At Sasori's strong request,
Shimoku brought over another pile of wood to serve as raw material for Sasori's puppet components.
Then he gave Sasori some space to carve and reassemble his parts freely.
Sure enough, once Sasori got started,
Shimoku quickly realized just how barren his own artistic abilities were in comparison.
Over a dozen extended Chakra threads—
in Sasori's hands, they moved with such dexterity they seemed like mechanical arms! Even more precise than many industrial machines from Shimoku's past life!
Within just ten minutes, he had already recreated a whole set of puppet parts,
which he swiftly assembled back into Sasori's original form...
Even the doll's hair, eyes, tongue—and other details—
were polished to astonishing realism.
Although it wasn't as refined as his original reinforced puppet body, it was still incredibly lifelike.
It wasn't inferior to works by world-class sculptors.
If dressed properly and slightly embellished,
it could probably pass as a real person!
Clearly, Sasori's mastery in art was indeed extraordinary.
"Cough cough—"
"Alright."
"Shimoku Uchiha? Since you've saved me, what exactly do you want?"
After testing out his puppet body, Sasori cleared his throat and asked directly.
There was nothing left to hide—everything, seen or unseen, had already been laid bare before this kid.
Besides, the boy had even saved him.
And now, with only a temporary wooden puppet body, there was no way he could fight back.
Since his life and death were in the other's hands,
why not just get straight to the point? Be straightforward about it!
After all, if the boy was willing to save him and even allow him to revive using a wooden puppet, he must have an agenda.
"Really going to be that direct?"
"Well then, I won't hold back either."
"Break away from [Akatsuki]!"
"Join us, and build [Puppets] for me!"
Shimoku bluntly defected him.
Upon hearing this, Sasori was momentarily stunned and fell silent.
"During that earlier battle, even though you were reduced to just your core, you should've still maintained some level of awareness of the outside world, right?"
"You already know the outcome of that battle without me needing to explain further."
"The entire Akatsuki are basically destroyed."
"There's little point for you to return now."
"Not to mention, the reason you joined Akatsuki in the first place was to use their power to seek revenge on Konoha—to avenge your parents, am I right?"
"Does Akatsuki still have the strength to help you now? Can they still deliver vengeance?"
"They can hardly take care of themselves anymore, can they?"
"Therefore, only by joining us can you stand against Konoha, destroy it, and finally fulfill your revenge!"
"How does that sound as a reason?"
Shimoku said confidently.
After several persuasion attempts, his bluffing skills had clearly leveled up.
He could now lie straight-faced without so much as a flicker of doubt.
Of course, everything he said was essentially true.
Right now, across the entire ninja world,
only his side still possessed the strength to rival and obliterate Konoha.
Sasori naturally understood that.
The last Core had been in Shimoku's possession all along.
He could unmistakably feel the crushing, terrifying pressure emanating from both this kid and Hashirama Senju.
It was infinitely stronger than the pressure he had received from Pain!
Across the entire Ninja World, only this kid possessed strength rivaling that of Hashirama Senju.
If he wanted revenge, he had no choice but to rely on him.
But after all, Sasori was still the Sand Village genius who had single-handedly assassinated the Third Kazekage.
Even if he were to agree,
he wouldn't accept it so easily.
At the very least, he'd need to drive a harder bargain!
Sasori: "That condition isn't enough. Considering the conflict between your Uchiha clan and Konoha, even without my involvement, eventually you two sides will end up fighting each other to the death anyway."
"I can simply sit back and collect the spoils after you two tear each other apart!"
Shimoku's expression turned icy cold as he ruthlessly threatened:
"To scavenge from the mess, you'll also need the strength to back it up!"
"Or are you saying I'll let you walk away alive if you refuse?"
Faced with the threat, Sasori didn't even flinch.
Or perhaps more accurately—he held no great fear of death itself.
Otherwise, he never would've gone mad and transformed himself into a puppet back then.
"If you insist on threatening me, then yes, I'll definitely agree first."
"But afterward, I can still go through the motions without really trying, right?"
Shimoku:...
'Tsk—'
"This puppet master has turned himself into a lifeless puppet, yet his thinking remains this sharp?"
"It seems an 80-20 deal won't cut it either!"
"No doubt about it—this guy's not nearly as gullible as that shrine maiden-turned-headmistress!"
"It looks like I'll need to put forward some real substantial bargaining chips to succeed!"
Shimoku raised his eyebrows slightly while silently muttering inwardly.
Of course, if he hadn't come fully prepared, hadn't brought sufficient bargaining tools,
he wouldn't have come here trying to manipulate Sasori in the first place.
Looks like it's time to bring out my ultimate ace.
"Fine, then I'll add another condition."
"You work for me, and in return, I'll bring your parents back to life. How about that?"
"And not just a deformed revival through [Impure World Reincarnation]—I mean real resurrection—not some twisted mockery of life like [Impure World Reincarnation]."
Upon hearing this,
Sasori momentarily lost his composure.
After all, at his core, he was merely a pitiful soul who had lost maternal love and longed for it deeply.
The people he valued most in life were none other than his parents.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have killed the Third Kazekage in rage over their deaths and defected from the village.
Now, upon hearing that his parents could actually be revived,
how could he remain calm?
He immediately pressed further:
"You're telling the truth? What method do you have to revive the dead? Do you have proof?"
"I naturally have my own ways."
"But surely you don't think bringing a dead person back to life is something simple?"
"Of course. If you absolutely insist, I could demonstrate on the spot—but then I'd waste one chance meant for reviving your parents."
"So, want to give it a try?"
Shimoku responded calmly, shooting back the question.
Though this offer contained an element of deception—he hadn't actually tried it before.
But theoretically speaking, sure, it hadn't been tested yet—but in theory? Totally doable.
Just need to use the System to exchange for the Kinjutsu [Self-Life Reincarnation], combined with the immortality granted by [Immortal God Body],
then the deceased could be resurrected completely through a Card Bug exploit.
However, each resurrection would consume one instance of [Immortal God Body].
And waste a full ten thousand coins.
Still, it was considered a pretty worthwhile resurrection technique!
Upon hearing this, Sasori hesitated immediately.
Of course he wanted to verify what Shimoku said first—but should he really waste a precious resurrection chance on his parents?
That, he absolutely couldn't accept.
"Without proof, I cannot believe."
"Believe it or not, the opportunity only comes once!"
Shimoku gave a light snort.
With a nonchalant expression, he had Sasori wrapped around his finger completely.
...
After a long pause,
Sasori finally gave in to temptation and made his decision.
"I can work for you, and I will do my best."
"But I hope you also show a bit more sincerity!"
A flicker of joy passed through Shimoku's heart—he knew the fish had taken the bait entirely.
Therefore, he didn't mind embellishing things even more:
"Great, as long as the contract is signed."
"As soon as you create the first qualified Puppet for me, I'll help resurrect one of your parents first."
"The second one will be revived when you're able to mass-produce Puppets."
"How does that sound?"
Sasori nodded right away. "Fine, deal!"
In his opinion,
it was just about creating Puppets for the other party—exactly what he was skilled at.
If it succeeded,
and the other party truly managed to resurrect his parents, then all the better.
Even if it failed,
the worst-case scenario was that he'd just wasted some time and effort. Not too bad of a loss...
Soon after the agreement was reached,
in order to test the truth as soon as possible,
Sasori eagerly asked:
"What kind of Puppet do you want me to make for you?"
Shimoku: "You've seen Susano'o before, right?"
"I know."
"I need you to make me a giant Puppet capable of bearing Susano'o!"
"Bear Susano'o?"
"That's right. It should be roughly from ten meters to dozens of meters tall; needs to be highly flexible, structurally tough and durable."
"Can Susano'o be worn over the Puppet externally?"
Sasori was startled, stunned by the idea.
Susano'o plus Puppet—it was insane!
"In theory, yes. You just make the Puppet; whether or not it works isn't your concern."
Shimoku waved his hand and said.
After all, the essence of Susano'o was physical Chakra.
Since it could be worn over Tailed Beasts, why not over a giant Puppet?
When combined,
the Susano'o would provide power for the giant Puppet while the latter would amplify the former's strength, attack power, combat methods, etc.
How awesome would that be?
Practically like a living [Gundam]!
Combined with my own [Tsukuyomi Plan using Card Bug Activation]!
Imagine the clan having dozens of members wielding the Mangekyo Sharingan, backed up by mass-produced giant puppets!
Still not enough with a regiment of [Susanoo] warriors?
How about a regiment of [Half Majestic Attire: Susanoo]? Now wouldn't that strike fear into anyone's heart?
By then, sweeping through the entire Ninja World would be a piece of cake.
Going on the offensive far beyond the Ninja World? That won't even be a question anymore!
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