Chapter 219: The Pursued Sasori of the Red Sand
Waking up groggily, Hyuga Miyuki noticed that the sun had already set outside the window.
The slanted rays of the setting sun bathed the entire room in a golden hue.
The golden glow streamed through the thin curtains, coating every item in the room with a soft halo.
Hyuga Miyuki walked to the window and gently pulled back the curtain, revealing a tranquil town before her. The trees lining the streets seemed dyed in shades of golden red under the sunset, and the distant mountains softened and grew mysterious against the evening light.
She took a deep breath, savoring the calm atmosphere, and sighed softly.
"He sure can run."
This was the territory of the Land of Hot Water. She had come here to "settle some scores."
Initially, she had been capturing people in the Land of Wind to study puppet techniques. However, the sudden offensive by the Land of Fire caused the Wind Country's ninjas to cease their scattered missions.
Fortunately, she had already grasped the nature of her own eye technique and didn't need to worry too much. But as she was withdrawing from the Land of Wind and planning to return to the Land of Snow, she encountered someone.
—Sasori of the Red Sand!
"The grudge over puppets... How ridiculous," Hyuga Miyuki thought with a helpless shake of her head, glancing at the small clock on the bedside table she had specifically asked the innkeeper for. Her eyes narrowed.
"Almost six o'clock, just about the agreed time."
She dressed, checked her ninja tools, donned a black cloak, and left the inn, heading down the northwest street.
The Land of Hot Water had largely been spared from the direct impacts of the Great Ninja War. Combined with the famous hot springs, it was quite prosperous, and the situation remained relatively stable. The streets exuded a peaceful and thriving atmosphere.
Shops of all kinds, lit up on either side of the street, ranged from stores selling local handmade crafts to restaurants offering various cuisines, attracting a constant flow of tourists and residents.
Hyuga Miyuki sniffed the delicious aromas, swallowing hard.
But when she thought of her nearly empty wallet, she suppressed her desires, trying her best to ignore the tantalizing food. Yet, her occasional glances betrayed her longing.
'I'll have a feast when I get back. For now, it's more important to gather information on Sasori of the Red Sand.'
Thinking this, Hyuga Miyuki reached a shadowy corner and stood before an old izakaya.
As soon as she arrived, she caught the attention of a man guarding the entrance.
At the same time, a window on the second floor of the inn across the street remained open. Although it was dark inside, Hyuga Miyuki could still detect, with her Byakugan, someone inside carefully observing her with scrutiny and vigilance.
But perhaps because she had been here before, she encountered no difficulties and easily entered the izakaya.
Ignoring the thugs who cast glances her way, Hyuga Miyuki walked to the counter.
"What would you like?" the izakaya staff asked softly.
"The same as last time, Crimson Twilight."
Confirming the code phrase was the same as before, the staff nodded and handed her a bottle of liquor. "One hundred ryo."
"..."
Glancing at the liquor, Hyuga Miyuki twitched slightly. "Why do you have to actually serve the drink?"
The staff grinned. "A service fee to improve efficiency! It's hard work gathering relevant information in one day, so we need to earn a little extra."
Do you even realize that a hundred ryo would be enough for me to eat well on the streets for a while?
Hyuga Miyuki gave the staff a resentful look, silently protesting this forced transaction.
"Please wait a moment; the information will be delivered shortly."
Sensing Hyuga Miyuki's reluctance, the staff cleared his throat and refrained from provoking her further. "In the meantime, you can play a few rounds in the corner."
Hyuga Miyuki glanced at the corner where people were playing dice, clearly the gambling game endorsed by the establishment.
But she was almost out of money, and gambling?
Hyuga Miyuki sneered and shook her head.
Winning would be fine, but what if she lost? She wasn't Tsunade. No way, absolutely not!
...
Time flew by, and twenty minutes later, Hyuga Miyuki walked out of the izakaya, five hundred ryo poorer, looking pained.
Why couldn't she control her hands?
Sigh~ Hyuga Miyuki returned to the inn, sighed in her room, troubled by the days ahead, and picked up the information she had just acquired.
Being a former black market base, the place had its own intelligence network. While they might not be fully informed about the entire Land of Hot Water, finding a notorious S-rank rogue ninja wasn't too difficult.
"Northeast street..."
Reading the location on the intelligence report, Hyuga Miyuki furrowed her brows, lost in thought.
...
Sasori never thought he would experience a day like this.
Originally, he had just heard that the Land of Wind had been invaded by the Land of Fire and that Elder Chiyo hadn't appeared. So, he thought of returning to check on the Land of Wind.
Chiyo had clearly returned from Konoha but hadn't shown up on the battlefield or advised Sunagakure, allowing an unknown elder (Uchiya Shinji) to take credit for everything. Such abnormal circumstances naturally drew his attention.
The Land of Wind had fallen into such a state, and if Chiyo hadn't been in trouble, she would have stopped it.
Unless she was already dead? It wasn't out of concern for her life or death, but since Chiyo was his only relative, he was willing to return to pay his respects and, incidentally, push the Land of Wind further into the abyss, harvesting Sunagakure's resources amidst the chaos.
However, all those thoughts were cast aside after he encountered that woman.
A Hyuga ninja, possibly a rogue from Konoha, appeared before him, essentially presenting him with a walking, perfect research subject. How could he resist?
Then, after a battle, he regretted it.
Deeply regretted it!
Even now, Sasori couldn't believe what had happened that day. "How could there be an ability in this world that can seize control of puppets just by touching them?!"
Yes, puppets.
The most crucial element for a puppeteer, the woman named Hyuga Fuji, could easily wrest control of his puppets!
His strongest puppet, the Third Kazekage, was snatched away before his very eyes!!! Sasori's eyes darkened as he pulled out a blank scroll with only one character—"Three," the scroll that originally stored the Third Kazekage puppet.
"Don't let me discover your tricks, or I'll make you wish you were dead!"
He murmured, beginning to review his previous encounter with Hyuga Miyuki.
At this stage, without finding the weakness of her ability, Sasori wouldn't approach her again. Her power seemed specifically designed to counter puppeteers, making her extremely dangerous.
(End of this chapter)