Kenji walked over to where the iron sand had trapped Rasa moments before. The ground was torn apart, a crater nearly three meters wide gouged into the earth where Chiyo's explosive tag had detonated. Scattered around the crater's rim were tiny fragments of gold-tinted sand and several dark droplets of blood.
Chiyo had used her Sealing Technique: Lion Closing Roar to pin down his puppet just long enough to detonate an explosive tag beneath Rasa. The blast had shattered the iron sand restraints and given her the opening she needed to extract the Kazekage. Rasa had tried to shield himself with gold dust before the explosion, but he'd still taken significant damage. Combined with the wounds Kenji had inflicted while collecting tissue samples, the man was probably in bad shape right now.
He didn't bother chasing them. Instead, he directed his Magnet Release puppet to collect the blood and tissue fragments from around the crater. The samples went into a sealing scroll immediately, preserved in stasis. He still wasn't certain whether Rasa's Magnet Release was a bloodline limit. Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō hadn't inherited the ability, which suggested it might not be genetic. But it was worth investigating. Even if the Gold Dust itself couldn't be replicated, understanding how Rasa manipulated a diamagnetic material through magnetic chakra could provide valuable insights.
After securing the samples, he left the battlefield with his puppet in tow, moving silently through the growing darkness.
---
Ever since Rasa's escape, the front line between Suna and Konoha had fallen into an uneasy quiet. There were a few minor skirmishes, probing attacks that tested defenses without committing to anything serious. But Suna's forces no longer launched major offensives. It was like both sides had tacitly agreed to catch their breath.
During this lull, a package arrived for Kenji from Konoha.
He assumed it was another letter from Honoka. She'd been keeping him updated on village gossip and personal news. Her cheerful handwriting was a welcome distraction from the grimness of war. But when he opened the package, he frowned.
Inside were two letters and a sealing scroll he recognized immediately. The scroll he'd given to Enma. He set the scroll aside and picked up the letters, checking the signatures. One was from Fugaku, current head of the Uchiha clan. The other was from Enma.
He unfolded Enma's letter.
The handwriting was messier than usual, as if written in haste or under stress. But the words were clear:
[Kenji,
By the time you read this, I'm probably already gone. Last mission, I nearly died fighting Suna ninjas. After they pulled me out, all I could think about was Hazuki and Izumi. I'm not afraid of dying. That's part of the job. But I can't stop worrying about them.
After Hazuki's husband was killed, I became her only support. She and Izumi have moved back to the clan compound, but if I die, who protects them? The clan will provide for them financially, but that's not the same as having someone who actually cares.
When you nodded and said you could make a Sharingan puppet, I felt hope for the first time in months. Every shinobi dies eventually. That's just reality. But if my Sharingan could become a puppet, then maybe I could still be there for them... still protect them. Even after I'm gone.
I told Fugaku about this, and he agreed. I know you're reliable. You'll help me fulfill this wish. Inside the scroll are my Sharingan and tissue samples. Please, let me keep protecting the people I love, even after death.
- Enma]
He finally understood. The questions Enma had asked about Sharingan puppets. The certainty that the Uchiha wouldn't pursue the matter. Enma had been planning this from the very beginning. He'd made peace with his own death and was just trying to arrange protection for his family.
Kenji had seen plenty of death since transmigrating. War made corpses out of people every day. But having a friend say goodbye like this, through a letter written with the full knowledge that he wouldn't survive, hit differently.
He let out a bitter laugh. "Typical Uchiha. Family obsessed until the very end."
Even in death, Enma was roping him into responsibilities. The puppet would use Enma's eyes and cells, sure. But the one controlling it would be Kenji's shadow clone. Essentially making him a permanent bodyguard for Enma's sister and niece.
Though he complained out loud, his mind was already made up. It wasn't just sentiment. Creating the puppet would fulfill Enma's dying wish while also giving him another "legally sourced" Sharingan puppet. One that could protect Hazuki and Izumi at home in peacetime, and serve as a combat asset when needed.
Two birds with one stone.
He folded Enma's letter and picked up the second one. Fugaku's message was shorter and more formal:
[Yamanaka Kenji,
The Uchiha clan acknowledges the agreement made between yourself and Uchiha Enma regarding the creation of a Sharingan puppet. We consent to the use of Enma's Sharingan and biological materials for this purpose. The clan will not pursue any claims or actions related to this matter.
This letter serves as official documentation of said agreement.
- Uchiha Fugaku, Clan Head]
It was bureaucratic, exactly what he needed. Proof that the Sharingan came through legitimate channels rather than battlefield scavenging or black market dealings. He folded both letters and tucked them into a protective case. These documents were crucial. Lose them, and he'd have no defense if the clan ever changed its mind.
Finally, he picked up the sealing scroll.
His hands moved slowly as he channeled chakra into the seal and unrolled it. White smoke puffed out, and when it cleared, two containers materialized on the table in front of him. One held a piece of flesh suspended in clear nutrient solution. The tissue looked fresh, preserved perfectly by the sealing technique. The other container held a pair of Sharingan, the three tomoe spinning in the fluid as if still alive.
He stared at the eyes.
He remembered the last time they'd met. Enma had been asking questions about what the puppet would look like, how it would move, whether it would be recognizable as him. At the time, he had thought the man was just being thorough. Now those questions took on a different weight.
Enma had wanted to know what form he'd take after death. What his family would see when they looked at the puppet that wore his face.
"Damn this war," he muttered.
He resealed both containers and pulled out a summoning scroll. A puff of smoke produced one of his transport puppets.
"Take these back to my workshop in Konoha," he instructed, handing over the sealed containers and both letters. "Store them in the secure vault. Don't let anyone near them."
The transport puppet nodded once and vanished in another burst of smoke.
He sat there for a moment, staring at the empty space where the puppet had been. Then he looked toward the direction of Konoha, even though it was far beyond the horizon.
"Time to have a conversation with Rasa."
Enma's death was a reminder of how brutal this war was. The timeline needed to accelerate. The longer he waited, the more people like Enma would end up as names on memorial stones.
---
Night fell over the battlefield.
Kenji moved through the darkness toward Suna's encampment, his Magnet Release puppet following silently behind him. He found a sheltered position about two hundred meters from the camp's perimeter, a rocky outcropping.
He closed his eyes and expanded his sensory technique to its maximum range. Chakra signatures appeared in his mind like stars in the night sky. He filtered through them, searching for two specific patterns.
There. Rasa's chakra burned bright, still carrying traces of iron sand that made it easy to identify. And nearby, the complex, multi-layered signature that could only belong to Chiyo. Unlike Rasa, the iron sand on her was gone, likely washed away or simply shed during the chaos of battle.
"Both targets present."
His hands formed the seal for Flying Thunder God.
The Magnet Release puppet vanished after two seconds. In the same moment, it materialized inside a tent deep within the Suna encampment. The tent's interior was spartanly furnished. A low table held various documents and maps. A bedroll lay against one wall, clearly unused. And sitting at the table, wrapped in bandages and hunched over paperwork, was Rasa.
He looked up sharply.
"Who—"
He didn't get to finish the question.
All iron sand that had been lying dormant on Rasa suddenly activated. They condensed in an instant and formed an ultra-thin needle that went straight through Rasa's chest. His body went rigid, chakra freezing mid-surge as shock and pain overwhelmed his system.
"Guh..."
"We fought not long ago," the puppet said, walking around to face Rasa. "Don't tell me you've forgotten already."
Rasa's eyes widened. The voice, the technique.... It was the same Magnet Release user from before. "You're that guy..." he forced out through gritted teeth, blood beginning to leak from the corner of his mouth. "You broke into Suna's camp to assassinate the Kazekage? You have any idea what you've just done?"
"Whether I make it out or not remains to be seen," the puppet replied. "But if you keep stalling for time, you'll definitely die before anyone arrives."
An iron spike formed behind Rasa, aligned with the wound the needle had carved through his chest. It pressed forward just enough for him to feel the tip grinding against the edge of his heart.
"The spike is maybe two centimeters from your heart. Want to test how long you'd last if I pushed it through?"
Rasa's body went completely still. He could feel the cold metal inside his chest. His life was entirely in this intruder's hands, and they both knew it.
---
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