Chiyo was somewhat proud; Sasori was not only her grandson but also her most prized disciple.
Even Chiyo was no match for his Puppet Technique.
Chiyo jumped down, eager to embrace Sasori.
"Sasori, you brat, where have you been for the past three years?"
Chiyo didn't think the Sasori before her was an impostor.
Because this person was controlling ten Chunin and Jonin using only the Chakra Puppet Strings released from his ten fingers.
Only a high-level Puppeteer could achieve this.
Furthermore, this person's Chakra was exactly Sasori's Chakra.
Chiyo wouldn't sense it wrong; this was her grandson.
Chiyo suddenly embraced Sasori: "It's good that you're back."
"..."
Ryou could even feel Chiyo's uncontrollable tears; this poor old woman was weeping with joy because of Sasori's return to the Village.
Yes, the Sasori at this moment was an impostor played by Ryou.
Ryou had transplanted Sasori's regeneration core into his own body, devouring the other's Chakra and using the unique Transformation Technique of White Zetsu cells to impersonate Sasori.
White Zetsu's Transformation Technique was the strongest form of transformation; even the Byakugan couldn't hope to see through its authenticity.
Only malice sensing could determine the truth.
Sunagakure had no Byakugan, let alone malice sensing; it was impossible for them to distinguish that the Sasori before them was an impostor played by Ryou.
Ryou had even simulated his Chakra to look like Sasori's, all to deceive and sneak attack this nearly 60-year-old woman of Sunagakure.
Ryou mocked Sasori in his heart: "Sasori, see that? Your grandmother is so happy about your return to the Village."
Sasori snorted: "Boring emotions."
Ryou could feel a touch of warmth in Sasori's heart; the only person in this world Sasori still cared about was this grandmother who had taught him the Puppet Technique.
Back to reality.
Ryou acted as Sasori; Sasori had always been a man of few words and lived alone in the Village.
He came and went alone, never keeping company with others.
He even maintained a cold face toward Chiyo.
This was not how a grandson should behave.
But this was Sasori of the Red Sand.
Most of these creatures are solitary, not social beings, lacking "group emotions" like those of ants or bees.
They have a strong sense of territory; encounters usually result in competition or predation, with only brief interactions during breeding, child-rearing, or overwintering.
Sasori of the Red Sand was not just Sasori's title, but also his style of conduct, which was just like a scorpion.
Cold, proud, and solitary.
It could be said that his personality was the opposite of Ryou's.
Ryou pushed Chiyo away: "Enough, old woman, I didn't come back for a reunion with you."
Ryou treating Chiyo this way actually made her more certain that Ryou was Sasori.
Because Sasori's personality was like this; he didn't like expressing his emotions in public.
Chiyo wasn't angry either; she stroked Sasori's head lovingly and said, "Life outside must have been difficult! You haven't grown an inch."
"Sasori, now that you're back, don't leave again."
"Come, let's enter the Village! The Demon Desert is very cold at night."
Ryou pretended to have that cold face of Sasuke's, being neither close nor distant, only entering the Pass after Chiyo pulled him along.
The Sunagakure Ninja were all very happy because Sasori's Puppet Technique was the best in Sunagakure; this was the talent of a Kage.
Moreover, he had the ability to make others stronger.
Sasori was a Puppeteer, and specifically one skilled in crafting puppets.
In the past, Sasori was the master puppet maker of the Village in Sunagakure.
For example, the three high-quality puppets currently in the Sunagakure: the offensive puppet Crow, the capturing puppet Black Ant, and the defensive puppet Salamander.
These three major puppets were all made by Sasori, and many Puppeteers wanted to obtain the rights to use them.
With Sasori back, the strength of Sunagakure's Puppeteers could reach a higher level.
Entering the Pass, the surrounding light was somewhat dim.
But with a Ninja's vision, they could still clearly see each other.
Chiyo introduced Rasa to Ryou: "Sasori, this is the Village's Fourth Kazekage, Rasa."
Ryou looked at Rasa.
Rasa had neat, short brown hair, sharp black eyes, and a rather cold, stern face; he was clearly someone who didn't joke around.
He wore the white Kazekage uniform with a black mesh undershirt.
Most peculiar was that his eyes had no eyebrows.
Ryou's impression of Rasa was that of a genuine dog Kazekage, a beast among beasts; his son would definitely have no eyebrows.
Although in the original work it was Chiyo who suggested Gaara become the Jinchuriki of Shukaku, Rasa was the one who made the final decision.
While Karura was pregnant, he had Shukaku sealed into the fetus, causing Karura to have a difficult birth and die from exhaustion.
After Gaara was determined to be a failed Jinchuriki, he tried every possible way to get rid of him, even ordering Gaara's closest uncle, Yashamaru, to assassinate him.
He also lied, saying Karura hated Gaara, completely driving Gaara toward darkness.
Then there was the matter of Pakura, sacrificing the Village's hero in exchange for peace with Kirigakure, betraying his own comrade.
No matter how you looked at it, he was a dog Kazekage through and through.
But at the same time, he was also a pathetic, unlucky fellow.
His term began after the Third Kazekage passed away and during the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War, facing the threat of attacks from other Ninja Villages.
It was already quite good that Rasa could protect Sunagakure from being destroyed.
The Land of Wind's Daimyo was also a terrible teammate, constantly reducing the number of Sunagakure Ninja and military funding, leading to a continuous decline in Sunagakure's combat power.
Rasa had no choice but to use Magnet Release to collect gold dust as funds for the Village.
In the original work, he teamed up with Orochimaru's Hidden Sound Village to launch the Konoha Crush, but was killed by Orochimaru halfway through.
He hadn't even entered the gates of Konoha before being backstabbed by Orochimaru.
After his death, his body was even made into an Edo Tensei body and used by others.
Overall, he was highly capable, taking on the heavy responsibility of protecting the Village in a crisis after the Third Kazekage disappeared.
When his funding was cut by the Land of Wind's Daimyo, he used his Magnet Release to mine gold dust to support the Village's economy.
Whether for public or private reasons, he had made great contributions to Sunagakure.
But he was also a thorough utilitarian with ruthless methods, even willing to get rid of his own flesh and blood.
Rasa could be said to be a person with an extremely complex character and full of contradictions.
This was Ryou's impression of Rasa.
What about Sasori's impression of Rasa?
Sasori's chances of becoming the Fourth Kazekage were actually not much higher than Rasa's.
His greatest advantage over Rasa was that his grandmother and Granduncle were the Village's Advisors.
He had connections with the high-level officials.
But Rasa was the disciple of the Third Kazekage, taught Magnet Release by the Third Kazekage, and similarly had connections with the high-level officials.
Moreover, Rasa was about ten years older than Sasori, and his Magnet Release: Gold Dust Secret Technique could mine gold from beneath the desert.
If Rasa hadn't become the Fourth Kazekage and hadn't treated the gold dust as the Village's property, he would have been the wealthiest person in the Land of Wind long ago.
On the contrary, it was precisely because he became this Kazekage that Rasa's life was filled with failure and tragedy.
Sasori had the collective support of the Puppeteers, while Rasa also had a large group of Ninja following him.
Sasori's impression of Rasa was that he was the Third Kazekage's disciple, an Elite Jonin of the Village.
He didn't think much of him.
He had even killed the Third Kazekage, so how could he think much of a Fourth Kazekage who was inferior to the Third Kazekage?