"Yes."
Sasori was as sparing with his words as gold, turning his head to cast a cold glance at Kiyoshi. He truly had no goodwill toward Hidden Leaf ninjas.
"Then it can only be said that your parents were too weak. That is why they both died; you cannot blame anyone else."
"!"
Hearing Kiyoshi's cold, mocking words, Sasori's brows knit tightly. A flash of fury flared in his eyes as he moved to speak.
Kiyoshi, however, was faster. A red glow flickered in his eyes.
Capturing the exact moment of Sasori's emotional fluctuation, he used his ocular power to invade Sasori's cranial nerves through his eyes. The Genjutsu of the Sharingan was sufficient to instantly hypnotize Sasori.
While it could not compare to [Tsukuyomi]—which could trap a person in an illusory world for three days while only a second passed outside—it was already far superior to ordinary Genjutsu. Especially with Kiyoshi's current ocular power; even with two tomoe, he could rival a three-tomoe Sharingan.
"When do you plan to do the thing you want to do most?"
Kiyoshi spoke softly. The noisy chatter of the street crowds diluted his inquiry. Through the insight of his Sharingan, he saw that there weren't many people monitoring him. Most were focused on guarding against Tsunade, one of the Sannin. His external identity was merely a ninja who had recently been promoted to Chunin.
"...In a year or so... against the Third Kazekage..."
A daze appeared on Sasori's face, and the light seemed to fade from his eyes. His voice was ethereal and weak.
"Change it to tonight. You have thought of your deceased parents, and the fire in your heart is burning hotter and hotter. After it is done, clear out all monitors, come find me, and bring scrolls recording all the ninjutsu you know."
Kiyoshi's whispered words were like the seduction of a demon. Sasori nodded woodenly.
Seeing this, Kiyoshi stopped channeling his ocular power. More than half of the power in his eyes was depleted, recovering at a slow pace. A smile touched Kiyoshi's lips.
The Sharingan's Genjutsu possessed the effect of hypnotizing others, much like how Obito used the Sharingan to hypnotize the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. As long as one's ocular power was strong enough, such feats were easily achieved. The flaw was the need to periodically replenish the power to prevent the victim from waking up.
Kiyoshi did not forcefully hypnotize Sasori; instead, he slowly stirred Sasori's own desires, giving a push to what the boy already wanted to do. The result of this was... it would be much harder to detect. After all, this was what Sasori himself thought; Kiyoshi had simply amplified it.
Gradually, Sasori's wooden expression regained a sense of life.
"Your village's pancakes are quite good."
Kiyoshi bought some pancakes from a street vendor and then had Sasori lead him back. Sasori nodded, not thinking much of it. It was better to send Kiyoshi back; he had more important things to do right now.
That was making the Third Kazekage, the man who caused his parents' deaths, atone!
Hatred intensified in Sasori's heart. He quickly escorted Kiyoshi back to the temporary residence and turned to leave.
"Kiyoshi, you're back?"
Kurenai, who had slept for a while, heard the movement outside and immediately got out of bed, pushing her door open.
"Yeah, I brought some food. Want some?"
Kiyoshi handed a pancake to Kurenai. As he did, he reached out to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. This close-range gesture caused a blush to instantly bloom on Kurenai's face.
"You... you... we are out on a mission!"
Kurenai was so embarrassed she tried to act stern to tell Kiyoshi not to do that. But her face still held a trace of baby fat, making the act look incredibly cute.
"Even on a mission, one has to eat, right?"
Kiyoshi smiled faintly, placing the oil-paper-wrapped pancake in Kurenai's hand. Kurenai could only bury her head and hurry back into her room.
Kiyoshi smiled, then stepped into his own room. Sasori had already begun following the plan to do what he wanted most. Next, there was one final step.
That was to clear his squad of suspicion. Otherwise, if Sasori poisoned someone and fled with the Third Kazekage's body, the Sand would believe Kiyoshi was the culprit. Though that was technically the truth, Kiyoshi had only provided a push. This was a calamity the Sand was destined to face; it was bound to explode sooner or later.
In the databooks, Sasori's personality was described as cautious, individualistic, and impatient. He was fundamentally a self-centered person, and Lady Chiyo's excessive pampering had spoiled him. One must remember that initially, Chiyo didn't even want to save Gaara. She only fought Sasori because she wanted to use her forbidden jutsu to revive her son and daughter-in-law to give Sasori a warm home. It was only after her heart was truly broken by Sasori that she dealt the killing blow.
"Continue training."
Kiyoshi glanced at his Trait panel. [Fatigue Resistance] was at 99%, and the [Priestess's Sealing Technique] was at 86%. Before Sasori finished his business, Kiyoshi could still increase his strength a bit more.
...
That night.
"Pakura-sensei, you must teach that Kiyoshi Uchiha a harsh lesson tomorrow!"
Maki waved her small hand. She worshipped Pakura. Although she had witnessed Kiyoshi's impressive strength, she still believed that Pakura, after her hard training, could definitely defeat him.
"Of course."
Pakura nodded confidently. What Kiyoshi had done to her was something she could never forget. No man had ever dared to treat her that way. If she didn't defeat him, she would live the rest of her life in the shadow of that event!
The two women walked under the streetlights toward an open shop to eat.
"Is that Sasori-sama?"
Maki pointed in a direction. Sasori seemed to be carrying a bowl of chicken soup toward the Kazekage building.
"Sasori is Lady Chiyo's grandson; it's normal for him to be close to the Kazekage."
Pakura shook her head. The Hidden Sand Village was built on various ninja clans, and those clans valued bloodlines. Lady Chiyo was one of the village's high-ranking officials; Sasori was essentially being groomed to take over.
"I see." Maki nodded. "But I believe Pakura-sensei will be the next Kazekage!"
Pakura's Bloodline was rare in the Sand, and many clans wanted to arrange marriages with her. If Pakura became Kazekage, there wouldn't be much opposition from the other clans.
"It's too early to talk about that."
Pakura smiled and patted her student's head. There was still a rival, Rasa. Rasa was older than her, possessed the [Magnet Style] Bloodline, and had learned much about its use from the Third Kazekage. He also frequently used Magnet Style to collect gold dust from the sand, providing a significant income for the village, giving him high prestige.
Pakura looked back once; Sasori had already entered the Kazekage building with the soup. She then sat down with Maki to order.
...
"Lord Kazekage, my grandmother asked me to bring this chicken soup."
Sasori pushed open the door to the Kazekage's office and walked in. He placed the large bowl of soup on the desk and lifted the lid. Instantly, a savory aroma filled the air.
"Chiyo?"
The Third Kazekage frowned. Chiyo actually had the leisure for this? He observed Sasori and saw it wasn't an imposter. Out of trust for his comrade, the Third Kazekage nodded slowly.
"Sasori, I hope you will become a puppet master our Sand is proud of, just like Chiyo."
With that, the Third Kazekage used the spoon beside the bowl to take a sip and test the seasoning. It tasted good; the chicken used was very fresh. He gave a small smile and told Sasori to head back.
Sasori shook his head. "I will wait for Lord Kazekage to finish so I can take the bowl."
"Fair enough."
The Third Kazekage nodded. There had been too much paperwork today, particularly regarding the alliance with the Leaf, and he hadn't eaten dinner yet. After finishing the soup, he handed the empty bowl back to Sasori.
Suddenly, the bowl slipped from his hand. The Third Kazekage's pupils shrunk. His hand was shaking?
"Lord Third Kazekage, please rest in peace. This is all for my parents."
Sasori's emotionless voice drifted over. A wave of horror washed over the Third Kazekage. He had been poisoned! Chiyo's grandson actually intended to betray the village! He tried to mobilize his chakra, only to find that under the effect of the toxin, he couldn't refine or gather it at all.
"Come. I will give you a dignified end, making you a perfect... eternal piece of art in my hands."
Sasori approached step by step. For the first time, a smile appeared on his usually expressionless face.
...
*Click.*
The clock struck four. The occasional flashes of lightning in the room ceased completely. A faint knocking came from the door.
Kiyoshi stopped his training and opened the door to find Sasori with hollow eyes.
"Take me to a remote location."
"...Yes."
Sasori nodded vacantly. Their figures flickered through the night. Sasori had already dealt with all the Sand ninjas monitoring this area silently. As the grandson of a high-ranking official, finding their locations wasn't difficult.
Once in an alley, Kiyoshi reached out. "Give me all the puppetry techniques and poison-making methods you know."
"...Yes."
The response was still Sasori's dazed voice. He fumbled through his scrolls, a flicker of confusion crossing his body. *Why am I doing this?* But a moment later, the confusion returned to empty vacancy. He handed the scrolls to Kiyoshi. There were many, at least a dozen.
"Good."
Kiyoshi nodded with satisfaction. Among them were [Memory Concealing Manipulative Sand], [Manipulating Millennial Hands], [Thousand Hands Manipulation Force], [Puppet: Karasu], [Puppet: Kuroari], [Poisonous Dagger]... even the construction method for Sasori's [Hiruko] was included.
Kiyoshi couldn't normally obtain ninjutsu so recklessly. He didn't need to be so cautious with someone about to become a rogue ninja. It wasn't like the boy could invade the Leaf. Kiyoshi tucked the scrolls away one by one. He wasn't particularly interested in puppetry; what interested him were the Trait bonuses from learning them and the "Chakra Threads." With those, he could throw his ninja sword as a long-range weapon. Chakra threads had a longer range than specialized rubber cords, and if broken, they could be reformed instantly.
"Attack me."
Kiyoshi gave Sasori his final command. The ocular power infused in his eyes was nearly gone. The final step was to have Sasori attack him, framing Sasori for an attempt to shift the blame!
*Clack... clack...*
A swarm of marionette-like puppets was summoned by Sasori. Kiyoshi drew his katana, acting as if he were fighting back.
*BOOM!*
"What happened?"
Pakura, having finished her meal, turned pale. The disturbance was coming from the edge of the village!
***
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