Not only the Fourth Kazekage but also the other Sand Hidden shinobi were shocked and enraged when they saw the attacker's identity.
The assailant wasn't an ordinary person—it was the Third Kazekage of their Hidden Sand Village!
More precisely, it was the Third Kazekage, turned into a human puppet!
"Damn it!"
This blatant slap in the face filled the Fourth Kazekage with uncontrollable fury.
Whoosh, whoosh.
A gust of wind swept across the grassland, dispersing the smoke from the earlier explosion and revealing the puppet master behind the Third Kazekage's chakra strings.
It was a figure clad in the Akatsuki's red-cloud cloak, with red hair and a youthful face still tinged with traces of boyish innocence.
"Sasori of the Red Sand!"
The Fourth Kazekage's expression darkened, though a flicker of doubt stirred in his heart.
He wasn't puzzled about how the Third Kazekage's human puppet ended up in Sasori's hands. The Hidden Sand Village had already confirmed that Sasori was the one who killed the Third Kazekage.
The village had publicly claimed that the Third Kazekage, known as the "strongest Kazekage," was merely missing to preserve their reputation. After all, admitting that their strongest Kage had been silently taken out would have been a devastating blow to the Hidden Sand's pride.
What truly puzzled the Fourth Kazekage was Sasori's appearance.
Sasori should be in his thirties by now, a middle-aged man. Yet the red-haired figure before him looked barely twenty, with traces of youthful innocence still lingering on his face.
At that moment, a white bird slowly descended from the sky. Standing atop it was another figure in an Akatsuki red-cloud cloak.
Undoubtedly, this was the duo of Deidara and Sasori.
Their arrival shifted the battlefield's dynamics.
If the Sand Hidden shinobi had previously held the advantage against Itachi and Juzo Biwa, who showed no intent to fight, the addition of two more Akatsuki members tipped the scales heavily against them.
"Caught in a place like this!" Sasori remarked, glancing at the Four-Tails Jinchuriki that Juzo Biwa had tossed aside. "You weren't planning to just hand over the Jinchuriki, were you?"
Itachi maintained his usual calm demeanor, remaining silent.
Juzo Biwa, leaning on his Decapitating Carving Knife planted in the ground, chuckled lightly. "Walking on two legs is exhausting! By the way, how'd you find us?"
"Ran into you by chance. You owe me one today!" Deidara grinned, then turned his gaze to the Fourth Kazekage. "Actual gold dust? That's pretty dazzling, hm!"
Sasori scoffed. "Idiot, that's just the Fourth's unique Magnet Release!"
"It may not compare to the art of my explosions, but it's worth appreciating!" Deidara paused, then added, "Leave him to me, hm!"
Sasori smirked. "No need. He's mine."
The Fourth Kazekage spoke up. "Sasori, you dare show your face before me? Such arrogance! Today, I'll bring you to justice in the name of the Kazekage!"
"Is that so?" Sasori gave a wicked smile, his gaze flicking to the Kazekage's injured arm. "Your wound must be numb by now, right?"
Beyond being a puppeteer, Sasori was also a master poisoner.
In the art of toxicology, he was among the Hidden Sand's elite. His successful assassination of the Third Kazekage had relied on poison.
Though his earlier sneak attack had only grazed the Fourth Kazekage's skin, the ninja tool was laced with a potent toxin, meaning the Kazekage was already poisoned.
"Kazekage-sama!"
Sasori's words alarmed the Sand Hidden shinobi, who all turned to their leader.
The Fourth Kazekage's expression shifted. He quickly injected an antidote near the wound and shouted, "Don't panic! The wound is shallow; the poison's dose shouldn't be too strong!"
The Sand Hidden shinobi calmed down.
Sasori laughed. "My poisons aren't so easily countered. But you're right—the wound was shallow, so the dose wasn't much. Still, that's fine. If you dropped dead instantly, it'd be too boring!"
With that, Sasori manipulated the chakra strings, sending the Third Kazekage puppet soaring into the air.
A dense cloud of black iron sand swirled around it, like dark clouds, starkly contrasting the gold dust swirling around the Fourth Kazekage!
Juzo Biwa, leaning on his Decapitating Carving Knife, remarked, "A Magnet Release showdown, huh? This'll be a good show!"
The Sand Hidden shinobi across from them wore complicated expressions.
No one had expected this mission to lead to a clash of Magnet Release between the Third and Fourth Kazekages!
In a distant forest—
Sakura grew worried. "This is bad—two more Akatsuki members showed up!"
Sasuke and Shion, nearby, also furrowed their brows.
Having learned his lesson, Sasuke didn't rush to challenge Itachi again. Instead, he tailed Itachi and Juzo Biwa from a distance, intending to guide the Allied Shinobi Forces to their location.
But before they could relay Itachi and Juzo Biwa's whereabouts, the Sand Hidden shinobi caught up, intercepting the two.
Everything had been going smoothly—Itachi and Juzo Biwa had even handed over the Rock Hidden's Four-Tails Jinchuriki. But the sudden arrival of two more Akatsuki members threw the situation into chaos.
Sakura asked nervously, "The Sand Hidden has so many shinobi, plus the Kazekage. They should be able to handle four Akatsuki members, right?"
Shion replied, "I don't know!"
Sasuke shook his head. "If it was just Itachi and Juzo Biwa, the Sand Hidden would likely be fine. But with two more Akatsuki members, they probably can't win! We need to get reinforcements here fast!"
At the Hidden Leaf shinobi's side—
The communications team received a distress signal from the Sand Hidden and immediately reported it to Kakashi.
Kakashi halted the group, confirmed the Sand Hidden's call for help, and without hesitation, redirected their course toward the Sand Hidden's location.
Halfway there, they encountered Sasuke, Shion, and Sakura.
Kakashi was both surprised and relieved. "Sasuke!?"
Sasuke shouted, "Kakashi, the Sand Hidden shinobi are in trouble!"
Kakashi said, "What's the situation? Don't panic, take it slow."
Sasuke quickly recounted everything he'd seen in detail.
The Hidden Leaf shinobi's expressions grew serious.
After multiple clashes, they had a rough understanding of the Akatsuki members' strength. Even the weakest were at least elite Jonin level, while the stronger ones could rival a village's Kage. The Sand Hidden facing four Akatsuki members at once was far from good news!