Only after Kakuzu left did the suffocating tension in the Land of Frost's underground exchange finally begin to thaw. The bounty hunters, who hadn't dared to breathe a single loud word, let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Scared the life out of me... how does that man walk without making a sound?"
"I didn't even realize he was there. Thank the heavens I didn't say anything to offend him, otherwise, none of us would be leaving this place alive today," one hunter remarked, patting his chest with lingering fear.
In the world of bounty hunters, Kakuzu's reputation was well-known. Teammates, passersby, even the exchange clerks—if someone rubbed him the wrong way, they were as good as dead.
"You're telling me," his companion replied, his face still pale. "But what's the deal with that Uchiha kid? I heard he fell off the cliff at Hell Valley."
"And that's Hell Valley! The lowest drop is nearly a thousand meters. Even a Jonin with plenty of chakra would struggle to survive that fall. Not to mention, he supposedly went hand-to-hand with a Tailed Beast, ran out of chakra, had his eyes gouged out by Kakuzu, and was covered in fatal wounds..."
"In that state, he should be dead for sure. Why are they treating it as a 'disappearance'?"
The other hunter shook his head. "The news came from the Cloud. Who knows what really happened? Heh, maybe the Third Raikage himself went to Hell Valley. Why else would the Hidden Cloud Village be in such ruins right now?"
"The rumors are all over the place. But I hear everyone is heading to the capital of the Land of Lightning, Unming City."
"I think everyone just wants to know if this 'Ren Uchiha' currently running rampant is the real deal."
In a corner of the exchange, a figure sat shrouded in a high-collared black robe. A hood obscured his face, leaving only a few strands of red hair visible. He narrowed his eyes, watching the direction where Kakuzu had vanished while listening to the whispers.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Unming City, is it?"
The flickering candlelight on the table illuminated half of his face. This person was none other than the genius puppeteer of Sunagakure, the man who killed the Third Kazekage and ignited the fuse for the Third Shinobi World War—Sasori of the Red Sand!
Having traveled from the Land of Wind to the Land of Hot Water, he had originally planned to participate in the battle at Hell Valley. However, along the way, he happened upon a group of Konoha shinobi acting strangely. Out of curiosity, he followed them... all the way to the Hidden Cloud Village.
Two nights ago, he had witnessed a spectacular sight in the heart of the Hidden Cloud. Something truly artistic.
The Chakra Cannon. With only one of its three barrels active, it had blasted away two of the Eight-Headed Serpent's heads! A terrifying weapon that could only be wielded by fueling it with human lives.
"Traditional kunai and ninja tools are prone to wear and tear. It's too dull, and it doesn't fit the 'eternal beauty' I seek," Sasori thought, shaking his head.
He reached beneath his black robe and pulled out something revolutionary.
It looked like a flintlock pistol, but instead of a flint, it housed a crystal-clear, blue chakra core refined from a human body. There was a striking hammer near the ignition hole. When the trigger was pulled, the spring-loaded hammer would strike the chakra core, firing a beam of chakra light far more powerful than standard gunpowder or explosive tags.
Just like now.
Sasori stood up silently and pointed the pistol at the bald manager behind the bar, who was blankly polishing a glass. He pulled the trigger. The chakra core flared brilliantly!
BANG!
The gunshot rang with finality.
A bloody hole appeared in the manager's forehead. He collapsed, his expression frozen in a daze.
"As I thought. Compared to kunai and hidden projectiles, this is much more efficient. Beyond seven paces, the light bullet is fast; within seven paces, the light bullet is faster!"
He turned the muzzle toward the stunned bounty hunters and pulled the trigger again.
BANG!
Purple smoke erupted, quickly filling the basement!
"I can even mix chakra toxins with a Wind-style core to create area-of-effect lethality!"
One by one, the terrified bounty hunters coughed up blood and collapsed as they inhaled the poisonous mist.
Standing amidst the corpses, Sasori looked at the dimmed, cracked chakra core at the base of the pistol and shook his head. "The power can still be improved. Aside from the high 'cost' in lives, it has almost no flaws. If I can find an 'infinite self-healing' chakra core refined from a human body, it might qualify as a work of art."
Sasori stowed the pistol and pulled out a hand saw from his robe. He sliced open a hunter's abdomen and pressed his hand inside. Using the Human Puppet Technique: Chakra Core, he drained the corpse into a dry husk, refining a significant amount of chakra into a new, blood-streaked crystal.
He gazed at the邪性 (wicked) beauty of the crystal for a moment before tucking it away and getting to work. He intended to refine every body here and then pillage the exchange.
After all, pursuing art was expensive.
As for that infinite self-healing core... even if his original target, Ren Uchiha, was missing, wasn't there another "Ren Uchiha" in the capital of the Land of Lightning?
After slaughtering everyone and looting the vault, Sasori walked out into the sunlight. The bright glare on the coast made him squint his amber eyes.
A subordinate wearing a turban approached him, handing over a report. "Lord Sasori, the investigation into the 'Ren Uchiha' in Unming City is complete."
"Oh?" Sasori scanned the paper.
"I see. This 'Ren Uchiha' is actually a subordinate Ren took in back in the Land of Hot Water. He's using Ren's name to do business. A genius youth who survived the 'Ultimate Trial of the Evil God' and obtained an undying body just like Ren's. His name is..."
"Hidan, is it?"
Sasori pondered for a moment and nodded. "He isn't as good as the real Ren Uchiha, but as a work of art, he'll suffice. Besides, if the real Uchiha is still alive, he won't ignore this news."
A cold smile played on Sasori's lips. "Spread the word. Gather everyone interested in Ren Uchiha in one place. I'm going to turn that city into my hunting ground!"
He regretted missing the battle at Hell Valley because he was busy watching the Cloud Village collapse. This time, he would gather them all and hunt them one by one, making them part of his "Eternal Collection."
He dismissed the subordinate with a stack of bills and began his trek toward Unming City.
Meanwhile, on the path ahead in a dilapidated town within the Land of Frost, a young man stopped at the city gates.
He clutched an infant in one arm. With his other hand, he dragged a boy who looked like a corpse—his eyes covered by a black cloth.
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