Sasori was now deeply confused.
Uchiha Yato's somewhat toxic dose of inspiration had left him speechless.
Here, Uchiha Yato wasn't just criticizing one man's artistic pursuit of immortality—he was also taking aim at Orochimaru.
Had the Zombie Duo (those two from Akatsuki) been present, Uchiha Yato would have torn into them as well.
If proving one's ultimate strength meant achieving immortality, then the Sage of Six Paths would never have died.
So-called immortality is merely living longer than ordinary people.
Even Uchiha Yato's Mangekyo Sharingan could only slow his personal flow of time. Restoring his body to its peak condition would come at an immense cost.
(This is also why our Yato still appears youthful, like a 16-year-old.)Uchiha Yato wasn't a bad person either. His next task was to help Sasori with some guidance.
Uchiha Yato pointed towards a rather impoverished family next to the hospital.
"Do you see that household?"
Sasori followed the direction of Uchiha Yato's finger and also looked at that family.
An ordinary couple with nothing particularly special, a small family of two plus their three-year-old child.
Their clothes had patches, and none of the three were plump—their thin frames made it all the more apparent that this family faced financial struggles.
Without waiting for Sasori to respond, Uchiha Yato continued.
"Just one Exploding Tag."
"This perfect family would become broken, or even vanish from this world altogether."
Uchiha Yato's words were cold, for this was reality.
Such words left Sasori at a loss for how to reply, as he felt it had little to do with immortality.
Uchiha Yato went on, "Their minds are confined. They only think about how to survive better, not about eternal life."
"I'm not telling you to emulate them, but different people, standing in different positions, will have different perspectives."
"You stand higher than them, see farther than them, so you have more ideas."
"But do you think he has any chance at immortality?"
This topic instantly brought the conversation back to immortality and Sasori's thoughts.
After a moment of contemplation, Sasori replied, "I believe he lacks the capability. He can't reach our level, nor can he see the full picture of this world."
Uchiha Yato didn't let Sasori continue and cut in, "But that man can do many things for his family."
"Ensuring that his family will always remember his existence."
"There are two deaths in life."
"One is the death of your body—from that moment on, there is no path left for you."
"The other is when everyone forgets you, as if you never existed in this world."
"When all memory of you fades, that is true death."
These words made Sasori feel as though he had grasped something—a theory he had never heard before.
Seeing Sasori deep in thought, Uchiha Yato didn't rush to speak further, giving him time to process.
After a long silence, Sasori finally said, "But too few would know him—only his family."
Hearing this, Uchiha Yato added, "That's because he stands too low, not at your height."
"The Puppet Technique you wield, like the demonstration I just gave, has other ingenious uses that could help the villagers."
"Over time, your name would be remembered by all. Isn't that a form of immortality?"
Hearing this, Sasori felt something different about this kind of art.
Uchiha Yato said, "No matter who it is, the art they pursue is often something they wish to share with others."
"Think about it—if you truly achieved so-called immortality but had no one to share it with, could you endure that loneliness?"
"What would it feel like to strive endlessly toward a goal, yet never see its end?"
These last two sentences were spoken by Uchiha Yato almost casually, without much thought.
Sasori didn't absorb much of it—he simply felt that Uchiha Yato was right.
But somewhere, hidden in the shadows, Black Zetsu found his heart stirred by these words.Indeed, the pain of these thousand years, the loneliness of one person, cannot be clearly expressed in just a few words.
He didn't possess any extraordinary abilities, only able to slowly lay out his plans, guide the course of events as much as possible, and ultimately fulfill his dream of rescuing his mother.
His life was exceedingly long, forced to continuously search for the reincarnations of Asura and Indra.
Originally, he had come to gather information about Uchiha Yato, hoping to understand him better.
After all, knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory.
Yet, Uchiha Yato's words had thrown his mind into disarray.
Just as Uchiha Yato had said, everything he had done—whether successful or not—was something he had to endure alone, with no one to confide in.
If not for his identity, status, and the lingering hesitation in his heart, he might have already rushed before Uchiha Yato and Sasori, loudly pouring out the suffering he had endured over these thousand years.
It was also because of Uchiha Yato's words that Black Zetsu now regarded him in a higher light, easing some of the suppressed anger from the earlier genjutsu.
Uchiha Yato gave an example: "Why don't you consider how your Puppet Technique could help those who have lost limbs regain them?"
"Must it rely on Chakra threads? You could also use intricate mechanisms—isn't that your specialty?"
"You could completely change how the world sees Puppet Technique. It isn't just an art of killing—it could also have a profound impact on people's lives and futures."
To be honest, Uchiha Yato genuinely admired the Puppet Technique.
Instead of always viewing it as a tool for murder, it could be developed into an art form that shapes progress.
Just imagine—robots weren't widespread yet. With just a bit of Chakra, they could drive economic growth.
And wasn't this exactly what Sasori of the Red Sand excelled at?
In the original story, his "Hundred Puppet Performance"—if reinterpreted—could mean a hundred people farming the land. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
The more Uchiha Yato thought about it, the more he felt this technology had to be brought back to the Hidden Leaf. This was the future.
He even wanted to recruit Sasori of the Red Sand himself—this man was a technical genius of the future!
Thus, Uchiha Yato decided to act as an angel investor, determined to free the Puppet Technique from the world's misconceptions.
Puppet Technique: "Uchiha Yato is my savior! (Sobbing!)"
Today, after drinking so much of Uchiha Yato's motivational talk, Sasori didn't show any signs of exhaustion. Instead, he was unusually excited.
He felt that his pursuit of art and his desire for immortality had undergone a qualitative change.
His previous way of thinking now seemed somewhat childish to him.
He had experienced loneliness before—but enduring it for a thousand years? That would be unbearable.
Now, Sasori's mind was filled with visions of the future.
He imagined villagers accepting him, with the Puppet Technique bringing prosperity to the land.
Just as Uchiha Yato had said—eternal remembrance by the world, never forgotten. That, too, was a form of artistic immortality!
So Sasori said to Uchiha Yato, "That genjutsu of yours, making people dance in strange ways—it's also a way to make everyone remember you, achieving immortality, right?"
Uchiha Yato froze on the spot…
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