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"Zetsu, it's you! I thought I was—dead."
"This is Konan's paper ninjutsu. How—?"
"What about Kakuzu? Aren't we going back for him?" Sasori, sprawled on the back of the giant paper bird, asked, his voice strained.
His puppets—destroyed.
He'd known there might be powerful ninja in the world, capable of obliterating his puppets with a single jutsu. He could accept that.
What he couldn't accept—was that monster. The one with "Loyal to Konoha" etched on his back.
He was unkillable. Slashed, burned, impaled—every time Sasori thought he'd finally won, the monster would—regenerate. Not even regenerate, just—heal instantly.
He'd exhausted his entire arsenal, and still hadn't managed to deplete the monster's chakra. If Zetsu hadn't intervened—
"I sensed—something was wrong and contacted Konan. She sent this"
"Kakuzu is dead." Black Zetsu's voice trembled. They'd failed. Again.
This—wasn't part of the plan.
Those devious Konoha ninja had used Kamui to transport their reinforcements, completely misleading him about their strength.
And Obito's right eye—he'd witnessed its destruction. This meant Konoha not only knew Obito's identity, but they'd also managed to evolve Kakashi's Sharingan into a Mangekyō Sharingan, using Kamui against them.
Ruthless.
They'd killed Kakuzu effortlessly.
The image of those five ninja surrounding Kakuzu—it sent a shiver down his spine.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Yugito Nii, Kisame Hoshigaki, Pakura" Black Zetsu's voice dripped with venom. He recognized them instantly.
Even the Third Hokage himself had joined the fight, to avenge Danzo. The Land of Fire—it was a cursed place.
Sometimes, he wondered if the Sage of Six Paths was secretly—watching, interfering.
"We shouldn't have killed Danzo." He regretted it now. For a bit of money, they'd lost a valuable asset.
He'd observed Hiruzen Sarutobi for years. If not for Danzo's death, he would have likely remained in Konoha, a—passive force.
But now—
"And you—what happened? Why are you so—battered?"
"I encountered an—unkillable monster."
"Unkillable?" Black Zetsu scoffed. The only truly immortal being was his mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
The others—they simply hadn't been—persuaded sufficiently.
"I exhausted my entire arsenal and couldn't—stop him," Sasori said.
"He's that strong?" Black Zetsu had seen Deadpool, briefly, when rescuing Sasori.
He possessed intel on practically everyone in the ninja world, but this—Deadpool—he was unknown. As if he'd appeared out of thin air.
"Not strong, but—he counters me. I specialize in attrition. I lack—overwhelming firepower. Even the Third Kazekage puppet—its jutsu aren't that destructive. And he—he regenerates too quickly. And he feels no pain, no fear."
"If someone like our leader, with his powerful jutsu, could obliterate him, or perhaps—a powerful sealing jutsu to restrain him"
Sasori wasn't a fuinjutsu specialist.
And sealing jutsu—they were the bane of immortal beings.
Black Zetsu sighed.
The ninja world was becoming increasingly—unpredictable, spiraling beyond his control. He was struggling to manipulate events from the shadows.
It was as if a higher power was interfering.
"Did you—complete your objective?"
"Of course. The Fourth Kazekage is dead. I have the body." Sasori's voice brightened.
Though he hadn't managed to acquire Deadpool, Rasa's corpse was a valuable prize.
He couldn't be too greedy.
He already possessed the Third Kazekage puppet. Now, he'd have the Fourth.
One controlled Iron Sand, the other Gold Dust. One specialized in sustained combat, the other in powerful jutsu and sealing techniques.
He'd once created the "Father" and "Mother" puppets. Child's play, compared to this.
Now, he'd have the "Iron" and "Gold" combo. A true Kazekage collector.
Though human puppets were weaker than their living counterparts, two Kage-level puppets—that was a formidable force.
If he'd had the Fourth Kazekage puppet, perhaps he could have captured Deadpool.
Black Zetsu, hearing this, felt a flicker of—satisfaction.
Kakuzu's death—it wasn't a complete loss. His power would—live on through Sasori's puppets.
"You discard the unnecessary parts when creating human puppets, don't you?" he asked.
"Of course. Why?"
"Give them to Hiruko." Waste not, want not.
A single corpse, two uses.
Puppetry and Edo Tensei, combined, could create two powerful warriors.
As long as the body wasn't too—decomposed.
The Edo Tensei didn't require a complete corpse. A sufficient amount of—organic material was enough to summon a soul from the Pure Land.
Hiruko had reported progress with the Edo Tensei. He could begin resurrecting test subjects soon.
"How long to create a Fourth Kazekage puppet?"
"Three, four days, perhaps. Or a couple of weeks. I need to—repair myself."
"Make it quick. We can use the Fourth Kazekage puppet to—generate income. With Kakuzu gone, our finances are—strained. The Kazekage's gold-finding abilities will be—useful."
The Akatsuki was perpetually broke.
Hiruko's research, Nagato's—charitable donations to Amegakure—it all cost money. And with Kakuzu gone—
They needed a new source of income.
"Why me?"
"Kakuzu was your partner. You should—honor his memory by—collecting funds."
Sasori hesitated. With his puppets destroyed, he, too, was short on cash. Rasa's gold-finding abilities—he'd rather keep those for himself.
"I—also need money. To rebuild my puppets."
"The organization's needs come first!"
The air grew tense.
"You said—Hiruko's Edo Tensei can resurrect the dead?" Sasori asked.
"Yes. Why?"
"I have an idea—to solve our financial problems. But the gold from Rasa's puppet—I'll keep that."
Black Zetsu scowled. Your gold? All money belonged to the Akatsuki.
Individual wealth was meaningless. Collective prosperity was the goal. And Sasori, as a member of the Akatsuki, lacked the proper—dedication.
If he had other options, he'd reprimand Sasori.
But the Akatsuki was desperately short on manpower. The new recruits were still—traveling. He had to be patient. "What's your idea?"
"Relying on the combat unit for income is—inefficient. And risky. We failed this time because—we killed Danzo. That's why Konoha's security was so tight."
Black Zetsu nodded.
He regretted killing Danzo. But there were no do-overs in the ninja world.
"We should—emulate Konoha. Establish legitimate businesses. Delegate some of the—financial burden to Konan, Hiruko—the others."
Sasori, having witnessed Konoha's prosperity, was—intrigued.
Why should they risk their lives for money, while those merchants simply—counted their earnings?
It wasn't fair.
With even Kakuzu, his partner, gone—the injustice of it all was—galling.
He'd even considered—retiring, becoming a merchant.
He was a puppeteer, after all. A profession that—valued money. He could manipulate events from the shadows, acquire his wealth through—less violent means.
"Legitimate businesses?" Black Zetsu frowned. "You're suggesting—Konan use her Paper Ninjutsu to—mass-produce explosive tags?"
He'd considered it, but Konan's Paper Ninjutsu, while impressive, couldn't perfectly replicate the subtle variations in each village's explosive tags.
Selling them locally was fine, but on the open market—they'd attract unwanted attention.
And then—they'd be traced back to Amegakure.
Unlike kunai or shuriken, explosive tags were—regulated. They could be used against daimyo, nobles—The villages controlled their production and distribution carefully.
And while the black market seemed—unregulated, the Five Great Villages often used it for—"quality control."
For example, placing bounties on "explosive tag suppliers."
To see which smaller villages or workshops were supplying the black market.
Local production and distribution were one thing, but supplying the black market—that was a problem.
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