Inside the base, Tenten had already chosen a mechanized suit and soared into the sky while Dark Yau and Sasori sat down to talk.
Dark Yau started, "Sasori, did you design everything in this base?"
"Not entirely," Sasori replied, finally able to speak enthusiastically about his achievements over the years. "A small portion was developed in collaboration with craftsmen from the Land of the Blacksmiths. Another part was forcibly taken by me from various ruins and minor countries."
"Taken by force?" Dark Yau asked in surprise.
"Yes," Sasori said, pointing toward the largest fortress at the center. "Through studying nations involved in the three Great Ninja World Wars, I discovered one whose system closely resembled mine—the so-called 'Land of the Sky.' That fortress originally belonged to their Angkor Stronghold hidden deep beneath a forest floor. It could freely fly across the skies, powered by a dark form of chakra. I tamed that power using my Ryumyaku Chakra Control, then captured and modified it. Their nation's design blueprints were also quite valuable—they gave me many inspirations."
"What happened to those ninja from the Land of the Sky?"
"Those willing to submit were kept. The rest were executed."
Dark Yau approved of Sasori's actions. "Indeed, either don't act at all, or act decisively without leaving threats behind."
Sasori waved his hand, and from underground rose a towering, metallic, high-tech robot. Its design bristled with sharp lines and smooth shell plating, standing extremely tall—visually striking. Especially on its face were two sharp eyes glowing redly, sending out a menacing aura.
"This is my reworked Megatron model. What do you think, Big Brother Kurotsuchi?"
Dark Yau examined it briefly before commenting, "It's too big—it'll easily become the target of concentrated fire."
"I've added long-range weaponry onto it. It has extreme sniper capabilities; it can attack enemies before they even detect you. It has a broad range and high penetration capability. This was inspired by my study of Pain's Asura Path."
Upon hearing this, Dark Yau's mind stirred as he asked, "How long have you been embedded within the Akatsuki Organization?"
Sasori answered, "Five years ago, Kakuzu and I became rogue ninja from Sunagakure. The reason we betrayed our village was an assassination attempt on the Third Kazekage. After failing, we were hunted by Sunagakure. Only a few within Sunagakure are aware of this incident. My current identity is a puppet master trained by Grandma Chiyo—Red Spider."
"How did you join the Akatsuki Organization?"
Sasori glanced at Dark Yau, hesitating momentarily before replying, "It was your student Konan. She was in charge of recruitment for the Akatsuki. Most members joined through her efforts—all S-class rogue ninja from different nations, each possessing formidable strength. That woman really isn't ordinary."
Konan's abilities were naturally well understood by Dark Yau. Recalling the conversation he once had with her, a sense of guilt still lingered in his heart. He let out a slight sigh and shifted the conversation away from her, continuing, "Did you infiltrate the Akatsuki using the Third Kazekage's puppet body?"
Since this current figure was definitely Sasori's real body, then whoever entered the Akatsuki could only have been a puppet.
"No."
Sasori shook his head. "After Rasa's death, the Third Kazekage was constantly monitored by the villagers and couldn't leave freely. So I've been researching the Spirit Transformation Technique. Eventually, I managed to control the soul power within the Third Kazekage and transfer it into another puppet. Publicly, I claimed that the Third Kazekage had been severely injured in an assassination attempt by me and Kakuzu and has been recovering ever since."
That makes sense. With dual protection from Sasori and Kakuzu, the Akatsuki Organization wouldn't be able to cause much trouble.
Anya took out three scrolls and handed them to Sasori, saying, "These are scrolls for cultivating Sage Art. Given your massive chakra reserves now, absorbing natural energy shouldn't be a problem. See which Sage Art system suits you better."
"Magic arts? What kind of power is this?"
"Sage Art? What kind of power is that?" Sasori asked curiously.
Anya replied solemnly, "Actually, Sage Art is the original power of this world. Chakra originated from outsiders who planted the God Tree in our world. Through it, they absorbed natural forces from the land and transformed these energies into chakra. I suspect your Ryumyaku Chakra Control is one type of natural energy, so you should pick up Sage Art in no time."
"Outsiders? What was their purpose in planting the God Tree?" Sasori immediately grasped the key point.
"The God Tree bears fruit. Their goal was exactly this fruit—to obtain power and even immortality through it. I suspect when all natural energy on the surface gets absorbed by the God Tree, this world will completely lose its vitality."
Sasori suddenly understood, saying, "I see now. No wonder Big Brother Kurotsuchi wanted to develop a new combat system. You believe Chakra-based techniques would be ineffective against these outsiders."
Anya nodded, "That's highly possible."
"I remember something," Sasori frowned. "One of the Akatsuki leader Pain's puppets possesses the ability to absorb chakra. Ordinary ninja facing him would be completely helpless. Even my original body alone against him wouldn't guarantee victory."
"Once you master Sage Art, Pain won't pose any real threat anymore. After all, he only has half-baked Rinnegan eyes. The real enemy isn't him."
From the beginning, Anya hadn't taken Pain seriously at all. The reason he didn't kill him last time wasn't merely because of Konan but more importantly due to his usefulness for future plans. After all, currently, both the Zero Organization and Akatsuki Organization share the same goals.
"Fine." Sasori flipped through the three scrolls quickly before deciding which Sage Art to pursue—[Ryuchi Cave].
The inorganic rebirth technique contained within it, combined with his Puppet Army and the infinite recovery capabilities of his Ryumyaku Chakra Control, made it possible for a single person to function like an entire army—truly formidable.
Anya approved of Sasori's choice and handed over a token previously given to him by the White Snake Sage.
"With this token, you can quickly reach Ryuchi Cave. There might be some trials, but for you, it'll be like child's play—almost no challenge at all. Go directly."
"Alright."
Eager to test the power of Sage Art, Sasori activated the Space-time Power inside the token and vanished on the spot.
As Anya walked out of the base, a familiar figure stood before him, staring intently without blinking, as if trying to look right through Anya from head to toe.
"What's wrong? Has it been so long that you don't recognize me anymore?" Anya greeted first.
"Pfft! Vanish for years like that — no wonder you're aging backwards while here I am, look at the lines around my eyes!"
To everyone's surprise, Anya stepped forward and pulled Mabui into a gentle hug, saying warmly, "Thank you, Mabui."
Caught completely off guard by the hug, Mabui froze for a second, her face instantly reddening. "Don't think... just because of this, I'm letting you off. Now that you're finally here, I'm taking a break."
"Fine." Anya didn't even hesitate.
"I also want to go out and play."
"No problem."
"A raise."
"Sure."
"And..."
Before Mabui could finish, Anya cut in, "All good."
The last time she had seen such tenderness from Anya was just before she was about to be taken into the Zero Organization. Not used to seeing this side of him, she secretly vowed not to fall for it again. Still, with his calming scent around her and his easy agreement ringing in her ears, she felt like she was floating, weightless and out of this world.
After their embrace, the two stood silently face-to-face.
Mabui looked down, still blushing, muttering, "You... always know how to charm me. Right from the moment we first met."
"It was my mistake. It won't happen again."
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