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"Where exactly is it?" In the Land of Wind, amidst the howling winds and swirling sand, Sasori walked slowly toward the depths of the desert.
A few days ago, after noticing signs of a great battle, he had been searching continuously.
His purpose for returning to the Land of Wind was simple—to find suitable "materials" for crafting more puppets.
His interest was immediately piqued when he heard that the battle might have involved Pakura and some mysterious, powerful shinobi.
After all, only the finest materials could create the most perfect puppets. However, despite searching for days, he had found nothing.
He had even killed several search squads yet failed to obtain valuable information, which frustrated him.
"I'll keep looking. There's no mission from the organization anyway, but I can't stay here too long. It seems their Anbu have started moving as well."
Sasori was not afraid of the Anbu, but he had no interest in constantly being followed by a swarm of pests.
"Looks like I'll have to create a new puppet to conceal my identity a little."
Sasori thought to himself, but just then, he suddenly noticed a squad moving through the desert ahead—
"It seems you didn't get any valuable information, Senpai."
Walking across the desert, Shuuzawa glanced at the visibly irritated Shisui before turning to look at the somewhat drained Pakura.
With a smile, he spoke. Two days had already passed, and Shisui had used various genjutsu techniques on Pakura.
Yet the results were the same—she truly knew nothing. Everyone had expected this outcome.
After all, why would they tell her in advance if they planned to sell her out?
Still, the complete lack of useful intelligence was somewhat disappointing.
"As expected. You already said as much." Yuugao tilted her head, glancing at Pakura before looking at Shuuzawa.
"Also, next time you run into trouble, let us know instead of handling everything alone. We're teammates!"
"Yes, yes, I got it. Thanks for the concern, Senpai." Shuuzawa smiled and nodded.
Strictly speaking, their withdrawal this time was indeed related to him. After all, he still needed to assist Kabuto.
Kabuto had deceived his allies, leading them to their deaths at Shuuzawa's hands. Yet, he still had to remain in the village.
Thus, Shuuzawa needed to report certain matters back, making them unable to stay here longer.
Besides, he had his plans. It was time to make his move.
Shuuzawa had no idea what Kabuto's next steps would be, but one thing was certain—the guy was born to be a spy.
However, Shuuzawa also had an idea—helping out his little brother in the shadows. "For example, making things difficult for Shisui?"
His gaze unconsciously shifted to Shisui, who watched Pakura closely to prevent her escape.
Figuring out how to maximize Kabuto's abilities had taken some thought.
Especially considering the challenge of forcing the Kazekage to leave his office.
After weighing all possibilities, Shuuzawa concluded that the best option was to have Shisui, who had likely awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan by now, take action.
Given Shisui's unique abilities, forcing the Kazekage out might be possible. Of course, just having a Mangekyō wouldn't be enough.
That meant Pakura was their bargaining chip.
From the beginning, Shuuzawa had planned to set a trap using Pakura and then rely on Shisui's actions to pressure the Kazekage into negotiations.
Rasa was likely in talks with Kirigakure, and Pakura was his leverage. The odds were high that he would come.
Moreover, to preserve Pakura's reputation, he might even negotiate secretly.
If that happened, Shuuzawa could pin everything on Danzō while planting a seed of doubt in Pakura's mind.
"But now..." Now, he wanted even more. If Kabuto could steal crucial information, it would directly plant that seed of doubt in Pakura's heart.
Wouldn't this be the perfect way to let Lord Danzō's name loom over Sunagakure like a dark cloud?
"I am the most loyal." Shuuzawa nodded, carefully considering his words before speaking to Shisui.
"Captain, I'd like to discuss something with you."
"Hmm?" Shisui was momentarily surprised but nodded.
"Alright, let's talk up ahead." With that, Shisui took the lead, walking forward, while Yuugao took over guarding Pakura.
The two walked a fair distance, ensuring their conversation wouldn't be overheard, before Shisui curiously asked, "What's on your mind, Shuuzawa?"
"Yes, I do have something to discuss." Shuuzawa nodded.
Although he already had a plan, he needed to carefully consider how to phrase it.
After all, his goal was to "trouble" Shisui. Making Shisui willingly accept such a role was quite a challenge.
"Senpai, I've been thinking—how can we bring the greatest benefit to the village?"
"How to benefit the village?" The moment this topic came up, Shisui, ever the Uchiha pacifist, immediately became interested.
"Tell me what you have in mind."
"It's actually quite simple." Shuuzawa smiled. He understood the mindset of Shisui and the other pacifist Uchiha members.
He had no intention of hiding his thoughts. "Although I have my suspicions, there's no concrete proof."
"But that doesn't change the key question—does the village truly want Sunagakure to overcome this crisis unscathed?"
"Shuuzawa, what do you mean by that?" Shisui's brows furrowed instantly. If Sunagakure fell into chaos, it wouldn't be good for Konoha.
But why did it sound like Shuuzawa was saying the opposite? "What I mean is, Sunagakure must not fall into complete disorder. That would affect Konoha." Shuuzawa sighed. Shisui was too naive.
"But at the same time, Sunagakure must pay a price. If they can't defend against Iwagakure's forces in the north, wouldn't that actually benefit us more?"
"After all, a strong Sunagakure dares to challenge Konoha, but a weakened Sunagakure would become Konoha's best ally. Don't you think?"
"Uh..." Shisui struggled to follow Shuuzawa's reasoning.
It was convoluted, but it made sense when he thought about it carefully.
Sunagakure had triggered the Third Great Ninja War, and they became Konoha's ally after their defeat. Even the Hokage didn't trust that alliance.
So wouldn't keeping them suppressed ensure they remained allies forever?
"Tell me more!" Shisui's mind finally clicked, and his eyes shone with curiosity.
"It's not too difficult, but it will require some effort from you, Senpai." Shuuzawa cautiously proposed, and Shisui didn't hesitate.
"Explain in detail. If it benefits the village, I'm willing to do it."
"Good, good." Beneath his mask, Shuuzawa smiled. As long as Shisui was willing, things would be much easier. "First, we need to—hmm?"
Just as Shuuzawa was about to explain, he suddenly turned his gaze toward the distance. Shisui noticed it as well.
In the far-off desert, a lone figure emerged amid the swirling sand.
The raging storm made his silhouette appear hazy, but he approached them steadily, unhurriedly.
Shuuzawa sensed a dangerous and overwhelming chakra emanating from this person.
"Who is that?" Shisui's brows knitted tightly. As the figure drew closer, Shuuzawa's expression subtly changed.
The stranger wore a black cloak adorned with red clouds.
His short red hair swayed in the wind. His bright eyes held an unsettling gaze reminiscent of a predator watching its prey.
"That guy... is it Sasori?" Shuuzawa murmured to himself. Then, as a thought struck him, his eyes began to gleam.
"Wait a minute... Sasori..." In Sunagakure, Sasori's significance was, in some ways, comparable to Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
To put it bluntly, with his strength and status back then, becoming the Kazekage wouldn't have been difficult.
Although the Third Kazekage was hailed as the strongest Kazekage, his tragic fate was beyond miserable.
His demise became the perfect example of a corpse being desecrated even after death, as well as an extreme case of someone being exploited for every last bit of value.
However, this also served as undeniable proof—if Sasori truly wanted to become Kazekage, then the so-called strongest Kazekage was nothing more than a joke to him.
Shuuzawa never expected that while carrying out a mission in this small Land of Wind, he would encounter many formidable figures simultaneously.
Though Sasori was undoubtedly dangerous, seeing him suddenly sparked a thought in Shuuzawa's mind.
With such an influence, wouldn't it be a waste not to take advantage of it properly?
"Oh?" Sasori walked over unhurriedly, and after glancing around at Shuuzawa and the others, he suddenly smiled.
"I never expected to run into you here. I've been looking for you for days."
"Who are you?" Shisui asked with a frown. He had no idea who Sasori was, but he could sense the immense danger emanating from this man.
"You don't seem to be from Sunagakure either. Why are you looking for us?"
"Hm, I'm indeed no longer a part of Sunagakure."
Sasori nodded before casually pulling out a scroll, smiling as he continued, "As for why I'm looking for you, I just happened to come across the traces of your battle."
"I also happen to need some… 'materials.' You all are quite suitable."
Materials? Suitable? Shisui wasn't entirely sure what this guy was talking about, but Shuuzawa seemed to have figured it out.
"What a lunatic!" Shuuzawa cursed under his breath.
So this guy came to Sunagakure for 'supplies,' but now he had set his sights on them and Pakura?
He had always known that some people thrived in the shinobi world while others lost their sanity.
For example, the Uchiha beside him was a prime case of this.
However, compared to the Uchiha, Sasori was certainly no less insane. "Alright, enough idle talk. May I ask which village you shinobi are from?"
Sasori unfurled the scroll in his hand. With a puff of white smoke, a human puppet appeared before Shuuzawa and Shisui.
"Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't answer. I can find out for myself later."
"A puppeteer?" Shisui raised an eyebrow.
He could see the chakra threads as a Uchiha with the Sharingan—especially an advanced one. He had no fear of puppeteers.
However, when he saw the floating black iron sand surrounding the puppet, his expression changed instantly.
"Black iron sand… This is the Third Kazekage?"
The Third Kazekage had been missing for a long time, neither dead nor alive, causing a war to erupt across the shinobi world.
No one could have expected that the 'strongest Kazekage' had been turned into a puppet.
At that moment, Shisui finally understood what Sasori meant by 'materials,' and he couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"This guy is insane!" Shuuzawa shot him a strange look.
A Uchiha calling someone else insane? That was ironic. "Call me whatever you want," Sasori said indifferently, tilting his head slightly.
However, his hands had already moved. "Now, appreciate my art properly."
When Sasori finished speaking, the iron sand floating around the Third Kazekage scattered into countless fine needles, raining down like a deadly storm upon Shuuzawa and Shisui.
Unfortunately for Sasori, both Shuuzawa and Shisui were incredibly fast. The iron needles failed to hit them at all.
However, Shisui's expression grew even darker. "Even in death, he still retains his Kekkei Genkai? Just who is this puppeteer?"
Compared to Shisui, Shuuzawa remained calm. He maneuvered through the rain of iron needles while quickly forming hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" The sandy ground instantly collapsed as a massive earthen wall shot up, blocking the oncoming needles with a chorus of clinking sounds.
Shuuzawa formed another seal without hesitation, and the earth wall began to shift. "Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A massive dragon's head emerged from the wall, its mouth open wide as a barrage of hardened mud projectiles hurtled toward Sasori and the Third Kazekage puppet.
"Such refined Earth Release techniques," Sasori mused.
A true expert never focused on flashy moves but on mastering the fundamentals.
For instance, when Orochimaru defected, the Third Hokage crushed him with only a single explosive tag.
Nonetheless, Sasori reacted swiftly. With a flick of his fingers, the Third Kazekage puppet rapidly manipulated the iron sand, forming a sturdy shield.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!"
Even though both he and the Third Kazekage were now puppets, Sasori had no intention of allowing his 'art' to be damaged.
"Now's my chance!" Taking advantage of Sasori's distraction, Shisui launched an attack.
He knew the key to defeating a puppeteer was to get in close and restrain their real body—anything else was pointless.
"How naïve." Sasori turned his head without panic, and in an instant, the iron sand coalesced, forming countless razor-sharp spears that shot toward Shisui.
Seeing this, Shisui had no choice but to retreat. The density of this Magnet Release was too much for him to break through… unless—
"This… How is this even possible?" While Shuuzawa and Shisui fought Sasori up ahead, Pakura, whom Yuugao guarded, was utterly stunned at the rear.
They weren't far from the battlefield, and as a shinobi of Sunagakure, Pakura knew exactly what those black iron sands meant.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The Third Kazekage, who had vanished without a trace, had now been found… as a puppet?
The one controlling the Third Kazekage puppet… "It has to be him. But how? Why would he do this?"
Pakura clenched her fists tightly. This was the last thing she had ever wanted to witness.
"You know who that guy is?" Yuugao immediately took notice of Pakura's change in expression and questioned her in a low voice.
"Give me any intel you have on him, or else—"
"There's no need to threaten me. It's useless," Pakura shook her head and sighed.
"Don't get me wrong. If I could, I would rather you kill him. But unfortunately, I don't have any intel on him either."
Pakura loathed Sasori with every fiber of her being. If possible, she would have loved nothing more than to see him dead.
But Sasori had left Sunagakure long ago, and even she had no idea what he had become.
Regardless, she felt that revealing it wouldn't change anything, even if she did have information.
Sasori was once Sunagakure's greatest genius, and he had silently assassinated the strongest Kazekage.
Such overwhelming power was suffocating. And now, he even had the Third Kazekage puppet, retaining the Kazekage's strength.
Two overwhelming forces combined… How could they possibly win?
Just then, the ground trembled violently. Both Yuugao and Pakura struggled to maintain their balance.
When they looked up, their expressions filled with shock. Pakura let out a gasp. "This… This can't be real!"
However, her eyes quickly shifted toward the sky, where a signal flare had erupted in a dazzling burst of colors. Her face instantly turned deathly pale.
That was her emergency signal flare. And in that moment, she understood everything. "You bastard! You're dead!"
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