Chapter 277: The Terrifying Puppet Array
The Third Kazekage continuously infused chakra into a living human marked with the puppet seal, nurturing a clone spirit.
In this way, he created a perfect clone with the original's complete memories and a soul of the same origin.
In a certain sense, by continuously creating new clones, the Third Kazekage could live forever. His puppet clone technique had already become a secret art capable of granting immortality.
However, it still couldn't break free from the limitations of flesh.
By combining the puppet clone technique of the Third Kazekage with his own human puppetification technique, Sasori developed an even stronger and more perfect soul replication method.
At that moment, a mechanical arm extended from the ceiling, opening Sasori's puppet body and extracting a cylindrical container from the location of his heart.
The sealed white cylinder pulsed with seven or eight pieces of flesh growing from it, moving in rhythm with the heartbeat inside.
This scene made Ye Yi break out in goosebumps.
"This guy is terrifying!"
Fear shimmered in Ye Yi's eyes—the kind of fear an ordinary person would feel facing a deranged scientist.
Li Yao's Wind Release clone, however, watched Sasori's operation with great interest. Ye Yi, who was observing from the side, was frightened and wanted to say something but didn't dare interrupt Li Yao's deep concentration.
Sasori used the mechanical arm to extract his heart and inserted it into the round cavity in the chest of the humanoid puppet. It fit snugly and seamlessly.
Soon, the puppet seals engraved on the inner wall of the cavity began absorbing the chakra from Sasori's heart, as well as the physical energy and the spiritual energy from his soul.
In Li Yao's Wind Release clone's soul perception, the soul stored in Sasori's heart was being broken down into immense spiritual energy, which was constantly being absorbed by the puppet seal at the chest cavity of the humanoid puppet.
Then, from the puppet seal, streams of extremely refined spiritual energy flowed through the internal meridian-like channels of the humanoid puppet body, just like blood flowing through veins.
The physical energy and spiritual energy were both circulating through the puppet's meridians.
As for the absorbed chakra, it was re-concentrated on the heart after being transformed by the puppet seal.
For a time, the heart was being drained of physical energy while also being nourished by chakra, caught in a cycle of destruction and regeneration.
Thump thump.
Thump... thump...
Thump... thump...
Ten minutes later, the heartbeat in the center of the humanoid puppet's chest began to slow—from once per second to once every two, then three seconds. The intervals gradually grew longer.
Li Yao's Wind Release clone could sense that Sasori's heart was gradually losing vitality, while the spiritual energy inside the humanoid puppet, after being refined countless times, began to gain a hint of soul essence.
As long as that wisp of soul essence evolved into a true soul...
Then Sasori's soul replication technique would be a success.
"One, two, three—three puppet seals combined into a puppet array."
"Sasori really is a genius!"
Li Yao's Wind Release clone's expression changed slightly as he realized that the humanoid puppet had not one but three puppet seals. At first, he had thought there was only one.
Now he saw there were three. Though they appeared unified, they were in fact independent of one another, each performing a different transformation function.
Mind, body, soul!
The three puppet seals could respectively transform these three types of material energy. When linked into a formation, they could reconfigure and fuse them.
Mind, body, and soul.
These three forms of material energy represented the totality of a person.
Sasori, through the puppet array, restructured and fused his mind, body, and soul—essentially replicating his entire being onto the humanoid puppet.
In a sense, this was even more terrifying than soul possession. It was more akin to parasitic assimilation—like an alien from a sci-fi movie—first parasitizing the humanoid puppet, then gestating a complete lifeform from it.
That was essentially what Sasori's puppet array did. It was far more advanced and complex than what Li Yao's Wind Release clone had first guessed—just a simple soul upload.
If successful, it would be akin to an alien lifeform being born from the humanoid puppet. It would become a true puppet lifeform—mechanical, yet alive—with all sorts of unimaginable powers.
Truth be told, upon understanding the horror of Sasori's puppet array, it was the first time Li Yao's Wind Release clone felt he had lost control over Sasori's future.
Compared to this puppet array, the Puppet Core was mere child's play—at most, it could match a Tailed Beast.
But the puppet array, capable of transforming and fusing the mind, body, and soul... if someone got caught in it, and it was activated…
Li Yao's Wind Release clone carefully considered: if he were struck by this puppet array, he very likely wouldn't be able to resist being transformed and restructured.
Just like Sasori now—once the puppet array activated, he lost all ability to resist. It was either succeed or perish.
"No… this won't do."
"Sasori is too dangerous!"
Li Yao's Wind Release clone's gaze flickered. The emergence of the puppet array made him feel threatened by Sasori.
Not now—but in the future.
Sasori's mind was too dangerous.
No one could predict what terrifying puppet arrays he might develop later.
Even now, his current puppet array could already manipulate mind, flesh, and soul as easily as flipping a hand. What about in the future?
What if Sasori eventually saw through his clone identity?
What if, one day, they became enemies?
What if that old man, the Sage of Six Paths, appeared and tempted Sasori into opposition?
He couldn't help but worry. Once the thought entered his mind, Li Yao's Wind Release clone couldn't calm down, unconsciously slipping into a state of paranoia.
"Don't worry, Sasori will be fine."
Just then, Ye Yi noticed the inner restlessness in Li Yao's Wind Release clone and, assuming he was worried about Sasori, tried to comfort him.
She didn't know that just a moment ago, Li Yao's Wind Release clone had nearly made up his mind to kill Sasori on the spot.
But now, upon hearing Ye Yi's comforting words, Li Yao's Wind Release clone snapped out of it and laughed at himself internally.
Ye Yi was right.
What was he so afraid of?
The fact that Sasori was willing to undergo his final puppetification in front of him meant he trusted him absolutely.
Because at this moment, Sasori was like the puppet clone of the Third Kazekage whom Li Yao had once poisoned—without a soul, he had no ability to resist.
If Li Yao's Wind Release clone wanted to, a single casual slash destroying the internal puppet array would instantly kill Sasori.
Sasori had laid his life bare before him. That alone showed his trust.
Sasori had the rare, research-driven personality in the shinobi world. His study of puppets wasn't to defeat anyone—it was purely out of a desire to realize the puppet concepts in his mind.
His artistic spirit was pure—far purer than Deidara's "art is explosion" philosophy.
Li Yao's Wind Release clone didn't need to worry that Sasori's growth would become a threat.
Even if someday they truly stood opposed…
He still wouldn't need to be afraid.
He might not have Sasori's scientific mind, but when it came to power and abilities, he wasn't lacking.
Flying Thunder God Technique, Black Hole Space, Dust Release, Scorch Release, Steel Release, Wind Release slashes, Wood Release, and in the future—Dragon Vein chakra capable of manipulating time and space, and Uchiha's reality-altering genjutsu, Izanagi…
Li Yao had too many techniques. Whether escaping or surviving, he had more than enough options. He didn't need to fear facing Sasori one day.
Even if it came to that, it would be Sasori who should be afraid.
Besides, it wasn't like he had to fight Sasori to the death.
In this world, after exacting revenge on Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, he had no further attachments.
If things really went south, he could just use Flying Thunder God to teleport to the Dragon Vein in Rōran and enter another Naruto world.
As long as he condensed the Dragon Vein chakra, he wouldn't be rejected by the world due to the seal, and he could live there permanently.
What—was Sasori going to chase him across time and space?
If Sasori really grew that powerful… well, the Ōtsutsuki Clan still existed. Let him test their strength instead.
In short, Li Yao's Wind Release clone had no need to be overly wary of Sasori's future development right now.
That said, from this moment forward, his level of attention toward Sasori would rise by another level.
Once his Water Release clone succeeded, he would have it secretly possess a puppeteer from Sunagakure, learn puppet techniques alongside Sasori, join him on the path of mechanical ascension, and covertly gain full control over all the puppet techniques Sasori developed.
This way, even if something unexpected happened and they became enemies in the future, Li Yao's Wind Release clone wouldn't be completely ignorant of Sasori's abilities.
(END CHAPTER)
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