As White as Blood

Chapter Twelve

A Prideful Man

The Third Kazekage stood before the group of Jonin, just outside Sunagakure's tunnel-like entrance. Although Sasori stood with his head held high, he didn't recognise any of the other Shinobi, and at thirteen he was by far the youngest of them all. When the Third's eyes skirted over the group, he focused on the shortest figure for an uncomfortable length of time, and the redhead prayed he kept up an outward appearance of calm.

"I want you in twos," the Kazekage finally said, returning his eyes to the entire crowd. "Each pair will patrol and defend an area around the Land of Wind. If any enemy Shinobi enter your area, you are to exterminate them without mercy. If you have any issues, fire a signal flare and reinforcements will go to your location and help."

"But sir," said a man with dull auburn hair and a dedicated hardness in his eyes, "what of merchants and refugees?"

The Third Kazekage stared him down, but the brave man was unfazed. "Inspect their luggage, discuss their intentions for coming to the Land of Wind, the usual. If they have acceptable reasons for arriving, let them by. They'll be processed at the gates. If they lie or have unacceptable intentions, kill them. Is that clear?" They all mechanically declared 'Yes Sir' in response, even Sasori. "Good. Remember, while you are out there, the livelihood of our home is in your hands."

-x-

Sasori was paired with the determined man who'd spoken earlier and although he'd initially respected the man for having the courage to ask a question of the Kazekage, the redhead already didn't like him.

"I am Rasa Satetsu." Despite the fact they were both supposed to be equals, the man's tone already indicated superiority. "State your name and age."

"Sasori Yoshiko," he said, keeping the distaste from his face if not from his voice. "Thirteen."

The man looked him over, a hint of confliction darting across his thin brows. By his appearance, Sasori guessed Rasa was in his early twenties. They were already at the area they would be patrolling, a large expanse between Sunagakure and the Land of Rain, and Sasori noted how indistinct this part of the wasteland was. "Judging by your face paint, you're from the Puppet Brigade." Sasori nodded, even though it was a rhetorical question. "At what age did you become a Jonin?"

"The Kazekage named me a Jonin three days ago with the initial outbreak of war, but previously I was a Chunin for five years." Again, that look of confliction. In his eyes, Sasori was probably too young for such a responsibility, but to question it would be to question the Kazekage's decision. To ease his suffering, Sasori assuredly said, "Our home has raised us well."

Rasa was clearly surprised to hear him say such a thing, but Sasori had stroked his loyalty too well for him to question it. "Perhaps you'll be a good partner after all." He surveyed the barren area. "How many puppets do you possess and how skilled are you at handling them?"

"Fourteen total: five offensive, three defensive and offensive, one deceptive, five espionage." He didn't include his Human Puppets, of course, as he couldn't risk Rasa recognising them. "The espionage puppets are small, so I can use one finger for each, but the others will require at least two fingers."

A hint of respect appeared. "You're Chiyo's grandson." He spoke as if he'd had an epiphany.

Bitterness swelled. "I am."

Although there was still some doubt on his face, the small conversation had already done wonders to rid Rasa of his initial concern. "Very well, summon your espionage puppets and two others you deem suitable. If we engage in combat, summon two more and swap to controlling them instead of the surveillance ones." Rasa pulled out two wireless earpieces and handed one to Sasori, who instantly equipped it before setting it to the right frequency. "We shall communicate via these headsets. Notify me at the first sign of danger. Is that understood?"

"Understood." He pulled out several scrolls with chakra threads and immediately went about summoning his five Rat puppets, along with Roan and Spit. The latter had its body covered by a long black robe that hid its weapons and it spin top base. Sasori put the scrolls away and attached strings to each puppet before stepping inside Roan's open hatch.

The Rats spread out in all directions, Spit remained in its place and Sasori buried himself and his scorpion puppet beneath the sand for a future surprise attack. Once safely away from Rasa's eyes, Sasori lay back and shut his eyes so he could concentrate on seeing the world through the eyes of his Rats and his chakra. With his newest technique he could perceive the world through even a puppet's gaze, and although it was an amazing technique it often resulted in a serious migraine. Still, Sasori wasn't going to give up the chance to practise.

-x-

There wasn't any action until the fifth day of patrolling the large expanse of desert. "Coming from the North East," Sasori said unexpectedly, even surprising himself. Although his gaze was far from his body, in the eyes of the Rat puppets, his voice was not. He hurriedly got over it. "A group of five Konohagakure Shinobi. Probably Jonin, but possibly ANBU." Sasori dropped his strings on three Rats, but left the north and north eastern puppets attached, although he drastically decreased his chakra usage on both.

"Remember the plan," said Rasa through the headset, and thankfully Sasori was more prepared for the closeness of his voice. With his eyes still shut in concentration, the redhead removed two scrolls from his flak jacket, but his concentration stymied momentarily when he felt a tug on the north eastern Rat's chakra thread. He focussed on its vision, only to find out that a Konoha Shinobi had picked it up. Thankfully his slight chakra signature went unnoticed, and the puppet had once been a living rat. Sasori hadn't even been prideful enough to put his red scorpion tag on it.

"Ew, gross." One of the other Konoha Shinobi swatted the puppet from the man's hands. "Dude, don't just pick up dead fucking rats! You'll catch some weird Suna disease!"

The puppet fell to the ground but was undamaged. "You two," said another, "we're on an important mission here. We need to check the defences of this shit hole and report back to the Third Hokage." They left the puppet where it was and continued moving in the direction of Rasa, Spit and Sasori.

The redhead repeated the information back to Rasa and he could almost hear him clenching his teeth together. "How dare they call our home a 'Shit Hole'! They'll pay for that."

-x-

The five Shinobi were not expecting the ambush they ran into. While they were initially cautious when they saw Rasa and Spit, they obviously thought that against the five of them they had the better odds.

They stopped just a few metres away. A hood covered Spit's face, which - although humanoid – would be easily discerned as inhuman if seen. Sasori watched through the glass eyes of his creation.

The man who had badmouthed their home stood at the front, his face contorted in a cruel smile. "Two Rats? That's it?" He sneered. "This shit hole must have one pussy military." He laughed at his own observation, and the others joined in cautiously.

Sasori could virtually hear Rasa's anger through the headset, but he patiently waited for his cue. "The five of you will have to go."

There it was.

Spit came to life. Its head sprung up as Sasori activated the mechanism inside the puppet's mouth. Senbon needles coated in Asuko's poison flew at the Konohagakure Shinobi. They were successfully taken by surprise, but all except one managed to evade. The Jonin, who'd been hit three times, stood still for a few seconds, before he screamed. "IT BURNS! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" He tore at his clothes, but that did not stop clusters of angry boils from breaking out across his skin. His life ended in agony. His body dropped on the sand, dead.

Sasori and Rasa silently agreed to split the remaining Jonin evenly, two and two. Sadly, the one who'd belittled their village was a part of Rasa's victims, but the one who'd picked up his Rat earlier was in Sasori's group. The redhead spun his puppet and the cloak flew off, revealing the amalgam of arms and blades from beneath. Sasori could no longer see his prey, but he was able to sense their whereabouts from their chakra signatures alone.

"It's a puppet!" called one of the men as he frantically glanced around. "We have to kill the Puppet Master! That's what they told us! Is it that guy?"

"No, he's too preoccupied to be controlli-AH!" The Shinobi was dragged beneath the sand by the puppet Sasori had just summoned. Cephalo's joints had been upgraded so it could travel beneath the sands, as if the desert was an ocean. The puppet made short work of the man, stabbing him with its poisoned barbs, and when the Jonin cried out in pain he inhaled the sand. Sasori didn't know which killed him first – the poison or suffocation – but a kill was a kill.

His remaining opponent looked frantically in all directions and avoided staying in one place for too long, but he didn't know where to dodge. Was he to avoid the spinning doll puppet? Was he to be weary of what lay under the ground? Unfortunately for the Shinobi, he had not thought about what might come from above. Phoenix swooped down and easily snared the man in its claws.

He tried to think of a Jutsu that could free him, but his mind wasn't as quick as Sasori. The redhead activated the flamethrowers in Phoenix's feet and the man couldn't even scream as he was burnt to a crisp. His charred body dropped to the ground, and Phoenix circled like a vulture.

"Done," said Sasori into his earpiece.

"Me too." Rasa sounded pleased. "Reseal your puppets and resume formation. Are there anymore coming?"

Sasori did as instructed by his 'equal' and then re-established chakra strings to the other three espionage puppets, scouting the area through all their eyes. "No enemies detected," he said robotically.

"Good." Rasa picked up Spit's cloak and calmly redressed the puppet, ensuring the hood was pulled over its inhuman face.

-x-

He'd been forced to see Komushi that morning, but thankfully Chiyo hadn't given him any new puppet orders, although he expected what free time he had would be erased over the coming weeks.

Karura had finished up with training, so the two had made a day of walking about the village. "How's the squad treating you?" he asked as they stopped off at a small teashop and sat themselves at a table for two.

"They're alright," said Karura, "but they're super immature for nine-year-olds." She exhaled heavily, and a waitress took their order of green tea and dim sum.

"They're getting slacker with the younger generations." Sasori sneered as if he'd been raised in the 'correct' way. "I hope you're bringing them up suitably. Misaki wasn't the gentlest teacher, but she raised us right."

"I'm trying to make her proud," admitted Karura, "but since I'm only four years older than my squad, the clients don't take me very seriously." Karura flicked her hair in a show of frustration. "Honestly, it gets annoying after a while."

"You might be young, but you're a Jonin. Karura, you're more powerful and more amazing than those idiots will ever be, and you're going to do great things with your life." Every word was true.

The blonde smiled warmly. "Wow Saso, you know how to make a girl blush." She batted her eyelashes suggestively, but he just snorted as the waitress returned with their orders. "Enough about my snotnosed brats! How's patrol?"

"It's fine," he answered indifferently. "Although my vocabulary has expanded. I've already learnt four new completely inappropriate phrases, two of which would probably make even Chiyo speechless." Sasori sipped his tea. "I'm working with this twenty-year-old. Even though we're supposed to be equals, he keeps barking orders at me like I've never heard the word 'strategy' before. I'm perfectly capable of killing a few Konoha-Crows…"

Karura swallowed her food with a sip of green tea. "He probably feels the same way about us as we do about my adorable ogres. What's this guy's name anyway?"

"Rasa Satetsu."

Karura nearly choked on her tea. "Rasa?" she coughed. "Dead eyes, washed out auburn hair, hates it when you badmouth his 'beloved' village?" Sasori nodded. "Oh, I had the biggest crush on him when I was little!"

"You had a crush on him?" he asked, his face clearly apprehensive.

She grinned. "Don't worry, Sweetie, you're my true love and I'll never replace you, but a girl's gotta have some options, especially with our abysmal track record. Besides, Rasa's super strong and I think he's somehow related to the Third. They have the same magnetic Kekkei Genkai. I bet if something ever happened to the Third, he'd be the one to step in and become the Fourth Kazekage."

"Yeah," he murmured, "I bet that'd be his dream job. Even so, I doubt he'll ever be as strong as the Third." His muddy eyes sparkled a little. "Even being around him is awe-inspiring. I know there's that whole curse, since the last two Kazekage were killed by assassins, but no way is he gonna go down like them! Besides, if anyone could take down the Third, then they should be the one to become the Fourth Kazekage."

Karura sniggered. "It sounds like you're contemplating treason."

Sasori rolled his eyes and his excitement vanished. "Unlike you, I'm smart enough to know where I stand." The redhead looked Karura up and down, and let himself smile a little. "Besides, the outfit wouldn't suit me. Oh, and I'd hate being couped up inside that tiny office, and I wouldn't be able to visit my Den."

"I'm sure you'd find a way," Karura said and returned the smile. "Plus, I think the outfit would look super sexy on you~" She giggled and took Sasori's partly eaten dim sum and finished it off without his permission. The redhead sneered, but just picked up a new one. "Well Saso, I've made up my mind." She straightened up and suddenly exuded an aura of seriousness, as if she were about to say something deep and meaningful. Sasori gave her his full attention, silently curious about her shift in maturity, but when she leaned over her expression was crafty. "I'll only marry you if you become the Kazekage."

Sasori's brow narrowed in irritation, and he planted his palm on her forehead and shoved her away. "Here I thought you were going to say something astute for once."

"Hey," Karura whined. Her dark teal eyes were laced with her usual passion for youth and life. "I am being serious. I know you might not like it, but that's my offer. I won't marry you unless you become the Kazekage." She crossed her arms stubbornly, but then grinned. "Or maybe I'll just go marry that Rasa guy instead~?"

"I don't want to marry anyone!" Sasori stated bluntly. "And if I ever did, then you would be the last person I'd spend my life with."

Karura stuck her tongue out and took the last dim sum, eating it primly. "So what if I'm not a fancy girl? You don't want fancy." She took a piggish bite of the dim sum and continued to talk with her mouth full. "You know everything about me, and I know everything about you. I bet you can't even remember a time when we weren't together, and even Yashamaru supports us. Face it, Saso: I'm me, and you love me."

Sasori rubbed his temples. "Firstly, I don't 'love' you. Secondly, I have no intention of becoming the Kazekage now or ever. Thirdly, I will never love you. And lastly, I can promise you right now that I will never ever ever ever get married or fall in love with you or anyone for that matter. I'm asexual."

Karura blinked at him. "What's an 'asexual'?"

"It means I don't feel sexual attraction for anyone."

"Saso, we're thirteen."

He rubbed his temples. "I've thought long and hard about this, Karura. I know what I am."

"Wow, you're really set on not marrying me. What are you? Gay?"

"I just told you what I am! I'm asexual!"

She held up her hands to calm him down. "I'm joking! Come on though, promise me. I'd rather be in a sexless relationship with my bestie the Kazekage, than in a sexy relationship with a guy who doesn't understand me and who isn't the Kazekage."

"All you talk about is children."

"Adoption is a thing."

He exhaled. "You call me gay, then still go on about us getting married? What is it with women? You all just love to do completely pointless things…"

Karura clearly suppressed the urge to laugh. "Yeah, because comments like that really makes you sound like you're into boobs."

"But I'm not-"

Karura cut him off, "I heard. But what is it with men and not wanting to make promises? Seriously, you don't even plan on becoming the Kazekage anyway." She smiled that odd smile that only Karura possessed and only Sasori could receive. "Please?"

Sasori sighed in defeat. "Fine." He brought his hand from beneath the table and held it out for her. "I, Sasori Yoshiko, promise to marry you if I ever become the Kazekage."

Karura took the redhead's hand in her own. "I, Karura Kumiko, promise to marry you only if you become the Kazekage."

Their nearly identical bracelets clanked against each other peacefully, as if sealing the promise with a full stop. The scorpion and the wolf shone bleakly, as if knowing the agreement would never come to be.


Dear Reader,

That weird moment where Rasa didn't have an official name when I first wrote this. Technically I wasn't wrong since I explicitly said 'Takeo' was a fake name, but I decided to just stick to his actual name for the remaster. Man it would've been hilarious if I'd guessed it right…

One of the aspects I don't think I handled well in the original story was Sasori's asexuality. I feel like I kinda pushed it aside as a joke. Writing this story in 2011 was probably my first run in with asexuality, and I guess the joke's on me since I now identify as asexual (autochorrisexual if you wanna get technical). I don't think I comprehended it well when I first wrote it, so I'm hoping I can give a better depiction this time around.

There is eventually SasoDei smut in this story, but there are asexuals who still enjoy sex who just don't feel sexual attraction. Sasori is also aromantic so yay?

Don't forget, my first original novel 'The Hero of Hammersey' is available on Amazon (which also features an asexual character in the main trio), and on the 22nd of March (2019) you can listen to my wonderful (not wonderful) voice gush about Sasori and Deidara on 'The Shipping (pod)cast' (available on iTunes, Tumblr, Fandomish and SoundCloud)! Enjoy!

Yours Faithfully,

Woolfy