CHAPTER 275: CHAPTER 275 – KAKASHI: YOU MUST BE MISTAKEN. MY NAME IS KANDA.

"Elder Genji, what happened?"

At that moment, Tōsō Noebi finally arrived—fashionably late.

In truth, he had been there for a while.

But...

Whether it was the oddly-behaving Third Mizukage, or Kanda Kyoichi, or the Tailed Beast–transformed Yagura, none of them were within his ability to handle—so he’d simply chosen to stay hidden and play dumb.

Who would’ve thought...

Kanda Kyoichi wasn’t here to cause trouble—he’d actually come to help Kirigakure...

Which was downright absurd.

Elder Genji shot him a glance but didn’t expose the fact that Tōsō had arrived long ago. That reckoning could come later. Frankly, as long as the guy didn’t come out and stir up chaos, Genji wouldn’t have to deal with the headache.

Still, with everyone watching, he had no choice but to offer an explanation.

"Jōnin-Kyoichi is a secret ally I invited from Konoha to assist us in handling internal threats to the village. Now that the mission is complete, he has naturally departed. There’s no need for concern. As for the details, they will be explained in full at tomorrow’s briefing."

As Elder Genji spoke, his gaze swept across the assembled crowd.

No one spoke up in protest.

Right now, with both the Mizukage and Yagura compromised one after another, Elder Genji essentially held absolute power in Kirigakure. Many Jōnin suspected he might be orchestrating something behind the scenes.

But...

Without knowing exactly what had happened, jumping to conclusions might only make things worse.

At least for now, neither the Mizukage nor Yagura appeared to be in mortal danger. It seemed more like a bizarre confrontation with Kyoichi had occurred, or in Yagura’s case, a strange and sudden rampage.

Elder Genji didn’t have a satisfying explanation either.

Now that Kyoichi had left, the strongest piece of evidence that could have proven his case was gone. All he could do was wait for Kyoichi to wrap things up on his end.

---

Meanwhile, Kakashi, Shisui, and Kurenai Yuhi were locked in a grueling battle against Sasori of the Red Sand, while Kakuzu clashed furiously with "Kyoichi."

"Hmph. Kanda Kyoichi... you must be worried about your subordinates, right?"

Kakuzu sneered mid-fight. "Heh... I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now. Sasori isn’t exactly what you’d call gentle."

Even as his Earth Grudge Fear technique raged, he launched a psychological offensive alongside his jutsu.

He knew very well there was a power gap between him and Kyoichi—so his strategy this time was all about delaying and entangling, not defeating.

"You’re staying quiet because you’re worried, aren’t you? Heh... I won’t let you pass."

As Kyoichi’s Wood Clone tried to break left, Kakuzu responded instantly.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet.

Lightning Release: False Darkness.

Ninjutsu rained down in a barrage, forcing the Wood Clone to abort its escape.

Then—

A sword was drawn.

With the blade unsheathed, Wind-Style swordsmanship—now amplified by Sage Chakra—became even more fearsome than before. A formless gust cleaved the black threads of Earth Grudge Fear, nearly slicing through one of Kakuzu’s elemental masks.

Kakuzu’s heart leapt. He hastily infused chakra to reinforce the damaged mask’s structure.

This guy...

He’s terrifying.

Now far more cautious, Kakuzu focused solely on buying time, hoping Sasori would finish things on his end.

But...

While Kakashi and his teammates weren’t overwhelmingly strong, they were top-class elites of their generation, with excellent coordination.

If Sasori used both his true body and puppets, they might not hold out for long.

However—

Sasori was being extremely cautious.

He knew Kyoichi’s strength well. Unless he was certain Kyoichi was truly tied up by Kakuzu, there was no chance he would recklessly expose his real body.

With only puppets in play...

Kakashi, Shisui, and Kurenai held their ground with relative ease. Though not winning, they weren’t in danger either—and even managed to destroy a few puppets in the process.

"Kurenai, don’t use that technique—these are just ordinary puppets."

Shisui, noticing Kurenai’s signs of preparing a powerful jutsu, quickly whispered a warning.

"...Understood," Kurenai replied, clearly frustrated.

Her greatest strengths were in medical ninjutsu and genjutsu. But the only offensive move she had—Chakra Scalpel—was useless against puppets. And genjutsu? Even more so.

Which meant...

She had just one remaining jutsu that could deal real damage to puppets.

So—

Watching Kakashi and Shisui battle fiercely while she stood back was making her understandably anxious.

"We have to find his real body," Kakashi said.

"Destroying these puppets means nothing."

Shisui gave a small nod.

He’d been observing—but...

Sasori was slippery.

His puppets were constantly shifting, making it impossible to pinpoint his hiding spot. But after this long, Shisui had picked up a few tells.

"Over here!"

Just as another wave of puppets attacked, Shisui’s Sharingan spun furiously. In the blink of an eye, he vanished—Body Flicker Technique!—and a dozen afterimages exploded across the battlefield.

Kakashi and Kurenai followed instantly.

The three surged forward, only to be encircled by Sasori’s puppets once again.

"I’ve got this!" Kakashi shouted.

Lightning Fang – Twin Blades crackled to life as Lightning Chakra surged around him.

Then—

BOOM!

A rolling thunderclap echoed as lightning erupted from Kakashi, forming a glowing orb that surged forward.

Lightning Release: Lightning Sphere!

And it was massive.

The puppets scattered to avoid it—leaving Shisui with the opening he needed.

In a flash, he slipped past the blockade.

He drew his blade.

Kanda Style: Wind Blade.

One strike—

Highly concentrated Wind Chakra formed a formless blade in midair. Even before the wind landed, the edge had already arrived.

Shhhk!

A soft sound.

A figure leapt out from behind cover.

It was a strange, grotesque-looking puppet—crawling on all fours. Ugly, but incredibly durable. The wind blade only left a shallow gash on its surface, failing to pierce through completely.

"What terrifying swordsmanship..." Sasori muttered darkly.

"So, even Kanda Kyoichi’s disciples wield such strength."

His voice echoed low from the puppet’s mouth.

"The stronger your swordsmanship, the more beautiful you’ll be... once I turn you into a puppet. Oh, and you—silver-haired one—what’s your relation to Sakumo Hatake?"

"...I’m Kanda."

Kakashi said it with the straightest face, shamelessly lying through his teeth.

Sasori paused.

After a moment, he replied:

"Ah, yes... I remember now. The intel also mentioned a Kakashi Hatake. That’s you, isn’t it?"

"Heh... you from the Hatake clan... I’ll make something special for you—so special your own father won’t recognize you in the afterlife."

At his words, all the surrounding puppets suddenly soared into the air.

Sasori was done playing games.

Kakashi’s heart sank.

He knew his father had once fought the Sunagakure, killing several high-ranking officials—possibly even Chiyo’s son, who happened to be Sasori’s father.

This was a blood feud that could never be reconciled.

That’s why Kakashi had lied, hoping to buy time.

But...

It hadn’t worked.

Sasori was just toying with him.

In the next moment, a storm of shuriken rained down.

Swords and blades from all angles, puppet after puppet synchronized in a perfectly coordinated assault.

Most Chūnin couldn’t even dream of coordination at this level.

Sasori truly lived up to his name—a genius puppeteer of unmatched caliber.

Kakashi now felt the full weight of the name: Sasori of the Red Sand.

He quickly tossed White Fang to Shisui, then shifted his Lightning Blade stance—lightning exploded across his body.

Lightning Blade: Chidori Current!

CRACK!

All the puppets about to land their blows were blasted back by surging electricity.

But...

The next wave came immediately after.

The puppets moved like crashing waves, endless and overwhelming. Most of the pressure was focused squarely on Kakashi.

Clearly—

Sasori was aiming to eliminate Kakashi first, then turn on Shisui and Kurenai.

To be precise—

His targets were Kakashi and Shisui.

Kurenai was barely being attacked at all.

As the three of them fought and evaded, trying to close in on Sasori, Kurenai waited for her chance.

His disregard for her—that was her opportunity.

Yet at the same time, she remembered Kyoichi’s warning:

Sasori’s real body likely didn’t follow normal human anatomy. Standard "vital points" might mean nothing to him.

Which meant—

Even if she landed a blow, she’d have to retreat immediately.

Otherwise, she’d be the one in danger.

She only had one shot.

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