Rolling
Since discovering that her beloved grandson had gone astray and embarked on a dark and irreversible path, Chiyo resolutely exiled Sasori from Sunagakure, forcing him to live in the outskirts of the village.
This event caused quite a stir in Sunagakure at the time.
Of course, the ordinary villagers were unaware of the specific details. They only knew that the genius puppet master, Sasori of the Red Sand, had been driven out to live in isolation.
In truth, Chiyo had taken this drastic measure primarily to protect the villagers.
The Human Puppet Technique, after all, grew stronger with the strength of the ninja it transformed. A more powerful ninja created an even more formidable human puppet.
As for whether Chiyo could truly bring herself to destroy her own kin for the greater good, it was evident she couldn't.
Instead, she chose to banish Sasori temporarily, hoping to find a better solution later on.
However, with Sasori banished, he found it difficult to acquire the corpses of elite Sunagakure shinobi for his work.
---
"Is this the famed puppet technique of Sunagakure? It looks... intriguing," a calm and interested voice suddenly echoed through the cave.
"Who's there?!"
Sasori immediately became alert upon hearing the voice. He quickly turned toward its source.
A man dressed in white haori, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with neatly combed hair parted at an angle, stood before him. The stranger exuded an air of mystery, his face adorned with an enigmatic smile as he observed Sasori with sharp, searching eyes.
"Who are you?" Sasori asked, his voice low and wary.
Although only sixteen years old, Sasori had already reached the level of an Elite Jōnin. His sensory skills were remarkable, capable of detecting even the likes of the Third Kazekage before they approached.
Yet, this man had appeared silently, unnerving him.
The stranger did not answer directly. Instead, he offered a peculiar smile and said, "You've turned yourself into a puppet? What an extreme child."
At these words, Sasori's pupils shrank in shock.
Without hesitation, he dove into Hiruko, his defensive puppet, activating its mechanisms to strike down the intruder.
Transforming his body into a puppet was Sasori's most closely guarded secret. If word of this leaked, not even Chiyo could protect him from the outrage it would cause.
This knowledge made the man standing before him a significant threat. He had to die.
With a sharp metallic screech, Hiruko's scorpion-like tail lunged toward Aizen's blind spot, its tip glinting with deadly intent.
However, in an astonishing display of calm and precision, Aizen casually extended his right hand. Using only two fingers, he effortlessly caught the tail's tip mid-strike.
Sasori's eyes widened in disbelief.
This attack, which could trouble even an Elite Jōnin, had been neutralized with just two fingers.
No matter how Sasori manipulated his puppet techniques, he could not free Hiruko's scorpion tail from the mysterious man's grip.
Even more terrifying was the fact that the man maintained a casual demeanor the entire time, as though restraining the tail required no effort at all.
Powerful.
Sasori, despite his confidence, quickly realized that the strength of this stranger was far beyond his imagination.
However, Sasori was a renowned genius for a reason. Even when the odds seemed insurmountable, he refused to back down.
"Hiruko: Tail Needles Barrage!"
"Hiruko: Thousand-Needle Barrage!"
Hiruko's mouth mechanism opened, unleashing a barrage of high-density poisoned needles and stingers at incredible speed, making evasion nearly impossible.
Simultaneously, a cannon embedded in Hiruko's left arm launched multiple cylinders. Upon release, the cylinders burst open mid-air, scattering a hail of poisonous needles across a wide area.
Unlike the focused attack of Tail Needles Barrage, the Thousand-Needle Barrage utilized a shotgun-like dispersion, ensuring widespread coverage and increasing the chances of poisoning its target.
Ordinarily, each of these techniques alone was enough to eliminate a high-ranking Jōnin. Together, they could rival large-scale S-rank ninjutsu.
Yet, the mysterious man didn't even flinch.
A faint white light flickered in his eyes as he nonchalantly muttered, "Super Reiatsu Wall."
In an instant, four invisible barriers materialized, forming an impenetrable defense. To Sasori's disbelief, every poisonous needle and stinger that struck the Reiatsu Wall was disintegrated into fine ash.
Dumbfounded, Sasori froze, momentarily stunned by the sheer futility of his attacks.
The man tilted his head slightly, his sharp gaze piercing through Hiruko's defenses. A sly smile curled on his lips as he taunted, "Is that it? I was hoping to see if your puppets had any other tricks."
Sasori's heart sank. The man hadn't even moved from his position. His overwhelming strength was unlike anything Sasori had encountered before. Not even the Third Kazekage had exuded such an aura of dominance.
Despite the surge of anger and indignation that flashed through Sasori's eyes, he said nothing. He remained vigilant, racking his brain for a way to counter this invincible foe.
"Oh? Giving up already?" The man sighed dramatically. "What a disappointment."
Though Sasori's fists clenched in frustration, he still didn't act recklessly. He continued to observe, calculating his next move.
"Forget it," the man said, his voice dripping with mockery. "If you won't entertain me, then I'll just end this myself."
Hearing these words, Sasori's expression changed drastically.
"Reiatsu Surge."
With those words, a destructive wave of energy erupted from the man's fingertips, traveling down Hiruko's tail.
Boom!
The overwhelming force shattered Hiruko into pieces within moments.
Crash!
Sasori, thrown by the blast, slammed hard against the cave wall.
Fortunately, his puppet body absorbed most of the impact. While visibly damaged, Sasori's modifications ensured he could still fight.
He rose quickly, brushing off the debris. With a cold glare, he shed his tattered cloak, revealing the puppet body he had painstakingly crafted.