Kiyosuke's words made Sasori's expression shift slightly.
Then, with surprising frankness, he admitted:
"As expected of you. You managed to figure it out from just a few words of mine. You're right. I still retain part of my body. For me, that's a flaw—an inescapable imperfection."
He had wanted to become a puppet, to embody eternal art, and so he transformed himself into a human puppet.
But human puppets could not generate chakra.
After all, chakra was the fusion of physical and spiritual energy. Without a body, there was no way to produce chakra, let alone animate a puppet.
So he was forced to leave behind a portion of his body, serving as the puppet's core to supply chakra.
It was his only weakness, and now that it had been discovered, there was no point in hiding it.
He produced a scroll and said:
"In that case, I'll use my proudest creation against you. You'd better watch closely."
He unfurled the scroll. Seals covered its surface, and in the very center was the character for "three."
With a heavy thud, the human puppet of the Third Kazekage appeared beside Sasori, under his control.
"That face…"
Chiyo froze. She could never mistake it.
The man once hailed as the "Strongest Kazekage"—the Third Kazekage—had truly been killed by her own grandson and remade into a puppet.
Her heart sank.
So it was true. Her grandson had been the very culprit behind the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War.
The spark that ignited the war had been the Third Kazekage's unexplained disappearance. Sunagakure searched frantically, only for Kumogakure to discover their weakness and launch an invasion into the Land of Wind, triggering the chain of events that led to the war.
In the end, Sunagakure had no choice but to ally with Kumogakure in attacking Konoha. Later, when Kiyosuke confronted Sasori, he had spread the news that Sasori had assassinated the Third Kazekage.
At first, Chiyo had stubbornly believed it was just Kiyosuke's propaganda.
She had never imagined her grandson would commit such a crime.
But now, faced with undeniable proof, she could no longer deceive herself.
"Looks familiar, doesn't it?" Sasori said softly.
"This is the Strongest Kazekage… my masterpiece. Asakawa Kiyosuke, I've used him against you more than once."
"That's true," Kiyosuke scratched his head, unconcerned.
"But it never worked on me, did it?"
He then turned to Chiyo.
"Chiyo-sama, your grandson is yours to deal with. Hey, blondie over there—looks like you're mine."
"Say that again?!"
Blondie?
Did this guy really look down on him that much?
Deidara bristled, itching to fight Kiyosuke head-on.
But Sasori interrupted:
"Deidara, stand down. You're no match for him."
"Oi, of course I know I'm not his match," Deidara complained, face twitching.
"But do you have to say it out loud like that? You're killing my pride here!"
"No one cares about your pride."
Threads of chakra danced from Sasori's fingers, manipulating the Third Kazekage puppet. It took flight, and black iron sand spewed from its mouth.
Sasori chuckled.
"Feels familiar, doesn't it? The Third Kazekage was a Magnet Release user who controlled iron sand. And once a puppet's mechanisms are clogged with iron sand, they're ruined. You should know that better than anyone."
That was why he was called the Strongest Kazekage. His Magnet Release perfectly countered Sunagakure's puppet masters.
The village was famed for both puppetry and Magnet Release. When someone rose to surpass even the strongest of the Magnet Release users and crush puppet masters beneath that strength, there was no question he would be the strongest Kazekage.
After all, the first two Kazekage had also been puppet masters and Magnet Release users.
"You've strayed down a dark path, Sasori. I've failed as a grandmother."
Regret weighed on Chiyo.
If only she had given her grandson more affection back then…
If only she had stayed by his side, maybe he would never have left the village.
Maybe he would never have killed the Third Kazekage.
"It's far too late," Sasori murmured.
A mass of iron sand condensed into heavy cones, hurtling forward.
Kiyosuke swung his fist. Flames burst out violently, and under the searing heat, the iron sand fell uselessly to the ground.
"Looks like you've forgotten—heat demagnetizes iron."
"I haven't forgotten," Sasori replied coolly.
"I prepared something better for you."
As he spoke, one of the Kazekage puppet's hands opened like a blossoming flower, revealing hidden seals.
From within, countless wooden arms shot out, sweeping toward Kiyosuke and Chiyo.
They retreated at once.
But the arms suddenly exploded, releasing clouds of violet poison gas that blanketed the battlefield.
Both quickly covered their mouths and held their breath.
Kiyosuke didn't hesitate—he charged straight at Sasori.
Seeing this, Deidara hurled a clay bomb.
The blast blew apart Kiyosuke's body, but it barely slowed him down.
He kept charging, unshaken.
"Oi, oi, oi… isn't this physique a little unfair?" Deidara muttered, retreating behind Sasori.
Sasori summoned two more puppets. They unleashed Water Release, spewing torrents of water that finally forced Kiyosuke back.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Once clear of the poison cloud, Kiyosuke exhaled a mighty gust, dispersing the gas around Chiyo.
"Chiyo-sama, looks like your grandson went out of his way to prepare this for me. Honestly… being targeted like this isn't a great feeling."
Noticing the new puppets, Kiyosuke commented:
"More of them, huh?"
"You think I wouldn't be prepared for you?" Sasori said coldly.
"Your body is what makes you troublesome. But with Water Release, I can force you back into a normal human state. I hunted down several talented Water Release ninja in the Land of Water just for this purpose."
"Well, I'm flattered you'd go so far for me," Kiyosuke said dryly.
"Though honestly, it doesn't feel good at all."
Chiyo brought out two puppets of her own.
"Kiyosuke, you see now why puppets are so dangerous? It's all the hidden mechanisms. If you don't know what's inside, it could easily kill you."
"Mm. Puppet masters all have dirty hearts."
"Hmph. And yours is any cleaner?"
"Heh, fair enough." Kiyosuke laughed.
"But honestly, it's not Sasori that worries me the most. It's that little blond kid. His bombs are way more troublesome."
Deidara was a genius of Iwagakure, his Explosive Release refined to an art form.
But instead of following the proper path, the kid had thrown himself into "art," wasting his talents on clay.
He could've just sat in the Tsuchikage's office playing with Kurotsuchi…
Even when he grew up, his narrow-mindedness would hold him back.
His vision was far too small.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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