Chapter 71: Sasori: Yes, It Is Normal for Me to Create a Unit 01 by Hand, Right?
"Kenichi, you are here."
An excited voice called out. Kenichi looked up and saw Sasori striding over.
He looked the same as always, but Kenichi noticed the sealing scroll in his hand and the barely contained excitement in his eyes. Something had clearly happened.
"Sasori, did you hear the task Pain gave us?" Kenichi yawned.
He had come to Amegakure on purpose to meet up. His laboratory was in the Land of Fire, and letting Sasori come and go would be a headache. If they were discovered, it would immediately raise Konoha's guard.
Sasori was a famous ninja from Sunagakure. If he appeared anywhere near Konoha right now, it would be hard not to suspect Sunagakure was making a move.
And if that suspicion turned into an escalation, then they would be in real trouble.
That was not some harmless butterfly effect. That was the kind of shift that could rewrite the ninja world's history.
"Hm. Observe Jūzō Biwa." Sasori's expression tightened slightly when he mentioned the assignment.
But then he waved it off as if it were nothing.
"Forget that for now, Kenichi. Look at this puppet I made."
Before Kenichi could respond, Sasori flicked his wrist and unfurled the sealing scroll. A heavy shape dropped out with a solid thud.
Kenichi's eyes narrowed as he examined it.
It was a puppet made entirely of metal, massive in frame. Even lying on the ground, it looked over two meters tall.
"What is this?" Kenichi asked, glancing at Sasori.
This guy's execution was terrifying. In just a few days, he had already produced something you could call a prototype.
"I call it Unit 01." Sasori's voice rose with pride. "A metal puppet developed from your theories."
He formed a seal and guided the puppet upward. The giant figure rose to its feet with a cold metallic weight, towering over them with an oppressive presence.
Only after it stood fully upright did Kenichi notice something else.
It was… muscular.
Its waist alone was nearly a meter thick.
And the name.
Unit 01.
Kenichi swallowed, unsure whether he should complain first or ask if a Unit 02 was already on the way.
Still, in this world, one question mattered more than any other.
"How is its combat power?" Kenichi asked.
If it could not fight, then it was just a big target, a walking shield meant to soak up attacks.
Sasori's expression sharpened instantly, as if he had been waiting for that exact question.
"I tested it. Its impact resistance is excellent. Its sensitivity improves the more chakra you feed it. If you want it to reach the responsiveness of a normal puppet…"
He paused, calculating.
"It will take about twice the chakra consumption of a regular puppet. And it cannot release ninjutsu. It is built for close combat."
Most of Kenichi's excitement cooled.
Taijutsu was powerful, yes, but a puppet that could not launch techniques lost a major edge in a world where ninjutsu decided battles.
Still, he looked at Sasori, who was practically glowing with satisfaction, and Kenichi had to admit one thing.
This was talent.
Hand building something like this was not something an ordinary puppeteer could pull off.
If Sasori kept refining it, stronger versions would definitely appear later.
"I remember there are metals that conduct chakra," Kenichi said. "If you build with those, you might be able to improve its resistance against ninjutsu. It could also open other possibilities."
Sasori nodded, listening intently, already turning the idea over in his head.
Meanwhile, in Amegakure, Nagato stood with his arms crossed, watching from the shadows.
A flicker of regret surfaced in his eyes.
If he had known Kenichi could lead people this far off the normal path, he would have rejected the request to join Akatsuki from the start.
But the problem was Kenichi's strength.
Sage Mode.
A power that made Nagato more aware than ever of the Preta Path's weaknesses when it came to absorbing chakra.
Beside him, Konan glanced at her friend. "Nagato… is it really fine to leave that guy alone?"
Nagato's gaze remained steady. "He may not act serious, but he completes the organization's missions. As long as he does that, and has enough strength, it is acceptable."
Kenichi did not know any of this.
He sensed, vaguely, that someone was watching, but he did not care. He had done nothing wrong.
While trading ideas with Sasori about improving the "Unit" concept, Kenichi followed him as they began moving toward the Land of Water.
The route was troublesome. The Land of Fire lay between the Land of Rain and the Land of Water.
Fortunately, Kenichi had mastered the art of erasing faces. He helped Sasori alter his appearance as well.
With that, the two slipped into the Land of Fire without issue.
"Kenichi, your ninjutsu is powerful," Sasori said, touching his face.
Now he looked like a middle aged man, so ordinary that no one would ever connect him to the name Sasori of the Red Sand.
"It is simple and practical," Kenichi said with a small smile. "Credit goes to my teacher. His techniques are the real monsters."
He did feel a hint of regret.
If he could read memories, the disguise could be even more perfect.
"Konoha…" Sasori's eyes cooled the moment the name left his lips.
Kenichi understood. Sasori's parents had died at the hands of Konoha's hero, the White Fang.
"Sasori, we finish the mission first," Kenichi said calmly. "No distractions."
If Sasori lost control and charged into Konoha, it would draw attention instantly.
In the early days, Akatsuki stayed quiet. They looked like a war mercenary group. They did not reveal their real objective of capturing the tailed beasts.
If they were exposed now, hiring them would become irrelevant.
The five great villages would simply erase them.
"I know." Sasori drew a slow breath, forced the edge back down, and followed.
The two ran through the dense forest, moving fast and clean.
It was unlikely they would run into many Konoha ninja in the Land of Fire right now. Tensions with Kumogakure were rising, and small clashes had already begun.
The battlefield was still limited, concentrated in a small country between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. The conflict had not spread deep into the mainland yet.
Kenichi glanced toward Konoha's direction, eyes narrowing slightly.
"It seems when we get back, I will finally be able to drop a thermobaric bomb on that battlefield."
For a brief moment, he missed the little home he once had in Konoha.
He wondered how that place looked now.
If he had to guess, the village had probably confiscated it already.
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