Aoba's heart tightened. Core of Rebirth? Where have I heard that name before?
A thought flashed through his mind, and his expression turned grave. "You're... Sasori? Sasori of the Red Sands?"
"Oh? You know me?"
Surprise flickered in Sasori's eyes, then he sneered. "So my reputation has reached Konoha.
That's right. I'm Sasori of the Red Sands."
At the words "Sasori of the Red Sands,"
Aoba's teammates went deathly pale.
Sasori of the Red Sands was an S-rank rogue ninja from Sunagakure, renowned throughout the shinobi world for his Puppet Technique. Cruel and responsible for countless deaths, he was a member of the legendary
organization Akatsuki.
None of them had imagined they would encounter someone so terrifying here.
"Lord Sasori, we... we're just passing through. We didn't mean to disturb you," one teammate said, trembling as he involuntarily took a step back.
"Passing through?"
Sasori sneered, and the Chakra Threads in his hands suddenly tightened. "You interrupted my experiment and expect to leave unharmed? Do you really think that's possible?"
He swept a hand forward, and the damaged puppets lunged at Aoba and his teammates.
The puppets moved with astonishing speed, brandishing sharp blades and radiating killing intent.
"Watch out!"
Aoba shouted, shoving the teammate beside him out of the way as his hands rapidly formed seals. "Lightning Release: Chidori!"
Pale violet lightning-release chakra gathered in his hand, taking the shape of a sharp-beaked bird. He charged straight at the foremost puppet.
The Chidori struck the puppet's blade with a sharp clash. "Hm?"
Surprise flashed in Sasori's eyes. "Your lightning release can actually stop my puppet? Interesting."
Aoba's heart sank. He could feel that the puppet had completely blocked his Chidori, and its blade did not have a scratch.
The material this puppet was made from was far tougher than