Facing such a colossal creature, even Sasori couldn't help but feel intrigued.
This was the first time he had ever encountered a being like this up close.
The Sand Village of the Wind Country possessed the One-Tail, and during times of war, shinobi like the Three Legendary Sannin—each with their own massive summons—were far from rare.
But Sasori had never fought any of them personally.
He only knew one thing: creatures of this scale were terrifying.
Now that he had the chance to clash with one at close range, how could he not be interested?
"Looks like I'll need to take this a bit more seriously…"
Sasori muttered to himself.
He didn't yet know the exact limits of this giant lizard's strength, but he could clearly sense one thing—judging purely from its chakra and presence, it was at least on his level, if not more dangerous.
Even so, Sasori wasn't overly worried.
Whether it was a massive summon like this, or even a tailed beast, they all shared the same flaw.
They lacked something humans possessed.
Tactical consciousness.
Tailed beasts weren't captured and sealed because they were weak—quite the opposite. Any one of them could likely annihilate an entire country if left unchecked.
But their fighting style relied almost entirely on instinct, devoid of strategy.
In other words, they wielded immense power, yet had no idea how to truly use it.
That was why jinchūriki existed.
Though they shackled the tailed beasts, some jinchūriki were able to form genuine partnerships with them, allowing that monstrous power to be expressed in a far more refined—and terrifying—way.
"Unfortunately," Sasori thought calmly,
"a summon isn't a tailed beast. It can't reach that level."
With that thought, he raised the arm of Hiruko.
In the next instant, thick clouds of smoke erupted around him.
The smoke dispersed quickly—but when it cleared, both the ground and the sky were filled with puppets of all shapes and sizes.
Sasori wasn't just posturing anymore.
He had truly decided to get serious.
He enjoyed games of cat and mouse, but when caution was required, he never held back.
"Let me see what you're really capable of."
As his chakra surged outward, the puppets he had summoned all sprang into action at once.
Lizardmaru looked down at the swarm of tiny figures filling his field of vision—and felt no real sense of threat.
For him, this kind of battlefield was nothing new.
After decades of war, he was more than familiar with scenes like this.
And more importantly—he knew exactly how to respond.
He opened his massive jaws.
In that instant, an overwhelming tide of chakra roared forth.
The earth began to quake violently—
Hikaru, having leapt down from Lizardmaru's body, immediately grabbed Namuki and continued retreating toward the distance.
At the same time, he kept his sensory field fully extended, monitoring both the battlefield and the movements of the remaining ANBU.
He had a rough idea of Lizardmaru's strength.
But he never believed that Lizardmaru alone could defeat Sasori.
After all, a summon without direct coordination from its contractor—one that fought purely on instinct—would struggle to deal decisive damage to a battle-hardened monster like Sasori.
Lizardmaru losing was not surprising.
That was precisely why Hikaru's instruction had been delay, not victory.
He trusted Lizardmaru to judge the situation properly—to ensure he wouldn't withdraw too early, but also wouldn't recklessly get himself killed.
As for the remaining ANBU, they were clearly shaken by Lizardmaru's appearance.
Still, they were elite shinobi.
Once they realized that Lizardmaru was directly engaging Sasori, they quickly changed routes, circling around toward Hikaru's position instead.
Among them was likely a member of the Aburame clan—Hikaru had long since detected insects lingering nearby.
They were using those insects to track him.
Hikaru didn't care.
Most of those insects had already died during his earlier battle with Sasori, and the detour the ANBU were taking would cost them a significant amount of time.
"Perfect," Hikaru thought calmly.
"That gives me time to put my new plan into action."
Sensing the distance between all parties, Hikaru turned his gaze toward Namuki at his side.
Truth be told, there was no personal grudge between him and Namuki.
But Hikaru despised one thing above all else—
Being used.
From a purely tactical standpoint, Namuki's earlier decision hadn't been wrong.
He was willing to sacrifice anything—including others' lives—to complete the mission.
But Hikaru wasn't part of that mission to begin with.
He had come purely for rescue.
And yet Namuki had shown not even a trace of gratitude—instead lumping Hikaru into the mission's expendable assets, silently dragging him into a dead-end situation.
If Hikaru hadn't had one last trump card, this time he really would have been finished.
At heart, Hikaru wasn't someone who truly embodied the so-called Will of Fire.
His stance was flexible—dangerously so.
And since Namuki had tried to bury him, Hikaru had no intention of letting him off the hook.
With that thought already settled, Hikaru began calmly evaluating how much value Namuki could still provide.
And the conclusion came quickly.
If Namuki died, it would be nothing but beneficial to him.
"I already have my mission records," Hikaru thought as he maintained Sage Mode and sprinted toward Konoha.
"Attempting a rescue boosts my reputation—that was my original plan anyway.
"If Namuki dies, the mission is considered a failure.
But if I return with Kakashi and ensure success… the gain is even greater."
Namuki was a division captain.
His death would leave a vacancy.
And the number of people qualified to compete for that position was limited.
Coincidentally—
Hikaru was one of them.
From mission records and service history alone, he met the requirements.
Even before this mission, his strength had already reached the threshold.
Jōnin-level strength—with only one flaw.
Chakra reserves.
That was Hikaru's biggest weakness.
And then there was his age.
He was simply too young.
Thirteen or fourteen years old—even with five full years of ANBU service, that was still an uncomfortable reality.
"But this mission changes everything."
Hikaru felt the distant tremors shaking the ground and couldn't help but smile faintly.
He almost felt grateful to Namuki.
If not for the investigation into Shousaki Castle, he would never have obtained Lizardmaru in the first place.
"Lizardmaru's strength shouldn't be inferior to the Sannin's summons.
As for how he'd fare in a real fight—that remains to be seen.
"But as 'Kishimoto Masashi's' summon… he shouldn't disappoint."
And there was more.
Hikaru had ties to Minato Namikaze.
That alone drastically increased his competitiveness.
As for his weaknesses—they could be reframed.
Low chakra reserves?
A natural result of youth.
Something that would inevitably improve with age.
With jōnin-level strength now, plus Lizardmaru as a strategic asset, he was exactly the kind of shinobi worth investing in.
"And if I really become a division captain…"
Hikaru's eyes narrowed slightly beneath his mask.
"Then even Hiruzen Sarutobi won't be able to sit still anymore."
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