Sasori of the Red Sand

The basic puppetry scroll Elder Chiyo had given him was nothing less than the opening of a brand-new treasure vault for Shaye. The knowledge recorded within far surpassed the scattered experience available to the maintenance crew. 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 absorbed it ravenously. Many phenomena he had observed in the maintenance crew found theoretical confirmation, while even more mechanical knowledge from his previous life found points of application in this world. Yet the scroll was ultimately only introductory material. Many deeper subjects were vague, or involved matters that required vast amounts of chakra and practical testing to verify, leaving him unbearably eager.

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

The residential district for Hidden Sand Village's upper ranks was relatively quiet, and its houses were noticeably more orderly. Following his father's directions, 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 brief wait, faint footsteps sounded from within. The door opened a crack, but the face that appeared was not Grandma Chiyo's kindly or imposing one. Instead, it was an exceptionally young face, one that still carried a trace of boyish immaturity, yet was unnaturally pale and cold.

Short red hair blazed like fire, while a pair of dark purple eyes looked down indifferently at the little figure by the door. There was no expression on his face, as if he were looking at an inanimate object.

Shaye froze for a moment, then immediately realized this was likely Grandma Chiyo's grandson, the legendary genius—Sasori of the Red Sand. He remembered his father and the maintenance crew 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 of the Red Sand's gaze swept over him, lingering briefly on his clearly altered old shinobi uniform and overly pale face. His voice was calm and flat. "No. What is it?"

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

Sasori of the Red Sand's gaze fell upon the scroll. After confirming it belonged to his grandmother, the emptiness in his eyes seemed to stir ever so slightly, but it quickly returned to stillness. After a moment of silence, he did not immediately shut the door. Instead, he said flatly, "She won't be back anytime soon."

Just as Shaye felt disappointed and prepared to take his leave, his eyes inadvertently passed Sasori of the Red Sand's side and caught sight of something through the half-open door of a room deeper within the courtyard.

It appeared to be a workshop, filled with all kinds of tools, wood, metal components, and some... indescribable half-finished puppet structures. The precision and complexity of those structures instantly seized all of Shaye's attention! They far surpassed the standard puppets of the maintenance crew, 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. "Those... did you make them? They're amazing!"

That praise, driven purely by amazement and curiosity, without any worldly awe or pity mixed into it, seemed to surprise Sasori of the Red Sand slightly. He lowered his head again to look at this tiny child whose eyes shone with undisguised fascination. After a moment of silence, he suddenly pulled the door open wider.

"Come in." His voice was still devoid of warmth.

Shaye paused, then carefully stepped over the threshold and followed Sasori of the Red Sand into the courtyard. Sasori of the Red Sand did not lead him to the sitting room. Instead, he walked straight to the workshop and pushed open the door.

The scene before him became clearer. Fine carving knives, files, and several chakra-conducting metal sheets still being engraved lay scattered across the workbench, their patterns so intricate they made his eyes blur. Several half-finished puppet limbs stood nearby. The delicacy of their joint structures and the strangeness of their transmission methods completely overturned Shaye's basic understanding from the scroll. The air was filled with a mixed scent of pine, metal, and some special coating.

Shaye was utterly captivated. He forgot why he had come and forgot his nervousness. Taking small steps to the workbench, he brought his eyes almost against the components and murmured unconsciously, "This joint... doesn't use a conventional bearing? Is it a miniature composite joint made from elastic metal plates? That would improve flexibility, but the material and precision requirements would be far too high... And this rune—why is it engraved in 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.

Standing behind him, Sasori of the Red Sand experienced genuine emotional fluctuation for the first time—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 of the Red Sand was proud of! Though his phrasing was still immature, his line of understanding was unmistakably that of an insider!

"You understand it?" Sasori of the Red Sand's voice remained flat, but it had lost some of its previous absolute coldness.

Shaye came back to himself and lowered his hand somewhat awkwardly. He answered honestly, "Grandma Chiyo's scroll covered some basics, but the things you made... are much more complicated. I don't understand exactly how they work, but I think... they're incredible!" His tone was full of sincere admiration and thirst for knowledge.

He raised his head and gathered his courage to look at Sasori of the Red Sand. "Senior Sasori... could I ask you something? About the force analysis of this composite joint, and the energy-guidance efficiency of this internal rune..."

His questions came one after another. Although some of his terminology sounded strange, mixed with concepts from his previous life, every question precisely targeted a crucial technical challenge in puppet construction.

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

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

His explanation was concise, without a single unnecessary word, and went straight to the heart of the matter. Shaye listened with total concentration, his mind racing as he etched every word and detail from Sasori of the Red Sand into his memory and cross-checked them against what he already knew. Many of his previous doubts were suddenly resolved.

This brief lesson lasted less than a quarter of an hour. Sasori of the Red Sand seemed to have exhausted all his patience, or perhaps felt he had already said enough. He closed his mouth, resumed his cold expression, and signaled that Shaye should leave.

Though Shaye still wanted more, he knew when to stop. He gave Sasori of the Red Sand a solemn bow. "Thank you very much, Senior Sasori! I learned so much!"

Sasori of the Red Sand merely gave a faint "Mm," then turned away and no longer looked at him.

Filled with immense gains and excitement, Shaye left Chiyo's home. Although he had not met Grandma Chiyo, this unexpected encounter and the small amount of guidance from Sasori of the Red Sand were worth far more than he had expected. The door leading to a higher level of puppetry had been opened wider for him by the unintentional push of this young genius.

He did not know that, back in the workshop, Sasori of the Red Sand had picked up his carving knife again. As he looked at the delicate component in his hand, an extremely faint ripple flashed through his purple eyes, one even he himself had not noticed. Perhaps, in this cold world, the pure gaze of someone who understood his craft—even if it came from a weak child—had briefly driven away a trace of the loneliness in his heart.

(End of chapter)