Deidara used the Body Flicker Technique to evade the attack, while Sasori leaped in the opposite direction. Deidara immediately understood what his old partner was thinking and released a clay bird, soaring into the sky.
Sasuke pulled Naruto back just as he was about to give chase, then activated his Complete Body Susanoo. With a beat of its wings, he flew after them.
Even though he hadn't yet trained his Wind Release chakra to the level of Sky Dance, flying itself wasn't exactly a rare trick.
The Susanoo Sasuke manifested was only slightly larger than his own body, as though he were wearing a suit of chakra armor.
His ability to freely control the size of his Susanoo had already surpassed both Shisui and Itachi.
It also proved that his understanding of Yin Release had gone beyond the limits of ninjutsu as defined by the Mangekyō Sharingan.
On the ground, Naruto realized Sasuke wanted to handle his opponent alone. He decided not to interfere and instead charged toward the other enemy alongside the rest of the group.
Kankurō was locked in a contest against his senior with his puppets, but as a puppet master, his talent was nowhere near Sasori's level. Even the puppets he used had originally been crafted by Sasori himself.
Temari and Gaara were somewhat more efficient, but Naruto was the fastest of them all. He transformed into what looked like a tentacled monster, the chakra arms erupting from his body smashing a puppet apart with every punch.
He relied on nothing but overwhelming brute force, not even bothering to use ninjutsu.
The remnants of Sasori's puppet army were quickly obliterated.
Just then, Sakura, who had quietly circled around behind him, suddenly struck. Taking advantage of Sasori's distraction as he controlled his puppets to defend himself, she landed a Monster Strength punch that blasted Sasori's body into countless fragments.
It really had been blown to pieces—
Because what she had destroyed was Sasori's puppet shell, Hiruko.
A figure calmly emerged from the shower of shattered parts, landed steadily on the ground, and finally revealed his true body to everyone.
His appearance, however, caught everyone completely off guard.
Sasori was no longer young, yet instead of a rugged middle-aged man, the one standing before them was a beautiful red-haired boy who looked no older than ten. He even appeared younger than Naruto and the others.
Beauty was justice.
After jumping back to Naruto's side, Sakura stared at that handsome face and suddenly found herself wondering...
Had I... hit him a little too hard just now?
Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō were equally stunned. The most famous puppet master Sunagakure had ever produced now looked exactly as he had in photographs taken decades ago.
He hadn't changed at all.
Could he have dwarfism?
Only Chiyo understood what had happened.
"Sasori..." she said in shock. "Don't tell me... you've turned your own body into a puppet?"
Sasori smiled—a smile beautiful enough to captivate anyone.
"It seems pretty obvious, baasan. Only this way... could I exist forever."
"I'm sorry you never got to see me as an adult."
"But you should be happy."
"Because this face... will always be the one you remember best."
Chiyo lowered her head sadly.
"No, Sasori... I'm not happy."
"My grandson is already dead."
"The one standing here is nothing more than a puppet carrying his consciousness."
Whether Sasori could truly understand how his grandmother felt was anyone's guess.
After all, the face he had given himself could no longer produce expressions to reflect his emotions.
He was, in truth, a pitiful soul—one forever trapped inside a puppet.
He had gained eternity...
...and lost everything else.
Sasori felt irritated, but his voice could no longer betray any emotion.
Calmly, he pulled a scroll from behind his back.
"Enough reminiscing."
"Since we've met here..."
"...let's settle everything today."
Chiyo nodded.
"Yes."
"It's time to end this."
"The only thing left for me now..."
"...is to take you with me to the Pure Land and apologize to my son and daughter-in-law."
Hearing his grandmother mention his parents might have filled Sasori with rage.
But puppets couldn't rage.
The only thing he could do was quicken his movements.
With a flick of his wrist, he unfurled the scroll.
The Third Kazekage human puppet took the field.
In an instant, iron sand gathered and condensed in midair.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!
Countless senbon formed from Iron Sand poured down like a torrential rain, blanketing both sides.
Gaara manipulated the sand within his gourd, forming the legendary ultimate defense, Mom Susanoo, shielding himself and his siblings beneath it.
On Naruto's side, the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode emerged. Nine enormous chakra tails gathered together, firmly protecting Chiyo and Sakura within their embrace.
After finishing his attack, Sasori once again controlled the Third Kazekage human puppet to use Magnet Release, transforming the Iron Sand into a gigantic metal cube and smashing it toward Chiyo.
Boom!
Naruto's chakra transformed into a giant hand that caught the cube. Seizing the opportunity, Sakura leaped into the air and punched it high into the sky, while Naruto's two free chakra hands each formed a Rasenshuriken.
One followed immediately behind, blowing the cube apart into a rain of Iron Sand. The other appeared in front of the Third Kazekage puppet, engulfing the body of the strongest Kazekage.
Naruto had long since mastered maintaining Sage Mode at all times. The secondary natural energy contained within the jutsu completely erased the chakra inside both the Iron Sand and the human puppet.
The Rasenshuriken was incredibly fast and had an enormous area of effect. Sasori didn't even have time to make the Third Kazekage puppet dodge. He could only leap away himself. After avoiding the attack, he tried to reconnect with his prized creation, only to discover that it no longer responded.
One of his two greatest trump cards had been rendered useless just like that.
Judging from the technique the other side had used, this young man was Konoha's jinchūriki.
But Sasori no longer cared.
His life as a member of the Akatsuki had already come to an end.
Chiyo stopped Naruto before he could continue attacking.
"Young man, leave this to me. From here on... this is a story between a grandmother and her grandson."
Naruto did not object. Together with Sakura, Gaara, and the others, he silently withdrew to one side, cutting off every possible escape route.
Sasori had never intended to flee. His grandmother's proposal suited him perfectly.
Soon, the grandmother and grandson—the greatest puppet masters of two generations of Sunagakure—began the fiercest puppet battle imaginable.
The Third Kazekage human puppet had been destroyed, but that didn't matter.
Sasori himself was a human puppet.
Aside from the regenerative core housed within his heart, every part of his body concealed deadly killing mechanisms.
Meanwhile, Chiyo brought out Sunagakure's most famous puppet masterpiece, a legacy left behind by the founder of puppet arts.
Controlling his own body, Sasori clashed with Chiyo's Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets in a dazzling battle that left Kankurō completely spellbound.
Neither side bothered with probing attacks or held anything back, and the battle ended quickly.
Sasori had countless puppet arms sealed within his own arms, while his main body was filled with innumerable hidden mechanisms.
Spinning blade wheels, oil, flames, wire cables...
Using them all, he destroyed Chiyo's Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets before charging straight at her, raising his long blade and driving it down with all his might.
Chiyo smiled.
She made no attempt to dodge.
Instead, two more puppets suddenly appeared behind her.
They were not human puppets—only puppets crafted to closely resemble people.
The moment Sasori saw their faces, he smiled as well.
Only inwardly.
His face remained tragically incapable of showing any expression.
They were his own creations from years ago.
Father and Mother.
Modeled after his parents.
Sasori's blade pierced Chiyo's heart.
At the same time, the blades held by the Father and Mother puppets thrust toward him.
Sasori instantly adjusted the angle of his body—not to evade, but to ensure the weapons would strike the regenerative core within his heart with perfect accuracy.
'Had this old woman still failed to discover my weakness... or had she gone soft?'
Either way, Sasori had made his choice.
With their vital points pierced, both of their lives reached their end.
Looking at the aged face before him, now weathered beyond recognition, Sasori spoke in a calm, emotionless voice.
"Obaasan... eternity truly is a beautiful art... but it's far too lonely."
Chiyo smiled gently.
"It's alright, Sasori. It's all over now. I'll go find them with you."