Sasuke stepped forward, intending to finish Sasori in one strike.
Suddenly, Sasori spread his arms.
"Scroll Technique: Flame Control!"
From concealed tubes in his palms, intense flames erupted—fire with tremendous melting power and searing heat.
Caught off guard, Sasuke's eyes widened. There was no time to activate Chidori Stream. He leapt backward, but the flames still scorched his clothes and mask.
Fortunately, at the instant his mask began to burn, Sasuke tore it off. Otherwise, his face and hair would have been badly burned.
"What's going on? Didn't he just fall under Nagi's genjutsu?"
(Nagi: As if our genjutsu are on the same level.)
Sasuke was momentarily puzzled.
Sasori narrowed his eyes.
"That face… and the Sharingan. I see. You must be Itachi's younger brother—Sasuke Uchiha."
Sensing the situation turning unfavorable, Sasori unfurled another scroll.
"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!"
Hundreds of puppets clad in red robes flooded the battlefield. Each wielded a different weapon, all controlled by chakra threads extending from Sasori's core—the container of his preserved human heart.
The SunagaShiranui Kūre shinobi were stunned. KanShiranui Kūrō looked as if his worldview had just collapsed.
Through his Sharingan, Sasuke finally saw the truth.
"So that's it. No wonder my genjutsu didn't work."
The true body wasn't a normal human—only the core was alive. Genjutsu had little effect.
Facing over a hundred puppets, Sasuke remained calm.
Flies were still flies, no matter how many gathered.
He glanced at the sky.
SunagaShiranui Kūre's air was too dry—there wasn't enough natural moisture. Using Lightning Release: Kirin here would be unrealistic.
Instead, Sasuke formed Chidori in his left hand, increasing its output until it transformed into countless sharp senbon of lightning.
"Chidori Senbon!"
With his Sharingan tracking every movement, he fired the lightning needles into the puppet horde.
Sasori directed his army to attack simultaneously. Sasuke weaved through them at high speed, evading blades and projectiles while continuing to launch Chidori Senbon.
Soon, Sasori noticed something was wrong.
"…The puppets can't move?"
Electricity crackled around the joints of each puppet.
"No matter how sturdy a puppet is, its movable joints will always be weaker than the rest… Tch. You targeted their structural weaknesses."
For the first time, Sasori felt genuine pressure.
Most of his techniques had already been used. Meanwhile, Sasuke had lost only his cloak and mask.
Still unwilling to concede, Sasori transformed his arm into a bladed weapon and lunged forward.
Several minutes later—
Sasori lay shattered across the ground.
His core—the cylindrical container holding his heart—was firmly grasped in Sasuke's hand.
Sasori had attempted to exploit the moment his puppet body was destroyed to launch a surprise attack.
The instant his true core emerged—
Sasuke seized it.
Sasuke carried the core to Nagi and handed it over.
"Well done," Nagi said calmly.
He glanced into the distance, then handed Sasuke a new mask while taking the core. With swift hand seals, he applied a Sealing Technique, completely immobilizing it.
He turned toward KanShiranui Kūrō and the others.
"Let's go."
KanShiranui Kūrō snapped out of his shock.
"R-Right! This way! You—clean up the battlefield!"
He led Nagi and Sasuke back toward the Kazekage's building while the others remained to clear the canyon.
Kazekage Tower – Council Chamber
Nagi and Sasuke entered with KanShiranui Kūrō.
Gaara, Maki, and the others were already waiting.
And—
"Hey! Let me go! This Lightning Release binding has no artistic flair at all! Yeah!!"
Deidara was tied up nearby, restrained by Lightning Release Chakra Chains.
Before leaving earlier, Nagi had instructed Gaara personally to keep watch over him. Gaara had remained vigilant the entire time.
"Hey! What did you do to Sasori-danna?!"
Nagi casually cast a genjutsu, knocking Deidara unconscious again.
Gaara spoke.
"Nagi… They are—"
"Yes. They are members of the Akatsuki. Their objective was the One-Tail sealed within you—ShukaShiranui Kū."
"…I see."
Nagi added, "They failed this time. But that doesn't mean they won't return."
Maki and KanShiranui Kūrō turned pale.
Gaara, however, remained composed.
"Then next time, I will lure them away from the village."
During the earlier battle, Gaara had fought in the air specifically to prevent collateral damage.
If the fight had taken place on the ground without worrying about civilians, several of his large-scale techniques could have been used. The outcome might have been different.
The discussion continued, eventually shifting to how to deal with the two captives.
Suddenly, the chamber doors opened.
Maki immediately barked, "Who goes there? This is a critical meet—"
He froze.
"Granny Chiyo?"
Indeed, Chiyo and her younger brother Ebizō stood at the entrance.
"Apologies," Chiyo said with a mischievous smile. "I heard news about my grandson and got a bit excited."
The room fell into awkward silence.
Gaara spoke gently.
"Granny Chiyo… Sasori is your grandson. We are discussing how to handle the Akatsuki. I hope you understand—"
"I do," she replied calmly. "I know the difference between public and private matters. I only wish to see him once. If that is inconvenient, pretend I was never here."
Gaara turned to Nagi.
After a brief pause, Nagi nodded.
He retrieved Sasori's core from a sealing scroll.
Chiyo and Ebizō widened their eyes.
Before they could speak, Nagi produced a relatively intact puppet body and inserted the core into it.
In an instant, the puppet reshaped into Sasori's likeness.
However, due to the sealing technique, Sasori could not move.
Chiyo trembled slightly.
"Sasori… You actually turned your entire body into a puppet… I should have expected as much."
Sasori snorted.
"Hmph. So it's you, old woman. Still alive after all these years?"
He noticed the unconscious Deidara nearby.
"What did you do to that brat?"
"Just made him quiet," Nagi replied. "Now then, Mr. Sasori—how do you think we should deal with you?"
Sasori answered indifferently.
"Kill me if you wish. But don't think you're safe. Not truly."
Nagi stepped forward and lightly patted Sasori's puppet face, even straightening his collar.
"Of course not. Our road ahead is still long."
"You—!"
Sasori had never been treated with such casual disregard.
And over there—that Sharingan brat…
Why is he looking at me like that?
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