Hiruko's sturdy shell split open to the sides, and Sasori of the Red Sands also lifted the black robe covering Hiruko, revealing a head of bright red hair and a young and handsome face that was almost too much.
Sasori's true age is unknown, but he was at least a ninja of the same generation as Minato Namikaze and Shikaku Nara. After leaving Sunagakure more than ten years ago, he set a trap to ambush the Third Kazekage, who was known as the strongest Kazekage, and successfully killed him.
Although no one else knew about this, the mysterious death of the Third Kazekage became the fuse for the Third Shinobi World War. In a sense, Sasori of the Red Sands single-handedly started the Third Shinobi World War!
In addition to his feat of killing the Third Kazekage, Sasori of the Red Sands is also a legendary figure in the Shinobi World.
The most talented boy in Sunagakure, a genius puppeteer, a master of Puppet Technique... countless titles were bestowed upon Sasori, and then, sixteen years ago, the Sasori who was entrusted with such high hopes disappeared from Sunagakure without a trace...
All these traces prove that Sasori of the Red Sands is at least thirty years old, and should not be this young at all.
Sasori of the Red Sands seemed to enjoy basking in the sunlight again. Although hiding in Hiruko provided good protection for his main body, the dim and cramped interior of the puppet was hardly a pleasant experience.
But Sasori of the Red Sands of day again, discovered that his enemy showed no surprise whatsoever. This Sasori of the Red Sands, who was about to boast, speechless. Had his name, Sasori of the Red Sands, vanished from the Shinobi World?
"It's a pity I never had the chance to face Tsunade, one of the Tsunade Sannin, directly, nor witness the power of her Monster Strength Fist firsthand. This time, I can make up for that regret."
Sasori of the Red Sands reminisced in a slightly melancholic tone, his words conveying a sense of nostalgia while revealing a maturity quite incongruous with his appearance.
"Hmm, that makes sense. Can we start fighting now?" Naoki Senju was secretly pleased to see Sasori of the Red Sands's frustrated expression as he tried to show off but had no audience.
The two most awkward things in the world are "you used a meme, but nobody else knew it" and "you showed off, but no one understood you."
If you add a line like, "That's it?"
It's enough to break through defenses instantly and cause 9999 points of psychological damage.
Sasori of the Red Sands had been observing every subtle expression on Naoki Senju out of the corner of his eye, was stunned. Why did Naoki Senju still look so calm? Wasn't he curious about why his face looked so young?
How could he remain unmoved in the face of timeless art?
Sasori of the Red Sands practically declared, "I am very old, I know the Konoha Sannin, but my body is still young and will never age again. Be amazed by the pinnacle of Puppet Technique, the eternal art!"
But Naoki Senju still acted as if he didn't understand anything, showing no appreciation for the greatness of eternal art. Enraged, Sasori of the Red Sands decided to stop testing him and completely crush this blasphemer!
Beneath the wide, Akatsuki robes of the Akatsuki, Sasori of the Red Sands reached behind his back with his left hand and pulled out a puppet scroll that hadn't been used in a long time.
"This is my most perfect work, it took me a lot of effort, it would be your honor to die by its hand."
Sasori of the Red Sands roared arrogantly, a response to Naoki Senju's contemptuous attitude. However, Sasori of the Red Sands was already on high alert, after all, his opponent had already defeated the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi, the Fourth Raikage A, Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer B.
It's likely that Akatsuki, the Finance Minister and Kakuzu Hokutai, one of the Akatsuki members, died at the hands of Naoki Senju, not from the combined attack of Tsunade and Orochimaru, the two Sannin, as Uchiha Itachi claimed.
Facing such a rising star with an impressive track record, Sasori of the Red Sands dared not underestimate him in the slightest.
The puppet scroll unfolded in Sasori of the Red Sands's hands, and the number 'three' on it indicated the puppet's identity in life.
My favorite collection— Third Kazekage.
Sasori of the Red Sands revealed the puppet's identity word by word, showing no fear that the leak of this information would lead to a disadvantage in the battle. In any case, as long as he used his signature Magnet Release, almost everyone in the Shinobi World would be able to guess the puppet's true identity.
Accompanied by a burst of white mist, the Third Kazekage, who had been turned into Human Puppet, attacked Naoki Senju. Several almost transparent Chakra Threads were connected to Sasori of the Red Sands's hands. Compared to Kankuro's Chakra Threads, which he seemed to want others to see clearly, Sasori of the Red Sands had reached the pinnacle of puppet manipulation.
Naoki Senju easily dodged the puppet's attack, and without getting entangled with the Third Kazekage Puppet, he directly attacked the puppeteer's main body. Although the Enrage Technique had failed, he was still confident that he could destroy Sasori of the Red Sands's core within ten minutes, rendering his Human Puppet Technique unusable.
Sasori of the Red Sands calmly guided the Third Kazekage back to defense. It's pitiful that the Third Kazekage, who was hailed as the strongest Kazekage in life, could not find peace even in death.
His corpse was manipulated by Sasori of the Red Sands, transformed into Human Puppet, and at Sasori's beck and call. His soul was toyed with by Orochimaru, repeatedly summoned as a high-level henchman, making him arguably the most tragic Kazekage... no, the most tragic of the Five Kage.
Although the Fourth Kazekage was also used as a henchman by Orochimaru, at least he was given a complete body (although the shameless Orochimaru ripped off his face) and was still able to be buried in Sunagakure.
The Third Kazekage was truly exploited to the extreme. Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sands, who colluded with him, did not let go of even the slightest remaining value of the Third Kazekage.
" Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall."
Beneath the Third Kazekage's black robe, a vast expanse of black Iron Sand surged forth. And that wasn't all; the desert, whose structure had been utterly destroyed by Naoki Senju, became the Third Kazekage's perfect battlefield. Tiny Iron Sand were extracted from the cracks in the rocks and utilized by the Third Kazekage, forming a thick iron wall in front of Sasori of the Red Sands.
Thump~~
The dull thud of the impact caught Sasori of the Red Sands completely off guard. The Iron Sand Wall, which was more than ten centimeters thick, was actually punched in a deep fist mark by Naoki Senju, and deep cracks were found all around it, which undoubtedly proved what kind of inhuman attack the Iron Sand Wall had suffered.
"Is this something that can be done with Taijutsu?!"
Sasori of the Red Sands, witnessing Monster Strength Fist for the first time, felt his worldview distorted and reshaped. He couldn't believe a ninja's Taijutsu could shatter a wall of iron several centimeters thick... What a load of rubbish! Is that even possible with Taijutsu?
" Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!"
This time, Sasori of the Red Sands dared not delay any longer. If another punch landed, this iron wall would definitely crumble completely. How would he withstand the next punch? Should he use Hiruko?
Don't be ridiculous. If he lands that punch, he'll probably have to create another Hiruko, and maybe even rebuild this Human Puppet.