The battle was about to start, and the contestants in the rest area focused their attention on Nagato and Sasori, who stood opposite each other in the arena.
Sasori had previously controlled four Puppets simultaneously in the first round of the elimination matches, easily defeating his opponent. Just by observing, one could sense his formidable nature.
Nagato was even more unfathomable. From the preliminaries to the first two rounds of the elimination matches, he had been dominant, effortlessly defeating both unknown ninja from small Ninja Villages and Konoha elites like Aburame Shibi.
As a result, the battle between Nagato and Sasori attracted considerable attention.
"What Ninjutsu exactly led to Aburame Shibi's defeat back then?" Kakashi still couldn't figure out what method Nagato had used.
Kakashi hoped that Sunagani and others were still holding back something, so there might be a chance to force Nagato to use that Ninjutsu again.
Of course, the ideal outcome for him and Might Guy would be for Nagato to be defeated and for Sunagani to advance to the final four.
Because they were particularly effective against Puppet Masters with vulnerable bodies.
Whether it was Kakashi or Might Guy, they had great explosive power; as soon as a Puppet Master showed the slightest flaw, the two could directly take down the Puppet Master's body.
"Nagato, do your best!" Yahiko loudly shouted from the audience seats.
He had lost in the first round, and Konan had lost in the second round, leaving Nagato as the only remaining member of the Ninja Sect.
Although Nagato couldn't hear Yahiko's voice due to the distance and the noisy surroundings, his exceptional eyesight allowed him to see Yahiko standing up and waving, successfully receiving Yahiko's encouragement.
Nagato refocused his gaze on Sasori; this was his first time fighting against a Puppet Master.
However, Nagato wasn't worried about losing. In the last round, it was also his first time fighting against a Ninja using an Insect Secret Technique, and he still won easily.
With Mokgetsu's guidance, the Rinnegan, and the encouragement of his companions, he wasn't going to lose.
"Let the battle begin!" Seeing both were ready, the referee announced.
Sasori immediately threw out two Scrolls. One Scroll summoned Hiruko, and the other produced nine Puppets, each with a different appearance.
Facing Nagato, who could freely unleash various high-powered Ninjutsu, Sasori immediately deployed all ten Puppets he had prepared for the evening; this was the maximum number of Puppets he could control at present.
Apart from the Human Puppet of the Third Kazekage, Sasori was in his all-out battle mode.
These ten Puppets were specially selected from the hundreds he made, based on the intelligence he had on Nagato.
At the moment, Sasori's primary goal had shifted from the reward to assassinating Kakashi, so he couldn't risk using the Human Puppet of the Third Kazekage.
If the assassination of the Third Kazekage was exposed, the Hidden Sand would undoubtedly send ninjas to hunt him down, and the Ninja Sect might also expel him, greatly increasing the difficulty of his assassination.
Once the Puppets were summoned, chakra lines emitted from Sasori's ten fingers connected to each of the ten Puppets.
"So it's not just four." Seeing ten Puppets in action, Nagato was slightly surprised, but his hands forming hand seals didn't pause.
"Fire Release: Headache!"
A large amount of Fire Attribute Chakra gathered in Nagato's throat, transforming into a small, scorching fireball that he hurled at the ground in front of Sasori.
As the fireball hit the ground, it exploded into a sea of roaring flames, with orange-red fire spreading rapidly, as if threatening to engulf everything.
Sasori slightly twitched his fingers, and the abdomen of two Human Puppets opened, revealing blue Scrolls inside. A large volume of water gushed out, extinguishing the approaching flames.
He had come prepared, and Nagato couldn't hope to defeat him with ordinary Ninjutsu.
Sasori's actions shocked Maki, no, all of the Hidden Sand in the audience, leaving them all astonished.
"Ten-Machine Drill!" Maki looked at Sasori in disbelief, not expecting that an unknown Puppet Master could master top-tier Puppet Master techniques.
For a Puppet Master, being able to control more Puppets in battle meant that the Puppet Master had more advanced Puppet performance skills.
However, this was dependent on control not excessively affecting precision. If controlling multiple Puppets resulted in them being clumsy and unable to fight, it certainly wouldn't prove one's technique.
This is because the essence of controlling more Puppets is to enhance combat capability. If the precision declines too severely, multiple Puppets might be less effective than one.
And in the fight, Sasori clearly had no precision issues, indicating the mastery of his Puppet performance skills.
"To master Ten-Machine Drill at this age..." Maki overturned his previous suspicions.
Previously, because Sasori's Puppetry had traces of influence from The Hidden Sand Village, Maki suspected Sasori was a disciple of a traitorous Hidden Sand ninja.
But given Sasori's display of skills, ordinary Hidden Sand traitors were clearly not worthy.
"Could it be the missing genius Puppet Master, Sasori?" Maki recalled a legendary Puppet Master of an age similar to his own in the village.
Maki didn't really understand Sasori, not because he was a recluse without friends, but because Sasori was quite solitary.
Maki's knowledge of Sasori was limited to the legends in the village, as neither he nor his friends, nor his friends' friends knew him personally.
"He can control ten Puppets, truly well-hidden." Kakashi was also surprised, not expecting Sasori to conceal so much strength.
He originally thought Sasori might deploy at most two more Puppets, but he didn't expect Sasori to start with ten Puppets, and they seemed specifically targeted at Nagato.