As expected, the twenty puppets that tried to block Uchiha Ran's Susanoo blade were shattered in a single instant.
That brief moment was enough for Sasori to manipulate Hiruko, seize Chiyo, and retreat.
Uchiha Ran looked toward the distance. The Sunagakure forces had already collapsed and scattered, and he had no intention of chasing them down.
The internal turmoil had only just been suppressed. With public sentiment still unstable, launching a deep pursuit was unwise. Securing the village came first.
---
Underground.
Hiruko burrowed forward at full speed. Even if the puppet's limbs were ground down, even if this entire body was ruined, he had to get the old woman out.
Chiyo slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the underground tunnel, she froze for a moment.
I'm… not dead?
And the one carrying her was a puppet.
Confusion flickered across her face. Driven by a puppeteer's instinct, she began examining the body holding her.
Hiruko ignored her and continued digging. Once they were far from the Konoha–Sunagakure battlefield, he would put her down.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in Sasori's consciousness.
Hiruko's movements halted.
"Sasori… Grandma's good grandson. Is it really you?"
Feeling that familiar blood-bound connection, Chiyo's eyes immediately reddened. When she saw Hiruko stop, her tears finally spilled over.
"Grandson, you disappeared for so long without a word. Grandma searched everywhere for you…"
Sasori no longer had tears—his heart had already been replaced—but his core still trembled slightly.
He silently turned Hiruko's head and looked at her.
Chiyo was clutching the puppet, crying uncontrollably, her face full of grief and pain.
His emotions were tangled, but he had no intention of explaining anything.
Finding a suitable spot, Sasori drove Hiruko upward, breaking through the ground. He gently placed Chiyo onto a large, flat rock.
He turned to leave.
Chiyo grabbed Hiruko's arm.
"Sasori… can you stay this time? With Grandma here, I can resolve everything about the Third Kazekage."
Hiruko remained silent.
Then its tail suddenly coiled around Chiyo's neck and struck.
Her eyes rolled back as she lost consciousness.
Sasori released a sealed scroll. Twenty mid-level puppets emerged, each preloaded with chakra. He left them behind and departed without another glance.
He would not let his grandmother's reputation be ruined because of him.
He hated the White Fang.
He hated the Third Kazekage.
Hiruko moved on, his figure fading as a firm resolve settled in his heart.
"A father's debt must be repaid by his son. Hatake Kakashi… Rasa… wash your necks and wait."
Rasa had been a disciple of the Third Kazekage—half a son, by that logic.
Once the Third Kazekage's puppet was further refined, Sasori would personally seek them out.
The figure of Sasori of the Red Sand vanished completely.
---
On the battlefield.
Rasa stared at the retreating Sunagakure ninja and roared in fury.
"You bastards actually abandoned me! Have I ever treated you poorly?!"
Uchiha Ran deactivated Susanoo and walked toward him, his expression calm and indifferent.
"You didn't do well either," Ran said flatly. "To become Kazekage and still end up like this—what a failure."
Rasa's face darkened. He glared at Ran with venomous hatred.
"There's no point talking anymore. If you're going to kill me, do it. My children will one day wipe out Konoha to avenge me!"
With that, he closed his eyes and stretched out his neck.
Uchiha Ran looked at him with mild interest.
Not bad. His character was rotten, but at least he could face death.
"Capture him," Ran said casually. "And demand no less than two hundred million in compensation from Sunagakure."
"This man can pull gold straight out of the ground. He's worth far more than that."
"Yes!"
The Ino–Shika–Chō immediately moved. Seeing Nara Shikaku still suppressing Rasa, they rushed over without hesitation.
This was the shared brain of the three clans—nothing could go wrong.
Seeing reinforcements arrive, Shikaku finally relaxed and stood up.
Below him, Rasa struggled violently, seething with humiliation. In his eyes, this was deliberate disgrace.
"If you keep resisting," Uchiha Ran said coldly, already raising his flame fan, "I'll smash you into paste."
Rasa instantly went still.
He stopped resisting entirely.
Ran nodded in satisfaction.
"See? Was that so hard?"
Rasa was restrained and escorted back to Konoha's prison without further incident.
Uchiha Ran then glanced at Uchiha Fugaku, frowning slightly.
"Father, why didn't you activate Susanoo? Are you deliberately hiding it? I don't see the point."
Fugaku replied evenly, "Konoha lacks top-tier combat power. Only a few people can truly stand at the top. That's why the other villages dared to provoke us."
"My goal in this battle was to make them understand something."
"That Konoha is now led by the Uchiha."
"And that Konoha is powerful—unrivaled."
Uchiha Ran's words instantly ignited the crowd. Worship and support surged through nearly everyone present.
It was clear how oppressed they had felt over the years.
Uchiha Fugaku's expression remained solemn.
"I understand your intent. But have you considered the drawbacks of the Mangekyō?"
"Unless one possesses the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Mangekyō techniques and Susanoo cannot be used endlessly."
"You were fighting Kage-level opponents. Have you calculated how long Susanoo was active? How many times you used your dōjutsu?"
"If this battle leaves the entire Uchiha Clan blind, what meaning does victory have?"
His voice was low, but every word struck home.
Uchiha Ran fell silent.
He realized he had indeed been too simplistic.
Not everyone possessed an Eternal Mangekyō like him. Ordinary Mangekyō inevitably damaged eyesight, and repeated battles would make it irreversible.
If this weakness spread, other villages would never give Konoha time to recover or cultivate a new generation.
And if the Uchiha lost their vision within the village, how could they deter the other clans?
That old man Sarutobi Hiruzen—whose ambitions should have been buried—might rise again.
Uchiha Ran took a deep breath.
"I understand, Father. I'll take care of what comes next."
Uchiha Fugaku looked at him with mixed emotions.
He was still only a teenager, yet the weight of Konoha—and even the shinobi world—had already fallen onto his shoulders.
Could he truly bear it?
---
System Notifications
Ding. Congratulations to the host for subduing Yakushi Kabuto.
Reward: Hashirama Cells (no side effects), fully stabilized data.
Ding. Congratulations to the host for defeating Sunagakure head-on.
Reward: Uchiha Battle Scythe.
Ding. Congratulations to the host for capturing Rasa alive and imprisoning him.
Reward: Uchiha Eye Exercises.
This technique can prevent blindness and bodily damage caused by excessive Mangekyō usage, and can even restore negative effects such as vision loss.
The system's mechanical voice faded.
------
Enjoying the story?
Get ahead of everyone else!
Read up to 60 advance chapters right now on my Patreon, with early access, daily updates on all novels, and more perks for supporters.
👉 patreon.com/TheLazy_sage