I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 581 Loulan Scorpion!

It's been several years since I last came.

Loulan, standing tall in the desert, seems unaffected by the force of "time," its appearance still resembling a magnificent, towering city.

however.

As Nara Rinka approached, he could still make out the edge of Loulan, the dilapidated ruins almost completely buried by endless sandstorms.

obviously.

They lost the technical support of An Lushan (Centipede), an excellent puppeteer.

Given Loulan's population size and economic strength, it was simply impossible to maintain the healthy operation of this desert city.

It is estimated that it will not be long before the entire Loulan will be completely reduced to ruins due to the continuous erosion by the desert winds and sand.

By then, the people who settled in Loulan might have transformed into a "nomadic people"...

Should we let the village absorb these people in the future?

Nara Rinka was pondering this question.

A short figure slowly "crawled" out of Loulan.

"You've come..."

A deep voice came from Fei Liu Hu.

Nara Rinka stopped in her tracks and looked at the approaching puppet.

"scorpion?"

Nara Rinka carefully examined Hiruko's appearance, then raised her hand and gestured for a while.

"I've always been curious, how exactly did you manage to get inside Hiruko?"

"When you usually manipulate a puppet, do you lie prone? Or squat? Or are you curled up?"

Nara Rinka was not at all surprised by the appearance of Sasori of the Red Sand.

This guy was specifically "stationed" in Loulan because he received orders from him.

As for why Sasori, an S-rank rogue ninja from Sunagakure, would obediently follow the orders of Nara Rin, the Fourth Hokage…

Of course, it's not just because Sasori of the Red Sand is no match for Nara Rinka.

It wasn't entirely because Nara Rinka secretly planted the mark of the Shadow Blade in Sasori's Regeneration Core; he simply couldn't escape the Fourth Hokage's "black hand."

The main reason is that a large amount of puppet technology data was left behind in Loulan.

The technology data for these puppets comes from the future ninja, Centipede.

For Sasori of the Red Sand, some of the Centipede's techniques can provide considerable inspiration and benefit to his puppetry.

Furthermore, Sasori's research on the special chakra of the dragon veins is also worth noting.

Even though there are no dragon veins left in Loulan now...

all in all.

Nara Rinka and Akasuna no Sasori were definitely not in a superior-subordinate relationship, but rather a friendly cooperative one.

Sasori of the Red Sand stayed in Loulan out of his own will, not because of Nara Rinka's dictatorial order.

and so.

This is why Nara Rinkazu immediately began asking Sasori, the Red Sand Scorpion, a polite question upon his arrival.

pity.

Nara Rinka's goodwill was not accepted by Sasori of the Red Sand.

"A pointless question!"

Hiruko—or more accurately, Sasori of the Red Sand—had absolutely no interest in paying attention to Nara Ranka's nonsense.

He looked directly at the two figures, one large and one small, beside Nara Rinka.

"Didn't you say you only brought Rasa? How come there's another brat?"

Sasori scrutinized Gaara's short red hair and the incredibly noticeable dark circles under his eyes on his small face.

"This image... I seem to vaguely remember it."

"Is this the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast from Sunagakure?"

"Not bad, you recognized Gaara's identity at a glance."

Nara Rinka raised an eyebrow and said with a smile.

"It seems you haven't neglected your intelligence gathering efforts within Sunagakure during your time in Loulan."

"Even when I'm not in Loulan, I'm always keeping an eye on the village's situation."

Sasori of the Red Sand said coldly.

"Now you have not only captured the Fourth Kazekage, but also kidnapped the One-Tailed Jinchuriki."

"Is Konoha's next plan to destroy Sunagakure?"

"That woman, Ye Cang, can't stop you."

Sasori of the Red Sand has certain spy resources within Sunagakure.

He naturally knew who would take on the burden of Sunagakure after Rasa's "death".

but.

Sasori of the Red Sand was unaware of the secret relationship between Nara Rinka and Yotsuya.

"Don't think of me so badly, okay?"

Nara waved his hand repeatedly as he held up the laurel tree.

"Konoha would never actively invade other villages. In the first three Shinobi World Wars, our village was always on the defensive, and Konoha never took the initiative to attack."

Ok.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Konoha—or rather, Konoha—took the initiative to attack.

then.

The five great ninja villages and their 80,000-strong army were nearly wiped out.

The quality of Konoha's rogue ninjas is unparalleled in the entire ninja world.

Cough!

Sasori of the Red Sand glanced indifferently at Nara Rinka.

You refuted the argument that Konoha would actively invade Sunagakure.

However, he did not refute the claim that Yekura, that woman, could not withstand your attack.

Although, that is the truth...

"Say what you will, I've long since stopped caring about that village."

Sasori of the Red Sand said calmly.

"You've brought two people with you. Do you intend to turn both of them into human puppets?"

At this point, Sasori paused, a sudden fervor creeping into his voice.

"A Jinchūriki puppet! Haha!"

"I'm taking the Jinchūriki with me."

Nara Rinka manipulated the shadows, keeping Gaara by his side while sending Rasa away.

"Wind Shadow, I'm leaving it to you."

Since Sasori of the Red Sand could create the Third Kazekage into a special human puppet and retain his [Sand Iron Secret Technique],

Then he should also be able to turn the Fourth Kazekage into a human puppet while preserving the other party's [Gold Sand Secret Technique].

According to Nara Rinka.

Killing Rasa directly would be too wasteful.

They transformed Luo Sha into a human puppet, turning him into a "gold miner" like a perpetual motion machine.

This is a more valuable option than killing Rasa directly.

With a flick of its tail, Hiruko lashed out like an iron whip in mid-air, cleanly and efficiently catching the unconscious Rasa.

"Huh? It's still alive?"

As soon as he got his hands on it—as soon as he touched its "tail"—Sasori of the Red Sand discovered Rasa's specific condition.

He had originally thought that the Fourth Kazekage had died at the hands of the Fourth Hokage.

I never expected the other person to still be alive!

Suddenly, Hiruko activated a mechanism, from which an extremely thin needle shot out and pierced Rasa's head with perfect accuracy, hitting the memory center of his brain.

Mind manipulation technique!

Through Sasori's actions, Rasa's personal consciousness was completely sealed away.

All that awaits him is the fate of becoming a human puppet.

Sasori nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the newly acquired Fourth Kazekage puppet.

They lost a third generation.

Return a fourth generation.

It's not a loss, really.

Nara Rinkazu, that guy, still has some conscience after all.

Having bound Rasa's body, Sasori of the Red Sand was about to manipulate Hiruko to turn around.

"I'm leaving."

"it is good."

Nara Rinka spoke up.