Sasori rolled up his puppet scroll, inwardly sighing at the hassle.
As a child, his parents had been killed by Konoha's White Fang.
That enemy was long dead, but he had a son.
Revenge against the White Fang's son and against Konoha… It wouldn't bring his parents back.
His feelings toward Konoha were about the same as his feelings toward Sunagakure.
—Practically nonexistent.
...
The commotion here had grown loud enough that Konoha's Police Force finally arrived—albeit fashionably late.
They had the same energy as the bumbling cops from the old movies Yagura used to watch.
To be fair, Konoha's Police Force was actually working overtime.
With so many foreign shinobi in the village for the Chunin Exams, tensions ran high. It was like stuffing dry tinder into an open flame—conflicts were bound to spark everywhere.
The Uchiha Police Force was already stretched thin, putting out fires left and right. And yet Konoha's higher-ups refused to assign them extra manpower.
By the time they received the report and arrived on the scene, they had already moved as fast as possible.
Hell, they'd barely had time to sit down and take a sip of water before getting called back out!
"Stop right there!"
"Drop your weapons, now!"
"You over there—get down from that streetlight!!"
The Uchiha in charge spotted the troublemakers immediately, storming toward Sasori and Yagura with burning fury.
A squad of black-haired, black-clad men advanced together, looking for all the world like they were about to start a street brawl.
Did people really think their red eyes were just special effects? No way. No shot.
Yagura shrugged and raised his hands, signaling that he was completely harmless—a safe, non-edible lifeform. He subtly gestured toward Sasori instead.
Swoosh.
Sasori jumped down from the streetlight.
He had no interest in wasting time with Konoha's Police Force. But fleeing would only cause more trouble in the long run.
Might as well just go along with it.
The Uchiha quickly subdued the foreign shinobi responsible for starting the fight, restoring order.
Three Iwa-nin, three Suna-nin, and one Kiri-nin.
That was a significant number. Definitely one of the bigger cases they'd handled recently.
A thorough investigation was in order.
Akaiwa, knowing exactly what kind of idiotic stunt his teammates had pulled, had rushed over in a desperate attempt to mitigate the damage.
Iwa-nin cooperated with Konoha's questioning.
The process consisted of Akaiwa forcing two of his comrades to bow their heads and apologize profusely to a child, their guardian, and every single Konoha citizen present.
"We're sorry!!"
That part went smoothly.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha interrogating Yagura and the Suna-nin got to work.
Sasori and Yagura were grouped together, while the other two Suna-nin were separated.
"Name."
"Karatachi Yagura."
"Sasori."
"Reason for fighting?"
"He was trying to kill me."
Yagura's blunt honesty left Sasori momentarily speechless. How the hell was he supposed to argue with that?
Sasori shot Yagura a glare.
That only made him look more guilty. Yagura immediately pointed at him and exclaimed,
"See?! See?! He totally has killer intent! Officer, you have to protect me!"
"Enough."
The Police Force had already pieced together the situation.
This grinning little Kiri-nin was the real menace here.
The Suna-nin beside him? Also a dangerous individual.
If they had arrived any later, the fight would've escalated, and this entire street would have suffered far more damage.
After deliberation, the Police Force delivered their verdict.
"In light of your reckless behavior, Konoha is placing both of you under house arrest."
An Uchiha swiftly scribbled down their names, their offenses, and the details of the punishment.
Two copies of the penalty notice. One for each of them.
"Sign here."
Sasori, not in the mood to argue, quickly signed his name.
Yagura, however, stared at the paper in horror. "Wait, wait, what's the duration?"
"Until the Chunin Exams begin."
The Uchiha glared at him. "If you want to take the exam, you'd better follow the rules."
What?! House arrest until the exams start?!
That was half a month away! Why not just kill him outright?!
"Hold on, hold on, this is all a misunderstanding! We weren't fighting! We were just having a friendly exchange between close friends!"
Yagura turned to Sasori, hoping for backup—only to find that the red-haired puppeteer had already vanished.
Sasori had handed back one copy of his penalty notice, tucked the other into his sleeve, and was already walking away, not wasting another second here.
House arrest? That was no issue for him.
He was a recluse anyway. A few weeks indoors was nothing.
He had other priorities—like repairing his masterpiece, which Yagura had damaged—
HUUUUUUU—
Yagura hastily scribbled his signature and lunged forward, grabbing Sasori before he could escape.
Like hell he was going to let him leave!
Let Sasori slip back into the shadows? How was he supposed to eat or sleep in peace after that?!
"Right, Sasori~?" Yagura squeezed his grip.
Sasori's eye twitched before his anger exploded. "Oi! Do you have a death wish?!"
...
With some subtle maneuvering, Yagura managed to quiet Sasori down and dragged him back toward the Police Force.
"Haha, don't mind him—he's just sulking."
If only he were taller, he could've slung an arm around Sasori's shoulders like a true brother-in-arms.
He could already picture it: under the watchful eyes of the Uchiha, they would swear loyalty, bow to the Sage of Six Paths, and form an unbreakable bond.
Amen.
Man, he missed Mangetsu. At least they were the same height.
"Tch."
Sasori, unable to break free from Yagura's iron grip, averted his gaze in annoyance.
Not that it mattered.
The Uchiha weren't buying Yagura's nonsense about a 'friendly exchange' anyway.
A Kiri-nin and a Suna-nin having a 'friendly spar'?
Yeah, right.
No matter how he pleaded, Yagura ultimately had no choice but to accept his penalty notice with a defeated sigh.
Sasori, watching him suffer, let out a quiet, amused snort.
With the troublemakers dealt with, the Uchiha quickly ordered everyone to disperse, ensuring that the involved parties wouldn't cross paths again.
No way were they dealing with another mess like this.
Gnn! You hear that, Hiruzen Sarutobi?! GNN!
...
As the Uchiha withdrew, Yagura immediately turned and followed Sasori.
Sasori hadn't gone far. He had stopped in a secluded alley, idly flipping a penalty notice between his fingers.
Not his own notice—Yagura's.
Yagura had slipped it onto him earlier, and Sasori had realized it instantly, hiding it with chakra threads.
Seeing Yagura finally arrive, Sasori's expression darkened. "Here to die?"
Yagura knew he was just impatient from waiting and got straight to the point. "Who sent you to kill me?"
"You're smart. Figure it out."
Silence.
The genius puppeteer of Sunagakure, grandson of Elder Chiyo, knew what it felt like to be marked for death by his own village.
This kid was sharp and strong.
A promising material.
Maybe it was a shame to get rid of him too soon.
Sasori's gaze lingered, evaluating him like an unfinished project.
Yagura shuddered at the obvious intent behind that look, stepping back warily.
"Oi. Don't stare at me like that. I already have someone in my heart."
Another step back, increasing the distance.
"You have better works of art right beside you."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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