In the Land of Claws.
Inside a cave near the border, a red-haired boy who looked no older than his early teens sat with his head lowered, deftly assembling a pile of scattered parts.
His movements were swift, almost mechanical, as if he needed no thought at all. In just a few short minutes, he finished assembling a puppet.
He casually draped a layer of tattered clothing over it to conceal the mechanisms hidden within, then unfurled a summoning scroll and sealed it away.
"One hundred human puppets completed. I won't have to worry about money for a while…"
A faint smile curved his lips. He then walked to a massive table and began sketching rapidly with a brush.
"The flesh is weak; machinery ascends."
"My eternal art… I will unveil it before the entire ninja world!"
He muttered to himself. Just as his words fell, a rumble echoed from outside the cave.
A ninja rushed in, flustered and pale. "Lord Sasori, something terrible has happened! Two people just arrived outside—both of them look extremely dangerous. Our men have already been killed—"
Before he could finish, a venomous snake had already sunk its fangs into his neck.
"Lord Sasori… save me…"
Sasori paid no heed to the plea. He flicked a poisoned kunai, pinning the snake to the ground.
Swiftly tidying up the cave, he then concealed himself within Hiruko and walked toward the cave entrance.
————
"Yuzuru-kun, is the person you mentioned hiding here?"
"I'm afraid you might be disappointed this time. Judging by the quality of the subordinates he trained, I can already tell what sort of trash he is."
Orochimaru ran his tongue along a blood-stained kunai, his eyes filled with disdain as he looked at the cave ahead.
Yuzuru stood quietly at his side, his black hair fluttering in the wind.
Soon, a faint rustling sound echoed from within.
A hunched old man with a grotesque face emerged before them.
Upon seeing Orochimaru and Yuzuru, the old man's pupils shrank slightly. In a low, heavy voice, he said, "Yuzuru… Orochimaru…"
"You've come looking for me. What is it you want?"
Orochimaru let out a cold laugh at the sight of Hiruko. "Survive me first. Only then will you have the right to discuss terms."
As his voice fell, dozens of venomous snakes burst from the ground and latched onto Hiruko.
"That's all?"
The smile had yet to fade from Orochimaru's face when Hiruko, seemingly unaffected by the poison, opened its mouth and spat out dozens of dull, dark-purple senbon.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A gale roared forth, scattering the needles.
Orochimaru's gaze was scornful. "Puppets are the easiest things to deal with."
He dashed forward, chakra blades forming in his hands as he slashed rapidly around Hiruko's body.
Yet Hiruko showed no sign of damage. A tail resembling that of a venomous scorpion shot out and pierced straight into Orochimaru's body.
Orochimaru's form retreated rapidly, then collapsed to the ground, mouth gaping wide.
In the next instant, like a snake shedding its skin, he crawled out from the hollow shell of his own body, slick with dripping fluid.
Seeing this, Hiruko's aged and low voice sounded again. "Disgusting."
"No… there are no chakra strings controlling it…"
Orochimaru paid no mind to the taunt. Instead, he frowned in thought.
He had just attacked the puppet from every conceivable angle with chakra scalpels, yet it continued to move and counterattack. That could only mean one thing…
A flicker of interest appeared in Orochimaru's eyes. "So the true body is hidden inside the puppet. How creative."
He licked his lips and charged forward once more.
"Fool."
Hiruko snorted coldly, utterly dismissive.
Against a puppet master, the most effective strategy was either to locate the true body or keep one's distance and destroy the puppet with ninjutsu.
A reckless frontal assault like this was no different from courting death.
"Needle Eight Waves!"
"Thousand Hidden Needles from the Prosthetic Arm!"
Hiruko shielded itself with its tail as mechanisms throughout its body unleashed volleys of senbon and poisonous smoke.
The defense was like an impenetrable iron wall. In an instant, Orochimaru was riddled with needles like a hedgehog.
Bang!
Orochimaru's body crashed to the ground.
Hiruko's gaze shifted to Yuzuru.
But seeing him still standing there with arms crossed, unmoving, an ominous feeling suddenly crept into Sasori's heart.
The next moment, Orochimaru's head burst from beneath the ground, jaws clamped around a long sword, and sliced cleanly through Hiruko's head.
"What is this, straight out of Lovecraft?"
Watching Orochimaru's neck stretch over a dozen meters, the Kusanagi blade clenched between his teeth, Yuzuru couldn't help but mutter.
Earlier, Orochimaru had feigned defeat. In reality, his head had slipped underground and quietly maneuvered beneath his opponent before launching a surprise attack, shattering Hiruko in a single strike.
Even in a world of eldritch horrors, the scene would not have looked out of place.
"The true body really was hidden inside the puppet."
Orochimaru reverted to human form and swallowed the Kusanagi Sword back into his body.
Looking at the red-haired boy before him, Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully. "A ninja born in Konoha Year 32, yet still bearing the appearance of a teenage boy. No wonder Yuzuru said you could assist us with our research."
Sasori remained expressionless. "I have no interest in your so-called research. I seek only to perfect my eternal art."
"If you do not leave now, I will kill you here—even if it means being jointly hunted by the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire."
Sasori was well aware of the state of the ninja world. He knew full well Yuzuru's current standing.
If possible, he truly did not wish to make an enemy of someone like him.
Though confident in his own strength, he had no desire to face the combined pursuit of two great nations alone.
Yet Yuzuru stood silently, as if he had not heard a word.
Orochimaru, however, stepped forward with a faint smile. His voice was cold, thick with killing intent. "Brat, even arrogance has its limits. Do you truly believe you can defeat me?"
"Can you withstand a terror as deep as the abyss?"
At this point, Sasori abandoned any hope of persuading them to leave. He pulled out a sealing scroll and unfurled it.
Bang!
A burst of white smoke dissipated, revealing a towering puppet before them.
"This… is my eternal art—the Human Puppet: Third Kazekage!"