"And his final unwillingness and vexation were also faked to mislead you, to make you not pay attention to what was behind him."
Yahiko shook his head then. This was an impromptu tactic, and he hadn't expected it to be quite effective.
Yahiko believed Sasori was the most talented puppet master in Sunagakure, and even if he acted modest, he surely harbored pride within him, which was why Yahiko used this trick.
Sasori listened to what his Master said, and a hint of wariness entered his gaze as he looked at Yahiko.
This fellow seemed honest and shy, acting all righteous, but why was he so underhanded in combat? He even resorted to emotional warfare!
"Alright, I lost this time, but in the arena match, I definitely won't lose to you!"
Yahiko scratched his head. He had initially debated whether to use this kind of tactic, and now it seemed he really shouldn't have.
He had suddenly ignited Sasori's fighting spirit, and the arena match would surely be a tough one.
But it didn't matter; he was very happy to accept Sasori's challenge.
"Alright, then let's settle the score in the arena match!"
The two of them forged some mysterious bond, but Konan, on the other hand, was truly left out.
She was also supposed to have a sparring match, so why had they abandoned her so casually?
Konan looked at Torifu with a wronged expression, but Torifu merely smiled.
He cast a healing jutsu towards Sasori, and instantly all the fatigue and exhaustion within him recovered.
Sasori looked at Torifu in confusion, wondering why the Hokage-sama was healing him, and then he saw Konan, whose face was full of fighting spirit, standing behind Torifu.
It was then that he realized he had forgotten about another opponent.
After profusely apologizing, he went onto the battlefield with Konan.
However, to everyone's surprise, Konan defeated Sasori with great ease.
Even the Kazekage, who had previously been as still as an ancient well, was stunned. Yahiko had defeated his disciple using tactics.
But this young girl had defeated Sasori entirely through sheer strength, leaving him with no ability to retaliate.
"This… Hokage-sama, what kind of path does this disciple of yours follow? She seems to use paper?"
Torifu was also somewhat surprised by this result, but he quickly adjusted and replied to the Kazekage.
"That's right, my disciple has loved origami since childhood, so from the moment she began training, I cultivated her ability to develop ninjutsu. Clearly, she's been quite promising."
The Kazekage took a deep breath. She had started learning ninjutsu development right from the beginning of her training.
That meant from the age of six…
What kind of monsters were these?!
Moreover, these ninjutsu seemed to have no reference points at all, did they? In other words, this young girl's ninjutsu was entirely imagined and developed by herself.
She truly was a genius among geniuses, not inferior at all to this Yahiko fellow.
Even more outrageous was that the paper she used was fire-proof, wind-proof, and knife-proof!
The Kazekage now didn't know what else to say.
His eldest disciple, Sasori, felt the same way.
Sasori was quite dazed after being defeated. He was on stage for less than five minutes before being taken down by a combo.
He didn't even know what ninjutsu this ninja named Konan had released; he just lost in a daze.
She could fly, puppets were useless against her, and her paper was incredibly sturdy—it couldn't be cut or burned. She completely countered him.
Torifu saw Sasori's bewildered expression, cast another healing jutsu on him, and then comforted him.
"Don't be discouraged, your strength is considerable; it's just that Konan's ninjutsu has a certain counter-effect on you."
Although he received comfort, Sasori felt not an ounce better.
Even if it was a counter, it wasn't a counter like this, was it? He couldn't even retaliate.
However, he was still convinced: "I understand, Hokage-sama. Konan's strength is very great, and I am completely convinced."
Torifu patted Sasori's head, then led everyone back to the front courtyard's pavilion.
Torifu and the Kazekage sat, while the three disciples stood outside.
"Since I said earlier that I would give you rewards regardless of winning or losing, I will not go back on my word."
The Kazekage glanced at Torifu out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know what reward the Hokage would bring out, or if Sasori would receive a share.
Torifu probed his consciousness into his ring, rummaged around, and quickly retrieved two items.
They were two herbs, shaped like flowers. One had sapphire-blue petals still adorned with water droplets, while the other was green and looked unremarkable, but occasionally emitted gusts of wind.
The Kazekage was also confused by these two items, unsure what they were.
"These two flowers are rare medicinal herbs that enhance wind and water chakra attributes. I obtained them from the Kumogakure village treasury when I destroyed them back then."
"Yahiko, Konan, these are for you."
Good heavens, items obtained when Kumogakure was destroyed. This instantly energized the Kazekage, and Sasori, for some reason, stood even straighter.
But this was merely a lie Torifu had concocted. Its purpose was to show off?
"Thank you, Master!" Konan and Yahiko happily accepted the herbs. They naturally knew their Master's words were fabricated, as Torifu would reward them with herbs from time to time.
If they were truly from Kumogakure, they would have been used up years ago.
Upon hearing the effects of these two flowers, Sasori was also very envious, but he didn't harbor extravagant hopes. After all, how could such valuable items be given to him?
"Sasori, what is your primary attribute?"
Torifu suddenly asked, catching Sasori off guard.
"Huh?"
Then he reacted excitedly! Could it be that there truly was a share for him?!
"Hokage-sama! My primary attribute is wind!"
Torifu nodded, then took out a small nine-leaf herb. "This increases wind affinity and can also increase your internal chakra capacity. It's for you."
Before Sasori could say anything, the Kazekage spoke first: "Hokage-sama, you should keep such precious herbs for your own disciples. If Konan received this herb, her future development would surely be even greater!"
The Kazekage actually desired it greatly. If Sasori consumed this kind of herb, his strength and potential would definitely increase significantly!
As his teacher, how could he not be tempted, but he also had to say these polite words.
If the Hokage truly intended to give it, then these words wouldn't affect anything. If the Hokage was only pretending to offer it, and Sasori accepted it directly, that would be awkward.
To the Kazekage's delight, Torifu did not take the herb back. "The Kazekage jokes. Since this item was already intended to be given, there's no reason to take it back."
Then he looked at Sasori: "Just take it without worry. After consuming it, see if you can defeat Konan and Yahiko in the arena match."
Sasori didn't hesitate and directly took the nine-leaf herb. The moment the herb touched his hand, both Sasori's heart and the Kazekage's heart settled.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama, I will do my best in the arena match."