Sakura, do not fear...
I'm here. You step back.
Assault Blade.
If you're going to defy me, then I guess I have no choice.
Will you join that kid
as additions to my collection, Grandma Chiyo...?
Wh-What's that...?
That's not Sasori's real body...
I can kind of tell that's not his real body.
Yes... That's... a puppet.
But where's his real body?
Puppet Masters are supposed to be pulling the strings from behind, right?
His real body's inside that.
Inside?
Puppet Masters have trouble with close-range combat.
After all, when controlling a puppet, they are prone to openings ...
That puppet there has basically surmounted that problem.
The puppet acts as a shield as well as a weapon.
It's Sasori's specialty, Hiruko.
Lady Chiyo... About that puppet...
I know a lot about it.
Do you know how I make my collection?
First. I pull out the organs...
Then after I've washed the body nice and clean...
I extract the blood.
Once I've prepared the body so it won't decay,
I fill it with hidden weapons and then...
it becomes a complete addition to my puppet collection.
Just as the old woman said, this form you see...
Hiruko, is a part of my collection.
And with the little girl and Granny Chiyo added...
I'll have exactly three hundred in my collection.
It's my art!
Hiruko vs. Two Kunoichi!
Gaara...!
Is it okay for you to be taking me on?
Kakashi Sensei of the Sharingan.
I hate to say this, but...
my man Sasori is stronger than I am...
Probably...
Our ideas of art are quite different, though.
Art, huh?
Lady Chiyo?
Back when he was in the Hidden Sand,
he was called a master craftsman...
and he built many excellent puppets.
But he devoted most of his energy
into turning people into puppets and collecting them.
He calls that "art."
And that puppet Hiruko...
used to be a Shinobi from another village.
He was turned into that form you see there by Sasori...
He turned into a "human puppet"
while still maintaining his original human form.
A human puppet.
That's what'll happen to you very soon.
You'll become one of my works of art.
Hiruko is a puppet with a great attack and defense.
Be that as it may, first we need to extract Sasori out of Hiruko.
Then, how do we do that?
The most frightening thing about a puppet is their hidden weapon.
If we can't figure out what they are,
we won't be able to tell where and how he'll attack.
But Lady Chiyo,
you know a lot about the mechanisms of that puppet...
We've got the edge.
Yes...
That's why I thought I could take him on by myself at first.
At first?
But...it doesn't look like it'll work.
What do you mean?
It has a different form than the Hiruko puppet I used to know.
First of all, he didn't have a shell like that on his back.
He probably has a better ability to guard now.
And it's the first time I've seen that left arm.
In which case, his most important hidden weapon mechanism
might also have been improved.
What do we do?
In order to defeat Sasori,
first we must destroy that Hiruko.
However, I don't have that kind of destructive power.
But Sakura...
You do.
That incredible strength Princess Tsunade...
personally taught you.
Okay!
Listen carefully, Sakura.
First, get close to him...
and smash the puppet with your incredible strength.
However, you must dodge all of his hidden device attacks.
All of them, perfectly!
You must not even get a scratch.
Poison, right...?
That's right... Even a scratch can turn into a fatal wound.
Here I go.
Hold him down!
Right!
In order to dodge his attacks, you must figure out the tricks
to the hidden weapons of the master craftsman's puppet.
And you must also be able to immediately assess
how to dodge his attacks.
I don't think I can do either at all...
Indeed...
In order to do that,
a lot of actual battle experience is required.
Then...how can I...?
What do I look like to you?
Do I just look like an unreliable old bag...?
Or...
Leave it to me...
That's why I'm here!
I have much more actual battle experience than he does.
And he knows that.
That's why he doesn't attempt to attack carelessly.
This man who so hates waiting for people,
and being kept waiting by them...
And besides...
I made the first move.
Sakura. Lend me your ears.
You and I...
will defeat him!
What're they planning?
From here, I can't make out what they're saying...
Understood.
I'll give it a try.
Are you about ready?
You know I hate to be kept waiting, don't you?
Rest easy. We'll...
...put an end to this soon.
It looks like they've started.
Is just that little girl... and that old bag...
really up to the task of taking on my man Sasori?
So he wants to fight Naruto one-on-one if he can, huh?
He's a Shinobi who defeated...
the Kazekage, one of the five great Kage.
Naruto probably wouldn't be a match for him alone.
You go to Sakura, Sensei.
I'll save...Gaara!
It wouldn't be worthwhile if you were beaten that easily.
I won't let you... have Gaara, no matter what!
They're seeing through it...huh?
If so...
Die!
They completely dodged my attack just now?
I understand Grandma Chiyo being able to.
But that little girl...
How?!
Grandma Chiyo's...
not moving...?
I'm being mocked...
I can't believe she's charging at me head on without any backup...
It won't move!
I get it! Grandma...!
Now, Sakura!
Smash him!
Right!
I'm taking back Gaara!
You're sure a weird Jinchuriki.
I'd heard that Jinchuriki were gloomy misanthropes.
Not counting this guy, my comrades have defeated two Jinchuriki.
It seems not even one comrade or villager
attempted to save them.
In fact, it seems there were actually some people who were glad...
So you couldn't forsake someone pitiful and hated like you?
Gaara...
Gaara died after the One-Tail was extracted.
That will soon happen to you...too!
I won't...forgive you jerks!
So you've finally come out, huh?
That's his real body!
I've come this far to see my grandson's face.
After twenty years, what say we face each other?