Sasori.
A suspected missing-nin from Sunagakure. Once the village's genius—Sasori of the Red Sand.
Kabuto studied the intelligence he'd gathered.
That guy... truly lived up to the title of Sunagakure's genius.
His identity was buried so deeply that most of Kabuto's intel turned out useless.
What's more—
The puppet scouts he'd deployed? As expected, all of them had been destroyed. Just piles of broken wooden scraps left behind.
"Are you playing games with me?"
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, eyes narrowing as he looked at the pile of puppet fragments on his desk, still smiling faintly.
"Looks like I'll have to make the most of my time here."
That Sasori...
He worked diligently, sure, but his personality matched what that idiot Shireki had described—
Cold, aloof, reclusive. Always working alone, never letting anyone near.
Some of the workers had already begun to quietly complain, though since this job was hard to come by, no one dared make a fuss.
Also—
Every time Sasori smashed one of Kabuto's scouting puppets, he'd "coincidentally" point out some hidden design flaw afterward.
If Kabuto hadn't been curious about how they got destroyed, he might never have noticed them.
He gently turned over the puppet "Centipede" on the table, frowning slightly, continuously examining the smashed toy. "The poison is too weak, and the way it's sprayed is too obvious. Plus, the legs being too consistently long causes the speed to be too slow, doesn't it?"
As for Orochimaru… that was Konoha's business. Not his concern.
Originally, when Nagato had launched a barrage of attacks at Orochimaru, Kabuto had planned to use the chaos to trap Sasori.
After all, the legendary Rinnegan and Konan's paper jutsu might have been enough to restrain him.
But in the end, Kabuto gave up that plan.
After all, the village's intentions were unclear.
What would Lord Kazekage do if he learned that the missing Sasori of the Red Sand had become a rogue ninja?
What would Chiyo-sensei do?
Worse yet, if the Third Kazekage's disappearance really was connected to Sasori…
That would bring huge disruption to Sunagakure's current peace.
Good or bad? Kabuto couldn't predict.
So for now—
No point informing Chiyo-sensei yet.
As for the Kazekage…
"Maybe… I should have someone notify him, just in case."
After all, this was a Sunagakure missing-nin.
No matter how it played out, as a loyal shinobi, he had the duty to report it.
Besides—he didn't think he could capture Sasori alone.
Frankly… he wasn't even sure this was the real Sasori.
After all, no puppeteer would ever risk exposing their real body to the enemy!
Meanwhile—
Sasori stared at the powder in his hand, frowning slightly.
"So… White Secret Technique, huh? Looks like Grandma took on a new apprentice."
He knew that technique well.
After all, he had learned it from his grandmother.
Later, to surpass it, he developed his own Red Secret Technique.
Although it wasn't complete yet—he still lacked the proper materials.
This whole mining job in the Land of Rain was just a cover to gather them.
Too bad the legendary body of the "Demigod of the Shinobi World" was already gone.
And the new leader—the cripple in the wheelchair—looked like bad news.
Back then…
Even Orochimaru, one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, had been beaten down like a whipped dog.
If he hadn't summoned a beast and used a clone to escape, Konoha would be one Sannin short by now.
Shame though…
Orochimaru's body would have made for excellent material.
Still, not all was lost.
"At least I found… an interesting little guy."
Sasori blew the powder off his hand, stood up, and casually tossed the bowl aside.
"This game's almost over.
The Land of Rain, Sunagakure… and the Sand Shinobi—how utterly boring."
...
"Totally boring~"
The spiral-faced White Zetsu sat on a tree branch, swinging his legs, looking down at the other White Zetsu. "Obito isn't here; no one's drawing with me anymore~"
"He didn't want to draw with you before, either," the other White Zetsu replied flatly. "And ever since Madara-sama passed… all you've done is slack off."
"That's art!" Tobi cried, standing dramatically on the branch.
"Do you know why I look different from the rest of you?"
"You got contaminated by Hashirama cells?"
"No!" Tobi shook his head solemnly, staring into the bright sky.
But after a second, he had to lower his gaze—sunlight was not helping his theatrical pose.
Rubbing his eyes, he sighed wistfully.
"This too… is art.
Art must be one of a kind."
"…"
Art, my ass.
White Zetsu stared at him blankly.
No one in the world called drawing poop murals "art"…
And the moment anyone disagreed, Tobi would scream about "artistic vision" like a lunatic.
"Keep an eye on Sunagakure," Zetsu grunted. "No idea what those broke desert dwellers are planning, suddenly cozying up to the Land of Rain."
"Eh?" Tobi pointed to himself. "You want me to go on a business trip to Sunagakure?"
"Yes."
"But I'm super busy!"
"No. You're not.
If you really want to explore 'art'—do it in Sunagakure."
At least if he wanted to roll around in filth, the desert had plenty.
"Really?!"
"Really."
"Yay!"
Tobi jumped with joy—
SNAP!
The tree branch cracked under his weight, and he barely clung to the trunk like a sloth.
Looking up at Zetsu's darkened expression, he blinked innocently.
"Oh, right—where's Obito?"
"…No idea."
...
A little earlier…
Faced once again with a barrage from the Rinnegan—
Orochimaru didn't hesitate for a second. He turned and ran.
After all, that cold-eyed boy had once told him flatly:
"If I see you again, I'll personally take your life."
And so, rather than be defeated by some idiot Jiraiya's apprentice…
He chose strategic retreat!
This isn't fear, damn it!
He was one of the Legendary Sannin—a famed ninja of the Hidden Leaf!
The boy with the Rinnegan was merely his junior!
He had no reason to fear him.
Just… poor timing, that's all.
Gritting his teeth and clutching his chest, Orochimaru sucked in a sharp breath, licking his lips with a cold smile.
"Rinnegan… what a delightful treasure~"
This was merely a tactical withdrawal—for the sake of his grand plans.
Orochimaru…
Was slippery as hell.
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