Ui's words were full of holes. His tone? Honestly, he sounded like an old creep with some very specific, questionable hobbies.
But in reality, he was being incredibly cautious. As soon as he finished speaking, his clone stayed back while the original Ui began to close the distance toward Hiruko, step by step.
Ui had a vague memory of Hiruko's capabilities. Most of the time, Sasori hid inside this puppet specifically to compensate for a puppeteer's traditional weakness in close-quarters combat. This meant Hiruko was a masterpiece of balance—excellent defense, heavy armor, and lethal at both long and short ranges.
What Ui didn't technically know was that this puppet was actually a modified corpse of a ninja Sasori had killed. If Orochimaru had been here, they probably would have bonded over their shared obsession with "biological modification." They were both absolute freaks.
With an air of relaxed, overconfident nonchalance, Ui's original body continued his approach. Ten meters isn't a long walk.
Suddenly, the clone at the rear moved.
His hands blurred into signs, but not for an attack. He was releasing a summon!
With a poof, the Multi-Headed Hound vanished back into its summoning space, ending its agony. The beast's roars weren't just from the physical restraint; it had been poisoned. Every puppeteer worth their salt uses toxins, and considering who Sasori's grandmother was, his expertise in chemistry was top-tier.
If a human had been scratched by that tail, they'd be dead already. Given the hound's massive size and resilience, it could hold on for a while, and returning to a place like Shikkotsu Forest would likely trigger its natural recovery.
But Ui wasn't done. The moment the tail went slack and the hound disappeared into white smoke, the clone finished a second set of signs.
Summoning Jutsu!
The clone bit his thumb, smeared blood across his palm, and slammed it onto the ground. Yatagarasu, the giant crow, erupted into existence.
"Get on the bird!!"
The team didn't need to be told twice. First the dog, now the bird—Ui's squad was really getting their mileage out of the local wildlife. They scrambled onto the crow's back, and with a sharp cry, Yatagarasu soared into the sky, heading straight for the Land of Fire.
The Duel of Information
Sasori didn't even look at the retreating trio. He was completely focused on Ui.
Ui's words had rattled him. First, the boy had called him by his name—a name he hadn't used in years. Furthermore, Sasori had only recently completed Hiruko; he had never shown this form to the world. Yet this Konoha ninja not only knew his name but also knew for a fact that his real body was hiding inside the shell.
For someone as cautious and secretive as Sasori, letting Ui walk away was now impossible. The other three? Irrelevant. He had only attacked them because they happened to be behind him. He'd expected an instant kill, but instead, he'd run into something he couldn't explain.
As the clone handled the transport, the original Ui made his move.
Chidori Stream! He accelerated instantly, a blur of lightning cutting a jagged path toward Hiruko. Using a no-sign Lightning Style technique usually catches ninjas off guard. Most people would have been dead before they realized he'd moved.
But Sasori was no ordinary ninja. He was surprised by the sudden change in rhythm, but not overwhelmed. The silver tail, having lost its previous target, whipped around with lethal precision, stabbing toward Ui.
This was where Ui's lack of a Sharingan became a problem. He had excellent dynamic vision, but he wasn't a Uchiha. At lower speeds, he was fine, but against a Kage-level threat like Sasori, he had to carefully balance speed and maneuverability. If he went full throttle and failed to dodge that tail by even a millimeter, a single scratch would end his life.
Does Hiruko have insulation? Ui didn't know, but he knew that tail was made of metal.
THOOM!
Ui lunged to the side. The tail whistled past his ear and slammed into the ground where he had stood a millisecond before. Even at that distance, he could see the purple poison seeping from the silver segments.
He didn't stop. He pivoted right, dodging again as Hiruko's mechanical jaw unhinged.
Hiruko: Needle Eight-Wave!
A dense cloud of poison needles sprayed from the puppet's mouth. Forced to play the role of a hyperactive monkey, Ui dodged left and right, never staying in one spot for more than half a second.
But he wasn't just running. He was baiting.
Hiruko was now facing the original Ui, leaving its back completely exposed to the clone. Does Hiruko have eyes in the back of its head? Probably not, even if there was a face carved back there. Sasori hadn't ignored the clone, he just didn't think a Shadow Clone busy with a retreat would be a threat.
He was wrong. Ui was efficient.
The moment Sasori turned to face the original, the clone finished his third set of signs.
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
A direct hit! A roaring wave of heat swallowed Hiruko whole.
Ui knew fire wouldn't kill him. Hiruko might not be insulated, but it was definitely fireproof. However, the clone didn't press the advantage; it immediately leaped backward.
As the flames flickered, Hiruko counter-attacked. The silver chain-tail shot through the fire like a spear, aiming straight for the clone's chest.
It was fast, straight, and reached its absolute limit... but it couldn't reach the retreating clone.
The tail was fully extended, momentarily taut and unretractable.
This was the moment Ui was waiting for.
The original Ui lunged. A Chidori Sharp Spear sliced down from above like a guillotine.
The segmented tail of Hiruko snapped in two.
Ui exhaled. He'd found that poisoned tail incredibly annoying, so he'd made it his first priority to cut it off.
Why did he feel confident enough to stay and fight Sasori? On paper, the power gap was clear. But as the fight progressed, a realization dawned on him.
Wait... my entire fighting style is actually a hard counter to Sasori.
Five hundred years of evolution, just to ruin this guy's day. Talk about destiny.