A little after three in the afternoon, shortly after Keiko left, Kizaru changed into a loose kimono, slipped on a pair of wooden geta, and stepped out of the Shimura clan's main residence.
Since he had already promised Keiko that he would check on Yoshihiko, Kizaru had no intention of putting it off.
The autumn sun was still surprisingly fierce. Even with his sunglasses on, Kizaru instinctively frowned when he stepped beyond the clan compound.
Danzō's Root base was almost as familiar to him as his own home. He had visited it countless times, so he turned right at the next street without even having to think.
"Kizaru-nii! Kizaru-nii!"
After walking for a while, Kizaru heard a child calling to him from the left.
He stopped and turned to find Yahiko, Konan, and the other children running toward him.
Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses and greeted them with his usual mischievous smile.
"Kizaru-nii, Sasori finished building his newest mecha! We need someone to help us test it," Yahiko said.
The test was merely an excuse. Their true goal was to help Sasori gather information about Kizaru's combat abilities.
After Matatabi tried the mecha Sasori intended to give Kizaru, she pointed out several problems. The most serious was its durability. The materials simply were not strong enough to withstand Kizaru's power.
Unless Sasori solved that problem, the masterpiece he had designed so carefully would be little more than a toy in Kizaru's hands. It would never survive an actual battle.
Sasori refused to accept that outcome. He wanted to collect genuine combat data from Kizaru and use it to improve the mecha until it could truly assist him in battle.
To help Sasori achieve that, Yahiko came up with this plan. They would ask Kizaru to help test Sasori's personal mecha in combat, allowing Sasori to gather the necessary data during their fight.
As for why they did not simply tell Kizaru the truth, that was obvious.
The mecha was supposed to be a surprise. None of them wanted Kizaru to discover his gift beforehand.
Kizaru looked down at their expectant faces. He remained silent for less than three seconds before agreeing.
"Oooh... testing a mecha? That sounds rather interesting~" Kizaru murmured, rubbing his chin with a smile.
The test should not take long. He could help Sasori first and then continue to Root afterward.
"Sasori is already waiting for us at the training ground! Let's hurry, Kizaru-nii!"
The four children immediately brightened. Yahiko stepped forward, grabbed Kizaru's large hand with both of his own, and eagerly pulled him down the street.
Kizaru followed the children to a training ground on the outskirts of the village, where Sasori had already been waiting inside his mecha for some time.
The mecha Sasori had built for himself resembled an enormous scorpion king, with its entire body painted in Shukaku's colors.
Its lower half consisted of a mechanical scorpion nearly three meters long, while a humanoid torso rose from the front section of its back.
The mecha supported two operators. Shukaku served as its primary energy source and controlled the scorpion-shaped lower body, while Sasori operated the humanoid torso mounted on its back.
"Sasori, we'd better work together properly this time. Let's give that guy Kizaru a real surprise!"
Shukaku had participated in the mecha's entire design and construction process, contributing a great deal to its completion. Naturally, he was brimming with confidence about the upcoming battle.
With his coordination with Sasori, the countless weapons installed throughout the mecha, and the additional puppets Sasori had prepared, Shukaku was convinced they had a chance.
Even if they could not defeat Kizaru, they should at least be able to surprise him.
"Gahahaha!"
The thought alone made Shukaku burst into laughter.
Sasori was far calmer. While operating the machine, he conducted one final inspection of every weapon and mechanism while reviewing their battle strategy in his mind.
"Sasori, we brought Kizaru-nii!"
Yahiko's excited voice rang across the training ground as he led Kizaru inside.
Kizaru gently pulled his right hand free from Yahiko's grasp and walked forward, carefully examining the mecha.
Sasori had actually incorporated a tailed beast into a mecha.
The little genius had truly given him a pleasant surprise.
"Oooh... Sasori, how do you want to test it?"
Kizaru stopped in front of the mecha and slipped both hands into the outer pockets of his kimono.
"Gahahaha! With a fight, of course!" Shukaku answered before Sasori could speak.
Kizaru's smile widened at once.
It seemed a certain little tanuki had grown bold again after going too long without a spanking.
"Kizaru-nii, please fight us at full strength," Sasori said. "I want to discover the limits of the Shukaku Scorpion."
Unlike Shukaku's reckless challenge, Sasori's request was considerably more reasonable.
Kizaru nodded with a smile.
"Oooh... you want me to go all out? Then let's make one thing clear first. If I break it, I won't be able to replace it~"
"That's fine. This mecha was built for testing."
Hearing Sasori's answer, Kizaru glanced at the exposed sections of chakra-conductive metal across the Shukaku Scorpion.
Were Yūsa and Shino not spoiling their son a little too much?
By Kizaru's estimate, the mecha had cost more than ten million ryō to build. That was a fortune to most shinobi in the village.
Yet Sasori's parents had simply handed him enough money to build a mecha for fun?
"Yahiko, Konan, take everyone outside the training ground and keep your distance," Kizaru warned. "Be careful not to get caught in the fight~"
He was not certain how much destruction the coming battle would cause.
"Got it!" Yahiko answered loudly.
He took Konan's hand and led her away, while Nagato followed beside them, holding Nonō's hand.
Kizaru noticed the small gestures between the children and smiled to himself.
Children these days certainly matured faster than they had in his time.
After confirming that Yahiko and the others had retreated to a safe distance, Kizaru raised his head and looked into the mecha's electronic eyes.
"Sasori... I won't be holding back~"
"Come at us, Kizaru-nii!" Sasori was already prepared.
The battle was about to begin.
However, under the children's expectant gazes, Kizaru did not attack. Instead, he began taking off his clothes.
He removed his outer robe and gathered it in one hand before unfastening the sash around his waist.
Kizaru then walked toward the edge of the training ground, rolled the robe and sash into a bundle, and tossed them toward the bewildered children.
"Hold onto those for me~"
After leaving that instruction with Yahiko, Kizaru returned to stand before the mecha.
Yahiko picked Kizaru's clothes up from the ground, staring at them in confusion.
"Why did Kizaru-nii take off his clothes just to fight?"
"Maybe they would get in the way," Nagato answered uncertainly.
"Could it mean Sasori's mecha is putting so much pressure on Kizaru-nii that he needs to fight seriously?" Konan wondered aloud.
"That must be it! Konan, you're so smart!"
Still holding Kizaru's clothes, Yahiko hurried back to Konan's side and praised her excitedly.
Matatabi was perched on a nearby tree, watching the coming battle alongside them. Her expression carried equal amounts of resignation and disbelief.
She knew Kizaru far too well.
There could only be one reason for him to behave like this.
He was about to show off again.
"Oooh... Sasori, that mecha of yours is awfully big~" Kizaru remarked, gazing up at it with a smile.
He deliberately paused, loosening the front of his remaining kimono before continuing.
"But your Kizaru-nii... can get pretty big too~"
The moment those words left his mouth, Kizaru's body abruptly began to expand.
It was like watching the Hulk transform. His bones shifted beneath his skin as his muscles swelled with a rapid series of sharp cracks. His body continued growing until he stood slightly over three meters tall.
His expanding frame and inflated muscles stretched his loose kimono until it clung to him like a tight-fitting suit.
Fortunately, the fabric was of excellent quality. Otherwise, it would have torn apart on the spot.
"Th-This..."
Yahiko's mouth fell open. Clutching Kizaru's clothes with one arm, he pointed at him with a trembling finger.
"K-Kizaru-nii got huge!"
Yahiko was not the only one left stunned. Everyone present was startled by Kizaru's sudden transformation, including Sasori inside the mecha.
Kizaru was now almost as tall as the machine itself.
Still trying to understand what had happened, Sasori contacted Shukaku through their mental link.
"Shukaku, did you—"
"Why did that guy Kizaru suddenly get so huge?!"
Hearing Shukaku's equally bewildered voice inside his mind, Sasori abandoned the question.
Shukaku clearly had no more idea than he did. Asking him would accomplish nothing.
"Oooh... Sasori, why don't you make the first move~?" Kizaru suggested when the mecha remained motionless.
Sasori did not answer with words.
At his command, the mouth on the head of the mecha's scorpion-shaped lower body snapped open.
A torrent of metal senbon erupted from within, streaking toward Kizaru at tremendous speed.
•••
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