Cutting-edge of the era?

For a moment, Pakura couldn't tell if Kyoichi was just joking, or if he was hinting that Sunagakure was secretly studying things like human puppets.

The problem was—there was no reward for guessing right, but the price for guessing wrong could be her life.

Her palms were already sweating.

"Kyoichi-sama…"

"Don't be nervous, I was just speaking casually. I believe Sunagakure hasn't studied such techniques. If they had, why would Sasori of the Red Sand need to flee, wouldn't you say?"

"That's… true…"

Pakura let out a quiet breath of relief, then turned her gaze toward Sasori's puppet.

The missing core, the gaping hollow where his heart should be, clearly meant Sasori's true body wasn't there. But now she didn't even know how to bring up the request. Neither she nor Chiyo had ever imagined Sasori would go to such insane lengths.

So…

Was Sasori dead or not?

What state was the body in?

She had no idea.

After some thought, she finally gritted her teeth and spoke:

"Kyoichi-sama, I wonder if I may see Sasori's real body. That way we can strike him from the list of rogue-nin to be hunted. As for your aid to Sunagakure, we will present our gratitude as soon as possible."

"The gratitude can wait. As for Sasori, we still need to dig out some crucial intelligence from him. Once we've gotten what we need, he'll be returned to your village for judgment."

"…Judgment? Wait—does that mean Sasori of the Red Sand isn't dead?"

Pakura's eyes widened.

Kyoichi smiled faintly. "When did I ever say he was dead?"

"Then…"

Pakura froze for a few seconds before the realization struck.

Indeed…

Kyoichi had never once said Sasori was dead. It was she who had simply assumed he must have fallen to Kyoichi. After all, someone like Sasori should be nearly impossible to capture alive—he had far too many ways to kill himself.

To take him alive, one's power had to be utterly overwhelming, leaving him no chance for suicide. Otherwise, Sasori would never allow himself to be captured.

But…

Kanda Kyoichi…

He truly might be capable of it.

To be precise, Sunagakure had never seen Kyoichi seriously fight. They had only heard stories of his feats. In truth, they had no systematic or complete grasp of his true strength.

Realizing her mistake, Pakura began thinking quickly.

If Sasori was alive…

What information did Konoha want from him?

Could it be his puppet arts?

No… unlikely. If it were only puppetry, then with Kanda Kyoichi's ability and Konoha's power, they would have cracked it long ago.

Hadn't Kirigakure's Hiding in Mist Technique already been adopted and improved by Konoha, becoming one of their signature jutsu?

And yet, Sasori still wasn't "cracked." Which meant either they were digging for a deeper, hidden secret… or their aim was something else entirely.

She thought of Amegakure's recent stance.

Lately, Amegakure seemed to be in frequent, unusually close contact with Konoha.

Pakura no longer hesitated.

"What intelligence does Konoha seek? Perhaps Sunagakure can offer some assistance."

"Why would Sasori be working with Uchiha Madara? Do you know anything about that?"

"…What?"

Pakura's first reaction was confusion—then a shock that left her reeling.

Uchiha Madara?

How could that name possibly be tied to Sasori? And yet…

She didn't believe Kyoichi would make things up.

The key was…

Amegakure was supposed to be an independent hidden village. Though officially on good terms with Konoha, their recent activity was far too friendly, almost like a formal alliance.

If Madara was the external factor…

That would explain everything.

There was no doubt. What Kanda Kyoichi was really doing here wasn't fishing for intel from Sunagakure, but demanding they make their stance absolutely clear.

She had to put herself in the shoes of Elder Ebizō and Chiyo.

From the perspective of the village's survival.

As a battlefield-oriented jōnin, Pakura was competent—her kekkei genkai made her exceptionally powerful, even among the elite.

But as a leader?

She was not qualified. Even though Ebizō and Chiyo had tried to instruct her, when confronted with a situation no one had ever anticipated, she was at a loss.

It wasn't her fault.

Even Chiyo and Ebizō would never have guessed things were this dire—

Madara was still alive.

And not only that—after defecting, Sasori had somehow joined forces with him.

It was unthinkable.

Konoha had grasped information that they themselves didn't even know.

After a moment's thought, Pakura realized she had no real choice.

This was Kanda Kyoichi standing before her.

Without Madara in the picture, perhaps only Ōnoki in all the shinobi world could try to contend with him—

Ōnoki, with his rare and unmatched ability to fly.

But if Kyoichi himself could use high-speed flight jutsu, then even Ōnoki would be in grave danger. And Pakura knew one thing clearly: if Konoha chose to move against Sunagakure…

They had no means to resist.

The "Circle of Ninja Villages" was a good thing.

Thanks to it, Sunagakure had grown stronger than ever. Even the Wind Daimyō had more than doubled his funding.

But…

Recently, pressure from Amegakure made them realize—this prosperity all depended on Amegakure and the smaller villages.

If Amegakure could grant them water veins, it could just as easily cut them off. And who was Amegakure working with?

Without question—Konoha.

Tracing the threads, Pakura lowered her head even further.

"If it is Madara you seek, Sunagakure truly has no intelligence. But if you require our assistance, Sunagakure will not hesitate."

Her tone was firm and unyielding.

"You have the authority to make that promise?"

"I do."

Pakura nodded heavily.

In this situation, there was no time to run back to the village for consultation.

Kyoichi gave a slight nod, tossing her the scroll of the Third Kazekage.

The puppet could be taken back.

For Kyoichi, the Third Kazekage was just a decent puppet, nothing he himself particularly needed. But to Sunagakure, it was a priceless treasure.

Pakura exhaled softly.

She knew what she had just promised, but this was something Sunagakure had to agree to—

Would Konoha really allow them to sit back as mere spectators?

This was still the polite method.

Later, it might not be so courteous.

She did not ask again for Sasori of the Red Sand.

After bidding farewell to Kyoichi, she completed the formalities as quickly as possible, then departed Konoha with her people in haste.

Kyoichi did not see her off.

As for what Sunagakure would do—he didn't know. But one thing was clear: in the present state of Sunagakure, Rasa was not the one truly in control. The real power lay with the elder siblings, Chiyo and Ebizō.

If they refused, the consequences would be dire.

Iwagakure, however…

Kyoichi wasn't concerned.

Ōnoki had always been a man who knew how to read the balance of power.

Now that Konoha, Amegakure, and Sunagakure were aligned, and Kirigakure had firmly placed itself on the anti-Madara side—at least for now siding with Konoha—

Ōnoki had no choice. Once he grasped the situation clearly, he would send envoys to Konoha soon enough.

The Fourth Raikage, though…

That man was harder to read.

His plans in the Land of Lightning were proceeding smoothly. Yet Kumogakure had never been a village known for its restraint.

Best to send Minato to handle that one.

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