Within the Forest of Death.
The second stage of the Chunin Exams had officially begun.
Battle and slaughter were unavoidable.
Quite a few people had already been killed, it was extremely brutal!
Seiryū's group of three had already stepped into the Forest of Death and advanced for quite some distance.
The three figures leaped through the forest.
Kakashi said to his two companions, "We have the Heaven Scroll. We need to find a team holding the Earth Scroll. I think we should head to the tower in the center first. We should run into other teams on the way."
Duy also said, "Everyone's destination is the same. As we get closer to the tower, we'll definitely run into other teams. Some people might even wait near the tower for others to walk right into their trap!"
Seiryū smiled. "No need for us to go looking. Someone's already got their eyes on us, and it's a rather troublesome guy..."
Within his perception.
Someone was chasing after them from behind.
Judging by the chakra fluctuations.
It was Sasori!
Just as Seiryū finished speaking.
One shuriken after another came whistling through the air from behind, slicing through the atmosphere with sharp screeches.
They shot toward Seiryū's group of three, as if trying to pierce straight through them!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Seiryū landed on a tree branch.
His reaction was extremely fast. At some point, a kunai had appeared in his hand, and he casually knocked away the incoming shuriken.
His gaze turned toward the three approaching figures... no, it should be one person and two puppets. Seiryū curled his lips into a smile. "A sneak attack isn't a very good habit, Akasuna no Sasori..."
Within his perception.
Sasori was still a normal person and had not yet modified his own body.
But he still could not be underestimated.
After all, in the original story, he was the ruthless man who successfully assassinated the Third Kazekage and turned him into a puppet.
The chakra fluctuations from his body were not weak either!
"Hadō #4: Byakurai!"
Seiryū formed a hand seal with one hand and pointed a finger forward. Lightning shot from his fingertip, striking toward Sasori!
Crackle! Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
Under the control of chakra threads too fine for the naked eye to distinguish.
One puppet, holding a pale white blade, slashed heavily at the incoming lightning beam.
It shattered it with ease, turning it into strands of electric arcs that spread outward.
"One of your Konoha Sannin, Orochimaru, already said it. No matter what methods are used, as long as we can seize the scrolls in other people's hands."
Standing on a branch over ten meters away, Sasori's expression was calm and cold.
Looking at Seiryū, who had the same short red hair, he slowly said, "Of course, I'm not here for the scrolls in your hands."
At this point, Sasori had indeed not yet modified his own body.
He was a normal, handsome young man.
His gaze passed over Seiryū, and Sasori looked toward Kakashi, who stood on another branch, and said coldly, "I just want to kill someone!"
Hatake Kakashi.
The son of the man who had killed his father and mother!
The hatred for his father and mother naturally had to be avenged by him, their son.
Even if the enemy was Hatake Sakumo, making the son pay for the father's debt was the same.
That way, the other party could also experience the pain of losing a loved one.
Afterward, he could find another chance to kill Sakumo as well.
"So you're here for me."
Kakashi saw the killing intent in Sasori's eyes and merely shook his head helplessly. "It really is impossible for a shinobi to avoid this kind of thing."
After all, his father was one of Konoha's top experts, and no one knew how many enemy shinobi from other villages he had killed.
Having a few enemies was perfectly normal.
He had already prepared himself mentally for this.
Seiryū bared his teeth slightly and asked, "May I ask, do you have a scroll? What kind of scroll is it?"
Sasori did not answer Seiryū's question. Instead, he said indifferently, "Do you think the three of you can fight me?"
"We probably can, right? After all, we do have the advantage in numbers."
"Then come and try it, Konoha shinobi."
Sasori's expression remained cold as ever.
Even with the son of his enemy right in front of him, he had not lost his reason.
He was cautious, but he was also filled with confidence.
Because his strength had long since surpassed the level of a mere Genin.
Even Chunin were no match for him in a single exchange.
That was also why he acted alone.
He did not believe mere Genin taking the Chunin Exams could threaten him!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sasori spread open the two scrolls in his hands, and white smoke rose as eight more puppets suddenly appeared.
As all ten fingers of Sasori's hands moved rapidly, chakra threads connected to all ten puppets.
White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets
A puppet control technique learned from his grandmother, Chiyo!
He could control ten puppets at the same time.
One person alone could become an army!
"Die!"
Too lazy to waste words, Sasori muttered coldly.
Both of his hands moved at once, his fingers fluttering like he was playing a piano.
Under his control.
The ten puppets, all different in appearance yet equally vicious, launched their attack!
Poison needles, kunai, shuriken, burning oil... all sorts of dangerous things blasted toward the three ahead! The offensive was dense and unending.
One person was a small army, with a wide attack range that was hard to evade!
Slash!
Long, violent wind pressure turned into blades. With a wave of Seiryū's hand, it swept wildly across the front, blowing away all the incoming attacks.
It also carved long, narrow cuts into the trees and branches ahead.
Just this.
With puppet techniques alone, he already counted as a fairly strong Jōnin. As expected of a genius in this field of puppetry.
Blocking the many incoming attacks, Seiryū thought to himself.
Sasori was a genius.
A genius in puppet techniques.
This kind of strength was absolutely at the Jōnin level. Otherwise, he would not have been able to assassinate the Third Kazekage later on.
The strength he displayed now was not weak.
As for Kage-level?
Probably not.
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
Duy delivered a heavy kick that sent one of the attacking puppets flying.
With a loud boom.
The puppet crashed into a large tree, and wood chips flew everywhere as it broke apart.
After that, Duy flashed to Seiryū's side and asked, "This Suna shinobi is pretty strong and not easy to deal with. What should we do now?"
Although he was older and also the elder.
Duy knew his brain was not as good as Seiryū's.
So the squad's commander, or rather, its captain, was Seiryū.
"We think of a way to kill him."
Hearing that, Seiryū revealed a "kind" smile. "This guy wants to kill Kakashi, and with this kind of strength at this age, who knows, he might become a serious threat in the future."
"War could break out at any time. The more geniuses from other shinobi villages die, the better it is for Konoha. Shinobi from the other villages are probably thinking the same way."
The course of events had already changed, so who knew what would happen to him in the future?
But it was enough to remember one thing.
He was a Suna shinobi, and Suna was also Konoha's enemy.
Since he was an enemy, then just kill him and prevent him from becoming a threat in the future.
(To be continued.)