The problem wasn't unsalvageable.
After all, Edo Tensei did have a built-in method for controlling others: the formula-inscribed kunai that erased a reincarnated soul's will and forced obedience. The downside was obvious—
it only worked on bodies, not on disembodied souls.
But what if you carved a similar formula…
not onto flesh, but onto metal?
If you etched those sealing patterns into a puppet's frame, into a mechanical shell, maybe you could force a bound soul to follow your directives the same way.
In short: more research, more experiments.
Kenichi glanced at Sasori, who was frowning in deep thought.
Yeah, this was definitely a hook.
Maybe I really can squeeze some research funding out of him later, Kenichi mused. Guy's loaded, and the Akatsuki doesn't have a "hand over all your savings" rule anyway. If they did, Kakuzu would've quit on day one.
Kenichi had some savings of his own, but not much. Robbing rich merchants was profitable, sure, yet do it too often and every village intelligence division would have his face pinned to a board.
Worst case, he could always go to "Uncle Poisonous Grass" and bulk up his finances that way.
"…Actually, there might be another way to hit my goals," Kenichi said, rubbing his chin. "Like heading straight to the Land of Lightning's daimyo cemetery and checking what kind of wealth or dirty secrets those nobles took to the grave."
Not a bad idea.
But for now, the priority was talking with Sasori—because the guy was clearly very interested in everything soul-and-puppet related.
"I'm thinking," Sasori said, eyes bright, "we could first develop a jutsu that manipulates souls directly, then—"
He launched into a barrage of concepts. Kenichi listened carefully, because as crazy as Sasori's ideas were, some of his perspectives were oddly valuable. A few of them might even be reusable in Kenichi's own projects.
Meanwhile, in Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage A was staring at a freshly delivered report from the Hidden Cloud's Anbu.
"Hmm… strange ninja in weird clothing spotted near the graveyard by Thunder-Fire Town?" A frowned. "They resurrected a bunch of skeletons from the graves?"
He was intrigued for a moment.
Someone bold enough to cause trouble on Kumogakure's turf…
Could it be those vermin from Konoha?
Cloud's senior shinobi did have a rough map of the world's forbidden techniques. They knew Konoha possessed a jutsu to manipulate the dead. Iwagakure had something similar in their archives too.
But as A read on, his interest dropped.
The resurrected bones had all crumbled back into their graves afterward, and the two unidentified ninjas had vanished. The Anbu field team had tested the site and come to the conclusion that—
The jutsu looked scary, but had almost no real combat value.
No lingering chakra, no unusual curse signatures, just scorched earth, fire jutsu residue, and bone fragments blown apart by an explosion.
"…So it's useless trash," A muttered, tossing the file aside.
"Clearly Konoha is provoking us!" He slammed his palm down on the desk. "Increase support on the front lines! Even jōnin are to be deployed in force!"
Bang!
The desk exploded into splinters on impact.
"Yes, sir." The senior Cloud shinobi beside him didn't even flinch. They were used to this. Ever since the Fourth Raikage had taken office, the phrase "Raikage slammed the desk" had basically become a daily weather report.
An Anbu who had clearly done this before walked up calmly, pulled out a scroll, and unsealed a brand-new desk right where the old one had died.
"Fourth Raikage-sama," another official ventured, voice cautious, "about your younger brother, B… He's been away from his training ground for some time now, so perhaps—"
He trailed off carefully. Everyone in the village knew that despite his explosive personality, A actually cared deeply for his little brother. The AB duo had once shaken the entire shinobi world.
"That idiot," A snarled, veins bulging. "One day I will cut off that extra horn on his head!"
He smashed his hand down again on the new desk—
Crack.
Splinters flew.
He'd told B to stay put in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning and focus on training the Tailed Beast Bomb. But no—B just had to sneak out and mess around with his stupid rap.
"…"
The Anbu who had just cleaned up the first pile of wood looked at the unlucky official with the deadest eyes imaginable.
You just had to bring him up now, huh?
Good thing the Raikage Tower had a dedicated, recurring expense line in the budget labeled "Replacement Desks." The furniture shop owner who'd won that supply contract was living his best life.
Still, between themselves, everyone understood what A's outburst really meant:
He wasn't going to do anything about B.
The brat's strength was solid, and getting captured or killed wasn't likely.
This was just the Fourth's way of venting.
After a night's rest, Kenichi and Sasori broke camp and headed toward Kumogakure's direction.
The Land of Lightning was vast. Without knowing the exact location of Ginkaku and Kinkaku's burial site, searching the entire country could easily take a lifetime. Without solid intel, they'd never find it.
So heading into the village's sphere of control was unavoidable—
and they also needed to test Kenichi's thermobaric bomb somewhere along the way.
Not that Kenichi planned to stroll through Kumogakure's gates as himself. He wasn't Nagato. With a good disguise and Face Erasing Technique, sneaking into Lightning's territory was manageable.
The real question was how tight Cloud's security currently was.
If they were on high alert, he'd have to improvise.
"Someone's tailing us," Kenichi said suddenly, halting. "Behind, not far."
"I feel it too," Sasori nodded. "Just one."
They turned as one.
A moment later, a man wearing sunglasses and moving with a swaggering, head-bobbing rhythm walked out of the trees. His whole posture screamed "I think I'm the main act at my own concert."
But despite the goofy entrance, both Kenichi and Sasori immediately shifted into combat readiness.
Because they both recognized this man.
The Eight-Tails' jinchūriki.
Kumogakure's muscle-bound problem child—
Killer B.
"…Should I call this good luck, or disaster?" Kenichi muttered, expression stiff.
He hadn't even reached the village proper yet. He'd just been planning routes and targets, and already he'd bumped into one of the most troublesome shinobi in the entire Land of Lightning.
"Yo, yo, yo—" B stopped in front of them, arms folding in a practiced rapper pose. "You here for my live performance, bro?"
"Yes," Kenichi nodded instantly, without missing a beat. "We're both big fans of rap as an art form."
Sasori turned his head slowly to stare at him.
He had not, in fact, known that was why they were here.
"Oh?" B blinked behind his sunglasses. He'd originally thought these two strangely dressed guys might be hostile, but now… turned out they were admirers?
Across from him, Kenichi's lips curled into a friendly smile.
He remembered one thing very clearly:
Killer B loved to sing.