Naruto: All My Targets Are Ninjutsu.

Although he didn't quite like Yekura as the "Kazekage," Rasa wasn't about to give up at a time like this. He first gestured to Karyura, signaling the latter and Maki to assume a standstill, then stood up from the tree trunk, raised his hand, and a ball of gold dust appeared in mid-air, immediately dispersing into dozens of senbon-shaped strands.

"Who goes there? Show yourself!"

"..."

no respond.

Luo Sha said no more. With a wave of his hand, the Sand Gold Thousand Books transformed into a golden rainstorm, shooting towards the bushes dozens of meters away with a sharp whooshing sound!

then……

Ding Ding Ding-!

A series of metallic clanging sounds rang out.

It was as if someone had erected a barrier in the bushes, blocking out all the gold dust sage. The faint sound of the two colliding was extremely jarring in the quiet, dense forest.

"Ah……"

A soft laugh echoed from the forest: "As expected of you, Rasa. Your alertness is still so strong."

"……who?"

Luo Sha frowned, vaguely sensing that the other person's voice sounded familiar, as if it belonged to someone she knew, but she couldn't quite place it.

But soon...

The doubts have been cleared up.

Because the other party had already emerged from the depths of the shadows on their own—

He was a boy.

He had striking short red hair and a fair, delicate face that, under the bright moonlight, made his complexion appear completely bloodless.

Below that was a long black robe that covered most of her body, with only her hands hanging down at her sides, her fingertips slightly spread apart, as if connected by transparent chakra threads.

"...It's you?!?"

Luo Sha was greatly alarmed.

At the same time, Karyu and Maki, who were behind them, also widened their eyes, revealing expressions of shock, and exclaimed, "Sasori of the Red Sand?!"

That's right.

The person standing before them at this moment was none other than Sasori of the Red Sand, the grandson of Elder Chiyo, the youngest S-rank rogue ninja in Sunagakure's history, a former member of the Third Kazekage's Shadow Guard, and the mastermind behind the killing of the Third Kazekage, plunging Sunagakure into chaos!

How did he end up here?!

wrong……

How is he still alive?!

Karyuro glanced at Yekura subconsciously.

Previously, it was no secret within Sunagakure that Pakura had encountered Sasori near the Wailing Canyon, "defeated" him, and retrieved the Third Kazekage's puppet. This was also the basis for Pakura's ability to win over the elders and temporarily secure her position as "Acting Kazekage."

Although Yekura stated that she hadn't found Sasori's body and could only conclude that his fate was "unknown," the fact that the most important Three Winds Puppet had been retrieved suggests that the guy was most likely dead. Chiyo's side also held this view.

But now...

How did he show up again?!

And it looks like it's completely unharmed!?

opposite.

Sasori's gaze swept coldly over Rasa and the others, and he spoke expressionlessly: "Long time no see, Rasa, Karyura... and Yokura."

"I never imagined that Sunagakure would decline to this extent in just a few years since I left. Even someone of your caliber has become the Kazekage?"

"……Oh."

Ye Cang stared at Sasori with a grim expression, his tone icy: "Isn't all of this thanks to you? If it weren't for your wolfish ambition and your conspiracy to assassinate the Third Kazekage, how could Sunagakure have fallen to this state! How dare you stand here and speak to us now!"

"Assassination?"

Scorpion tilted his head, revealing a chilling smile: "No, no, no, you misunderstand. I didn't kill him, but instead gave him eternal life in another way."

"Even if we put it another way, you ignorant people who don't understand art should understand that this world has always been a dog-eat-dog world, and the weak have no right to survive. The Third Kazekage died, which means he was too weak, while I am alive, which means I am strong enough."

"What a pity. It was once my most perfect collection, but it was taken away by you and that white-haired guy. I wonder what price you paid to get that white-haired guy to give you this collection. Could it be... that you offered your body? That's really ridiculous."

"Little White Hair?"

cost?

What do you mean?

Karyu's heart skipped a beat; he instinctively sensed that Sasori's words had a hidden meaning.

Ye Cang's face darkened completely.

Her deal with Mikami Yu was a secret.

Although Yekura believes that this transaction is profitable for Sunagakure and does not involve betraying Sunagakure's core interests, if others were to learn of this, it could very well be exploited and used to create a big issue.

If Sasori were to reveal Yu Mikami's existence at this moment...

This could have unpredictable consequences for her and even the overall situation of Sunagakure!

fortunately,

Scorpion's words just now seemed to be just a casual remark, and he didn't seem to have any intention of sowing discord.

Or rather, in his view, the group of people in front of him were no different from the dead, and there was no need to use a divisive tactic on a group of people who were about to become puppets.

Neither Luo Sha, Ma Ji, nor the others nearby noticed this detail in Scorpion's words.

Luo Sha was the most excited at this moment.

After all, like Sasori, he had served as a bodyguard for three generations of Kazekage, and their relationship had once been reasonably good. Therefore, he was the most shocked when Sasori betrayed the village: "What bullshit 'eternal life'? That's just death! Your so-called art is nothing but necrophilia!"

"..."

Scorpion was starting to lose control.

The words may be rough, but the principle is sound.

Regardless of the reasons, Scorpion's behavior of collecting corpses and turning them into puppets to carry with him every day can indeed be described as "necrophilia"...

"Hmph, foolish mortals!"

Scorpion abandoned any intention of continuing the reminiscing, slowly raised his right hand, and pulled hard: "This time, that white-haired guy isn't here. I want to see if you can escape from my grasp again! Come out, Shamen!"

Before he could finish speaking...

A figure darted out from the woods behind the scorpion!

At first glance, the figure looks no different from a living person, but upon closer inspection, one can see that its steps are noticeably stiff and its eyes are empty, clearly indicating that it is a puppet created by modifying a living person's body.

more importantly……

Its appearance was clearly that of a burly, bald man with a blue snake tattooed on his forehead, wearing the traditional Kazekage robes of Sunagakure, with a resolute face. It was none other than the deceased Second Kazekage of Sunagakure, Shamon!

"Scorpion, you're insane!!"

Rasa was beyond furious, his voice trembling: "You assassinated the Third Kazekage, which is an unforgivable crime, and now you even went so far as to desecrate the Second Kazekage's body! How can you face Elder Chiyo and the village for nurturing you? You are utterly depraved!"

"Oh."

Sasori ignored Rasa's rebuke: "That's why I hate you people. The relationship between me and these puppets... you'll probably never understand."

"So be it. Your destiny is to join my collection, just like the Second Kazekage... especially you, Yecang. Although I don't acknowledge your status as Kazekage, it would be quite a sight to see if I could gather all the puppets of the four Kazekage, wouldn't it?"

"!!"

next moment.

With a flick of his finger, Scorpion controlled the puppet of Shamen to leap forward!

Shamen formed hand seals in mid-air, and countless iron sands gathered from all around, transforming into several sharp triangular cones that shot towards Luo Sha and the others!

That's right.

Shamon was not only the Second Kazekage, but also the creator of Puppet Technique and Magnet Release. The Third Kazekage's Sand Iron Blood Legacy was inherited from him.

Although the latter is known as the "Strongest Kazekage," this does not mean that Shamon was weak. It's just that he devoted most of his time and energy to developing the puppetry system and researching tailed beasts for the sake of Sunagakure's development, which is why he was unable to achieve greater success.

but……

The monks of today are different.

The maximum size of a puppet is determined by the puppeteer.

Sasori's puppetry skills were already among the best in the ninja world, no less than Chiyo's. He had even personally modified the corpse of the Third Kazekage before, and had already conducted in-depth research on Magnet Release. Therefore, he could now control Shamon's corpse as if it were his own body, as if it were his own arm.

In the blink of an eye.

More than a dozen swords, spears, halberds, and various cones made of iron sand formed an overwhelming offensive, rushing towards Luo Sha and his group!

"Sand Iron Spear Formation!"

"Golden Defense!!"

Luo Sha roared and manipulated a large amount of gold dust to form a thick wall in front of him, blocking the iron sand weapon from the outside.

"...Hmph! Iron Sand Realm Technique!!"

Scorpion snorted coldly and unleashed his ultimate move!

At this moment, countless iron sands dispersed in all directions, forming huge long spikes in the air. These spikes then intertwined and extended, forming the prototype of a barrier that spread to a larger area.

"spread!!"

Luo Sha roared, unleashing the full power of his Sand Gold Bloodline, creating numerous images of weapons and shields to contend with Shamen's Sand Iron Realm Magic.

At this moment, Garuda also made his move, pulling the sand on the surrounding ground to create a protective shield in front of himself and Yekura.

—Karuta also trained in Magnet Release, but not to the same level as Rasa. She could only manipulate the most basic sand, like Gaara in the future. However, this skill was enough to place her among the Jonin of Sunagakure.

As for the other two Sand Ninja in the Shadow Guard, they immediately drew their kunai to defend themselves.

One of them was accidentally grazed by the expanding iron sand barrier. The skin at the wound turned purple and then black at a visible speed, and he screamed in terror, "Oh no, this iron sand is poisonous..."

Swish-!

A flash of light!

But it was Baki, standing nearby, who severed the Sand Ninja's arm with a single strike, then grabbed him and flew backward: "Idiot, that's Sasori of the Red Sand! Have you forgotten what methods he's known for? This battle is no longer something we can participate in. We need to take advantage of Rasa holding him off and get the Kazekage away as soon as possible..."

Before he could finish speaking...

Mutation and regeneration!

This time, the ground beneath Ye Cang's feet suddenly cracked open! Then a white figure burst forth from the earth, rushing towards her with lightning speed!

"...So fast!!!"

Yecang's pupils suddenly contracted.

Her strength was not weak. Although she might be slightly inferior to those who were truly Kage-level, she was definitely at the level of an elite Jonin. Moreover, she had been on guard ever since she saw Sasori, preparing to defend against any possible attacks.

but……

Even under these circumstances, Ye Cang still couldn't see the white figure's attack route clearly!

Because it's too fast!

It was as fast as a white lightning bolt!

when--!!!!

Galyu's sand shield, which was more than ten centimeters thick, was shattered almost instantly upon contact!

Then, without pausing for a moment, the attackers continued to advance!

"Scorching Escape - Overheating and Killing!!!"

Yecang threw out the blazing white fireball that was not yet fully formed.

This was Ye Cang's killing move; the outer flames reached a temperature of nearly a thousand degrees Celsius. Under normal circumstances, even a puppet would be instantly burned. But the figure neither dodged nor evaded, instead slashing out with a short sword, seemingly tearing open a vacuum in mid-air! It sliced ​​the fireball in two! The flames within the area instantly extinguished!!

"Lord Kazekage, be careful!"

Karyu exclaimed in surprise.

Ye Cang retreated rapidly!