Hearing Brook's words, Pakura's expression immediately turned serious.
"Lord Brook, do you mean Sasori of the Red Sand, the S rank missing nin from Sunagakure?"
She naturally knew that Sasori, the puppet genius once hailed as Sunagakure's pride, had been implicated in the disappearance of the Third Kazekage. He was also Elder Chiyo's grandson.
Pakura did not yet know whether Chiyo had been involved in her betrayal.
But if she found out that the old woman had a hand in it, then even a senior advisor with great prestige would die by her hands.
"It should be him."
Brook casually flicked aside the endless stream of mechanical poisoned needles.
His tone was as relaxed as ever.
In his eyes, Sasori's puppet technique was still lacking.
Why had Sasori never thought of building a giant puppet on the scale of Susanoo?
His Hundred Puppet Performance looked impressive, but in truth, it was all quantity and no real quality, too scattered and too wasteful.
Before long, Brook and Pakura had already pushed deep into the cave.
"Scorch Release user Pakura, did Sunagakure send you to hunt me down?"
A hunched figure appeared ahead of them.
It had a scorpion like iron tail on its back and a grotesque, shell like body.
This was Hiruko, Sasori's human puppet armor. Sasori himself was hiding inside it.
At this point in time, Sasori had not yet fully modified his own body. In order to make up for a puppet master's weakness in close combat, he had created this puppet that was capable of both offense and defense.
"I am no longer a shinobi of Sunagakure."
Pakura raised her hand, and four blazing fire orbs appeared around her body.
She stared coldly at Sasori, fully alert. Puppet masters were treacherous opponents. Hidden poison needles could fly out at any moment.
"I still intend to settle the score with the Fourth Kazekage. And if I find out your grandmother Chiyo was involved in betraying me too, I will kill her."
"Oh?"
From inside Hiruko came Sasori's young voice, calm and eerily curious.
"So you've become a missing nin as well. If you're going to kill the Fourth Kazekage, then take me with you. I'm very interested in his corpse."
"Become my subordinate, Sasori."
Brook's Conqueror's Haki erupted without warning.
A giant Grim Reaper instantly manifested behind him, and in that instant Sasori's soul was frozen in place. He could no longer move at all, forced to endure Brook's overwhelming pressure.
"To save time, I'll first show you that I can kill you whenever I want."
"If you perform well in the future, I can help you revive your parents."
"I've said what I needed to say. Now choose. Submit, or die."
The pressure vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
But the Grim Reaper remained, its hand already wrapped around Sasori's soul.
Pakura, standing nearby, swallowed hard.
Even she had never felt such terrifying oppression before.
Brook's power truly made people despair.
For a long time, Sasori said nothing.
Then, still unable to move, he finally spoke in a flat, cold voice.
"You opened with your strongest move the moment we met. What kind of monster are you?"
"That Grim Reaper just now... if I resist, I die, right?"
He had not even had the chance to release his greatest weapon, the Third Kazekage puppet.
Did he really have any room to choose?
"Of course you do."
Brook smiled.
"There is a third option. I kill you first, then resurrect you and turn you into my puppet."
"Doesn't that sound perfectly fitting for someone like you?"
Pakura could not help glancing at Sasori.
Brook really was not even trying to comfort the boy.
He was simply telling the truth in the most brutal way possible.
Sasori fell silent again.
Then, after a long pause, he asked the question he truly cared about.
"The resurrection... is it real?"
"As long as the Sage of Six Paths hasn't locked away your parents' souls, I can revive them at any time."
Brook replied casually.
"And even if he has, it won't matter for long. Give me a few years, and I'll storm into the Pure Land myself, beat the Sage of Six Paths senseless, and drag the souls out with my own hands."
Sasori stared at him coldly.
He felt that Brook was talking far too wildly, throwing around words like Sage of Six Paths as if he were discussing the weather.
But when Brook's Rinnegan appeared, Sasori's eyes finally changed.
At least now, he saw a real possibility.
A possibility that his parents could truly return.
For that alone, he did not care whether he had to kill another Kazekage, or even blast Granny Chiyo apart if she stood in his way.
"...I submit."
"Good."
Brook nodded.
"From now on, call me Lord Brook."
"Yes, Lord Brook."
"Then hurry up and pack your things. We're going to take over the daimyo's residence of the Land of Wind and Sunagakure."
Brook turned and walked out of the cave without another glance.
Pakura quickly followed him, her admiration for him growing deeper.
With just a few words, he had forced an S rank missing nin like Sasori into submission.
Half a day later.
A giant Yatagarasu tore across the sky and entered the territory of Sunagakure, crashing straight through the village's protective and sensory barriers.
The shrill alarm bells of Sunagakure instantly rang out.
The entire village erupted into chaos as large numbers of shinobi rushed toward the entrance.
"Even the summoned beast has the Rinnegan..."
Sasori watched the Rinnegan eyed Yatagarasu dissolve into smoke and disappear, his expression faintly intrigued.
"It was only a projection."
Brook spoke lightly.
"Now let's see what you're capable of."
"Go expose Rasa's filth and the corruption of the upper ranks. Kill Rasa, win over Sunagakure, and take control of the village."
"If you fail, then I will simply conquer Sunagakure by force."
After giving the order, Brook stepped aside and watched as though he were merely here to enjoy the show.
At the same time, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had already led the ANBU and a large group of Sunagakure elites outside to confront the three intruders.
The moment he saw Pakura return alive, his brows furrowed.
Those Kirigakure fools were even more useless than he had imagined.
They had actually let her return to Sunagakure alive.
But once he saw Pakura standing beside Sasori, he immediately seized the chance to turn the tables.
"Pakura, what are you doing?"
"Why are you standing with missing nin? Are you betraying the village as well?"
The moment those words fell, Pakura's hatred exploded.
"Rasa, you shameless coward!"
"You sold me to Kirigakure! You betrayed me!"
"You are not fit to be Kazekage!"
Her killing intent surged without concealment.
The shinobi of Sunagakure were stunned.
Pakura was a hero of their village. No one had expected her to return only to accuse the Kazekage of betrayal in front of everyone.
If internal strife broke out now, Sunagakure, already weakened, would truly sink even further.
Several shinobi with sharp instincts immediately realized the situation was spiraling out of control and ran to summon Chiyo and Ebizo.
If the village really descended into chaos, only Sunagakure itself would suffer.
Before Chiyo even arrived, Sasori suddenly stepped forward.
His voice was calm, but it shocked everyone present.
"I, Sasori of the Red Sand, will become the Fifth Kazekage."
"With that, I formally declare war on the Fourth Kazekage."
The entire crowd froze.
A missing nin wanted to return and become Kazekage?
The absurdity of it left everyone speechless.
-------------
Rasa stared at Sasori with a dark expression.
It was already troublesome enough that he had fallen out with Pakura, one of Sunagakure's heroes. Now this rogue ninja had jumped in as well.
And although Sasori of the Red Sand was a missing nin, his background was anything but simple. His grandmother, Chiyo, and his uncle, Ebizo, were both senior advisors of Sunagakure. That gave him influence no ordinary rogue ninja could ever hope to match.
If Sasori were truly willing to return to the village, then with the support of those two old figures, he could easily gather a considerable amount of backing.
Back then, after Sasori defected, Chiyo felt she had failed the village. Out of guilt, she voluntarily gave up much of her power and entered semi retirement. Ebizo did the same.
That was precisely why Rasa had been able to stabilize his position so quickly after the Third Kazekage disappeared and he ascended as the Fourth Kazekage.
If Chiyo and Ebizo had been the ruthless sort, like Danzo in Konoha, then Rasa might have ended up no better than Minato Namikaze, a Hokage in name who could not even fully control his own Anbu.
Still, even in retirement, Ebizo retained influence over Sunagakure's intelligence network and commanded a large number of spies across various nations.
As for Chiyo, she was one of the few Kage level fighters left in Sunagakure. In terms of pure strength, she was not much weaker than Rasa himself.
If those two old monsters truly chose to stand behind Sasori of the Red Sand, then even Rasa would have to admit that his own position would be threatened.
Especially now that Pakura also seemed to be standing on Sasori's side.
If even Sunagakure's hero backed Sasori, then that force could no longer be ignored.
After a brief silence, Rasa suddenly spoke.
"Sasori, I am pleased that you wish to become the Fifth Kazekage."
His tone softened, but everyone present could hear the calculation behind it.
"You can return to the village first. Work hard, rebuild trust, earn everyone's recognition, and then you will be qualified to compete for the position of the Fifth Kazekage."
"Sunagakure cannot afford internal conflict right now. I hope you will not challenge me, the Fourth Kazekage, to a duel."
The moment Chiyo sensed the shift in Rasa's attitude, she immediately stepped forward and looked at Sasori with obvious concern.
"Sasori, listen to me. Do not go any further."
She knew very well that if those two truly fought, one of them would die.
And whether it was Sasori or Rasa, neither death was something Chiyo or Sunagakure could afford.
Sasori was her grandson.
Rasa, meanwhile, possessed Magnet Release: Gold Dust, an ability that had become one of Sunagakure's most important financial pillars. The poor village could not do without him.
But Sasori did not waver at all.
"Only the strongest is qualified to become Kage."
His cold voice echoed from inside Hiruko.
"Or are you saying the Fourth Kazekage has no confidence in his own strength?"
Upon hearing that, Rasa's expression turned even uglier.
Since gentle words would not work, then he would simply destroy every road left open to Sasori.
"Sasori," Rasa said coldly, "the disappearance of the Third Kazekage... wasn't it connected to you?"
The moment those words fell, the entire area seemed to freeze.
There had always been rumors surrounding the Third Kazekage's disappearance, but no one had ever dared say it so directly.
In truth, there had long been traces pointing toward Sasori. Yet those traces had been quietly buried by Chiyo and Ebizo. Only after Rasa became Kazekage did he piece together enough clues to confirm his suspicion.
And now, whether Sasori had truly killed the Third Kazekage or not no longer mattered.
Rasa had already decided to nail that crime to him completely.
If he could tie Sasori and Pakura together as traitors to Sunagakure, then he could expel them both from the village, or better yet, kill them on the spot.
Under countless stunned gazes, Sasori did not deny it.
Instead, he calmly summoned the Third Kazekage puppet.
The moment that puppet appeared, the expressions of everyone in Sunagakure changed drastically.
Sasori's voice remained as cold as ever.
"Yes. I was the one who killed the Third Kazekage."
"Sunagakure had no need for such a weak Kage."
"Back then, because of his incompetence, Konoha's shinobi invaded Sunagakure. Countless people died. My parents were among them."
"And now the Fourth Kazekage has actually chosen to ally with Konoha, our former enemy. It is laughable."
"Worse still, because the daimyo of the Land of Wind kept cutting the village's budget and reducing the number of shinobi, the great Kazekage had no choice but to sift gold dust in the desert just to support the village."
"He is nothing but a useless man."
His tone grew sharper with every word.
"So today, my lord, Brook, will destroy the daimyo's residence of the Land of Wind, take back its wealth and power, make Pakura the Queen of the Land of Wind, and I will become the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure and lead this village to greatness."
The entire crowd exploded into chaos.
"What?!"
"You killed the Third Kazekage?!"
"He wants to destroy the daimyo's residence?"
"Pakura as queen? Sasori as the Fifth Kazekage? Has he gone mad?!"
The shinobi of Sunagakure were completely shaken.
Chiyo and Ebizo both turned deathly pale.
So it really had been Sasori.
There was no longer any room left for compromise. From this day onward, even if they wanted to protect him, Sasori would never be able to return to the village as one of its own again.
Even the two of them would be dragged down by this revelation.
Rasa's pupils also tightened.
He had long guessed that Sasori was the culprit, but he had never imagined that Sasori had not only killed the Third Kazekage, but had even turned him into a puppet.
And what was this nonsense about destroying the daimyo's residence?
Were they actually planning to strike at the Land of Wind's ruling center?
But since Sasori had already said this much in public, Rasa knew exactly what he had to do next.
"Sasori of the Red Sand," Rasa declared, his voice ringing across the battlefield, "your crime of murdering the Third Kazekage is unforgivable. From this day on, Sunagakure will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"
Then his gaze shifted to Pakura.
"Pakura, you have colluded with Sasori of the Red Sand, the murderer of the Third Kazekage. In the name of the Fourth Kazekage, I hereby declare you an S rank missing nin of Sunagakure!"
He raised his hand sharply.
"All Anbu and all shinobi of Sunagakure, hear my command!"
"Kill these two traitors with everything you have!"
There would be no duel.
As the Kazekage, he had no intention of gambling his life in a one on one fight.
He would crush them with numbers.
After all, Sasori had proven beyond question that he could kill even the Third Kazekage. That meant he absolutely had the ability to kill Rasa as well.
And Rasa knew very well that the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release: Iron Sand had always been considered even stronger than his own Gold Dust.
No matter how Sasori had done it, the result alone was enough to make Rasa wary.
The instant the order was given, large numbers of puppeteers and Sand shinobi moved.
Puppets spread across the battlefield. Sand Release techniques surged up from the ground.
A vast encirclement formed around the three intruders.
Sasori let out a cold sneer.
"So you don't even have the courage to fight me one on one, Rasa. You really are trash."
He sent the Third Kazekage puppet forward.
The Iron Sand that accompanied it was the natural nemesis of countless puppet masters, and Magnet Release itself was terrifying in battle.
Pakura also stepped forward, her face ice cold.
"Today's grudge is between Rasa and me."
"If any of you insist on getting in the way, then do not blame me for showing no mercy."
Four massive blazing spheres floated behind her back.
Once Pakura's Scorch Release was unleashed, any enemy below Jonin level would die on contact, their bodies turned into dried husks.
Nearby, Pakura's apprentice, Maki, stood frozen in place.
She could not believe that her teacher had become the enemy of the village.
She did not want to raise a hand against Pakura.
As for Chiyo and Ebizo, their expressions were indescribably complicated. Neither of them moved.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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