Sasori didn't know what his dream was, and Byakuya wasn't entirely sure either.
However, Byakuya did know Sasori's background and the choice he ultimately made in the original timeline. Knowing that much was already enough.
Taking a deep breath, Byakuya looked into Sasori's eyes and slowly said, "Sasori, your dream is to pursue eternal art and to achieve that through puppetry. In Akatsuki, as long as you follow the rules, you can freely pursue your art. I can guarantee that no one will interfere with your research."
Hearing this, Sasori's heart began to sound alarm bells.
Byakuya knowing his innermost thoughts was undoubtedly a terrifying thing.
Seeing the shock on Sasori's face, Byakuya knew he was on the right track. Just a little…
"However, you're chasing eternal art because your parents died in the Ninja World War. After losing them, you threw yourself entirely into puppetry, which is how you attained your current power."
Upon hearing this, Sasori was utterly stunned.
If possible, he would have dealt with Byakuya right there, or fled far away. But he simply couldn't defeat Byakuya, so he could only brace himself and continue listening.
"Losing your parents at a young age is a tragedy. But what if I told you I could let you see your lost parents again?"
When Byakuya mentioned that he could let Sasori see his parents, Sasori could no longer stay silent and asked, "My parents have long been dead. What method do you have to let me see them?"
Byakuya responded calmly, "The living and the dead naturally can't meet. But what if there's a secret technique that can temporarily revive the dead?"
Sasori frowned, "What secret technique?"
Byakuya spoke unhurriedly, "This technique isn't in my hands right now, but it does exist. It's in the Konohagakure."
Upon hearing this, Sasori's enthusiasm dimmed as soon as lit began to shine.
He had thought Byakuya had already mastered a resurrection technique but it seemed Byakuya was merely painting a grand picture, and the chances of realization were slim.
However, in his current situation, it seemed he had no other options.
After thinking for a moment, Sasori sighed and said, "Byakuya, remember your promise. I can join the Akatsuki, but within a few years, you must fulfill your promise."
Byakuya nodded, "Naturally. In any case, Konoha will certainly be in chaos within a year. During the confusion, I will go to there and acquire the Reanimation Jutsu. However, using the Reanimation Jutsu comes with conditions. You need cells from the deceased beforehand."
With a few words, Byakuya and Sasori reached an agreement. Byakuya would use the Reanimation Jutsu to resurrect Sasori's parents and provide funding for Sasori's experiments, in exchange for Sasori's loyalty to the Akatsuki.
However, Kakuzu, who had been standing nearby observing, noticed something off.
How did Byakuya know that Konoha would fall into chaos within a year? Was the organization planning to move against the Leaf that soon? That seemed a bit fast.
And what exactly was the Reanimation Jutsu? Did Konoha truly have such a technique? Could it be a lie?
Byakuya noticed the confusion on Kakuzu's face but didn't say anything more. He had no obligation to explain things to Kakuzu, and whatever Kakuzu imagined was irrelevant to him.
Just then, as Sasori agreed to join the Akatsuki, a familiar system notification rang in Byakuya's ear.
[Sasori of the Red Sand has joined the Akatsuki. You have obtained Puppet Modification Technique and Chakra (Large).]
[Puppet Modification Technique: As puppet technology advances, the materials used to create puppets are no longer limited to wood and steel but can include ninjas themselves.]
[Chakra (Large): A chakra reserve equivalent to that of a Jonin.]
Byakuya glanced at the description of the Puppet Modification Technique and immediately claimed the reward.
This so-called Puppet Modification Technique was essentially the technology for creating human puppets and modifying human bodies.
These were techniques Sasori would have mastered in the future, but Byakuya had obtained them in advance.
The technique of creating human puppets allows the retention of a ninja's abilities from when they were alive, making it a fairly powerful secret art. Paired with the Reanimation Jutsu, it enables the soul and body to fight separately.
The Third Kazekage was the perfect example. Byakuya vividly remembered the scene where the puppet of the Kazekage fought against the reanimated Kazekage.
The scene was undeniably humorous—so much so that the reanimated Third Kazekage was so enraged that he broke free from the Reanimation Jutsu, never to be summoned again.
However, compared to the technique of creating human puppets, the real essence of puppetry lies in the technology of transforming the human body into a puppet.
This technology is, in fact, on par with the Reanimation Jutsu.
As long as the puppet body is replaced periodically, one can essentially achieve immortality in a roundabout way.
Byakuya still remembered that, in the future, Sasori would turn himself into a puppet, with his soul and chakra stored entirely in a chakra core. If not for a brief moment of carelessness, Sasori would never have died at the hands of Chiyo.
Although Byakuya didn't currently have a need for immortality, having an additional life-saving technique would never be a bad thing.
As for the large chakra reward, which was essentially a boost to his base abilities, it was always good to have more. In the later stages of battles in the ninja world, power was all about brute force.
Byakuya was still aiming to become a "Chakra-ton."
---
After recruiting Sasori of the Red Sand, Byakuya didn't linger in the Land of Stone. He took Sasori and Kakuzu and headed to the Land of Rain that same night.
Along the way, Byakuya explained the principles of the Akatsuki and gave Sasori the "Jewel" ring.
Sasori accepted the ring, but after hearing about its purpose, he suspected it was a tool for Byakuya to monitor him. Nevertheless, he still placed it on his thumb.
After listening to Byakuya's explanation, Sasori fell into deep thought.
According to Byakuya, the Akatsuki was an organization dedicated to achieving love and peace. It had not only a number of elite ninjas under its banner but also Amegakure, the sixth-largest ninja village, as one of its affiliates.
However, the plan to create a weapon using the Tailed Beasts seemed a bit out of that idealogy.
To collect the nine Tailed Beasts, the Akatsuki would inevitably come into conflict with the Five Great Ninja Villages. While Sasori knew that Byakuya was strong, he wasn't yet qualified to take on all five major villages.
Those were powerful organizations with tens of thousands of ninjas and hundreds of Jonin.
Perhaps that's why Byakuya was recruiting rogue ninjas like him.
In a casual conversation with Kakuzu, Sasori learned that Kakuzu had also been forced to join the Akatsuki, which made his expression turn odd. He started considering an escape plan.
Could he possibly team up with Kakuzu and escape when Byakuya wasn't paying attention?
After some serious thought, Sasori abandoned the idea of fleeing. He didn't trust Kakuzu, just as he didn't trust Byakuya. Besides, the Third Kazekage puppet was extremely important to him.
There was also another crucial reason.
Sasori didn't want to continue wandering anymore.
It had been five years since Sasori assassinated the Third Kazekage. In those five years, he had traveled to many countries, witnessing the local customs and cultures, but none of those places felt like home.
He was pursuing eternal art, but the main theme of the ninja world was war and death.
Although he could preserve the abilities and appearances of the dead by creating human puppets, achieving a semblance of eternity, it was always an illusion—a fantasy. It was not true immortality.
If staying in the Akatsuki would allow him to peacefully study puppetry, he wouldn't mind remaining there.
As for Byakuya's promises, Sasori didn't take them to heart. How could a technique that could resurrect the dead exist in the ninja world? That was even more unrealistic than the pursuit of eternal art.
Instead, he was more intrigued by something else Byakuya had mentioned earlier.
The prediction that Konoha would soon fall into chaos piqued his curiosity. He wanted to know if Byakuya truly had the insight to guide him.
If Konoha really would descend into chaos, it would be a good thing for him. At the very least, it would bring him some emotional satisfaction—after all, the ninjas who killed his parents were from Konoha.
And if it would happen, he could simply leave the Akatsuki early.