"Kenichi, you're here."
An excited voice called out. Kenichi Rainmiya looked up—it was Sasori.
He looked the same as always, but what caught Kenichi's eye was the scroll in his hands and the barely contained excitement in his eyes.
Whatever he'd done, he was very pleased with himself.
"Sasori, you heard the mission from the boss, right?"
Kenichi yawned lazily.
He'd come all the way to Amegakure just to rendezvous with Sasori. His own lab was in the Land of Fire—dragging Sasori in and out of there would be asking for trouble.
If a famous Sand rogue like Sasori showed his face near Konoha, people would definitely start asking questions.
And right now the Land of Fire and Konoha were like a skittish, wounded animal—one wrong move and they'd panic and bite.
If someone spotted Sasori, it wouldn't be strange at all for people to start wondering whether Sunagakure was about to make a move on Konoha.
If that misunderstanding escalated into a full war?
Yeah, that wouldn't be a cute little butterfly effect anymore. That would be rewriting ninja history.
"Mm. Observe Momochi Zabuza."
At the mention of Nagato's orders, Sasori's expression grew a little more serious.
"But forget that for a second—Kenichi, take a look at this puppet I made!"
Just as quickly, he waved his hand dismissively, all business gone, and unrolled the scroll in his hands.
With a thud, a massive puppet dropped out and hit the ground.
Kenichi studied it curiously.
A full-metal body. Massive frame. Even lying flat, it was clearly over two meters tall.
"And this is…?"
He glanced at Sasori.
That guy's execution speed was terrifying. It had only been a few days since they'd last talked, and he'd already hammered out a test model?
"I call this one Unit-01," Sasori said, a rare excitement in his voice.
"A prototype metal puppet I built based on your theories, Kenichi."
He manipulated the threads, and the giant puppet slowly pushed itself upright.
Over two meters tall, a body of pure metal—it radiated pressure just by existing.
Once it stood, though, Kenichi noticed something else.
"…Why is the waist almost a meter thick."
It was sturdy, sure. But it looked more like a barrel than a streamlined weapon.
And Unit-01 as a name—was he serious?
Kenichi had the urge to laugh and choke at the same time.
So were Unit-02 and Unit-03 going to follow after this?
"How's it perform in a fight?"
That was the real question.
In this world, combat ability was everything.
If it couldn't fight, it was just a big, shiny piece of scrap metal. What was he supposed to do with it, wheel it out as a taunting target dummy?
"I've tested it," Sasori replied, expression going solemn at once.
"Its durability is excellent. Agility can be increased in proportion to the chakra I channel into it.
But to reach the flexibility of a normal puppet…"
He paused.
"…it consumes about double the usual amount of chakra.
And it can't use ninjutsu. It's strictly close-quarters."
Kenichi's interest dropped a level.
Body techniques were strong in this world, sure.
But a puppet that couldn't use jutsu was always going to be a tier below.
Still, watching Sasori's proud, shining eyes, Kenichi couldn't help but admit it:
This guy had some serious talent.
Hand-building a pseudo-mecha after one brainstorming session? That wasn't something a normal person did.
Give him some time, refine the prototype, and this could turn into something incredible.
"I remember there are special metals that conduct chakra," Kenichi said.
"You could try rebuilding it using those.
And you should reinforce its resistance to ninjutsu too…"
The two of them fell into an easy discussion, bouncing ideas about "building a giant robot" back and forth as they walked.
Back in Amegakure, Nagato watched the scene through his surveillance technique, arms crossed.
For the first time, he felt a twinge of regret.
If he'd known Kenichi could drag people off the deep end this effectively, he would've seriously considered refusing him into Akatsuki.
But Kenichi's strength was real.
He'd even mastered Sage Mode—
and that, in turn, had forced Nagato to confront a critical weakness in the Preta Path's chakra absorption.
"Nagato, are you sure it's okay to just let him do whatever?" Konan asked quietly, glancing at her friend.
"…He may not look serious, but at least he completes the missions," Nagato said at last.
"And his strength is… sufficient."
As long as those two boxes were checked, he'd endure it.
Kenichi, of course, had no idea what Nagato was thinking.
He did vaguely feel that someone was watching, but he didn't care.
He hadn't done anything he felt guilty about anyway.
While he and Sasori continued to happily theory-craft mobile weapons, their route slowly curved toward the Land of Water.
To get there, they had to pass through the Land of Fire.
That was the annoying part.
Fortunately, Kenichi knew the Face Stripping Technique,
and was kind enough to give Sasori a new look.
In no time, they'd slipped smoothly into Fire Country.
"Your jutsu is impressive, Kenichi," Sasori said, touching his altered face.
He now looked like an unremarkable middle-aged man.
No trace at all of the original Sasori.
"It's simple and practical, that's all." Kenichi grinned.
"Would be perfect if it could read memories too—but we can't have everything."
As they crossed into the Land of Fire, Sasori's eyes cooled noticeably.
Kenichi understood why.
Sasori's parents had died in the hands of Konoha's hero—the White Fang of the Leaf.
"Sasori. We finish the mission first," Kenichi reminded him, voice calm.
If Sasori lost control and charged straight at Konoha,
dragging attention onto himself and Akatsuki…
That'd be a disaster.
Akatsuki, at this stage, was deliberately low-key.
To the outside world, they were just a shadowy mercenary group selling war as a service.
They had not yet revealed their true purpose—to hunt the Tailed Beasts.
If that aim was exposed now,
the Five Great Nations wouldn't be arguing over commissions.
They'd unite long enough to wipe Akatsuki off the map.
"…I know."
Sasori drew a slow, deep breath, then continued running at Kenichi's side.
Right now, in the Land of Fire, running into Konoha ninja wasn't especially likely.
Tensions with Kumogakure were rising.
Small skirmishes had already broken out in the minor countries between Fire and Lightning.
The battlefield hadn't expanded to the main territory yet…
but it was only a matter of time.
"By the time we're on our way back…"
Kenichi glanced in the rough direction of Konoha, expression complicated.
"…the war should be in full swing.
Perfect timing to test-drop a thermobaric bomb on the front lines."
He found himself thinking of that little home he'd once had in the village.
A small, simple place, but genuinely warm.
He wondered what it looked like now.
…Probably already confiscated by the village, right?