"Assassination was not my uncle's intention. Uncle Yashamaru loves me. The real mastermind behind this attempt is none other than the Fourth Kazekage, my father."
Under Sasori's coercion, Yashamaru revealed the truth behind the assassination attempt. Upon learning the truth, Gaara's emotions did not stabilize; instead, they spiraled further into chaos.
It wasn't Yashamaru who deemed Gaara's birth a curse, but rather the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. Furthermore, all the assassination attempts over the years had been ordered by Rasa.
As these thoughts churned in his mind, Gaara let out a cold laugh, recalling every interaction he'd had with Rasa.
Since childhood, Rasa had never shown him kindness. Not only had he imposed severe training regimens on Gaara, but he had also forbidden Gaara from addressing him as "Father" in public, insisting on "Kazekage-sama" instead.
In his naivety, Gaara had thought this was Rasa's way of being impartial.
Now, it was clear—Rasa had never regarded him as a son but merely as a weapon for the village. As a jinchūriki, his successes were expected, and his failures only raised the question of replacing him.
Under Gaara's piercing gaze, Yashamaru regretted revealing the truth. Gaara was teetering on the brink of losing control; his remaining sanity was hanging by a thread. If Yashamaru had chosen to take his own life earlier, Gaara would have remained unaware of the truth, continuing to trust Rasa and live on as a jinchūriki.
Sasori, too, was visibly affected as he listened to the account. Having experienced parental love and care in his childhood, he was shocked to witness such cruelty—a father turning his own child into a jinchūriki and making contingency plans to replace him, even sending assassins after him.
This thought softened Sasori's gaze toward Gaara. This was a child far more tragic than himself. Though Sasori had lost his parents, he knew their love was real. It was only due to misfortune that he had lost them.
Gaara's pain, however, stemmed from his closest kin.
Kneeling down, Sasori extended his metallic hand to pat Gaara's head, attempting to soothe his unstable emotions. However, Sasori found himself at a loss for words.
Having never comforted anyone before, he could only awkwardly mutter, "Gaara, at least someone other than Rasa still loves you."
Unfortunately, Gaara was too far gone to hear Sasori's words.
Losing control of his emotions, Shukaku seized the opportunity to take over. As Shukaku's chakra poured out like a torrential flood, Gaara instinctively resorted to self-sealing, losing consciousness.
With Gaara's body now under Shukaku's control, the beast roared with laughter as its form expanded to over thirty meters tall in mere seconds.
Glaring down at Yashamaru and Sasori, Shukaku sneered, "Thanks for breaking this brat's spirit! Now that I have control, I'll reward you with a painless death!"
Before finishing its sentence, Shukaku raised its massive hand and smashed it down, creating a localized sandstorm.
Yashamaru, unwilling to face the attack head-on, cast a wind-based technique to lighten himself and leaped several hundred meters away.
Sasori, however, did not retreat. He maneuvered Hiruko to leap onto Shukaku's arm, climbing rapidly to its head. There, he pried open Shukaku's skull and stuffed several puppets loaded with explosive tags inside.
Boom!
A chain of explosions erupted from within Shukaku, creating shockwaves that shook its massive body. Its form visibly shrank as it reeled from the impact.
Realizing Sasori's strength, Shukaku became cautious.
This puppet master was no ordinary shinobi; he posed a genuine threat. Shukaku understood it needed to take the fight seriously and escape Sunagakure before more reinforcements arrived.
Recalling its last defeat at the hands of Sunagakure's Magnet Release users, Shukaku resolved not to be captured again.
Channeling its chakra, Shukaku formed hand signs and unleashed a powerful Wind Release technique.
Though small compared to its colossal form, the winds it summoned were equivalent to a Category 8 typhoon, capable of raising sandstorms and slicing through stone.
Frowning, Sasori retrieved a second scroll and summoned over twenty puppets, each capable of using ninjutsu to bridge the gap in size and power.
With a single thought, Sasori commanded the puppets to unleash a barrage of ninjutsu.
The battlefield erupted into a flurry of elemental attacks, with Sasori and Shukaku locked in an even match.
Witnessing this, Yashamaru stood dumbfounded.
He had assumed this mysterious puppet master's strength to be on par with an elite jōnin—impressive, but not extraordinary. Yet, Sasori had exceeded all expectations, holding his own against a tailed beast.
What astonished Yashamaru even more was the sheer number of puppets Sasori controlled—over twenty! This was a feat even Elder Chiyo had never achieved, rivaled only by the legendary puppet master Monzaemon.
Could such a prodigy exist in the shinobi world?
A name flashed in Yashamaru's mind—a prodigy listed among Sunagakure's missing-nin. The boy's name was Sasori, grandson of Elder Chiyo, who had broken numerous records as a puppet master.
Could this be the same Sasori? But wasn't Sasori a handsome young boy? How had he turned into a bald, middle-aged man?
And why had Sasori suddenly returned to the village, contacting Gaara without alerting anyone? Could he be plotting to dethrone Rasa?
As these thoughts swirled, Yashamaru resolved to flee. He needed to spread word of these events, summoning reinforcements and informing Elder Chiyo of the situation.
However, just as Yashamaru prepared to leave, Byakuya placed a firm hand on his shoulder and said calmly, "Sunagakure's shinobi aren't blind or deaf. They're already on their way to assist Sasori. For now, stay and watch this battle. A fight of this caliber is a rare spectacle for someone like you."