◉◉◉◉◉
Naruto's eyes locked onto Deidara as he soared into the sky, Gaara's body sealed within the clay bird.
"Stop! Get back here!" Naruto roared, chakra flaring violently.
Deidara smirked down at him. Hooked.
Naruto took the bait, just as expected.
'Kazekage must really matter to him' Deidara thought. 'Too bad… he's mine now.'
Kakashi sighed as Naruto gave chase. Knew I wouldn't be able to stop him…
"I'm going after Naruto," Kakashi said quickly. "Sakura, Chiyo you handle the one inside. But don't engage until Guy's team returns. Understood?"
Sakura nodded. "Got it!"
Chiyo gave no reply just a brief glance before shifting her gaze back to Sasori.
Kakashi moved swiftly after Naruto, activating his radio on the fly.
"Guy, do you read? We need backup, now!"
Guy's voice crackled through, breathless. "We're… caught in a jutsu! Need time to break out!"
Kakashi clenched his jaw. He adjusted his forehead protector, revealing the Sharingan.
No more holding back…
---
Meanwhile, Chiyo clearly had no intention of waiting.
She turned to Sakura. "Don't be afraid. Just follow my lead. Stay back if you have to."
With that, she pulled a kunai from her cloak and launched into combat.
Despite Chiyo's precision, Sasori brushed off her assault effortlessly his tail deflecting every strike.
"So you're resisting…" Sasori muttered, voice hollow. "Then don't blame me."
With a sharp crack, his puppet body Hiruko shifted into battle mode.
The Akatsuki cloak ripped away, revealing a scorpion-shaped puppet crouched on the cave floor. Its face was a grimacing mask; its tail curled, mechanical and deadly. Both arms split into weapons blades and spiked maces.
"Granny Chiyo… and the girl. I'll add you both to my collection."
"I'll start with your organs. Strip your skin clean. Drain the blood. Then preserve the remains…"
"Once the body's prepped and fitted with mechanisms… my next masterpiece will be done."
Sakura stood frozen for a second staring in horror.
But Chiyo? Calm as ever.
"That's not his real body," Chiyo explained. "That's just a puppet shell."
Sasori gave a dry chuckle. "She's not wrong. This is just one of my forms."
"With you two, I'll hit my three-hundredth puppet. A nice, round number for my art."
---
Above the battle, Neji crouched in silence, watching.
His clone had just finished its test fight with the enemy mimic clearly a special Earth Clone technique, well-crafted. It had even tried to replicate his abilities.
Neji smirked. Nice try. But it didn't have chakra capacity it drained out fast.
He turned his attention back to the cave.
This was it. Sakura's moment.
People trashed her in the anime, Neji thought. But the girl I trained for two and a half years… she's not the same.
Only shame? She's not a guy. It'd all make a lot more sense if we just swapped genders.
Sakura [male] loves Sasuke [female]. Naruto [female] loves Sakura [male].
But Sakura never wavers he stays devoted to Sasuke. Even when Naruto fights for him. Even when he's moved by her efforts…
Neji's eye twitched.
Wait a second—
That's just… Re:Zero.
Rem = Naruto, Subaru = Sakura, Emilia = Sasuke.
"…Damn."
This whole thing's scuffed. Absolutely cursed.
The comparison spiraled.
Rem [Naruto] dedicates herself to Subaru [Sakura], urges him to rely on her. Willing to do anything for him.
Even help him chase Emilia [Sasuke].
It's twisted.
Neji blinked, yanked his thoughts back before things got weird.
Focus, Neji. Don't start crafting puppet mods out of this nonsense.
---
Back in the cave, Sakura stood tall.
Her stance was firm. Her breathing controlled.
She wasn't the same girl from before. This Sakura had grit. Focus. Confidence.
She darted in, fists charged with chakra. Chiyo supported her with precision. Together, they held their ground against Sasori's terrifying puppet.
Hiruko was destroyed shattered by a single well-placed, chakra-laced punch.
When the smoke cleared… Sasori's true form stepped out.
And yes he was beautiful. Inhumanly so.
But also… not human at all.
A puppet.
Neji raised a brow. Doll… puppet…
Hm.
Give him a dress and some polish, maybe he'd be…
Wait. Nope. Not going there.
Still, the craftsmanship was undeniable. Sasori was a genius wasted as an enemy.
With my Tenseigan, I could probably give a puppet true consciousness. Actual autonomy. He'd be perfect.
Don't die too soon, Sasori. I might want you later.
---
Back in the fight, Sasori summoned his greatest masterpiece—
The Third Kazekage.
As a human puppet.
His Magnet Release jutsu once thought lost returned through Sasori's hands.
Iron Sand filled the battlefield.
Sakura stumbled under its pressure, but gritted her teeth and fought on. She had trained under Tsunade and Neji. Two and a half years of brutal drills weren't for show.
She wasn't as experienced, but she adapted fast. When she slipped, Chiyo covered her. They moved in sync.
Then, Sasori made a mistake.
He mentioned Orochimaru.
Sakura's eyes sharpened.
If I beat him… I get information. About Orochimaru. About Sasuke.
The fire inside her reignited.
He had no idea what he'd just done.
You know what I went through for two and a half years?!
Chiyo's eyes narrowed. She whispered, "When a woman speaks, a man should listen."
She pulled out two scrolls.
Seals burst open.
Two familiar figures emerged: a man and woman. Her son and daughter-in-law.
Sasori's first puppets.
His parents.
But that wasn't the true horror.
Sasori then revealed the reason human puppets were banned.
They preserved jutsu.
Sasori's puppet of the Third Kazekage could still use Magnet Release deadly, precise, overwhelming.
Above, Neji watched through the Tenseigan, focusing on the intricate puppet mechanisms.
He didn't need to replicate human puppets but the techniques? The craftsmanship?
That, he would study.
That, he would steal.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!