Chapter 21
Chapter 21: The Puppet Reborn
The stillness of the Kazekage's residence was shattered by the sound of wood creaking and snapping together. Within the storage room, shadows danced wildly on the sandstone walls as Sakura’s trembling hands placed the final pieces of Sasori’s masterpiece into position. His puppet body—polished wood, reinforced steel, and intricate chakra seals—glowed faintly under the moonlight that streamed through the high windows.
Inside her mind, Sasori’s voice resonated with triumph.
“Finally,” he murmured, the malice in his tone sending a shiver down her spine. “My legacy returns to its rightful place.”
“Sasori, stop this!” Sakura hissed, her voice cracking under the weight of fear and fury. “You don’t have to do this!”
“Don’t I?” he replied, his voice silkily condescending. “You were kind enough to carry me this far. It would be rude to stop now.”
With a surge of his will, Sasori’s chakra burst forth, flooding the room in a tangible wave of energy. Sakura stumbled back, gasping as she watched the puppet’s lifeless eyes begin to glow with a dull red light. The seals etched into its frame shimmered, the patterns moving as if alive.
The wooden body straightened with a series of mechanical clicks, its joints snapping into place. Then, in a single fluid motion, Sasori’s puppet body stood tall, towering over Sakura with a presence that felt almost otherworldly.
His voice, no longer confined to her mind, echoed through the room with chilling clarity.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this... complete.”
The Confrontation Begins
The storage room door burst open as Gaara, Kankuro, and Naruto arrived, their expressions a mixture of shock and horror. Gaara’s green eyes narrowed as he took in the scene: Sakura, pale and shaking, standing before Sasori’s fully reanimated puppet body.
“Sakura!” Naruto yelled, his voice filled with urgency. “Get back!”
She stumbled toward them, her knees weak as she struggled to process what had just happened. “He... he’s back,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Kankuro’s face darkened, his jaw clenching. “That’s... impossible.”
“Oh, it’s very possible,” Sasori said, his voice smooth and venomous. He turned to face them, his glowing eyes locking onto Kankuro with an unsettling intensity. “You should know better than anyone, Kankuro. After all, you’ve had the privilege of parading my body around like a trophy.”
Kankuro’s hands hovered over the scrolls on his back, his chakra threads already flaring to life. “You’re not going anywhere, Sasori.”
Sasori tilted his head, a faint smirk tugging at his wooden lips. “Do you really think you can stop me? I perfected this art long before you even knew what a puppet was.”
Naruto stepped forward, his fists clenched and his voice filled with righteous anger. “I don’t care how strong you are! You’re not hurting my friends!”
With a roar, Naruto charged, a Rasengan forming in his hand as he leapt toward Sasori. The glowing sphere of chakra surged forward, but Sasori didn’t even flinch. With a flick of his wrist, a hidden blade shot out from his forearm, deflecting Naruto’s attack with precise ease. The impact sent Naruto skidding back, his eyes wide with shock.
“Too slow,” Sasori remarked, his tone almost bored.
Gaara and Kankuro Join the Fight
Gaara’s sand surged forward, its tendrils moving like snakes to encase Sasori’s puppet body. The sand wrapped tightly around him, squeezing with enough force to crush steel.
But Sasori merely laughed, a hollow, mechanical sound. “You think I haven’t prepared for this, Kazekage?”
With a pulse of his chakra, the seals on his body activated, releasing a burst of heat that turned Gaara’s sand to glass. The hardened fragments fell away, and Sasori stepped forward, unscathed.
Kankuro’s puppets shot forward next, their poison-laced weapons aimed for Sasori’s joints. But Sasori’s movements were impossibly fluid, his own puppet arms extending in unnatural angles to counter the attacks. Blades clashed in a flurry of sparks, and Kankuro’s face twisted with frustration.
“Your techniques are sloppy,” Sasori said, his voice filled with disdain. “Did you really think you could surpass me?”
“I don’t need to surpass you,” Kankuro growled, his chakra threads weaving faster. “I just need to stop you!”
Sakura’s Struggle
As the battle raged, Sakura watched in horror, her mind racing. She could feel Sasori’s lingering presence within her, his connection to her chakra still faintly pulsing. The memory of him controlling her body, using her threads, made her stomach twist. She had brought this upon them—her mistakes, her choices, had led to this moment.
“Sakura, focus,” Sasori’s voice whispered in her mind, making her freeze. “You still have a role to play.”
“No,” she whispered, her fists clenching. “I’m done letting you use me.”
But his presence was insidious, creeping into the edges of her thoughts like a shadow she couldn’t escape. “You’re not done, Sakura. Not until I say you are.”
Her eyes darted to the battlefield, where Naruto and Kankuro were struggling to hold their ground. Gaara’s sand surged again, forming massive walls to shield them from Sasori’s attacks, but even the Kazekage’s power seemed to falter against the puppet master’s precision.
Sasori’s True Power
Sasori’s body shifted, compartments opening to reveal an arsenal of weapons—blades, needles, and flame jets that erupted in a chaotic display of destruction. The sheer variety of his attacks forced the team to scatter, each of them barely dodging the onslaught.
“You see now?” Sasori called out, his voice echoing through the chaos. “This is art. Perfection in every movement. And you are nothing but amateurs.”
Naruto growled, forming another Rasengan as he lunged at Sasori again. This time, the attack connected, the spinning sphere slamming into Sasori’s chest with enough force to crack the wood.
For a moment, it seemed like a victory.
But then Sasori laughed, the sound hollow and chilling. “A valiant effort,” he said, stepping back as the damaged section of his chest opened, revealing a series of interlocking gears. “But I don’t break so easily.”
Sakura’s Decision
As her teammates fought desperately to hold their ground, Sakura’s mind raced. She couldn’t let this continue—she couldn’t let Sasori win. But how could she stop him when even Gaara and Naruto were struggling to keep up?
Her gaze fell on the faint glow of the seals on Sasori’s body. The patterns were intricate but familiar—similar to the diagrams in his book. Her mind flashed to the hours she’d spent studying those seals, learning the mechanics of his puppets. And then, an idea took root.
“I have to end this,” she muttered to herself, her hands trembling.
“Sakura, stay back!” Naruto yelled, but she didn’t listen.
She darted forward, her chakra threads snapping into place as she sent her puppet hurtling toward Sasori. He turned to face her, his red eyes gleaming with amusement.
“Ah, the student wishes to challenge the master,” he said mockingly. “How quaint.”
But Sakura didn’t flinch. Her puppet engaged his, their wooden limbs clashing in a blur of motion. She directed her threads with a precision she hadn’t realized she possessed, her focus narrowing to a single point: the core of Sasori’s body.
The Climactic Strike
As Sasori’s attention shifted to counter her puppet, Sakura surged forward herself, her chakra pooling in her fist. She dodged the spinning blades and lashing weapons, her movements fueled by desperation and determination.
“You can’t stop me, Sakura,” Sasori said, his voice filled with cold certainty. “This is my world. My art.”
“Then let me show you mine,” she shot back, her voice steady.
With a final burst of chakra, she slammed her fist into Sasori’s chest, directly targeting the seals that powered his puppet body. The force of her attack sent a shockwave through the room, the glow of the seals sputtering and fading.
Sasori staggered, his movements faltering for the first time. “You...” he began, his voice laced with disbelief.
But Sakura didn’t wait for him to recover. Her hands moved swiftly, weaving a pattern of chakra threads that latched onto the remaining seals. With a sharp pull, she severed the connections, and Sasori’s body collapsed to the ground in a heap of lifeless wood and metal.
The Aftermath
The room fell silent, save for the sound of Sakura’s ragged breathing. Naruto, Gaara, and Kankuro stared at her, their expressions a mix of shock and relief.
“Sakura,” Naruto said finally, his voice filled with awe. “You did it.”
She nodded, her hands still trembling as she stared at Sasori’s broken body. But even as relief washed over her, she couldn’t shake the lingering fear in her chest.
Because Sasori’s voice was still there, faint but unmistakable.
“This isn’t over,” he whispered, his tone chillingly calm. “Not yet.”
Sakura closed her eyes, her resolve hardening. She had won this battle, but the war with Sasori was far from over. And she wasn’t sure if she’d survive the next round.