"Sasori of the Red Sand!?"
Staring at the red-haired man before them, Mitsui Chuichi and Hyuga Kagami exclaimed in unison, their voices laced with shock.
The man's identity was no stranger to the two, who had just survived the war. Sasori, the genius puppeteer, was one of the strongest ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village. He vanished alongside the Third Kazekage and was later branded an S-rank rogue ninja.
He had appeared on battlefields multiple times, collecting ninja corpses, and had a record of killing elite Jonin. His strength was so formidable that the Hidden Sand eventually abandoned their efforts to hunt him down. He was a troublesome figure that even the Five Great Ninja Villages preferred to avoid.
Sasori stood with one hand on his hip, chuckling lightly. "Recognized me, huh? Well, that's fine. Konoha ninjas, since we've crossed paths, how about you help me test this newly crafted masterpiece?"
With that, Sasori pulled out a scroll marked with the character 'Three.'
Poof…
A puff of white smoke cleared, revealing a human puppet standing before Mitsui Chuichi and Hyuga Kagami.
As they gazed at the black iron sand floating around the puppet, Mitsui Chuichi, trembling with shock, stammered, "Is that… Magnet Release? The Third… Third Kazekage!?"
Hyuga Kagami was equally stunned, but not by the Third Kazekage puppet. He was shocked that, in this desolate place, they'd encounter a powerhouse like Sasori.
Kagami couldn't accurately gauge Sasori's current strength, but he was certain it was at least above elite Jonin level—an opponent Kagami had no chance of defeating. The moment he saw Sasori, only one thought filled his mind is how to survive.
As Sasori manipulated the Third Kazekage puppet to float slowly into the air, he smirked. "This is my most satisfying work to date. Konoha ninjas, take a good look at my art!"
No sooner had Sasori spoken, the iron sand surrounding the Third Kazekage puppet transformed into a hail of fine needles, raining down on Mitsui Chuichi and Hyuga Kagami like a storm.
Mitsui Chuichi retreated swiftly, hurling three kunai, each tagged with an explosive seal, toward the barrage of iron needles.
Hyuga Kagami, slightly behind, took cover behind Mitsui Chuichi and retreated just as quickly.
Boom, boom, boom…
The six explosive seals detonated, kicking up a cloud of thick smoke across the barren wasteland.
Seeing that the thrown explosive seals had barely blocked the iron needles, Mitsui Chuichi shot Hyuga Kagami a cold glance. Without a word, he turned and fled toward the outpost.
He didn't even bother to signal—he just ran!
Clearly, Mitsui Chuichi had dropped all pretense, no longer hiding his hostility toward Kagami.
Kagami, naturally, didn't hold back either and fled in a different direction.
Watching the two put up a brief resistance before scattering, Sasori chuckled and leaped onto the back of the Third Kazekage puppet. Using Magnet Release, the puppet transformed the swirling iron sand into two massive wings of iron sand and soared after Mitsui Nakahito. Evidently, the team leader was Scorpion's primary target.
"He can fly!?"
Catching a glimpse of Scorpion flying atop the Third Kazekage puppet, Hyuga Kagami's heart sank.
In the ninja world, flight was a massive advantage. On the battlefield, encountering a ninja with flight capabilities often put one in an extremely disadvantaged position.
In their current situation, Kagami, running on the ground, had no hope of outpacing Sasori, who was flying in the sky.
Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, Kagami calmly observed Sasori's movements while analyzing his predicament.
"I've seen the Third Kazekage puppet. Sasori definitely won't let me go!"
The fact that Sasori had turned the Third Kazekage into a puppet was likely still a secret. To avoid trouble, Sasori would never spare anyone who knew this secret.
In other words, the moment Sasori revealed the Third Kazekage puppet, both Mitsui Chuichi and Hyuga Kagami were marked for death.
The nearest outpost is nearly two and a half hours away. Even if I reach it, the ninjas stationed there won't stand a chance against someone of Sasori's caliber.
I can't just keep running. I need a way to fend off Sasori!
As Kagami racked his brain for a strategy, he suddenly noticed Mitsui Chuichi, who had been fleeing just as frantically, collapse to the ground.
"What's going on!?" Kagami froze for a moment before it clicked. "The iron needles were poisoned!"
Mitsui Chuichi's explosive seals had blocked most of the iron needles, but one or two had slipped through, grazing his arm.
Since the wound wasn't critical, neither Mitsui Nakahito nor Kagami had paid it much attention.
But seeing Mitsui Chuichi collapse, Kagami realized the truth. Drawing on memories from his past life, he recalled that Sasori was indeed a master of poisons.
With Mitsui Chuichi down, continuing to flee would only waste energy and make Kagami look pathetic. So, he decisively stopped running.
Approaching the poisoned and immobilized Mitsui Chuichi, Scorpion casually delivered a finishing blow. Then, with a leisurely air, he approached Kagami, smirking mockingly. "What's this? Given up on escaping?"
Kagami fixed his gaze on Sasori. "I've always been curious. Why did you defect? With your strength and status, even aiming for Kazekage wouldn't have been entirely out of reach, right?"
Surprised by Kagami's composure, Sasori sized him up and chuckled. "No need to stall for time. No one's coming to save you."
Kagami began walking toward Scorpion, continuing as if talking to himself. "Then again, you dared to assassinate the Third Kazekage, hailed as the 'Strongest Kazekage.' A mere Hidden Sand Village wouldn't even register in your eyes, would it?"
Sasori didn't respond, but his eyes narrowed slightly, glinting with amusement. He was genuinely curious about what Kagami, slowly closing the distance, was planning.
"Nineteen meters…"
"Seventeen meters…"
"Fourteen meters…"
On the surface, Kagami remained calm, but inside, he was panicking as he silently calculated the distance between himself and Sasori.
His only chance of victory was to catch Sasori off guard, using Wheel Rotation As Intended to pull Scorpion's real body toward him, then seal his chakra points with Gentle Fist to subdue him.
The effective range of Wheel Rotation As Intended, so Kagami had to get as close as possible.
When Kagami closed the gap to about eleven meters, Sasori slowly raised his hands.
The Third Kazekage puppet, connected by faintly glowing blue chakra threads, swiftly floated upward. The iron sand around it morphed into a series of iron spears.
Knowing he'd reached the limit, Kagami didn't hesitate. He thrust out both hands and unleashed Wheel Rotation As Intended with full force!
The instant Kagami raised his hands, Sasori, a battle-hardened veteran, smirked with a mocking grin. He manipulated the Third Kazekage puppet to shield his front while retreating backward.
To Sasori, Kagami's move was nothing more than a desperate attempt at a mutually destructive ninjutsu. He'd seen this scenario countless times—it wasn't worth his concern.
The Third Kazekage puppet's defensive capabilities, as its creator, Sasori knew better than anyone. Even A-rank ninjutsu would struggle to breach the iron sand's Magnet Release defense. Those who tried to take him down with them had always ended up as mere footnotes in his record.
"This…!?"
In an instant, Sasori's half-formed smirk froze.
With a tremendous whooshing sound, the Third Kazekage puppet shielding Sasori was yanked away by an immense suction force. The pull was so strong that it snapped the chakra threads connecting Sasori to the puppet in a single moment!
But when Kagami saw that his Wheel Rotation As Intended had pulled in the Third Kazekage puppet instead of Sasori himself, he was dumbfounded!
--
Translator's Note: Pftt.. Hahaha... THE END
Sasori immediately noticed the dangerous unfolding of events.
Without hesitation, he unleashed all of his tricks and managed to kill Kagami, whose Tanseigan was still adjusting to his body.
The End.
If this isn't the next chapter, that's the plot armor protecting him...