Chapter 54: Sasori and Deidara Come to Pledge Their Allegiance
With Kakuzu's return, Orochimaru—without even realizing it—had already become yesterday's news in Oda Nobunaga's eyes.
Originally, Nobunaga had planned that during his absence from the Sound Mountain Fortress, and before the Cloud Village could mount a counteroffensive, the fortress would be temporarily placed under Orochimaru's command.
But now that Kakuzu was available, there was nothing left to consider.
Orochimaru had effectively been sentenced to death—politically speaking—on the spot.
"That's the situation," Nobunaga said solemnly as he stood outside the Sound Mountain Fortress with a small entourage.
"While I'm away, the entire fortress will be entrusted to you, Kakuzu."
To advance the second phase of his grand plan, Nobunaga had to begin moving immediately.
And the first destination of this journey was none other than the Hidden Leaf Village—the village that was nominally the strongest in the ninja world.
After that, he would head straight to the Hidden Sand Village and then the Hidden Stone Village without pause.
Of course, all of these travels would be conducted under the formal banner of a daimyo.
Otherwise, Nobunaga rather suspected he might never make it back alive.
To ensure his personal safety, he brought Kimimaro with him, as well as Uzumaki Shion—whose strength had surged dramatically after her awakening.
After all, wasn't Kakuzu still here in the fortress?
A man who would risk his life for money.
As for Orochimaru, the discovery of the Gelel Stone seemed to have thoroughly reignited his researcher's obsession.
Under normal circumstances, he probably wouldn't run off at this point.
…Probably.
"Oh? You trust me that much, handing the entire Sound Mountain Fortress over to me?"
When Kakuzu heard that Nobunaga intended to place the fortress fully under his command, his expression flickered subtly.
He cast a sideways glance at Orochimaru, who stood nearby with an unchanged expression.
"Of course," Nobunaga replied with a gentle smile.
"I will prepare a very generous reward for you, Kakuzu."
It sounded like a reasonable explanation.
But anyone with half a brain would know better.
The Sound Mountain Fortress was of immeasurable strategic importance to the Land of Fields.
If Nobunaga truly had to leave, logic dictated that he would appoint a trusted confidant to oversee everything—not an outsider.
In other words—
A warmth Kakuzu had never felt before, not at any point in his long life, suddenly welled up in his chest.
Narrowing his green eyes, Kakuzu studied Oda Nobunaga's expression—one that showed not the slightest hint of pretense.
He sized Nobunaga up, then unconsciously compared him to the senior figures of Takigakure who had once betrayed him.
The weight of something called absolute trust pressed heavily onto Kakuzu's shoulders.
How long had it been since anyone had entrusted him with something like this?
Trust tied to the fate of an entire country.
Kakuzu gave a solemn nod.
"I said it already," he said gruffly. "Give me the money, and I'll get anything done for you."
Though his heart was stirred almost beyond control by that trust, Kakuzu—at his core still a pure, straightforward shinobi—kept his mouth stubbornly hard.
Nobunaga merely smiled faintly and nodded, offering no extra words.
Yet it was precisely this unspoken understanding between men that made Orochimaru pause and reassess.
To his surprise, he realized something unsettling.
If he were to make a move while Nobunaga was away…
Kakuzu would probably stake his life to eliminate him as a destabilizing factor.
Impressive.
The infamous "talent-kidnapping uncle" of the shinobi world narrowed his eyes and silently praised his nominal ally.
Everything seemed set. Nobunaga should have departed while the daylight still held.
And yet—
That was precisely when something unexpected happened.
Two shinobi dressed like wandering mercenaries hurried over, escorted by Sound Village guards.
The moment the escort spotted that Nobunaga had not yet left, he let out a long breath of relief.
"My lord," the Sound ninja reported, "these two claim they were invited by Kakuzu-sama. They even brought a personal letter from him and came specifically to defect to the Land of Fields."
Under Nobunaga's influence, the name Sound Village still existed in name—but more and more shinobi were already calling it simply the Land of Fields.
Everyone present was used to such phrasing by now.
Everyone, that is—except Sasori of the Red Sand.
The lifelike but grotesque puppet face he inhabited showed a flicker of surprise.
He lifted his head, the hunched, bald, vicious-looking puppet body turning toward Nobunaga's group.
"Oh?" Sasori said slowly.
Before he could say anything more—
"Wow! You must be Oda Nobunaga!"
A burst of excitement interrupted him.
"Looks like you're someone who truly understands that explosions are art, hmm?!"
Before Sasori could even register Orochimaru's presence—his pupils shrinking sharply—
Deidara, a man who had dedicated his entire life to the art of explosion, rushed forward.
Shouting enthusiastically that Nobunaga was the one person in the world who truly understood him, Deidara barreled ahead without a shred of caution.
Orochimaru, who had already narrowed his eyes and prepared for combat the moment he saw Sasori, stiffened.
Kakuzu, meanwhile, stood frozen in disbelief.
"…Crap."
He had been so busy running errands for Nobunaga lately that he'd completely forgotten about that letter he'd written back in the Land of Grass—intending to sell Sasori off.
Staring at Sasori, who now looked ready to tear Orochimaru apart, Kakuzu inwardly cursed.
He truly hadn't expected Sasori to trust him that much.
You believed that letter, fine—but if you were coming, couldn't you have said something first?!
Orochimaru, however, had no patience for such internal drama.
Seeing Sasori clearly itching to attack, and recalling what the Sound ninja had said—
Kakuzu wrote a letter. These two came because of it.
Orochimaru's gaze flicked sharply to Kakuzu.
"So," his thoughts went cold,
"you greedy bounty hunter—have you decided to turn your sights on me now?"
And you, Oda Nobunaga—what role are you playing in all this?
While tension surged silently between Kakuzu, Orochimaru, and Sasori—
Deidara had already reached Nobunaga.
A man who wouldn't hesitate to turn even himself into a bomb showed zero reverence for the status of "daimyo."
He acted like an overexcited enthusiast at a convention finally meeting a kindred spirit.
Laughing wildly, Deidara grabbed Nobunaga's hands and shook them hard.
"Hahaha! I knew it! No one can resist the art of explosion!"
"Oda Nobunaga! I've heard everything about how you used explosive tags to carpet-bomb those Cloud Village brutes!"
"Beautiful work! That's exactly how you teach those barbarians what explosion art really means!"
Nobunaga's unrestrained use of explosive tags had instantly maxed out Deidara's affection meter.
At this moment, in Deidara's heart, even though Sasori-danna still held a sacred position—
Nobunaga wasn't far behind.
Nobunaga smiled calmly at Deidara, who was bouncing around like an overexcited husky.
At the same time, he subtly signaled to Zōmajirō and the others that everything was fine.
Otherwise, his guards might already have drawn blades to preserve their lord's dignity.
Besides, Deidara—simple-minded and impulsive as he was—wasn't the real concern.
Handling him would take Nobunaga mere minutes.
The real issue was the trio locked in a silent standoff—
Kakuzu.
Orochimaru.
And Sasori.
"Orochimaru."
From within the puppet shell of Hiruko, Sasori stepped forward.
From the moment Orochimaru had mocked his art and tricked him in their first meeting, Sasori had never forgotten the grudge.
"You escaped last time," Sasori said coldly.
"Let's see where you run now."
Burning to turn Orochimaru into nothing more than snake stew, Sasori didn't care whether this was the right time or place.
He attacked—without hesitation.
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