Naruto: My Clones Can Evolve

There wasn't much information about Hozuki Mangetsu in the original story.

All that was known was that he was a genius capable of wielding all the ninja swords with mastery, and his Water Release jutsu was nearly unparalleled.

Suddenly, Yagura spoke, "Lord Genzuki, allow me to handle Hozuki Mangetsu. After all, his defection is partly my fault."

Mangetsu snorted coldly, "I didn't expect Yagura to bow to you… No matter. I've long wanted to kill the Fourth Mizukage anyway!"

Genzuki nodded and smiled. "Give me ten minutes. I'll deal with Sasori."

Hiruko, Sasori's puppet, let out a creepy laugh. "I'm not as easy to deal with as Deidara… I've modified my entire body just to take you down!"

Sasori stepped out from within Hiruko, revealing his true form—his red hair unmistakable. His artificial heart, the source of his life, was embedded in his chest. Destroying it would bring him to a complete stop.

But Genzuki merely smiled. He wouldn't let this fight end so quickly—it would be too boring.

"Sasori, let's make a bet. If I win, you'll leave the Akatsuki and join me. If I lose, I'll tell you the secret behind my abilities."

Sasori paused for a moment. He was confident he could kill Genzuki, but his curiosity gnawed at him. He couldn't figure out how Genzuki had stolen Deidara's abilities or why he could use so many different clone and elemental techniques.

"Let's hope you don't die too quickly, Phantom of a Thousand Shadows," Sasori muttered.

"Flame Prison Formation!"

Two pipes extended from Sasori's hands, spewing flames hot enough to melt anything in their path.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!" Genzuki extended his hand, releasing a high-pressure jet of water that countered the flames.

Immediately, Genzuki summoned multiple clones—Water Clones, Earth Clones, Shadow Clones, Sword Clones, and Explosion Clones.

Sasori sneered. "Genzuki, I've thoroughly studied your techniques."

"That's why I've prepared countermeasures for each one."

Several pipes sprouted from Sasori's body, powered by his chakra core, firing various elemental jutsu.

Fire Release countered Water Release. Lightning Release neutralized Earth Release and Explosion Release. The Shadow Clones and Sword Clones couldn't even get close.

For the first time, Genzuki's jutsu were completely suppressed.

"Interesting… You're the only one who can rival me in the number of jutsu you can unleash, Sasori of the Red Sand," Genzuki laughed.

His Illusory Clone was useless against Sasori since Sasori's puppet body made him immune to genjutsu.

Even Deidara's clay explosives were neutralized by Sasori's lightning techniques. As Deidara's former partner, Sasori was well aware of Explosion Release's weaknesses.

"Death is the true art. Genzuki, people like you don't belong in this world."

Despite seemingly being backed into a corner, Genzuki remained calm, smiling faintly.

"Do you know why Deidara died? It was because of faulty intel."

"As long as I'm breathing, I'll continue to grow at a speed you can't even imagine."

With that, white lightning surged around Genzuki's body.

"Lightning Chakra Mode!"

Sasori's expression changed drastically.

"You… You've mastered Lightning Release too?"

Genzuki formed two high-density spheres of lightning in his palms, waiting for the right moment amidst Sasori's relentless attacks.

"Double Chidori!"

But this was far beyond ordinary Chidori. Compared to Kakashi's version, Genzuki's Lightning Release was far stronger.

A white flash sliced through the air, dispersing all of Sasori's jutsu.

Boom!

Sasori's puppet body shattered under the surge of lightning, leaving him lying motionless on the ground. His pipes were destroyed, rendering him unable to use multiple jutsu at once.

"It seems you need to experience a little more despair," Genzuki said coldly.

"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets—"

Before Sasori could finish, a bolt of lightning flashed and severed his arm.

In an instant, Genzuki wrapped Sasori in lightning-infused kunai and rigged him with dozens of explosive tags, ready to detonate at any moment.

Holding Sasori's artificial heart in his hand, Genzuki said, "You've lost, Sasori."

『Ding! Host has defeated Kage-level enemy Sasori. Reward: 100,000 reputation points!』

Without his chakra core, Sasori couldn't summon his hundred puppets. The speed of Genzuki's lightning techniques had left him no time to deploy his most powerful creations, including the legendary Third Kazekage Puppet.

"Don't bother," Genzuki said with a smile. "I know all your tricks—your hundred-puppet performance, the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand… I won't give you the chance to use any of them."

He had no intention of destroying Sasori's prized puppets. After all, he planned to recruit him. Breaking those puppets would be a waste.

Even if Sasori had deployed them, they wouldn't have stood a chance against Genzuki's hidden trump card—Lightning Release: Kirin.

"I underestimated you. You can kill me," Sasori said coldly.

"You've forgotten our deal. I said I wouldn't kill you. But you will join my organization—the Moon Organization."

Genzuki calmly placed Sasori's heart back into his chest without causing further harm.

"Forget it. I'll never join," Sasori replied indifferently.

"Sasori, why follow the Akatsuki? Pain is just using you."

"If you join the Moon Organization, I'll help you find your parents."

"Parents?" Sasori's eyes narrowed. "They're long dead—killed by Konoha's White Fang!"

"But the puppets you made of them are still around," Genzuki said. "They're in Chiyo's hands. I can take you to her."

At the mention of Chiyo, Sasori's breath caught. His parents were his deepest scar. If not for their loss, he would never have abandoned them to become a rogue ninja.

"I… will join your organization," Sasori said at last.

The thought of seeing his parents again swayed him. To achieve that, he was willing to submit to Genzuki.

Besides, Genzuki's power was the strongest Sasori had ever seen.

"A wise decision," Genzuki smiled.

He didn't want to kill everyone. Back then, his strength wasn't enough to control Deidara, so he had no choice but to kill him. If he had been stronger, he would have recruited Deidara too.

Now, with Sasori on board, someone who could turn enemies into puppets, the Moon Organization would only grow stronger.

Meanwhile, Mangetsu, wielding four of the Seven Ninja Swords, was locked in a fierce battle with Yagura.

But Genzuki noticed that Yagura was holding back—he hadn't even used his Tailed Beast transformation.

Mangetsu also wasn't fighting at full strength; his twin swords, the Hiramekarei, remained sealed.

"Water Style: Water Mirror Technique!"

Yagura summoned a mirror of water, which created a clone of Mangetsu that could mimic his techniques.

Realizing Sasori had lost, Mangetsu cursed under his breath and prepared to flee.

"You're not getting away, Hozuki Mangetsu," Genzuki said with a cold smile.