Prologue: Souya

"Hey... Souya...!"

Under the dusky yellow sunset, two boys walked side by side across the Gobi Desert. White scarves were wrapped around their faces. Hurricanes often swept through here, and the scarves kept sand from getting into their eyes and obscuring the road ahead.

"Sasori! What is it?" The handsome boy walking in front turned to look at Sasori. His short black hair hung messily over his forehead, and he was clearly worn out from some strenuous exertion.

"The White Fang of Konoha is dead. How are we supposed to get revenge now?" Sasori's red hair framed eyes that had lost their focus, as if the belief that had kept him going had suddenly crumbled.

"Wasn't the Third Kazekage supposed to be the strongest Kazekage? Why couldn't he protect our parents?" Sasori stopped, lowered his head, and murmured in a low voice.

The two of them had suddenly heard the news while out on a mission: the White Fang, who was as renowned as the Sannin, had actually committed suicide in the village!

After confirming the news was true again and again, Sasori found it hard to accept. After his parents died, he had begun investigating the cause of their deaths and identified the White Fang as his enemy.

Taking revenge on the White Fang had become Sasori's obsession...

The other boy was Souya. After an unfortunate young man on a certain Blue Star died, his soul had been reborn in the body of a war orphan from Sunagakure. That was why he cherished his new, healthy life all the more.

Raised by monks, Souya had shown exceptional talent and determination as soon as he entered the Ninja Academy. He was only a little younger than Sasori, and the two had met there as fellow prodigies. Their similar circumstances, along with Souya's deliberate efforts to get close to Sasori, had made them friends.

After they graduated from the Ninja Academy, the Third Kazekage put Souya through a series of tests and then took him on as a disciple.

When Chiyo discovered the friendship between Souya and Sasori, she arranged for them to be assigned to the same team. The two of them often went on missions together.

Hearing Sasori say this, Souya knew that after losing the White Fang as a direct target for revenge, Sasori would shift his hatred onto the Third Kazekage. That was what would eventually lead him to attempt an assassination and defect.

At that moment, Souya, Sasori's "therapist" and "life mentor," put on a thoughtful expression before speaking. "Sasori! I understand how you feel... It's true that with the White Fang dead, we can't avenge our parents with our own hands!"

"But think about it. What caused so many shinobi from our village to die? Was it because Lord Kazekage started a war?"

Souya stared intently at Sasori with his dark eyes, both hands pressing firmly against Sasori's shoulders.

"The cause? Life is fragile. It fades away. Maybe only puppets can last forever..." Sasori looked up at Souya, but his eyes were still like a stagnant pool, without the slightest ripple.

"No, Sasori! Life is fragile, that's true, but the souls of your parents and mine are eternal. Haven't you always kept your parents' puppets? A skilled Puppet Master can give puppets a soul. As long as those puppets and your exquisite craft are passed down through your hands, they'll never disappear!" Souya shook Sasori by the shoulders.

"Lord Kazekage is strong, but he isn't the strongest in the Ninja World, so he can't end the war. Our parents both died because of war. As long as war continues, these deaths won't stop! Only by becoming the strongest... can we end war!"

"Is... that so?" A spark began to return to Sasori's eyes. He had wanted to pursue an art of "eternity" that would never decay, but after hearing Souya's words, he felt that this kind of "eternity" might be more profound than the "eternal puppets" he had imagined.

"And there's more, Sasori! I once saw in the Secret Records in the Kazekage's Office that Konoha has a Forbidden Jutsu. As long as you can find information about a dead person's body, you can summon them from the Pure Land!"

"Then, if we find someone with the Eyes of Legend and have him perform the Forbidden Jutsu again, we can bring the dead back to life!" Souya said excitedly. When someone had lost their purpose and fallen into confusion, giving them a higher goal could naturally rekindle their faith.

"Is that true?! Souya!" Sasori suddenly grabbed Souya's hands, his eyes filled with shock and hope, along with a hint of worry. He was afraid Souya's news might be false.

"It's absolutely true!" Souya declared firmly.