Kankuro stood nearby with an expectant expression on his face.
Temari got a Gunbai toy, so Lord Sasori will definitely give me a puppet toy!
Unexpectedly, Kankuro's gift was delivered by Pakura; she handed him a bag of sand dates.
"Kankuro, here are some sand dates. Children should eat more of this high-fiber fruit."
"..."
Kankuro looked at the sand dates that could be bought anywhere on the roadside, then glanced at the exquisite Gunbai in Temari's hand, which she was currently waving happily.
She seemed to be looking forward to a gale blowing with a single fan stroke.
How can you treat us so differently?
Kankuro wanted to cry, but Pakura slapped him on the head.
"Why haven't you taken it yet? This is a gift from Pakura of the Scorch Release! You're just a little guy who isn't even a Ninja yet, and you're unhappy?"
Kankuro hurriedly and sadly accepted it.
"Sasori, Pakura!"
Hearing the noise outside, Yashamaru supported Karura as they walked out.
It was also the first time Ryou had seen Karura.
Karura had light brownish-tan shoulder-length short hair, with the ends slightly curled inward.
She had clear purple eyes that always held a sense of gentleness and a faint trace of melancholy, and a serene smile often graced the corners of her mouth.
Her temperament was quiet and gentle, like a clear spring in the desert.
Anyone could tell at a glance that she was a virtuous wife and a good mother.
Karura smiled very gently at Ryou: "Sasori, I didn't expect you to come to my house as a guest!"
Even in the past, Sasori had never visited Karura's home; he rarely even went back to his own house, let alone someone else's.
Ryou imitated Sasori's tone to greet Karura.
"Karura, long time no see."
"Yes, Sasori. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed, and both you and Yashamaru have grown so big."
Back when Sasori and Yashamaru were still attending the Ninja Academy, Karura would often go to pick up Yashamaru.
At that time, Karura saw the lonely Sasori; his back was never turned toward the crowd, but instead walked toward solitude, toward the darkness.
Karura possessed a special protective chakra, and it was this protective chakra that gave her a vision different from ordinary people.
From the beginning, she saw that the path Sasori was walking was a dark one; now, Sasori seemed to have stepped out of the darkness and become a sunny, cheerful young man.
"Sasori, it's wonderful that you were able to find your way back!"
"..."
Ryou scratched his head in confusion, not thinking too deeply about Karura's words.
He gave the gifts he had for Karura and Yashamaru to them.
For Karura, it was a gift for her unborn baby—a set of clothes and a large gourd; for Yashamaru, it was a potted lily of the valley.
Both Karura and Yashamaru were very happy after receiving their gifts.
Karura had already started preparing the baby's clothes, but she had been going back and forth, not knowing what style to choose.
But the gift Ryou gave was very cute, and the large gourd was also very beautiful.
Yashamaru really liked the lily of the valley Ryou gave him; flowers were a luxury in Sunagakure, especially such beautifully blooming ones.
For a moment, both siblings felt that Sasori had changed, becoming more human than before.
Everyone was happy, except for Kankuro, who let out a sob and ran back to his room.
The others scratched their heads in confusion, not quite knowing what was wrong with Kankuro.
Only Pakura had a face full of embarrassment.
Feeling helpless, Ryou made another Shukaku toy while on his way to the restroom and brought it to Kankuro; this time, Kankuro stopped crying.
He hugged the Shukaku toy and jumped around happily.
Karura's eyes were entirely on the Shukaku toy, with no mind to look at the clothes prepared for her unborn baby.
"This Shukaku is actually quite cute!"
Yashamaru also nodded and asked Kankuro to come over, placing the Shukaku toy on the table to observe it closely.
Karura had never seen Shukaku; she had stayed by the side of the monk Bunpuku before, but Shukaku was within Bunpuku's seal and didn't usually show its face.
The monk Bunpuku had told Karura that Shukaku wasn't scary; it could think, had feelings, and the most interesting thing about it was its pride.
If you said in front of it that the strength of Tailed Beasts was ranked by the number of tails, Shukaku would definitely lose its temper.
As a Tailed Beast, it certainly had its bad side; Shukaku was extremely irritable, cunning, and held grudges.
If you treated it poorly, it could remember it for a lifetime.
But all of this could be tolerated; the prerequisite for communicating with a Tailed Beast was not to see it as a monster, but as an individual like oneself.
But how could one see Shukaku as an individual like a human?
Even a slight leak of a Tailed Beast's power would leave humans with no peace.
How could a monster with such powerful strength be compared to a human?
Only an enlightened monk like Bunpuku could have the realm of seeing all things as one.
However, all fear stems from the unknown; now, after seeing such a cute Shukaku doll, Karura's fear of Shukaku was no longer so great.
She also didn't feel as much deep-seated hatred toward Rasa's decision to seal Shukaku inside her unborn fetus.
Regardless, Shukaku needed a human body to be sealed.
Karura even planned to leave Kankuro's Shukaku toy for the unborn child; as long as he didn't fear Shukaku, he could communicate with it and become Shukaku's vessel.
Pakura touched the Shukaku toy on the table, her face filled with confusion.
If there were only one Shukaku toy, Pakura could have assumed Ryou had made it beforehand, but he had retrieved a second one so quickly?
Furthermore, the craftsmanship was exactly the same as the first; it was clearly created using some kind of technique.
What technique is related to wood?
Something's not right; this Sasori is definitely not right.
Pakura glanced at Ryou's figure and began to recall every detail of Ryou's entry into Sunagakure.
Because he didn't approve of Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan, Sasori decided to return to the Village to form a team to deal with Madara together.
He had a fight with her and displayed the Hundred Puppet Technique, which exceeded traditional Puppeteer techniques.
At Chiyo's house, he occasionally showed a quirky personality... and now he was full of human warmth, making house calls and bringing gifts.
One should know that the old Sasori was cold as ice, his eyes full of indifference toward life.
And then there was the Shukaku toy made of wood, the freely blooming lily of the valley...
Wood Release!
Pakura narrowed her eyes and turned to look at Ryou, wanting to see his eyes.
A person's eyes do not lie.
But this look was startling, because the other party was staring at her chest and drooling.
The moment Pakura noticed him, he immediately behaved himself and put on a cold, aloof act.
Pervert!
This guy is definitely not that life-disregarding fellow, Sasori.
Instead, he's a big perverted wolf in Sasori's skin.
Pakura didn't expose Ryou immediately because Karura's family was right there.
Temari and Kankuro were children, and Karura was a pregnant woman; a battle absolutely could not break out here.
She also couldn't involve other Ninjas, because with Ryou's Forbidden Jutsu—the Hundred Puppet Technique—ordinary Ninjas would only become his puppets.
Pakura thought about tricking Ryou into a remote place, then exposing him, defeating him, and interrogating him ruthlessly.