Inside a puppet workshop hidden among the mountains and forests, the missing Aoba Minazuki stared blankly at the bloodstained ceiling above him, quietly waiting for death to descend upon him.
The squad members who had disappeared with him had already been taken away by a group of people wearing masks similar to Konoha Anbu masks.
As for Aoba himself, he had fallen into the hands of that young puppeteer who controlled an incomparably powerful puppet, becoming material for the other party's puppet creation.
Aoba Minazuki's hands and feet had been cut away and modified, transformed into puppet parts hiding all kinds of vicious mechanisms and hidden weapons.
His internal organs had also been removed one by one.
Yet for some unknown reason, he, who should have died the moment his lungs were taken out, had survived in a way he could not understand.
He could feel the other party stuffing components that absolutely should not exist inside a human body into his abdominal cavity, completely filling the empty space left behind after his organs had been removed.
He could also feel his body gradually becoming a puppet that others could manipulate at will.
Yet his brain remained extremely stubbornly alive, ordering him to record every action of the red-haired boy modifying him.
"Interesting."
Looking at Aoba Minazuki, whose body below the neck had already been completely puppeteered, leaving only his head as the original part, yet whose gaze still locked firmly onto him, Sasori of the Red Sand revealed a look of interest on his calm, indifferent face.
"You have already been modified to this degree, yet you still have not completely died… Your body hides quite a few secrets, Kirigakure shinobi."
Eh?
The power supporting me and keeping me alive…
Isn't it your puppet technique?
Such doubt surfaced in Aoba Minazuki's mind.
But after that doubt arose, boundless darkness surged over like a violent tide, completely swallowing the last of Aoba Minazuki's consciousness.
Seeing the light suddenly vanish from Aoba Minazuki's eyes as they rapidly became hollow, Sasori merely raised his brow slightly.
Then he murmured to himself with great interest.
"So this is the power of the cursed seal the Fourth Mizukage bestowed upon you? It is almost like a snake that still has a chance to launch another attack against a careless enemy even after its head has been cut off…
As the strongest of this era, your art is quite interesting as well, Rei Kaguya."
Sasori had never met Rei Kaguya.
But in the battle where he had captured Aoba Minazuki, Aoba had relied on recklessly unleashing the cursed seal's power without regard for limits, as well as a fearless fighting style, to successfully destroy two combat puppets Sasori commonly used.
Although after that, he had inevitably been defeated by the Human Puppet of the Third Kazekage, the astonishing explosive power and tenacious vitality Aoba Minazuki displayed still aroused considerable interest in Sasori.
That was also why Sasori had chosen to try turning Aoba Minazuki into a Human Puppet without killing him first.
He was very curious how far this Kekkei Genkai shinobi, who had obtained the power of Rei Kaguya's cursed seal, could endure before finally dying.
And the result did not disappoint him.
That abnormally tenacious, snake-like vitality had given him no small amount of inspiration.
"Lord Sasori, this subordinate has something to report."
Just as Sasori was happily admiring Aoba Minazuki's Human Puppet and thinking about how to transform the last flesh remaining on the other party's body into puppet parts as well, a thin, emotionless male voice came from outside the modification room, interrupting Sasori's thoughts.
The red-haired young puppeteer's expression sank.
He answered in a cold, sharp tone.
"It had better be important enough to make up for interrupting my inspiration… Otherwise, you should become one of the puppets in my Performance of a Hundred Puppets."
"The source of the information is Lord Zetsu from 'Root.' He sent this subordinate a notice saying that both Konoha and Kirigakure have already dispatched elite teams to investigate the recent attacks targeting their villages' jonin. At the same time, the Akatsuki organization of the Land of Rain has also sent Nagato, the strongest combatant among its three leaders, toward the Land of Wind…"
Hearing this news, Sasori narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Konoha's matters have nothing to do with me. That is Kakuzu and the others' headache. But as for Kirigakure… did Zetsu mention that person's identity?"
"Lord Zetsu said it is one of the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen newly promoted by the Fourth Mizukage, Rei Kaguya. But he is not sure exactly which one, because all the members of the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen possess the Heaven Cursed Seal bestowed by the Fourth Mizukage, Rei Kaguya. Their ability to sense natural energy is extremely sharp, so he did not dare approach too closely."
"Oh? The Heaven Cursed Seal?"
Sasori's voice rose slightly, carrying a trace of excitement and curiosity.
"That thing should be the upgraded version of the cursed seal on Aoba Minazuki, yes? Good. In that case, I can also witness your true art, Rei Kaguya…"
"Do you intend to capture that new member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen the same way you captured Aoba Minazuki, Lord Sasori? According to the intelligence provided by Lord Zetsu, the members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who obtained the Heaven Cursed Seal basically all possess the strength to suppress a wild Three-Tails alone. Capturing one of them would be very difficult."
"That is precisely what makes him worth turning into a puppet."
Sasori's hand brushed across Aoba Minazuki's already cold face as he answered unhurriedly.
"Go mobilize manpower. I permit you to use all intelligence personnel to search for information and traces of the Seven Ninja Swordsman Kirigakure sent out. It does not matter if the disturbance is a little large. After all, Tobi and Zetsu's request was for us to create more movement to attract the attention of the great shinobi villages…"
"Then may this subordinate allow a certain intelligence agent to pretend to accidentally expose his traces, then guide the Kirigakure visitor to one of Lord Sasori's bases, giving you a chance to wait at ease for an exhausted enemy?"
"Approved."
Sasori considered it briefly, then accepted his subordinate's proposal.
After quickly calculating how long he would need to complete Aoba Minazuki's Human Puppet, familiarize himself with his abilities, and make him able to cooperate with the Third Kazekage's Human Puppet, Sasori spoke in a low voice.
"Seven days. Seven days from now, have one of your intelligence personnel expose their tracks, then lure that person to the base in the Land of Rivers… I will wait for him there."
"This subordinate obeys."
After the man outside the door answered, he quickly left the base to pass on Sasori's will.
And after Sasori arranged the battlefield for later, his gaze turned back toward Aoba Minazuki.
He began modifying the other party's last remaining head, making final preparations for the ambush to come.
"The poison I used before was not very effective against Aoba Minazuki, who possessed a cursed seal. Then used against that person with the Heaven Cursed Seal, its effect should only be worse. I need to adjust the formula…"
"A new member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. In that case, taijutsu is likely to be one of his strengths. I need to prepare a few more defensive puppets…"
"And Aoba Minazuki's Human Puppet… Should I bring him out early to affect the enemy's state of mind? Or should I keep him as a trump card and deploy him together with the Third Kazekage?"
While handling Aoba Minazuki's body, Sasori unhurriedly began constructing his tactics.
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