Naruto: Zombie Release

Arata had long anticipated that Sasori would try to contact him.

Even Chiyo had coveted his secret technique so much that she specifically sent Araki to abduct him. So it was no surprise that Sasori, who revered human puppets, would take an interest.

"You're alive. That's the only reason I'm reaching out. If you'd been captured and dragged back to the village by Araki, there'd be no need for me to contact you. 

What you possess now would eventually fall into my hands anyway."

The puppet's mouth opened and closed mechanically, emitting a choppy, stuttering voice.

Arata glanced around. Only a few scattered Konoha shinobi were clearing the battlefield nearby. Without missing a beat, he said, "What do you actually want? I don't have time to waste on you."

"A deal," said Sasori. "Give me your technique, and in return, I'll give you the secret of the Human Puppet Jutsu. 

Flesh will decay in the end, you'll come to understand that. Sooner or later, you'll walk the same path I did. We're not enemies."

"You sound awfully confident."

"I don't make mistakes. At your core, you're no different from me. We both tread the path of manipulating corpses, the difference lies only in how we modify them."

Sasori continued, "You can make corpses use the jutsu they wielded in life. My Human Puppet technique does the same, modifying corpses so they can continue to use their original jutsu."

Any puppet master who understood human puppets couldn't possibly ignore Arata. Obtaining his technique would mean completing the most critical piece of the Human Puppet puzzle.

"I've done my homework," Sasori said. 

"You haven't been using your Dead Soul Technique for long, which means you haven't yet realized its biggest flaw, corpses rot. 

But my human puppets don't. As long as you keep replacing parts, they can exist indefinitely."

"What if I asked you for the full Human Puppet technique in return?"

"Fine. But then you'll have to give me everything you have. I'm especially interested in your space-time technique, activating it through a corpse? 

If I can apply that to my puppets, it'd eliminate the biggest weakness of all puppet masters."

And what did puppet masters fear most? Shinobi like Konoha's White Fang, those who excelled at one-hit kills up close.

Even a master of human puppets had a fatal flaw, their real body, made of flesh and blood. Unless one fully turned oneself into a puppet, there had to be a living core to produce chakra.

But if one could master a space-time technique, even one that only allowed teleportation over ten meters, it could be life-changing for a puppet master.

In battle, everything could change in a blink. For a high-level ninja, even a single instant of mobility could turn the tide.

"What a troublesome kid. Nono never told me you'd be this much of a handful. Are you really only six?"

"Seven now," Sasori said coldly. "In the Warring States period, I'd have already seen plenty of blood on the battlefield at this age."

Arata nodded silently. That was true. Even in the era of the shinobi villages, prodigies like Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi had fought in wars at that age.

There was no helping it, this was a world of supernatural power. 

As long as a child could create and manipulate chakra, killing ordinary people was as easy as slicing through vegetables. Their combat strength far outclassed civilians.

"So, are we in agreement?" Sasori asked. "Good. You and I walk the same path. There's no hatred between us. On this journey toward eternity, I'm finally not alone anymore."

For once, Sasori's voice carried a flicker of emotion.

Not even his grandmother truly understood him. Instead, he had to partner with someone from an enemy village to walk this path.

As for betraying the Human Puppet technique? Sasori didn't care in the slightest. The people of Sunagakure were just destined to fade away.

Arata still kept his distance from the puppet. Instead, he took a few steps to the side, crouched down, and pretended to retrieve spoils from a fallen enemy.

"Let's put the Human Puppet technique aside for now. There's another jutsu I'm more interested in. If you can get it for me, we can make the trade immediately."

"Hmph. So cunning. You'd already planned to contact me, hadn't you?"

"You said one thing I agree with, two people exploring the unknown together is better than stumbling around alone like a headless fly," Arata said calmly.

"…Alright. What do you want?"

"Chiyo's forbidden jutsu, the One's Own Life Reincarnation."

"Never heard of it. If even I don't know about it, how do you?"

Sasori actually sounded surprised.

One's Own Life Reincarnation? What the hell was that? Did that old hag Chiyo really have such a jutsu?

"She probably hasn't fully developed it yet," Arata replied. 

"But even if only part of it exists, that's fine. There's no point in hiding it from you. 

With your intellect, I know you'd figure it out eventually. That's why I'm not bothering to mask my intentions behind multiple trades."

Arata was desperate for this jutsu.

As long as he could obtain the Reincarnation Technique, even in an unfinished, flawed state, it didn't matter. He only needed it to function successfully once!

At this stage, even if Konoha handed him their entire Scroll of Seals and let him pick any jutsu he wanted, none of it could compare to Chiyo's Reincarnation Technique.

For Arata right now, its value even surpassed that of Edo Tensei.

"One's Own Life Reincarnation… Is it a resurrection jutsu? The name makes it sound like one. Is it a complementary technique to human puppets?" Sasori mused.

Chiyo's most powerful techniques were the Human Puppet method and the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu.

The Human Puppet technique was still flawed and unsuitable for open combat. If it were exposed now, it would become infamous, just like Arata's Dead Soul Technique.

No one could tolerate an enemy wielding such power. The ethical and political fallout was only part of it. The bigger fear was that their dead could become the enemy's new weapons.

With Sunagakure's defeat looming, deploying the Human Puppet technique now would be idiotic. Once Konoha won, they would never allow Suna to keep such a jutsu.

So this Reincarnation Technique, completely unknown, was probably a companion jutsu for human puppets.

Arata nodded. "You could say that. It was developed specifically for them."

"That Yakushi Nono… she must be impressive. To steal something this secret from the village. 

One day, I'll find a chance to kill her. I hope you won't stop me, I'd rather not have to kill you too."

"That's a matter for the future," Arata replied noncommittally.

"I'll get back to you soon. Here's our cipher book."

The puppet's chakra reserves were almost depleted. A compartment in its chest clicked open and a scroll rolled out.

With a puff of white smoke, the puppet vanished on the spot.

Arata narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Summoning Technique, huh… That Sasori guy…"

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More chapters for more stones.