"Chojuro, you're thoughtful and kind to others. You'll make a good leader."
"But sometimes you're too softhearted. You worry too much." Ao managed a strained smile. "When I'm gone, talk things over with Sakazuki and the other two whenever you face a hard decision."
"Their methods may be harsh, but their convictions are firm, and they see the bigger picture. They can give you the ruthlessness you lack."
"Ao, what are you going to do?! Don't do anything foolish!" Dread surged through Chojuro. He suddenly remembered something and looked at Ao's bandaged arm.
Ao did not answer. With his left hand, the one he could still move, he slowly and deliberately unwound the bandages around his right arm.
What they revealed was not flesh, but a mechanical arm gleaming coldly, its intricate structure ending in a rough-hewn cannon barrel that pulsed with energy.
Then, under Chojuro's horrified gaze, Ao reached a trembling left hand inside his torn shirt, pulled aside the protective lining, and took out a fist-sized energy core that glowed with a soft, steady yellow light.
A distinctive mark belonging to Sasori of the Red Sands was clearly visible on its surface.
"No! Ao, you can't!" Chojuro understood his intent in an instant. His voice rose sharply.
"Mr. Sasori warned me that this core is directly connected to your modified life-support system. It's the last source of power keeping your body running, and the key to suppressing your old injuries!"
"If you take it out to attack, the energy will discharge all at once, and you'll..."
"Die, right?" Ao finished calmly, without a ripple in his gaze. "I know."
"Chojuro, when the Fourth Shinobi World War ended and my body was rebuilt like this, I thought about ending this painful, unnatural life for good."
He looked toward Kirigakure,