CHAPTER 348: KAZEKAGE NINJA-CHAPTER 137: THE LEO GIRL (PART 2)

"This should be the place, right?"

Sasori looked up, surveying the cave before him.

This was an extinct volcano that had been dormant for years. The massive crater allowed warm sunlight to pour in, making the entire interior bright, warm, dry, and quiet—surprisingly comfortable.

The volcanic rock, cooled over millennia, had formed a unique landscape. Stone pillars as tall as trees jutted up everywhere, looking perfect for climbing and jumping.

"Who’s there!"

Sasori thought he heard wind at his ear. He turned but saw nothing.

"Swish!"

A barely audible sound. Sasori quickly adjusted his position, dropping into a textbook defensive stance. From the corner of his eye, he’d glimpsed a dark shadow flash by, gone in an instant.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

The sounds grew closer, but he still couldn’t see anyone.

Suddenly, Sasori reflexively shifted slightly to the side, his right hand instinctively reaching down to grab while his left palm guarded his throat.

"Oh, nice reflexes! That defensive move looks like Krav Maga. You from Sunagakure?"

Instantly appearing before Sasori was a sharp, capable kunoichi. She had an oval face, willow-leaf brows, cherry lips, and fair, radiant skin. Her large, bright eyes sparkled with confidence. Straight, tea-brown hair was braided and casually draped at her waist. A form-fitting purple ninja combat suit hugged her curves perfectly, her overall style both heroic and graceful, radiating competence through her alluring beauty. (Written from a photo—Yugito really is a beauty.)

Damn, this woman really has some of my godmother’s vibe,Sasori thought to himself.

His godmother was naturally Tsunade—her swift, decisive way of hitting people was unique among ninja world women.

"Miss, could you please let go? Your claws are pretty sharp, but they can’t hurt me."

Sasori smiled.

At that moment, the kunoichi’s hands bore half-foot-long claws. One claw aimed at Sasori’s lower body was firmly caught by the wrist, stopping just inches from a vital spot. The other, targeting his throat, was blocked by his hand blade.

"Really can’t hurt you?"

The kunoichi lifted her face with a charming smile.

Suddenly, the claw extended, stabbing deep into Sasori’s throat.

"Huh? Something’s wrong."

She was all too familiar with the feeling of claws piercing flesh, but this sensation... how to put it? It felt like stabbing into steel wrapped in sand.

Sasori turned his face toward the kunoichi and smiled. His face began crackling and flaking off, revealing metallic luster beneath.

"You must be Miss Yugito..."

With that, his head drooped down like a puppet whose soul had been extracted.

At the same time, Sasori

’s true form emerged from the shadows of the stone pillars.

"Miss, please don’t use too much force. This puppet is made of alloy—quite hard. Don’t want you to hurt your nails."

Yugito released the puppet and looked up at Sasori emerging from the shadows. Her heart trembled slightly.

How could there be such a handsome man in this world!

Yugito’s reaction wasn’t solely due to Sasori’s outstanding appearance—though he was indeed striking. An important factor was that this girl had never really traveled far from home. Even this time, running away from the village, she’d only wandered around the Land of Lightning, never really seeing men from outside Kumogakure.

Kumogakure sat at high altitude with strong sunlight, plus the village’s long-standing martial spirit meant most male ninja were like Tsukigami Kōichi—dark-skinned muscle men. Suddenly seeing a "pretty boy" like Sasori, the stark contrast couldn’t help but make her eyes light up.

Under the sunlight, Sasori seemed to glow with a faint halo. His loose, dark robe draped artfully over him, crimson hair, delicate features, and that slightly wicked smile stirred something deep in Yugito’s heart—a flutter.

No joke, this look was specially crafted byJinghang. As they say, looks come first—without good styling, how could you charm innocent... ahem, persuade pure-hearted girls?

"Who are you?"

Yugito quickly adjusted her mindset, casually tossing her long braid behind her.

"I’m Sasori from Sunagakure."

Sasori bowed politely.

"Oh, you’re the runner-up from the last World Ninja Tournament—Sasori!"

Yugito was somewhat surprised.

"That’s correct."

Sasori replied, neither humble nor arrogant.

Godfather had warned before leaving: to persuade such a strong-willed girl, first, you can’t appear weak or accommodating—she’ll think you’re worthless and look down on you. Second, you can’t be overly aggressive either—that’ll make you clash head-on, and breaking either party won’t achieve the desired result.

You need to be confident and composed, with steel hidden in silk.

"You’re here to persuade me to join the war, right!"

Yugito put her hands on her hips, her tone carrying a superior’s arrogance.

"Correct."

Sasori said calmly.

"Did you see what happened to the people who came to persuade me before?"

"I saw."

"Hehe, if you don’t want to end up on stretchers like them, I suggest you leave now."

Yugito laughed.

Sasori looked somewhat helpless.

"Miss Yugito is being rather domineering—wanting to chase me away without even hearing what I have to say?"

"Hmph!"

Yugito slowly walked to a stone pillar and suddenly extended her hand. Half-foot-long claws emerged between her fingers. She swung down fiercely, and the pillar was actually cut diagonally in two, crashing down with a thunderous sound and raising considerable dust.

"That’s just my temperament. Want to persuade me? Fine! I’ll give you a chance. If you can last an hour without falling, I’ll listen to what you have to say."

Sasori smiled.

"I’m not a stone—I won’t stand there and let you claw me. Since Miss Yugito has such interest, I don’t mind sparring with you for a few moves."

With that, he pulled out a scroll from his robe.

"I’m a puppet master. Using puppets in combat isn’t a problem, is it?"

"Hmph! Use whatever you want!"

Sasori opened the scroll.

With a "bang!" and dispersing smoke, a metal puppet over two meters tall appeared directly on the ground.

This puppet had a leopard’s head with round eyes, an iron face with curly whiskers, wore a bright red official robe and a double-winged official hat. In its left hand was a Demon-Suppressing Sword, in its right a Soul-Chasing Hook—looking mighty and murderous.

Sasori smiled.

"This is my battle puppet—Judge Zhong Kui of the Underworld. Be careful, Miss."

"It’s just a bigger toy. Looks intimidating, but probably all show and no substance."

Yugito said arrogantly.

Sasori’s expression shifted slightly.

"Miss is so confident—why not come try it out?"

With that, ten chakra threads had already connected to the puppet. "Zhong Kui" raised its Soul-Chasing Hook in a provocative gesture.

Yugito didn’t hesitate and charged straight at Sasori.

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

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