Deep beneath Amegakure, the lair of the Akatsuki organization was concealed.
The entire base was a massive circular structure. The air circulation system hummed softly, adding to the oppressive feeling of a sealed space.
Ten tightly shut metal doors were evenly distributed, each etched with a code name: Zero, White, Vermillion, Azure, Boar, Void, South, North, Three, and Jewel.
At the very center of the circular structure formed by the rooms was a larger decagonal hall, which currently served as the Akatsuki's meeting room.
A conference table was placed in the center. At this moment, only two people were in the room.
Konan's hair fell loosely, and her usual composure was replaced by a barely concealed hint of anxiety, her fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.
Sitting in the other position was Mui, his hands clasped in front of him on the table, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Click.
A distinct sound of metal grinding broke the deadly silence of the conference room.
The two instantly looked up, their gazes fixed on the door marked with the character [Jewel].
The heavy metal door slowly slid inward, and a figure stepped out from the shadows behind it.
It was Sasori.
However, although the current Sasori still maintained the appearance of a young boy, with short red hair and delicate features, the face showed no trace of human emotion. His eyes were vacant, carrying a peculiar, mechanical quality.
"How do you feel?" Konan was the first to ask.
Sasori did not answer immediately, but simply raised his hands, looked down, and slowly closed his fingers, forming a fist.
Clack, clack.
Two crisp, unnatural sounds, clearly not from human bone friction, emanated from his knuckles.
"I feel…" Sasori's voice was flat, without any change in intonation, "better than ever before."
With the help of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, his physical modifications far surpassed his previous efforts.
His current Human Puppet body was no longer made of ordinary metal but had been replaced with the same material as the black receivers (Chakra receivers, or black rods).
This gave him nearly perfect Chakra conductivity and extremely high resistance to most physical and Ninjutsu attacks.
His core of life was hidden within his torso and could be freely moved, greatly enhancing his survival capabilities.
More importantly, this meant that the bottleneck restricting his Puppet Technique was completely shattered.
He no longer relied solely on physical attacks and poison. Through this new body, he could directly condense Chakra and deploy long-range attacks similar to a Chakra Cannon.
The number of puppets he could control simultaneously would no longer be hundreds, but over a thousand.
As long as Isshiki could provide enough material, the puppets he controlled would no longer be isolated individuals fighting separately and easily broken, but a unified whole.
Defense-specialized puppets could form a Chakra Shield, reconnaissance puppets could provide a full-field view, and he could even develop specialized puppets capable of using Ninjutsu.
He himself would only need to remain in a secure rear location, acting as the strategic core.
After listening to Sasori's explanation, Konan's brows slightly wrinkled, feeling a sense of unease.
The Akatsuki organization was now subservient to Isshiki Ōtsutsuki. Although Konan didn't want to agree, this was the decision Nagato had made. Isshiki had also promised to find ways to help them enhance their respective abilities.
In return, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's demands were for Akatsuki to help him search for his own kin and humans who could serve as a 'vessel', as well as to collect intelligence on the Ninja World.
Konan did not know Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's exact purpose, but Nagato seemed to have learned more secrets from Isshiki.
Secrets concerning the Rinnegan, the Gedō Mazō and the Ōtsutsuki Clan…
Then, like the others, he remained alone in his room, not leaving.
In fact, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki had only two main goals.
First, to find a 'vessel' that could be used for his resurrection. His current body was unsuitable for this, and if he completely released his power, he would quickly die.
Second, to find a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan, whom he needed to feed to the infant Ten-Tails he possessed—the so-called Divine Tree 'sapling'.
The infant Ten-Tails can only transform into the Divine Tree after consuming the body of an Ōtsutsuki clan member.
The Ten-Tails currently in Akatsuki's possession, which originally belonged to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, was obtained after Kaguya ambushed Isshiki and fed him to the infant Ten-Tails.
The stronger the bloodline of the consumed Ōtsutsuki member and the richer the planet they came from, the better the resulting fruit yielded by the Divine Tree would be.
"Where are the others?" Sasori's vacant eyes scanned Konan and Mui, asking.
Konan opened her mouth, about to speak.
"ROAR!!"
A shriek, one that seemed impossible for a human, filled with agony, suddenly erupted from the adjacent room.
The sound was distorted and hoarse, more like that of a dying beast, sending shivers down the spine. Both Konan and Mui couldn't help but frown.
The source of this terrifying wail was none other than Kakuzu, whom Mui had brought back.
The condition Kakuzu was in when he was brought back could not even be described as "miserable."
His four limbs and spine were completely broken and twisted. Over half of his body had been brutally shredded by the Fourth Raikage, leaving him resembling a discarded, broken rag doll.
Such injuries would have meant certain death for most other ninjas.
However, Kakuzu stubbornly clung to life with his Jiongu.
But in his critical state, on the brink of death and with his consciousness fading, he couldn't suppress the Jiongu's black threads within his body.
The bizarre black threads sensed their host's imminent death, and their self-preservation instinct was fully activated, causing them to twist violently and even attempt to escape.
When Mui brought him back to the base, Kakuzu's insides were already in chaos, with the black threads running rampant like out-of-control parasites.
And now, inside the room he occupied, the sight was nightmarish.
Innumerable black, tentacle-like threads of varying thickness surged out from Kakuzu's shattered body, crawling all over the walls, ceiling, and floor, wriggling and interlacing.
The entire room looked less like a living space and more like a nest incubating a horrifying monster.
Moreover, those black threads were fiercely aggressive and instinctively attacked any living creature that approached.
"That guy Kakuzu's vitality is truly terrifyingly tenacious," Mui commented, looking at the door from which the screams emanated, his voice laced with genuine awe.
He had only just learned that the Jiongu black threads inside Kakuzu's body were living organisms with a life of their own.
Structurally, Kakuzu could no longer be considered a 'human.'
His human body had been largely devoured and replaced by these black threads. His blood vessels, internal organs, and Chakra pathway system... were almost entirely occupied by these living black threads.
Only his most vital components—his brain, a mere skin shell barely maintaining a humanoid shape, and the few hearts that served as his source of power—still belonged to the realm of humanity.
"So noisy," Sasori's tone was cold. "Rather than let him live in such pain, it would be better to hand him over to me and turn him into an eternal work of art."
Hearing this, Mui glanced at him, a cold, sarcastic smile playing on his lips.
"Sure," he said. "You can go in right now and request permission from our 'new leader.'"
"Let's see if he'll agree to let you turn Kakuzu into one of your collections."
At his words, Sasori paused, his gaze fixed on Kakuzu's room.
Was that Isshiki Ōtsutsuki in that room?
In the state Kakuzu was in, how could he possibly be saved?
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