Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [2]

☾ 16 ☽

"Watch out, the head can still move and attack!" Tsukiko shouted as the head of Hiruko began to move before sprouting out another shower of poisoned Senbons. She jumped out of the way rapidly and Chiyo hurriedly controlled Sakura.

"As I thought," Sasori said in a voice much younger than before. "Just what I'd expect from my old Grandma. No wonder this little girl was able to dodge my hidden weapons. After all, the old lady who can see past my attacks was controlling the little girl with Chakra threads used for the Puppet Master Jutsu,"

"Well, you figure out rather quickly," Tsukiko responded, rather sarcastically. Sasori ignored her, turned to look at his destroyed puppet. "Why don't you just how your face?"

"And on top of that, you were so kind as to attack Chakra Threads onto Hiruko's tail," Sasori said, ignoring her demand. "But for me to not have noticed until I was unable to move the tail, you must have done it when you first attacked with those Kunai. You transferred the Chakra Threads connected to the Kunai onto the tail as I blocked them,"

"Impressive, considering that I suppressed the Chakra flow to the point of making the threads invisible," Chiyo commented. "I'm amazed,"

"It wasn't hard," Sasori said as he turned to look at them, still not showing his face. "After all, you're the one who taught me how to play with puppets,"

"But today, the games come to an end!" Chiyo told him as Sasori reached to grab onto the hood that covered his head. Tsukiko stared.

"That is my intention as well," Sasori replied and took off the hood, causing Tsukiko, Sakura and Chiyo to stare at him in shock. "But honestly, do you think it'll be that simple, Granny Chiyo?"

"Uh, Granny Chiyo," Tsukiko said as she turned her head to the old woman but kept her eyes on the young man in front of her. "Is this your grandson that you haven't seen in twenty years?"

"Granny Chiyo?" Sakura asked as well, but the old woman was too much in shock to really respond to them. "Is he really Sasori? He is, isn't he? Huh?"

"What is this going on?" Chiyo breathed, shocked. "He's just as he was before... He hasn't aged a bit," Tsukiko continued to stare at the man with red hair and brown eyes, and youthful appearance.

There was no way this man could be the grandson of Chiyo who left Sunagakure twenty years ago, when he himself was twenty at the time. But what kind of fountain of youth has he found to maintain this appearance? And why hasn't Orochimaru sought out this man if he really wanted immortality? Strange men...

"What's wrong, Granny Chiyo?" Sasori asked. "Are you so filled with emotion that you cannot speak? That's not surprising. After all, it's our first reunion in 20 years,"

"Sasori..." Chiyo said. "You..."

"While I'm at it, I'll show you something special," Sasori continued. He pulled out a scroll. "It's guaranteed to move you. He was one of the hardest to kill and add to my collection,"

"Three?" Tsukiko muttered as she stared at the scroll that he had unravelled slightly. "Or third...? What is this?"

"But that's what makes him my favourite," Sasori said. There was a puff of smoke as he released the scroll, and as the smoke subsided, it revealed a male puppet.

"T-That's..." Chiyo stammered, even more shocked. "It can't be!" Tsukiko and Sakura shared a look with each other and then looked at Chiyo.

"What?" Sakura questioned the old woman. "What's wrong?" Tsukiko turned back to look at the puppet in Sasori's hold.

"That's the Third Kazekage!" Chiyo said. Tsukiko's eyes widened and Sakura gasped as the three females stared at the puppet.

"The Third Kazekage?" Tsukiko repeated. "But the Third Kazekage..." She remembered Gaara mentioning him once or twice in their letters. "How could this..."