Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 213
🕑 Added 2025-03-05 17:11:50 +0000 UTCThe yellow sand filled the sky, and Sasori felt like he was utterly screwed.
Sure, the intel mentioned this, but right now, he just wanted to chop those intelligence officers into pieces and feed them to the dogs.
They suspect he has learned the Magnet Release?
This was full mastery! Even the Third Kazekage didn't wield Magnet Release with such overwhelming power.
And if these sands weren't mixed with something extra, then Sasori would livestream himself chopping up a bird.
And this "something extra" was no joke.
Wherever the yellow sand touched, everything dried up and crumbled. Sasori wasn't about to let that happen to him—he turned and ran.
Don't be fooled by the fact that he turned himself into a puppet—he could still run fast.
In a flash, he darted away, constantly pulling up chunks of rock from the ground to use as barriers behind him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to deploy his puppets, but these sands were just too fast.
Besides, his puppets were designed to resist regular sand, but he had no clue what kind of freakish mix Masashi had blended into this.
Making human puppets was no easy task, and repairing them was a nightmare.
Better to widen the distance first.
"Why are you running, Sasori? That's not cool of you. Weren't you going to show me something?"
Masashi stood atop a swirling mass of yellow sand, gliding forward like a speedboat cutting through water, keeping pace with Sasori effortlessly.
"Relax, I've got great control. I promise it won't hurt."
"Like hell it won't!" Sasori cursed as he ran, glancing back. "I don't feel pain anyway! Just stop chasing me!"
Normally, he carried himself with a certain rhythm and style—he rarely resorted to cursing.
After all, he considered himself an artist, and as an artist, maintaining the right temperament was essential.
Even when he utterly despised Orochimaru, he'd still hold onto his refined demeanor while verbally trashing the Sannin's entire ancestry.
But against this bastard behind him? Elegance was impossible.
Unlike Sasori, Masashi had no reputation to maintain. He didn't care in the slightest that Sasori was cursing at him. He simply manipulated the sand, encircling Sasori from all directions.
During this chase, the swirling sands had accumulated to a terrifying scale.
Giant hands formed from the sand, one after another, slamming down with relentless force.
Rocks exploded upon impact, but Sasori weaved through the chaos with skillful, almost flamboyant movements, narrowly dodging every attempt to grab him.
Masashi was impressed—damn, Sasori could run!
That puppet body of his gave him a mobility that no normal person could achieve.
After a while, Sasori had to admit—this sand was a real pain for puppet users.
The floating grains in the air constantly attacked his puppet body. If not for his high-quality defenses, his movements would have already started breaking down.
If he were still flesh and blood, he wouldn't just be slowing down—he'd be dead.
Giving himself some credit internally, he finally had time to release his first human puppet.
It was also the only one he could use in this situation.
Embarrassing as it was, he knew full well that out of all his human puppets, only the Third Kazekage's was truly viable against Masashi.
Deploying his "Hundred Puppets" here? That would be suicide.
Poison? Masashi could use Susanoo. There was no way to land an effective hit.
A ninja who didn't prepare for strong opponents wasn't a real ninja.
After their last fight, Sasori had realized—this bastard was his natural enemy.
So, he had specifically created a poison designed just for him.
From a distance, Masashi saw a thick white mist erupt around Sasori.
But since Sasori was running so fast, the mist got left behind almost immediately.
This made Masashi burst out laughing.
"What's this? You a jet engine now?" he shouted. "Stop running! Come back and have some fun!"
With a loud boom, a massive, pitch-black iron sand barrier rose like a towering wall, colliding with Masashi's yellow sand tsunami.
The sheer density of the iron sand was far greater than regular sand, forcefully cutting through the golden waves.
Compared to their last battle, the Third Kazekage puppet's output had clearly improved.
However, Masashi was also no longer the same Masashi from before.
A white chakra aura began to emerge from his body.
Bones, muscles, and flesh rapidly formed.
A towering half-body Susanoo rose from the sandstorm, its massive hands weaving seals.
With Susanoo's amplification, the scorching sand became even more violent. It surged into the sky, blotting out the sun, forming a sandstorm far beyond any normal scale.
Susanoo continued to rise, and soon, its lower half was also fully formed.
A true Complete-Body Susanoo stood upon the earth. With a single step, it reached the iron sand barrier.
Then, it threw a punch.
This was Susanoo's Chakra Enhanced Strength.
The once-impenetrable iron sand wall was shattered on the spot.
Countless iron sand particles shot outward like bullets, completely beyond Sasori's control.
What propelled them wasn't chakra—it was pure, overwhelming physical force.
Even though Sasori had no heart, he instinctively felt the urge to take a sharp breath.
What the hell was this?
This was not how things went last time.
As the roaring wind rushed toward him, he didn't even stop to think—he immediately raised a second iron sand curtain.
The Reverse Iron Sand Drizzle, forcibly pushed by external force, crashed heavily against the new barrier.
Sasori could only watch as the surface of the iron sand curtain, on his side, bulged outward in a chaotic, almost grotesque manner—dense, terrifyingly uneven.
And beyond the curtain, a black rainstorm raged, kicking up dust, shaking the very earth.
At this scale of battle, the weaknesses of a puppeteer became painfully obvious.
Sasori knew—it was time to bail.
Poisons? Useless. Might as well take them home and enjoy them himself.
Just as he was thinking this, a thin yellow line appeared in the center of his iron sand barrier.
The ever-elegant Sasori suddenly became very unelegant, rolling to the side like a starving animal lunging for food.
A split second later, the iron sand curtain was cut open.
The sand blade tore through the iron sand and continued forward, slicing deep into the earth, leaving a jagged, menacing scar across the battlefield.
---
At the edge of the battlefield, Orochimaru and Kabuto stood in silence, watching the colossal white giant unleash its overwhelming power.
Orochimaru's eyes flickered, while Kabuto completely lost control over his expression.
"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto adjusted his glasses for what felt like the hundredth time, "is this kind of battle… even something a ninja is capable of?"
At this moment, he felt truly lucky that he had behaved himself during his time in Konoha.
Otherwise, he would've been sliced to dust from 800 meters away.
"A Complete-Body Susanoo… the Uchiha clan's strongest forbidden technique." Orochimaru stared unblinkingly. "That man was said to wield such power."
"You mean… Masashi is already on par with that man?"
"Who knows?" Orochimaru shrugged. "I've never seen him myself."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses again. "It seems I can discard my role as Sasori's subordinate…"
Because if Sasori could actually win against this? Then he wouldn't be Sasori anymore.
Kabuto looked at the battlefield.
The land before him no longer resembled what it once was.
It had transformed into a dead desert.
The sky was still blue, but the earth had turned completely yellow—no other colors remained.
Terrifying cyclones of blazing sand spiraled high into the sky, their swirling forms looming over the battlefield.
Standing on the edge, it was only a single step away from this wasteland, yet the heatwaves rolling forth were unbearable.
The dunes, frozen in jagged ripples, extended far into the distance—vast, yet restless.
"You're quick to draw conclusions again, Kabuto." Orochimaru glanced at his assistant.
"… My apologies, Orochimaru-sama."
"Hm. Let's go. If Sasori somehow survives this, I doubt he'll ever come back here again… What a shame."
---
Standing within Susanoo, the view was quite nice.
Watching as the forest ahead was reduced to vast stretches of sand at a speed visible to the naked eye under the effect of ninjutsu, Masashi ceased his Magnet Release technique.
A fully manifested Susanoo could only be used under Sage Mode.
The advantage of Mount Myoboku's Sage Art was its comprehensive enhancement, but its duration was indeed a problem.
At this point, he no longer used Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode to activate buffs. The Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode continuously strengthen his physique with natural energy, but using up that energy for this purpose felt like a waste.
However, large-scale ninjutsu like this wasn't particularly effective against high-level opponents like the Five Kage.
After all, each of them had maxed out their evasion skills.
Even Madara, who looked down on the Five Kage, still used Wood Release to trap them before igniting and poisoning them.
Susanoo was more suited for fighting large targets—of course, if he could summon multiple at once, that would be a different story.
Controlling his Susanoo, he stepped forward and walked out of the desert.
Looking back, his impact on the environment was certainly deserving of a negative review.
Sasori's chakra was no longer detectable—he had probably escaped using space-time ninjutsu again.
Masashi figured he needed to research how to interfere with others' space-time techniques.
As the sage markings faded from his face, Susanoo dissolved like foam, and he controlled his chakra to land back on the ground.
Searching the battlefield, he found remnants of the Third Kazekage puppet.
Upon closer inspection, they were all artificially reconstructed parts, but they still resembled human features.
Over the years, he had been improving, and so had the famous masters of the original timeline. Even Sasori had continued advancing his human puppet techniques.
Since he had changed many things in this timeline, various ripple effects were inevitable.
Oh well, Sasori had escaped—nothing he could do about it.
Strange, though. In the original timeline, these experts were all incredibly headstrong. Why did they keep running away in this one?
Sure, it was more ninja-like, but it didn't feel very... Naruto?
After cleaning up the battlefield, Masashi set off toward the Land of Iron.
As the only samurai nation on the continent, the Land of Iron had a moderate level of strength. However, the samurai were deeply integrated with the country, and their warrior group essentially ruled the nation.
Unlike the ninja nations, where ninja and nobility had separate roles, the Land of Iron had always been politically stable.
That was something the shinobi world couldn't replicate.
As Konoha's envoy, he took the official route to enter the Land of Iron.
From the perspective of the samurai, they also hoped that the war between Iwa and Kumo would end as soon as possible.
This country had its own hawks, advocating for military action to drive ninja forces off its land. Such voices existed, but…
The samurai leadership understood reality well. While their warriors had a clear advantage over genin and chunin, they were not superior to jonin.
Forget Kumo—just that master-disciple pair from Iwa alone could obliterate the Land of Iron's proud samurai army.
Under such circumstances, Konoha's mediation was seen as a beacon of hope.
Masashi was received with great courtesy in the Land of Iron.
The samurai commander personally welcomed him.
The leader of the samurai held the title of "General," and at this time, the Land of Iron's General was already Mifune.
Masashi had heard of him before.
For a samurai to earn widespread respect in the ninja world was no easy feat.
Their meeting took place in a forest where three towering peaks stood like the heads of wolves.
This was the birthplace of the Land of Iron and the headquarters of the samurai order.
To the people of the continent, the Land of Iron, with its eternal snow and year-round winter, wasn't necessarily any better than the Land of Wind. Aside from Hanzō, no ninja nation had ever proactively waged war against it.
A samurai guide led Masashi into an underground structure within the mountains.
Inside, the corridors extended in all directions, and the temperature was comfortable—far better than the cold outside. In the original timeline, the Five Kage Summit was also held here.
Masashi met Mifune in a reception hall within this underground stronghold.
This exemplary samurai had yet to show obvious signs of graying hair, and his attire was impeccably neat and disciplined.
"Welcome to the Land of Iron."
Although Mifune looked serious and stern, his tone was actually quite gentle when he spoke.
By contrast, his subordinates were rigid from head to toe, as if smiling would kill them.
Not all samurai were expressionless, but there were always some who seemed afraid they wouldn't appear serious enough.
It wasn't out of ill intent. At the very least, when one high-ranking samurai served tea to Masashi, he made an earnest effort to appear friendly.
It was obvious he wasn't used to this—his actions were somewhat stiff and inexperienced.
"No need for formalities, Mifune-sama. Let's get straight to the point," Masashi said.
Mainly because he felt that if he casually chatted with Mifune, these samurai might suffocate from holding back.
"Very well." Mifune nodded. "The Land of Iron is a poor country. Of course, we do not harbor ambitions beyond what a small nation should. Konoha is well aware of this. However, this war has brought great suffering to our land, and resentment has been building among our people."
"That's precisely why we are here to mediate. The Land of Iron's status as a neutral nation is recognized by both Konoha and the Fire daimyō," Masashi reassured him. "You don't need to worry, Mifune-sama. Neither Iwa nor Kumo would want the Fourth Great Ninja War to break out."
"Thank you for understanding. The Land of Iron will fully support Konoha's mediation efforts. Please forgive our impatience, but how does Konoha plan to proceed with the negotiations?"
"In theory, we would negotiate with Iwa. However, since they are the ones being attacked, and due to our agreement with Kumo, Konoha has not been able to assist in their defense. Therefore, we can only communicate with Kumo this time."
At this point, Masashi added, "But as you know, due to certain special circumstances, Kumo still has not appointed an official Fifth Raikage. For now, only Dodai is acting as interim leader."
"You mean to say that this war is the collective decision of the Kumo ninjas?"
"That's more or less the case. The fact that they haven't elected a Raikage means that no single individual has emerged as the strongest, capable of uniting them. So right now, they are making decisions collectively."
"The Land of Iron can deploy troops," Mifune stated. "If Konoha is willing to intervene militarily, our samurai army can cooperate with your operations."
"I'm sorry, Mifune-sama, but due to the constraints of our agreement, unless Kumo takes direct military action against Konoha, we cannot launch a military response." Masashi declined Mifune's proposal. "While we deeply appreciate your trust, our mediation efforts will be carried out through negotiations."
If the samurai of the Land of Iron joined forces with Konoha, that would undoubtedly trigger the Fourth Great Ninja War.
The scale of the current conflict was already approaching that of the Second Great Ninja War—it just hadn't yet devolved into full-blown chaos. That's why it still wasn't classified as a world war.
But the moment Konoha got involved, chaos would erupt.
Right now, Iwa was the one under siege, but in the end, it would likely turn into a siege against Konoha instead.
Nagato would never let such an opportunity slip by.
Masashi had no intention of letting these people get carried away with war just yet. Wouldn't it be better to conserve their strength to stop that three-eyed girl from resurrecting?
"Negotiations alone may not be enough to stop Kumo." Mifune looked at Masashi. "Watching from the sidelines while two nations fight could end up attracting another one. If the war drags on, whether it's ambitious schemers or those who revel in slaughter, they will only make things worse."
"Do you have intelligence to support this, Mifune-sama?"
"No, it's just speculation. When it comes to intelligence, the Land of Iron wouldn't dare compare itself to the Five Great Nations."
