Found!

Kakuzu and Hidan set off as soon as they received their orders, going their separate ways.

Hidan went to the Underground Black Market to post a request for a Scorpion Puppet and a commission to have one custom-made, while Kakuzu checked the supply shops to see if he could find any of Sasori's personal belongings.

Having manpower in the organization made a real difference. He no longer had to run around doing everything himself. It saved a lot of trouble.

Hyuga Shin wasn't idle either. He found a decent inn and continued his research.

"Damn you, Sage of Six Paths. You've really given me a tough problem to solve." Hyuga Shin couldn't help cursing him under his breath.

Hyuga Shin didn't know that the Sage of Six Paths, in the Pure Land, had cursed him plenty, too.

The Six Paths Sage had been so enraged by Hyuga Shin's influence that he'd nearly lost his reason. He'd even gone out of his way to pick a fight with someone.

The two were uncannily in sync.

Three days passed in a flash, and Hyuga Shin's research had reached another level. He'd probably have results soon.

Kakuzu and Hidan had sent word as well. They'd collected one of Sasori's puppets, but hadn't managed to get any of his personal belongings.

Kakuzu had found nothing among the material merchants. Sasori was still as cautious as ever.

As for Hidan, someone had accepted his request for a Scorpion Puppet at the Black Market exchange, and it had been delivered soon after.

Hyuga Shin returned to their original meeting place. Kakuzu and Hidan were already waiting, with a human puppet about as tall as a person beside them.

It bore Sasori's mark. It was one of his creations.

The goods sold in the Underground Black Market might have questionable origins, but their authenticity was rarely in doubt.

The Shinobi World was one that valued its rules. If anyone was caught selling fakes, they'd be blacklisted by the Black Market and barred from taking its jobs.

In serious cases, Black Market Ninjas might even hunt them down!

That was why almost no one tried to pass off fakes. It was a belief established over countless years.

"Hidan, this is for you. We got caught up talking last time, and I forgot to give it to you."

Hyuga Shin brushed his ring, and another ring much like Kakuzu's appeared, along with a scroll.

He hadn't rushed to search for Sasori. He'd already gotten what he needed, so there was no hurry. Sasori wasn't going anywhere.

"Oh, thanks, Boss. I thought I wasn't getting one." Hidan took the ring and scroll, his mood brightening at once.

He'd been coveting the thing for a long time.

"Every member of the Spark Organization will get one. It'll be the mark of our organization."

"I just don't know if you'll be able to use it. Try it first and see. If there's a problem, I'll have one specially made for you."

The power within Hidan came from the Evil God, and Hyuga Shin didn't know whether he'd be able to use it.

Kakuzu stood quietly nearby, waiting.

Hidan opened the scroll and tried following the instructions.

The method for using the communication ring wasn't particularly difficult. After tinkering with it for a while, Hidan asked Kakuzu about a few things he didn't quite understand.

Once Kakuzu explained, he'd basically figured out how to use it.

Then Hidan tried powering it with his own energy. To his surprise, it worked.

He just wasn't very good at it yet.

It seemed the Evil God's power had something in common with the Sage of Six Paths' Chakra system.

Hyuga Shin was surprised, but then it was as if he suddenly understood something.

He seemed to have been looking at the problem the wrong way.

Chakra and Natural Energy were both forms of energy. They simply existed on different levels.

His communication method could work with Natural Energy and Chakra, so it should work with other kinds of energy, too.

It was like a car: it could run on gasoline, diesel, or even water. As long as it was energy, it would work.

The only difference was how fast it went.

Still, as long as it worked, he wouldn't have to waste time having a custom one made.

Next came the search for Sasori.

Hyuga Shin ignored Hidan, who was busy trying out his new toy, and walked straight over to the puppet.

Kakuzu's gaze followed him.

He wanted to see how Hyuga Shin would find Sasori's location and whether he could learn something from it.

Hyuga Shin pressed his hand to the spot marked with Sasori's emblem.

"Trace the source!" A powerful aura burst from Hyuga Shin, making Kakuzu and Hidan turn to look.

"A remote village in the northwest of the Land of Wind, a little over three hundred kilometers away."

"He really knows how to hide. No wonder you couldn't find him, Kakuzu, Hidan."

As Hyuga Shin gave Sasori's location, he praised Sasori's caution.

"Now that you've found him, Boss, when do we leave?"

Kakuzu knew his place. Even if he had his own thoughts, he'd still hear out his leader's plans.

Unfortunately, he hadn't learned a thing from that.

As for Hidan, all he had to do was follow orders.

"Now that we have his exact location, we'll leave at once. Time waits for no one! I don't have much time to waste."

"The future belongs to you. I hope that in the time I have left, I can find you a group of powerful companions who share your ideals."

"The darkness of the Shinobi World needs a spark. I believe you'll inherit my will and accomplish the great task of unification!"

"Cast aside the clouds hanging over all living things! Build a Perfect World!"

Hyuga Shin's pep talks came at the drop of a hat, and he poured them into Kakuzu and Hidan until they were thoroughly fired up.

They were practically itching to overthrow the rotten Shinobi World right away.

Seeing the two of them so fired up, Hyuga Shin didn't hesitate any longer. He sprang into the air and led the way.

Kakuzu and Hidan followed at once.

Every comrade on their road to fighting the darkness would be a precious asset.

In a remote village in the northwestern Land of Wind.

Sasori had recently made a breakthrough in his experiment to preserve the Third Kazekage's Kekkei Genkai and turn it into a puppet.

After all, without his Kekkei Genkai, the Third Kazekage couldn't display his full strength.

That was why Sasori had secluded himself to work on the experiment for several months.

He had no idea his actions had thrown the entire Shinobi World into turmoil.

But even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. His pursuit of the eternal art of puppetry was what he was destined to do.

Four hours later, Hyuga Shin, Kakuzu, and Hidan had reached the area around the village where Sasori was hiding.

Three hundred kilometers was a long way to travel, even for a ninja.

And they had to accommodate Hidan, whose weaker abilities meant he couldn't keep up the pace.

"Let's rest and recover before we go bring Sasori in as a prospective member." Seeing Hidan out of breath, Hyuga Shin was understanding.

They were practically there, and Sasori wasn't going anywhere.

At Hyuga Shin's words, Hidan found a comfortable spot and sat down to rest. He really was exhausted.

He'd practically put everything he had into keeping up with those two old men.

For a while, he'd even wondered which of them was supposed to be the young one.

Kakuzu was fine. He was strong enough that, despite his age, his many hearts meant he wasn't especially tired.

Still, since Hyuga Shin had said so, he didn't object. He sat down and recovered.

Hyuga Shin stood waiting without even breathing hard. He had no intention of getting involved in recruiting Sasori. That was Kakuzu and Hidan's task.

He would pass away eventually, and his seeds needed to learn to stand on their own.

He, Hyuga Shin, was the Great Teacher of Virtue of the Shinobi World!

A proponent of unification, the founder of a Perfect World, a guide for those who had lost their way, a beacon illuminating the darkness of the Shinobi World.

Not a nanny who followed along to clean up after them.

He could guide them in many matters, but he couldn't keep interfering forever. They had to learn to save themselves and dare to struggle against the fate laid out for them!

That was Hyuga Shin's goal.

Without firm conviction and faith, how could they shatter a world shrouded in darkness?

Half an hour later, the two had recovered and were ready to move out.

The three of them set off for the village together.

"Sasori is in this village, in the house at the far edge. The rest is up to you."

Hyuga Shin handed Kakuzu a ring and gave them the exact location.

"Rest assured, Boss. We'll bring Sasori into the organization and make him one of the people building a Perfect World."

Kakuzu took the ring and headed for Sasori's hideout with Hidan.