Sasori of the Red Sand tilted his head and asked Hyuga Mirai, "Who is she?"
Mirai pretended to think for a moment before replying, "A woman in a black cloak with red clouds, seems like I haven't seen her much." While speaking, he activated his Byakugan. Since Konan had arrived, it was clear that Zetsu must be nearby as well.
The Byakugan's perceptive ability far exceeded that of Ayaka Uzumaki's Kagura Mind Eye. Though its range was slightly smaller, the level of detail it provided in sight was unmatched by Kagura Mind Eye. When Zetsu merged into the ground, even sensory jutsu struggled to detect his presence. But once Zetsu showed himself, he couldn't escape the Byakugan's detection.
Found him. There was a spot on the right, a rocky outcrop, and another location beneath the ground to the left rear. Zetsu must have just arrived, as if he had been nearby during the fight with Sasori, he would have been detected by Mirai.
"Whoever you are, just leave. I'm not interested in joining your organization," Sasori gruffly rejected Konan's invitation.
He didn't believe that there was anyone in this organization who could help him improve his puppetry skills. Since he had already agreed to work with Hyuga Mirai, Sasori wasn't one to break his word.
"If that's the case, I'll have to resort to force," Konan spoke calmly. Suddenly, the paper wings on her back exploded, scattering into the air like a shower of petals, filling the area with floating paper pieces.
"There's chakra within those paper pieces, and her body has transformed into chakra paper. This isn't a bloodline limit technique, but rather some kind of secret art. It seems like regular physical attacks won't be effective against her. I'd recommend using Fire Release or Water Release," Mirai observed through his Byakugan. He could even see where Konan's chakra was primarily gathered. Unless Konan evenly distributed her chakra, her true form wouldn't be hidden from the Byakugan.
"Fire Release jutsu," Sasori muttered to himself. He was quite skilled with fire-based jutsu, having kept several fire-affinity puppets in his collection. He had over a hundred puppets, and at least seven or eight of them were adept at Fire Release.
"Why don't you use your fire jutsu? Your puppet's Fire Release should be much stronger than mine," Sasori said, staring at Hyuga Mirai. Although he didn't understand much about the beam cannon, he was well aware of the concept of 2500-degree Celsius heat. He had seen the puppet's arm disintegrate almost instantly.
Mirai calmly replied, "You don't think she came alone, do you? There are certainly others with her nearby. By now, your information has been compromised. If I strike, the enemy will know." He pointed to two locations where Zetsu was hiding. 'If I pull out my T1 battle armor now, Zetsu will definitely figure out that I was the one who helped rescue Nohara Rin before.'
The Akatsuki organization was a good point for gathering firepower. Their existence was more of a benefit to Hyuga Mirai than a hindrance. With both Nagato and Konan being somewhat lacking in intelligence, there might be opportunities to use them in the future.
So, to avoid confrontation and the possibility of being detected, Hyuga Mirai decided to steer clear of raising suspicion.
Far in the distance, Zetsu saw Mirai pointing in their direction and quickly murmured, "We've been spotted. How did he know we were here?"
"Are you an idiot? The Byakugan's ability is unmatched in the entire ninja world. Even if you're hiding in the rocks, he'll still see you," Black Zetsu mocked White Zetsu, his tone dismissive. He didn't hold back any praise for the Byakugan, as his mother also possessed it.
White Zetsu, scorned by Black Zetsu, immediately rebutted, "I was probably distracted by you, otherwise, I would have figured it out. But why is Sasori, of all people, so close to a Hyuga? And they seem to be getting along well..."
"I'm not sure about that," Black Zetsu answered. "But this recruitment attempt won't be successful. Remember this person and ask Obito when we return."
After seeing Hyuga Mirai, Black Zetsu had a feeling that this recruitment wouldn't be easy. According to White Zetsu's investigation, Sasori's parents had been killed by Konoha's White Fang, yet now he was so close to a Hyuga ninja. There had to be something fishy about it.
The confrontation didn't last much longer, and soon, the battle began.
With Hyuga Mirai providing guidance from the sidelines, Sasori effectively had an extra pair of Byakugan eyes. Every time a paper jutsu came near, Mirai would step in and protect Sasori from the attacks.
Hyuga Mirai couldn't attack using the T1 Battle Armor, but he could certainly lend a hand.
Konan's Paper Dance technique allows her to transform paper in the air into kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags, but the power of these objects comes from the chakra attached to the paper. Luckily for Hyuga Mirai, he could clearly see the chakra embedded in the paper, and with ease, he could disrupt the chakra, turning it back into ordinary paper.
"Sasori, there are some paper traps buried underground. Her target is probably your smallest puppet. The left joint of the Three Puppets is wrapped in paper. Burn it with flames."
"Understood."
Upon hearing this, Sasori immediately followed Hyuga Mirai's advice, once again foiling Konan's attack. Under the assault of two Fire Release puppets, Konan found herself dodging desperately.
Tasked with both offense and defense, and facing Fire Release, even though Konan's Paper Dance was exceptionally refined, it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. Especially with Hyuga Mirai's nearly flawless defense. No matter what angle she approached from, her attack couldn't escape his Byakugan. Under his protection, Sasori could afford to focus on attacking Konan instead of protecting himself.
"Hey, what's wrong? You said you'd use forceful methods, but I've never seen such a cowardly way of doing it," Sasori mocked.
"Sasori-san, now's not the time for taunting. Maybe she's already considering retreating, but if she hears your words, she might reignite her fighting spirit."
These two bastards. Even though Konan had been keeping her calm demeanor, hearing such sarcastic taunts couldn't help but make her angry. And with this recruitment mission likely failed, she was about to lose face for Nagato.
"Hah!" Konan dodged the two Fire Release puppets' attacks once more, then recalled all the paper, arranging it in the shape of angel wings in the air.
"Sasori, today, you rejected the God's offer. You'll regret it in the future."
After saying this, Konan flapped her paper wings and flew off.
The recruitment failed, and she couldn't defeat them, so there was no point in staying. Her only mistake was coming here alone with Zetsu. She should have brought another ninja to ensure success.
"Hmph, 'God' this, 'God' that. The losers sure do talk a lot. Too bad I couldn't keep her. Otherwise, I'd have gained another specimen for my collection."
Hyuga Mirai, standing nearby, remarked, "Don't call such things 'specimens.'"
Sasori gave Hyuga Mirai a lingering glance. Although he wanted to retort, he knew this person had every right to say that. His puppets, when compared to Mirai's capabilities, were barely even scraps.
"Let's go. We'll return to the organization first."
(End of Chapter)
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