Did You Get the Wrong Sasori?

The Land of Rain – Amegakure.

Amegakure, the hidden village of the Land of Rain, was once founded by the legendary shinobi Hanzō of the Salamander, a man hailed as a "demigod."

Due to its geographical location, the village was caught in an endless downpour, surrounded by an inland lake where rainwater constantly flowed.

Positioned at the crossroads of three great nations—the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth—it was a frequent battleground whenever war erupted between these powers.

During the Second Shinobi World War, Hanzō sought to expand the Land of Rain's influence by waging war against the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and even the Land of Iron.

Although he won on the battlefield, his country ultimately suffered defeat on a national scale, leaving the land scarred by war and resentment.

Now, Hanzō was long dead, eliminated by the mysterious masked man and Nagato, and Amegakure had become the base of the Akatsuki.

---

In a dimly lit cave, the sound of water dripping echoed through the humid air.

A figure, half black and half white, resembling a pitcher plant, spoke in an odd, amused voice.

"Oh… it seems Konan has returned, Pain."

At these words, the orange-haired man before him lifted his gaze slightly toward the cave entrance, his expression indifferent.

"There are two distinct chakra signatures."

"It seems Konan successfully brought back Sasori of the Red Sand."

Since the masked man had assigned the task solely to Konan, Pain naturally assumed the mission had gone as planned.

Footsteps approached from the entrance.

Finally, two figures emerged—a woman clad in the Akatsuki's signature black cloak with red clouds and a brown-haired young man dressed in dark clothing.

Konan and Kuzo had arrived from the Land of Wind.

Seeing them, the plant-like figure made a curious sound of surprise.

"Ah? Is this Sasori of the Red Sand's true form?"

"He's unexpectedly young!"

Pain frowned slightly.

This was Sasori?

Something didn't seem right.

From the intelligence reports, Sasori was supposed to have red hair.

Did he stop dyeing it?

After a brief pause, Pain looked at Konan with a neutral expression.

"What's going on, Konan?"

"Are you certain… that this is the Sasori of the Red Sand, the famed genius puppet master?"

There was a note of doubt in his tone.

At this, Konan stopped walking and shook her head slightly.

"No, Pain."

"On the contrary, I can confirm that he is *not* Sasori of the Red Sand."

Pain's eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.

Jue, the half-black, half-white figure, reacted much more dramatically.

"Eh?! Then why did you bring him here?!"

Konan's answer had clearly confused them both.

If she knew he wasn't Sasori, why had she taken him all the way back to the Akatsuki's headquarters?

After all, the masked man had explicitly requested Sasori's recruitment.

As they processed the situation, Konan cast a brief glance at Kuzo before lowering her gaze slightly.

"The reason I brought him here…"

"Is because I saw him kill Sasori of the Red Sand with my own eyes."

Pain and Jue's expressions shifted instantly.

"What?"

"Sasori… is dead?!"

"And *he* did it?!"

Their eyes fell on Kuzo, who looked utterly unassuming, as if he posed no threat at all.

His chakra was so faint that it was barely noticeable.

And yet…

This person had supposedly slain Sasori of the Red Sand, a master of puppetry who wielded the Third Kazekage's puppet?

Seeing their shock, Konan continued in her usual calm tone.

"When I located Sasori, I happened to witness his battle with Kuzo."

"It all happened so quickly—I didn't even have time to understand the situation before I saw Sasori and his puppet both impaled by the short sword at Kuzo's waist."

"He's also a wanderer, so I took it upon myself to bring him here."

"Anyone capable of defeating Sasori possesses the strength to join us."

Her expression remained composed as she spoke.

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