Sasori had even seen him on the battlefield. Every report and memory suggested that Orochimaru was a ninjutsu specialist with average taijutsu skills.
That's why Sasori had confidently ordered the Third Kazekage puppet into close combat—avoiding a ninjutsu contest he thought he might lose.
He never expected Orochimaru to physically overpower the puppet so decisively.
How could this be?
A human has limits. How could Orochimaru master both taijutsu and ninjutsu to this extent?
Then, a thought crossed Sasori's mind—something he had scoffed at in the past. A black market rumor he and Kakuzu had dismissed as nonsense.
"This bastard… actually injured the Fourth Raikage?"
Sasori's eyes narrowed in disbelief. But judging from what he'd seen—the power behind Orochimaru's sword, and Killer Bee's earlier condition—it might actually be true.
Realizing this, Sasori decided he had no intention of continuing the fight. His puppet was still trapped by Manda. Orochimaru had the high ground. Any longer, and he'd be the one in danger.
After all, hunting bounties was just a hobby to him. Unlike Kakuzu, he didn't obsess over money enough to die for it.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!"
With cold precision, Sasori activated the strongest technique of the Third Kazekage. Iron sand poured from the puppet's mouth, forming floating spheres in the air. A moment later, iron spears shot from them like lightning, splitting and branching to form a lattice of death—aimed directly at Orochimaru atop Manda's head.
Every escape route was cut off. The attack was sharp enough to pierce through anything.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. Forming hand seals, he responded calmly:
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"
Boom...
A wave of stone surged from the earth like a rising tide, clashing against the oncoming iron spears. Where ordinary earth-style jutsu would have crumbled, this stone tide slowed the iron spears, dragging them down as though into thick mud.
Sasori's eyes widened in surprise. He knew the full destructive power of the Kazekage's magnetic release. He didn't expect it to be halted—not like this.
Still, his real objective had been met. The mass of iron sand formed a rigid structure, locking Manda in place. With the additional layer of stone surrounding them, Orochimaru now stood within a sealed prison.
A cocoon, spun by your own hands, Sasori thought. Let's see how you get out now.
"Until next time, Orochimaru," he muttered.
Inside Hiruko, Sasori began recalling the Kazekage puppet to prepare for escape. But just then—
A thick, muddy stream burst upward, surging toward the Kazekage puppet like a geyser of sludge and stone.