A black shadow quickly emerged from him and appeared beside Konan.
He had a delicate face, crimson hair, and a stiff, expressionless demeanor.
"Damn it... How dare you destroy my masterpiece."
As he spoke, he pulled a scroll from his sleeve with the kanji for "three" written across it.
Sasori waved his right hand and unfurled the scroll. A puff of white smoke burst from the seal.
"Let me show you my highest artistic achievement to date!"
As the smoke cleared, a humanoid puppet appeared before him. Its skin was dull, joints filled with mechanical seams, and its lifeless eyes stared blankly forward.
"Sand Iron Technique!"
Dozens of iron sand needles shot from the puppet's body, transforming into sharp, black spikes that flew straight toward Orochimaru.
Orochimaru got a good look at the puppet's face, and a glimmer of surprise flickered in his eyes. His expression turned amused.
"So… it's a human puppet."
As he muttered this, he lifted his right hand, brought his thumb to his mouth, and bit down hard.
A few drops of blood trickled from the wound. Orochimaru immediately formed a sequence of hand signs.
Just as the iron spikes were about to pierce him, he slammed his hand to the ground.
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
A coffin burst from the earth, slamming up between him and the incoming attack.
The iron spikes collided with the coffin's surface, dissolving into black grains that returned to Sasori's puppet, forming a dense cloak of magnetic sand.
But then, Sasori noticed something—the kanji inscribed on the front of the coffin.
Three?
A cold premonition struck him.
Konan instinctively retreated to his side. Though Sasori's face was emotionless, she could feel the tension rising within him.
"Sasori, what is it?"
Even with most of his body converted into a puppet, Sasori's shock was undeniable.
"Impossible… His body is right here with me!"
The coffin lid creaked open.
Bang!
It fell forward into the sand with a heavy thud.
A figure stepped out, his outline slowly becoming clear.
Orochimaru's smile widened. His tone was light, almost playful, but carried a sharp edge.
"When I see something I like, I can't help but take it for myself."
"So I borrowed a little."
The figure lifted his head, eyes narrowing as they locked onto Sasori and Konan.
"Sasori… How dare you betray me, you treacherous little rat!"
Sasori stumbled back, quickly maneuvering the Sand Iron Puppet between himself and the resurrected figure.
"The hell's going on here, you damn snake?"
"I killed him with my own hands!"
Orochimaru stepped behind the resurrected figure, speaking slowly, deliberately.
"This is the Third Kazekage. The very one you assassinated."
"I simply used a forbidden jutsu to bring him back."
The Sandaime Kazekage, reanimated by Impure World Reincarnation, stared down Sasori—his killer—with blazing hatred.
"Sasori... this time, it won't end like last time!"
Before he could take another step, Orochimaru drove a kunai etched with a special seal into the back of his neck.
"Enough chatter."
Even Orochimaru hadn't expected the revived Kazekage to possess such a strong will. Despite death, his resentment and fury were tangible.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with interest as he turned to the puppet facing Sasori.
"Now then... Let's see which is stronger—your puppet, or my forbidden jutsu."
Sasori's voice turned bitter and low as he glared at Orochimaru.
"Filthy snake..."
White smoke rose from the Kazekage's reanimated body.
His dull skin took on an unnatural pallor, cracks running like spiderwebs across its surface.
He formed a hand seal—index and middle fingers raised.
Iron sand peeled up from the surrounding desert, gathering around him in spiraling clusters.
"Satetsu Shigure!"
The iron sand erupted, transforming into thousands of spikes that launched at high speed toward Konan and Sasori.
Sasori's ten fingers danced, chakra threads glinting in the sunlight as he manipulated his puppet.
The puppet's mouth opened. From within, an iron tube extended.
Iron sand surged out of the puppet's mouth, forming a thick shield in front of them—blocking the barrage.
The sand exploded upon impact, spraying outward.
Some of it struck Konan, who instinctively raised a wall of paper in front of her.
But the paper couldn't withstand the piercing force of the sand.
At the last moment, Konan dodged sideways, narrowly avoiding the worst of the attack.
Damn it... Why is it always jutsu that counter me directly?
She scowled internally. The Akatsuki still had too few members—far too few she could count on.
Originally, she had hoped to defeat Orochimaru and drag him back into the organization for use.
But no one had expected he'd mastered such a terrifying forbidden technique—the power to bring the dead back to life.
On the other side, Orochimaru's smile deepened at the sight of their distress.
"If sand gets inside your puppet..."
"You can't move."
Itachi stood beside him, casting a sidelong glance.
Tch… Looks like getting his ass kicked by me earlier really bruised his ego. Now he's overcompensating by bullying weaker opponents.
Before Orochimaru could gloat further, another wave of iron spikes rained down from above, stabbing toward Konan and Sasori from overhead.
Both sensed the danger and retreated quickly, narrowly avoiding the downward assault.
Sasori's tone began to shift—more emotional now, his anger rising.
He couldn't accept it. That Orochimaru's forbidden jutsu was outperforming his life's work—his art.
"You're not qualified to talk about puppetry in front of me... you disgusting snake!"
With that, he commanded his puppet forward, charging the reanimated Kazekage.
The puppet's right hand transformed into a spinning blade, emitting a harsh grinding sound.
Creaaaaak… creaaaak...
The Third Kazekage leapt into the air, dodging the spinning blade just in time.
But suddenly—whoosh!
From under the cloak on the puppet's right arm, hundreds of identical puppet limbs extended, transforming into iron fists.
They hammered down in a relentless barrage, pounding the Kazekage with deafening force.
Cracks formed across the reanimated body.
Boom boom boom!
Sasori's fury drove his fingers into a frenzy—hundreds of strikes per second.
The Kazekage's body shattered, fragments dissolving into paper-like dust that floated into the air.
Sasori finally exhaled.
That surge of bitter resentment inside him was gone, at least for a moment.
His voice was calm, even smug.
"My puppets can hide countless weapons."
He turned his gaze to Orochimaru, eyes gleaming.
"You're next."
"I'm really curious… what kind of material your body will provide me."
------
✨ Hey everyone! If you're enjoying this fic, I'd love it if you could drop a shameless 5-star review — it really helps more readers find the story and keeps me motivated to pump out more chapters! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And if you want to go the extra mile (you absolute legends ❤️), consider joining my Patreon.
--------
Send Power Stones
Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
---------------------
Join my Patreon and get access to 50+ early chapters before anyone else! 🔥
https://www.patreon.com/UK21
Your Support is Truly Appreciated 🫂