Chapter 96: The Mystery of the Third Kazekage's Demise
Pakura's nose twitched, and her brow furrowed. The blood had a pungent, strange chemical odor, like formalin.
"Damn woman!" Hiruko clutched his forehead, blood seeping through his fingers, roaring in frustration. If Sasori hadn't intervened at the last second, Pakura would have slit his throat.
RUMBLE!
Just then, Sasori erupted from the ground. His sharp, snake-like eyes locked onto Pakura, like a hunter sizing up its prey.
As Sasori observed Pakura, she observed him. 'Master puppeteer... chakra far exceeding a typical Jōnin, comparable to the Fourth Kazekage...' The swaying scorpion tail suddenly sparked a memory. "Sasori of the Red Sand?" she gasped.
Meanwhile, Neji-kun deactivated his Tenseigan Chakra Mode and floated down from the sky. Wielding the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion against the Suna ninja had been like slicing vegetables. Dozens of bodies lay scattered across the sand, the golden desert stained dark red, the acrid smell of blood lingering in the air.
"Huh?" Neji-kun suddenly looked surprised.
The one-sided battle had consumed more than half the chakra he had absorbed, yet his mind and spirit felt even more invigorated than before the fight.
"The Dragon Vein's chakra?" Neji-kun narrowed his eyes.
Having absorbed the earth's power for years, the Dragon Vein possessed the earth's terrifying regenerative ability. This meant that whenever Neji-kun used its chakra, he was constantly in a state of self-healing. Of course, this healing couldn't compare to the natural Sage Body of Hashirama Senju or Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Seal. He'd need to test its exact limits in actual combat.
Shaking off these thoughts, Neji-kun walked over to the sole survivor—the puppet master Jōnin—and applied the Cursed Mandala Sealing Heart.
"Demon! You're a demon!"
"Aaaargh!!!"
As the green orb entered his mind, the hysterical Jōnin suddenly fell silent, his eyes staring blankly at Neji-kun. His memories became like an open book for Neji-kun to peruse.
A moment later, Neji-kun opened his eyes, gazing out at the sea of sand, lost in thought.
He learned that the forces he'd just wiped out were merely the vanguard. The main force, led by the Swift Release user Pakura, would arrive soon. Moreover, this was the movie version of Pakura, who possessed the actual Swift Release Kekkei Genkai, not the Scorch Release version from the canon.
After a moment's consideration, Neji-kun took out the Amber Purifying Pot to replenish his Dragon Vein chakra while heading towards the main Suna force. Suna wouldn't give up easily. He had to eliminate the pursuit force completely and make them fear him.
As for how to deal with Pakura? Neji-kun decided to show her Kumogakure's traditional hospitality.
After traveling a few kilometers, his chakra fully restored, Neji-kun frowned. He hadn't seen a single soul along the way. The main force was reacting far too slowly. It didn't make sense.
Neji-kun took a breath, swung his arms back, and sprinted across the sand. After several more kilometers, he stopped abruptly. Through his Tenseigan, he spotted two dark figures five kilometers ahead. The distance and swirling sand obscured their features. However, he noticed one of them, short in stature, possessed an astonishing amount of chakra, powerful even among Kage-level shinobi.
'This chakra... Is Swift Release Pakura stronger than Scorch Release Pakura? But why are there only two of them?'
Though finding it strange, Neji-kun instinctively assumed it was Pakura.
"Something's wrong."
In the next second, Neji-kun's brow furrowed tightly. He noticed the area around the two figures was littered with countless weak chakra signatures, fading rapidly.
Corpses!
"Suna's pursuit force... was wiped out? Is there a third party involved?"
After considering, Neji-kun accelerated again, charging forward. No matter who they were, with his strength, there was no reason to retreat.
At full speed, the distance closed rapidly. In less than a minute, Neji-kun saw them clearly.
"Sasori of the Red Sand?" Neji-kun looked surprised at the figure in the Akatsuki cloak, hidden within the Hiruko puppet. Then, seeing the white-haired, bandaged man beside him, he chuckled. "Is that Hiruko? He joined the Akatsuki too?"
The Uchiha joining Kumo had significantly altered the world's political landscape compared to the original story. Hiruko, a movie-only character, had appeared early and joined the Akatsuki. Neji-kun realized the original plot was becoming less and less helpful.
Of course, he had grown strong enough now; he didn't need to rely on foreknowledge.
Sasori of the Red Sand was Sunagakure's genius puppeteer, his skills representing the pinnacle of traditional puppetry. Even before turning himself into a human puppet and creating Hiruko, he had managed to hunt down and kill the Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest in history. His power was undeniable.
How exactly the Third Kazekage fell to Sasori remained unknown. While the title "strongest" involved some political propaganda, the Third could suppress the One-Tail Shukaku; even if exaggerated, he couldn't have been weak. Furthermore, the Kage of the Five Great Villages always had numerous bodyguards. The Third Kazekage vanished mysteriously, and only over a decade later, when Sasori revealed the human puppet made from his body, did the world learn of his fate. This implied Sasori had wiped out the Third Kazekage and his entire guard detail.
But thinking carefully, Sasori couldn't have achieved such a feat alone. Otherwise, wielding the Third Kazekage puppet, which made him even stronger, he wouldn't have been killed by Chiyo and Sakura. Clearly, Sasori had help.
Neji-kun suspected that helper was Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage. Only Rasa possessed both the motive and the strength.
Neji-kun sighed softly. It wasn't that he was cynical, but it was the most logical explanation he could find.
Collecting his thoughts, Neji-kun blinked, spotting Pakura lying unconscious amongst the corpses. With Sasori's skill, plus Hiruko assisting, wiping out Pakura's team wasn't too difficult.
Hiruko slowly walked over to Pakura, lifted her onto his shoulder, and tossed her onto his chimera summon.
Neji-kun narrowed his eyes. "According to the movie plot, Hiruko needed to absorb Swift Release, Steel Release, Dark Release, Storm Release, and the Sharingan. No wonder he's hunting Pakura now. I wonder if he's collected the other four Kekkei Genkai yet? He probably doesn't have the Sharingan..."
Just then, Sasori noticed Neji-kun. Sensing the terrifying chakra radiating from him, Sasori became wary. "Such powerful chakra... You're the one who stole the Dragon Vein."
Neji-kun snapped back to reality. "What if I am?" he asked coolly.
Hearing this, Hiruko beside Sasori stared greedily at Neji-kun. "Sasori-bro! Help me capture this guy! Ten... no, twenty bodies!"
Sasori glanced sideways at Hiruko, barely suppressing the urge to retort. 'Do you think this guy can be captured easily?' Researchers seemed prone to arrogance. Hiruko was like this, and so was Orochimaru.
However, Neji-kun's indifferent response also provoked Sasori's pride. Sasori was a genius ninja. The only person he truly feared was the leader, Pain. This person's chakra might be strong, but chakra didn't equal strength. He'd have to fight him to know for sure.
Sasori flicked his scorpion tail, his raspy voice echoing, "Such arrogance. You are worthy of witnessing my greatest masterpiece."
As he spoke, Sasori spat out a red scroll marked with the kanji for 'Three' (三).
Seeing this, Neji-kun's eyes narrowed.
Poof!
With a burst of white smoke, a human puppet appeared before Sasori, surrounded by a large amount of floating black iron sand. Magnet Release. The Third Kazekage human puppet.
Wielding this puppet and his other trump card, the Performance of a Hundred Puppets, Sasori's strength was in the upper echelons of the Kage level. And this was Sasori at his peak; he wouldn't improve much in the next three years. He was a genius, but a commoner genius.
Neither Nagato nor Obito were puppeteers. But the former created the Six Paths of Pain using the Rinnegan, and the latter turned Jinchuriki into a new Six Paths of Pain. They used black chakra receivers instead of chakra threads to control their puppets. Setting aside the bizarre abilities of the Paths, this technique alone surpassed all traditional puppeteers.
Neji-kun's Cursed Mandala Sealing Heart, which could modify will, read memories, and control bodies, could also be considered a form of puppetry, perhaps even more convenient than the Rinnegan.
Sasori, through talent and passion, had reached the pinnacle of traditional puppetry—an astonishing feat. But ultimately, he couldn't escape the limitations of his bloodline.
Back to the point: Sasori, hidden within Hiruko, was invulnerable to genjutsu. To defeat him, one had to use ninjutsu or taijutsu. Coincidentally, Neji-kun wasn't skilled in genjutsu; ninjutsu and taijutsu were his specialties. This battle held no suspense.
Suddenly, Neji-kun glanced at Pakura, who had been tossed onto the chimera. He noticed she had regained consciousness at some point, her eyes slightly narrowed.
Hiruko, meanwhile, stared at the Third Kazekage puppet, shocked. "That's... the Third Kazekage? So the long-missing Third Kazekage actually died at your hands?!"
Magnet Release had originally been on Hiruko's list of Kekkei Genkai to absorb. Unfortunately, users were extremely rare. Kumo's Magnet Release user, Toroi, had developed it himself and died years ago in Konoha. The only one left was the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. Hiruko, though greedy, wasn't foolish enough to target the leader of a village.
Sasori glanced at the astonished Hiruko and, without hesitation, threw Rasa under the bus. "Rasa and I worked together to hunt the Third Kazekage. He got the position he wanted, and I acquired my most satisfying piece of art."
Hearing this, Pakura looked up at Sasori, her fair face contorted with rage. "You lie!"
Rasa, Garo, and Pakura were all students of the Third Kazekage. Rasa and Garo had inherited his Magnet Release, with Rasa even surpassing his master, earning high praise for his talent. The Third had favored Rasa, grooming him as his successor. Pakura couldn't believe Rasa would kill his master for the Kazekage position.
"Heh heh." Sasori seemed to read her thoughts and chuckled. "So naive. No wonder Rasa sold you out without you even realizing it."
"The Third Kazekage was still young. It would have been ten, maybe twenty years before he stepped down. Rasa is ambitious, driven, and impatient. He wasn't willing to wait. So, he secretly contacted me when I was preparing to defect. We worked together to kill the Third Kazekage and his bodyguards."
"Your current predicament was also orchestrated by Rasa. Think about it: why did Rasa send you after the Rōran survivors? Why did I suddenly ambush your path and wipe out the pursuit force?"
Neji-kun's eyes narrowed. Just like in his previous life, Pakura couldn't escape Rasa's treachery. The struggle for power was always cruel. Rasa had obtained his position through dark means and lived in constant fear that someone would use the same methods against him. The most likely candidate was Pakura.
Pakura looked as if she had been struck by lightning, her face alternating between pale and flushed with anger and hatred. Sasori ambushing her designated route... it was impossible without prior intelligence. Moreover, he had no reason to lie to a captive.
Sasori glanced coolly at Pakura, then turned back to Neji-kun, feeling apprehensive. The Third Kazekage puppet, even in its current state, retained 60-70% of its original power. Yet this person showed no fear.
Sasori took a breath, pouring chakra through the threads into the puppet. He decided to seize the initiative with a fierce opening attack.
In the next instant, the iron sand swirling around the puppet coalesced into a dense cloud of senbon needles, which shot towards Neji-kun.
Neji-kun instantly activated Tenseigan Chakra Mode, his body glowing cyan, and thrust out his right hand. An invisible repulsive force surged forward like a tsunami, sending all the iron sand senbon flying back the way they came.
Sasori's expression changed drastically. He manipulated the iron sand to form a shield in front of Hiruko. The senbon pinged harmlessly against it.
After blocking the attack, Sasori stared at Neji-kun, bewildered. He had only seen such power from the Leader, Pain. As far as he knew, no one else in the world possessed a similar ability. It was unique, one of the reasons the Leader called himself a god. But now...
Sasori pushed the thought aside and attacked again. The iron sand on the ground rose, forming a giant, three-sided pyramid. The Iron Sand Pyramid technique was incredibly destructive, capable of piercing small hills, and its magnetic properties, controlled by Sasori, could theoretically resist the repulsive force.
Neji-kun watched the pyramid approach, his face impassive. He took a breath, releasing ten percent of his chakra.
"Divine Air Strike!"
A chakra orb the size of a millstone shot towards the pyramid. Upon impact, the pyramid exploded into fragments. The Divine Air Strike continued unabated, slamming into Sasori.