My Techniques are a bit off

"Brother Sasori, you look quite battered."

Deidara landed with a grin, clearly satisfied from the chaos he had caused. He glanced at Sasori, who was forced to emerge from his puppet, Hiruko, and taunted him.

"I ran into Konoha's Link," the red-haired boy replied, meticulously storing his "collection" back into a scroll. His tone was curt as he glanced at the smug Deidara. "Your chakra reserves must be running low."

"Barely enough, hm," Deidara replied nonchalantly before adding, "You've taken an interest in that brat, haven't you?"

He then grumbled, recalling the vexing encounter with Uchiha Itachi. "That brat's abilities are truly troublesome. Even he couldn't..."

Deidara trailed off, bitterness etched on his face. Though he believed he could win in a rematch, he begrudgingly admitted Itachi was a formidable opponent. If Itachi and Kisame together couldn't capture Link, it spoke volumes about his strength.

Deidara's annoyance grew as he mentally reviewed Link's known abilities: shadow manipulation, summoning the dead, reversing aging, controlling hair, summoning flying beasts, disabling jutsu, and even separating his body parts. On top of that, every fight with Link revealed bizarre new powers.

"It's such a hassle," Deidara muttered, shaking his head. His earlier excitement had waned—pursuing such a mysterious and dangerous opponent didn't appeal to him anymore. The risk of suffering a humiliating loss, as Orochimaru did, was far too high.

"Enough talk," Sasori snapped, his tone cold as he collected the remnants of Hiruko. "I'll handle this myself."

The Uchiha's Sharingan was a particular nuisance to puppet users like him, exposing chakra strings and weak points with ease. Coupled with the skilled assistance of the Sunagakure jonin, Sasori had been forced to exert himself more than usual.

Still, the Third Kazekage puppet proved invaluable. Even though losing Hiruko irritated him, Sasori rarely displayed emotion—except when dealing with premium materials or his prized collections.

"Understood, understood," Deidara sighed. Though reluctant, he conjured a large clay bird to carry them into the sky. He could respect Sasori's passion for his "art."

"If you do capture him, we'll report to the leader together, hm—"

Meanwhile, Link raced through the forest, his hands forming seals to summon Uchiha Fugaku for an update.

The situation was grim: Fugaku and Baki had initially gained the upper hand against Sasori, even destroying Hiruko using coordinated attacks once the Sharingan exposed its puppet nature. However, when Sasori unleashed the Third Kazekage puppet with its Magnet Release, the tide turned dramatically.

"Be careful, Link," Fugaku warned, his concern evident.

His temporary return to the living had its limits. From previous tests, Link knew it would take at least three hours for the Rashomon to allow Fugaku's soul to return. For now, they had to rely on his earlier advice.

Next, Link summoned Baki's spirit.

"That traitor, Sasori of the Red Sand!" Baki's voice seethed with anger. "He murdered the Third Kazekage!"

After a string of curses, Baki explained the battle in detail, echoing Fugaku's account. He pleaded with Link to return to the Sunagakure later and trade for powerful ninjutsu in exchange for his temporary revival.

"They're catching up," Gaara suddenly announced. His sharp chakra sense picked up the clay bird approaching from above.

Link halted, deciding to abandon the idea of escape. "Prepare to fight," he instructed. "Our opponent is the rogue Sunagakure ninja, Sasori of the Red Sand."

"What?!" Kankurō exclaimed, the name sending chills down his spine.

Link provided a detailed briefing on Sasori's abilities, thanks to information gleaned from his revived allies. "He possesses the Third Kazekage puppet, the 'Performance of a Hundred Puppets,' and has even turned his own body into a puppet."

The more Kankurō listened, the more his confidence faltered. As a fellow puppet master, he understood the sheer terror of controlling 100 puppets simultaneously—a feat beyond comprehension.

"I'll attack first," Temari declared, spreading open her three-star fan. She summoned the one-eyed weasel, Kamatari, with a burst of chakra.

As the clay bird descended to within a few hundred meters, Temari took a deep breath and unleashed her technique.

"Kamatari!"

The one-eyed weasel grinned maliciously as it swung its massive scythe. Temari followed with a sweeping motion of her fan, creating a powerful gust of wind.

"Quick Beheading Dance!"

A storm of phantom scythes and wind blades tore through the air, obliterating the clay bird in a spectacular explosion. The impact created a massive clearing in the forest, slicing through trees and even leveling a distant hill.

"Huff... huff..."

Temari panted heavily, the attack taking a significant toll on her chakra reserves.

"The enemy is still alive," she reported, receiving information from Kamatari.

~~~

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