With a sharp crack, the hideous shell of Hiruko fell apart completely.
The person who emerged from inside was as cold as ice.
His face was absurdly young, with barely a trace of stubble. His eyes were hollow, like those of an emotionless doll.
Sasori of the Red Sands climbed out of the broken wood, his Red Cloud Cloak barely dusty.
He rolled his stiff shoulders, his joints creaking and cracking with a sound that set teeth on edge.
"Brat, if you want to see my true face, you'd better be prepared for the consequences."
"I've used this shell for so many years, I'd almost forgotten what I originally looked like."
Sasori raised his head. His translucently pale face looked downright eerie in the cavern's dim light.
Sen Senju stood there with both hands in his pockets and curled his lip.
"Quit wasting breath. Can that face of yours feed you or grow into a tree?"
"I've already turned that pile of scrap metal into firewood. Go on, show me whatever tricks you've got left."
"Seriously, I've still got to get back and prune those apple trees."
Sasori snorted coldly, ignoring his provocation.
He slowly pulled open the back of his robe, revealing a round cavity.
The cavity was packed with chakra threads connected to several palm-sized scrolls.
"You have courage. Unfortunately, that courage will only make your death uglier."
"I was going to leave your corpse intact. Now it seems you're only fit to become the most ordinary wooden frame."
As soon as he finished speaking, the scrolls streamed out of the cavity in his back as though under orders.
They unrolled themselves in midair, releasing clouds of eerie red smoke.
"Secret technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets."
As Sasori recited those words without emotion, a dense mass of