Dozens of puppets filled the battlefield, an overwhelming sight that distorted the very sense of scale.
Even Chiyo, the most renowned puppeteer in Sunagakure, could only control ten puppets simultaneously. What Sasori displayed here was on an entirely different level, something the Ninja World was never meant to witness.
Hundreds of senbon shot forward at once.
They were densely packed, layered so tightly in the air that they formed a solid wall of lethal rain.
But these senbon were not made of metal.
They were carved from hardened wood soaked in black oil, specially designed to counter Magnet Release techniques.
The Third Kazekage reacted immediately.
Even as the poison inside his body disrupted his chakra flow, he forced himself to move. Iron Sand surged upward in a defensive barrier, barely intercepting the incoming barrage.
In terms of raw strength, Sasori was still not on the Third Kazekage's level.
But battles were never decided by strength alone.
Any small piece of intelligence, any hidden preparation, could completely reverse the outcome of a fight.
Just like Uzumaki Naruto after mastering Sage Mode, facing the Six Paths of Pain.
He was not stronger than Pain in pure ability.
Yet he still won in the end.
And tonight followed the same principle.
Half an hour later, the battle finally came to an end.
Sasori, only fifteen years old, had personally killed the Third Kazekage.
But victory did not come without cost.
Most of his puppets had been destroyed, and Hiruko, his protective shell, had been shattered into two halves, exposing his true position.
Still, it was worth it.
The Third Kazekage's corpse would become the strongest puppet he had ever created.
Once that transformation was complete, Sasori's combat power would rise dramatically. With the Third Kazekage's body, even hundreds of puppets would not be beyond his control.
From this moment onward, survival in the shinobi world would no longer be a problem.
Sasori's face was pale as he calmly gathered the broken puppets back into storage scrolls.
Then he looked down at the fallen Third Kazekage.
Rain struck his face, cold and unrelenting, but there was no satisfaction in his eyes.
Revenge did not feel like anything.
Time had long eroded his memories of his parents. He no longer clearly remembered their faces, nor did he cling to emotions like grief.
Even he could not tell what had driven him here.
Was it revenge?
Was it obsession?
Or simply a silent retaliation against Chiyo?
He did not know.
Sasori pulled out a scroll, preparing to seal the body.
But then he paused.
His head turned slightly.
"Who is there?"
Footsteps echoed through the rain.
A middle-aged man stepped forward from the darkness.
Sasori's eyes narrowed instantly.
"Granduncle."
Ebizo walked closer, then slowly crouched beside the Third Kazekage's body.
His usual composure was gone. What remained was only grief and disbelief.
The rain soaked through his clothes as he stared at the corpse.
"The Third Kazekage…" Ebizo muttered quietly. "Sasori, why did you do this?"
"There are many reasons," Sasori replied coldly. "You should be thanking me. I removed a problem for you and Grandma Chiyo."
Ebizo's expression tightened.
"What nonsense are you saying?" he snapped. "Do you understand what this means for Sunagakure? Without the Third Kazekage, the village will collapse!"
Sasori said nothing.
He understood perfectly.
Without leadership, Sunagakure would likely be defeated without resistance and forced into submission under Iwagakure.
But compared to endless sacrifice, that outcome might not necessarily be worse.
At the very least, fewer people would die.
Ebizo exhaled heavily.
"This is my fault," he said in a low voice. "I should have noticed earlier instead of indulging you. Come back to the village with me."
Sasori gave a faint, mocking smile.
"Go back? So I can be executed?"
Ebizo stared at him firmly.
"If I do not report this, no one will know you were the one who killed the Third Kazekage. Not even Chiyo."
Sasori tilted his head slightly.
"And if I refuse?"
Ebizo closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.
Six puppets rose behind him.
At the same moment, Sasori's fingers twitched.
Kunai rained from above in a sudden burst.
Ebizo snorted softly.
A beast type puppet opened its mouth and released a strong wind technique, scattering the kunai instantly.
In a single movement, Ebizo vanished from his position.
A fist slammed into Sasori's back.
The impact sent Sasori flying through the rain, though he managed to stabilize himself midair.
He coughed once, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
His chakra had become even more chaotic.
Still, he did not fall.
Landing on the ground, Sasori assessed the situation quickly.
His earlier assumption had been wrong.
He had believed Ebizo to be at most elite jonin level.
Now it was clear he was far stronger than that.
If this had been before his fight with the Third Kazekage, Sasori would not have been pushed this far, even while careless.
But now, his condition was far worse.
Ebizo looked at him quietly.
"You are still trying to hold on in this state."
Sasori did not respond.
Ebizo spoke again.
"Even if you die, you still intend to leave?"
His tone carried frustration rather than hostility.
"You are still young," Ebizo continued. "With the Third Kazekage gone, the village will need leadership. With your abilities, Chiyo's support, and mine, you could become Kazekage within a few years. Rasa and Pakura would not stand in your way."
The rain grew heavier.
Sasori slowly raised his hand.
The remaining puppets moved to surround him.
"Either let me go," he said calmly, "or take my corpse back."
Ebizo fell silent.
Then he looked up at the sky, hands resting behind his back.
"I should have told your grandmother earlier," he said quietly. "I noticed something was wrong with you long ago. I thought you were just a child going through a phase."
His voice softened.
"But I was wrong."
Ebizo's eyes drifted into memory.
"The first time I saw you, I had just returned from a mission. It was a night like this, heavy rain everywhere. You were so small, you only cried. You would not stop crying."
A faint, painful smile appeared on his face.
"But the moment I saw you, I felt something warm. I had no children of my own, but you became like a grandson to me."
He paused.
His expression shifted between nostalgia and sorrow.
"I do not care who becomes Kazekage," Ebizo said finally. "But I cannot ignore your life."
The wind howled through the forest.
Ebizo lowered his gaze.
"Sasori… go. And never return to Sunagakure again."
Silence followed.
Only the sound of rain remained.
Sasori bent down, picked up the Third Kazekage's body, and sealed it into a scroll.
He glanced once at Ebizo.
Then he turned away and walked into the storm.
Ebizo stood alone in the rain, his figure unmoving.
The darkness swallowed everything in his vision.
===
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