Chapter 698: Changes

Land of Rain, Six Paths City.

At noon, Nagato, having finished his training, went to the laboratory to find Sasori, and together they went to the Shinobi Sect cafeteria for lunch.

Previously, if Konan and Yahiko were in the Shinobi Sect, Nagato would usually choose to eat with them. After Sasori came to the Shinobi Sect, Nagato almost always ate with Sasori.

Because even if he didn’t eat with Yahiko and Konan, they would never be alone.

Sasori was different; his position within the Shinobi Sect was delicate. Besides Nagato, his only friend, he didn’t really talk to anyone else. If Nagato wasn’t there, Sasori would surely have to eat alone.

Nagato had experienced a period of wandering alone, during which he felt there was no place for him in the entire Ninja World. Even amidst the hustle and bustle of crowded streets, he was still enveloped by an endless sense of loneliness.

It wasn’t until he met Yahiko and Konan, and the three supported each other, that things began to change.

At that time, he was still in the Land of Rain, surrounded by people from the Land of Rain. Sasori, alone in a foreign land, how could he not feel lonely?

Nagato didn’t think he had the ability to completely pull Sasori out of his hatred or dispel his loneliness entirely. He didn’t have Muzuki’s ability, nor Yahiko’s charisma.

Nagato just hoped that Sasori, who had a similar experience to him, could feel a bit better, especially since he now had the means to help others.

His experiences were even more tragic than Sasori’s, but he met Yahiko, Jiraiya, and Muzuki.

“These Ninja are dumber than the last. They struggle so much with such simple operations. I was already better than this when I was seven.”

During lunch, Sasori couldn’t help but complain about the Shinobi Sect Ninja who were learning techniques in his laboratory.

“After all, their foundation is very poor, and you are a genius,” Nagato said.

There weren’t many Ninja within the Shinobi Sect who could use Puppet Technique, and this was also a blind spot in Muzuki’s knowledge.

“That’s true, but fortunately, they are quite diligent. Otherwise, they would never achieve anything in Puppet Technique in this lifetime,” Sasori said after thinking for a moment.

Although they didn’t have his talent, Sasori had to admit that the Shinobi Sect Ninja who came to learn were all very hardworking.

“Do you want to go for a walk in the city?” Nagato asked after they finished eating.

“Six Paths City is much more prosperous than before; it has changed a lot.”

Sasori came to the Shinobi Sect during the Youth Martial Arts Tournament. Except for the initial period when he worked on a construction site for some days, Sasori mostly stayed within the Shinobi Sect’s base and hadn’t gone out.

During the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, Six Paths City could only be described as a decent small town. Later, the Shinobi Sect seized the opportunity of the Shinobi World War, and Six Paths City developed very rapidly. Its urban area was more than ten times larger than before, and its prosperity was comparable to the capital of the Land of Rain.

“How prosperous can it be, this godforsaken place?” Sasori pouted.

“But a walk might be good. Maybe I can find an opportunity to escape.”

“Then let’s go,” Nagato nodded, not paying attention to Sasori’s talk of escaping.

After Sasori was brought into the Shinobi Sect, Nagato had always been in charge, and he had witnessed Sasori’s changes.

Initially, Sasori indeed tried every possible way to escape the Shinobi Sect. Later, when he realized it was impossible, he became dejected. After that, he actively faced it, trying to perform well to reduce his sentence.

Now, Nagato occasionally saw Sasori in a good mood because of various things.

Such a Sasori might leave the Shinobi Sect after his sentence, but he would definitely not escape prematurely.

Then, the two began to stroll through Six Paths City.

“It’s a bit more decent than before, but that’s about it,” Sasori commented.

“Actually, you also contributed to this, Sasori,” Nagato suddenly said.

Sasori proudly lifted his head; his technology must have earned the Shinobi Sect a lot of money.

“Remember this place? The construction site you were on before was responsible for building this area,” Nagato said, pointing to a house.

Sasori’s face darkened slightly. Was that what he meant by contribution? It was possible there were bricks he had laid.

“Just kidding. Your contribution to the Shinobi Sect is much greater than building a house,” Nagato said with a laugh.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have no sense of humor? That’s not funny at all,” Sasori retorted unceremoniously.

“Is that so?” Nagato seemed a little disappointed.

He indeed hadn’t told many jokes. Before, in the Akatsuki Organization, he was usually the one who needed the atmosphere to be enlivened.

“Alright, it was a little bit funny, but not much. Maybe people with a low threshold for humor would laugh,” Sasori changed his tune.

“That’s good,” Nagato breathed a sigh of relief.

Who wouldn’t want to be a relatively humorous person? Nagato sometimes fantasized about mastering joke-telling and making Konan burst into laughter.

“Lord Sasori.”

As the two continued to stroll through Six Paths City, someone suddenly called Sasori’s name. Sasori turned his head towards the source of the sound.

Few people in the Shinobi Sect knew his name. Besides the higher-ups, only the Shinobi Sect Ninja who learned his techniques or had undergone surgery knew it.

“Are you out shopping with Lord Nagato? That’s rare.”

The Shinobi Sect Ninja waved his prosthetic limbs and greeted Sasori, jogging up to the two.

“He just insisted that I accompany him for a walk to digest his food,” Sasori explained.

“Hmm, Lord Sasori, you rarely visit Six Paths City, do you? If you get hungry tonight, you can go to the west side of the city. There will be many snack stalls there in the evening, and there’s a Tempura place that’s really good,” the Shinobi Sect Ninja enthusiastically introduced.

This was the first time he had seen Sasori outside the Shinobi Sect’s base, so he assumed Sasori rarely went out and didn’t know much about Six Paths City.

“Oh, and if you like ramen, you absolutely can’t miss the one on Commercial Street.”

“And also…”

“I understand,” Sasori, unaccustomed to such enthusiasm, quickly interrupted him.

Nagato also smiled and spoke at this moment, continuing to lead Sasori forward.

“Are all the people in your Land of Rain so enthusiastic?” Sasori asked.

It was just after lunch; why was he starting to introduce a bunch of food?

“His name is Sōsuke. When he doesn’t have missions, he loves to go to various restaurants or snack stalls to taste food. He’s very interested in that,” Nagato replied.

Sasori showed an expression of understanding.

“However, he’s not like that with everyone. His enthusiasm for you is because you are Sasori; you saved his Ninja career,” Nagato said seriously.

Whether it’s arms or legs, they are indispensable for a Ninja.

If an ordinary Ninja lost an arm or broke a leg, they would definitely not be able to be a Ninja anymore.

“If he were no longer a Ninja, he might still be able to contribute to the Shinobi Sect in other ways, but he might not necessarily have the income to eat and drink as freely.”

Sasori remained silent, deep in thought.

He had many reasons for learning Puppet Technique: wanting to avenge his parents, his inherent interest in Puppet Technique, and even the idea of practicing it out of boredom.

The one thing he hadn’t thought of was using Puppet Technique to save people.

After all, when Sasori first encountered Puppet Technique, the information he received was that Puppet Technique was a Ninjutsu used for combat.

“So, thank you very much, Sasori, for developing such a technique. If skills honed for over a decade had to be abandoned just because of an accident, that would truly be a pity,” Nagato sighed.

No matter how strong a medical Ninja was, they couldn’t regrow a severed arm, but with Sasori’s puppet technology, as long as the head was intact, it didn’t matter if everything else was gone.

“This is just an insignificant green leaf on the tree of eternal art,” Sasori shook his head.

No matter how you put it, prosthetic limbs technology was just a byproduct of human puppet technology, and it wasn’t even the most technically advanced kind.

The core technology of human puppets was the Chakra core, a technology that could lead Ninja to eternal life.

“But it is very meaningful to the Shinobi Sect, to the Land of Rain, and even to the Ninja World.”

Nagato didn’t understand Puppet Technique, but he understood the changes prosthetic limbs technology could bring. There were always some people in this world who lost a limb due to various accidents.

Sasori didn’t argue with Nagato; after all, he was praising him.

The two continued to stroll through Six Paths City. As they passed a takoyaki stall recommended by Sōsuke, Sasori curiously bought a portion and tasted it.

“It’s not as good as he said,” Sasori commented.

“Ultimately, eating is just for the nutrients needed to sustain life. The human body is such an inconvenient thing.”

“Perhaps it’s a difference in taste. I don’t agree with your point of view. Enjoying delicious Cuisine is an indescribable pleasure,” Nagato retorted with a serious expression.

The happiness and satisfaction he felt the first time he tasted the ramen made by Muzuki were unforgettable to him.

“Sasori, you might have this idea because you haven’t encountered the Cuisine you truly love.”

“The place where I grew up was much more prosperous than the Land of Rain. I’ve eaten those famous delicacies of the Ninja World, and I didn’t feel any enjoyment,” Sasori didn’t back down.

“That’s because those weren’t true delicacies. If you had tasted true delicacies, Sasori, you wouldn’t think this way.”

“How underestimated I am. What food can compare to eternal life?”

Sasori didn’t think those so-called delicacies could change his mind.

Nagato opened his mouth, but ultimately didn’t speak.

He had confidence in Muzuki’s Cuisine, but he couldn’t make promises lightly.

Muzuki was not only the leader of the Shinobi Sect but had also recently become the Hokage of Konoha. He must have a lot of things to do, and Nagato couldn’t bother Muzuki with such matters.

The two arguing didn’t notice that a passerby on the street, who was buying snacks, showed a hint of surprise when he saw them, but quickly returned to a normal expression.

“Moving around with the Ninja Master’s disciple, and their relationship is so good, it seems he has truly joined the Shinobi Sect,” the Sunagakure spy thought.

The Shinobi Sect’s biggest external calling card was Sōsuke, who, after Hiruzen Sarutobi, vaguely had the momentum to become the Ninja World’s strongest.

Second was Nagato, who had the special identity of Sōsuke’s disciple and the title of the Ninja World’s greatest genius.

The interactions between Sasori and Nagato didn’t seem like those of collaborators, but rather close companions.

The Sunagakure spy quickly finished his snack without arousing suspicion and sent the collected intelligence back to Hidden Sand Village.

PS:

First update, adjustment failed miserably.

My head felt strange while writing today, swollen, which made my already slow speed even worse.

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