Revolution in the Ninja World

Two figures, completely obscured by cloaks and wide-brimmed hats, trod across the reddish-brown wasteland. They journeyed west, the Land of Rain and its verdant jungles already far behind them.

Though their movements seemed unhurried, their strides and pace appearing ordinary, they somehow covered ground much faster than expected.

"Heard the target this time is quite the big shot..." one of them remarked casually, concealing the true purpose of gathering intelligence deep within his heart. Despite being partners on the same mission, moving in tandem, an extreme lack of trust permeated the air between them.

"Big shot?" the other replied, his tone cold. "Coming from someone like you, that almost sounds sarcastic." Although his voice was frigid, the fact that he answered at all suggested a certain degree of "respect" for his companion.

"A person's fame and skill aren't always equivalent," the first speaker continued. "For instance, before arriving in the Land of Rain, I'd never heard of someone like you."

"People have different personalities and ways of doing things," the second retorted. "Frankly, your type—those who constantly fought through wars for their village—is what I understand least... You're not some brainwashed youngster, are you?"

Faced with this slightly contemptuous accusation, the first speaker merely offered a faint smile, offering no rebuttal.

"I am rather curious, though," the second pressed on. "What exactly does an elder like you, who managed to survive from the Warring States period all the way into the era of hidden villages, truly pursue?"

"An excellent question, and one easily answered," the first replied smoothly. "Simply put, wealth. Or, to be more direct, money."

"..." The second figure felt he'd been far too polite with his question. Why use a neutral term like "survive"? He should have followed his instincts and used a word like "scraped by."

Truly shallow, he fumed internally. Someone who's practically lived a century, and all he pursues is 'money'? He even has a peculiar fondness for collecting paper currency...

However, he still intended to pry information from his companion, so... he silently endured.

"Returning to our earlier topic," the first speaker resumed, "considering the Leader's immense power, what significance do you see in this current effort to recruit other members?"

"The Leader's strength is indeed formidable," the second conceded. "But if an organization aims to achieve a certain goal, it must consider not only the possibility of achieving it but also the efficiency of the operation. Therefore, manpower is necessary."

One knew precisely what he was asking; the other knew exactly what his companion wanted to learn. Yet, their conversation remained utterly devoid of substantial information from beginning to end.

These two individuals heading west were none other than Orochimaru, the (former) Sannin of Konoha, and Kakuzu, the infamous rival of the "God of Shinobi." They were collaborating for a specific purpose... well, more accurately, both were now members of the Akatsuki, and their current task was to bring another individual into the organization.

Orochimaru didn't know exactly when Kakuzu had joined the Akatsuki, only that he was considered a "senior." Thus, he hoped to glean intelligence about the Rinnegan from him. In reality, Kakuzu knew little more about it than Orochimaru did. Kakuzu was indeed his senior, but only by a matter of days.

Kakuzu, however, had arguably fared worse. Orochimaru, upon witnessing Tendo Pain's Rinnegan—likely having already heard more than he should have from Habara—had probably taken the bait immediately, needing little persuasion. But Kakuzu? He had, at the very least, endured a thorough beating from Tendo Pain; that was the "special offer" by which he'd been invited into the Akatsuki.

Despite Kakuzu's ignorance, Orochimaru remained unperturbed. He possessed ample patience regarding the Rinnegan. To investigate it, he was willing to play the part of a subordinate, enacting a drama akin to some kind of "undercover investigator." Not only would he work for the boss, but he would even help expand the workforce.

Meanwhile, within the borders of the Land of Demons.

The three-person team consisting of Habara, Kakashi, and the Suna ninja Zaemon Matsuyo was advancing towards a specific town.

Sunagakure's Chiyo placed immense importance on this matter, but her current status and the weighty role she played within the village made it absolutely impossible for her to accompany the team. She could only wait anxiously in Suna for the outcome.

"Is the direction correct?" Habara asked Zaemon Matsuyo. Due to the mission's nature, both he and Kakashi wore ANBU masks, slightly muffling their voices.

"Our intelligence is accurate," Zaemon confirmed.

Habara continued the idle chat as they traveled. "That's good... Speaking of which, how are things in Suna lately? Is everything stable internally?"

The question was somewhat redundant. How could a village without a leader, lacking proper legitimacy, achieve stability? Although Chiyo managed to maintain a semblance of control, she wasn't the Kazekage.

"No comment," Zaemon replied curtly.

"No need to be so guarded," Habara said, shaking his head. "It's just small talk."

Zaemon merely shot Habara a sideways glance, saying nothing more. Perhaps such caution wouldn't be necessary with others, but Habara's history with Sunagakure ran too deep. When the man asking after your village's well-being was the one who'd essentially dismantled its leadership, who would dare answer candidly?

Habara then returned to the mission at hand. "Assuming your intelligence is flawless, bringing Sasori back shouldn't pose a problem. The real issue is that even if we succeed, it doesn't guarantee he'll become a Suna ninja again. There's bound to be a matter of mutual acceptance. If Sasori truly felt a strong sense of belonging as a Suna ninja, he wouldn't have left all those years ago, would he?"

This time, Zaemon Matsuyo remained silent for a long moment. Just as Habara assumed she wouldn't respond, she spoke. "Perhaps Lady Chiyo possesses a method to persuade Sasori. Or perhaps..." Her voice hardened slightly. "If this mission proves to be a futile endeavor, if Sasori cannot be utilized by Sunagakure, then his very existence becomes meaningless."

That response genuinely surprised Habara. Meaningless? She clearly meant that if Sasori refused to rejoin Suna, she advocated for eliminating him directly. Theoretically, it was a very "ninja" approach to problem-solving.

Just as Habara was about to offer to "see the job through to the end," implying his willingness to handle the potential elimination, Kakashi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. "Smell of blood."

"Which way?" Habara wrinkled his nose, detecting nothing himself, but he didn't doubt Kakashi's assessment.

Kakashi pointed in a specific direction.

"Nice one, Kakashi!" Habara praised. "Ever the dog lover, you've even managed to skip the step of summoning your ninken!"

Kakashi remained silent: "..." Alright, perhaps that particular form of praise wasn't entirely welcome.

Following the direction indicated by Kakashi's keen nose, the trio moved swiftly. Before long, Habara too caught the scent of blood. When they arrived at a small village ahead, the reason for the smell's wide reach became horribly clear.

The village had been utterly massacred. Habara did a quick scan; the inhabitants had died exceptionally gruesome deaths. To put it mildly, anyone found in only seven or eight pieces could be considered fortunate.

Frowning as he observed from the village outskirts, Habara began to discern a pattern. "It's said that after forging a masterwork sword, renowned smiths perform 'tameshigiri,' test cutting. The situation here... might be the same principle. Just that the 'blade' being tested likely has a rather peculiar shape."

Zaemon and Kakashi had already entered the village for a closer look. They soon returned. "This happened within the last few days," Kakashi reported grimly. "Judging by the state of the bodies, it's highly likely the work of a Puppet Master."

Zaemon Matsuyo nodded grimly. "We're in the right place."

Setting aside the situation within hidden villages, ninja attitudes towards civilians outside their walls varied greatly... Were ninja and civilians even the same species? One could argue either way, which was why some ninja felt no compunction whatsoever about slaughtering civilians.

The scene before them was most likely the result of Sasori conducting lethal tests on some new puppet mechanism. However, he hadn't left any obvious trail, making precise tracking difficult.

Fortunately, knowing Sasori had been active here recently meant they could resort to a wide-area search.

After approximately a week of searching, Habara finally locked onto a faint chakra signature. The trio immediately gave chase.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Kakashi asked Habara as a ruined town, half-buried beneath sand dunes, came into view.

"Of course," Habara replied confidently. "I am a professional sensor ninja, after all."

Kakashi couldn't deny that assessment.

"What's the plan now?" Zaemon began. "We need a foolproof strategy before we enter his line of sight—"

Before she could finish, Habara waved dismissively and started walking towards the cluster of dilapidated buildings. "A foolproof plan, huh? If we've found the right person, then a direct frontal assault is the foolproof plan."

Kakashi glanced at Zaemon, then silently fell into step behind Habara.

Witnessing such blatant autonomy and recklessness, Zaemon Matsuyo could only grit her teeth. She summoned a puppet scroll and quickly hurried after them.

Sasori of the Red Sand was no simple adversary. When the trio finally located him amidst the ruins, he was seated calmly atop a half-collapsed wall, his downward gaze indicating he had detected their approach long ago and was simply waiting.

"Your puppet manipulation techniques, your habits... still unchanged from before," Sasori stated, his voice dripping with arrogance, his words sharp. "Zaemon, do you even comprehend the concepts of learning and progress?" He had recognized Zaemon Matsuyo instantly; when it came to puppetry, Sasori was the undisputed expert.

Habara and Kakashi seemed to have been ignored, which could have been rather unpleasant...

Fortunately, it was merely a misunderstanding. Sasori was, in his own way, a polite individual. He hadn't completely disregarded them; he simply didn't pay much mind to unfamiliar faces.

"As for you two..."

Before Sasori could finish his sentence, a two-sided, clam-like puppet erupted violently from the ground beneath Habara's feet, snapping shut towards the center. Inside, vicious metal hinges and blades glinted menacingly, poised to slice Habara into ribbons.

Yet, just before the mechanism could make contact, it froze abruptly. Though Habara hadn't moved a muscle, Sasori felt his control over the puppet inexplicably severed.

Habara offered a slight smile. "No need to rush. Please, allow us to introduce ourselves..." He cleared his throat theatrically. "Ahem... My name is Atomic Annie. As for my companion here... uh... uh, this is Buzz Lightyear."

Kakashi was once again utterly baffled. Do those names even remotely connect?!