134: Tang Yan: Thank you, my friend, for the great treasure!

The earth split open.

A pitch-black fissure tore open without warning between Konan and the Sunagakure Ninja, bottomless.

That was not an earthquake.

Whoosh—!

A thick black tentacle burst out of the ground, its surface covered in surgical sutures, and swept across the battlefield, coiling around Heaven Realm and the other six paths of Pain who lay heavily injured in the distance, dragging them underground.

"There are enemies underground!"

"Be on guard!"

The Sunagakure Ninja's formation instantly tightened, their eyes fixed on the widening fissure.

Konan saw the familiar black tentacle, and her taut nerves finally relaxed.

The Akatsuki Organization's most reliable support had arrived.

From the fissure, a black-robed figure slowly ascended, bearing four eerie masks on his back, and five hearts in his chest pulsed with a dull, powerful beat.

Kakuzu.

"How unsightly, Konan," Kakuzu's voice was hoarse and dry. "This shouldn't be the 'debut show' of our Ninja World's top organization."

Konan ignored his mockery, her paper wings subtly shifting behind her, shielding the giant cocoon behind her.

"Proceed as planned. I'll take the leader and retreat. This place is yours."

Kakuzu snorted, a silent acknowledgment. He twisted his neck, producing a crisp sound of bone friction, and his gaze swept over Maki, Chiyo, and the other Sunagakure Ninja, as if he were counting a pile of walking bounties.

"Hurry up, my time is precious."

No sooner had he spoken than Kakuzu's body abruptly crouched, and countless black tentacles erupted from within him, lunging towards the Sunagakure position.

Konan seized the opportunity, her paper wings vigorously flapping, transforming into a white streak of light that carried Nagato towards the designated location.

"You won't escape!" Maki roared, about to give chase.

Dozens of black tentacles had already sealed off all his escape routes, their tips forming sharp spearheads that assailed him with an ear-piercing whoosh.

The battlefield was instantly segmented.

...

On the other side, the desert wind wailed.

Sasori of the Red Sand's figure appeared atop a sand dune.

He overlooked the battlefield from above, and beneath Hiruko's indifferent Puppet Technique mask lay a chill that froze everything.

But the anticipated crushing victory did not materialize.

What met his eyes was a sight that filled him with rage.

"That idiot Tobi!"

The guy wearing the Uzumaki mask was being completely suppressed by a massive, grotesque eight-legged mechanical Puppet Technique, unable to retaliate.

That composite Puppet Technique, named Myriad Form Heavenly Craft, had eight blade-like legs that sometimes transformed into high-speed rotating blade wheels, and sometimes extended like long whips, its firepower covering every corner.

"Oh dear! That was close!"

"Sasori-senpai! Help me! This big guy isn't playing fair, he's bullying the small ones!"

Tobi, relying on his cheating-like phasing ability, frantically dodged the airtight attacks, incessantly calling out, unable to find an opportunity to counterattack.

"Useless."

Sasori spat out two words coldly.

He slowly raised Hiruko's arm, and a scroll popped out.

"Let me show you my... art."

Bang!

As the smoke cleared, a Human Puppet Technique appeared before him.

It was a sturdy Human Puppet Technique that retained the posture of a Ninja before his death. Its entire circulatory system had been transformed into Chakra conduits, and its skin was covered with dense curses. Most horrifyingly, this Puppet Technique's body, from inside to out, was emitting a violent green Chakra!

"Go, my collection."

Sasori's ten fingers moved slightly.

Buzz—

The eyes of that 'Eight Gates Released Formation Human Puppet Technique' suddenly lit up, and all its Chakra points were forcibly opened!

Opening Gate, Rest Gate, Life Gate, Hurt Gate... Limit Gate!

Terrifying green steam erupted from the Puppet Technique's entire body, and the surrounding sand instantly vaporized from the high temperature, forming a circle of glass.

Boom!

The sand dune beneath the Puppet Technique's feet exploded, and its figure instantly vanished.

The next second, it had appeared before Myriad Form Heavenly Craft, moving too fast to be caught!

A fist enveloped in green Chakra, with pure power and speed, slammed fiercely into one of Myriad Form Heavenly Craft's bladed limbs.

Clang—!!!

The immense clang of metal vibrated the air.

The previously indestructible obsidian steel bladed limb was actually dented inwards by this punch, and the enormous impact caused Myriad Form Heavenly Craft's entire massive body to slide back several meters, plowing two deep furrows in the sand.

The power of a single punch, to such an extent!

From within Myriad Form Heavenly Craft's machine, Tang Yan's intrigued voice emerged.

"Oh? Sealing the 'Eight Gates Released Formation' into a Human Puppet Technique and activating the Eight Gates Released Formation Forbidden Jutsu through Puppet Technique and combination curses, that's a genius design."

"What a pity, such good material, made into this."

Sasori's movements paused, and Hiruko's mask turned in Tang Yan's direction, his voice filled with suppressed fury.

"This? You, you dare to question my Puppet Technique? You will soon understand that this is a terrifying work of art that can tear you to pieces!"

"Eight Gates Released Formation: Limit Break!"

Sasori's Chakra threads danced wildly, and the 'Eight Gates Released Formation Human Puppet Technique' transformed into a green lightning bolt of death, launching a storm of attacks around Myriad Form Heavenly Craft.

Fists, feet, elbows, knees—each attack carried the immense force to split mountains and shatter rocks, and each collision caused Myriad Form Heavenly Craft's sturdy shell to spark dazzlingly.

The entire desert trembled slightly under this terrifying impact.

However, Sasori, in the midst of the fierce battle, frowned tighter and tighter.

Something was wrong.

Although his Puppet Technique's attacks were violent, they consistently failed to break through the defense of those eight bladed legs.

The opponent's Puppet Technique was too stable.

Not only was it stable, but even under Sasori's fierce assault, Myriad Form Heavenly Craft's movements began to become increasingly fluid, each block perfectly timed, as if... it was adapting to his attack rhythm.

This realization made Sasori's heart sink.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Sasori's brows knitted into a knot, and his ten fingers inside Hiruko unconsciously tightened.

His "Eight Gates Released Formation Human Puppet Technique" attacked ferociously, each blow powerful enough to pulverize rock. However, that massive object named Myriad Form Heavenly Craft was like a reef welded into the desert, its defense impenetrable no matter how the waves crashed against it.

No, it wasn't even just defending.

Every block, every clash of its bladed legs, perfectly diverted his Puppet Technique's violent power into empty space, neutralizing it invisibly.

That feeling... was like an experienced hunter unhurriedly draining his prey's stamina, patiently waiting for the moment it would collapse from exhaustion.

His attacks had not caused any substantial damage to the opponent!

This Tang Yan was not using his full power!

What did he want to do?

An absurd, yet incredibly clear thought, exploded in Sasori's mind.

He doesn't want to destroy my Puppet Technique, he's "capturing" it!

Just as Sasori was startled, Tobi, who had been on the defensive, finally found the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Space began to distort around his mask.

"Oh dear, Sasori-senpai, it seems you're in big trouble!" Tobi's signature playful tone rang out, but his body was steadily phasing into the Uzumaki, "This guy named Tang Yan is much stronger than the intelligence suggested! We'll settle this score later!"

Before he finished speaking, he had completely vanished.

"Bastard!"

Sasori cursed under his breath, cold sweat seeping from his back.

He had been tricked! From the moment Tobi was suppressed, a trap targeting him had been quietly laid.

Tang Yan's goal, from beginning to end, was his most perfect work of art!

And at this moment, Tang Yan's Myriad Form Heavenly Craft finally stopped being "passive."

The eight bladed legs that had been retreating and blocking suddenly stopped, instantly retracting onto the machine in a manner that defied physical common sense.

Click! Click! Snap!

Countless precise gears and components rapidly reassembled, and the grim weapons instantly transformed into a massive, steel cage filled with energy fields and restraining mechanisms!

The cage opened like the maw of a beast, and against the ferocious punch of the "Eight Gates Released Formation Human Puppet Technique," it slammed shut!

"No!"

Alarm bells rang in Sasori's heart.

"You want to steal my art? Dream on!"

A resolute ruthlessness flashed in Sasori's eyes, and his Chakra threads suddenly tightened, issuing the final command.

Detonate!

He would rather destroy this masterpiece with his own hands than let it fall into enemy hands and become their spoils of war!

The scroll on his other finger instantly popped out, and a pre-set self-destructing Puppet Technique appeared out of thin air, rushing towards Myriad Form Heavenly Craft, its core runes instantly glowing to their brightest!

However, just a thousandth of a second before the explosion occurred.

From within Myriad Form Heavenly Craft's machine, Tang Yan's voice, tinged with amusement, came forth.

"Sasori of the Red Sand, your Puppet Technique is indeed good, there are things to learn from it."

"But this defective Puppet Technique, from now on, its surname is Tang."

"Sand Release: Sand Binding Coffin!"

Whoosh—

The desert beneath Sasori's feet and around the Puppet Technique seemed to come alive.

Endless sand surged skyward, arriving before the self-destructing Puppet Technique, instantly encasing it in a giant sand ball, and then squeezing and tightening inwards at a visible speed!

Boom—!!!

A muffled, extremely loud bang came from inside the sand ball.

The entire sand ball swelled violently for a moment, countless cracks appeared on its surface, and hot green light seeped through, but it ultimately failed to break through the dense sand layer.

The explosion was forcibly suppressed internally!

The terrifying shockwave repeatedly crashed within the sand ball, finally transforming into a directional air current compressed to the extreme, which slammed fiercely onto Sasori's Hiruko!

Crack!

A hideous crack appeared on Hiruko's sturdy outer shell. Sasori's main body inside the Puppet Technique was shaken, his blood and Qi churning, almost falling apart.

He grunted, and using the aftershock of the explosion, he swiftly retreated in disarray.

As the dust settled.

The "Eight Gates Released Formation Human Puppet Technique" lay quietly in Myriad Form Heavenly Craft's capture device, the green steam on its body gradually extinguishing. Although its exterior had some minor damage, its core structure was perfectly intact.

Tang Yan looked at his spoils of war, a satisfied smile on his face.

He gently patted the control panel, as if speaking to a new recruit.

"Welcome to the collection, my friend."

"From now on, you'll have work to do. After I modify you, your name will be 'Gate of Death: Prison Breaker.'"