After forging the items for Kakuzu, Hidan, and Deidara, Jokichi brought out the chakra of Sasori of the Red Sand.
Jokichi placed considerable importance on Sasori.
Because his strength was immense, standing on the same level as the Legendary Sannin.
Moreover, in the anime, Sasori had never fully displayed his true power.
Because his opponent was his own grandmother, he deliberately held back...
Later, when he was revived via the Impure World Reincarnation, he didn't even have a single puppet. After resolving the last lingering attachment in his heart, he broke through the jutsu's control with sheer willpower and returned his soul to the Pure Land.
What kind of items could be forged from such a person?
Jokichi was full of anticipation.
[Ding! Special material "Chakra of the Lonely One" detected. The special items "Heart of Life," "Puppet Theater," "Figurine Master," "Lonely Heart," and "Soul of a Genius" can be forged. Forge now?]
"The Lonely One..."
Jokichi muttered to himself. He recalled Sasori's life in his mind.
He was the most talented puppet master in the history of Sunagakure, his thoughts unbound by worldly conventions. Having lost his parents at a young age, he deeply yearned for their love.
As a result, he spent his entire life researching ways to breathe life into corpses and grant eternity to the living.
His actions were never understood by the world. Thus, he chose to leave the village alone, living a solitary life accompanied only by his puppets. Yet, from beginning to end, he never truly abandoned his human heart.
Perhaps, if he had truly discarded his human heart, he wouldn't have even felt that trace of loneliness!
This rebellious, unorthodox man spent his entire life chasing the most fundamental human happiness.
Although he hadn't forged the items yet, Jokichi could already guess the function of the Heart of Life.
"Forge!"
Jokichi mentally commanded with a sigh of lament.
Instantly, five items appeared in his hands.
A fist-sized, bright red heart.
A palm-sized theater model, similar to his Portable Cabin.
A seemingly ordinary carving knife.
A dull, entirely gray heart.
A fist-sized orb radiating a soft glow.
"Heart of Life: A miraculous artifact born from the yearning for life. It can bestow true life upon inanimate objects."
"Puppet Theater: A puppet theater that can expand or shrink at will. The theater's owner can manipulate any living beings that enter it as if they were puppets."
"Figurine Master: A carving knife used by a genius figurine master for a lifetime. It contains his will, granting anyone who holds it the same masterful sculpting skills."
"Lonely Heart: A heart born from extreme solitude. It can make a person's heart feel unimaginably lonely."
"Soul of a Genius: Geniuses in this world excel in different fields. The Soul of a Genius houses its original owner's talents. Upon absorption, the user will gain those exact same aptitudes."
"Just as I thought!"
Gripping the brightly colored heart, Jokichi wore an expression that said 'I knew it'.
When Sasori was very young, he built the 'Father' and 'Mother' puppets in a vain attempt to replace his lost parents.
However, puppets could never replace real people...
Sasori realized this immediately after building them. Therefore, he sought to create puppets that possessed true life.
His Human Puppets were merely a byproduct of his research in that direction.
"With this item, my future plans will need some adjustments."
Jokichi wanted to unify the Shinobi World...
But he had no interest in power, nor did he want to waste time managing an organization. At the same time, he didn't want his unified faction to act against his wishes.
Therefore, he planned to push forward a powerful figurehead. Someone who shared his ideals and followed his orders to act as the leader.
Nagato was his chosen candidate.
Nagato had not only recovered his physical health, but he was also the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails. His strength was more than enough to serve as the leader of the unified ninja world.
However, while he was qualified to lead the Shinobi World, he fell far short of being the guardian of the entire planet.
Jokichi had no intention of playing nanny to the ninja world.
Once they connected to other dimensions, he planned to continuously explore those new worlds. He would only return here to rest when he felt exhausted.
Thus, he originally intended to give the 'Monitor' item to Nagato, allowing him to incarnate as the planet's will to protect the ninja world from powerful invaders.
But, although Nagato was well-suited for the role...
Ultimately, Nagato only obeyed him because their ideals aligned. There was no true loyalty involved.
If Jokichi's actions ever contradicted Nagato's beliefs, Nagato would stop listening and might even betray him.
Although I doubt my personality would lead me to do anything that goes against his ideals...
But a person's life is far too long. Who knows what Nagato and I will become in the future?
Handing such an item to an uncertain variable undoubtedly carried risks.
After all, once the Monitor was used, the user's life would be permanently tied to the planet.
Far too many things could change over the long river of time.
Therefore, it was best to use it on someone who was one hundred percent loyal to him.
But a person with absolute loyalty...
Unless they are a puppet, such a person simply cannot exist.
Even someone like Ryohei, who was brainwashed by Kotoamatsukami, could one day have the jutsu dispelled or develop new thoughts after experiencing new things.
But things were different now.
With this Heart of Life, he could grant true life to a puppet.
And as for puppets...
He had forged plenty of them through the system.
The Toolman, the Master Builder, the National Treasure, Frankenstein, and even the God-Slaying Weapon...
These were all existences that obeyed him completely and held absolute loyalty.
He could first bestow them with life using the Heart of Life, and then give them the Monitor to transform them into the planet's will, making them the guardians of this world.
Still, the specific candidate requires careful consideration.
...
Aside from the Heart of Life, there was nothing particularly special about Sasori's other items. Only the Puppet Theater warranted a second glance from Jokichi.
This thing was incredibly powerful.
Although it could only manipulate living beings that entered the theater, it wasn't a major restriction.
For someone who enjoyed playing with human hearts, it would be easy to trick people inside. It was absolutely a divine artifact among divine artifacts.
But for those who preferred a straightforward approach and relied on raw power, it was quite useless.
Tossing the items into the system space, Jokichi extracted the chakra of the final Akatsuki member, Obito.
[Ding! Special material "Chakra of the Revenant" detected. The special items "Kamui Dimension," "Fragmented Sage Crystal," "Diluted Divine Tree Crystal," "Heart of Deep Love," and "Kaleidoscope" can be forged. Forge now?]
"Revenant?"
"What an incredibly fitting title!"
He had 'died' during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, only to roam around impersonating the dead Uchiha Madara. Was he not a literal revenant?
Jokichi clicked his tongue and chose to forge.
Immediately, five items appeared in his hands.
The Sage Crystal, the Divine Tree Crystal, and the Kaleidoscope needed no introduction. One could awaken the Sharingan, and another could awaken Wood Release, granting the same level of mastery and ability as their original owner.
As for the Kaleidoscope, it was a pair of contact lenses containing the abilities of Obito's Sharingan.
And as for the rest...