"Anyway, why make him a barber?"
Shikamaru turned to Naruto, who had come up beside him. "What's Takumi thinking?"
"This guy is a pretty famous puppeteer, something like Red Sand... something Saso."
Naruto hadn't quite remembered Sasori's title. "You should've seen the scene back then. This guy controlled hundreds of puppets, even Takumi was in some danger."
"Then guess how Takumi fought back?"
Naruto put on a mysterious face, waiting for Shikamaru to ask.
Shikamaru looked resigned, but wanting to know the answer, he had to play along with Naruto's boring game.
"How did Takumi do it?"
He said in a rather helpless tone.
"Hehe, Takumi just took out a huge scroll and summoned over a thousand puppets!"
Naruto puffed out his chest, as proud as if he had done it himself. "You have no idea how spectacular it was!!"
"The entire sky was filled with Takumi's puppet army."
"In no time at all, he destroyed all of Sasori's puppets and then captured him alive."
Naruto excitedly recounted the scene, his face flushed.
"Takumi knows puppetry too?"
Shikamaru was astonished. This was the first he'd heard of it.
Then, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "A puppeteer titled Red Sand, strong enough to join the Akatsuki... Could he be Sasori of the Red Sand?"
"Yeah, that's right!"
Naruto looked at Shikamaru in surprise. "Shikamaru, you know him?"
"I heard my dad mention him once."
Shikamaru nodded. "During the Chunin Exams, it was our first time encountering Sunagakure's Shinobi, right?"
"After I got home, my dad told me some things about Sunagakure, including stuff about Sasori of the Red Sand."
Shikamaru's words immediately piqued Naruto's interest.
"What kind of guy is this Sasori of the Red Sand?"
Naruto asked curiously, pressing for more. "Takumi seemed to know him well, but he wouldn't tell me anything."
"According to my dad, Sasori was a child prodigy, making a name for himself as 'Sasori of the Red Sand' early on. But one day he suddenly defected; no one knows exactly why."
"And around that time, the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure went missing. The whole village was in chaos, factions fighting amongst themselves, so no one paid attention to where he went."
"Unexpectedly, he ended up joining the Akatsuki and got caught by Takumi."
As he spoke, he grew a bit emotional.
He was also puzzled by Sasori's current youthful appearance. "Based on what my dad told me, Sasori should be at least in his thirties by now. Why does he still look like a teenager?"
"Because he's no longer a normal person."
Neji slowly approached them. "And the reason for his defection is related to the Third Kazekage."
"Oh?"
Shikamaru turned curiously. Hearing Neji say this, his sharp mind quickly pieced together the likely scenario.
The timing of Sasori's defection and the Third Kazekage's disappearance was just too coincidental.
He couldn't help but suspect.
"He assassinated the Third Kazekage and turned him into a puppet."
Neji looked at Sasori with a grave expression.
Even though Takumi was watching over him, he didn't need to worry,
But being cautious by nature, he didn't believe Takumi could watch Sasori constantly.
So he felt he should do something.
For instance, keep an eye on Sasori when Takumi wasn't around.
"Turned him into a puppet?"
Shikamaru's expression changed. He had only heard of Takumi's victory, not the details of the battle.
Naruto hadn't explained it clearly either.
"That's right."
Neji nodded. "Turning a person into a puppet is a very cruel method, but it preserves the deceased's abilities and Kekkei Genkai."
"So that means the Third Kazekage puppet can still use Magnet Release?"
Shikamaru was amazed. "And Takumi still won against the Third Kazekage puppet? His strength really is unfathomable."
He had heard his father say that the Third Kazekage was hailed as the strongest Kazekage ever.
Whether that was exaggerated or not, to earn such an evaluation, the Third Kazekage's strength couldn't be weak.
"Unfortunately, I didn't see the fight."
Neji shook his head slightly, a hint of regret on his face.
"That Third Kazekage puppet was really strong, you know."
Naruto chimed in. "Even Takumi had to run from the iron sand it created."
"If Takumi hadn't taken advantage of a moment when Sasori wasn't paying attention, using dozens of puppets to restrain the Third Kazekage puppet and then smashing it to pieces, Takumi might have been in a bit of danger."
Although Naruto said this, his face showed no trace of worry.
In his view, it was over.
Better to focus on the present than worry about the past.
"Speaking of which, more and more people are gathering. Won't there be trouble?"
Shikamaru looked at the growing crowd around them, feeling a bit uneasy inside.
Mainly, he didn't like being in crowded places; it made him feel unsafe.
"With Takumi here, what could happen?"
Naruto had immense trust in Takumi. "Anyway, aren't we supposed to be building a barbershop here? Why hasn't it started yet?!"
"Probably waiting for the person the Hokage arranged."
Neji said, "I recall the Hokage mentioned he would send someone to help with the construction."
"I think Grandpa Hokage did mention that."
Naruto tried to remember. It seemed like he heard it, but also like he didn't.
His attention wasn't on it, so he hadn't remembered.
"By the way, Naruto, did you guys get to do anything?"
Shikamaru suddenly became curious.
The rumor he heard was just that Takumi captured the enemy.
But there should have been more than one enemy, right?
Where did the others go?
Why no other achievements?
"What could we do?"
Naruto looked puzzled. "There was only one enemy. And with so many puppets, we couldn't even get near the battlefield. We would've been swarmed by puppets the moment we stepped in."
"Just one, huh."
Shikamaru was surprised. "I thought there would be many."
He happened to notice Gaara had also appeared.
Beside him were Temari and Kankuro.
Baki, now Gaara's personal bodyguard, stuck to him like glue, almost never leaving Gaara's side.
Afraid that Gaara might be taken again.
This was the hope of Sunagakure, saved only by Chiyo's sacrifice.
He didn't want to lose it a second time.
"You went to rescue Gaara, right?"
Shikamaru pointed at Gaara. "Why is he here?"
"Something about thanking Grandpa Hokage in person for Konoha's support or something."
Naruto said, uninterested, his hands behind his head. "That kind of talk back and forth is boring anyway."
"Looks like they're strengthening the alliance."
Shikamaru immediately understood the reason for their visit.
He was, after all, much smarter than Naruto.
What Naruto found uninteresting and didn't care about, Shikamaru found quite thought-provoking.
"Are you Sasori of the Red Sand?"
Gaara came to Takumi's side and looked Sasori up and down. "Any interest in returning to Sunagakure?"
Takumi looked at Gaara in surprise, not expecting him to be so magnanimous towards the man who had killed him.
This showed that Gaara already possessed the awareness needed to lead Sunagakure.
He just still lacked the power.
"I'm his prisoner now."
Sasori didn't even glance at Gaara, lifting his chain-bound hands to indicate he wasn't a free man.
"Even without his puppets, he's still highly dangerous."
Takumi refused without hesitation. "So it's better he stays here where I can watch him."