"You've gotten bold~"
Rasa lightly patted Kabuto, who was sucking in a breath from the pain, his small eyes full of grievance as he glared up at him.
"You couldn't have waited a bit longer? You just graduated, and already you've picked a fight with a long-established genius ninja?"
Did you have any idea how hard it is to make Gold Dust in the Land of Rain?
It takes a ridiculous amount of chakra!
"Lord Kazekage, could you please be a bit gentler?" Kabuto quickly stepped away from Rasa. A moment later, he returned to his usual calm demeanor, though his tone was tinged with helplessness. "He was pushing me. If I hadn't revealed myself, he would've left."
Do you think I enjoy taking risks just because I'm a puppeteer?
Both of my main puppets were made by him. The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets are probably something he didn't even care about. So... when I was clearly at a disadvantage, why the hell would I jump out?
Because you said you were close, that's why! As a ninja… I had to take the gamble.
"Next time there's danger, just stay put." Rasa gave a small laugh and shook his head. "I'm guessing you were just curious about how strong he was. That's why you showed yourself."
You look well-behaved, but you're more reckless than anyone.
"All right, what about those wounds? Haven't treated them yet?"
"I've already stopped the bleeding and neutralized the poison. It wasn't too potent—it seems he wasn't aiming to kill me. I'll take care of the rest once we return."
"Fair enough~ Act a little more pitiful and throw in a cute look—maybe your Aunt Kana will go easy on you later."
"…"
Hearing that, Kabuto's expression froze. He stared blankly at Rasa.
"Aunt Kana… is here?"
"She is. She just happened to be passing through and thought she'd take a look at that clansman's leg while she's at it."
"Is that so…"
"You don't seem too concerned," Rasa said, slightly surprised at how calm Kabuto remained. He frowned slightly. "You do know Kana is furious, right~?"
"Can't be helped." Kabuto sighed and shook his head. "These wounds… and that mess back there… they were all a result of carrying out the Kazekage's orders. As a ninja… these things are unavoidable."
"Oh~ So now you're trying to shift the blame onto me?" Rasa shook his head helplessly, then shot Kabuto a gleeful look. "Fine! I'll take the fall for you. Too bad… Kana isn't angry about that."
"???"
"Remember the red-light district in the Land of Fire?"
With those words—
"…"
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Kabuto's forehead. He lifted his head and stared blankly at Rasa.
"Lord Kazekage… the letter…"
"I wasn't the one who showed her."
"Then…?"
"I have a daughter."
"Temari?"
"That's right~" Rasa nodded with a sigh. "That little brat's been getting into everything lately. She found your letter while snooping around."
Along with his carefully hidden stash of precious gacha fund… all of which she split 80/20 with Karura.
Looking off into the distance at a 45-degree angle, he sighed in sorrow. Then he looked down and patted the silent Kabuto on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. I've avenged you. That little rascal's been so buried in homework lately, she's even thinking about learning puppetry… just to have a puppet do her assignments."
Poor kid's workload is brutal. Don't blame her too much.
"…"
Kabuto stepped out of Rasa's reach again, clearly showing he didn't want to talk anymore.
He looked up at the golden pyramid in front of him and frowned slightly.
"Is it over?"
"How could it be~" Rasa shrugged and looked at the Gold Dust triangle imprisoning Sasori. "This was just a simple trap formed with Gold Dust. It can only hold him temporarily."
Also…
Seems all that gacha spending lately has actually boosted my chakra quite a bit.
Next time I run into Shukaku in the desert, I probably won't have to push myself to the brink just to suppress it.
If it dares to throw a tantrum again, I'll smack it down with one hand and yell:
"Shukaku! Your power is too great! I can't just ignore you!"
That'd be a hell of a flex!
"Should be about time for him to break free."
After all, with over a hundred puppets inside… they could probably burst the pyramid just by pushing against it.
"Is that so…"
Kabuto nodded, staring at the structure ahead.
One minute passed.
Three minutes passed.
Five minutes passed.
He looked hesitant. "Is it… really gonna break?"
"…"
Now even Rasa went quiet.
That shouldn't be possible~
Sasori had turned himself into a puppet! He wasn't an average puppeteer. He could attack, defend, and control—he was the full package!
Just as Rasa debated whether he should peek inside—
Crashhh~
The golden pyramid began to crack.
Looks like Sasori was plotting something inside. That's why it took so long!
Rasa's expression turned serious. He manipulated the Gold Dust, readying himself for a fierce one-against-a-hundred battle.
At that moment, the pyramid fully collapsed, revealing two figures—
The puppet of the Third Kazekage, and… Sasori, his entire body covered in wounds from being torn apart by Gold Dust.
But…
That blood—bright red and clearly fresh.
"He's still human?!"
Rasa froze, eyes full of disbelief, staring at the perfectly calm Sasori despite his injuries.
"Where's your Red Secret Technique? Your Performance of a Hundred Puppets? Your Regeneration Core?"
"???"
Sasori's expression twitched. He'd originally planned to say something respectful after all this time apart from his former superior, but Rasa's barrage of questions shoved those thoughts straight back down his throat.
Frowning, he looked at Rasa.
"How do you know about my Red Secret Technique?"
"Never mind that. Where is it?"
"…"
Sasori fell silent, staring at the Kazekage, who was now wide-eyed and behaving very… oddly.
What's he playing at? And how the hell does he know about my unfinished Red Secret Technique?
After a pause—
Before Sasori could speak, Rasa opened his mouth again.
"You haven't finished it yet, have you~?"
Being a puppeteer was already an expensive profession.
But creating Human Puppets?
That burned through not just money, but people.
So when he saw Sasori go quiet and keep that blank look on his face—
Rasa sighed, shook his head, and muttered, "My beloved worker king… gone, just like that…"
And Elder Ebizō was really looking forward to a guy who could do the work of a hundred men for one paycheck…
"How about this—you go back for now? Come back once you've mastered the Red Secret Technique?"
"…Fourth Kazekage, are you mocking me?" Sasori's eyes narrowed. Looking at Rasa's conflicted expression, he said nothing more and directly controlled the Third Kazekage puppet to launch an attack, sending Iron Sand surging forward.
He'd already used Magnet Release within the Gold Dust pyramid to modify the puppet's field—he was ready.
A cold sneer curled at his lips.
"The Third Kazekage—Sunagakure's strongest Kage! Let's see if you, the Fourth Kazekage, can even beat your own teacher."
"…"
Strongest Kage, huh? The Third really was often called the greatest in the village's history.
Like how Hiruzen Sarutobi was called the strongest Hokage… though by the end, that was kinda debatable.
Watching the puppet of the Third Kazekage barrel toward him under Sasori's control, Rasa let out a helpless sigh.
The Third… his teacher.
Silently turned into a Human Puppet.
If Sasori wasn't going to run, then no matter what—
As the Third Kazekage's student, he had to act.
Rasa's eyes narrowed, and in a calm, solemn voice, he declared:
"Sasori of the Red Sand—rogue ninja of Sunagakure. You murdered the Third Kazekage, desecrated his corpse, and violated both our village's shinobi code and the laws of the shinobi world. Now… you're coming with me."
So he's not even a puppet Sasori yet? Tch… What a waste of time.