Red hair, a youthful face—Kazuyama never expected to see this person standing before him.
Chiyo's grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand!
How could it be him?!
Kazuyama felt his mind struggling to keep up. Sasori was a few years younger than him, yet his face was already clouded with darkness and hatred.
He finally understood where the anger and resentment that Chōmei had sensed came from.
Sasori's parents had been killed by Sakumo Hatake—how could he not despise the Konoha?
But something was wrong. Wasn't Sasori supposed to assassinate the Third Kazekage?
Why was he here, leading the Sunagakure forces? Judging by the way the others treated him, he was clearly in command. Could he be the vanguard's leader?
As Kazuyama pondered this, Sasori made his move.
Boom!
He pulled out a scroll from behind his back, and with a burst of white smoke, a massive puppet appeared.
Kazuyama's eyes widened in recognition—there was no mistaking it.
Sanshōuo!
A puppeteer's strength came from their creations, and Sasori had displayed exceptional talent for puppetry since childhood. The enormous puppet before him was proof of that.
"These traps are useless. Just destroy them."
With a cold snort, Sasori sent Sanshōuo charging straight into the trap-filled area.
Kazuyama gasped.
Fully armored… practically indestructible… even boulders wouldn't leave a scratch.
Kunai, senbon, explosive tags—nothing could pierce its reinforced body. The traps were completely ineffective.
"Damn it, if this keeps up, everything we set up will be wasted."
"Chōmei, help me think of a way to slow him down."
Chōmei let out a dry chuckle.
"Nope. How could I possibly help?"
"How about we both go full Tailed Beast and trample him?"
"I agree. Can you?"
Kazuyama was speechless. If it were that easy, he wouldn't need to ask.
"Forget it. I need to retreat and warn the others."
It wasn't that he didn't want to fight—he just couldn't.
Sasori alone was a nightmare, with his mastery of poisons and puppetry. And with so many enemy shinobi around, charging in was suicide.
Without hesitation, he leaped back and disappeared into the trees.
As he fled, his mind raced.
Why was Sasori of the Red Sand here?
Then, it hit him.
Sasori had two major enemies—Sakumo Hatake and the Third Kazekage Hatazaemon…
Oh.
I see it now!
In the original timeline, Sakumo Hatake had already died by this point, leaving the Third Kazekage as Sasori's primary target for revenge.
But thanks to me, Sakumo is still alive.
Which meant Sasori's first priority for vengeance was Sakumo instead.
No wonder he was on the battlefield! With his puppetry and poison mastery, he was an incredible asset.
Damn it.
Hatazaemon really is the strongest Kazekage. He must have foreseen all of this.
By aligning with Chiyo, he weakened a potential threat while simultaneously bolstering his own forces.
What a ruthless move.
Kazuyama dared not waste another second. Without looking back, he sped off toward the Land of Fire.
Konohagakure's Defensive Line.
Thousands of ninja worked tirelessly to fortify their position. In front of the defensive structures, Orochimaru stood motionless, gazing into the distance.
Soon, a group of masked ANBU appeared within his line of sight. Leading them was Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who sprinted straight toward Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, the enemy vanguard numbers 200. Their leader remains unknown."
"We've set numerous traps along their path, which should slow them down. How are the fortifications on your side coming along?"
Orochimaru nodded, but at the mention of the 200-strong vanguard, he visibly froze for a moment.
Logically, a vanguard force shouldn't be that large. Their role was to scout and clear a path, not to engage in full-scale combat.
Did Sunagakure really have enough manpower to throw away like this?
"I've ordered most of our teams to withdraw. ANBU Rokudenashi is still behind, scouting enemy movements."
"I'll wait for him here. Intelligence is critical."
With that, Shinnosuke walked alone toward the defensive line, while the rest of the ANBU swiftly returned to the village.
ANBU Rokudenashi?
Heh… Kazuyama, why would you give yourself such a ridiculous name?
Orochimaru smirked. He knew his disciple's abilities well and had no complaints. Even as his student, Kazuyama was part of ANBU and answered directly to the Hokage. Even he, one of the Sannin, had no authority to interfere.
Just as the ANBU disappeared, another figure sprinted toward their position at full speed.
Orochimaru immediately recognized him and stepped forward.
"Eh? Sensei, you really came all the way to the Land of Rivers?"
"Heh heh heh, isn't that only natural?" Orochimaru chuckled.
Kazuyama wasted no time, his expression serious.
"Sensei, the enemy leader isn't just anyone."
"He's a young man with crimson hair, highly skilled in poisons and Puppet Technique."
"They sent a massive puppet ahead to clear traps. ANBU's fortifications had almost no effect."
"The defenses here aren't finished yet, and at this rate, it might be too late to complete them."
"And based on my analysis, that red-haired Puppeteer is Chiyo's grandson, the son of the man killed by Sakumo."
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes contracted sharply.
He fully trusted Kazuyama's judgment—stealth and reconnaissance were his strongest suits.
And there was no mistaking it.
Years ago, Sakumo had slain many Puppeteers, including a red-haired shinobi—none other than Chiyo's son.
"Poison? How powerful is it?"
Kazuyama thought to himself, Why don't you just ask the enemy how strong they are? Then I can tell you whether they'll be a challenge for you in the future.
If Orochimaru had heard that, he might have responded sarcastically, Wouldn't that be a bit rude?
"It's hard to say, but judging by the quality of his puppets and the fact that he's Chiyo's grandson, I doubt he's weak."
"The bigger issue is that our fortifications aren't complete. We need to take the initiative and significantly slow their advance."
Orochimaru nodded slightly. That was exactly what he had been considering.
Their defenses were still under construction, and the enemy had a formidable vanguard. If battle erupted before they were ready, their losses would be severe.
He immediately ordered someone to summon Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
—
"What?! The traps have all been destroyed? Damn it!"
"Even Kankichi's Armor Puppets wouldn't have been able to remove them without a scratch."
"Rokudenashi, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"
Kazuyama felt slightly annoyed at Shinnosuke's doubt, but as the team leader, he kept his composure and reaffirmed his report.
After hearing his response, Shinnosuke's expression darkened.
"If that's really the case, then I agree with Rokudenashi—we need to stall the enemy."
"Let's go now!"
As ANBU Commander, his battlefield awareness was sharp. He could assess the situation just as Orochimaru could.
"We don't need a large group—just the three of us."
"We'll use large-scale ninjutsu to slow them down. I specialize in Earth Release, so I'll handle that!"
Shinnosuke's confidence was clear. As the son of the Hokage, Hiruzen, he was an elite Jōnin, well-versed in advanced Earth Release techniques.
"Alright, Kazu—Rokudenashi, what do you think?"
Orochimaru nearly called him by the wrong name but quickly corrected himself.
Shinnosuke smirked.
"Come on, I already know who he is. It's just Kazuyama, right?"
"Let's move, Orochimaru. The sooner we act, the more time we'll gain!"
As the three of them set off, Sasori had already completely dismantled the traps.
He sealed Sanshōuo away and issued a cold command:
"The traps are gone. Keep moving."
With that, he pulled his hat back on and disappeared into the ranks.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake