Chapter 277: Sasori: I’m Going to Kill Uchiha Ci! Ci: Huh???

Chapter 277: Sasori: I'm Going to Kill Uchiha Ci! Ci: Huh???

The sound of seabirds flapping their wings reached his ears.

A scent so intoxicating it seemed capable of stealing one's soul lingered at the tip of his nose.

The grumbling of his stomach jolted him awake.

Sasori abruptly regained consciousness!

At that moment, he felt as if his head had been struck hard, like he had fallen into some kind of illusion that distorted his senses.

"Not a dōjutsu? But an illusion that warps the five senses?"

He instinctively tensed, but after carefully sensing his condition again—

The dull pain on his forehead was real. This wasn't an illusion!

Just as he continued feigning unconsciousness with his eyes still shut, he suddenly heard two voices conversing nearby.

At that moment—

Oyashiro En glanced at the large bump on Sasori's forehead and clicked his tongue in wonder.

"Kid, you didn't accidentally beat him to death, did you?"

Uchiha Ci looked helpless.

"Injustice! How was I supposed to know illusions don't work on him? What else could I do but use physical hypnosis?"

"You have good eyes, why don't you cast an illusion yourself?"

Oyashiro En turned his head away, stretching out his hand to tease his daughter while pouting.

"Why should I? I'd rather take care of my daughter!"

Uchiha Ci shook his head and explained as he urged,

"His brain was modified with Sub-Brain Manipulation Sand, so I can't control him easily. He's about to wake up—hurry up, use your illusion!"

Even though his eyes had evolved, his illusion techniques were still as mediocre as ever. Plus, with his eyes currently in the process of fusing, he couldn't use Sage Art: Sharingan—White Stimulus Eye.

Otherwise, why would he have resorted to a forehead flick (Skeletal Susanoo version)?

Hearing Uchiha Ci's explanation, Oyashiro En glanced at the supposedly unconscious Sasori on the ground and said casually,

"Look, isn't he already awake?"

"Besides, it's no big deal. We just want to ask for directions."

Uchiha Ci raised an eyebrow, looking at Oyashiro En in surprise.

"Well, well, now you're acting all magnanimous."

Wasn't this the same guy who wiped out his entire clan? How come he suddenly looked like a mild-mannered, overworked father with no temper?

But on second thought, Uchiha Ci found it reasonable.

Oyashiro En was an honest man—it was only after getting pushed to his limits by his clan's nonsense that he erupted in silent fury and wiped out everyone.

If he were in Oyashiro En's shoes, he'd probably have done something even more extreme.

From this perspective, this guy might actually be worth befriending.

As Uchiha Ci rubbed his chin in thought—

Sasori, lying on the ground, knew he couldn't keep pretending.

Moreover, these two didn't seem to harbor any real hostility toward him?

Since deception was pointless, he simply opened his eyes and sat up.

Then, he coldly glanced at the blindfolded Uchiha Ci and asked in a frosty tone,

"You can see?"

Hearing the question, Uchiha Ci raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"Of course I can see. I'm not blind!"

Sasori: "..."

"If you're not blind, then why the hell are you wearing a blindfold?"

Uchiha Ci immediately retorted,

"This is called fashion! Style! What do you know?"

In truth, the blindfold was to shield his yet-to-fully-evolve Blood Dragon Eyes and Sharingan, which were currently sensitive to light.

Especially when paired with his Skeletal Susanoo, which glowed like a mini sun—it was practically blinding.

Moreover, a new dōjutsu was incubating within his eyes, requiring a period of rest.

And with his Mind's Eye ability, closing his eyes actually enhanced his perception, while also confusing his enemies.

Take the red-haired pretty boy in front of him—he had already fallen for it.

"Alright, Uchiha, get to the point."

Oyashiro En intervened, noticing his daughter's expression shifting as their argument escalated—on the verge of bursting into tears.

He turned to Sasori and calmly explained,

"It's wartime. I understand why you'd attack an unknown ninja first, but we mean you no harm. We just need—"

Sasori narrowed his eyes and coldly interrupted,

"Oh? From the way you're talking, are you implying you can beat me?"

"If it weren't for that blindfolded brat, you'd already be dead!"

In ninja battles, intelligence was everything.

Sasori had relied on his revolutionary weapons to achieve an undefeated streak.

The only reason he failed this time was that he hadn't accounted for dōjutsu bloodlines, and that brat Uchiha Ci had called out his attacks, ruining his strategy.

He had been tricked!

But his trump card remained untouched.

Sasori was not convinced he had truly lost.

That tall antique-looking youth possessed an unknown dōjutsu bloodline, and the brat had a flaming skeletal frame—both were intelligence gaps he hadn't anticipated.

If they fought again—against Oyashiro En alone—Sasori was sure he wouldn't lose!

Hearing his unyielding words, even the usually good-natured Oyashiro En furrowed his brows slightly, his expression darkening.

His gaze toward Sasori grew increasingly unfriendly.

At that moment—

Uchiha Ci spoke in a completely calm tone.

"If you want to die, no one will stop you.

But I'll make sure to kill you myself."

"Besides, we need a guide to lead us to Yunming City, the capital of the Land of Lightning.

If you refuse, you can die here and now."

"Believe me, I'm not joking."

Uchiha Ci's gaze locked onto Sasori.

He knew exactly what Sasori's trump card was.

The Third Kazekage Human Puppet, crafted from the strongest Kazekage in history, was stored in one of the two scrolls on Sasori's back.

Yet, after knocking Sasori unconscious, Uchiha Ci hadn't taken it—because he simply didn't care.

At this stage, Sasori was still human. He hadn't yet converted himself into a puppet, perfected his Performance of a Hundred Puppets, or obtained defensive puppets like Salamander.

Even with the Third Kazekage, he stood no chance against Uchiha Ci and Oyashiro En together.

A puppeteer's greatest weakness was their fragile body. Now that Sasori's real body was exposed, his only options were to either have the Third Kazekage fly him to escape—or die here.

Technically, Uchiha Ci could have hypnotized Sasori, but forcibly overriding the Sub-Brain Manipulation Sand in his head would turn him into a vegetable.

That went against Uchiha Ci's interests.

Besides, killing him served no purpose.

The technique for Chakra Core Puppets had already been obtained from Elder Chiyo, and defeating the Third Kazekage Puppet wouldn't trigger Steel of the Heart, nor would it grant Magnet Release.

It was pointless.

At this stage, Sasori was just a toy maker to him.

And right now—

Hearing Uchiha Ci's words, Sasori fell silent.

That antique-looking youth? He could still handle him.

But this blindfolded brat? He couldn't read him.

Moreover—

Sasori suddenly recalled Oyashiro En's earlier words—how he had addressed the brat as "Uchiha."

His gaze fell upon Uchiha Ci's tattered clothes, spotting the red-and-white clan emblem.

He asked coldly,

"You—are from the Uchiha Clan?"

"And the Uchiha clan heir who fell into Hell Valley and went missing—Uchiha Ci—what's your relation to him?"

Oyashiro En's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait… this brat has a big background?"

And Uchiha Ci?

He was stunned too.

Instead of continuing to argue with Oyashiro En, Sasori had turned his focus to him?!

Curious, he asked,

"And why are you looking for Uchiha Ci?"

Sasori smirked coldly, his hand subtly reaching for the second scroll on his back.

As he unfastened the clasp, the scroll unfurled, revealing a single character—"Three."

"Funny, isn't it?"

"My destination… is also Yunming City—"

"To kill Uchiha Ci!"

"…Huh?"

Uchiha Ci raised an eyebrow and coughed.

"Oh, I see."

"We actually share the same goal!"

Seeing Sasori's skeptical gaze, Uchiha Ci righteously declared,

"Don't get the wrong idea—I'm not that guy."

"My name is Uchiha Fugaku!"

"But since this is a covert mission, I also have a code name—you can call me Uchiha Handsome!"

Sasori scrutinized him for a moment before nodding knowingly.

"Uchiha Handsome, huh… heh."

Uchiha Fugaku.

Sasori knew the name.

He was the runner-up—the Uchiha heir who lost everything to Uchiha Ci!

The Captain of the Konoha Police Force, originally slated to be the next Uchiha Patriarch—until Uchiha Ci stole all the glory.

If this guy was heading to Yunming City, it was clearly to confirm whether the "Uchiha Ci" there was real.

And if he wanted to kill Uchiha Ci—it had to be for the clan's top seat.

It all made sense now.

Sasori sneered.

"Hmph!"

"What a ridiculous drama!"

"But fine… this works in my favor!"

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