Late at night, dark clouds swallowed the sky.
The Third Kazekage walked alone through the Land of Rain while countless grains of Iron Sand drifted behind him like a black galaxy, moving with silent pressure.
The situation on the battlefield was excellent.
As long as Sunagakure continued pressing forward, Iwagakure would eventually collapse under the pressure. The Third Kazekage could already sense Sunagakure rising to become second only to Konohagakure in strength.
It was only intuition, but he trusted it completely.
Because of that, he had devoted himself to this war with even greater focus than he had shown during conflicts with Konoha.
No mistakes were allowed.
Especially tonight.
Earlier, Chiyo had sent urgent intelligence through a summoned messenger, reporting that a group of Iwagakure shinobi planned to cross the defensive line and infiltrate deep into the Land of Wind to destroy Sunagakure's supply routes.
The moment he read the message, the Third Kazekage personally left to intercept them.
The Land of Wind lacked resources from the beginning. In the past, Iwagakure had been an ally capable of offering support, but now they were enemies.
If the supply lines were destroyed, Sunagakure would suffer heavily.
That was why he came alone.
As he entered the Land of Rain, rain slowly began falling from the sky. Before long, the drizzle became a violent downpour.
The Third Kazekage stopped walking and looked upward, letting cold rain strike his face. He raised a hand and caught several drops in his palm.
For some reason, he suddenly thought of Hanzō.
If only they could have formed an alliance.
With Hanzō's strength and his own Magnet Release, tearing a massive chunk out of Iwagakure would have been easy.
Unfortunately, Hanzō was too stubborn.
The Third Kazekage continued moving through the storm until his eyes narrowed slightly.
Ahead, beneath a massive tree, stood a lone figure with its back facing him.
The sight immediately felt wrong.
According to the intelligence report, dozens of Iwagakure shinobi were supposed to be waiting nearby.
But there was only one.
Chiyo would never betray him. Of that, he was absolutely certain.
Which meant either the intelligence was false...
Or something had happened to Chiyo.
The figure slowly turned around.
Its voice was hoarse and emotionless.
"I hate waiting for people."
The Third Kazekage finally saw the creature clearly.
Or rather, it could barely be called human.
It was short, with a strange reptilian tail extending behind it. A cloak hung loosely over its body, and a Sunagakure forehead protector rested on its head.
Even so, the Third Kazekage could not recall any shinobi in Sunagakure matching this appearance.
"Who are you?" he asked coldly.
Since he came alone, fear was naturally not part of his thinking.
He could fly freely using Magnet Release. Even if he encountered danger, retreating would not be difficult.
Very few people in the shinobi world could truly corner him.
Instead of backing away, the Third Kazekage slowly walked closer.
Only then did he realize the figure was not human at all.
It was a puppet.
A modified humanoid puppet.
Inside Hiruko, Sasori silently observed the man known as the strongest Kazekage in Sunagakure's history.
His eyes carried complicated emotions.
The atmosphere around them became heavier with every passing second.
Finally, Sasori spoke.
"Third Kazekage, there has never been a single thing about you that I liked."
His voice was low and aged through the puppet shell.
"You were always foolish, including tonight. Coming here alone is exactly the kind of thing you would do."
The Third Kazekage frowned.
The words revealed too much.
The other party knew him extremely well and had predicted his actions perfectly.
Which also confirmed his suspicion.
The message likely had not come from Chiyo herself.
The summoned messenger was contracted to more than one person.
After a brief silence, the Third Kazekage finally spoke.
"You are Sasori, aren't you?"
A cold laugh echoed from within Hiruko.
"So you're not completely hopeless."
Sasori no longer hid his identity.
The Third Kazekage suddenly laughed.
"You lured me into the Land of Rain just to kill me?"
He found the situation almost amusing.
Sasori was only around fourteen or fifteen years old.
Yes, he was a genius.
Yes, he was already feared as Sasori of the Red Sand.
But wanting to kill the Third Kazekage at that age sounded absurd.
Even Hayashi's reputation during his youth had not been this arrogant.
"Since you delivered yourself to me," the Third Kazekage said with a smile, "I might as well eliminate you tonight."
Although he had not personally killed Sasori's parents, he had deliberately allowed them to walk toward death.
And over the years, Sasori's talent had begun making him uneasy.
Sasori of the Red Sand was becoming increasingly influential inside Sunagakure. If things continued, Rasa might not be able to compete with him in the future.
The Third Kazekage had no intention of surrendering authority so easily.
He wanted to remain the supreme leader of Sunagakure for as long as possible.
A dangerous genius like Sasori could not be allowed to grow unchecked.
Unfortunately, Chiyo protected her grandson too carefully. Sasori also spent most of his time isolated while researching puppets, leaving almost no opportunities to act against him.
But tonight was different.
Sasori had walked directly into his hands.
At the same time, the Third Kazekage felt disturbed.
He had never sensed hatred from Sasori before.
For someone so young to hide his emotions this deeply was genuinely frightening.
Still, hidden emotions alone meant nothing without the power to support them.
Sasori slowly raised his right hand.
A scroll slid into his palm.
With a burst of smoke, five beast-shaped puppets appeared beside him.
The Third Kazekage smiled dismissively.
"Using puppets against Magnet Release is meaningless."
But the moment he circulated chakra, his expression suddenly changed.
"Poison...?"
His vision blurred slightly.
"When did you poison me?"
Sasori remained silent.
The poisoning had begun over half a year ago.
Every time Sasori attended meetings, a nearly undetectable scent lingered around him. Individually, the substances were harmless and impossible to notice.
Even Chiyo had failed to detect them.
The true trigger came from the letter delivered earlier.
The message contained a catalyst capable of merging all the accumulated substances within the Third Kazekage's body.
Then came the rain of the Land of Rain.
The downpour itself carried the final catalyst, transforming the slow-acting toxin into a deadly poison that disrupted chakra flow.
Everything had been prepared specifically for him.
Sasori had waited patiently for months like a scorpion hiding in darkness, all for this single night.
The Third Kazekage steadied himself and forced his mind to remain focused.
If he died here, Sunagakure would suffer catastrophic losses in the war against Iwagakure.
Sasori casually pulled out ten more scrolls.
His fingers moved sharply.
Dozens upon dozens of puppets burst into the air.
Sasori's voice remained cold.
"The standard of a puppeteer is determined by how many puppets they can control simultaneously."
"Grandmother can control the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu and is called the greatest puppeteer in Sunagakure."
"My puppets may not equal hers in quality."
"But in quantity..."
His fingers twitched slightly.
The sky filled completely with puppets.
"I surpass her."
The Third Kazekage's face darkened.
All these years, Sasori had intentionally hidden his true ability.
Everyone believed he could only control seven puppets at once.
The difference between rumor and reality was overwhelming.
Rain hammered against Hiruko's shell as violent winds roared through the forest.
Sasori slowly curled his fingers inward.
"Tell me," he asked quietly.
"Are these enough to kill you?"