Chapter 242: The Secret Behind the Third Kazekage's Survival
"So... such fast slashes!"
Held by Li Yao's Wind Release clone, Sasori stared in shock. The Third Kazekage had been instantly shredded into a bloody mess by countless invisible slashes, unable to react before being turned into a bloodied figure. His heart clenched tight, his very heartbeat momentarily frozen.
A mighty figure like the Third Kazekage hadn't even withstood a single move.
True, the Third had no intel on Kazekaze's new abilities, but even so—slashes so fast that they outpaced neural reactions… who could defend against that?
In that moment, Sasori's perception of the village's rising star, Kazekaze—who had long overshadowed him in popularity—became clearer than ever.
"Those slashes…"
"So beautiful!"
For just a moment, Sasori was entranced by the artistry of that instant of destruction.
Fortunately, his commitment to eternal art grounded him again.
Fleeting beauty was dazzling.
But only eternity could be considered true art.
"...Still alive?"
Reaffirming his belief in eternal art, Sasori snapped out of his trance to discover the Third Kazekage was still alive—Kazekaze hadn't finished him off.
Why?
Sasori wondered.
"Wait here."
Landing softly, Li Yao's Wind Release clone tossed Sasori to the side and wrapped the gravely wounded Kazekage in a highly condensed band of Wind Release: Slash chakra. Then, activating his Wind Armor, he carried the Kazekage high into the sky.
Wind Armor was the evolved form of Flowing Wind Armor.
Originally, Flowing Wind Armor lacked flight capabilities.
But with Wind Release chakra now advanced to the level of Wind Release: Slash, the technique transformed into a true Wind Armor, granting aerial mobility and allowing its user to morph wind into tangible chakra bands to bind targets.
In terms of Wind Release development, the original Kazekaze had been incredibly inventive.
Li Yao simply inherited and refined his creations, utilizing Wind chakra in equally unique ways.
"Third Kazekage... it's been a while."
Ten thousand meters above the earth, Li Yao's clone used Perfect Transformation Technique to change into Kimura Yao, even mimicking his voice.
The voice was unfamiliar to the Kazekage—but unforgettable.
After all, it belonged to the man who once forced the Five Kage to unite.
That kind of impression doesn't fade. Hearing that voice say "long time no see" sent chills down his spine.
Despite his near-death state, the Kazekage forced open blood-crusted eyes to look upon the man in front of him.
"It's you!!!"
"You're not dead?!"
"Impossible…"
"How are you alive?"
Staring at the unharmed man before him, the Kazekage was in disbelief. He'd witnessed Dust Release firsthand—Li Yao couldn't have survived.
But… a possibility suddenly occurred to him.
"I was wondering too. You were supposed to be dead, weren't you?"
Li Yao's clone was equally curious about how the Third Kazekage had survived the Dust Release that day.
He had long believed the man died in that attack.
But when he created the Wind Release clone using the genius Kazekaze's body and inherited his memories, he learned the truth: the Kazekage never died.
Not only that, he didn't reappear until after the Second Great Ninja War ended.
But in a way, that worked out—because now Li Yao could kill him with his own hands.
And with the Kazekage now powerless, Li Yao was in no rush. He wanted answers.
It was clear, however, that the Kazekage didn't intend to speak.
Seeing the old man silent and resigned, Li Yao didn't get angry. Instead, he reached out and placed his hand on the Kazekage's head.
With Rinnegan chakra, he read the man's soul memories directly.
After a moment, his expression shifted to one of surprise.
"So that's it. I never would've guessed..."
It turned out that the man known as the bane of puppet masters—the Third Kazekage—was actually the first to conceive and construct a human puppet.
His clan was the originator of puppet techniques in the shinobi world.
Perhaps because they knew puppet masters so well, the clan developed techniques both for puppetry and for defeating puppeteers.
Magnet Release was one such creation—a unique kekkei genkai passed down in their bloodline.
With their mastery over puppets and their counter-techniques, the Kazekage's clan rose to become one of Sunagakure's Three Great Clans. Even the First Kazekage came from their bloodline.
They were master manipulators in every sense.
And the Third carried on that legacy.
Outwardly, he was known for his Magnet Release, the scourge of puppet masters. Secretly, however, he was a genius puppeteer—no less skilled than Sasori.
During the First Great Ninja War, after witnessing Tobirama Senju's Edo Tensei, the Kazekage conceived of creating human puppets with the abilities of the living.
Years later, combining sealing techniques, he developed the "Puppet Talisman"—a core seal used to animate human puppets.
Using this, he revived a dying clan member—though the person was essentially brain-dead, a walking corpse.
This caused an uproar. The study of human puppetry was banned.
Further progress required unethical experimentation—something the village couldn't allow.
But even after the ban, many top puppet masters, including Chiyo, continued to study it in secret.
Still, only the Kazekage—the founder—achieved success.
After bringing the vegetative puppet back to his secret underground lab, he refined the Puppet Talisman for years.
Eventually, inspired by the Second Mizukage's Clone Technique, he wondered:
If a puppet couldn't retain another's soul…
What if it housed his own?
By constantly injecting his own chakra into the puppet through the talisman, it split into mental and physical energies, nourishing the puppet's body over time.
After a decade of infusion, the puppet developed a sliver of soul—essentially a fragment of his own.
And so, the first fully combat-capable human puppet was born.
The Kazekage continued feeding it chakra until it became an exact replica of himself—physically, mentally, and spiritually.
It knew all his techniques. Its strength nearly matched his own.
Originally, he planned to reveal it only during a critical moment in war.
But facing Li Yao—so powerful that the Five Great Nations united under immense pressure—he chose to use it early.
So in the battle where the Five Kage surrounded Li Yao, the one killed by Ōnoki's Dust Release… was the puppet.
The real Kazekage stayed in Sunagakure, controlling the war from the shadows.
And it was because of his manipulations that the village quickly weaponized the "Kazekage's death" as a political tool—rallying allies and securing advantages.
Had it been left to the usual council? They would've been too busy fighting over the seat of power.
(END CHAPTER)
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