Hearing this, Nagato nodded slightly, "Then I can rest assured."
Nagato was well aware that once Byakuya focused on this matter, the ones to suffer wouldn't be the Akatsuki, but rather the ninjas targeting them. Even the once-top-of-the-ninja-world Hanzo of the Salamander had been defeated by Byakuya.
However, Nagato still felt a bit troubled by Byakuya's proposal to use the Rinnegan to create puppets.
The Rinnegan could indeed control puppets remotely through black rods, but the effectiveness was lacking. Besides, Amegakure lacked the secret techniques and materials for making puppets.
Noticing Nagato's hesitation, Byakuya said, "Nagato-senpai, I've already prepared the puppet materials for you. You just need to come with me to the base."
Nagato didn't refuse. He glanced at the distant construction site and said, "Okay, give me a moment to give some instructions, and then we can head out."
Byakuya nodded, watching as Nagato communicated with the Rain ninjas, feeling a sense of satisfaction as if his 'big dumb kid' was finally growing up.
Though Byakuya's physical age was younger than Nagato and the others, he always regarded them as younger brothers.
It didn't take long for Nagato to rejoin him, and the two of them headed towards the base, eventually arriving at a laboratory.
Upon entering the lab, Nagato immediately noticed the puppets placed on the floor and frowned, "Byakuya, these are human puppets, aren't they?"
Although he wasn't an expert in puppet techniques, he knew that these puppets weren't ordinary ones; they were taboo human puppets among puppet masters.
Unlike ordinary puppets, human puppets were made from the corpses of ninjas and could use the abilities the deceased had in life, making them nearly perfect puppets.
Using such a method to enhance strength was something Nagato couldn't accept.
Byakuya nodded and led Nagato to the human puppets, explaining, "Only human puppets can fully utilize the Rinnegan's abilities. Don't worry about the strength of these corpses. After all, they were all purchased from the black market and were powerful individuals in life, each with the strength of a Jonin."
Considering that Nagato was still relatively naive, Byakuya added, "Moreover, they were all rogue ninjas who committed numerous crimes in their lifetime, so you don't have to worry about any moral issues."
Hearing that these human puppets were made from the bodies of rogue ninjas, Nagato felt a bit relieved. As an orphan who had grown up amidst the flames of war, he didn't have any particular psychological scruples about it. He was only concerned about whether using human puppets would affect the reputation of Amegakure.
Seeing the expression on Nagato's face, Byakuya felt a bit sentimental. Nagato, who hadn't experienced the massacre event, was still naive, always caring about the minor impacts of such actions.
The Nagato from the original timeline was different. The composition of the Six Paths of Pain was quite complex. Besides Yahiko, who was turned into the Deva Path, the rest were ninjas Jiraiya knew, making it hard not to suspect that Nagato had some peculiar tastes.
However, that version of Nagato had also inherited Yahiko's original dream—to become the sole god of the new world and use absolute violence to intimidate the entire ninja world to maintain peace. But due to Jiraiya's three years of teaching, the malice in Yahiko and Nagato's hearts was sealed away, only to be unleashed after experiencing heart-wrenching pain.
Compared to the Nagato from the original story, Byakuya considered the current one as pure as a lily.
As Nagato circled around the human puppets, he noticed a familiar puppet. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was none other than Hanzo of the Salamander. Could the rumors in the village be true? Was Hanzo, who was supposedly imprisoned by Byakuya, already dead and made into a human puppet?
At this moment, Byakuya walked over, introducing with enthusiasm, "Nagato-senpai, this is my masterpiece. I suggest you use it as your core puppet and call it the Deva Path."
Nagato didn't respond immediately, but instead looked at Byakuya and asked, "Is Hanzo already dead?"
Byakuya shook his head and then said, "Hanzo isn't dead, but he's no longer fit to appear in public. However, we still need his name to deal with those who don't recognize our authority."
Nagato looked at Byakuya for a long time, sighing softly in his heart.
Hanzo's corpse is right here, yet Byakuya insists he's not dead.
However, he could understand Byakuya's reasoning. If Hanzo were still alive, he would undoubtedly pose a hidden threat to Amegakure. But they also needed Hanzo's influence to deal with current challenges. The only way to navigate this difficult period was to turn Hanzo into a human puppet.
After all, in the eyes of most civilians in the Land of Rain, Hanzo was still the hero who led them in resisting the Five Great Nations and kept the Land of Rain out of the vortex of war.
With these thoughts in mind, Nagato silently picked up the Hanzo puppet and directly inserted the black rods into the corpse.
These black rods acted as chakra receivers, allowing remote control of the puppets, substituting the outdated chakra threads. In a sense, Nagato was the foremost puppeteer in the ninja world, far surpassing the likes of Sasori and Chiyo in power.
Having completed the Hanzo puppet, Nagato turned his attention to the other human puppets and busied himself in the laboratory. He still wasn't fully familiar with the Rinnegan's capabilities and needed to think carefully about how to allocate them.
To use these puppets effectively and turn them into a fighting force would take considerable time.
Several hours later, Nagato temporarily left the Akatsuki base, leaving the puppets in Byakuya's care. Although human puppets were powerful, maintaining them was the most troublesome aspect, with preservation alone being incredibly difficult, not to mention other issues.
After Nagato left, Hanzo returned from the adjacent training base. He had originally intended to report the training situation to Byakuya, but upon seeing the puppet that looked exactly like him, his expression turned bleak.
"Byakuya, what's the meaning of this puppet? It looks exactly like me."
Byakuya glanced at Hanzo and replied, "This is Nagato-senpai's puppet. Although you've gone into hiding, your title as the 'Demi-God' still holds some sway. At the very least, it can be used to intimidate others. And once it's revealed to be a puppet, it can lure some ambitious individuals into a trap."
Hearing this, Hanzo snorted, "I've dealt with puppeteers before. Human puppets can use the abilities the person has in life. Can you fake my abilities?"
"Of course not," Byakuya gently shook his head. "But isn't Hanzo-sensei here? When the opportunity arises, you can pretend to be your own puppet and go out."
After a pause, Byakuya continued, "And how do you know my puppet isn't as good as you?"
Hearing Byakuya's seemingly endless schemes, Hanzo fell silent. He had thought his defeat by Byakuya was due to bad luck and threats. But now it seemed he was quite fortunate. If he hadn't surrendered quickly, he wouldn't just lose his title as the 'Demi-God'. Heck, he might not even have the chance to live out his days peacefully.
Reflecting on this, Hanzo realized the depth of Byakuya's plans and his own good fortune in having aligned with him instead of resisting further.