The sound of seagulls flapping their wings drifted into his ears. A scent, so fragrant it seemed capable of stealing one's very soul, lingered at the tip of his nose. Awakened by the loud growling of his own stomach, Sasori abruptly regained consciousness!
His head throbbed with a dull ache, as if he had been struck by a genjutsu capable of twisting the senses.
Not an ocular power? A genjutsu that warps the five senses? he thought to himself, his body tensing instinctively. But as he focused his perception, he realized the throbbing on his forehead was very much real—not an illusion.
Sasori kept his eyes closed, feigning unconsciousness, as he overheard the two men talking nearby.
En Oyashiro poked at the massive lump on Sasori's forehead, marveling at the sight. "Brat, you didn't actually kill him, did you?"
Ren Uchiha replied with a sigh of helplessness, "I'm being framed! Who knew genjutsu wouldn't work on him? I had no choice but to use physical hypnosis. You've got the better eyes, why didn't you use genjutsu?"
En Oyashiro turned his head away, teasing his daughter with his finger and pouting. "Why should I? I don't want to. I have to take care of my daughter!"
Ren shook his head and urged him on, explaining, "His brain has been modified by Brainwashing Sand; he's hard for me to control. He's about to wake up, hurry up and hypnotize him!"
Although his eyes had evolved, Ren's genjutsu skill was still the same as ever. Moreover, with his eyes currently in a state of fusion, he couldn't utilize the Sage Art: Sharingan: White Rage. Otherwise, why would he have resorted to a 'Finger Flick' (Susanoo Version) on the guy's skull?
Hearing this explanation, En Oyashiro glanced at the "playing dead" Sasori and said flatly, "Well, look at that. He's already awake."
"Besides, it's no big deal. We just want to ask for directions."
Ren raised an eyebrow, looking at En Oyashiro in surprise. "Tsk, tsk. Look at you acting all magnanimous and broad-minded now."
This guy... isn't he the ruthless boss who wiped out his own clan? Why does he look like a spineless corporate-slave-turned-father-of-the-year right now?
But Ren reconsidered. It made sense; En Oyashiro was fundamentally an honest man. It was only after being pushed to the edge by the corruption of his clan that he had exploded in silence, slaughtering them all in a fit of rage. From that perspective, the man wasn't such bad company.
Lying on the ground, Sasori realized he couldn't keep up the act any longer. Moreover, these two didn't seem to harbor any genuine malice toward him. He dropped the pretense, opened his eyes, and sat up.
He cast a cold, sharp gaze at the black-clothed Ren and demanded, "You can see?"
Ren smirked. "Of course I can see. I'm not blind!"
Sasori: "..."
"If you're not blind, why are you wearing a black cloth?"
Ren immediately bluffed, "It's called fashion! You wouldn't understand!"
In reality, he wore the cloth because the Ketsuryūgan and Sharingan hadn't finished their fusion, making his eyes sensitive to light—especially when combined with his own sun-bright Susanoo. Furthermore, a new dōjutsu was gestating, and his eyes needed rest. Plus, with his [Mind's Eye], he saw better with his eyes closed anyway. And as a bonus, it served to mislead enemies—case in point: the red-haired hottie currently glaring at him.
"Alright, Uchiha, tell him the business!"
En Oyashiro tried to play peacemaker, noticing his daughter's face scrunching up as if she were about to wail. He turned to Sasori, speaking calmly. "It's wartime. I understand why you'd strike first at a stranger, but we mean you no harm. We only want—"
"Oh?" Sasori cut him off with a sneer. "By the sound of it, you think you can win against me? If it weren't for this blind brat, you'd already be dead!"
To Sasori, combat was a battle of information. He had lost because he relied on his revolutionary weapons, unaware that his opponent had an unknown dōjutsu and that Ren was providing warnings. He felt he'd been tricked by Ren's appearance. He hadn't even pulled out his true trump card yet! He was incredibly bitter about the loss.
En Oyashiro's brow furrowed. Even for a man of his patience, his expression darkened at Sasori's arrogance.
Ren spoke up, his voice flat and calm. "If you want to die, no one will stop you. But I'll help him beat you to death. We need you as a guide to lead us to Unming City, the capital of the Land of Lightning. If you refuse, you can die here right now. Trust me, I'm not joking."
Ren stared intently at Sasori. He knew Sasori's trump card—the Human Puppet made from the Third Kazekage. But he hadn't taken it from him when he was unconscious. Why? Because it didn't matter.
Sasori was still a human, not yet a puppet himself. He hadn't perfected his Performance of a Hundred Puppets or his defensive shells. Even with the Third Kazekage, he was no match for Ren and En Oyashiro together. Against two sets of dōjutsu, Sasori's only path was death—or flight.
Ren's Sharingan couldn't hypnotize Sasori safely because breaking through the Brainwashing Sand would turn the boy into an idiot, which Ren didn't want. Besides, killing him offered no benefit. He already had the secrets of the Chakra Core from Chiyo's brother, and fighting a mindless puppet wouldn't trigger Heartsteel or drop Magnet Release.
To Ren, this version of Sasori was just a puppet master who made toys. Nothing more.
Sasori fell silent. He could handle the tall one, but the kid he couldn't read... plus...
Sasori suddenly remembered En Oyashiro calling the kid "Uchiha." He narrowed his eyes, looking at the tattered clothes and the red-and-white crest on the boy's back.
"Are you of the Uchiha clan?" Sasori asked coldly. "What is your relationship to Ren Uchiha, the Young Head who went missing after falling off a cliff at Hell Valley?"
En Oyashiro blinked, looking at Ren. Missing Young Head? This kid has quite a background! And his name is Ren?
Ren was caught off guard for a moment. He hadn't expected Sasori to turn the interrogation on him. He asked curiously, "Why are you looking for Ren Uchiha?"
Sasori let out a cold laugh, his eyes fixed dangerously on Ren. His hand reached for the second scroll on his back, undoing the latch and revealing the character for 'Three'.
"How coincidental," Sasori sneered. "My goal on this trip to the Daimyo's estate in Unming City is exactly that—"
"To kill Ren Uchiha!"
"Huh?" Ren's brow twitched. He let out a dry cough. "I see. Then we have the same goal!"
Seeing Sasori's suspicious look, Ren spoke with a face full of righteous indignation. "Don't misunderstand, I'm not that guy. My name is Fugaku Uchiha!"
"Of course, leaving the village is a secret mission. I also have a nickname; you can call me Uchiha Yan-zu!"
Sasori scanned Ren for a moment, thinking it over, and then nodded knowingly. "Uchiha Yan-zu? Heh..."
Fugaku Uchiha. He knew of him—the unlucky guy whose position as clan head was snatched away by Ren Uchiha! The Captain of the Police Force, the original heir, now the "number two" living in Ren's shadow.
It made sense. This "Fugaku" was likely heading to Unming City to see if the "Ren Uchiha" there was the real one, hoping to kill him and reclaim his position as head of the Great Uchiha Clan. That explained why he was so powerful.
Sasori let out a cold snort. "Hmph! What a boring drama. But... it suits my purposes!"
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