"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"
A series of deafening explosions erupted across Sunagakure, one after another, shaking the entire village.
Moments later, an even more thunderous blast tore through the night, its towering flames lighting up nearly half the village in a blazing glow.
Deep within Sunagakure, however, a middle-aged shinobi wearing a black mask seemed utterly indifferent to the chaos. As if the explosions were nothing more than distant noise, he remained focused on performing a mysterious technique on a young Sunagakure ninja before him.
Under the pale moonlight, countless fine needles—so small they were barely visible—glimmered faintly with a cold, silver sheen as they slowly pierced into the young man's brain…
"Even for me, using this technique isn't easy," the masked man said, his voice low and hoarse.
"…Who are you?" the young ninja suddenly asked as his eyes fluttered open, confusion clouding his expression.
He struggled to grasp the fragments of his lost memories—
But the next moment, he clutched his head in pain.
"I… who am I?"
"You are Yura. My subordinate. An excellent spy planted within Sunagakure."
"…Is that so…"
"Everything you need is here—your mission, your identity, and the method to contact me." The masked man casually tossed a few sheets of paper toward him.
"Memorize them. Then destroy them. Don't forget—you are an exceptional spy."
"Yes…"
Yura scanned through the documents at astonishing speed, committing every detail to memory before immediately destroying them.
He then lifted his gaze.
Above him, the moon was slowly being swallowed by thick clouds, plunging the village back into darkness.
Ever since regaining consciousness, the truth of everything seemed veiled—like the sky itself—hidden behind layers of shadow, leaving a growing weight of doubt in his heart.
He hesitated, then asked, "But… why have I lost my memories, sir?"
As an elite spy, how could he have made such a fatal mistake as losing his memory?
"Heh… take a look around you."
"…This—"
Only then did Yura realize—
Around them lay eight corpses.
All were Konoha shinobi.
Judging by their attire, two of them had even been jōnin.
"You were exposed. That squad of Konoha ninja ambushed you, causing your memory loss," the masked man explained calmly. "If I hadn't arrived in time…"
"Thank you, sir!" Yura immediately dropped to one knee, bowing his head in sincere gratitude.
"Do not make the same mistake twice. Next time… you know the consequences."
"Yes! Understood!" Yura paused, then looked up again. "May I ask your name, sir?"
"Sasori… of the Red Sand."
At last, the lingering doubts in Yura's mind seemed to settle.
Just then, the clouds slowly drifted away, and moonlight once again bathed the earth in a pale glow.
Sasori suddenly turned his gaze into the distance, his tone laced with faint disdain.
"Another rat has shown up."
"Sir… that is…"
Under the silvery light of the moon, a figure could be seen crouching atop a utility pole in the distance—motionless, a long sword strapped across his back.
"If the moon hadn't come out just now, even I might not have noticed him."
"A cunning little rat."
Sasori's eyes darkened.
Though he couldn't make out the figure's face, the instincts he had honed through countless life-and-death battles told him everything he needed to know—
A sharp, piercing gaze was locked onto him from within the shadows.
An invisible pressure settled over the area.
It was the gaze of a hunter.
The same cold, calculating look he himself had used when dealing with those eight Konoha shinobi earlier.
No reinforcements… acting alone? Could he be Konoha as well?
Before the thought could fully form—
The figure on the pole vanished.
A surge of danger flooded Sasori's senses. His pupils contracted sharply.
Damn—it's already too late!
From the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of blue light—
In an instant, a steel tail shot out from his back, extending like the deadly stinger of a scorpion, thrusting straight toward that streak of light.
"Clang—!"
The piercing sound of metal colliding rang out sharply in the stillness of the night.
"Heh… quick on your feet," Sasori sneered, as if he had casually blocked the attack.
But beneath that calm exterior—
His heart was already in turmoil.
Despite the distance between them, the man had appeared behind him in the blink of an eye.
Such terrifying speed was beyond anything he had ever seen.
Who… is this?
When Sasori turned around, he finally saw clearly—
Another Konoha shinobi.
"Yura, go back first. Don't disappoint me again."
"Yes, sir!"
Yura cast one last glance at the Konoha ninja—who looked to be about his own age—before vanishing into the darkness.
Sasori's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of surprise flickering across his face. "I thought you'd make a move."
Letting Yura escape had been deliberate. It was a trap—an attempt to bait the opponent into revealing an opening he could exploit.
Yet the other party hadn't taken the bait at all.
"Tell me how you're controlling that Sunagakure ninja," Shimizu Uzuki said calmly. "Do that, and I'll spare your life."
So he had been watching from the start.
Which meant…
Yura's identity was already exposed.
Then he has to die—before Sunagakure reinforcements arrive.
Unbelievable… even planting a few spies while their defenses are weak is turning out this troublesome.
"You've got quite the nerve… who do you think you are?" Sasori replied coldly.
So what if he was fast? Did he really think he could break through Hiruko's defenses?
"Shimizu Uzuki."
With that, Shimizu casually raised his right hand.
"Never heard of you," Sasori said, maintaining his guard while already calculating how to land even a single hit on an opponent with such extreme speed. After all, one scratch—just one—would be enough. His poison would do the rest.
Then—
A flash of blue light.
Sasori didn't even react.
Thud.
He slowly lowered his gaze.
At his chest—
A blackened hole smoldered faintly.
Hiruko… was pierced so easily…
"Can we talk now?" Shimizu asked.
Hiruko: Needle Eight Waves!
Without warning, Sasori unleashed a barrage of poisoned needles and barbed projectiles from his mouth. At such close range, their speed had always been inescapable.
But—
A wall of blue water surged up instantly, spinning at high speed and deflecting every single projectile.
The poisoned needles clattered uselessly to the ground.
For the first time—
Sasori was truly shaken.
In the span of just a few breaths, everything he thought he knew about combat had been overturned.
Unheard-of speed.
Lightning Release techniques without hand seals.
Water Release defenses without hand seals.
And it still wasn't over.
Shimizu's right hand suddenly blazed with brilliant lightning, accompanied by the sharp, piercing chirp of countless birds.
Another jutsu—
Again, without hand seals.
Just who… is this man?
"So," Shimizu said evenly, "can we talk now?"
He glanced at the crackling blade of lightning in his hand, sounding almost troubled. "As you can see… this technique tends to draw attention."
Sasori's heart churned violently.
After a long moment of inner struggle, he finally lowered his guard. The massive steel tail slowly retracted back into his body.
"…What do you want to talk about?" he asked in a low voice.
"Good. Then I'll explain."
"My mission is to uncover what happened to those eight missing comrades. Unfortunately, the dead don't come back."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"How did you do it? Controlling someone that easily… that's a secret technique, isn't it?"
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"I happen to be interested in that technique of yours. Teach it to me, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened."
He paused, then added lightly,
"Oh, and I won't expose Yura as a spy to Sunagakure either. After all… the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Shimizu's tone remained calm, almost casual.
But the meaning behind his words was unmistakable.
"This is a win-win deal, don't you think?"
Finally, his voice turned serious.
"Think carefully before you answer."
His lightning blade crackled softly in the night.
"So—what will it be?"
"A deal… or death?"