"A puppet that still has consciousness?"
An expression of astonishment flickered across Sasori of the Red Sand's face, which swiftly turned into a hint of delight, "What an interesting puppet..."
Indeed, the puppet that Uehara Naraku possessed was truly astonishing.
Aside from the aesthetic appeal of the Clockwork Demon Spirit's puppet model, the powerful aura it exuded left Sasori greatly astonished.
Moreover, after Uehara Naraku infused her with Chakra and awakened her, the aura she emitted was in no way inferior to that of Akatsuki's full members!
What shocked Sasori of the Red Sand the most was that, unlike those lifeless puppets, she seemed like a living being, able to freely control her body and even communicate.
Sasori had a feeling...
This Clockwork Demon Spirit puppet was like him.
It's not wrong to put it that way.
Because Clockwork Demon Spirit Orianna also replaced parts of her body with gears and clockwork to extend her life, she effectively turned herself into a machine.
"Wow, she can even talk?"
Deidara was merely curious, looking with awe at the puppet girl next to Uehara Naraku, unable to resist reaching out to touch her cheek, "Let me see what kind of puppet this is, it's way more beautiful and adorable than the ones Sasori makes..."
"Don't be so rude!"
Sasori of the Red Sand grabbed Deidara's hand, surprisingly not taking offense at Deidara's insult to his puppets.
Sasori fixed his gaze on the body of the Clockwork Demon Spirit, asking slowly, "Did you... also turn your body into a human puppet?"
"..."
Clockwork Demon Spirit Orianna slowly raised her head, her eyes sparkling like two glowing gems as she curiously observed Sasori of the Red Sand.
After watching for a while, she didn't answer, instead turning back to Uehara Naraku, "What are we... supposed to do?"
"Ahem..."
Uehara Naraku glanced at Sasori of the Red Sand's intense gaze and coughed lightly as he gave his instructions, "Your task is quite simple, follow this kid named Uchiha Sasuke and supervise him as he completes his test."
"I... understand."
Orianna nodded slightly.
Since her body contained Uehara Naraku's Chakra, her consciousness was also under Uehara Naraku's control, allowing her to easily understand his intentions.
Upon receiving the command, Orianna turned to Uchiha Sasuke, and a mechanical female voice drifted from her lips, "Wish you... success in your test... hope you... don't go overtime... or the Clockwork Puppet will get angry."
"Thank you."
Uchiha Sasuke glanced sideways at the puppet and nodded at her nonchalantly.
"Sasuke, show some respect."
Sasori frowned as he watched Sasuke's casual demeanor, "This puppet has autonomous consciousness... or can be considered a person... her power is not weak, at least I can sense the strong power within her."
"Alright, alright, Orianna is only supervising Sasuke's puppet,"
Uehara Naraku waved his hand, speaking softly, "Let's go to the Hidden Mist Village, let Orianna stay to supervise Sasuke's test!"
"I'll stay too!"
Sasori of the Red Sand glanced at the Clockwork Demon Spirit and then at Uchiha Sasuke, slowly speaking, "Our main task should be to capture the Three-tailed Isobu. In case this Uchiha brat can't defeat the Three-tailed, I can help out."
"..."
Uehara Naraku looked speechlessly at Sasori of the Red Sand, questioning whether he really wanted to stay to help capture the Three-tailed.
Uehara was too embarrassed to call him out!
Ever since meeting Orianna, Sasori of the Red Sand had barely averted his gaze, possibly driven by a desire to unravel the secrets of this puppet's mechanical craftsmanship.
Perhaps he found a kindred spirit.
Especially since this kindred spirit was female.
"No need for that."
Uehara Naraku raised an eyebrow, speaking softly, "I believe Sasuke can complete the test. Orianna is mainly for supervision. Even if Sasuke fails to defeat the Three-tailed, this puppet of mine should easily overcome it."
"Don't worry, I won't fail."
Uchiha Sasuke snorted coldly, frowning as he spoke.
Sasori extended his hand slowly and replied, "Doesn't matter, Uehara can likely conquer the Hidden Mist Village alone... I'll just stay to help!"
Uehara Naraku stroked his chin, "Then let Senior Sasori supervise Sasuke's test, and I'll take Orianna to the Hidden Mist Village."
"Forget it, I'll help you instead!"
Sasori shook his head, his face turning a bit dark.
This Uehara Naraku, does he not understand human speech?
Honestly, Sasori regretted a bit, realizing he shouldn't have spared Orochimaru back then.
Look at the spoils Uehara Naraku obtained from Orochimaru, not just an ancient giant dragon summoning contract, but also such a precise puppet!
Sasori of the Red Sand felt that if he could understand the mechanical principles of the Clockwork Demon Spirit, his puppetry could further improve by analogy.
"Then let's go!"
After Uehara Naraku hurriedly nodded, he left Uchiha Sasuke and Orianna behind and rode the ancient giant dragon, soaring into the sky and flying towards The Hidden Mist Village.
The Hidden Mist Village.
This village is always shrouded in mist.
Especially in the early morning, when the fog is most dense, it's hard to see anyone, truly testing the perception of the Hidden Mist Ninja.
"Is this The Hidden Mist Village?"
Deidara tilted his head, pouting unhappily, "This terrible weather is so annoying, I can only see a few meters ahead..."
As a ninja who likes to assault enemies from the sky, Deidara naturally prefers sunny weather, because in clear weather, the visibility in the air is better, and now they can't see the situation below in The Hidden Mist Village.
Sasori of the Red Sand wasn't in a good mood either, looking at Uehara Naraku, he said, "Are you going to have your summoning beast attack directly now?"
Uehara Naraku shook his head, speaking softly, "What we need to do now is to attract the Hidden Mist Ninja stationed near Three-tails to come for support. If we directly destroy The Hidden Mist Village, will anyone go to them for help?"
Sasori of the Red Sand raised his eyebrows, "So..."
Uehara Naraku slowly lowered the height of the ancient giant dragon, speaking solemnly, "So we need to directly attack The Hidden Mist Village, forcing them to dispatch their troops from the Three-tails Rebirth area for support by defeating the village's forces again and again."
"Do you think they'll fall for it?"
"It's an open strategy."
Uehara Naraku clenched his fist, chuckling lightly, "A village and a Three-tails, it's clear which is more critical, the high-level officials of The Hidden Mist Village will understand!"
Zabuza crossed his arms, speaking coldly, "I can infiltrate the village first... this weather is my favorite!"
"Don't worry... I'll handle it!"
Uehara Naraku descended into The Hidden Mist Village, slowly clasping his hands together, and shouted in a low voice, "Wind Release: Typhoon!"
A fierce wind suddenly swept up!
The next second, this gust turned into a super violent hurricane, instantly blowing through The Hidden Mist Village, clearing the dense fog completely!
Crack... Crack...
Clatter... Clatter...
Innumerable buildings in The Hidden Mist Village trembled under Uehara Naraku's Wind Release Jutsu, the sound of shattering glass reverberating through the village!
This is the power of wind that Uehara Naraku obtained after breaking through The Hidden Sand Village, allowing him to freely control Wind Release Chakra, or rather to manipulate the wild winds of nature.
Now Uehara Naraku came to attack The Hidden Mist Village, because according to his estimations, the reward for breaking through The Hidden Mist Village should be the power of water, enabling free control of Water Release Ninjutsu.
These are the powers necessary to synthesize the Truth-Seeking Ball.
"This brat!"
Zabuza watched as the surrounding thick fog suddenly dissipated and saw Uehara Naraku standing within The Hidden Mist Village. He also leaped down from the ancient giant dragon.
Deidara and Sasori of the Red Sand didn't linger either, both landing on the ground, standing by Uehara Naraku's side.
Zabuza's expression was a bit grim, his eyes narrowing slightly, "To be able to disperse all the mist over the village... the power of this Wind Release Jutsu is much stronger than that guy Yagura!"
"..."
Sasori of the Red Sand maintained a mysterious expression.
Having come from The Hidden Sand Village, he'd seen many strong Wind Release Jutsu users, but undoubtedly, none could compare to Uehara Naraku's level.
Deidara's face revealed a look of satisfaction, seeing the revealed reality of The Hidden Mist Village, he couldn't help but laugh, "Hahahahaha... just like that! It's truly exhilarating to carry out missions with this guy Uehara!"
This weather was ideal for Deidara's performance!
In the early morning, the calm of The Hidden Mist Village was utterly broken by this powerful hurricane. One by one, the ninjas began to assemble, either searching for problems or seeking their superiors.
Having lost the cover of the thick mist, The Hidden Mist Village became entirely transparent, and the Hidden Mist Ninja quickly found the cause of the disappearing mist.
There was no way around it.
It wasn't something that could go unnoticed.
After all, a gigantic creature hovered above their village, visible to any ninja, but its enormous size indeed evoked some panic and concern.
However, what turned their panic into terror was the scene they saw on the silent main street.
A ferocious-looking ancient giant dragon floated in the air over their Hidden Mist Village, gently flapping its wings. On the ground below the dragon stood four ninjas in Cloud Black Robes, from the most formidable organization in the Ninja World today!
Akatsuki!
Uehara Naraku watched as the Hidden Mist Ninjas appeared around them, waving his hand at them in a friendly greeting.
"Good morning, everyone."