If the Third Kazekage puppet's arm had still been intact, and its wings and frame remained balanced, it might have evaded the attack with sheer speed.
If Sasori hadn't used up so much iron sand on the large-scale Magnet Release, he could have raised a solid wall of sand iron to block the incoming attack.
But there were no "ifs" on the battlefield.
The puppet of the Third Kazekage couldn't dodge. It couldn't defend.
It was swallowed by the churning wave of muddy stone and slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.
Sasori had been tempted. Seeing Orochimaru atop Manda, he had tried to go for a decapitating strike—take out the summoner and end the fight.
But that choice sealed this outcome. Whether by method or by time, it was already fated.
Sasori's thoughts flickered. He wasn't discouraged. He understood this loss came from a lack of intel and a difference in power.
From within Hiruko, he leapt up, avoiding the backlash of the mudflow. At the same time, he poured more chakra into the threads controlling the Third Kazekage, trying to pull it out of the mire.
If this had been the real Kazekage, the mudslide would have crippled him—maybe even killed him.
But this was no longer a man. It was a puppet.
Most human weaknesses were gone.
As long as Sasori remained alive, even a damaged puppet could keep fighting. That was the rule of puppet masters.
But then—
Inside Hiruko, Sasori's expression twisted. His appearance didn't change, but a dark, oppressive aura filled the space around him.
He had already maxed out the chakra thread's strength, but the Kazekage puppet wasn't budging.
It was sinking. Drowning deeper into the sludge, as if trapped in a swamp.
How is this possible?
His eyes locked onto the mud. The color was off—gray and thick like stone mixed with clay.
This wasn't just Earth Release.
"Idiot. You dare stand against my senjutsu?"
Finally, unable to hold back, Manda let out a thunderous laugh, speaking like a proper villain as he explained the attack:
"Don't worry. Once your little toy is turned to stone, you'll be next."
With a vicious hiss, the serpent's tail whipped out, smashing the makeshift cage of iron sand and stone.
The structure cracked under the force. It wouldn't hold long.
"S-Senjutsu?"
Inside Hiruko, Sasori's eyes widened in shock.
A summon… using Sage Art?
Among all the shinobi in the world, only Jiraiya of Konoha was known to have mastered senjutsu.
Even the so-called "God" of the Akatsuki hadn't mastered it.
And yet, this massive snake wielded it like second nature.
Just one moment of carelessness—and Sasori's strongest puppet was caught.
He realized now: if this continued, he could actually die here.
Without hesitation, Sasori made his decision.
He jumped high, retreating at full speed.
He'd cut off the limb to save the body—abandoning the Kazekage puppet without regret.
Sasori's thinking was razor sharp. Even if he did break through the petrified sludge and retrieve the puppet, it likely couldn't fly again.
And during that delay, Orochimaru would break free. Then it would be two against one—again.
There was no point in dying for a single puppet.
As long as he lived, as long as the world still had powerful shinobi—he could always create more.
"Fine. Let's recycle the trash."
Sasori's gaze lingered on the mud for a moment. Then he stopped controlling it and redirected his focus inward—back to the puppet.
Within the puppet's body, a long-slumbering soul stirred.
It was waking up.
---
"Sasori ran?"
Kakuzu had noticed what was happening and was visibly startled.
But he didn't yell. He didn't blame him.
Instead, he pushed back the furious Tsunade and began preparing to retreat himself.
He didn't know the full story, but he trusted Sasori's judgment.
And if Orochimaru was strong enough to make Killer Bee flee, and drive the cold, calculating Sasori into full retreat—
Then Kakuzu needed to reconsider whether this mission was even still worth attempting.
"You think you can run?"
Tsunade's instincts had sharpened in her enraged state. Even though Kakuzu hadn't started running yet, she could feel it.
His spirit wavered.
And that told her everything.
After being hunted down for so long and pushed to such a desperate state, there was no way Tsunade would just accept this kind of loss.
With a fierce roar, she charged straight into Kakuzu's sealing technique, completely ignoring her injuries.
"You idiot—have you lost your mind?" Kakuzu sneered, mocking her recklessness. Without caring about chakra consumption, he poured even more power into the jutsu.
He had originally planned to cancel it, but with such a golden opportunity, it would be a waste not to take the shot.
From the mouth of the red-masked creature, a wave of raging fire erupted, turning the night sky blood red. At the same time, the cyan-masked creature released a powerful gust of wind, feeding the flames into a roaring fire tornado that raced straight toward Tsunade.
She charged forward wildly, the heat of the tornado scorching her skin, her face turning red from the intensity. Even someone as powerful as her couldn't ignore that kind of heat—it could incinerate her if she was caught head-on.
But Tsunade didn't flinch. Instead, she bit her fingertip, formed a hand seal, and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu!"
A burst of white smoke was blown aside by the flames, but then—suddenly—the firestorm slammed into what felt like an immovable wall.
"Hiss… Tsunade! Don't use me as a shield!" came a soft, feminine voice from the shadows of the jungle, scolding her with gentle exasperation.
The enormous form of the Slug Sage shimmered with a blue protective light. Despite the blaze, it held firm. Even the areas burned upon summoning quickly regenerated, the damaged surface healing as if nothing had happened.
Tsunade leapt onto the sage's broad back, looking down at Kakuzu. Her eyes briefly flickered with uncertainty.
Kakuzu had it completely wrong—Tsunade hadn't lost her mind. On the contrary, the excruciating pain had helped her snap back to clarity.
The unique constitution of the Senju clan gave her a terrifyingly strong adaptability. In her case, though, "adaptability" might as well be called "numbness."
And yet... she almost wished she hadn't come to her senses. At least she wasn't close enough to Kakuzu now for his blood to trigger her trauma again.
Tsunade quickly explained her situation and request to the Slug Sage, asking for help.
"You really are hopeless sometimes," the gentle voice replied, both fond and resigned. "You know I'm the worst when it comes to combat."
Even so, blue chakra light surged across her huge body. Unbothered by the raging heat, the Slug Sage advanced directly through the sea of flames toward the source of the fire.
Meanwhile, loud clanging echoed nearby as Manda finally broke free of the improvised cage. Now liberated, it didn't immediately give chase to the escaping Sasori. Instead, its yellow eyes locked onto a different figure—one rising slowly from the muddy torrent.
Fear flickered in the serpent's eyes.