Sasori of the Red Sands

The basic Puppet Technique scroll Elder Chiyo had given him was no less than the opening of an entirely new treasure vault for Shaye. The knowledge recorded within far surpassed the scattered experience available to the Maintenance Unit. It systematically explained puppet structure, transmission principles, the engraving of basic core runes and energy circulation, and even the most rudimentary techniques for condensing Chakra Threads.

He devoured it hungrily. Many phenomena he had observed in the Maintenance Unit now found theoretical confirmation, while even more of his past-life knowledge related to machinery found points of application in this world. Yet the scroll was ultimately only an introductory text. Many of its deeper sections were vague, while others involved content that required immense amounts of chakra and practical testing to verify, leaving him unbearably restless.

After hesitating for several days, Shaye decided to gather his courage and personally visit Elder Chiyo's home to seek guidance. When his father, Shaliu, learned of this, he fell silent for a moment, then carefully told him where Elder Chiyo lived and reminded him to be polite.

The residential district for Sunagakure's upper ranks was relatively quiet, and its houses were noticeably more orderly. Following his father's description, Shaye found an old-looking courtyard. He took a deep breath, rose onto his toes, and knocked hard on the heavy wooden door.

After a short wait, faint footsteps sounded from inside. The door opened a crack, but the face revealed was neither Grandma Chiyo's kindly nor imposing one. Instead, it was an extremely young face, one that even retained a trace of youthful immaturity, yet was exceptionally pale and cold.

Short red hair blazed like fire, and a pair of deep violet eyes looked down indifferently at the little boy by the door. There was no expression on his face, as if he were looking at some lifeless object.

Shaye froze for a moment, then immediately realized that this was likely Grandma Chiyo's grandson—the legendary genius, Sasori. He remembered his father and the people from the Maintenance Unit mentioning that name, always accompanied by amazement and a faint, barely perceptible regret.

"Excuse me... is Grandma Chiyo home?" Shaye asked politely, tilting his head up.

Sasori's gaze swept over him, lingering for a moment on his obviously altered old shinobi clothes and overly pale face. His voice was calm and flat. "She isn't. What is it?"

"I... I'm Shaye. Grandma Chiyo gave me a scroll before, but there are some parts I don't understand, so I came to ask her about them." Shaye raised the precious scroll in his hands.

Sasori's gaze fell upon the scroll. After confirming that it belonged to his grandmother, a barely discernible flicker seemed to pass through his eyes, but it quickly returned to lifeless stillness. He was silent for a moment. Rather than closing the door at once, he said blandly, "She won't be back anytime soon."

Just as Shaye felt disappointed and was preparing to say goodbye, his gaze inadvertently passed by Sasori's side and caught sight of something through the partly open door of a room deeper in the courtyard.

It appeared to be a workshop, filled with all sorts of tools, wood, metal components, and some... indescribable, half-finished puppet structures. The precision and complexity of those structures instantly seized Shaye's full attention! They far surpassed the standard puppets of the Maintenance Unit, and were even more exquisite than what Chiyo's scroll described!

His eyes lit up at once, and the words nearly burst from his mouth. "Did... did you make those? They're incredible!"

That praise, driven purely by admiration and curiosity without any worldly awe or pity mixed into it, seemed to catch Sasori slightly off guard. He lowered his head once more to look at this tiny child with shining eyes and undisguised fascination. After a moment of silence, he suddenly pulled the door open wider.

"Come in." His voice still held no warmth.

Shaye paused, then carefully stepped over the threshold and followed Sasori into the courtyard. Sasori did not lead him to the living room, but walked straight toward the workshop and pushed open its door.

An even clearer scene came into view. Fine carving knives and files were scattered across the workbench, along with several chakra-conducting metal plates still being engraved, their patterns so intricate they made his eyes swim. Several half-finished puppet limbs stood nearby. Their joint structures were exquisitely ingenious, their transmission methods bizarre, utterly overturning the basic understanding Shaye had gained from the scroll. The air was thick with a mixed scent of pine, metal, and some special coating.

Shaye was completely captivated. He forgot why he had come, forgot his nervousness, and shuffled over to the workbench, his eyes nearly pressed against the components as he unconsciously muttered, "This joint... doesn't use a conventional bearing? Is it a miniature composite joint made from elastic metal plates? That would increase flexibility, but the requirements for materials and precision would be too high... And this rune, why is it engraved into the inner layer? Is it to reduce energy leakage during an energy burst? That's brilliant..."

He was completely immersed in the world of technology. He even instinctively extended a finger, tracing the path of a rune in the air as he tried to understand the intent behind its design.

Sasori stood behind him, and for the first time, genuine emotion stirred in his violet eyes—surprise. This frail-looking little brat was not only unafraid of him, but had astonishingly sharp insight! With only a few glances, he had seen through the key points of several designs Sasori was proud of! Though his wording was still immature, the direction of his understanding was entirely that of an expert!

"You understand this?" Sasori's voice remained calm, but it had lost some of its earlier absolute indifference.

Shaye came back to himself and lowered his hand somewhat sheepishly. He answered honestly, "Grandma Chiyo's scroll has some basics, but the things you made... are much more complicated. I don't understand exactly how they work, but I think... they're amazing!" His tone was filled with sincere admiration and eagerness to learn.

He raised his head and gathered the courage to look at Sasori. "Senior Sasori...? Can... can I ask you about this? The force analysis of this composite joint, and the energy guidance efficiency of this internal rune..."

His questions came one after another. Though some of his terminology sounded strange, mixed with concepts from his past life, every question precisely targeted key technical challenges in puppet-making.

Sasori did not answer immediately. He was accustomed to the fear, reverence, or sympathy of others, but rarely encountered anyone who could discuss technical matters with him so purely and without reservation—especially someone so young.

He silently walked to the workbench and picked up one of the miniature joints Shaye had been examining. Rarely, he began to speak. His voice still had little inflection, but he started to explain. "Conventional bearings wear quickly in a desert environment. This structure uses elastic deformation to replace rolling friction. The drawback is fatigue strength..." He then pointed to the internal rune. "During an energy burst, external runes are easily damaged. Engraving it inside and conducting it through the structure increases loss, but improves stability..."

His explanation was concise and contained no unnecessary words, striking directly at the heart of the matter. Shaye listened with rapt attention, his mind racing as he committed every word and detail Sasori said deeply to memory, cross-referencing them with his existing knowledge. Many of his previous doubts were suddenly resolved.

This brief lesson lasted less than fifteen minutes. Sasori seemed to have exhausted all his patience, or perhaps felt that he had already said enough. He closed his mouth and returned to his cold expression, signaling that it was time for Shaye to leave.

Though Shaye still wanted more, he knew when to stop. He solemnly bowed to Sasori. "Thank you very much, Senior Sasori! I learned so much!"

Sasori merely gave a quiet "Mm," then turned away and no longer looked at him.

Filled with immense gains and excitement, Shaye left the Chiyo Clan residence. Though he had not met Grandma Chiyo, this unexpected encounter and the small amount of guidance from Sasori of the Red Sands were worth far more than he had expected. The door leading to a higher level of Puppet Technique had been pushed wider open for him, unintentionally, by that young genius.

He did not know that back in the workshop, Sasori, having picked up his carving knife again, looked at the delicate component in his hand. A faint ripple flashed through his violet eyes, so slight that even he himself had not noticed it. Perhaps in this cold world, a pure gaze capable of understanding his craft—even one belonging to a weak little child—had briefly dispelled a trace of the loneliness in his heart.

(End of Chapter)