"Yo~ It's Kabuto~"
"..."
Kabuto silently stared at the cheerful young Suna-nin walking up to him.
Shireki, a chunin of Sunagakure. Outgoing, upbeat, and always smiling—he was also one of the village's puppeteers.
So...
The hell? Didn't you get the message I left behind?!
Infiltrating enemy lines, blending in undercover, gathering intel, poisoning supplies, coordinating with hidden allies—he'd crafted a flawless infiltration plan. All calculated down to the smallest detail.
Once he identified that mysterious puppeteer's real body, he'd strike. The odds of success were high.
And now—his own comrade just blew it.
Kabuto's gentle smile faded slightly. He frowned, mind racing. Should he make a move now? He glanced behind him at the two suspicious figures—one with long black hair and a faint smile, the other, a redhead with cold, expressionless eyes.
Is this… a show of confidence?
He sighed internally and reined in the urge to act.
A puppeteer needs to know when and how to poison—this wasn't the time.
There was still too much he didn't know. Which village were they from? What exactly were they after?
With intel lacking, there was no way to calculate the optimal move.
Suppressing a sigh, Kabuto looked up at Shireki again and gave a soft smile.
"Big bro Shireki~"
"You little rascal, you sure are a handful!" Shireki laughed, slinging an arm around Kabuto's shoulders. "Running off like that on your own. You've no idea how worried the village was! Good thing you at least let us know where you were going—Lady Kana would've been worried sick otherwise."
"???" Kabuto blinked. Then, with another soft smile, he asked, "So… it was Lord Kazekage who told you I was here?"
"Yup. He was worried something might happen, told us to keep an eye out. Never thought we'd actually bump into you here."
"I'm sorry for causing trouble." Kabuto felt a small warmth in his chest. He hadn't expected Sunagakure to form an alliance with Amegakure so suddenly—his whole plan to sneak in and gather intel was now blown. He adjusted his glasses.
"Hold on, this is just a puppet. My real body's back there."
As he spoke—
Click-click-click.
Kabuto's body shifted and transformed into a puppet with three eyes and four arms.
"The Crow?! Lady Chiyo actually let you use this?" Shireki jumped in surprise, then gazed at the puppet with admiration. His tone was filled with envy. "This was made by Chiyo-sama's grandson—Sasori of the Red Sand himself! It stirred up quite the buzz in the puppeteer community back in the day. Say... do you also have Black Ant?"
"..."
Kabuto nodded silently, sneaking a glance at the red-haired boy behind them—still quiet and emotionless.
Was I wrong?
Well, it made sense. He was a puppeteer…
"Sasori of the Red Sand... can you tell me more about him?" Kabuto asked.
"Him?" Shireki scratched the back of his head, looking hesitant. "Sasori and I were from the same generation, but he was a genius. Honestly, he didn't really hang out with the rest of us puppeteers. Kind of a loner, y'know? So I didn't know him that well."
He let out a sigh.
"A real genius of Sunagakure. But then... he suddenly vanished. A lot of people even suspected his disappearance was related to the disappearance of the Third Kazekage."
"???"
Kabuto raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"I mean, the rumor is… he died protecting the Third Kazekage. The enemy was just too powerful, and they both perished together," Shireki said, fuming with indignation. "Let's be real—it had to be Konoha. They're the only ones capable of pulling that off. That's what everyone in the ninja world believes."
"..."
Is that how the story went?
He'd heard that version too. But... wasn't it just a false narrative fabricated by Sunagakure to distract the other villages?
Another sidelong glance at the still-expressionless redhead.
So… this guy is Sasori? I was right? And Shireki doesn't recognize him because… Transformation Jutsu?
Still, he wasn't 100% sure.
If it was him—why had he left Sunagakure? Why become a rogue ninja?
But just as Kabuto was lost in thought—
"Anyway, forget that." Shireki patted Kabuto's shoulder with a smile. "You've studied medical ninjutsu, right?"
"???" Kabuto snapped back to attention. "Why? Someone injured?"
"Oh, don't worry—it's not one of us. It's a ninja from Amegakure. But... he's one of Lady Kana's clansmen, and with how close we are to Amegakure now..."
"The Uzumaki Clan?!"
"Yup. He got both legs blown up by an exploding tag during a fight, and his chakra's completely depleted..."
"Alright, that's enough info—I can't say anything until I see the injury. Let's go."
As Kabuto followed Shireki toward their destination, no one noticed the subtle change in the "Snake's (Hebi)" expression behind them—his face stiffening, eyes narrowing with dark thoughts—as well as Sasori, who was watching Kabuto's retreating back with amused curiosity.
Crow and Black Ant… both in your hands now? And you're playing dumb...?
What an untrustworthy little junior~
...
Time flew by quickly.
"What? Orochimaru showed up again?!"
Rasa stared at the letter from yesterday, dumbfounded.
He remembered hearing reports not long ago that Orochimaru had been spotted in the Land of Rain—but was driven off. He'd been disappointed then. But now?
Orochimaru was back?
That slippery snake... just couldn't stop, could he?!
What the hell was he up to?
Rasa frowned and looked at the ninja reporting to him.
"What's the current status?"
"He slipped away again," the shinobi sighed. "I heard Uzumaki Nagato attacked with full force, but Orochimaru turned into a puddle of sludge and escaped."
He paused, hesitating.
"Also... about Uzumaki Nagato's eyes... Lord Kazekage, should we—"
"Stow that thought," Rasa interrupted flatly, shooting the man a sharp look. "He's our ally. We don't covet what belongs to our allies. Sunagakure stands for justice, kindness, pride, and honor. As inheritors of the Will of Sand as interpreted by the First Kazekage, we should profoundly understand… that which does not belong to us, we should all the more…"
However, before he could finis
He hadn't finished when—
"Take it by force?" The Sand Shinobi suddenly blurted out.
"...."
Rasa let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.
These guys... they really are the embodiment of the Will of Sand.
He shot the shinobi a glare.
"Enough. Dismissed!"
He still had to pay Ebizō a visit. Who knew what mess that old man had stirred up this time.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin