"This isn't going to work!" Diarmuid said with a hint of dissatisfaction, holding a scroll in his hand.
They had been at Sasori's secret base in the Land of Birds for two days now. The location was indeed not far from the Kannabi Bridge; traveling north, one could reach it in about five days. If they hurried on foot, it would only take about a day and a half. They were practically neighbors with old Madara.
"What do you mean isn't going to work?" Sasori replied while processing the body of Kagami.
Indeed, Diarmuid was currently in Sasori's laboratory. As for Kakuzu, he had rested briefly upon arrival and left the very next day, claiming he was off to make a fortune, likely accepting a war commission. With the various nations currently embroiled in conflict, hiring shinobi was a common practice. Many rogue ninja like Kakuzu were taking advantage of the chaos to profit from the war.
Ordinary missions likely held little danger, so Kakuzu hadn't asked Diarmuid to join him. Diarmuid felt quite at ease leaving things to a veteran like Kakuzu; with his Earth Grudge Fear, killing him was no easy feat.
In contrast, Diarmuid was far more interested in Sasori's creation of Human Puppets, his research into the secrets of the Uchiha clan, and the Sharingan. So, while Kakuzu left, he stayed behind.
"Ninjutsu, man. Ninjutsu scrolls. Everything you have recorded here is common stock. Don't you have any secret techniques? Like A-rank, S-rank, or even Forbidden Jutsu!?" Diarmuid tossed the scroll aside, clearly annoyed.
The scrolls were indeed generic, containing even less variety than what Kakuzu had in his private stash. Diarmuid had already learned everything in them.
Sasori opened a few vials of chemicals and remarked, "I've never had much interest in ninjutsu unrelated to puppetry. The records here are merely foundational. As for Forbidden Jutsu... do Human Puppets count? I invented the process myself. If you want to learn, I can teach you..."
After a brief pause, Sasori turned to glance at Diarmuid. "Of course, I'm also interested in that Haki power Kakuzu mentioned."
"You?" Diarmuid hesitated slightly. It wasn't that he was stingy—he had few qualms about this world. Even if the power of Haki leaked out and changed the global power structure or threw the world into chaos, it wouldn't affect him personally. That was the same reason he had so casually exchanged knowledge with Kakuzu.
So, even if he gave the secrets of Haki to his "younger brother" Sasori, Diarmuid wouldn't mind at all. The problem was... this guy was nothing but a Core of Living Flesh. How could he even use Haki?
Diarmuid felt it was unlikely, though perhaps Dr. Vegapunk could have offered some guidance. After all, Bartholomew Kuma's situation was probably somewhat similar to Sasori's.
Reaching for a small scroll at his waist, Diarmuid tossed it to Sasori. "All the relevant training data is in here. Study it yourself. However, since you've modified yourself into a puppet, I'm not entirely sure if you can train Haki."
"Kakuzu isn't exactly a normal human either, and he's doing just fine, isn't he? There's no harm in trying." Sasori caught the scroll and let out a small smile. In return, he handed a scroll to Diarmuid, likely the secret techniques for his Human Puppets.
Diarmuid had very little interest in puppetry—virtually none, in fact. However, the technique of the Human Puppet was undeniably formidable. Even if he didn't plan to master it, he could collect it for reference or use the underlying concepts as inspiration. He accepted it without protest.
Since he wasn't particularly interested, he didn't open it immediately. Instead, he stepped closer to Sasori, looking at the naked body of Kagami on the table. "So? Can a Kekkei Genkai like the Sharingan be integrated into a Human Puppet?"
"Hard to say. I haven't dealt with this specific field before, so right now I'm mostly experimenting to see if it's feasible," Sasori said calmly.
Kagami was already dead. Sasori had dispatched him painlessly while he was unconscious. However, his corpse remained lifelike; despite being dead for two days, the body was still soft, lacking the typical rigor mortis of the deceased.
"How can that be? For a Kekkei Genkai, didn't you successfully create a Human Puppet from the Third Kazekage's body? It can still use Magnet Release..." Diarmuid pointed out.
On the way here, Kakuzu had naturally asked why Sasori was targeting Kagami, and Sasori had explained his history. When Kakuzu learned that the Third Kazekage had died at Sasori's hands, he was quite shocked. He even briefly considered selling that information to Sunagakure for a massive payout.
Such significant intel would surely fetch a high price. However, considering they were now allies, he sought Sasori's opinion. Sasori, however, was completely indifferent. Regarding the Third Kazekage's death, he had only cleaned up the evidence initially to avoid leaving clues; since then, he hadn't given it a second thought. At this stage, secrecy was meaningless to him.
Recently, Sasori had heard that Sunagakure was busy defending against invasions while simultaneously trying to select a new Fourth Kazekage. It made sense. When the Third vanished without a word, the village couldn't wait forever, especially in the middle of a war. If they didn't pick a new leader, the village would fall apart.
Unless something changed, the Fourth Kazekage would be Rasa, another Magnet Release user. Unlike the Third's Iron Sand, Rasa used the more "high-end" Gold Dust. It was this ability that allowed him to rapidly generate wealth for the defeated Land of Wind after the war, solidifying his position as Kazekage.
Diarmuid had a wicked thought: now that Kakuzu and Sasori were working together, Rasa's Gold Dust powers could easily be "inherited" by one of Sasori's puppets. If Kakuzu realized this, given his obsession with money, he might just try to steal Orochimaru's business and take Rasa out early...
That's too much, even for me, Diarmuid thought. It was a heartless idea, so he decided not to mention it to Kakuzu for now. Let him figure it out on his own. If he eventually did, then Rasa was just unlucky.
Of course, they weren't short on cash right now. If they ever were, Diarmuid figured he might, as a friend, give Kakuzu a little "golden" tip.
Sasori didn't care about any of that. Having received Sasori's blessing, Kakuzu would undoubtedly sell the news of the Third Kazekage's death to the Great Nations for a fortune. Within days, the rumor that Sasori killed the Third would likely spread across the ninja world like wildfire. And by all rights, Sasori would be branded at least an S-rank Rogue Ninja.
Diarmuid actually felt a bit of longing for the title of S-rank Rogue Ninja. He had been a Marine for decades, always the hero of justice. Now that he was in a world that was far more chaotic, darker, and almost entirely devoid of "good guys," he felt no need to carry that burden. Furthermore, since he was destined to be an enemy of the "justice" represented by Konoha and the Great Nations, he didn't mind playing the villain.
The problem was... he likely wouldn't ever achieve the S-rank Rogue Ninja status. He had nothing to "go rogue" from. He didn't belong to any hidden village; at most, he was a wandering ninja.
What a tragedy. I wonder if any village would see my strength and adopt me as an ancestor just so I can go rogue and get that achievement.
As Diarmuid's mind wandered, Sasori spoke up: "It's different. I generally categorize Kekkei Genkai into two types..."
"Oh?" Diarmuid snapped back to attention, looking at Sasori with genuine interest.
Diarmuid might not have been intimidated by Sasori's raw power, but he acknowledged that Sasori was a genius shinobi and a brilliant researcher. Diarmuid was always interested in the insights and perspectives of such people. Unlike the world of One Piece, the power system in Naruto was more complex and deep. Learning it was simple, but understanding the "how" and "why" required deep knowledge. Diarmuid had been spending his time doing exactly that.
Accumulating knowledge often led to a single spark of inspiration that could bloom into a new path. This exchange with Sasori was, without a doubt, a valuable accumulation of knowledge.
"...Go on," Diarmuid prompted.
"The first type consists of Kekkei Genkai like Magnet Release, Lava Release, Storm Release, Ice Release, and even Wood Release. At their core, these are elemental chakra natures. These can be 'created.' To put it simply, they are formed by fusing two different chakra natures into a new power. For example, if you fuse Wind and Water, there is a high probability of creating Ice Release," Sasori explained.
Diarmuid nodded. His memories were a bit fuzzy, but that sounded correct.
"Of course, it's easier said than done. Very few people can actually fuse two natures. For instance, everyone knows the God of Shinobi's Wood Release was a combination of Water and Earth. Hashirama even admitted it publicly. But has anyone else been able to use it since? No. However, once successful, these Kekkei Genkai are often instinctively encoded into the genetic code, passed down to descendants to form a new clan," Sasori continued.
"Wood Release, huh..." Diarmuid murmured. That was a power he coveted.
On the surface, it sounded simple: powerful Wood Release just required combining Water and Earth. In reality, it wasn't like that at all. Fusing the elements was one thing, but there were two other requirements for Wood Release. First, one needed a terrifyingly massive amount of chakra. Second, one needed exceptional physical vitality and life force.
These two factors determined the ceiling of Wood Release. In Hashirama's hands, Wood Release made him the God of Shinobi, capable of crushing all opposition. Even Madara was forced to yield. He was a walking natural disaster; even the Tailed Beasts were thrashed by his Wood Release until they called him "daddy." They were utterly powerless.
But in the hands of someone like Yamato... he was basically just a carpenter. Konoha's premier real estate developer.
They both used Wood Release, but the gap was vast because Yamato only inherited a few of Hashirama's "attributes." He lacked the life force and chakra necessary to support the true explosion of Wood Release. So, while it seemed simple to combine Water and Earth, for all these years, only that monster Senju Hashirama could truly wield it. Everyone else could only dream.
"And the second type?" Diarmuid asked.
"The second type is the truly 'god-given' variety, Kekkei Genkai that cannot be artificially created. Essentially, these involve physical organs that differ from normal humans. Examples include the Sharingan, the Byakugan, or the Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya clan from the Hidden Mist," Sasori said after some thought.
He paused and added, "I've already cracked the first type, the elemental chakra natures. But these organ-based ones? I'm still in the dark."
As the words left Sasori's mouth, a light flickered in Diarmuid's eyes. "Elemental types... you mean, if we went and dug Hashirama out of his grave right now, you could make a God of Shinobi Human Puppet? Wouldn't that be invincible?"
Sasori: "???"
What kind of logic is that? Why is your mind going there? Is that really what you took from this?