CHAPTER 16

Although each village has its own means of extracting information from the dead, Konohagakure—thanks to the Yamanaka Clan—undoubtedly leads the rest. Their mind techniques allow for unparalleled interrogation, even post-mortem.

Yuhi Kurenai remained still, not wanting to complicate the situation further. She waited silently until the enemy collapsed before stepping forward to sever his head for later extraction.

But standing beside her, Aoba Yamashiro's pupils suddenly contracted. His sensory abilities had picked up something abnormal. A dangerous presence had appeared—and worse yet, it was a familiar one.

No… Why is he here? This isn't supposed to be his time.

His eyes locked on the battlefield. That puppet… it couldn't be…

The Third Kazekage? Already?

That would mean the Third Shinobi World War is approaching…

Damn it. I need to survive this first. If I die here, what war even matters?

Aoba could feel it through his chakra perception—Magnet Release. Black iron sand surged forward, shaped into a deadly spear, and shot across the battlefield like lightning.

Pfft!

Blood and flesh splattered as the spear pierced through a Sand shinobi's chest, tearing a gaping hole straight through him. The man's eyes widened in disbelief as the kunai slipped from his lifeless fingers.

So much for dying by his own hand.

But something wasn't right.

More enemies? That iron sand… it's Magnet Release?

Then the one behind this must be—

The dying Sand shinobi twisted in agony, his final breaths shallow, yet he still tried to look over his shoulder—to see his killer, even if just once.

He got his wish. And died in sheer shock and disbelief.

"A human puppet… The Third Kazekage?! Sasori of the Red Sand!!" Yuhi Kurenai exclaimed, naming the killer for the dead man who would never speak again.

Her heart trembled. To see Sasori—the famed puppeteer who disappeared years ago—with the puppet of the Third Kazekage? It made everything fall into place. No wonder Sunagakure had been acting so strangely of late.

The Kazekage's death explained it all. Of course they were in turmoil.

But something else disturbed her deeply.

Has Sasori already gone rogue? Then why haven't we received any official notice or bounty alert from Sunagakure? Are they hiding his defection? Or is something else going on?

She turned her gaze.

"Hey, you. You saw everything, right? If you want even the slimmest chance of surviving, tell me everything you know—now."

The one she addressed was the spy—poisoned and weakened, slumped to the side. He had survived the initial battle by sheer luck, watching silently as every one of his allies fell. But now that Sasori and the Third Kazekage's puppet had appeared, his hopes of living were dashed. His lips trembled.

The world was too cruel, its twists too sharp.

Konoha's squad defeating those Sand ninjas was already a surprise—but surviving Sasori of the Red Sand? Only Kurenai-sensei had a faint hope of walking away alive. That weird young man beside her… probably not.

Still, he knew he couldn't hesitate any longer. Whatever little selfishness he held before, there was no place for it now.

"The Third Kazekage disappeared alongside Sasori of the Red Sand," he confessed. "Sunagakure's leadership suspects Konoha was behind it. Tensions are rising. There are whispers of a small-scale war breaking out along the border."

He looked up at Kurenai with pleading eyes.

"Jonin-sama… if you make it back… please tell the Hokage I completed my mission. And… tell Keiko, and our child… that their husband and father died for Konoha. That he was a hero."

Kurenai's expression softened. "I understand. If I return, I'll make sure your words reach them."

Even if his intel had just been rendered obsolete by Sasori's appearance, it didn't change the years he'd spent undercover for the village. Whatever his doubts or weaknesses, his sacrifice mattered. The Hokage would ensure his family was taken care of.

Before she could speak again, a chilling voice broke through the wind.

"No more sentimentality. Prepare yourselves… for death."

Sasori of the Red Sand stepped forward, expression unreadable, crimson hair fluttering in the breeze. The Third Kazekage puppet loomed behind him, its arms dripping with iron sand.

The battle was far from over.

The reason Sasori had waited so long wasn't because he had developed a kind heart—it was because he wanted to gather information. He wanted to understand what Sunagakure had done after his departure.

But after listening to the reports, it all sounded meaningless.

He no longer felt anything for Sunagakure. As for Konohagakure, the village that had killed his parents—he felt only indifference.

If Sunagakure wanted to start a war with Konoha, so be it. Even if it triggered a Fourth Great Ninja War, it wouldn't matter to him—so long as no one disturbed his pursuit of eternal art.

Sasori glanced at the fallen Sand shinobi. With a flick of his fingers, he controlled the human puppet of the Third Kazekage and casually cast it aside.

Though the puppet had once been the strongest Kazekage, now it was just another piece in his collection. While it had some value, Sasori had long since learned all he could from it.

He then turned his gaze to Yūhi Kurenai. A genjutsu specialist like her would lose much of her utility as a puppet—genjutsu being a chakra-based illusion technique requiring consciousness to cast—but as a jōnin, she was still barely worthy of becoming another piece in his gallery.

"Interfering with my pursuit of eternal art... Your corpses will serve as compensation," Sasori said coldly.

He didn't even spare a glance at Kawaki Aoba or the others. To him, they were beneath notice—insignificant, not even worth turning into puppets.

"This is bad," Kurenai muttered. "Aoba, how many times can you still use that high-speed movement technique from earlier?"

She was referring to a variation of the Body Flicker Technique—one modeled after the Navy Six Styles' Shunshin.

"Honestly, sensei, if I really pushed it, I could make it all the way back to Konoha with that move," Aoba replied. "But... you're not planning to sacrifice yourself like the Second Hokage, are you? If so, please don't."

As he spoke, Kawaki Aoba flipped his wrist, producing two bottles—one large, one medium—filled with a glowing blue liquid.

Gone were the old test tubes. These were fully bottled potions now.

The medium bottle could restore about 500 units of chakra every five seconds, lasting three minutes—roughly a third of what Kakashi Hatake might expend in battle.

But the large blue potion? That was extraordinary. It restored around 4,500 chakra points every three seconds, sustaining the effect for ten minutes. It was the equivalent of one Kakashi's full chakra pool every second, for ten minutes—600 Kakashis in total. Insane.

The small test-tube potions Aoba used to drink could barely restore two-thirds of a Kakashi and had no sustained effect.

Handing the large bottle to Kurenai, Aoba urged, "Don't worry, Kurenai-sensei. It's not the end yet. I've still got cards to play."

Kurenai looked at the bottle, then at him. "Sometimes, I wish you weren't so talented. But since you insist... I'll watch."

Without hesitation, she tilted her head back and drank.

The moment the potion hit her throat, its effects activated. Kurenai's eyes widened in disbelief, and she looked at Aoba in shock.

As her team leader, she'd long suspected that Aoba's so-called "soldier pill solutions" were unusual—but she hadn't expected this level of power.

Her chakra surged—not only full, but overflowing. It felt like her entire body was cloaked in raw power.

"Oh crap," Aoba muttered, stumbling back in surprise. He hadn't tested the large potion himself. The result stunned even him.

Chakra gushed from Kurenai like a tailed beast cloak, but it was her own chakra. The small potions had never produced this kind of effect.

Gulping down the medium-sized potion, Aoba didn't hesitate. If the large potion had done that for her, what would this one do?

As chakra overflowed through his limbs, he grinned. "Yup—this one overflows too."

He glanced at Kurenai. "Let's go. From the moment you drink the potion, it only lasts for ten minutes."

Kurenai nodded. "Ten minutes like this? That's absurd…"

She could feel the chakra rushing out of her—too much to contain. It pained her to waste even a fraction of it.

Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!

With swift hands and a sharp breath, Kurenai unleashed a massive fire dragon toward Sasori.

Aoba, watching her from behind, blinked in disbelief. Kurenai-sensei can use Fire Release? I've never seen her do that before.

Of course, he kept that to himself. If he ever said that out loud, she'd likely scold him within an inch of his life.

A jōnin who specializes in genjutsu isn't only good at genjutsu. A one-trick ninja would be a special jōnin, not a full-ranked jōnin.

Sasori narrowed his eyes. "So... not completely worthless after all."

With a flick of his fingers, the Third Kazekage puppet moved, releasing a wall of Iron Sand. The fire dragon slammed into it and dispersed harmlessly.

Then, countless iron sand needles formed in the air—glinting, sharp, and ready to strike.

Magnet Release: Iron Sand Shower.

Countless fine needles surged forward like a hailstorm. Upon seeing this, Yuhi Kurenai's expression darkened. Without hesitation, she retreated.

The overwhelming presence of chakra almost made her doubt her senses—that was the Third Kazekage! Even if he had been turned into a puppet, his power remained formidable. Kurenai had briefly deluded herself into thinking she stood a chance, but reality hit hard.

Not far off, Kawaki Aoba, who was monitoring the battle using Observation Haki, couldn't help but twitch his lips. Kurenai-sensei is too weak…

No, he had misunderstood. Chakra reserves alone didn't equate to combat power—especially not for a genjutsu specialist like Kurenai. Even with external enhancements, her abilities weren't suited for direct confrontation with a puppet master like Sasori.

And no matter how much chakra one possessed, the limits of ninjutsu still applied.

Watching Kurenai awkwardly dodge the onslaught of iron sand, Kawaki Aoba sighed inwardly. Looks like I'll have to use my cheat again...

Reaching into his gear pouch, he retrieved a set of explosives. His only true chakra grenade, crafted by sacrificing multiple explosive tags, had already been used. What remained were conventional bombs—basic, but functional.

He lit several and hurled them toward Akasuna no Sasori, then vanished using the Body Flicker Technique. The motion was seamless—throw, flicker, reposition. He repeated the process, tossing more from another angle.

There were still plenty of explosives stored in his altar space, but Kawaki wasn't aiming to kill Sasori outright. His goal was to buy time—enough to escape with Kurenai.

---

Magnet Release: Iron Sand Giant Needle.

Sasori, unfazed, continued manipulating the Third Kazekage puppet with mechanical precision. His target: the still-dodging Yuhi Kurenai.

But this wasn't a battle—it was a training session.

Sasori was practicing. He was brushing up on his manipulation of the Kazekage puppet. This kind of behavior only occurred when one fighter completely outclassed the other. It was a stark reminder of the gulf between them.

Despite Aoba's enhancements, even a fully-boosted Kurenai—her chakra at peak for ten minutes—couldn't touch Sasori. She was reduced to dodging, a living training dummy, helping Sasori refine his technique.

Even she started doubting herself. Had she wasted Aoba's precious medicine?

---

As for Aoba's explosives, the initial ones he had thrown were deliberately timed with a delayed detonation. None had gone off yet—hence, no threat to Sasori.

But Sasori wasn't naïve.

Every time an explosive landed near him or the puppet, he would calmly deploy another puppet to sweep it away. He treated them as traps—unknowns that had to be neutralized.

---

Neodymium Magnet.

Kawaki Aoba's movements, however, had caught Sasori's attention.

He was fast—too fast.

Sasori began to consider whether he should add Aoba to his collection.

Aoba shuddered. His Observation Haki picked up a wave of intense malice from Sasori. He was being targeted.

And then—a vision.

A flicker of a future he did not want to see. Advanced Observation Haki allowed him to perceive fragments of what was yet to come.

In that glimpse, he saw himself cornered—his body limp, surrounded by threads of chakra and the cold steel of puppetry.

No way.

Aoba didn't hesitate. He turned and retreated at once, his instincts fully aligned with his foresight.

But before he left, he tossed one last parting gift—a bomb set to detonate exactly three seconds after landing.