Inside Iwagakure — Before the Ruins of the Tsuchikage Tower
The Tsuchikage's tower lay in ruins.
Ōnoki hovered in midair, his right arm encased in layers of compressed stone, driving punch after punch into his opponent. That opponent, however, was not human, it was a towering, headless machine made of steel.
The neck had been cleanly severed, a precise cut left behind by Ōnoki's earlier use of Dust Release.
Even without its head, the construct still stood over five meters tall. Next to it, Ōnoki looked almost fragile by comparison. Yet every time their blows collided, it was the steel giant that staggered backward, metal shrieking as plates ground violently against one another.
Around the battlefield, Iwagakure ninja had formed a tight perimeter to prevent any escape. Farther out, ANBU units moved at full speed, evacuating civilians and lower-ranking shinobi from the surrounding streets.
When Akio arrived with the children, this was the sight that greeted them.
As for why there were only five kids,
That was because Akatsuchi was too heavy to run fast enough and had fallen behind.
"Grandpa's fighting a monster?"
Kurotsuchi's eyes lit up instantly. Her earlier worry vanished, replaced with open excitement.
"Huh? What is that thing?" Karin asked, staring in fascination.
Akio rubbed his temples.
He recognized it immediately, a heavily modified version of a massive humanoid puppet. More importantly, he could sense Sasori's chakra threaded through it. Still… this kind of thing usually appealed more to boys, didn't it? Why were the three boys silent while the two girls looked thrilled?
"More importantly," Akio muttered, genuinely surprised, "why is Sasori attacking Iwagakure?"
Deidara scoffed. "Why's the old man fighting alone? Did everyone else in the village drop dead or something? Hm!"
Kurotsuchi shot him an annoyed glare, then frowned.
"Actually… where are my dad and Uncle Han?"
Akio expanded his sensory range slightly, his expression sharpening.
Behind the collapsed tower were four unusually strong chakra signatures. Three clearly belonged to high-level Iwagakure ninja, he could identify them without effort: Kitsuchi, the village's demolition unit commander Han, and the Five-Tails' jinchūriki.
They were positioned in a triangular formation around someone Akio knew all too well.
Kakuzu.
"Interesting," Akio thought. "Sasori and Kakuzu, working together and invading Iwagakure? That's not something you see every day."
Out loud, he said calmly, "Let's get closer."
"Tch."
Deidara clicked his tongue. There was no way the village would let them near a battlefield like this, even with him and Kurotsuchi present.
Yet as they approached, Deidara's expression slowly changed.
The Iwagakure ninja didn't stop them.
It was as if they weren't even there.
"So it is Sasori," Akio said quietly. Even with the hood obscuring the man's face, the precise, rhythmic hand movements controlling the massive puppet were unmistakable.
"A puppet master?" Kurotsuchi whispered.
Akio nodded, then turned to Kimimaro and the others.
"Watch carefully. This is the kind of enemy you may face one day."
They nodded seriously.
Before anyone could say more, Sasori's voice rang out across the battlefield.
"Tsuchikage! We're not here to cause unnecessary bloodshed. Stand down."
Ōnoki's face twisted into a deep scowl, heavy with sarcasm.
"Unnecessary bloodshed?"
He glanced at the damaged steel giant swaying before him.
"You think that thing gives you the right to make demands?"
"Earth Release: Ultra-Weighted Rock Fist!"
The density of the stone around his right arm multiplied instantly. His punch landed
A piercing metallic scream tore through the air as the puppet's right arm collapsed into fragments.
Ōnoki straightened
Then froze.
A look of pure agony crossed his face.
Not satisfaction.
He'd thrown his back out again.
"Grandpa… I told you to retire," Kurotsuchi muttered. She knew him too well.
"A pointless move," Sasori said coolly.
With a twitch of his fingers, the scattered metal fragments reassembled, forming the puppet's arm once more.
Ōnoki's scowl deepened.
"Impressive craftsmanship. But still naïve."
Without warning, the massive puppet tilted and crashed sideways.
Sasori frowned slightly.
"So that strike altered the weight distribution… Figures. Even steel has its limits."
Ōnoki descended slowly to the ground.
"Enough games. Drop the disguise, I know who you are. A deserter from Sunagakure, teaming up with Kakuzu from Takigakure, coming here to talk about peace for the Rain Village? Don't insult my intelligence."
Akio blinked.
"Peace talks for the Rain Village?"
Nagato's predecessor, Yahiko? How on earth did he convince Sasori to negotiate on his behalf?
Kakuzu's presence didn't surprise Akio. That man would work with anyone if the pay was right.
Sasori lifted a hand and cast off his heavy cloak, revealing a youthful face Akio knew all too well.
"So… you still went through with it," Akio murmured. "Turned yourself into a puppet."
"Tsuchikage," Sasori said calmly, "I'm not here as a rogue ninja. I've temporarily aligned myself with the Rain Village. I speak as their representative, here to propose a formal alliance."
"Temporarily aligned…"
Akio frowned. Yahiko must have pulled off something extraordinary.
Ōnoki, however, was far too old, and far too stubborn, to entertain explanations.
"The Land of Earth has only ever signed treaties with other Great Nations," he snapped. "And now a minor country thinks it can sit at the same table just because it recruited a few defectors?"
The surrounding ninja straightened, pride evident in their expressions as they looked at Sasori with open disdain.
"So I need to prove our strength first," Sasori murmured.
He withdrew a scroll.
Hand seals flashed.
A human puppet appeared.
The reaction was immediate sharp, horrified gasps rippled through the crowd.
"That can't be…"
"Is that—?"
"Who is it?" Kurotsuchi whispered.
Akio's expression darkened.
Now he understood.
"That's Hanzo."
No wonder Sasori had agreed to cooperate with the Rain Village.
"This crosses a line," Akio said quietly. "Someone like Hanzo deserved better than this."
Several Iwagakure ninja suddenly swayed, then collapsed.
Ōnoki's eyes widened.
"Everyone, pull back! There's poison in the air Dust Releasehm?"
He stopped short.
A pale blue barrier had formed around the puppet, sealing the toxins inside.
Sasori's pupils shrank.
A red-haired man appeared beside him without warning.
Sasori leapt back instantly.
"You, who are you?!"
Akio looked him over, then broke into a bright, almost playful grin.
"So… you went this far?" he said cheerfully.
"Come on. If you've already rebuilt yourself, show me the final version."
Sasori stared.
"…It's you."
That damned Ōtsutsuki-descended lunatic.
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