After Lee's explanation, several people immediately grew interested in trying it out. A few quick experiments were enough for them to realize how effective gravity training could be for physical conditioning — and that discovery alone set off waves of excitement.
Even Shikamaru, usually the most relaxed of them all, felt its potential impact.
The Nara Clan, after all, had their own body training routines and secret medicines meant to strengthen the foundation of their shinobi. But what if those were combined with a gravity training chamber?
For a moment, Shikamaru imagined the scene — members of the Nara Clan, all muscle-bound and towering, abandoning their shadow-based techniques to become brawny warriors.
He shuddered at the thought.
I dare not imagine! I dare not imagine!
"This thing's good," he muttered to himself, "but it's not for the Nara Clan. We deal with tactics, not swinging punches like the Akimichi."
Naruto was also among those who tested the chamber. This was one of the newest developments — even he hadn't personally tried it yet. As he stepped in, he could feel the shift in pressure immediately.
The added gravity pressed down on him, but to Naruto, it was barely noticeable. After a few moments of adjustment, he stood there comfortably.
"For training purposes, I don't really need this," he said, shaking his head. His tone wasn't arrogant — just matter-of-fact. "My growth comes from Heaven Rewards Diligence."
That ability of his — mysterious and powerful — allowed him to continuously grow stronger through effort alone. The harder he trained, the greater the returns. It even helped him overcome bottlenecks that would normally hinder a shinobi's progress.
Naruto had already concluded that Heaven Rewards Diligence worked best when he had a solid understanding or foundation to build on. If not, the progress was slower, more like steady accumulation than explosive growth.
Still, the gravity chamber's potential was undeniable. Unfortunately, its current multiplier was far too small. Beyond the Kage level, it would barely make a difference.
No one realized, however, that at that very moment, someone else was secretly draining the Umbrella Organization's resources dry.
Deep underground, inside one of Umbrella's hidden bases, the air was filled with the faint scent of oil and metal. The chamber was massive — an industrial warren of machinery, tools, and components piled high. Electric lights buzzed overhead.
And in the center of it all stood a man before a colossal steel construct.
That man was Sasori.
Lately, Sasori had become consumed by a new obsession. He had set aside his once-prized Human Puppets and turned instead toward technology — mechanical creations born from modern principles.
Before him stood an airplane he had completely restored. Every joint, every mechanism — all functioning perfectly. He had already mastered its construction methods and design principles.
Sasori's gaze burned with fanatic intensity as he stared at it.
Beside the plane stood another creation: a towering metal framework, half-complete, its structure skeletal and immense.
Sasori's current engineering skills had already surpassed those of the instructor who once taught him mechanical design. After all, that mentor had not been one of Umbrella's top scientists.
Sasori, with his genius for analysis, could extrapolate from any example. Building aircraft was only the beginning — but it wasn't enough for him.
Airplanes were limited: powerful in the sky, but useless on land or sea. Sasori wanted more.
The massive framework beside the aircraft was his next step.
Traditional puppets were restricted by materials — mostly human-sized and limited in durability. But technology had shown him a different path. Certain metal alloys, when fused correctly, could become incredibly strong.
They couldn't conduct chakra — but they were nearly indestructible.
If Naruto had seen the massive humanoid frame before Sasori, he would've instantly recognized it — it looked almost exactly like a mech, or even a Gundam from his previous life's memories.
That was Sasori's vision: a giant humanoid puppet — a walking fortress.
Because of material limitations, most shinobi nations would go bankrupt trying to build even one such machine. The amount of metal and craftsmanship required was staggering.
But in Sasori's eyes, this colossus would transcend all limitations — it would move through land, sea, and air alike, powered not by fuel but by chakra itself.
He planned to engrave sealing formulae into its structure — combining sealing jutsu, mechanical engineering, and puppetcraft into one terrifying masterpiece.
It wasn't ready yet, but Sasori was preparing meticulously.
He estimated that within a year, the first prototype would be complete.
The only thing left was to find a way to make it even stronger.
To Sasori, mere puppetry was no longer enough. His own techniques, though powerful, were being wasted if he didn't channel the true potential of chakra.
"This behemoth before me," Sasori whispered, his voice trembling with obsession.
"It will be my most perfect creation—the pinnacle of puppetcraft! I will surpass every puppet master in history!"
His crimson eyes gleamed with feverish light. In this hidden chamber, deep beneath the desert, Sasori was on the verge of birthing a new era in puppetry.
His affiliation with the Umbrella Organization remained a secret from the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki cared little for what their members did in their spare time—as long as assigned missions were completed.
Now, standing before the towering frame of his creation, Sasori slowly calmed his excitement. If this new body was to embody perfection, he would need to evolve as well. His current form, despite its craftsmanship, was limited.
Human Puppets could retain the ninjutsu of their former lives, but their true potential was bound by both the puppet master's skill and the original person's ability. They were powerful, yes—but finite.
This new construct, however… it would allow Sasori to unleash power that far exceeded his own.
Over the next few days, Sasori worked tirelessly. He dismantled parts of his old puppet body, reforging them with chakra metal—a rare, precious material capable of storing and conducting chakra. Every joint, every gear, every seal was restructured.
At last, after days of meticulous labor, he completed a new body—a form that mirrored his previous human appearance but was built to embody all of his technological genius.
After engraving intricate Sealing Formulae throughout its frame, Sasori transferred his consciousness into this new vessel.
It was his most advanced creation yet—a prototype of his vision for the future. Still imperfect, still incomplete, but far beyond anything he had ever made.
He stepped out of the base, eager to test its limits.
Though he had lost some of the ninjutsu tied to his old body, this new form granted him abilities that no puppet—or shinobi—had ever possessed.
Sasori extended his hands, and with a subtle twist of chakra, his new body shifted. Metal panels unfolded, limbs retracted, and within moments, the puppet's humanoid frame transformed into a sleek, aerodynamic shape.
Then, with a roar of displaced air, he took off into the sky.
"Now," he said, his voice echoing from the mechanical shell, "perhaps I can be called… Airplane Man."
The words carried a rare hint of amusement—something almost human—before his tone turned serious once more.
"Second Gear!"
In response, his body's configuration changed again. Chakra surged through the seals etched into the metal, and his speed spiked sharply—so fast that the air itself split apart in a deafening sonic boom.
Sasori soared higher, then dipped low over a vast lake. His body shifted mid-flight, plating sliding over one another as the wings retracted and propellers vanished beneath armor. He plunged into the water—only for a moment later, a strange metallic shape resembling a submarine to glide silently beneath the surface.
Moments later, the machine broke through the lake's surface again, transforming back into its aerial form and soaring toward the desert.
As he approached the base, Sasori's form shifted once more, reverting seamlessly into his humanoid puppet body.
No one witnessed this spectacle.
But had Naruto been there, he would've been stunned—Sasori had turned himself into something that resembled a robot, a fusion of human soul, puppetcraft, and chakra-powered machinery.
There were no circuits yet, only the faintest traces of technology—most of the work was fueled by chakra and sealing arrays.
This wasn't a puppet controlled by strings or chakra threads. It was a living weapon controlled by a human soul.
Sasori of the Red Sand—once a puppet master—was now becoming something far more.
A genius on par with Orochimaru, but walking a different path.
While Orochimaru pursued forbidden life through flesh and jutsu…
Sasori sought eternity through steel and artifice.
And the age of puppets was about to change forever.
...
TN:
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