Chapter 5 — The Strongest Puppet (Part 1)
"Granny Chiyo. Ebizo. I came here specifically to request your assistance."
Rasa's voice carried a rare note of solemnity as he stood at the entrance of the secluded courtyard. The wind stirred the surface of the pond nearby, rippling the water like fractured glass.
Granny Chiyo did not immediately look at him. Instead, she flicked her fishing rod lazily and replied in a dry, aged voice:
"Old books should just be tied up…"
Her line trailed off.
A clear, youthful voice cut in smoothly.
"…and thrown onto a high shelf to gather dust, right, Granny Chiyo?"
Seiki Sarutobi stepped forward from behind Rasa, his expression calm, almost playful.
"I'll be frank. Don't you want to see your grandson one more time?"
The words struck like a pebble thrown into still water.
Chiyo's hand paused mid-air.
Ebizo's eyes widened.
Rasa stiffened.
"Seiki Sarutobi!" Rasa barked, turning sharply. "Didn't I tell you to wait outside? These two are advisors of Sunagakure. A junior must not be rude!"
His tone was stern, but beneath it was tension. This was sacred ground in Sunagakure.
"Rasa, it's fine."
Chiyo raised a wrinkled hand, silencing him without effort.
Her sharp gaze shifted to Seiki.
"Seiki Sarutobi… you are from the Sarutobi clan of Konoha, correct?"
Her voice was no longer lazy. It was probing.
Seiki nodded without hesitation.
Ebizo leaned forward curiously.
"But I don't see your ninja headband."
Rasa blinked, suddenly realizing he had overlooked that detail.
Seiki answered plainly.
"Technically, I haven't graduated from the Ninja Academy yet. I'm not qualified to wear one."
A silence followed.
Chiyo's lips curled faintly.
"Oh? Is Konoha so short on manpower that they send a mere Academy student to negotiate with Sunagakure?"
The tease was deliberate, sharp as a needle.
Seiki's eyes remained steady.
"After all, the target isn't particularly strong. Sending a boy is more than sufficient."
The air chilled.
"You dare say my grandson isn't strong?"
Chiyo moved without warning.
Her fist shot forward like a released spring, decades of battlefield experience condensed into one precise, explosive strike.
Seiki made no move to dodge.
For a split second, Chiyo hesitated.
If she pulled back now, it would look as though she feared hurting a child.
Too late.
Bang!
Her fist slammed squarely into Seiki's chest.
"Big sister! You'll kill him!" Ebizo shouted.
"Granny Chiyo, please go easy—he's the Third Hokage's grandson!" Rasa added urgently.
Both had been deceived by Seiki's lean build and youthful face.
But the next moment—
Chiyo's confident expression shattered.
The one in pain… was her.
"Ahhh! My hand!"
She staggered back, clutching her wrist, rolling onto the ground in disbelief.
Seiki looked down at himself, then at her.
"Oh no… I should have dodged that."
He quickly stepped forward to help her up, genuinely concerned.
Note to self: always dodge next time. Hurting elderly advisors would be bad for diplomacy.
Ebizo crossed his arms with a huff.
"Sister, you're at it again with your explosive strength tricks. I won't fall for it this time."
Rasa exhaled slowly.
"So it was an explosive technique… I nearly believed this boy had injured you."
Chiyo almost burst into tears.
Explosive technique? she thought bitterly.
Her knuckles throbbed. The joints were misaligned.
This wasn't deception. This wasn't theatrics.
The boy's body was like steel.
The younger generation rises like waves, pushing the old waves onto the shore…
"Granny Chiyo," Seiki said gently, "I've studied some orthopedic techniques. Please bear with me."
He took her hand carefully.
Crack.
With a precise adjustment, the bones slipped back into alignment.
"Does it still hurt?"
Chiyo blinked.
The pain had eased significantly.
Seeing the unexpected gentleness from someone she had just attacked, her weathered face flushed faintly.
"Ahem. Hmph. It was nothing," she muttered, pretending composure.
Then her eyes sharpened again.
"You just said… I could see my grandson?"
Seiki nodded.
"Akasuna no Sasori. I know his hideout. I came specifically to request your assistance."
As he spoke, he glanced toward Rasa.
Rasa gave a firm nod.
With tensions rising along the borders and hidden threats from the Cloud Village, he could not personally leave Sunagakure. If Chiyo joined the mission, his worries would ease considerably.
Chiyo and Ebizo exchanged a long look.
Finally, Chiyo exhaled.
"…Fine. This old woman will go with you."
---
As they left the secluded residence, Chiyo's eyes fell upon a tall white-haired figure leaning casually nearby.
She raised a brow.
"The Three Sannin of Konoha… so you're here too."
"Granny Chiyo, long time no see," said Jiraiya with a respectful nod.
He had heard the stories.
During the Second Great Ninja War, he, Orochimaru, and Tsunade had barely managed to survive against Hanzō, the so-called demigod of the shinobi world.
Yet Chiyo alone had once fought on equal footing with that very man—wielding medical ninjutsu, taijutsu, and masterful puppetry.
Even now, decades later, Jiraiya felt genuine respect.
"Granny Chiyo, we'll be relying on you."
"Hmph. Who's helping you Konoha people?" she snapped. "I'm going for my grandson."
She shot him a tsundere glare.
Jiraiya turned slightly away, suppressing a laugh.
This old woman's expressions are still lethal…
Seiki, however, ignored the theatrics.
The desert stretched before them—vast, golden, endless.
The wind roared low across the dunes.
"Today's wind is fierce," Chiyo murmured.
She gazed at the shifting sands.
"No matter how strong a ninja becomes… all will eventually perish. Only the sand and the puppets remain."
Her voice carried something heavier now.
"Granny Chiyo," Seiki asked quietly, "did you say those same words to Sasori?"
She paused.
After a moment, she nodded.
Seiki understood.
Sasori's obsession with eternal art—immortal puppets, bodies preserved beyond decay—had been nurtured by those very words.
Tragically, Chiyo never realized how deeply they had taken root.
Just as she had never known that her small, well-intentioned lie had caused Sasori to wait a lifetime in quiet disappointment…
"You seem to understand my grandson well," Chiyo said softly.
Looking at Seiki, she saw something familiar.
Sasori had once been around this age.
Bright.
Quiet.
Observant.
"Sorry," Seiki replied calmly. "I've never met him."
He sympathized with Sasori.
But he would never condone what Sasori had done to life—to himself.
Chiyo's steps slowed.
Deep down, she understood something painful.
This meeting… might be their last.
"I have a request," she said suddenly.
Seiki and Jiraiya stopped walking.
"When I meet Sasori, I will subdue him with everything I have."
Her voice trembled slightly, though her posture remained straight.
"So… could you refrain from killing him first?"
He was her only grandson.
Jiraiya's expression softened with compassion.
But Seiki spoke bluntly.
"Sasori assassinated the Third Kazekage. His strength likely surpasses yours now."
Rasa's jaw tightened at the mention.
"The one who assassinated the Third Kazekage… was it truly Sasori?" Chiyo asked faintly.
The confirmation in Rasa's silence was answer enough.
She closed her eyes briefly.
"If it costs me my life," she said at last, "I must bring him back to the village for judgment. Please… do not interfere."
Faced with the plea of an elder shinobi, Seiki and Jiraiya could only nod.
In the future, Sasori loses to Chiyo and Sakura… but only because he chose not to win, Seiki recalled inwardly.
But that's the original story's future.
At this point in time, Sasori likely hasn't yet fully converted himself into a puppet.
Perhaps Chiyo truly stands a chance.
There was just one complication.
The system required Seiki to defeat a member of the Akatsuki.
Sasori had no partner at the moment.
That meant Seiki could not afford to hold back either.
Ten days of unlimited chakra use is like activating a Nine-Tails cheat—an irresistible temptation for Seiki, who has no chakra of his own.