Sasori of the Red Sands did not agree on the spot, but he did consent to return with Araki to Kirigakure first and rest up for a while.
After all, no matter what he planned to do next, he needed a batch of puppets on hand as a foundation. He did not need to head out in full six-slot god gear, sure, but he could not exactly go out carrying only six bottles of potions, could he?
And now that he had tasted the benefits of Human Puppets, how could he possibly still care for those rigid mechanical puppets?
But without tools in hand, he could not capture the prey he had set his eyes on, so he needed to go to Kirigakure first and modify a few backups.
"I'm only going to get some puppet materials..."
All along the way, Sasori of the Red Sands reminded himself over and over in his heart.
The small boat crossed the sea, and under Araki's lead, the two arrived unhindered at the entrance to the Puppet Workshop Sasori had left here back then.
"Hey, you can keep staying here. No problem, right?"
"Of course!"
Sasori raised his head and looked at the place, a trace of nostalgia showing in his eyes.
Thinking back carefully, the days when he had studied puppets here while fighting Konoha were actually the happiest times of his life.
No pressure, not a care in the world, switching back and forth between the two things he loved doing most. It had practically been heaven.
When he had been in Sunagakure before, he could neither fight Konoha nor research Human Puppets. Later, after he returned, he could fight Konoha, but his research into Human Puppets still had not gone smoothly. There had always been the feeling of