With a soft slash, several chakra threads wrapped around the cloaked man were severed instantly. Losing his support, the cloaked man crashed heavily onto the sand, gasping for breath.
"Oh? Interesting."
A flicker of surprise flashed through Sasori's eyes, quickly replaced by even greater excitement. "A Wind Release ninja? And at such a young age, you can control wind blades with such precision. It seems there's quite a lot about you worth studying."
Seeing this, the Sunagakure ninja hurried forward to help the cloaked man up, only to be pinned in place by Sasori's cold stare.
"Who told you to move?"
Sasori's voice was ice-cold. "I said his life is mine."
"You can't do this!"
Kawaki Aoba stepped forward, placing himself between the Sunagakure ninja and the cloaked man. "He violated Sunagakure's laws. He should be tried by the village's punishment department, not treated as your experiment or a tool for venting your frustrations."
"An experiment?"
A strange smile curled across Sasori's lips. "That's right. Whether it's you or him, both of you can become part of my perfect art.
Eternal puppets require powerful materials to sustain them."
With a wave of his hand, more than a dozen chakra threads burst from his sleeves. This time, they were no longer aimed at the cloaked man, but came at Kawaki Aoba from every direction. Each thread carried a sharp chakra blade, as though they intended to slice the boy apart piece by piece.
"Watch out!"
The Sunagakure ninja cried out and rapidly formed hand seals. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!" A thick earthen wall instantly rose from the ground in front of Kawaki Aoba.
Bang!
The chakra threads slammed into the wall, instantly carving it into countless fragments as dust and sand filled the air.
Taking advantage of the opening, Kawaki Aoba