Chapter 528: Breaking All Laws with One Force
As the battle was about to begin, every contestant in the lounge focused on Nagato and Sasori, who stood facing each other in the arena.
Sasori had already made his name felt. In the first round of the elimination matches, he controlled four puppets at the same time and crushed his opponent with ease. Even spectators who did not understand puppetry could sense how dangerous he was.
Nagato was even harder to measure. From the preliminaries to the first two elimination rounds, he had dominated without pause, defeating both unknown ninja from minor villages and even a Konoha elite like Shibi.
A clash between those two was bound to draw eyes.
"What was that jutsu that ended Shibi's match?" Kakashi still could not explain it.
He hoped Hashori still had more hidden techniques, enough to force Nagato to use that power again.
Of course, the most ideal outcome for Kakashi and Guy was Nagato losing and Hashori entering the top four.
They were very effective against puppeteers. A puppeteer's body was fragile. As long as they caught even the smallest opening, Kakashi or Guy could end it in an instant.
"Nagato, come on!" Yahiko shouted from the spectator stands.
He had fallen in the first round. Konan had fallen in the second. Now the Shinobi Sect only had Nagato left.
Nagato did not hear the words over the distance and noise, but his sharp eyes caught Yahiko standing and waving. The encouragement still reached him.
Nagato's gaze returned to Hashori.
This was his first time fighting a puppeteer.
But he was not worried.
In the previous round, it had also been his first time fighting a ninja who used insect secret arts, and he still won with ease.
With Mugetsu's guidance, with the Rinnegan, and with his comrades behind him, he would not lose.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
Sasori immediately flung out two scrolls.
One summoned Hiruko.
The other released nine puppets, each with a different shape and presence.
Against Nagato, a fighter who could throw out high powered ninjutsu freely, Sasori brought out everything he had prepared last night. Ten puppets total, the maximum he could currently control.
Leaving aside the Third Kazekage's Human Puppet, this was Sasori fighting seriously at full power.
These ten puppets were not random, either. Sasori had chosen them from the hundreds he made, based on what he knew of Nagato, specifically to counter him.
At this point, Sasori's goal had already shifted. The prize no longer mattered. What mattered was killing Kakashi.
That was why he could not risk exposing himself by using the Third Kazekage's Human Puppet.
If the truth of the Third Kazekage's assassination surfaced, Sunagakure would hunt him immediately. The Shinobi Sect might even expel him. Either outcome would make the assassination far harder.
Sasori's ten fingers stretched, chakra threads snapping out and linking to each puppet.
"So there are more than four." Nagato was surprised to see ten puppets enter the arena at once, but his hands never slowed.
"Fire Release: Head Hardship!"
Fire chakra gathered in his throat, forming a scorching fireball that slammed into the ground in front of Sasori.
The fireball burst on impact, exploding into a sea of fire. Orange red flames spread violently, as if they wanted to swallow everything.
Sasori curled his fingers.
Two puppets opened their abdomens, revealing blue scrolls stored inside. A surge of water poured out and smothered the advancing flames.
He was prepared.
Nagato was not going to beat him with ordinary ninjutsu.
Baki, watching from the stands, went stiff.
No, not just him. Every Sand ninja was stunned.
"Ten Puppet Manipulation." Baki stared at Sasori in disbelief.
He never imagined an unknown puppeteer would display the techniques of a top level master.
For puppeteers, controlling more puppets meant stronger puppet control, but only if precision did not collapse.
If the puppets stumbled and could not fight, the number meant nothing.
The point of many puppets was combat power. If precision dropped too far, one puppet could be better than ten.
Sasori had no such problem.
His puppets moved cleanly, fast, and coordinated. The skill was obvious.
"To master Ten Puppet Manipulation at this age" Baki's earlier suspicions overturned.
Before, Sasori's style carried traces of Sunagakure, so Baki suspected he was a disciple of some rogue Sand ninja.
But this level was beyond that.
A normal rogue ninja could not produce this.
"Is it Sasori, the missing genius puppeteer?" Baki recalled the village rumor, a prodigy around his age.
Baki did not know Sasori personally. It was not because Sasori had no friends, but because Sasori was reclusive to the extreme.
Baki's understanding was limited to stories, because neither he nor his friends nor his friends' friends had ever truly known Sasori.
"To control ten puppets" Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "He really hid his strength."
Kakashi had expected Hashori to reveal two more puppets at most.
Instead, Hashori opened with ten, and they looked designed to deal with Nagato specifically.
"In that case, the outcome is hard to say."
Once again, Kakashi felt the weight of a simple truth.
There were always people stronger than you.
The Youth Martial Arts Tournament had not even gathered every genius in the world, yet monsters like Nagato and Hashori had appeared.
The shinobi world was deeper than it looked.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
After a brief thought, Nagato chose Lightning Release, a style with sharper penetration. He intended to remove puppets quickly with efficient single target output.
A thick lightning spear shot out.
But a puppet with a special stinger moved in front of it, blocking the path. The puppet drove the stinger into the ground.
Zzzzzzt.
Lightning engulfed the puppet, dazzling and violent, yet it did not suffer major damage.
Sasori's lips lifted slightly.
A puppeteer with intelligence and one without were completely different.
His left hand moved, five fingers tugging.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Mechanisms activated inside five puppets' legs. Long blades and heavy swords unfolded from their limbs, and the puppets slashed toward Nagato in a coordinated rush.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
Nagato burst chakra to dodge as he formed hand signs again.
Two of his attacks had been countered, but he had countless ninjutsu. He refused to believe Hashori could counter everything.
A wind sphere flew out.
The arena exploded into fierce wind.
A massive storm followed, tearing at the ground itself, throwing dirt and rock into the air until dust filled the field.
Nagato's judgment was correct.
Sasori did not have a perfect counter to Pressure Damage.
But not being able to counter it perfectly did not mean he could not deal with it.
Sasori moved all ten fingers.
A stronger surge of chakra flowed into the threads.
A defensive puppet took position in front of Sasori's main body, while the other puppets shifted, dodging and circling, steadily forming a net around Nagato.
"This young puppeteer is extraordinary," Hanzo thought, a flicker of satisfaction rising as he watched Nagato fall into a disadvantage.
Originally, Hanzo's greatest hope of stopping Nagato had been Guy.
He did not expect Hashori to hide so deeply. Hashori had shown less than half of his real strength before now.
Hanzo glanced sideways toward Sōsuke, only to see the same calm, composed expression.
It was as if the one under pressure in the arena was Hashori, not Nagato.
"Sōsuke, just wait," Hanzo thought bitterly. "Let's see if you can still look so calm when Nagato actually loses."
Kakuzu nodded as if agreeing with Hanzo's earlier thought.
"Indeed, he's extraordinary. Even among the top eight, he's rare."
Then he continued, voice light.
"I suppose Lord Hanzo must regret that the Rain ninja could not face such an excellent genius. After all, there are no Rain ninja in the top eight."
"Oh, no. There are no Rain ninja in the elimination matches at all."
Hanzo did not respond.
He stared at the arena, as if he could not hear a single word.
But his stiff face made it clear he was not in a good mood.
Kakuzu's attacks were always the same, and they always hit the same place.
The next generation of Rain ninja was not even as good as the Grass ninja.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Poison needles, barbs, and projectiles rained toward Nagato, only to be blocked by the curved earth wall he summoned.
Bang.
Boom.
Hashori pressed harder. His puppets pursued relentlessly, each one moving with purpose, like an elite squad.
"This puppetry is impressive," Obito muttered, rubbing his chin.
He suddenly realized how terrifying puppeteers could be.
If the puppets were strong enough, the opponent was essentially fighting ten enemies at once, each with different abilities.
"Dragging this out only reveals more," Nagato decided suddenly. "Better to end it quickly."
He had wanted to save Shinra Tensei for the top four, or even the finals.
But Hashori's puppets were simply too troublesome.
Sasori left three puppets close to guard him.
The other seven surrounded Nagato, attacking from every angle.
Nagato took a breath and stopped dodging.
He stood still, condensing a massive amount of chakra for something bigger.
"Oh? Giving up already?" Sasori felt wrongness in the posture.
Nagato still looked fine. He should not be giving up so soon.
But Nagato's stance did look like he had abandoned defense.
Sasori thought for a moment, then continued the attack anyway.
Even if there was risk, he had to seize an opening when it appeared.
He was controlling puppets, not throwing his own body forward. His margin for error was high.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Swish.
Seven puppets attacked at once.
Some fired poison needles.
Some charged with blades.
Some spat flames.
Their attacks covered every direction Nagato could dodge.
At this point, even Body Flicker would be hard to use.
Unless it was a space time technique that could leave instantly, Nagato was trapped.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The chakra Nagato condensed erupted.
The air itself trembled, as if the world held its breath before a storm.
Then Nagato's Rinnegan pulsed.
A colossal repulsive force exploded outward, centered on Nagato, swallowing the entire arena in a single surge.
Whoosh.
The poison needles were blasted backward, slamming into ground and walls.
Boom.
The flames were forced back onto the puppets themselves, roaring in reverse.
Crack.
Blades snapped instantly, as if broken by an invisible hand.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
All seven puppets were hurled into the arena walls, embedded so deeply they looked nailed in place.
Sasori's eyes sharpened, stunned by the reversal.
He had not expected Nagato to break the encirclement like that.
He also did not understand what kind of power that was.
"Bansho Tenin!"
Nagato did not waste the opening.
He raised his right hand, aimed at Hashori, and a terrifying pull erupted.
Sasori's body flew forward, dragged into Nagato's grasp.
Sasori's face changed.
His body was out of his control.
He tried to command the remaining puppets to intercept.
Too late.
By the time the puppets moved, Nagato's kunai was already at Sasori's throat.
"Nagato wins!" the referee declared.
Nagato released him and spoke with a faint apology.
"My apologies. It seems I damaged your puppets."
It was only a competition. If he could, Nagato preferred to minimize losses.
Sasori shook his head, saying nothing.
His mind was still stuck on that strange power.
After careful thought, Sasori reached an unpleasant conclusion.
Even if he used the Third Kazekage's Human Puppet, he might still not be able to defeat Nagato in a direct fight.
"This tournament actually has a genius like this." Sasori's pride cooled.
When he first entered, he had looked down on every contestant. He had killed a Kage. How could someone his age be stronger than him?
Now he had to admit reality.
Even if he went all out, there were opponents he could not defeat head on.
Before leaving the arena, Sasori looked back at Nagato, as if carving the name into memory.
Kakuzu chuckled lightly, glancing toward the silent Hanzo as if on purpose.
"Even if this puppeteer has skill, our Shinobi Sect is still superior."
Hanzo stayed silent.
In the original encirclement battle, Nagato had only shown a fraction of his strength, and Kakuzu's presence had distorted everything. Hanzo had not truly understood what Nagato was capable of now.
After this match, he finally did.
"I can only see if Guy is hiding something," Hanzo thought.
Now, the only person who might stop Nagato was Guy.
Even Guy's earlier performance still felt slightly uncertain to Hanzo.
The lounge fell into a strange silence again.
Obito's mouth hung open, replaying the moment Nagato erased seven puppets with a single Shinra Tensei.
If Teacher Mugetsu were beside him, Obito would have blurted it out without shame.
Teacher Mugetsu, I want to learn that.
Compared to spitting fireballs, Shinra Tensei was cooler and stronger.
"The puppets were pushed away," Kakashi muttered, eyes focused. "And the body was pulled in like iron toward a magnet."
A faint shape of understanding began to form in his mind.
"Kakashi, that might be gravity and repulsion," Shisui said quietly.
"I think so too." Kakashi nodded, expression heavy.
The more he thought, the more abnormal Nagato felt.
Repulsion and gravity.
Those were terrifying powers.
And Nagato did not even need hand signs. He released them without warning.
"Is this the ability of the Sage's eye?" Kakashi's gaze drifted to the Rinnegan.
If it truly was the Six Paths Sage's eyes, then it made sense.
The Sage had left behind countless legends.
"Mm, me too," Obito added immediately, not wanting to be left behind.
Kakashi looked at him with suspicion.
He strongly suspected Obito was just copying the words.
"He's terrifyingly strong, but it has nothing to do with me," Asuma said with an easy smile, his mindset still steady.
With his level, reaching the top eight was already helped by a good draw. He was not dreaming about fighting Nagato.
In the top eight match, his opponent was Shisui.
Asuma was not confident.
He had fought Shisui very few times, but he had never won.
"Over two hundred contestants, all Five Great Ninja Villages represented," Asuma thought. "Making the top eight in an event like this is already something to brag about."
He was already prepared to find Teacher Mugetsu afterward.
Mugetsu would definitely comfort him and praise him, unlike a certain person who was harsh for no reason.
"Even if you're my best friend, I won't hand such a strong opponent to you," Guy said, eyes blazing as he looked at Kakashi.
Their match was coming.
The winner would advance, and the next opponent would be Nagato.
"I actually don't want to snatch that," Kakashi answered honestly.
He was not a battle maniac.
He only felt some interest when sparring with fellow disciples. Seeing someone strong did not automatically ignite him.
"But I'll still do my best to win."
Even if he was not addicted to fighting, Kakashi never liked holding back, especially against Mugetsu's disciples.
They carried the responsibility of changing history.
Strength mattered.
"Hahaha." Guy laughed loudly. That was exactly what he wanted to hear.
"Kakashi, I will fight with all my might too. Let's have a battle full of youth and passion!"
At that moment, Nagato walked back into the lounge.
Teacher Mugetsu's disciples really are good, Nagato admitted inwardly, and regret flickered in his chest.
Even though he was also Mugetsu's disciple, he could not acknowledge Kakashi and the others.
If Mugetsu's identity was exposed, it would shake the situation in the Land of Rain, and might even shake the entire shinobi world.
Nagato knew Mugetsu came here because he wanted peace.
But other forces would not believe that.
The Land of Rain Daimyo and Hanzo might think Mugetsu wanted to overthrow the Land of Rain.
Ninja outside Konoha might believe Konoha had hidden ambitions, sending Mugetsu to create the Shinobi Sect to replace the Amegakure and strengthen Konoha's power.
Konoha ninja might believe Mugetsu had betrayed the village by building a sect in the Land of Rain and even training Iwagakure ninja.
For the sake of the bigger picture, Nagato could only suppress his curiosity and keep his distance, maintaining an aloof face.
"Number eleven, Might Guy versus number fifteen, Kakashi Hatake!" the referee's voice echoed into the lounge.
Kakashi and Guy exchanged a look, then walked side by side toward the arena.
"Guy, come on. I believe you can win!" Obito shouted immediately, hoping Guy would become the taijutsu war god he was in their internal fights and beat Kakashi down properly.
"How do I defeat Obito later?" Mei, already distracted from the tournament itself, focused entirely on the fight waiting for her.
Her top eight opponent was Obito, and she had the advantage with Water Release.
If she advanced to the top four, she would likely face Shisui, who was also weak to her.
But Mei still had a problem.
Her record against Obito in the Chunin Exams was one loss, one win.
She beat him in the Death Forest, then lost to him in the arena.
Even with a chakra nature advantage, she was not confident.
So she stopped watching the others and began dissecting Obito's habits, searching for weaknesses to raise her odds.
On the high platform, Hanzo fixed his gaze on the arena.
At this point, he no longer commented, because he did not want to give Kakuzu another opening to stab him with words.
Guy looked around, not finding that familiar green figure, and shook his head with faint regret.
"What a pity. If only Father were here."
If his father could see him in an event this big, he would definitely be happy.
Hearing that, Kakashi felt a thin loneliness rise.
Might Duy could not make it.
And Kakashi's father truly could not come anymore.
"You can take the prize back and tell him about it," Kakashi said after steadying himself.
Even though both his parents were gone, Kakashi still had precious things now.
A teacher who cared for him deeply.
Friends he could trust with his life.
"Haha, as expected of my best friend. That makes sense." Guy gave him a thumbs up.
For the next minute, they stopped talking and adjusted their states.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
"Eight Gates, Gate of Opening, open. Gate of Limit, open!"
The instant the match began, Guy roared low and opened the first five gates in a single surge.
Chakra flooded out of him, wild and violent. The air itself seemed to tighten under the pressure.
Facing Kakashi, even in the probing stage, Guy did not dare be careless.
Every disciple had seen Kakashi's explosive bursts.
"Thunder Breathing, Full Concentration!"
Kakashi did not waste time either.
He focused his breathing and entered Transparent World immediately.
Rock Breathing combined with the Eight Gates had taught all of them what simple strength meant.
Guy did not need complicated tricks.
His openings were usually whirlwind kicks. Once he confirmed his rhythm, he would unleash Morning Tiger or Golden Skyline to finish it.
The routine never changed.
And that was what made it terrifying.
Simple, yet overwhelming.
Without Transparent World, Kakashi would not even dare stay within ten meters of Guy.
It was too easy to be dragged into Guy's rhythm, then erased in one exchange.
"Leaf Hand Blade, Consecutive Strikes!"
This time, Guy did not charge immediately.
He condensed heavy chakra into his palms and chopped out several transparent energy blasts toward Kakashi.
Kakashi read Guy's muscle movements through Transparent World and predicted the angles cleanly.
He did not waste chakra on Body Flicker.
He only twisted his body and tilted his head.
Bang. Bang.
The blasts missed and cratered the ground.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Kakashi started moving and threw several shuriken at Guy.
Guy deflected them with fist wind, stepping back as he did.
"What the hell, Guy?" Obito frowned. "Why are you being polite to Kakashi? Use Body Flicker and kick him in the face!"
Obito was used to being chased and beaten by Guy. Seeing Guy forced back by ordinary shuriken felt wrong.
"He's probably guarding against Kakashi's one slash," Shisui said after a moment.
Guy had not gone on the Grass mission, but Kakashi often trained No Thought Strike in the South Border Forest. Guy still knew Kakashi had a terrifying Lightning Release sword technique.
Guy looked rough and simple, but in battle he was not a fool who only charged forward.
"Ah, right." Obito remembered the slash Kakashi used on the Grass mission and nodded.
Golden Skyline was strong, but it was done with fingers.
No Thought Strike was done with a blade, a sharp chakra weapon.
In a direct clash, flesh and blood would be disadvantaged.
Even Rock Breathing had limits.
"As expected, I'm still not used to this."
After retreating a bit more, Guy suddenly laughed and pushed his breathing to the extreme, entering Rock Breathing Chakra Mode.
His already terrifying body was strengthened again.
His aura surged to the peak, stirring sand into swirling currents. Even ordinary spectators felt pressure in their chests.
Kakashi took a slow breath, entering maximum vigilance, ready to activate Lightning Release Chakra Mode at any moment.
.....
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