Confrontation

Hyuga Lan watched Sasori and Chiyo suddenly join the battlefield, his brow furrowing beneath his mask.

The situation, which had already been settled, had now taken an unexpected turn, leaving him deeply displeased.

How did this guy Sasori end up here?

Seeing Sasori wearing the Akatsuki cloak, which marked him as a rogue ninja, it was impossible for him to be a helper invited by Rasa.

If he hadn't come specifically for him with prior knowledge, there was only one other possibility: Sasori's target was also Rasa.

As for whether Elder Chiyo was a contingency plan arranged by Rasa in advance, Hyuga Lan could not be sure.

Given Rasa's strength and the support of the Sand Village Anbu, it shouldn't have been necessary to go to such lengths to deal with Pakura, but one could never rule out the possibility that the cautious Rasa had sent for Chiyo as backup.

Hyuga Lan's guess was half right; Sasori was here precisely because he had his sights set on the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

Ever since the Third Kazekage Human Puppet had been snatched away by Hyuga Lan, Sasori's power had suffered a severe blow, and he was in desperate need of a replacement to restore his strength.

However, having once controlled the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, Sasori's standards had risen significantly; he no longer cared for ordinary people or even puppets made from average bloodline ninjas.

After scouring all potential targets, Rasa, who also possessed the Magnet Release bloodline limit, became the ideal replacement for the Third Kazekage Human Puppet in Sasori's mind.

It had to be said that the Magnet Release bloodline, which combined offense and defense while allowing for flight, was incredibly useful; a human puppet crafted from such a ninja would be highly practical for Sasori.

But Rasa was not easy to deal with as a village leader, and since Sasori had defected, the poisoning tactics he used to use against the Fourth Kazekage were no longer viable, so he had to wait for an opportunity when Rasa left the village.

Hard work paid off; soon, the spies he had left in the Sand Village provided him with information, letting him know Rasa's destination, and he had followed him here.

As for Elder Chiyo, she had discovered Sasori by chance while searching for village spies.

After tracking her grandson's trail, she had followed him cautiously, never expecting to witness the scene of Rasa being attacked, so she had acted decisively in her urgency, saving Rasa just in time.

Sasori seemed to have detected Chiyo's presence beforehand, but compared to her, Hyuga Lan and Pakura held a much greater grudge against him.

In particular, the fact that Hyuga Lan had snatched his proudest masterpiece from his hands and was now using its power right in front of him made his face burn with the sting of humiliation.

Therefore, when Chiyo moved to save Rasa, he also struck decisively, attempting to ambush Hyuga Lan, only to have it blocked with such ease.

The more powerful Hyuga Lan's performance with the Third Kazekage Human Puppet was, the more unbearable it became for its original owner and creator.

"You damned thief, give my masterpiece back to me!"

Sasori roared at Hyuga Lan.

Seeing this, the corners of Hyuga Lan's mouth curled up beneath his mask.

"I've allowed this power to be displayed to its fullest potential today, ensuring its brilliance wasn't buried. By rights, you should be thanking me, ha ha..."

Hearing Hyuga Lan's arrogant laughter, Sasori was provoked until his face turned crimson, his eyes bloodshot from the sheer intensity of his agitation.

Chiyo seemed to realize something at this moment; it was clear that Sasori knew this mysterious masked man, so she immediately asked, "Sasori, who exactly is this person?"

Faced with Chiyo's inquiry, Sasori was momentarily tongue-tied. If he answered this question poorly, he would be saddled with the charge of murdering the Third Kazekage.

Although he had indeed done it, and the Sand Village had long suspected him, as long as there was no concrete evidence, he could still use his identity as Chiyo's grandson to join forces with her against Hyuga Lan and the others.

If he could seize the opportunity today to reclaim the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, he might even be able to harvest the bodies of Rasa and Pakura, both powerful bloodline ninjas. If he turned them into human puppets as well, his strength would surely see a leap in growth.

Of course, the prerequisite for this was not exposing the fact that he had murdered the Third Kazekage, but looking at the masked Hyuga Lan, he felt a sense of unease.

If Hyuga Lan were to remove his mask now and reveal the fact that he was a human puppet, his crime would be confirmed.

After all, he was the only one in the current Ninja World who mastered the technique of creating human puppets, and his grandmother Chiyo, who knew him so well, would likely recognize the Third Kazekage Human Puppet as his handiwork at a single glance.

Watching Sasori's hesitation, Hyuga Lan realized the source of his dilemma after a moment of thought.

So, wanting to stir up more trouble, he reached out and tapped his mask, saying to Sasori, "Your grandmother is asking you a question. Why don't you tell her my identity?"

"What are you feeling guilty about?"

Faced with Hyuga Lan's accusation, Sasori's stammering caused Chiyo's expression to shift uncertainly. A vague, ominous premonition stirred in her heart, and she seemed to have a guess about Hyuga Lan's identity.

However, as an elder who had held a high position for a long time, she knew very well that the current situation would not allow her and Sasori to have a falling out; that would only benefit Hyuga Lan and Pakura.

Over the years, there had been rumors in the village that Sasori had murdered the Third Kazekage before defecting, but such information had never caused much of a stir before being suppressed—all due to her working behind the scenes.

Whatever crimes Sasori had committed were in the past, and besides, he was her own grandson; she had always felt a sense of guilt toward him.

But Hyuga Lan and Pakura attacking the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was something she had witnessed with her own eyes. The Kazekage represented the face of the Sand Village, so she could not let these two leave easily today, no matter what.

"Pakura, I once had some sympathy for your plight, but today you have colluded with outsiders to attack your own kin. Such actions make this old woman very disappointed."

Chiyo's words did not stir any guilt in Pakura; instead, they made her feel even more disgusted with Chiyo and the other high-ranking officials of the Sand Village.

"Where were you to uphold justice when I was being framed and abandoned? Now you stand there, lecturing me with such self-righteousness. What a hypocritical elder—it's truly sickening."

After saying this, Pakura took a stance, preparing to clash with Elder Chiyo.

At this moment, Sasori pulled a scroll from his pocket. As it unfurled, one figure after another flew out, lining up neatly in the air.

"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets."

Nearly a hundred puppets hovered in mid-air, confronting Hyuga Lan with an overwhelming display of force.

The situation was now two-on-two; although the numbers were equal, Hyuga Lan and Pakura had already been through a major battle, their chakra significantly depleted, and they were not in their best state.

In contrast, Chiyo and Sasori were both in peak condition, which gave Sasori great confidence in defeating Hyuga Lan as he currently stood.

Just as the battle was on the verge of breaking out, Hyuga Lan recalled all the iron sand floating in the air back to his feet.

Countless grains of iron sand crept up from his feet and spread across his entire body, stopping only at his neck, as if he had donned a suit of Iron Sand Armor.

The remaining massive amount of iron sand merged with the iron wings behind his back, expanding the wingspan from a mere three or four meters to a staggering ten meters.

Whoosh...

With a single flap of his iron wings, Hyuga Lan arrived at Pakura's side and reached out to pull her into his arms.

He then flew back into the air while holding Pakura, confronting Sasori and Chiyo once more. The speed of this sequence of movements caused both Sasori and Chiyo's expressions to tighten!

Sasori and Chiyo looked grim; Hyuga Lan's actions just now were undoubtedly a show of force.

With such exaggerated speed, even if they could defeat a weakened Hyuga Lan, they would be completely helpless if he decided to leave...