Inoiki soared through the sky, cutting through the air like a streak of lightning as he rushed toward the battlefield where Sakura and Chiyo were locked in combat with Sasori.
When he arrived, the scene below was grim. Jagged spears of iron sand jutted from the earth like dark thorns, stretching out from mid-air to the ground like twisted branches. Inoiki immediately recognized the technique—Iron Sand World Method, the deadly signature of the Third Kazekage puppet under Sasori's control.
Sakura lay on the ground, her body marred by deep lacerations. The iron sand had cut through her with ruthless precision—and worse, Inoiki knew it was laced with poison.
High above the battlefield, Inoiki remained unnoticed, silently observing the situation. Sasori, clearly satisfied, stood with an air of cold finality. The strongest threat to his puppets—Sakura, with her monstrous strength—seemed defeated.
"Now," Sasori said with a chilling calm, "let's end this."
With a twitch of his fingers, the puppet of the Third Kazekage lunged toward Sakura. Its arm shifted into curved scythe, descending like a grim reaper ready to deliver the final blow.
But in that moment—just when all hope seemed lost—Sakura's eyes snapped open.
With a surge of willpower, she rose to her feet and met the charging puppet head-on. In one explosive movement, she drove her fist forward with all her remaining strength.
The puppet of the Third Kazekage shattered into countless fragments, obliterated in an instant by the sheer force of her punch.
Chiyo's eyes widened in awe. Sasori's calm expression flickered with disbelief.
High above, Inoiki narrowed his eyes.
Inoiki, floating high above, wasn't surprised in the slightest. As a reincarnator, he already knew the course of events—Sakura had prepared an antidote for Sasori's poison while developing one for Kankuro. Her survival was never in doubt.
Below him, the battlefield shifted.
With the destruction of the Third Kazekage puppet, the sprawling branches of iron sand that had filled the air and littered the ground began to disintegrate. They crumbled, losing their lethal sharpness, and fell to the earth like harmless grains of black dust.
Wasting no time, Sakura dashed to Chiyo's side and knelt beside her, placing glowing hands over her injured arm to begin the healing process.
Chiyo, slightly breathless but alert, glanced at her and asked, "How were you able to resist the poison?"
"I had an antidote," Sakura replied, still focused on her technique. "While I was preparing medicine for Kankuro, I made extra—just in case. We were coming after Sasori, after all."
Chiyo gave a silent nod, understanding not just Sakura's foresight, but her resilience.
She's been fighting all this time, Chiyo thought. Protecting both herself and me from injury—and even now, she keeps going. Her chakra must be dangerously low.
Once Chiyo's wound was stabilized, Sakura turned her healing hands toward herself. Her breathing was heavy, her body worn, and she knew she was running on limited chakra reserves. She couldn't afford to use too much now.
Instead of a full recovery, she healed only the worst of her wounds—just enough to keep fighting. The rest, she would endure.
Their opponent, Sasori, was still standing. And he had yet to show any real signs of weakness.
Sakura stood up, determination burning in her tired eyes. "There's no time to rest. We need to keep fighting," she said to Chiyo, her voice firm despite her exhaustion.
Chiyo nodded silently, rising to her feet with a grave look. She knew all too well—this battle was far from over.
But before they could make another move, a calm, authoritative voice echoed from above.
"There's no need, Sakura."
Both women looked up. The remaining light in the sky above the shattered cave entrance was quickly overtaken by a glowing silhouette. A figure descended gracefully, his body and the massive sword beneath him bathed in a soft sky-blue aura. In his left hand, he casually held a limp Deidara by the collar, as though he weighed nothing more than a bag of rice.
"You've done more than enough," Inoiki said as he touched down gently on the fractured stone. "I'm proud to see how strong you've become."
Sasori's gaze shifted sharply at the sudden intrusion, clearly surprised.
The atmosphere shifted. The tension in the cave had been building, but now it cracked like ice under the weight of something even more powerful.
Inoiki looked at Sakura and offered a reassuring nod. "I'm here now. You can rest. Leave the rest to me."
Sasori's eyes narrowed as he studied the figure before him. "So... you're the famous Inoiki. I've heard a lot about you." His gaze shifted to the bruised and bloodied Deidara dangling in Inoiki's grip. "I must admit, I didn't expect him to be captured so easily. Didn't you once claim, Deidara, that if anyone ever tried to take you alive, you'd unleash your 'ultimate art'? That no one would survive it?"
Deidara grimaced, avoiding eye contact. "Tch... I didn't even get the chance to use C4, let alone my ultimate art," he muttered bitterly. "He got to me before I could do anything—and I ran out of clay, too."
Sasori shook his head slowly, almost disappointed. "To be bested before you could make your best move... Pathetic." Then he turned his attention back to Inoiki. "I've fought beside Deidara long enough to know his capabilities. If you captured him this easily, it seems I'll have to take you seriously from the start."
With that, he began to calmly unbutton his Akatsuki cloak.
Inoiki didn't flinch. His expression remained unreadable, unaffected by Sasori's theatrics. Without even sparing the puppet master another glance, he turned toward Sakura.
"Sakura," he said, his tone measured but firm, "keep an eye on Deidara. I've paralyzed him—his chakra flow and movement are sealed for now—but stay vigilant. I'm not taking any chances."
Sakura nodded, stepping closer to the restrained Akatsuki member, her fists clenched and ready.
Inoiki slowly turned back to Sasori, the glow of his sky-blue chakra reflecting ominously in the puppet master's glassy eyes.
The true battle was just beginning.
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