Outside the door, Shioame, Ryōta, and Shinichi saw Aoki Tsuki walk out with a smile and knew the talks had gone well.
If they hadn't, a fight would have been unavoidable.
There were dozens of people in the camp. If they all rushed them at once, the three were afraid too.
"Get some rest first. Tomorrow morning, we're going fishing," Aoki Tsuki instructed.
They found a tent, drank water, ate soldier pills, and regained their strength. Early the next morning, they patrolled along the border.
Having patrolled the area for some time before, Aoki Tsuki knew his way around and led the squad through the mountains and forests.
They patrolled for two days in a row without anyone making a move. Just then, a distress signal came from a nearby mountain.
The squad hurriedly changed course and raced to the scene. When they arrived, they found that the other party had already killed an entire squad and packed up and taken the bodies.
"Shioame, you're in charge of sensing and tracking. Ryōta, Shinichi, you two examine the scene."
"Yes."
It wasn't long before they found something. Shinichi picked up several poisoned Senbon.
"Captain, this looks a little like the work of a Sunagakure puppet master. Judging by the traces here, our people were killed without putting up much of a fight. This one's an expert."
Those out on patrol now operated in squads. To take them out so quickly, their opponent had to be at least a Jonin.
Aoki Tsuki opened his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed. "How did it go, Shioame?"
"It's a little strange. I sensed a faint trace of Chakra heading in that direction, but it was barely there."
Shioame pointed in a direction. It led straight into the Land of Wind.
"Just as I thought. It's the same as what I picked up? Then it looks like there's no mistake."
He had sensed the area himself just now, but the trace had been so faint that he had thought he was mistaken. He hadn't expected Shioame to get the same result.
"Let's follow and take a look. Be careful not to let the people from Sunagakure spot us."
Following the trail over mountains and through forests, they soon entered a scorching yellow desert. Sand-laden winds struck their faces, and the squad found it hard to adjust.
After half an hour of pursuit, they finally spotted their target near a pile of sand and rocks.
The figure stood atop a rock, silently watching the Aoki Tsuki Squad approach, as though waiting for prey to take the bait.
"You've got some nerve, chasing after me to kill me."
"Uh... how arrogant!"
"Captain, he looks like a kid."
"Don't underestimate him. He's a top puppet master, an S-rank rogue ninja from Sunagakure: Sasori of the Red Sands."
"What? An S-rank rogue ninja?"
Ryōta and the others went pale and hurriedly backed away several steps, raising their guards. Being wanted by a major village like Sunagakure and remaining unscathed was proof enough of his strength.
"Oh? A mere Rain Ninja like you knows my name?" Sasori asked in surprise.
He had recently run short of materials, so he had gone to the Land of Rain's border and captured a few people. How did this man know him?
"I've heard a thing or two. It's one thing for you to stir up trouble in the Land of Wind, but coming to our Land of Rain to capture people is going a little too far, don't you think? You could just go after rogue ninja instead.
"Capturing people from our village is a slap in Amegakure's face. Don't get too arrogant!"
Aoki Tsuki secretly regretted coming. If he had known it was this menace, he wouldn't have pursued him.
Still, he had to say a few words for appearances, so he could give his superiors an account.
"So why haven't you made a move yet? Heh heh..." Sasori said with a laugh.
Ninja from small villages talked tough but had weak legs. He had long since seen through Aoki Tsuki and the others' tough exteriors.
A dog that really bit didn't bark!
"Tch, this guy... Captain, let's do it. There are so many of us. Are we really going to let him push us around?" Ryōta said angrily.
Shioame shook his head. "Don't be rash. He's trying to provoke us. We can't fall for it."
The tradition of Amegakure ninja was deeply ingrained in him: caution came first.
Shinichi said nothing, silently channeling his Chakra into the mechanical umbrella on his back.
The kid was a practical sort.
Aoki Tsuki didn't want to fight. Sasori's strength went without saying, and he was covered in spikes. As a swordsman, Aoki Tsuki would be at a disadvantage against him, and the squad might suffer casualties.
He couldn't act on reckless courage and needlessly add to the casualties.
"Sasori, you don't really want a serious fight with us either, do you? As long as you promise not to capture any more of our people, we won't pursue what happened before.
"An extra friend opens another road. Wouldn't you agree?"
Sasori replied disdainfully, "I don't need friends, and I don't make friends with small fry. I'll be taking your corpses."
With a wave of his hand, he sent a Senbon Rain shooting toward them.
The members of the Aoki Tsuki Squad hurriedly leaped aside and immediately counterattacked. Shinichi unleashed a Senbon Rain of his own, covering a wider area and flying even faster.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
"Nice technique."
Sasori offered a word of praise, then hurriedly brought out four puppets to surround him, blocking the Senbon attacks from every direction.
"What? He's controlling four puppets at once!" Shinichi exclaimed.
He had fought puppet masters before and knew what that meant.
"Hmph, at least you know something."
"These are puppets I made from the corpses of your Amegakure ninja," Sasori said smugly. "Enjoy yourselves."
Each of the four puppets wielded a large cleaver as they charged the four members of the Aoki Tsuki Squad.
"Watch out for the hidden weapons and poison in their mouths."
After calling out the warning, Aoki Tsuki was the first to intercept a puppet. He dreaded fighting puppet masters most: their puppets weren't afraid of injury and were covered in poison. A single graze would finish him.
Fortunately, every member of the squad was strong and had plenty of combat experience.
Crack...
Using an incredibly fast Body Flicker Technique, Aoki Tsuki suddenly appeared beside the puppet and sliced it in half with one stroke.
"You've got some skill. How will you handle this, then?"
Bang, bang, bang...
Sasori brought out another dozen or so puppets, which swarmed toward them, releasing poison gas and Senbon as if they cost nothing.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
A powerful wave of water swept back and forth under Aoki Tsuki's control, engulfing all the incoming Senbon and poison gas.
"Misty Rain Breathing: Cutting Rain!"
Immediately afterward, a crescent-shaped blue blade of water burst outward, cutting apart every one of the dozen-plus puppets closing in to kill them.
Sasori was startled. "This guy's no pushover. No wonder he dared chase after me."
His momentary pause caused the other puppets attacking the squad to falter, and their opponents seized the chance to tear them into pieces.
"Haha... weren't you acting pretty arrogant just now?" Ryōta said with a laugh.
Sasori ignored the noisy little fry, took out a scroll, and gave it a gentle flick. The Third Kazekage puppet appeared before them.
"Uh... that's... why does he look so familiar?" Shioame asked in confusion.
The appearances of the Kage of each village were no secret. Amegakure specialized in assassination, and its ninja had all studied their photographs as part of their required training.
"It's the Third Kazekage! Run!"
Aoki Tsuki shouted to the others and turned to flee. Seeing their captain run, the other three followed.
Amegakure ninja might not excel at everything, but when it came to running away, none of them were weak.
In the space of a few blinks, they vanished from sight.
"Tch! I thought he was pretending to be weak to catch me off guard. I didn't expect him to be such a coward." Sasori sneered, put his puppets away, and turned to leave.
The Third Kazekage was extraordinarily intimidating to a small village like Amegakure.
"Huff... huff..."
"That guy doesn't seem to have followed us," Shioame said.
"How did the Third Kazekage become a puppet?" Ryōta asked in confusion. "Wasn't he supposed to have disappeared?"
"You three head back to the village and report the situation to Lady Angel first. I'll stay here and keep an eye on him, so he doesn't capture any more of our people."
"Yes."
After Aoki Tsuki gave them a few more instructions, the three immediately headed back, reaching the village before dark and reporting the news.
The tower in the western district.
"Pain, Sasori of the Red Sands has been spotted. Should we bring him into Akatsuki?"
"Sasori of the Red Sands?"
"Yes. He's said to be a genius puppet master from Sunagakure. Tsuki sent word that he was very likely responsible for the Third Kazekage's disappearance. He's a rare talent."
In the Shinobi World, there was no question about the value of a Kage. Being able to kill one was proof enough of Sasori's prowess.
"Then let's go test him. If he's suitable, we'll bring him in."
"The village still isn't stable," Konan said. "You stay here and keep watch. I'll go by myself."
After all, they had come to power through a coup. They couldn't leave the village lightly, or who knew what might happen?
"That works. Your techniques will give you an advantage against a puppet master, and with Tsuki assisting you, there shouldn't be any problems."
"That guy is a little afraid of dying, but he's quite useful when it counts," Konan remarked.
Hmph, he's got some ability if he can earn Konan's approval.
Konan was actually very particular, especially when she was on her guard. The fact that he could still earn such an assessment from her said a great deal.
He had kept Aoki Tsuki and Tsunohara around to help Konan manage the village, but they had turned out to be unexpectedly useful.
Once the decision was made, Konan quietly left the village for the border early the next morning.
At a sheltered spot in the desert near the Land of Wind's border, Aoki Tsuki tipped his head back and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water.
A short distance away, Sasori sat and said impatiently:
"Aren't you sick of this? You won't fight, and you won't leave. You just follow me around like a pest. Does Amegakure have anyone worth mentioning besides Hanzō?"
He knew Aoki Tsuki might have sent his subordinates back for reinforcements.
But he wasn't afraid in the slightest. He didn't think anything of Amegakure's people.
Except...
This guy's too fast. I can't do anything about him.
At the slightest sign of movement from Sasori, Aoki Tsuki would run. As soon as Sasori relaxed a little, Aoki Tsuki would come back.
He was clearly strong, yet excessively cautious.
"Easy there, Sasori, my friend. It's not that I want to make things difficult for you-you're making things difficult for me. If I don't keep an eye on you, what happens if you go capture more of our people?"
As an Akatsuki intern, the task Konan had given him was to keep scouting for talent for the organization.
When he came across someone, he couldn't let them go.
"Are you planning to keep following me like this?"
"No need for that. See? My reinforcements are already here."
A swarm of paper butterflies flew in from the distant sky and soon reached them, gathering in midair to form a woman with wings.
"Is this the kid?"
Aoki Tsuki hurriedly stood up. "Yes, Lady Konan, this is the kid!!"
Seeing Aoki Tsuki act so obsequiously, Sasori knew the woman before him was no ordinary person. But he was Sasori of the Red Sands, and he had never been afraid of a fight.
Confidence came from past success, and he was a formidable man who had killed the Third Kazekage on his own.
Even across the entire Shinobi World, there were only a handful with such an achievement.