Onoki sighed at this moment. "For the upcoming succession ceremony in the Hidden Cloud Village, you and I will go, Kitsuchi. We'll take Deidara along."
Kitsuchi nodded. "Alright, I'll go make preparations now."
After walking about a kilometer away from the Tsuchikage building, still holding Kurotsuchi's hand, Deidara laughed and flopped onto the ground. "Hahaha, that was just too thrilling. Did you see it, Kurotsuchi? Art, art is explosion!"
Although Kurotsuchi didn't quite understand what Deidara was saying, given her fondness for him, she chose to nod. Then she lay down next to him.
"Brother Deidara, your clay just broke Father's Earth-Style Wall! So amazing!" Kurotsuchi's eyes sparkled. Aside from her grandfather Onoki, no one in the Hidden Stone Village had ever managed to do something like that!
"No big deal, no big deal. I have other jutsu I haven't even used yet! Otherwise, the whole building would have vanished from the map!" Deidara said rather proudly.
"Mhm, mhm. But what about Particle Style, Brother Deidara? Don't you want to learn it? It's the Hidden Stone Village's unique secret technique. Grandfather has mentioned it to you many times." Kurotsuchi also wanted to speak up for her grandfather.
Unexpectedly, Deidara's expression changed. "I naturally know how powerful Particle Style is. But I'm most interested in Explosion Release. I don't know if you've heard a saying that's been circulating from Konoha. Interest is the best teacher."
Kurotsuchi stopped trying to persuade him. If Brother Deidara didn't want to learn it, then he shouldn't. She couldn't let this matter of Particle Style cause a rift between her and Deidara, could she?
Besides, she thought Explosion Release was very strong too. It didn't have the biases of the older generation.
Deidara smiled, then got up and continued his Explosion Release training. This open area was perfect for practice.
Kurotsuchi pouted. Was clay really that fun?
Hidden Mist Village.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were training. Now that all seven were present, they were practicing the coordination of their swords. Raiga Kurosuki had already retired. The new master of the Kiba blades was now Ringo Ameyuri.
Compared to Raiga Kurosuki's steadiness, Ringo Ameyuri was more violent, more unhinged. Perhaps because her personality and strength matched the Kiba blades better, Ringo Ameyuri was now ranked second in strength among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. The first was still Suikazan Fuguki.
"Maa maa~ Ringo Ameyuri, you should still rest when it's time to rest. You're such a hard worker that you make everyone else work hard too," Suikazan Fuguki said with a laugh.
Ringo Ameyuri glanced at him. "Ringo Ameyuri was originally just an ordinary shinobi. Thanks to the Mizukage-sama's favor, I was able to become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and even obtain these Kiba blades. How could I not train with all my might!"
Suikazan Fuguki smiled. Sure enough, she was a die-hard fanatic. The other Swordsmen also nodded in agreement.
Just then, the Mizukage, Yagura, walked over slowly. A smile was on his face. Clearly, he had heard Ringo Ameyuri's words and felt very gratified.
He also felt extremely honored to have chosen Ringo Ameyuri. If every shinobi in the Hidden Mist Village had that kind of awareness, that kind of resolve, perhaps the village's strength would have already doubled by now.
Maybe not enough to rival Konoha, but at least they could compete with the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud Villages.
"Mizukage-sama!" Suikazan Fuguki smiled and sheathed Samehada.
Mizukage Yagura smiled at him. "Mm." Then he looked at Ringo Ameyuri. "Ringo, come here for a moment."
Ringo Ameyuri suddenly stopped her movements. She walked over to Yagura and then knelt on one knee.
Yagura's eyes held gentleness as he looked at Ringo Ameyuri. He even straightened a corner of her clothing for her. "I know you train hard to prove yourself, but you must also pay attention to resting."
"Your efforts, I see them all. From the lowest position among the Seven Swordsmen to now the second strongest, achieving this level in just half a year is already amazing," Yagura said with a smile.
"How about this, Ringo, and everyone else. You've all been training hard for half a year. For this Hidden Cloud Village succession ceremony, you'll come with me to attend. Consider it a break!" Yagura said, laughing.
Ringo Ameyuri wanted to say something more, but seeing Yagura's smile, she finally closed her mouth. "I will follow the Mizukage-sama's instructions!"
The others also let out a sigh of relief. This one person's intense training had dragged everyone else into it, keeping a taut string in their minds all the time.
They had already been feeling a bit unable to endure it. This was a perfect opportunity from the Mizukage to take a break.
Suikazan Fuguki also smiled. He was fine either way. He didn't express an opinion, since he was the number one anyway.
"Good, then it's settled. In five days, we set off together!" Yagura chatted with the seven for a bit more, then left.
Ringo Ameyuri attached the Kiba blades to her sides, stood up, and walked toward her house. Seeing the hardcore trainer leave, the others sheathed their swords one after another, relaxed, and went off chatting and laughing to eat and have fun.
Hidden Sand Village.
Chiron was currently crossing his legs, looking at the clerks and shinobi on both sides as he spoke. "What are everyone's thoughts on this Hidden Cloud Village succession ceremony?"
His hand tapped on the table, thoughtful. To be honest, he didn't really want to go. But just moments ago, their messenger had said something: the Hokage, Ryun, would also personally attend the event.
This was intriguing. Since Ryun was going, it would be inappropriate for them not to go.
Ebizō was the first to speak. "I believe the Kazekage-sama must participate in this succession ceremony. The Hidden Cloud Village has not only invited us but also the Kage from other villages."
"According to the messenger's information, the Hokage, Ryun, has already confirmed his participation in the Hidden Cloud Village's ceremony. As Konoha's ally, our Hidden Sand Village should also attend."
Ebizō's words not only made Kazekage Chiron feel that it was only proper, but also caused everyone present to nod in agreement.
Elder Chiyo also nodded, clearly agreeing with her brother's view.
Kazekage Chiron thought for a moment and finally said, "Since that's the case, we will go. But who should accompany me?"
"Lady Chiyo is advanced in years and unsuitable for a long journey. And the others…" A clerical shinobi sighed.
The entire room fell silent, not a sound to be heard.
Kazekage Chiron tapped the table. "How about this. I'll take ten jonin and Sasori. Sasori can now control twenty puppets simultaneously. I might just need to borrow the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets from his mother for the occasion!"
Chiyo's eyes lit up. That's right. Her grandson could now control twenty puppets at once, and his technique was skillful. It was just that the quality of the puppets was slightly lacking. If he had her Chikamatsu Collection, he could definitely rival Kage-level combat power.
"Good. Chiron, I'll lend you the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets. This time, let them all see that our Hidden Sand Village also has geniuses!" Elder Chiyo said with a full smile. She had almost forgotten she had a grandson who was a puppet master genius.
The other Hidden Sand Village high-level members all wore smiles, praising Sasori. They had heard a little about this genius boy, the most talented among puppet masters.
He was usually quite low-key, so people didn't really know his strength. Today, Kazekage Chiron bringing this up made everyone feel delighted.
The Hidden Sand Village's combat power gap was too severe. After the Third Kazekage, then Pakura who married out, the current Kage-level combat power only included Elder Chiyo and Chiron. Now hearing that Sasori could also stand on his own, everyone immediately relaxed a lot.
After everyone agreed, the meeting adjourned. Everyone's face wore a smile.
At this moment, Sasori was in a cave refining a puppet. His eyes held a gleam, mixed with some excitement. This puppet's origin was no ordinary one. He had dug it up from a grave.
"It's done!" Sasori laughed heartily, then connected chakra strings to the puppet. The puppet opened its eyes and walked over.
"Magnet Release: Sand Drizzle!" Sasori shouted. The puppet's arms moved. Iron sand gathered in the space, forming iron pellets that scattered in all directions. Bang bang bang bang.
The iron pellets embedded themselves deeply into the hard cave walls, a full two feet deep. If it were a person, they would be dead instantly.
"Hahahahahaha!" Sasori's laughter was somewhat deranged. Art, eternal art! So wonderful!
The puppet he had refined was the original Third Kazekage. The original Kazekage's body had been smashed to pieces. It took him a long time to piece it together, using various precious puppet materials, before finally repairing it.
Since the Third Kazekage died for the Hidden Sand Village, then Sasori using his body to make a puppet was also to protect the Hidden Sand Village. If his spirit were aware in the afterlife, he should be very happy.
(Third Kazekage: Me? ***)
However, this kind of thing was somewhat too rebellious against moral norms. Therefore, Sasori put the puppet away into a scroll he carried with him. This time, however, the scroll was marked with the character for "three."
Soon after, his phone rang.
Sasori answered the phone and said with a smile, "Father, what's up?"
"Sasori, the Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village is about to succeed as Raikage. The Kage from all nations will attend. And you will serve as my bodyguard," Chiron said with a laugh.
"Of course, no problem, Father. When do we leave?" Sasori's eyes lit up. Maybe there would be a chance to use his new puppet on this journey.
"Not in a hurry. The day after tomorrow. To ensure you can showcase your skills, I borrowed the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets from your grandmother for you," Chiron said with a smile.
Sasori was momentarily stunned. If it were before, he would indeed have been quite eager for his grandmother's Chikamatsu Collection. But now, having the Third Kazekage puppet, Sasori felt it was just so-so.
But to prevent Chiron from noticing anything unusual, he said with a smile, "That's great! I've wanted to try Grandma's Chikamatsu Collection for a long time!"
"Hehe, come over first. I'll give you the scroll for the Chikamatsu Collection," Chiron said with a laugh, looking at the scroll marked with "ten" in his hand, warmth in the corner of his eyes.
No helping it. His son was just that outstanding. At such a young age, he could control twenty puppets. This mere Chikamatsu Collection was nothing.
Sasori hung up the phone, the corners of his mouth lifting, his eyes filled with obsession. He stroked the scroll marked with "three" in his hand. "Good~ It seems I won't need to use you unless it's a critical moment!"
Sasori headed toward the village. Although talent was the most important thing for a puppet master, he still needed to train more with the Chikamatsu Collection. After all, each puppet master's control habits were different. He needed to familiarize himself with them as quickly as possible.
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