"For the sake of fairness, I won't use Iron Sand."
Keiko tightened his bracers.
Iron Sand was practically the bane of all puppets. Once it jammed their critical joints, even the most formidable puppet could no longer move. Still, it was strange—how had the Third Kazekage from the manga been killed by Sasori? It felt like a chicken taking down a weasel.
"For the sake of fairness, I won't use poison either."
Sasori said arrogantly. He had already finished bathing and changed into fresh clothes, looking like a cute little boy again, but the smug look on his face was so punchable.
"Can we start now?"
Keiko asked, suppressing his anger.
"Hold on."
Sasori stopped him.
"Hold on, Godfather. Even though I won't use poison, to make this closer to real combat, I coated the places where poison would be used with purple paint. The venom from my Poison Enemy Mountain is vicious. Even a tiny touch would be enough, hehe..."
Keiko helplessly looked toward Chiyo, who was watching from the side. Yet Chiyo calmly pretended to admire the scenery. What scenery was there to admire in this empty training ground?
"Fine, as you wish. Even a scraped patch of skin counts as your win."
This kid was really competitive.
Keiko carefully examined the puppet before him. It had already been painted. The Asura Woman now wore a golden crown and yellow robes, with an indigo-blue face. It resembled a yaksha from a Tibetan Buddhist thangka.
The bow was for long-range attacks, the steel fork for mid-to-long-range combat, the twin swords for close-quarters fighting, and the tail could attack, defend, or even entangle an enemy. It was like a dog trying to bite a hedgehog—there was nowhere to start.
After some thought, Keiko took a steel whip from the weapon