Sasori looked hollow—like a man who had completely lost his purpose.
His fighting spirit, once razor-sharp, had vanished.
Had his convictions been shattered by Shigure?
Shigure hadn't expected this outcome.
In fact, he found it… a little ironic.
The legendary genius of puppet ninjutsu, reduced to this—his core beliefs dismantled by another.
Facing an opponent whose will had collapsed, attacking or not made little difference.
At that moment, accompanied by a faint thump, Shigure slowly turned his head.
"It actually worked…"
Chiyo's forbidden ninjutsu—One's Own Life Reincarnation (Kishō Tensei)—though requiring the user's life, was undeniably a remarkable jutsu.
For Shigure, it was priceless data.
'Great Sage, did you record it?'
[Great Sage: Forbidden Ninjutsu ~ One's Own Life Reincarnation]
[Analysis complete. Congratulations, Host. Skill acquired.]
Even though he had gained a new forbidden technique, Shigure had no intention of using it.
Sacrificing his own life was not something he would ever consider lightly.
Still, mastering the structure alone was useful.
The more ninjutsu the Great Sage understood, the easier it would be to develop new ones.
Gaara suddenly sat up.
"Where… am I?"
Seeing Gaara awaken, Sasori—who had been staring blankly—jerked his head toward him. Gaara should have been dead.
Sasori's expression twisted; his puppet eyes could not cry, but his heart unmistakably trembled.
This jutsu…
Did the old woman prepare it… for him?
His gaze drifted to the Mother and Father puppets beside him.
If he still had real eyes, they would have been filled with tears.
"So I was killed by someone from the Akatsuki?"
Gaara listened as Kankurō explained everything. His sight eventually settled on Shigure.
"I didn't expect you to agree to save me."
Shigure replied calmly, "It was a transaction. Your Hidden Sand paid a considerable price."
Gaara's eyes trembled slightly.
Standing before Shigure, he suddenly realized something—
He could no longer act purely on personal emotions.
He had to consider what was best for the village.
Turning aside, Gaara saw Chiyo lying on the ground, Kankurō supporting her frail body.
Chiyo smiled faintly. "Sasori…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
Her breathing stopped.
Gaara's gaze shifted toward Sasori.
His eyes narrowed.
"Sasori… the former genius puppeteer of the Hidden Sand?"
He walked toward him.
"You are Sasori of the Red Sand."
Sasori looked at the boy who had been given life through his grandmother's final act. A small smile formed on his puppet face.
"That old woman traded her life for yours.
I wonder if it was worth it."
Gaara's expression didn't waver.
He simply met Sasori's gaze.
"You once abandoned the Hidden Sand and became a missing-nin… but now"—Gaara raised his head—
"I want to invite you to return to the Hidden Sand Village."
Shigure paused, stunned.
He hadn't expected Gaara to invite Sasori back to the Hidden Sand.
What exactly was Gaara thinking?
"Heh… return to the Hidden Sand Village?"
Sasori's voice carried a dry, mocking edge. "I'm not even human anymore. What use would you have for someone like me?"
He lowered his gaze.
"Besides… puppet ninjutsu is worthless."
He glanced coldly at Shigure. "Before true, overwhelming power, puppets are completely defenseless."
Gaara fell silent.
Looking at the scattered remains of Sasori's puppet body, he could roughly imagine what had happened.
Then—Gaara knelt down before him.
"The reason the Second Kazekage created puppet ninjutsu… was because he lacked raw power. He needed it to make up for his own weakness."
"So why can't you do the same?"
"The Second Kazekage used skill to defeat overwhelming strength. And you—aren't you a genius puppeteer?"
Sasori froze.
He had never considered it from that angle.
The puppets destroyed by Shigure represented the last remnants of his world.
His father—gone.
His mother—gone.
Even the power he prided himself on had now collapsed.
Everything that defined Sasori of the Red Sand had crumbled.
For the first time, he felt truly… helpless.
But Gaara's words pierced the fog in his heart like a sliver of light.
"I understand what you've experienced," Gaara said quietly. "Because we are the same."
Shigure's brows rose slightly.
Gaara continued, "You're right. I can't give up. If the Second Kazekage could create puppet ninjutsu and use it to defeat stronger enemies—then why can't I?"
Sasori suddenly laughed—a stiff, hollow laugh, his puppet face incapable of expression.
Kankurō spoke from behind Gaara. "Gaara, he's a missing-nin. You really intend to bring him back?"
Gaara stood and looked toward Shigure.
"The Hidden Sand is too weak. The village needs stronger shinobi."
"If the Hidden Mist can pardon former missing-nin, then so can my Hidden Sand."
Shigure smiled faintly.
He hadn't expected to influence Gaara so directly.
But he was curious—if both Gaara and Sasori shaped the village together… what would the future Hidden Sand become?
Could they restore its former glory?
Perhaps the possibility truly existed.
On the return journey to the Hidden Mist Village, Shigure kept thinking about Gaara's decision.
Sasori had followed Gaara back to the Hidden Sand, using only a normal puppet body… completely discarding his own human-shaped puppet.
That alone sent a message to the Akatsuki:
Sasori of the Red Sand was dead.
Of course, this lie would not hold forever.
Zetsu's information network was far too sharp.
Shigure smirked to himself.
[Great Sage: Host, that ability has been partially developed.]
Good news arrived from the Great Sage.
The spatial ability Shigure planned to create—derived from incomplete Six Paths power—had finally produced its first functional result.
Shigure slowly lifted his hand.
A small, clear sphere began to form in his palm, expanding subtly in the air.
Feeling the unfamiliar sensation, Shigure's eyes widened.
So this is… the first ability.
It felt nothing like he had imagined.
"How long until the second ability is calculated?"
[Great Sage: Estimated calculation time—24 hours.]
With data from the first ability, the Great Sage's progression became faster.
It wouldn't be long before the entire technique was complete.
Shigure's lips curled upward.
"ROOM."
...
(End of Chapter)
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