[V2] - Chapter 84. Disqualified
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"Achoo!"
Sasori rubbed his nose, feeling like someone had been talking about him these past few days.
Could it be that old woman missing him?
"No way! She probably thinks I'm dead by now!" Sasori sneered at himself, shaking his head. Then he looked at the wooden puppet he had made and said calmly, "All that's left is coloring and wiring it up, and it'll be done!"
He sighed as he said this, gazing at the puppet in front of him.
Who would've thought—
After being released from prison… he, Sasori of the Red Sand, would actually stay in the Land of Rain and make puppets!
And he'd been doing it for several years now.
Sasori stretched lazily, took a sip of hot tea beside him, stood up, and walked over to lean against the windowsill, gazing at the light rain outside, his eyes drifting into memories.
He remembered back then…
After getting out of prison, he had unexpectedly run into Roshi and Biwa Juzo, who had stayed behind in the Land of Rain and opened a Four-Tails doll factory. With their help, he gradually came to understand the developments in the ninja world over the past few years.
Peace! Prosperity!
With the help of the internet and mobile phones, all kinds of entertainment had appeared, and the villages started interacting frequently!
Basically…
Life had gotten easier!
They no longer worked as ninja but had become business owners.
At the time, he'd scoffed at the idea. Ninja… not being a ninja—what value is left in that?!
But after so many years in prison and so many prison breaks, truth be told, he was tired.
Even if he wanted to become a ninja again… he no longer knew where to begin. Plus, there was a terrifying guy in the Land of Rain—chances were, if he did something bad in the morning, that guy would drag him back to prison by nightfall.
Then—
His story had spread all over the internet too.
So, after a while of drifting aimlessly, with his money spent and his heart calmed, he decided to quietly observe the ninja world while earning a bit of pocket money.
At first, he only helped the Four-Tails Doll Factory improve their puppets and production line. But later… someone approached him, wanting to turn his prison break story into a movie and hoping he'd help out!
After thinking it over, he agreed. Then, with the payment he received, he started his own business—opened this puppet workshop, making puppets, dolls, and figurines for others. He'd continued like that until now and had gotten used to this life.
Most likely… back when he assassinated the Third Kazekage, he never imagined he'd one day live incognito in the Land of Rain, running a shop!
Sasori smiled slightly, shook his head, pulled out his phone, and muttered to himself, "I guess I'll just order takeout today."
Saying that, he opened the Yuto Delivery app.
The ninja world had changed drastically—life was much more convenient now. Perhaps even the ninja of the past wouldn't believe how much the world changed after the Third Ninja World War!
After ordering his food, he decided to relax for a bit, play on his phone, and wait for the food to arrive before getting back to work.
As he looked at the promotion on his phone, he raised an eyebrow slightly. "The Chunin Exams are already coming up? Has it really been that long? But why does this Chunin Exam look so grand? 'Chunin Exam Celebration'?"
He smiled helplessly and shook his head, just glancing at it before ignoring it. He didn't care about this stuff anymore anyway. He wasn't going to Konoha, and besides… he wasn't a ninja now, so why bother caring?
Though… there were discounts for the Chunin Exam celebration… no wonder there were coupons for the delivery order earlier!
Not bad!
Bored, he rested his chin in one hand while scrolling with the other.
Suddenly—
A notification popped up.
[A seventy-year-old grandmother travels through multiple cities in search of her beloved grandson. In tears, she pleads: "Grandma misses you! Please come home soon!"]
Sasori froze slightly. His whole body stiffened on the spot.
After a while…
He hesitated, then slowly reached out with his finger—
And almost involuntarily, he tapped on it…
…
"Sasori! Sasori! Where are you?"
"I know now! Grandma knows everything now! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I apologize! Grandma didn't notice from the start."
"Come home, Sasori! Come back! Whatever it is, Grandma and your uncle will help you!"
"Everyone has forgiven you, Sasori! Did you hear that? Come out and see Grandma!"
A short video suddenly appeared online.
An elderly woman with gray hair clumsily shouted into the phone camera, frequently leaning in close so her mouth was practically against the lens, calling out again and again, as if—just maybe—by doing so, her grandson might really appear!
Her red eyes, weary face, and trembling hands—everything showed just how much she missed her grandson.
Countless netizens were moved by this old lady and began reposting the video of their own accord, hoping to help her find her grandson.
However… the missing person details she posted were extremely incomplete. No one knew why, but based on that alone, everyone understood—it would be incredibly difficult to actually find him!
Especially since her grandson went missing during one of the most chaotic times in the ninja world… not long after the start of the Third Ninja World War. Because of that, many speculated that, since he hadn't shown up for so many years, perhaps… he had already perished long ago!
Of course—
In order to make the old lady not sad, everyone still enthusiastically shared the video and sent their heartfelt blessings.
And in no time at all—
This short missing-person video shot to the top of online trending topics, dominating the internet so much that even the much-anticipated Chunin Exams were pushed aside.
Truly, it was a missing-person notice that moved the entire ninja world!
In fact—
Even Yuto twitched at the corner of his mouth after seeing it, not knowing what to say. If he didn't already know who that guy in the video was and who she was looking for, he'd probably be bawling his eyes out too~
But honestly—
He really didn't expect that Sasori… had already been out of prison for several years, and yet hadn't contacted his grandmother even once.
"Now that I think about it, it's weird! The Akatsuki here has become a well-known rescue organization in the Land of Rain!" Hanabi, who had also noticed the video, rubbed her chin. "What about the former members? Deidara… that guy left the village back then because of his chuunibyou. Kakuzu assassinated the Hyuga Elder. After that, neither of them was ever heard from again! As for Sasori… after assassinating the Third Kazekage, where could he have gone?"
"Maybe he was in prison. It's been a few years since he was released from prison!"
"???"
"Nothing!" Yuto decided to keep quiet. Judging from the situation… Sasori seemed to be hiding his identity on purpose. As a businessman, he'd better stay out of it. Thinking back to those days… Comrade Sasori had really made an unforgettable contribution to the Land of Rain's prison system!
He pondered for a moment and checked the time. "Speaking of which… isn't today the first round of the Chunin Exams?"
Lately, people had been arriving in Konoha one after another—it was getting really lively!
"I wonder if this world's Naruto and Sasuke can break the curse and become Konoha's Chunin!"
Uncle still cared deeply about their nephews' exams!
As those words fell—
Hanabi, who was also looking at her phone, raised her eyelids slightly, her expression turning odd as she glanced at Yuto. "Well, probably… not going to happen!"
"???" Yuto looked at Hanabi in surprise. "It's only the first round of the exam. How can you be so sure?"
"Because just now, Konoha's network issued an announcement…" she paused slightly, "Uzumaki Naruto! Uchiha Sasuke! And several others were caught using their phones to cheat during the exam and have already been disqualified!"
"…What?"
Yuto was stunned, instantly covered in black lines.
That Uzumaki Naruto—did he really think he wouldn't get caught using a phone to cheat? And since he couldn't answer the questions, why didn't he just leave the paper blank like the other Naruto did?!
But—
"Wait a second! Sasuke… he's a top student! And he has the Sharingan! Why would he cheat with a phone?!"
As those words fell—
Hanabi put down her phone, looked at Yuto, and said with a strange tone, "He's the one who was sending the answers with his phone."
"…"
This grand Chunin Exam…
Could it really be over this fast?!
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