Chisuke felt very uncomfortable being hoisted by the collar, but he still nodded heavily. "Teacher, I saw it with my own eyes. There's absolutely no mistake!"
Pakura placed Chisuke back on the ground and vigilantly observed their surroundings. Only after confirming no one was eavesdropping did she slowly speak.
"There are many miraculous Ninjutsu and Genjutsu in the Ninja World; what you see with your own eyes isn't necessarily the truth. You must remember that. Now, tell me exactly what happened, in complete detail."
"I'll remember that, Teacher."
Subsequently, Chisuke recounted the events bit by bit.
A few days ago, while returning to the village after completing a mission, Chisuke had passed by a specific sand dune and happened to see Sasori ambush a Hidden Sand shinobi. However, Sasori didn't kill the target. Afterward, the attacked shinobi seemed to have completely forgotten the memory of the assault; he showed no abnormalities and did not report the attack to the village authorities.
"Teacher, I was also worried I might be wrong or under a Genjutsu, so I observed for several days. Only after confirming I hadn't misseen did I come to report to you."
After listening carefully, Pakura frowned deeply. "Who was the Hidden Sand shinobi that was attacked?"
"I looked into it. His name is Yura."
"Yura?! It was actually him!"
Pakura was genuinely surprised to hear this name. The Chunin Yura was quite capable. She had heard he was set to be promoted to Jonin this year and was considered one of the village's key talents for future cultivation. She hadn't expected him to be so easily subdued and controlled by Sasori.
This guy Sasori... he clearly possesses such great talent and strength, yet he uses it to harm his own comrades. He truly deserves to die!
Pakura immediately stood up, preparing to report directly to the Kazekage, but she was quickly stopped by Chisuke.
"Teacher, wait! Sasori is Chiyo's grandson. Chiyo and Ebizo have a massive amount of political influence in the village. If we don't prepare properly and rashly accuse him to the Kazekage, we might face severe retaliation."
According to Chisuke's cynical plan, Pakura should investigate Sasori in secret and quietly gather more hard evidence of his crimes. Once Sasori committed more and greater offenses, they would then report him to the Kazekage, ideally dragging Chiyo's entire faction down into the mud with him.
In the current Hidden Sand Village, aside from the Kazekage's direct lineage, the strongest political factions were those represented by Chiyo and Rasa. Powerful, independent young ninja like Pakura constituted a third-party force.
If they could strike a fatal blow at Chiyo's faction, it would instantly elevate Pakura's status. As Pakura's loyal disciple, Chisuke would also reap massive benefits. At present, Sasori's single crime of controlling one Chunin might not be significant enough, and Chiyo could easily extricate her grandson using her authority.
However, Pakura directly rejected Chisuke's self-serving logic and even lectured him sternly.
"Chisuke, as Hidden Sand shinobi, we must put the village's collective safety first! We must never allow harm to come to the village for our own political gain. The longer this drags on, the more damage Sasori will cause and the more innocent shinobi will be victimized. This matter cannot be delayed for even a second."
"Yes! Teacher, I will definitely correct my ways!" Chisuke's expression was incredibly solemn, looking like a young man thoroughly reformed.
But in his heart, he was deeply dismissive.
Oh, Teacher. It's precisely because you are too noble and selfless that you met such a tragic fate in the original timeline. When Rasa betrayed you, he didn't think about the village's interests at all, nor did he care that losing you would weaken the Sand's military strength; he only thought about ruthlessly eliminating a political rival.
Chisuke followed Pakura to find the Third Kazekage and recounted the matter regarding Sasori.
The Kazekage took it extremely seriously and was visibly furious.
"Chiyo certainly raised a fine grandson," the Kazekage growled. "With the various Great Shinobi Villages currently restless and preparing for war, for such a vile betrayal to happen internally... damn it!"
The Kazekage realized the severe consequences of this matter and ordered Pakura immediately. "Pakura, Chisuke, you are to place Sasori under strict surveillance. Report any situation directly to me and only me. This is an S-rank mission; you must be incredibly careful."
Because he didn't know how many sleeper agents were involved, nor did he know what role Chiyo actually played in this conspiracy, the Kazekage did not immediately mobilize his direct Anbu subordinates, fearing that too much commotion would alert the enemy.
Of course, once the scope of the impact was confirmed, the Kazekage would definitely strike with thunderous force to resolve the problem ruthlessly. During this time of upheaval in the Ninja World, he would never allow internal hidden dangers to persist.
In the following days, Pakura and Chisuke cautiously monitored Sasori, reporting intelligence piece by piece.
After investigating all aspects, the Kazekage learned that Chiyo was actually not involved and was oblivious to her grandson's actions. He immediately gathered his most trusted elite subordinates and surrounded Sasori directly at his desert stronghold.
Because the mobilization was so swift and covert, many people didn't even know the Kazekage had left the village. It wasn't until half a day later that Chiyo realized the Kazekage and a large number of elites were missing.
Realizing something major was happening, she frantically sent people to search for the Kazekage's trail.
"Heh, I didn't expect to be discovered so quickly. You all aren't as useless as I imagined."
In the scorching desert, Sasori walked out of the stronghold carved into the mountain. Looking at the dozens of aggressive, elite Hidden Sand shinobi before him, he showed absolutely no fear. His eyes were dead and apathetic.
"Sasori! You used forbidden Puppet Techniques to harm the village's ninja! Surrender now, or there will be no mercy!"
The Kazekage stood at the very front of the crowd, his Kazekage robe fluttering violently in the wind. Clusters of dense black Iron Sand appeared around him, constantly changing shape like a living entity, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
Chisuke stood safely in a corner at the back, looking like he was just there to watch the show.
Is this Magnet Release? Chisuke thought, observing the Kazekage. He earned the title of the 'Strongest Kazekage' across the entire Ninja World relying on this Ninjutsu. Logically, Magnet Release should perfectly counter a Puppeteer's joints and weapons. I wonder what method Sasori actually used to kill the Third Kazekage in the manga?
Then again, Kishimoto is just a manga artist; what does he know about Ninjutsu logic? He probably just made up the plot on a whim.
Pakura, standing right beside Chisuke, saw him looking somewhat distracted and cautioned him. "A ninja must not underestimate any battle. Even though the Kazekage is here leading us, you must stay perfectly focused."
Chisuke snapped back to his senses and nodded. "Understood!"
While Chisuke was speaking, Sasori had already opened a massive scroll, summoning twenty deadly puppets simultaneously.
Sasori spread his hands, and dense blue Chakra threads erupted from his fingers, connecting flawlessly to the puppets. The puppets stood in two rows, upper and lower, completely blocking the path in front of Sasori.
These puppets included humanoids, some resembling grotesque birds and beasts, and others shaped like lethal insects.
The number of puppets a Puppeteer can control simultaneously usually represents their absolute ceiling of strength. Thus, the Hidden Sand shinobi were extremely shocked; they hadn't expected the teenage Sasori to be able to control so many puppets in battle. They all took a serious, defensive stance.
Pakura looked at Sasori with complex emotions, her heart aching for the village's loss.
Sasori seems to be only thirteen years old, yet he already possesses this kind of terrifying strength, far exceeding an ordinary Jonin. What a tragic pity.
Hearing Pakura's murmured words, Chisuke was dismissive in his heart.
This is nothing yet. The current Sasori is still far from his peak strength. Only after transforming his own living body into a puppet and losing the physical limitations of human flesh did Sasori reach the true pinnacle of his twisted power.
Seeing Sasori dare to resist arrest by force, the Kazekage gave a cold snort and slammed his hands together to form seals.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
The Iron Sand surrounding the Kazekage rapidly formed countless fine, armor-piercing needles that were launched outward with explosive force. The attack range was incredibly wide, forming a suffocating black wave of death.
Facing the Kazekage's overwhelming attack, Sasori was also shocked in his heart, but his reaction was blindingly swift. His ten fingers danced continuously like frantic sprites.
"Red Secret Technique: Barrier!"
Numerous puppets instantly gathered together. Their joints rotated constantly as their body structures rapidly disassembled and reorganized, filling all gaps to form an airtight, reinforced wall, perfectly protecting Sasori behind it.
The Iron Sand pounded relentlessly against the wall. The deafening sounds of whistling metal, violent impacts, and puppets shattering into splinters echoed continuously. It kicked up a thick, choking cloud of sand and dust that completely obscured the vision of both sides.
"Is it over?"
"I saw the puppet wall was completely destroyed! Sasori must be dead!"
"As expected of the Kazekage! Such a powerful attack actually lasted for a whole minute; no human could possibly withstand that!"
"This is the power of our Strongest Kazekage!"
The Kazekage's grand, destructive attack greatly boosted the morale of the Hidden Sand shinobi. Feeling that the battle was already decisively over, they unconsciously relaxed their guard.