Chapter 6 — The Strongest Puppet (Part 2)
"Seiki brat… isn't this the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain?"
Chiyo's gaze drifted across the desolate terrain. The wind carried the dry scent of sand, yet the distant air felt heavy—almost damp—with the lingering breath of the Rain Country. The borderlands had once been soaked not only in water, but in blood.
She could not help but recall Hanzō the Salamander—aged, wrapped in breathing tubes, yet still terrifyingly resolute. She remembered the countless shinobi who had fallen during the Second Great Ninja War, their lives extinguished beneath skies that never seemed to clear.
Beside her, Jiraiya wore an uncharacteristically somber expression. His thoughts drifted to Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan—children once full of hope, now swallowed by tragedy. As well as the calamity foretold by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.
Though Jiraiya briefly sensed something almost magical about Seiki, upon reflection, someone without chakra could never bring peace to the ninja world…
Seiki leapt lightly onto a massive boulder embedded into the cliffside. The stone looked ancient and immovable, weathered by decades of sandstorms. His eyes narrowed faintly as he activated his X-ray vision, scanning beneath the rock. Beneath the solid exterior lay a hollowed chamber—wide, deliberate, concealed.
He turned back with a calm smile. "We've arrived."
Chiyo's brows knitted. She stepped forward, tapping the stone lightly with her knuckles. "And how exactly do you propose we get inside?"
Jiraiya was already preparing hand seals when Seiki raised a hand to stop him.
"No need for a secret entrance," Seiki said casually. "I'll just break it open."
Jiraiya blinked.
"What did you just say?" He stared at the boulder in disbelief. "That thing weighs hundreds of pounds. Break it? Seiki, you're from the Sarutobi clan—not the Senju!"
Chiyo glanced at Seiki, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Let him try, Jiraiya. If he fails, we'll intervene."
She had long since learned not to measure Seiki by ordinary standards. His strength was… irregular. Why couldn't Jiraiya see it?
Seiki stood at the center of the boulder. Rather than raising a fist, he extended a single finger and began tap rapidly at the stone's core.
Jiraiya stared, baffled. What is he doing?
"Seiki, stop fooling around. Let me—"
Before he could finish, a sharp crack split the air.
A spiderweb of fractures burst outward from the point of impact. The stone groaned as though alive, then shattered violently, fragments cascading into the dark chamber below in a thunderous collapse.
Silence followed.
Jiraiya's mouth hung open. Breaking a stone door with a single finger? Even Tsunade—with her monstrous strength—would not have done it so effortlessly.
Seiki dusted off his hands and smiled. "Actually, there was a mechanism at the center. A precise strike triggers it. I investigated beforehand."
Jiraiya stared at him for a long moment before sighing. "Right… of course you did."
True or not, the composure on Seiki's face was impossible to deny.
Chiyo, who clearly saw through the theatrics yet chose not to expose him, merely smirked inwardly. This brat enjoys dramatics even more than I do.
Her expression soon hardened.
"Sasori is a master of poison. There will be traps inside. Stay alert."
"You still insist you've never met Sasori?" she added with a faint pout.
Seiki offered an awkward smile but did not respond.
A pale, distorted voice echoed upward from the depths.
"Hmph… I was just about to step out and gather some materials… and yet someone knocks on my door."
Chiyo's entire body stiffened.
"That voice… It's Sasori!"
Years of longing, regret, and fury surged into one overwhelming impulse. She dashed forward into the darkness, disregarding the danger.
"Careful!" Seiki called, immediately following.
Hidden talismans lining the walls suddenly ignited.
Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk!
A storm of poisoned senbon shot outward from every direction.
Seiki prepared to walk through them without flinching, his steel-like body unafraid of such trivial threats—but Jiraiya was faster.
"Raging Lion's Mane!"
His white hair surged outward, hardening instantly into a dense, bristling shield. The senbon clattered harmlessly against it, falling to the ground in a metallic rain.
"Seiki!" Jiraiya barked. "The enemy is a genius puppeteer renowned across nations. Don't underestimate him!"
Ordinarily, caution was wisdom. But against Seiki, weapons that could not pierce were meaningless.
Among the Akatsuki, Sasori was the one he feared least.
"…Fine," Seiki replied mildly. "Though we can't proceed this way."
Jiraiya glanced ahead—and froze.
Chiyo had already slipped past the traps, weaving with astonishing dexterity, her chakra threads dancing invisibly as she disarmed and evaded each mechanism with veteran precision.
"I see."
Jiraiya formed hand seals and unleashed Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu. Flames roared along the walls, incinerating the remaining traps in a blazing sweep.
They entered the chamber.
Chiyo raised a hand to stop them. "Seiki. Jiraiya. This is my battle."
Ahead stood a slender figure in a black cloak adorned with red clouds.
Sasori.
Seiki studied him quietly. No Hiruko armor yet… So this is before he fully perfected it. Pity. I won't get to witness the complete Thousand Puppet Performance.
Sensing Jiraiya's presence, Sasori sneered.
"You'd better fight together. Killing you one by one would be troublesome."
Reverse psychology.
Jiraiya did not move. Instead, he gestured for Seiki to sit aside.
Chiyo stepped forward, tears shimmering despite her rigid expression.
"Puppetry: Blade Assault!"
Chakra threads extended from her fingertips, controlling multiple kunai that streaked toward Sasori in a precise barrage.
Sasori evaded effortlessly, movements fluid and detached. With a flick of his wrist, he drew a concealed kunai and sliced through her chakra threads in a single motion.
"Chiyo," he said coldly, "would you like to see my masterpiece?"
He unfurled a scroll with deliberate flair.
"Puppet: Third Kazekage."
Chiyo's pupils contracted.
She had heard that Sasori assassinated the Third Kazekage. But she had never imagined he would desecrate him… turning him into a human puppet.
"Sasori… you've gone too far."
The Third Kazekage puppet lunged forward, poisoned blade descending toward her. Chiyo responded instantly, summoning her father and mother puppets to intercept.
Metal clashed. Sparks scattered in the dim chamber.
The three puppets moved with astonishing speed, blades crossing in a storm of precision.
Jiraiya watched in awe. "Seiki, observe carefully. This is the pinnacle of puppetry."
Seiki merely folded his arms. He had seen this battle countless times before—But that was in a screen.
Then Sasori's voice cut through the clash.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Shower."
Chiyo's heart skipped.
"Jiraiya! Seiki! Retreat! That's the Third Kazekage's kekkei genkai!"
The puppet formed hand seals.
Black iron sand poured outward like a tidal wave, then sharpened midair into countless needles that shot forward in a deadly storm.
Chiyo maneuvered her father puppet before Jiraiya and Seiki, while her mother puppet deployed beside it.
"Puppetry: Machine-Light Shield!"
The two puppets combined, deploying layered mechanical plates that intercepted the iron sand barrage. The chamber filled with screeching metal and grinding friction.
Sasori tilted his head slightly, impressed.
"Not bad, Chiyo. But this ends now."
The iron sand shifted again—coiling around the joints of her puppets, locking them in place.
With a grimace, Chiyo severed her own chakra threads and abandoned them.
Sasori smirked.
"Without your puppets… what can you possibly do?"
"Who says she's out of puppets?"
Jiraiya had originally intended to withdraw with Seiki and return alone later. But before he could act, Seiki rose to his feet and stepped forward.
Sasori's expression flickered.
From this strange boy… he felt something unfamiliar. Not chakra. Not killing intent.
Pressure.
"Seiki brat!" Chiyo shouted. "Why aren't you running? Why are you walking toward him?"
Seiki's voice was calm and unwavering.
"Granny Chiyo… this time, you'll control me with your chakra threads. Fight through me."
Chiyo stared at him in disbelief. "Are you suicidal? That puppet wields Magnet Release!"
Seiki smiled faintly.
"The Third Kazekage is already dead. However powerful he once was, he's only a puppet now—wood and mechanisms. Can a hollow shell compare to a living person?"
He looked at her steadily.
"I'm not wrong… am I?"
In that moment, something in his expression—bright, resolute, fearless—shook Chiyo's heart.
She nodded slowly.
Turning her gaze toward her grandson, now lost to obsession, she declared:
"Sasori… I will now teach you the true pinnacle of puppetry."