After defecting from Sunagakure, Sasori of the Red Sand had effectively been on a spur-of-the-moment journey, wandering throughout the shinobi world.
That said, he still cared about his own safety. There were places he would never enter recklessly.
For example—deep within the Land of Fire.
Even now, he had only been fighting along the border. But judging from the current situation of the Third Great Ninja War, this sector of the Rain Country wasn't actually that far from the frontline where Jiraiya was stationed.
Considering the strength of the Toad Sage—and Sasori's own status—if news of his presence in the Land of Fire leaked out, Jiraiya might truly mobilize.
If possible, Sasori did not want to clash with that kind of shinobi at this stage.
This wasn't because he lacked confidence in his strength. Rather, it was something far simpler:
He did not want to fight a Kage-level opponent while in an imperfect state.
If he had already completed his full puppet transformation—using the core regeneration system to control his body and achieve so-called eternal life—then he would not have retreated.
He would have pursued Hagoromo relentlessly.
Not out of hatred.
But out of an artist's obsessive pursuit of material.
Because of elemental compatibility, Sasori's strongest "toy"—the Third Kazekage puppet—had been almost completely neutralized against Shiraishi Hagoromo's pseudo–Magnet Release abilities.
And his ultimate technique, Performance of a Hundred Puppets, had not yet fully matured. With the number of puppets he currently controlled, Sasori could probably only bring out about half of his true combat potential.
Hagoromo, of course, knew none of this.
But Sasori's decision not to cling stubbornly to the fight still made Hagoromo breathe a sigh of relief.
The pressure exerted by an S-rank missing-nin was no joke. That was precisely why Hagoromo had chosen to fight while retreating toward the Konoha frontline, rather than heading directly to the rendezvous point agreed upon with his squad.
Direction aside, he was still far from actually reaching the frontline. The intent alone was enough to deter Sasori's pursuit.
Hagoromo believed that a shinobi like Sasori would know exactly where large numbers of Konoha ninja were concentrated.
Judging by the result—
He had guessed correctly.
Sasori did not pursue further.
From start to finish, Hagoromo's objective had never been to fight Sasori to the death—only to escape him.
This battle had been largely reactive, and in truth, Hagoromo hadn't gone all-out. As long as it wasn't a true life-or-death situation, he had no intention of revealing his final trump cards. Maintaining psychological leverage mattered.
If he had relied purely on being a "normal ninja," he would have been nothing more than delivery food.
After all, Sasori wasn't exactly a classmate without a backstory.
This encounter had been completely unexpected. Fortunately, it hadn't caused any irreparable losses.
Sending his teammates away first had been the correct decision—Hagoromo simply couldn't protect them while fighting someone like Sasori.
The rain muffled the mechanical clack-clack sounds of the puppets. Sasori's presence quickly faded, leaving only shattered puppet remains scattered across the ground.
One detail stood out.
When Sasori retreated, he didn't immediately retrieve all of his puppets. Instead, he let them form a protective screen around him.
Clearly, he wasn't stupid—or blind.
He was wary of Hagoromo's final technique.
Its name was unknown, but its power, speed, lethality, and destructive force were nearly flawless.
The range was exceptionally long as well. A shinobi like Sasori could estimate at a glance that its maximum effective range was around fifty meters.
Sasori was the kind of shinobi who had seen Tailed Beast Bombs firsthand.
Compared to that technique, a Tailed Beast Bomb possessed vastly greater raw destructive energy, longer range, and was clearly a village-destroying strategic weapon.
In comparison:
Tailed Beast Bomb
Strategic anti-city weapon
Effective casualties: 1000+
Range: 1000+
Hagoromo's Lightning Release
Anti-personnel weapon
Effective casualties: 1
Range: ~50 meters
But in terms of quality?
Both were firmly A++.
If one had to describe it—
Compared to a Tailed Beast Bomb, the Lightning Release was far more piercing.
Imagine that thing hitting a human body. Any shinobi—regardless of level—would explode spectacularly. If you didn't believe it, you could drag out the First Hokage and let him take one head-on, just to see whether that legendary regeneration could kick in before he burst.
Of course, all of this assumed the attack actually landed.
Tailed Beast Bombs were terrifying, yet how many top-tier shinobi had they really killed? Statistically speaking, they probably claimed fewer lives than two generations of fathers and sons—or three generations of masters and disciples—killed by knockoff blue pills and discount techniques.
From certain perspectives, unless absolutely necessary, firing off ultimate moves wasn't always more effective than throwing a single kunai.
After confirming Sasori's withdrawal, Hagoromo finally wrapped things up and headed toward the rendezvous point.
Although his teammates had left on a summoned bird—and although the battle with Sasori had delayed him for hours—considering Asuma's injuries and the dangers outside, Hagoromo judged that they wouldn't have rushed to leave.
They were likely still hiding at the base.
Submitting the mission report quickly was important—but staying alive mattered more.
In the pouring rain, Hagoromo confirmed his bearings and set off once again.
The only real upside of encountering Sasori was that it clarified Pakura's true purpose for infiltrating the Land of Rain.
Though it was unclear how she'd obtained Sasori's whereabouts, she had clearly been sent to hunt the missing-nin.
Unfortunately—
Her mission had been interrupted by Akatsuki.
Or perhaps fortunately.
Otherwise, Sunagakure's "hero" would likely have died at the hands of its most infamous traitor.
At this point, Hagoromo possessed an enormous amount of high-priority intelligence—the kind that demanded immediate reporting.
Given its significance, rewards aside, Hagoromo Squad would almost certainly receive a substantial bonus beyond standard mission pay.
Performance metrics mattered—even for ninja.
After wandering for several hours, Hagoromo finally returned to the hideout.
He didn't enter immediately.
Instead, he pressed his index and middle fingers together and placed them between his lips—
A sharp whistle rang out.
He needed to avoid friendly fire.
Moments later, a matching signal answered from inside the concealed tree hollow.
Hagoromo relaxed.
The team was here—and unharmed.
He stepped forward and removed the camouflage covering the entrance.
Kurenai Yūhi.
Sarutobi Asuma.
Yamashiro Aoba.
All present.
When they saw Hagoromo, they visibly relaxed.
Though he looked battered—and his appearance had changed drastically—
He now looked like a gourd-bearing warrior.
More specifically… Black Gourd Brother.
Still, he was alive.
That was all that mattered.
Earlier, when Hagoromo had chosen to stay behind alone to face Sasori, it wasn't that the team doubted his ability. The gap was simply too large.
It had been assumed—quite reasonably—to be a self-sacrificial decision.
They had grieved.
Only to see him walk back hours later.
Before anyone could ask questions, Hagoromo spoke first.
"We've obtained critical intelligence. We need to report to headquarters immediately. We're moving out—now."
As he spoke, he glanced at Asuma.
The man's wounds had clearly been treated again.
Again? Why did that word feel so appropriate?
"Get—"
Hagoromo stopped himself just in time.
"…Yamashiro. Carry Asuma."
Yamashiro Aoba nodded, stood up, and hoisted Asuma over his shoulder with little ceremony.
It definitely pulled at the wounds.
Painful.
If possible, Asuma would've preferred to be carried by a woman.
Unfortunately—
Even in the realm of if, that particular "if" did not exist.
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