Spark!

Hyuga Shin was already very familiar with this kind of work, so it posed no problem for him.

He decided to first completely eradicate the Will of the Six Paths inside Kakuzu, then deal with Hidan.

Unexpectedly, his inspection brought him a surprising discovery.

Because of Earth Grudge Fear, all four of the hearts inside Kakuzu belonged to other people.

There was also a relatively large amount of the Will of the Six Paths embedded inside him, and it varied in strength.

However, all of it was dormant, and Hyuga Shin wiped it out in an instant.

As for the Will of the Six Paths in Kakuzu's soul, Hyuga Shin seized it with his spiritual sense before it could even revive, then slapped it into dust.

He gave it no chance to send a message to the Six Paths.

Kakuzu had been curious about why Hyuga Shin suddenly told him to sit cross-legged and focus.

Then he suddenly felt his body changing. Not only had the amount of Chakra increased, but its purity had improved as well.

It was as if he had shed a burden. A refreshing feeling, like breaking free from crushing pressure, filled his body and mind.

It felt as though he had escaped a sea of suffering. The sensation was truly wondrous.

He also felt that his mind had undergone an even greater change.

He felt as though he had been reborn, transformed from the inside out!

Though his mind was full of questions, he knew this wasn't the time to ask.

If he needed to know, Hyuga Shin would tell him.

Meanwhile, examining Hidan proved more interesting.

Hyuga Shin might have discovered another secret that the Naruto of his previous life had never mentioned.

There was no Chakra or Will of the Six Paths inside Hidan at all! His body was filled with an entirely different kind of energy.

It seemed this world was far more complicated than it appeared!

Hyuga Shin knew he had taken another step toward uncovering the truth of this world!

Perhaps the Pure Land wasn't entirely under the Sage of Six Paths' control. There should be other unknown beings there as well.

As he studied the source of the power inside Hidan, Hyuga Shin began to form his own theories.

After finishing his examination and removing the foreign influences inside the two men, Hyuga Shin felt much more at ease.

Seeing the confusion on Kakuzu and Hidan's faces, he decided to explain.

"I just examined your bodies from the inside out. I was helping you pull out the nails embedded in you."

"This world is far darker than you imagine. The Shinobi World is nothing more than a cage, and even the strong can become puppets at any moment."

"For the sake of our dream of a Perfect World, we absolutely can't let you be interfered with."

"Hidan is a special case. I haven't found anything suspicious in him so far, but let's keep an eye on him for a while."

Hyuga Shin's words immediately gave Kakuzu a shock!

Even someone as powerful as him had had a nail planted in him without his knowledge, and he was at risk of becoming a puppet!

What kind of existence could be so terrifying?

Kakuzu didn't doubt what Hyuga Shin had said. That feeling of being reborn from the inside out had been real.

His body and soul both felt as though they had broken free of their shackles. His Chakra was purer and more active, and its volume had also increased considerably.

He couldn't help remembering that Hyuga Shin had mentioned a difficult problem he needed to resolve. This must have been it.

It made sense. If all their members were being controlled, how could they pursue their dream of a Perfect World?

Hyuga Shin then spent some time telling the two men the truth about the Shinobi World that had been concealed from them, as well as about the Sage of Six Paths.

He also shared some of his plans and goals with Kakuzu and Hidan.

He wanted them to truly understand the organization.

He named the organization Spark, after the saying that a single spark could start a prairie fire.

Hearing Hyuga Shin reveal the true face of the Shinobi World, Kakuzu could hardly believe it.

He could never have imagined that the entire Shinobi World was like a storybook, already controlled by a mastermind behind the scenes!

Everything had been arranged long ago!

Even the so-called strong could lose their sense of self at any moment!

No wonder Hyuga Shin's ideal had sounded so far-fetched, yet he had stuck to it!

He must be the only spark left beneath the darkness shrouding the Shinobi World!

An intense sense of mission filled Kakuzu. He was even more convinced by Hyuga Shin's vision of building a unified Shinobi World!

Before, he had accepted Hyuga Shin's invitation because he wanted a new purpose in life and respected the strong.

Now, overturning the darkness hanging over the Shinobi World had become Kakuzu's lifelong conviction!

This chaotic, twisted world, shrouded in darkness, needed their organization to save it!

They would become a flame that lit up the dark Shinobi World!

Hidan was a little dim-witted. Faced with such a huge revelation, he just wore an expression like a spectator enjoying the show, as though he'd learned some enormous secret.

That was only to be expected. He wasn't part of the ninja system at all, so he couldn't relate.

Still, he said he supported the organization's mission.

As he put it, "Lord Jashin is the true savior of the world. He'll break the darkness of the Shinobi World and usher in a bright future. Lord Jashin is the one true god!"

Hyuga Shin and Kakuzu were left speechless.

No matter what happened, he never forgot to promote the Evil God he worshipped.

He was so dim-witted that it was hard to tell whether he didn't understand or was pretending not to.

All in all, the Immortal Duo now had a thorough understanding of Spark's goals and plans.

They were also more supportive of the idea of creating a unified Shinobi World.

That was enough.

Naturally, the conversation turned to recruiting members.

Kakuzu and Hidan understood that such lofty ambitions required sufficiently powerful teammates if they were to accomplish anything.

This also helped Kakuzu understand why Hyuga Shin had invited that evil fellow, Hidan.

Most likely, it was because he needed a fighter. Hidan's Evil God secret technique was just too bizarre!

Even the strong would probably die if they were struck by it.

If Hidan became their enemy, they'd be the ones with a headache.

"Leader, you mentioned another prospective member before—Sasori. Is there anything special about him?"

Having figured out why Hyuga Shin had invited Hidan, Kakuzu had also grown interested in Sasori.

"Him? He was practically the fuse that set off the Third Shinobi World War. He killed the Third Kazekage."

Hyuga Shin revealed a secret in response to Kakuzu's question.

Sunagakure had always publicly claimed that Konoha was responsible for the Third Kazekage's death. That was common knowledge, so Kakuzu was surprised to learn that this prospective member had actually done it.

Kakuzu gained some confidence in Sasori. Even he wouldn't have been sure he could kill the Third Kazekage.

As expected of someone the leader had chosen with such care. Each one had a unique skill.

"Then how should we find him? He's good at hiding, and after pulling off something so major, he probably won't show himself easily."

Kakuzu was eager to recruit new teammates. Only with enough powerful allies could their ideals and convictions have a chance of becoming reality.

"Sasori is a puppeteer, so he'll definitely need to buy puppet materials. Have you looked into any suppliers? Did they have any information about him?"

Hyuga Shin shared his idea.

"I had thought of that, and even tracked down the shops he often visited."

"But the shopkeepers all remembered Sasori, yet none of them knew where he'd gone. He also hasn't shown up for some time."

"So I didn't find anything useful."

Kakuzu answered Hyuga Shin's question.

He was an old hand with plenty of experience. Once Hyuga Shin had pointed him in the right direction, he'd naturally looked into it.

He just hadn't found any useful leads.

"Then he really won't be easy to find. I appreciate your efforts," Hyuga Shin replied sincerely.

"It was the least we could do."

"But how should we look for Sasori now? He's a prospective member, after all."

Kakuzu asked for Hyuga Shin's opinion. He wanted to hear his ideas and maybe pick up a trick or two.

In his view, Hyuga Shin must have a solution now that he was here.

As an old-timer, Hyuga Shin's unfathomable abilities had left a deep impression on him.

"Go to the Underground Black Market or the shops Sasori frequented, and look for something that belonged to him."

"A puppet he made or a puppet toy would work, as would something he wore."

"Of course, it'd be even better if you could get a piece of his body."

If you can't get anything, I'll go to Sunagakure myself and find a way to obtain one of his personal belongings.

Finding people wasn't difficult for Hyuga Shin.

If he could advance to the Nascent Soul Realm, he could easily calculate someone's approximate location from their name alone.

He could do it now, too, but the cost was too high to be worthwhile. The old method would do, and it wouldn't take much time.

Hidden away in a remote village, Sasori was studying how to turn the Third Kazekage's body into a puppet.

He had no idea that the person who would change his life was about to find him.