"..."
Sasori fell into silence.
After a long while, he finally spoke: "I understand."
"Hmm?"
Deidara was the first to voice his confusion, asking somewhat perplexedly, "We were just acting, we didn't actually hit too hard, did we?"
"It's a kinjutsu that exchanges life for life."
Uehara Naraku shook his head, explaining in a low voice, "Lady Chiyo used her life to bring back Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village."
"That really is in line with her character!"
Sasori of the Red Sand shook his head gently, sighing softly, "For that decaying village, is it worth it at all? She was like that as a child and grew up to be the same. Her perspective remains so narrow, always valuing the future of that broken village above all else.
Forget it, it doesn't matter. I was meant to walk the path of eternal art alone. If we ever meet again, because of our positions, as a member of Akatsuki, I might kill her, while as an advisor to the Hidden Sand, she might kill me."
Sasori didn't show much sorrow.
Since becoming a human puppet, Sasori rarely showed emotions.
Hearing the news of Granny Chiyo's sacrifice today, Sasori of the Red Sand managed to pause and say a few words, which was already a rare occurrence for him.
Family ties ultimately held a significant place in Sasori's heart.
After Sasori expressed his attitude towards Granny Chiyo's sacrifice, the atmosphere among them became somewhat heavy for a moment.
"Hey, Sasori-danna, eternity isn't art!"
Deidara suddenly grabbed Sasori of the Red Sand by the shoulder, exclaiming, "Explosions are the true art—even if life is brief, as long as it doesn't waste its existence, it proves its significance! This is what's called the art of explosions!"
"Shut up."
Sasori of the Red Sand glared at Deidara.
However, this time, he didn't push away his teammate.
The Akatsuki's partner system seemed fairly successful. Though everyone always complained about their teammates, they always appeared at the most appropriate times.
Occasionally there were the bad apples...
But most of the members were quite earnest.
Uehara Naraku looked at Sasori of the Red Sand, whose mood slightly improved, and softly said, "If Senior Sasori wants to visit Lady Chiyo's grave, you can skip the mission to capture the Three-tailed this time;
I'll explain to Lord Pain. Although we were opponents with Lady Chiyo, I must say, I greatly admire her will—she was a worthy adversary."
This was both persuasion and probing.
If Sasori of the Red Sand were to feel utterly desolate again, Uehara Naraku would have to provide him with some psychological counseling.
After a moment of silence, Sasori suddenly took out a scroll and handed it to Uehara Naraku, speaking softly, "I heard she had been mentoring a new-generation puppet master in recent years. Unfortunately, her age compromised her skills, as evidenced by her using puppets I made in my youth in combat.
Uehara, since you're infiltrating the Great Nations' Ninja Villages as a spy, if you have the chance, help me give this scroll to that new kid. We can't let the puppet tradition of the Hidden Sand Village die out; this is the last thing I can do for her."
"Alright."
Uehara Naraku nodded, considering giving Kankuro a scroll wasn't much of a task.
Curiously, Uehara Naraku asked, "What's inside? It's not the human puppet of the Fourth Kazekage, is it?"
"No..."
Sasori of the Red Sand shook his head gently, saying, "That was gifted to me by you. I can't give a gift from someone else away... Actually, this contains what Granny taught me, and I no longer need it. It's merely returning it to its original owner."
After saying this, Sasori of the Red Sand added softly, "If possible, you can help me retrieve the two puppets Granny left behind. Even though I made them when I was ten, they still belong to me."
Sasori of the Red Sand was referring to the Father and Mother puppets.
Evidently, Sasori would never allow those two puppets to be used by anyone outside his family, not even Kankuro.
"Alright, I'll see what I can do."
Uehara Naraku sighed, murmuring softly, "Maybe one day you'll have the chance to take back those two puppets yourself."
"Fine."
Sasori nodded, glancing at the pouting Deidara beside him, furrowing his brows a bit, "Alright, let's go!"
"Mm... mm... mm..."
Deidara nodded hastily.
Uehara Naraku watched Sasori of the Red Sand leave with Deidara, sighing slightly and taking a glance at his system panel.
Side Mission: Ensure Sasori of the Red Sand's Survival (1/1), Mission Completed, Reward: Puppet Clockwork Demon Spirit.
Clockwork Demon Spirit: Unseal a puppet girl Orianna, who has her own combat intelligence and skills. The user can infuse her with chakra to drive the puppet girl, requiring a minimum of 10,000 chakra points.
The completion of this mission was severely harsh and demanding.
Only after Granny Chiyo's death did the system indicate to Uehara that this mission was completed, perhaps assuming Granny Chiyo would inevitably become Sasori's murderer.
As for the reward Uehara Naraku received, it could be considered generous.
This puppet could completely substitute him in performing tasks unsuitable for exposure—an unknown puppet is always much safer, and its combat prowess isn't low.
Just the fact that it needs at least 10,000 chakra points to operate signifies it can exhibit Kage-level capabilities, enough for this Ninja World.
Most importantly, this puppet doesn't require chakra lines...
Rather than calling Clockwork Demon Spirit a puppet, one might as well say it's a robot.
Upon returning to his residence, Uehara Naraku didn't waste any time and tapped his fingers on his desk, promptly summoning Uchiha Obito in his Reanimation state.
Since returning the Four-tailed Jinchuriki last time, Uchiha Obito had been sealed back into a coffin by Uehara Naraku. Upon seeing the light of day again, Obito grumbled a little unhappily, "What dirty work do you have for me now?"
"No, it's to meet an old friend."
Uehara Naraku chuckled a few times before instructing, "Go find Hoshigaki Kisame. I want to relay orders to him using your body."
"Hoshigaki Kisame?"
Uchiha Obito frowned and instantly his face turned extremely ugly: "Wait, is that guy Kisame yours? Since when did this happen?"
"A long time ago."
Uehara Naraku glanced strangely at Uchiha Obito, "You didn't know about this? Did you ever think about how Kisame could join Akatsuki? And how he managed to survive after I 'killed' you and continued to live quite well?"
The statement was perfectly natural.
It almost made one want to punch him just listening to it.
Uchiha Obito felt an overwhelming urge to slam himself dead again!
Obito couldn't help clenching his fists, feeling a mix of emotions bubbling within him. What a ridiculous situation this was!
Damn, no wonder he was played to death by Uehara Naraku!
Hoshigaki Kisame was handpicked by Uchiha Obito. Ever since Obito controlled the Fourth Mizukage, he'd been carefully nurturing Kisame, even considering him a part of the Eye of the Moon Plan's core.
Hoshigaki Kisame lived up to his expectations, secretly delivering information on Uchiha Itachi ever since Uchiha Obito was alive.
Little did he know that the spy he thought he had planted in the Akatsuki, loyal to him all along, was actually a minion of Uehara Naraku, that little bastard!
Gritting his teeth furiously, Uchiha Obito glared at Uehara Naraku with rage, "How much have you been hiding all these years..."
"Hmm, how should I put it?"
Uehara Naraku opened his palms, chuckling softly, "If one day, when the Ninja World beneath the well uncovers the lid I placed over the well, seeing the sun and the moon in the sky and thinking they've seen the whole world..."
Uehara Naraku confidently closed his palm again, "They actually don't realize that the world outside the well is mine, and so are the sun and the moon."