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"Hey, Sasori no Danna, where are we going? Wasn't the mission already completed?" Deidara asked with his hands laced behind his head, looking sideways at the red-haired puppet master beside him.
"To eliminate a traitor to the Akatsuki," Sasori replied, his voice cold and mechanical, carried through the puppet core animating his Hiruko shell.
"A traitor, huh? Well, as long as I get to show off my art, let the people of Kusagakure bask in a fleeting moment of brilliance!" Deidara raised both arms slightly, a spark of excitement in his tone.
Sasori glanced sideways at him. "True art is eternal—preserved, unchanging, immortal."
Deidara frowned slightly and retorted, "Sasori no Danna, even though I respect you as a fellow artist, your definition of art is outdated, yeah. Real art should be explosive—an unrepeatable instant of beauty, hmm."
Sasori's gaze narrowed. "Ephemeral beauty is meaningless. What fades away can't be called true art. Unlike your so-called sculptures that vanish before anyone can truly appreciate them."
Their debate over the nature of art continued along the way, even as their journey brought them closer to Kusagakure.
By the afternoon of the next day, the two arrived in the outskirts of the Grass Ninja Village.
"Deidara, blow open the ground. The rat is hiding nearby," Sasori ordered.
At those words, Deidara's eyes gleamed.
"Katsu! Let them witness true art!"
He reached into his clay pouch, pulled out a lump of explosive clay, and fed it to the mouths on his palms. The clay was quickly molded into a small white bird. Deidara dropped it onto the ground, and the clay creature rapidly expanded into a large rideable bird. Both he and Sasori leapt onto its back.
Soaring into the skies, Deidara plunged his hand into his pouch again, this time pulling out palm-sized clay spiders that wriggled with chakra.
"Behold! The essence of my art!"
He scattered the spiders over the village outskirts. In midair, they expanded and crawled across the terrain.
"Art is an explosion! KATSU!"
BOOM!!!
BOOM!
A series of massive explosions ripped through the area. The underground network of hidden passages and tunnels beneath Kusagakure was exposed, blown wide open. Alarmed by the destruction, the Grass Ninja responded—scores of shinobi wearing Kusagakure forehead protectors began assembling and converging on the source.
In an underground chamber, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. The tremors above told him someone had found him—but who? Before he could respond, a second wave of explosions tore through the ground above, collapsing the structure and exposing his location. From another hidden section, Shimura Danzō was also forced into the open.
"I've found you, Orochimaru…"
In the distance, Uchiha Sasuke, who had been rushing across the countryside using Shunshin and high-speed movement, caught sight of the column of smoke and heard the thunderous blasts.
That direction… It matches the coordinates Orochimaru gave me. Did he already begin his move?
Sasuke's brows furrowed as he accelerated, the wind howling past him.
Within minutes, he arrived near the perimeter—only to see an unexpected scene unfold.
In the exposed clearing stood Orochimaru and Danzō, side by side, facing off against two shinobi hovering in the sky atop a massive white clay bird, wearing the unmistakable black cloaks with red clouds.
Deidara and Sasori.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Why are members of Akatsuki here? Did they come for Orochimaru?
He leapt silently into the canopy of a large tree nearby and chose to observe for now, suppressing his chakra to avoid detection.
"Orochimaru, you betrayed Akatsuki. Now you must be eliminated," Sasori said flatly, eyes gleaming with murderous intent as he unraveled a summoning scroll. A black-haired human puppet emerged—the Third Kazekage, his most prized creation. Sasori extended chakra threads from his fingers, connecting to the puppet.
"Hehehe… Still so heartless toward a former comrade, hmm? Then let's see if you've got what it takes to dispose of me," Orochimaru sneered, weaving hand seals and slamming his palm to the earth.
Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!
A coffin rose ominously from the ground, covered in intricate seals. Deidara blinked in confusion, and even Danzō took a step back warily.
Tch… This damn snake. Dragging me into his personal vendetta, Danzō thought grimly. He had no interest in Orochimaru's squabbles.
"Orochimaru, explain yourself," Danzō demanded, anger bubbling beneath his calm.
"An old score, but it seems you've been caught up in it. Akatsuki doesn't let anyone with intel about them escape alive," Orochimaru replied hoarsely. "So for your own sake, we should cooperate."
Danzō's expression darkened. He recognized those cloaks. Despite the group's secrecy, Konoha had long been aware of Akatsuki. He'd even led missions to suppress their earlier cells.
To think rogue ninja of this caliber would ally with such an organization… And survive this long? This demanded deeper investigation once he returned to the village.
High above, Deidara was more curious than concerned.
"So that guy used to be your teammate, Sasori no Danna? You guys really clean up everyone who quits the org, huh? That's hardcore. And here I thought you were the quiet type, un," he commented with a half-smirk.
Sasori replied coolly, "Don't ask questions you don't need answers to."
Below, the coffin creaked open—and out stepped a figure nearly identical to Sasori's human puppet: the Third Kazekage, reanimated by Edo Tensei.
Sasori's eyes widened, his normally calm expression briefly breaking.
"Hehehe… Let's see which is stronger, Sasori. Your puppet… or the real thing," Orochimaru taunted as he embedded a kunai with a talisman into the back of the reanimated Kazekage's head.
The revived Kazekage began manipulating Iron Sand, the black magnetic particles forming deadly tendrils that whipped through the air.
"Impressive… You even managed to bring back the strongest Kazekage. I underestimated how far you've advanced, Orochimaru," Danzō muttered, inwardly reevaluating his threats.
"There are more surprises yet to come," Orochimaru replied, his tongue flicking with delight.
Sasori's eyes locked onto the Edo Tensei version of his puppet masterpiece.
"Deidara, take out the old man with the bandages. Orochimaru is mine. Stay out of it."
Without waiting for a response, Sasori leapt from the bird, landing smoothly. At the same time, the Third Kazekage puppet he controlled released a surge of iron sand, forming a dense spear formation.
From the other side, the Edo Tensei version responded with a mirrored counterattack.
Sasuke continued watching from the shadows. His hand drifted toward the hilt of his sword.
This wasn't what he expected—but perhaps it was the opportunity he'd been waiting for.
After picking up the scroll and reading the contents inside, Sasuke smirked coldly.
"As expected... I couldn't hold back anymore."
Orochimaru had sent Sasuke a new rendezvous point, noting that they would renegotiate the terms of their previous exchange. The location was still within the Land of Grass—another hidden base, this time embedded in the depths of a remote cave.
"Sasuke-kun, you've eliminated Danzo, haven't you?" Orochimaru greeted him directly with that question.
After Orochimaru's encounter with members of the Akatsuki, he had intended to investigate Danzo Shimura himself, only to find no trace of the man—not in Konoha, not among his spies, and not even a whisper of chakra in any Root facility.
Then, he remembered the flicker of flame from their last battle. He hadn't paid it any mind at the time, but thinking back, it mirrored the signature of the Amaterasu he had seen Sasuke wield before—just like when he first witnessed Sasuke annihilate four of his subordinates in an instant.
The deduction had become clear.
"That's right. I killed him. Is that a problem?" Sasuke admitted without hesitation, his tone icy.
"Then… since Danzo is dead," Orochimaru asked with narrowed eyes, "shouldn't you hand over the research data you promised?"
Sasuke feigned mild confusion. "Research data? Our agreement was that I'd give it to you after you helped me eliminate Danzo. Since you didn't do anything, why should I hand it over now?"
"Hehehe… that's fair," Orochimaru chuckled, not pressing the point. "But since you've come to me anyway, I presume you're not here just to exchange pleasantries, are you?"
"If you want the data, then accept two conditions," Sasuke said flatly, holding up two fingers.
"I'm listening," Orochimaru replied, ever intrigued.
"First, you'll share all your future experiments and findings with me. Second, if I ever consult you on a scientific matter, you will assist me without objection."
Orochimaru didn't flinch or hesitate.
"Agreed," he said instantly. "It's my pleasure to walk this path of truth with another seeker. Honestly, I thought you'd simply stumbled upon that research… but it seems, Sasuke-kun, that you're truly serious about this field."
Sasuke realized Orochimaru had accepted so readily because he viewed him as a like-minded scholar of forbidden knowledge. And in truth, they were alike. Both believed in the pursuit of power through science and experimentation.
Seeing Orochimaru's sincere enthusiasm, Sasuke didn't press further. He took out a sealed scroll and handed over the complete reproduction of the artificial limb construction methods—reverse-engineered from old Akatsuki prosthetics and adapted with modern shinobi tech.
Orochimaru pounced on the scroll like a starving man on food, immediately unfurling it and mumbling to himself as he read.
"So that's how it works…"
"This framework… It's ingenious."
"These catalysts—hmph! I've never thought to use those materials…"
"This part could be optimized further…"
Orochimaru was fully immersed. It was as if the rest of the world no longer existed.
Sasuke sighed. "Typical." Whether it was Orochimaru or Urahara Kisuke from that other world, the obsession of scientists was universal. He remembered how Urahara used to destroy the Twelfth Division's barracks over minor experimental miscalculations.
Seeing Orochimaru unresponsive, Sasuke sat cross-legged and began silently reciting the incantation for Hadō #90—Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin). He knew he had the spiritual pressure to cast it, but power alone wasn't enough. Mastery of Kidō required precise control, lest he end up like Renji Abarai, whose unstable casting of Shakkahō often exploded in his own face.
As night fully fell, Orochimaru finally finished the scroll, his eyes gleaming with manic curiosity. Without a word, he stood up and turned to leave toward his laboratory.
"Wait," Sasuke called out, stopping him at the exit.
This time, Orochimaru turned. "Is there something else, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke pulled out a bounty scroll. "Have you seen this missing-nin in the Land of Grass? He's the target of my current mission."
Orochimaru glanced at the image, his brow arching slightly.
"Hm… I believe this is Subject No. 19 from Lab 319—one of my experimental basements here in the Land of Grass. He's not of any particular value to me. If you need him, I'll have him delivered to you shortly."
Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued toward his lab.
"I'm about to begin the replication of the prosthetic limb project. Sasuke-kun, would you care to observe the procedure?"
Sasuke's brow twitched. Subject No. 19 in Basement 319—just how many secret labs did Orochimaru maintain? Was the entire subterranean world of the shinobi nations his personal workshop?
He might genuinely be the most dangerous individual still alive.
"Of course," Sasuke replied, following. "But now that I think about it… the reincarnated body you're using—are you currently male or female?"
Orochimaru's tongue curled out slightly in a smile. "Hehehe… I didn't expect you to be curious about that, Sasuke-kun. For someone like me, gender is irrelevant. The only criterion is whether the vessel is suitable."
He reached up, pulling off a skin-like mask, revealing a youthful, elegant face beneath.
"You've seen this face before, haven't you? She was a member of your Uchiha clan."
Sasuke did recognize her. One of the more aggressive Uchiha loyalists—he recalled her powerful chakra and distinct curves. Though now… any traces of her femininity were completely obscured. Was it Orochimaru's choice of clothing or something more?
He didn't mind Orochimaru using that body. Many of the Uchiha clan's internal problems stemmed from their radicals—perhaps this was karmic justice.
Orochimaru replaced the mask casually.
"Once I perfect prosthetic skeletal embedding, I'll be able to construct bodies without any fixed gender—optimized for function, durability, and chakra conductivity. Eventually, even concepts like gender or age will be meaningless."
As he vanished down the corridor, Sasuke stared after him, shaken by the implications.
If Orochimaru succeeded in his artificial body program, the limits of humanity itself might be rewritten.
Sasuke clenched his fists.
He had to master this technology too—before Orochimaru's genius outpaced even his own.