"Are you looking down on me?"
For Sasori of the Red Sand, being taunted by a Byakugan-wielding, Taijutsu-skilled ninja to compete in puppet techniques was a great insult. Though Hyuga Mirai's ability to summon a metal puppet intrigued him, Sasori believed he would be able to extract the secret after killing this man.
An expert in human puppetry, Sasori was also skilled in interrogation. No one had ever survived being made into one of his living puppets without breaking down.
"Just a reminder, the weaponry on this 'puppet' is incredibly powerful. If you're not careful, it might even kill you."
Hyuga Mirai kindly warned, but to Sasori, it sounded more like another provocative challenge.
"Die, bastard! Red Secret Technique, Thousand Hands Control!"
Unable to suppress his anger, Sasori controlled the Third Kazekage's puppet and launched an attack. During its flight, the left arm of the Third Kazekage puppet glowed with seals, and suddenly, hundreds of mechanical arms shot out, aiming for Hyuga Mirai.
The arms not only had blades laced with poison but also included toxic smoke mechanisms. Furthermore, the material of the arms was tough, and regular kunai wouldn't even cut them.
Boom!
A searing beam of light shot through, destroying a third of the mechanical arms.
Boom! Boom!
Two more blasts from the heat beams, and the remaining mechanical arms were completely obliterated in mere seconds by Mirai's powered battle armor.
"What kind of weapon is this?" Sasori muttered, furrowing his brows. The attack didn't look like ninjutsu; it came from the palm of that metal puppet. He could still see a faint wisp of smoke rising from the cannon's barrel.
The Thousand Hands Control technique had been destroyed so quickly that Sasori struggled to process it.
"This is a thermal energy beam cannon. The temperature it generates is around 2,500 degrees Celsius, nearly half the surface temperature of the sun," Mirai explained, his tone polite. He had held back during the attack; otherwise, the Third Kazekage puppet would have been obliterated entirely. Even the chakra metal of this world couldn't withstand such high temperatures.
Mirai had no issue revealing some of the battle armor's secrets, as knowing them would be useless unless Sasori had a way to counter them. Besides, 18 was constantly calculating upgrades for the weapons, so by the time Sasori might find a countermeasure, the battle armor might have already been updated.
"Magnet Release: Sand Iron Rain."
Sasori realized that the puppet's weaponry wouldn't stand up to such high temperatures, so he immediately used the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release bloodline.
"Die, bastard!"
Countless iron sand grains rained down from all directions, their speed so fast that it was difficult for regular ninja to dodge. Sasori was confident that no one could avoid the massive area of his Magnet Release technique.
'Hmph. You like using metal puppets? As soon as your puppet gets even a little iron sand on it, it's as good as destroyed,' Sasori thought, a mocking smile on his face. This iron sand wasn't ordinary—it was infused with chakra and magnetic forces from the Third Kazekage. Anything it touched would be controlled.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Mirai's battle armor instantly transformed into a massive shield, blocking the iron sand that was rushing toward him.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of countless iron sand grains colliding with the shield filled the air, creating a thunderous noise, like a violent hailstorm.
"Hmph. Your puppet is already scrap. Let's see what other trump cards you have left."
Sasori sneered as he saw the iron sand clinging to the shield. He used chakra threads to manipulate the Third Kazekage's puppet and tried to seize Mirai's metal puppet. Sasori was fascinated by this puppet, with its free-forming ability and powerful artillery. It was a type of puppet he had never seen before.
"Hm? What's going on?" Sasori thought, as he saw that the puppet shield still wasn't reacting. He increased the chakra output, forcing the Third Kazekage puppet to use Magnet Release at full power. But still, there was no response.
"My puppet isn't made of metal. No matter how much you use Magnet Release, it won't have any effect," Mirai calmly explained. His biological nanotechnology, inspired by the Tailed Beast cells, was far more resilient than Sasori's magnets. Even with Sasori's chakra strings, he couldn't control the materials.
Mirai had to admit that Sasori's puppetry skills were impressive, especially for someone so young. Creating a human puppet like the Third Kazekage and using the Magnet Release bloodline to solidify it was quite a feat.
"I have a rough idea of your strength now. Let's call it quits for today."
Mirai gave a command, and his battle armor immediately returned to its original form. With a burst of power from its limbs, he shot toward Sasori's Third Kazekage puppet at lightning speed.
As soon as the T1 battle armor made contact, it rapidly flowed over the puppet like liquid metal, encasing it completely. From the outside, it looked as if the puppet had been outfitted with a suit of armor.
The moment the T1 armor wrapped around the Third Kazekage puppet, Sasori of the Red Sand lost control over it.
"Sasori, I know your story," Hyuga Mirai began as he walked toward him. "Your parents were killed by Konoha's White Fang, so you wanted revenge. But after his death, your target was gone. So instead, you turned your hatred toward the Third Kazekage, blaming him for the war with Konoha that led to your parents' demise."
Stopping a few steps away, Mirai continued, "I don't think you care much about world peace or ending war, so I won't waste time talking about ideals. Let's talk about profit."
"Your human puppet technique falls under the category of biomechanical engineering. Coincidentally, that's my specialty. You have talent, even managing to solidify a Kekkei Genkai into a puppet—a concept I've only theorized, but you've actually achieved."
Mirai glanced at the Third Kazekage puppet and sighed, "Though I must say, the craftsmanship is a bit rough."
Sasori's face darkened at the comment. He had lost control of his strongest puppet, and while he still had others, they were hardly worth showing off.
"Work for me, Sasori," Mirai offered. "I can teach you more advanced biomechanical techniques. With your talent, you could perfect your human puppetry in no time."
Some people, when taught basic knowledge, only ever reach a basic level. But those with true talent—like Sasori—could take the same knowledge and push it to unimaginable heights.
Sasori possessed both passion and talent for his craft. Given the right guidance, he would grow exponentially, and Mirai suspected he wouldn't even have to put in much effort before Sasori began surprising him with his innovations.
"So? What do you think? Not only will you gain better puppet techniques, but we've also completed research on immortality," Mirai added with a smirk. "Compared to wandering the shinobi world for years without real progress, wouldn't it be better to join me?"
More advanced puppetry. Immortality.
Sasori's heart wavered. These were two things he had been pursuing for years. If he could truly learn them from this man, then joining his faction wouldn't be a loss.
"Just don't lie to me. If you do, I won't let you off," Sasori finally said as Mirai reached his side.
Mirai smiled in satisfaction. He wasn't after Sasori's current strength but rather his potential. Right now, Sasori was relatively weak—his puppet techniques still incomplete. He couldn't even defeat Orochimaru in his current state.
Besides, strength alone wasn't enough to earn a place in Mirai's ranks.
"Welcome aboard. You won't regret it."
As soon as Mirai spoke, the T1 armor peeled away from the Third Kazekage like quicksilver and flowed back onto his wrist. The moment it left the puppet, Sasori felt his control return.
"Curious about this?" Mirai asked, noticing Sasori's lingering gaze on his wrist.
"This is a biological nanotech battle armor," Mirai explained. "You've heard of Tailed Beasts, right? Their cells are unique—when in physical form, they can be the size of a mountain, with weight and mass to match. But under the effects of Sealing Jutsu, their cells can shrink while maintaining their density."
Sasori didn't fully grasp everything Mirai was saying, but he could tell that the quicksilver-like material that had enveloped his puppet must have been inspired by the principles of Tailed Beast cells.
Now that he thought about it, Tailed Beasts were indeed a fascinating subject for research. Why hadn't he considered it before?
After recollecting the Third Kazekage puppet, Sasori turned to Mirai and asked in his usual indifferent tone, "Where is your base?"
"One moment. Let me check which location suits you best," Mirai replied.
He scanned through several developing bases on his nanotech display. The Land of Fire's capital was out of the question—no personnel would be stationed there. The Land of Tea housed his personal research lab, which Sasori could visit, but all robotic manufacturing equipment had been moved to the Land of Whirlpools.
"How about the Land of Whirlpools? The base there is still under construction, but in my plans, it will focus on mechanical guardian production. You could also oversee the plantations while you're there," Mirai suggested.
He pulled up the details of the Land of Whirlpools base on the nanotech display and handed it to Sasori.
Rows upon rows of metallic humanoid machines, large-scale production facilities, and state-of-the-art laboratories—each image struck a chord in Sasori's heart.
Compared to the conditions he had worked in before—crude caves, makeshift huts—this was a dream.
"This will do. I'm satisfied," Sasori said flatly, though inside, he was eager to visit the Land of Whirlpools as soon as possible.
"As for guarding the plantation, you don't have to worry. If anyone causes trouble, I won't let them off," he added.
"Then—" Mirai started, but suddenly, he turned his head toward the sky, activating his Byakugan.
"Someone's coming."
Sasori followed Mirai's gaze but could only see a black speck in the distant sky.
As the figure drew closer, Sasori finally made out the shape—it was a person with wings.
What kind of day is this? First this guy shows up, and now another weirdo? Sasori thought.
A few moments later, the figure landed, revealing a woman with wings crafted from paper.
"Join the Akatsuki, Sasori of the Red Sand," Konan said without hesitation.
(End of Chapter)
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