As Deidara infiltrated Sunagakure, Shinho had already arrived.
However, he refrained from revealing himself immediately.
As the saying goes, It's better to send charcoal in the snow than to add icing to the cake.
Only when you help out in the most critical moment can you leave the greatest impression.
…
In the Sky
The aerial battle continued between three participants.
Deidara's interest was finally piqued after Shino used Kikaichu Bugs: Explosion.
Standing atop his clay owl, he fed his palms more explosive clay.
"What's your name?" Deidara asked, a grin spreading across his face.
"Shino Aburame," Shino replied calmly.
While Shino typically maintained a low profile, he harbored a dream of restoring the glory of the Aburame Clan.
An attack by Akatsuki on Sunagakure was bound to become widely known across the shinobi world.
If he made a significant contribution here, he could ride that wave of recognition.
"What's your opinion on explosions?" Deidara asked, narrowly dodging Gaara's advancing sand streams.
The owl beneath him zipped through the sky, leaving a gray blur in its wake. The Owl was now slower than the giant bird.
Initially, Shino didn't plan to engage in Deidara's chatter, but a sentence spoken by Shinho came into his mind at that moment.
Adjusting his glasses, he replied, "Art is an explosion."
"Art is an explosion?" Deidara froze, then broke into laughter, "For saying that, I'll give you the most dignified death possible!"
Deidara raised his hands, spitting a mass of white clay from his palms.
C2: Giant Dragon!
With a grand flourish, Deidara flung the clay outward. Before the astonished eyes of the spectators, it morphed into a massive winged dragon.
Gaara's eyes narrowed. A creation of this size would cause immense destruction upon detonation.
Monstrous Sand Arm!
Streams of sand coalesced into a gigantic arm, reaching toward the clay dragon. The two titanic forms were of roughly the same size, drawing every gaze upward.
The dragon's mouth opened, releasing a white projectile. The resulting explosion reverberated across the desert, splitting Gaara's sand arm in two.
"The power has increased significantly," Gaara muttered, his expression darkening as he prepared to draw more chakra.
At that moment, accompanied by a strange sound, a massive insect appeared in front of Shino.
The creature, resembling a spider with six legs and wings, hovered ominously.
Deidara's interest deepened as he watched Shino command the insect to take flight.
It sped toward the clay dragon with incredible speed, enveloped in a shadow of swarming Kikaichu bugs.
Alarmed, Deidara quickly directed his owl to retreat.
A split second later, a deafening explosion ripped through the air. Flames and thick smoke mushroomed outward, forming a cloud dozens of meters wide centered on the dragon and the insect.
"So strong!" Shikamaru exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"Isn't he your friend?" Temari asked, nudging his arm.
"Yes, but I've never seen this jutsu before," Shikamaru replied with a wry smile, "Turns out our class really was full of monsters."
"And you?" Temari asked curiously.
"You know me," Shikamaru shrugged.
Nearby, Baki sighed. Sunagakure's strength had long rested solely on Gaara's shoulders, while Konoha seemed to produce one prodigy after another, all of them so young.
"Even with that kind of attack, it's still not enough?" Kankuro murmured, watching as Deidara emerged unscathed.
Maki, Temaru and others were all silent, and they couldn't help but be ashamed.
They couldn't help at all.
Dedidara smirked as his battered owl carried him through the lingering smoke.
...
[Achievement Unlocked: "Deidara's Words—'That's My Line!'"
Reward: Heavenly Demon Zombie Gu.]
[Heavenly Demon Zombie Gu: Rank Five Gu Worm of the Transformation Path. Grants the form of one of the Six Great Flying Zombies.]
..
Shinho raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected his first achievement of the day to be related to Deidara.
A quick glance at the reward satisfied his curiosity, but he shifted focus as Sasori began to move.
…
Inside Sunagakure
"Who goes there?!"
Sasori hadn't been inside the village for long before being noticed. Four shinobi intercepted him, barring his path.
"Wait! His outfit!" one of them exclaimed, their face paling as they recognized the similarity between Sasori's cloak and Deidara's.
"Enemy attack!" the young shinobi shouted, his voice echoing through the streets.
"What's going on?"
Hearing the commotion, Baki and the others turned toward the scene and witnessed a horrifying scene: a metallic tail emerging from Sasori's back, piercing all four shinobi simultaneously.
"It's Akatsuki!" Shikamaru said, his heart sinking.
"Everyone else, fall back!" Baki commanded immediately.
Judging from Deidara's strength, it was evident that ordinary shinobi would only be throwing their lives away against Sasori.
"You're a puppet master, aren't you?" Kankuro stepped forward, said in a solemn voice, "Leave this guy to me."
"Kankuro?" Temari frowned in concern.
"Puppet masters know each other best," Kankuro said confidently, although his tone was still solemn "And when it comes to puppet masters, who can surpass Sunagakure?"
He laid three scrolls on the ground, summoning his full arsenal: Crow, Black Ant, and Salamander.
Kankuro was confident, but that did not mean he was arrogant or reckless.
"Let him try," Baki said, raising a hand to stop Temari.
Testing Sasori's strength was necessary, and Kankuro was indeed the best puppet master Sunagakure had aside from the retired Chiyo.
Sasori's gaze lingered on Kankuro's puppets for a moment before shifting toward Deidara. Surrounded by Gaara and Shino, his partner was at a clear disadvantage.
"I don't like wasting time," Sasori said, turning back to Kankuro, "Let's end this quickly."
"Don't underestimate me!" Kankuro growled, stepping back as he unfurled his chakra threads. The three puppets sprang into action under his control.
Crow moved first, launching three curved blades from each side like ribs, gleaming with precision.
Sasori remained still as his metallic tail lashed out like a viper, aiming for Crow.
Kankuro smirked. Salamander burst from the ground, raising its defensive shield to intercept the attack.
Clang! The tail rebounded off the shield harmlessly.
In the same instant, Kankuro made a sharp gesture. Black Ant appeared behind Sasori, its abdomen opening to trap him inside.
Simultaneously, Crow's six blades slashed forward, embedding themselves into Black Ant's body to ensure the kill.
Metallic screeches echoed as the puppets locked into place.
"Akatsuki what?!!" Kankuro let himself show a smirk of satisfaction, as he murmured.
He did not believe anyone could be unharmed after the combined attack of both black ant and crow.
"Well done," Baki said, slightly relieved. However, he didn't let his guard down completely.
Then, a glint of cold light flashed.
The metallic tail tore through Black Ant in an instant.
"What?!" Kankuro's smile froze.
Despite his shock, he continued to manipulate Crow, commanding it to launch three kunai from its mouth.
However, Sasori countered effortlessly—his own mouth opened, releasing a hail of poisoned needles that shredded Crow into a broken heap.
"Damn it!" Kankuro cursed, maneuvering Salamander to deploy its defensive shield once more. The poison-tipped projectiles clattered harmlessly against the barrier's reinforced metal.
Sasori's eyes flickered with disinterest. With a sharp motion, his metallic tail lashed out, striking a joint in Salamander's mechanism.
Boom!
Salamander, known for withstanding crushing blows from giant boulders, shattered into pieces.
"This… this is impossible!" Kankuro stammered, disbelief etched across his face.
Baki, Temari, and the other spectators shared his shock.
If Sasori had destroyed the puppets with overwhelming ninjutsu, they might have understood.
But the fact that he dismantled them so efficiently with another puppet made the feat even more astounting.
"Who… who are you?" Kankuro demanded, his voice trembling as he pieced things together. "Why do you know my puppets so well?"
The question jolted Baki and Temari.
Sasori's precise and efficient attacks showed his familiarity with Kankuro's puppets.
Raising his left arm, Sasori revealed a hidden gun. The cylindrical barrel aimed outward, firing shells in all idirections.
"Careful!" Baki shouted, but it was too late.
The shells burst into a rain of poison needles, scattering across the battlefield.
Cries of pain erupted as shinobi collapsed, immobilized by the potent venom.
"P-poison…" Baki groaned, his body paralyzed.
Sasori observed them dispassionately. He had no intention of killing them outright.
It wasn't that he suddenly turned merciful, but they could be used as hostages to force Gaara into surrender.
"Sorry, but I can't let them die."
A calm voice cut through the tension as a white-clad figure stepped in front of the fallen shinobi.
"Shinho!" Shikamaru exclaimed, his face lighting up with relief.
"It's the Hokage!" Temari breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "We're saved!"
That shout alone lifted the morale of the paralyzed shinobi, preventing them from succumbing to fear.
Baki and the others felt the weight of impending death lift as they gazed at Shinho.
His recent accomplishments had spread far and wide, and his presence here inspired immediate confidence.
"Hokage?" Sasori's expression darkened, "The thing I hate most is having my time wasted."
He felt no fear toward the so-called Hokage, only irritation at the inevitable delay this newcomer would cause.
"That's convenient," Shinho replied with a faint smile, "It just so happened that I don't like wasting time, either."
Sasori, true to his word, didn't waste any time.
His metallic tail shot forward like a spear.
Shinho raised his hand, channeling his energy into a combination of his Focus light Gu, Supreme Light Gu, and Declining Rivers and Setting Sun Gu.
Heavenly Cascade of Light!
A brilliant river of light surged from above, flooding the battlefield with its radiance.
Sasori's tail disintegrated instantly, followed by his Akatsuki cloak, which crumbled into ashes. Beneath the cloak, his puppet body—Hiruko—was laid bare.
Crack!
The cascading light obliterated Hiruko entirely, the sheer intensity of the light making it difficult for the onlookers to see result of the attack..
"What… what kind of jutsu is this?!" Temari shielded her eyes, tears streaming from the overwhelming glare.
"D-did it… destroy him just like that?" Kankuro fell to the ground, speechless.
He had faced Hiruko firsthand and knew how formidable it was. The fact that Shinho had dispatched it with a mere gesture seemed absurd.
"No… that's not it!" Baki stood suddenly, his face pale.
As the light faded, a red-haired boy stood where once Hiruko was. Black seams marred his neck, arms, and chest, marking him as something far from human.
"You… you're Sasori?!" Baki blurted, recognizing the boy in an instant.
"Sasori of the Red Sand?" Kankuro froze, a chill running down his spine as he understood.
Of course Sasori would know his puppets inside and out, he was their creator.
"A human puppet?!" Kankuro examined Sasori's body, his voice shaky.
Human puppets were crafted from corpses, preserving the deceased's ninjutsu and Kekkei Genkai. The practice was not only forbidden but a taboo among puppeteers.
Baki and Temari were too stunned to speak. Sasori was Chiyo's grandson and one of Sunagakure's most gifted puppet masters.
After losing his parents, he had turned to human puppetry and eventually defected, vanishing entirely.
"You're strong," Sasori said coldly, ignoring the others entirely.
He raised his hand, summoning a puppet that descended from above.
"The Third Kazekage?!" Baki shouted in disbelief, "It was you! You killed the Third Kazekage!"
The Third Kazekage's sudden disappearance had thrown Sunagakure into chaos, leading to infighting and a power vacuum. For years, the culprit had remained unknown.
"How could you do this? Do you feel no shame toward Lady Chiyo?!" Baki roared, his voice trembling with anger.
Sasori dismissed his words with indifference.
"Red Sand Sasori… and the Third Kazekage?"
Gaara, still engaged in battle with Deidara, glanced down at the chaos below.
His unease grew.
Whether if it was sasori or the third kazekage, both were masters at their craft. Powerful enough to have their name renowned across the ninja world.
Could Shinho handle Sasori and the Third Kazekage alone?
"Hahaha, Sasori-dono has arrived," Deidara murmured, his voice tinged with excitement despite his battered state.
With Sasori's help, their victory seemed inevitable.
Shino remained calm, trusting fully in Shinho's abilities. His only focus was on subduing Deidara.
The battles raged above and below.
…
Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!
The Third Kazekage performed a series of seals, unleashing waves of black iron sand that surged like a tidal wave.
Wind Tiger and Cloud Dragon Gu!
Shinho activated his Gu.
Winds howled as they formed into a tiger, roaring and charging like an unstoppable army. The black iron sand shattered upon contact.
The tiger pressed forward relentlessly, while clouds above coiled and transformed into a dragon.
The dragon descended, merging with the tiger in an assault aimed at Sasori and the Third Kazekage.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!
The Third Kazekage erected a towering black barrier, which trembled under the combined onslaught of the wind and clouds.
Sasori clapped his hands, unrolling a scroll.
Scroll: Infernal Flame Array!
Flames erupted from his palms, spreading rapidly into a sea of fire that collided with the advancing storm tigers and dragons.
The clash triggered a massive chakra explosion that shook the ground and filled the air with dust and debris.
join my patreon for 155+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL