Rasa was a man of dignity before he died!
Ryou chanted sutras for Rasa's soul: "Rest assured, I will take care of your wife and children."
"Gaara won't be a tragedy like in the original work, Temari and Kankuro won't lack love, Sunagakure will gradually break free from the Daimyo's control, and the Village will become better and better!"
In the darkness, Rasa seemed to hear Ryou's sutras, and his eyes, which had remained open, finally closed.
The expression on his face was no longer filled with the same resentment as before.
Sasori gave a strange look, shook his head, and continued to turn Rasa into a Human Puppet.
Candy said from the side: "Rasa's Magnet Release isn't suited for combat; from now on, let's use Rasa's Human Puppet to pan for gold!"
Who uses gold as Ninjutsu?
When Rasa fought before, a bunch of Shinobi probably watched from the side, just waiting to turn on 'auto-loot' after the battle.
How much money can a Shinobi make by performing missions?
Rasa's greatest value is panning for gold.
While alive, he had to eat, drink, and use the bathroom, so efficiency was low; now that he's a Human Puppet, his gold-panning efficiency will be much higher.
Sasori thought so too.
"Right, I only wanted to turn him into a Human Puppet because I took an interest in Rasa's gold dust Secret Technique."
Iron sand is better suited for making weapons than gold, but that doesn't mean its value exceeds gold's.
Gold has many advantages over iron sand, such as powerful corrosion resistance.
Iron sand is easily corroded by some Ninjutsu, but gold is not.
With top-tier electrical and thermal conductivity, some electronic components require gold.
Sasori is currently in a mortal body; if he wants to put a layer of armor on himself, iron sand definitely won't do, he has to use gold.
Gold hardly reacts with human tissue, is non-toxic, and non-allergenic, making it the safest precious metal.
Moreover, gold is the only thing on the market that can serve as a hard currency.
Candy smiled: "If Fortune knew about Rasa's gold-panning Secret Technique, he would definitely fight for this puppet."
Shukaku realized: "You guys like gold that much?"
Ryou nodded: "Of course, who doesn't like gold?"
Shukaku said excitedly: "Uchiha Ryou, protect me, keep me safe, and I can help you pan for gold in the desert."
"The desert is my home; I know where the gold mines are buried under the sand, and I can help you dig them up."
"This—"
Ryou was a bit tempted.
The desert is the birthplace of Shukaku and is the largest and hottest desert in the Land of Wind.
Shukaku's original setting was—
A tanuki monster born in the desert, affected by otherworldly magic power and formed from accumulating sand, living off the resentful spirits of the dead who were trapped and killed by sandstorms in the desert.
Shukaku knows the gold mines beneath the desert.
If all this gold were excavated, Ryou would be the wealthiest person in the entire Shinobi World.
Furthermore, Shukaku can also pan for gold.
His Kekkei Genkai is Magnet Release; all the Magnet Release Secret Techniques in Sunagakure, including iron sand and gold dust, were researched from Shukaku's body.
In the original work, Shukaku only manipulated sand because that is the most primitive power of Magnet Release; Shukaku was always sealed and had no chance to get his hands on precious metals.
Because of Shukaku's words, Ryou, Sasori, and Candy all focused their attention on Shukaku's massive form, which resembled a sand dune.
Sasori suddenly felt that the Rasa in his hands wasn't so appealing anymore.
Could Rasa's gold-panning compare to Shukaku's?
Just looking at the massive difference in size made it obvious.
Shukaku's gold-panning efficiency is a hundred or a thousand times that of Rasa's, and having stayed in the desert of the Land of Wind for over a thousand years, he knows what's hidden in the desert better than anyone.
Controlling the minerals in the desert—that is Shukaku's greatest value.
Why did Sunagakure always treat Shukaku as a weapon of war?
How wonderful it would be to just keep Shukaku for gold-panning! How much money can being a Shinobi make?
Ryou also began to change his view of Shukaku.
Shukaku's chakra is the least among the Tailed Beasts, but he is the most unique; he can perform hand seals, use Ninjutsu, and even use Sealing Jutsu.
Now, add gold-panning and knowing the locations of mines in the desert.
In some aspects, Shukaku's value might even surpass the Nine-Tails's.
Can the Nine-Tails perform hand seals? Can the Nine-Tails pan for gold?
The Nine-Tails is just a pure stat monster.
Seeing Ryou's silence, Shukaku thought he was moved and quickly struck while the iron was hot.
"Uchiha Ryou, the Land of Wind is the country with the largest land area in the Shinobi World; think about the gold underground. As long as you have me, all of this will be yours."
When had Shukaku ever bowed his head and pleaded with these tiny humans?
It was all forced.
Humans are forced by circumstances, and Tailed Beasts are the same—they will compromise for the sake of survival.
Ryou's powerful Sharingan and Wood Release left Shukaku with no ability to resist; he could only learn the compromise that the monk Bunpuku had taught him.
Avoid the edge of his blade, pretend to be sweet, and then backstab him.
Ryou couldn't suppress the greed in his heart; if all the gold in the Land of Wind were his, he would be the wealthiest person in the history of the Shinobi World.
Calm down, calm down!
Seeing that Ryou couldn't calm down, Candy used Lightning Release to give him a harsh shock.
Ryou gradually calmed down: "Shukaku, say no more. I admit your gold-panning ability is very tempting."
"But gold is by no means omnipotent. In this world, as long as one thing doesn't depreciate, it's power."
Kakuzu always said money wouldn't betray him, but money depreciates with the turmoil of the times.
When a loaf of bread costs five hundred thousand marks, you'll know that money can also betray people.
What never betrayed Kakuzu was his Secret Technique—Earth Grudge Fear!
What does gold matter?
As long as you have power, you are the ruler of humanity; then you can play however you want!
Shukaku wanted to argue further, but Ryou spoke harshly: "Shukaku, stop talking. If you say another word, I'll use Wood Release to poke your ass!"
"(☉д⊙)."
Shukaku was so terrified he didn't dare say another word.
Just as Ryou was about to say something, he suddenly sensed a chakra tracking them from a distance.
Actually, he didn't even need to sense it; one of Ryou's spore was lodged in the body of the person tracking them—or rather, that dog.
Tsume brought Kuromaru and followed Ryou from a distance.
Ryou's actions weren't concealed at all; he controlled Shukaku and left Sunagakure openly, making no effort to hide his scent.
He didn't come to Sunagakure to steal Shukaku; he came to seize him.
Therefore, Tsume used a Secret Technique and easily caught the cat-like scent on Ryou, following him closely from behind.
Kuromaru bit Tsume's pant leg, trying to pull her back: "Tsume, you're no match for Uchiha Ryou. You saw that Wood Golem too."
"Uchiha Ryou is as dangerous as Uchiha Madara now; he's not someone people like us can deal with."
Although Tsume is a Special Jonin, that's just her rank; if she uses certain Secret Techniques, she has the strength of a Jonin.
But that isn't enough to contend with Ryou, who possesses the First Hokage's Secret Techniques.
Tsume gave Kuromaru a hard punch: "Don't bark, I know. I'm not a fool who's going to go head-to-head with him."
Tsume was only tracking Ryou, keeping in constant contact with Konoha's reinforcements.
That kind of Wood Golem is the First Hokage's Secret Technique, not something an ordinary Shinobi can handle.