[The first Akatsuki member to die was Sasori of the Red Sand.]
[His codename within the Akatsuki was "Jade." He was born in Sunagakure of the Land of Wind, the grandson of Advisor Chiyo, and a renowned puppeteer prodigy of the village—one could say he came from a lineage of masters.]
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
As soon as the Sky Screen's voice sounded, the hideout exploded into noise.
Deidara practically bounced out of his chair, his mouth forming an "O" shape.
"What? Why Sasori-san?!"
"Sasori-san, how could you die?!"
He whipped his head toward Sasori sitting next to him, his expression shifting from shock to disbelief, and then to a trace of sadness.
Though one was an artist of explosions and the other a seeker of eternal art, and their views on "art" were worlds apart and they often argued fiercely about it—the two surprisingly got along well.
Sasori never minded Deidara's chatter, and Deidara felt Sasori was quiet but reliable.
So he never expected that the first to die in the organization would be Sasori.
The others also raised their eyebrows. Was this some kind of dark joke?
The one who pursued eternity was the first to die?
Sasori had even turned himself into a puppet—theoretically capable of living forever. And yet he was the first to go.
And then there was Orochimaru, who was still alive and well, conducting experiments in some dark lab somewhere, living more comfortably than anyone else.
'Hmm… so if Sasori is first, then who comes next?'
Hidan's gaze swept across every member in the hideout, silently calculating. Was he last? With the immortal body granted by Lord Jashin, he shouldn't die so easily, right?
Sasori's puppet body remained motionless, his face showing no expression. Only his voice echoed from within the puppet, calmly answering Deidara's question, "I don't know. The screen hasn't shown it yet." He stated the obvious.
Deidara looked at Sasori, and said in a low voice. "Sasori-san, don't worry—I'll avenge you!"
Sasori glanced at him. "No need, I can avenge myself."
Hearing that, Deidara made a face. "You're already dead, how are you going to do that?"
Sasori no longer wanted to talk to Deidara. He wasn't dead yet—so why couldn't he seek revenge in advance?
[Speaking of which, while people laugh at Konoha's "the Hokage's son becomes Hokage, the strategist's son becomes strategist, the clan heiress becomes the Hokage's wife, and the sacrifice's son remains a sacrifice," the same is true in other villages—sometimes even worse.]
[For example, in Kumogakure, all successive Raikage came from the Yotsuki clan. In Iwagakure, the First Tsuchikage was the Third Tsuchikage's grandfather, and the Third Tsuchikage was the Fourth Tsuchikage's grandfather. The same goes for Sunagakure—after Rasa's death, though Gaara was feared by the villagers due to being the One-Tails Jinchuriki, he was still appointed the Fifth Kazekage due to his lineage and strength.]
Most of the Shinobi World found the Sky Screen's commentary a bit odd.
What was there to criticize here? It was common knowledge that the descendants of the strong were more likely to be strong themselves.
And earlier the screen had even talked about the Uchiha, the Senju, and the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. Even the Hyūga were descendants of the Sage's brother.
So if their ancestors hadn't been so powerful, how could they have stayed strong for over a thousand years?
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Land of Earth, Iwagakure]
An Iwagakure Chunin crouched on the training ground, scratching his head with a look of confusion, "What's the screen talking about? Isn't this all normal? Are they supposed to let a civilian become a Kage?"
The person next to him nodded. "Exactly. Bloodline matters—you can't deny it. Look at what the screen said about the Uchiha. An ordinary person trains their whole life and still can't compare to someone who just opens their eyes."
[Tsuchikage's Office]
Kurotsuchi immediately put her hands on her hips and laughed up at the sky. "HAHAHAHA!!"
"I'm the future Tsuchikage!"
She turned to look at Ōnoki and Kitsuchi. "Grandpa, Dad—I'm going to be Tsuchikage!"
Kitsuchi looked a bit speechless, watching his boisterous daughter, his lips twitching.
He sighed and reached out to ruffle Kurotsuchi's hair. "Yeah, yeah, I heard. Keep your voice down."
Though inside he was thinking: 'This daughter of mine doesn't look anything like someone who could become a Kage.'
She was always loud and excitable, reckless in her actions, and spoke without any sense of propriety. Meanwhile, the Tsuchikage had to shoulder the entire village's responsibilities—handling complex administrative and diplomatic affairs, steering Iwagakure through the politics of the Five Great Nations.
Could a child like Kurotsuchi really handle that?
Ōnoki floated down from midair, his expression bright with joy. He had always felt Kurotsuchi was far more talented than Kitsuchi—and clearly, he hadn't been wrong.
"Good! Good! Good!" Ōnoki said the word three times in a row, his eyes narrowing into slits. "As expected of my granddaughter!"
Kurotsuchi hopped around Ōnoki, spinning in circles. "Grandpa, I'm going to be Tsuchikage! From now on, you have to call me Tsuchikage-sama!"
Ōnoki shot her a look. "You're not there yet. That's the future."
"Still, it's coming soon!" Kurotsuchi stopped and put her hands on her hips, chin lifted high.
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Deidara exclaimed in surprise again, "Huh?!… Kurotsuchi is the Fourth Tsuchikage?!"
He remembered that back in the village, Kurotsuchi was always following him around with a runny nose, acting like a kid who would never grow up.
Back then, he found her annoying and would often chase her away—and yet this girl would actually become the Tsuchikage?
Hidan asked curiously, "Who's Kurotsuchi?"
"A kid from the village, the Third Tsuchikage's granddaughter. She used to follow me around," Deidara replied.
"Oh? Too bad then, if you hadn't defected, you could have married the future Tsuchikage." Hidan grinned.
Hearing that, Deidara's face darkened. "Shut up."
[Therefore, as Chiyo's grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand was destined to be strong. And if he hadn't defected, he might have even become the Fourth Kazekage.]
[But as is typical for strong figures in the Shinobi World, the death of one's parents is practically a rite of passage. As a child, Sasori's parents were killed on a mission by Hatake Sakumo. And that caused his already introverted and lonely personality to gradually twist, leading him to research human puppets—and eventually turn himself into a puppet, leaving only his heart to control his body.]
[As for why it was a 'gradually twist'? Because Sasori's earlier puppets were still normal—he even specifically crafted two puppets resembling his father and mother to accompany him. And he created several more puppets, and even over a decade later, his works were still in use by Sunagakure's Shinobis. Kankurō, for example, continued to use puppets Sasori had made.]
[But after growing stronger, Sasori still wanted to avenge his parents. His thinking, however, went straight to the root: after Sakumo died, he went after the one who had ordered the mission that led to his parents' death—the Third Kazekage. He killed him, turned him into a puppet, and even preserved most of his combat power, including the Third Kazekage's Kekkei Genkai.]
[It's also worth noting that the Third Kazekage was said to be the strongest Kazekage in history—yet he was assassinated by Sasori with ease. In reality, Gaara later should be regarded as the true strongest Kazekage, having delivered the most outstanding performance in the Fourth Great Ninja War.]
---
[Land of Wind, Sunagakure]
Rasa, Chiyo, Ebizō, and the others' faces changed drastically.
The Third Kazekage was actually killed by Sasori?!
Chiyo's face looked the worst; her lips trembled, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
Her grandson... had killed the Third Kazekage?
And turned him into a puppet?
Ebizō adjusted his glasses, his voice strained. "Sister… Sasori…"
Chiyo closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, there was no shock left—only deep exhaustion and pain.
"That wretched child…" Her voice was hoarse. "What was he thinking?"
One of Suna's high-ranking elders slammed the table. "Lord Third was killed by Sasori?! So the culprit we've been searching for all these years was right under our noses the whole time?!"
"When exactly did Sasori defect?" Rasa asked.
Chiyo was silent for a moment. "…After Lord Third went missing."
A deathly silence fell over the office.
So Sasori had killed the Third Kazekage first, then defected.
"Pass the order," Rasa said, his voice ice-cold. "The moment any trace of Sasori is found, eliminate him at all costs."
Just then, Chiyo's slightly heavy voice rang out. "I will go."
"That wretched child will be dealt with by my own hands."
It was she who had failed to teach Sasori properly, so naturally, it was her responsibility.
*****
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