- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 307
“It seems I can replace a batch of my puppets with more artistic ones.”
Sasori, controlling the Third Kazekage puppet, looked at the fallen Hyuga clan members scattered across the ground and spoke with a flat tone. Unlike typical Sand Village puppet masters, who crafted puppets from various materials into bizarre shapes, Sasori had created a new puppet technique at the age of fifteen—**Human Puppet Technique**.
This technique involved turning the bodies of deceased ninjas into puppets. Not only could these puppets be equipped with deadly weapons, but they also retained all the abilities the ninja had in life, making them even more terrifying.
His first human puppet was none other than the Third Kazekage, who wielded the powerful **Magnet Release** and was considered the strongest Kazekage in Sand Village’s history.
Fighting Sasori was like battling two Kage-level opponents and over a hundred ninjas with various jutsu, all coordinated by a single mastermind. The coordination was seamless, making him incredibly dangerous.
However, most of those hundred puppets were made from ordinary ninjas, lacking uniqueness and artistry, leaving Sasori unsatisfied.
With this invasion of Konoha, he saw an opportunity to collect some notable ninjas with unique **kekkei genkai**, transforming them into human puppets to replace his older, less artistic ones.
As an artist who sought eternal perfection, Sasori wasn’t interested in Pain’s ideals. His passion was to continually gather superior materials and create stronger, more artistic puppets.
His reason for joining the Akatsuki was simply to have easier access to these materials.
On his own, even Sasori wouldn’t dare venture into Konoha, the strongest ninja village, to gather materials. But now, the battlefield was littered with valuable materials—famous bloodline limits like the **Byakugan**, **Invisibility Techniques**, and many highly skilled ninjas with remarkable abilities.
Turning them into puppets would elevate his art to a whole new level.
“Is this the end for the Hyuga clan and Konoha?”
Pinned to the ground by the **Iron Sand Needles**, Hiashi Hyuga felt a deep sense of despair as he looked around at the Konoha ninjas, either poisoned or severely injured.
As the head of the ancient and powerful Hyuga clan, he never imagined that the clan would face its downfall under his leadership. He felt ashamed to meet the past leaders in the afterlife.
His only remaining hope was that Neji, Hinata, and Hanabi, who had been evacuated, would survive this invasion and one day restore the Hyuga clan.
As the poison spread through his body, his consciousness began to fade, and his eyes slowly closed.
But just as his eyes were about to shut completely, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.
“Fortunately, most of the people here are just poisoned or injured. We can still save them.”
“Your Highness…”
Seeing Leo appear before him, Hiashi Hyuga weakly reached out his hand before finally passing out.
“Antidotes, heal them.”
Leo casually tossed Deidara and Kisame onto the ground. From his small pouch, he pulled out various antidotes and advanced potions from his homeworld, handing them to his shadow clones, instructing them to heal the injured.
Unlike Kisame in the south, who killed indiscriminately, Sasori had poisoned and immobilized his victims without finishing them off. This was to preserve the bodies for his human puppets. As a result, with timely treatment and antidotes, most of the ninjas could be saved.
…
“Deidara and Kisame were both defeated. It seems you truly are strong enough to become one of my finest masterpieces.”
Sasori looked at the unconscious Deidara and Kisame, his voice revealing a twisted admiration. The fact that Leo had managed to defeat both of them in such a short time was proof that his strength was indeed as great as the intel from Zetsu suggested.
However, after two intense battles and creating so many shadow clones, Sasori assumed Leo’s chakra reserves must be running low by now. He didn’t believe he would lose in a direct confrontation.
Of course, Sasori was confident because he believed himself to be stronger than both Deidara and Kisame, and he had immense faith in his puppet techniques.
In the Akatsuki, aside from Pain, every member thought they were stronger than most of the others. After all, they were all geniuses with impressive battle records.
“But don’t touch my other artistic projects so carelessly.”
Sasori’s fingers twitched, and the Third Kazekage puppet launched its attack.
“**Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!**”
Countless iron sand needles rained down on Leo and all of his shadow clones.
“**Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!**”
The shadow clones tasked with healing the injured didn’t flinch. They calmly continued to administer medical jutsu, healing spells, and antidotes.
Meanwhile, the other shadow clones stood in a line, using **Earth-Style Wall** to block all the incoming attacks.
“Let’s see how long your clones can hold out!”
Sasori, seeing his initial attack fail, reached behind him and pulled out a scroll, summoning his army of a hundred puppets.
He didn’t underestimate Leo but also didn’t believe he would lose. To him, this battle was already decided. Confident in his superior puppet technique, Sasori unleashed his full strength.
“**Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!**”
“Take them down!”
With a wave of his hand, Leo sent all his remaining shadow clones—those not focused on healing—rushing forward to engage the puppets.
While shadow clones were physical entities, they didn’t possess the same raw power as the original body. This was why powerful taijutsu users like Guy or Tsunade rarely relied on shadow clones in battle.
The primary purpose of shadow clones was typically for gathering intelligence, and in combat, they were often used for distractions or to mislead the enemy.
In a normal situation, Leo’s several hundred shadow clones wouldn’t be able to compete with Sasori’s powerful human puppets.
However, the reality was quite different.
Leo’s chakra reserves were already enormous, and in **Sage Mode**, each clone had a substantial amount of chakra. Normally, he could create up to two thousand shadow clones, but he had only summoned a little over two hundred this time, which meant each clone had an even greater share of chakra.
Additionally, each clone could cast a variety of spells and even use some Daoist techniques. Instead of lasting only a few minutes, these clones could persist for days, and as long as the original body remained unharmed, each shadow clone was about as strong as a typical Jonin.
As the injured and poisoned Konoha ninjas began to regain consciousness, they witnessed a shocking scene unfold before them.
The infamous Sasori of the Red Sand, who had previously toyed with them using a single puppet, was now being overwhelmed by Leo’s shadow clones, despite controlling over a hundred puppets himself.
“He’s defeating him with just shadow clones… incredible!”