Spring has passed and autumn has arrived; winter has already come in the blink of an eye.
Near a remote small country in the Five Great Nations.
The blade flashed, blood blossomed, and screams of agony filled the air...
As each corpse was cleaned, the figure shrouded in black robes, like the hands of an artist, hollowed out and transformed the internal organs of the remains, preserving their original vitality.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Applause erupted, and the figure turned around to look at the other side. Beneath a head of short pink hair, a pair of eyes were cold and indifferent.
"This is Human Puppet? It is said to be able to retain the vitality of the flesh and use the Puppet Technique the corpse's Kekkei Genkai. No wonder he is the genius sculptor of Sunagakure, Sasori of the Red Sands."
With his eyelids lowered and impatience flashing in his indifferent eyes, Scorpion slowly turned around, and a scroll slipped from his sleeve.
" Konoha, Orochimaru, has an annoying face, and even his tone is hateful. What exactly do you want?"
"It's nothing. I just want you to become my strength. I've also secretly investigated your affairs and discovered some interesting things that I'm sure you'll find interesting too."
A slippery purple tongue licked his lips, his cold eyes filled with bloodlust, and a battle was about to break out.
Dark clouds obscured the bright moon, and a White Mist swirled around a giant Human Puppet, much larger than a normal person and with a full head of blue hair, suddenly appeared.
"Perfect timing. There aren't any valuable materials in this village, so I'll make you one of my collectibles too. That way, you can shut up that annoying mouth of yours."
"Hehehe, is your puppet stronger, or is my forbidden technique superior? Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation!"
The purple scroll unfurled, revealing a long-hidden trump card. The sound that accompanied the White Mist immediately stunned Scorpion.
Sasori of the Red Sands then noticed that the scroll in Orochimaru's hand had the same 'three' character in the center as the one on his own puppet scroll.
"Scorpion, how dare you use poison on me!"
As the White Mist dissipated, the Third Kazekage, who should have been buried in the Pure Land, appeared, much to Sasori's surprise.
"How about it? I altered the face of the resurrected Third Kazekage using the Second Hokage's forbidden technique. Does this face evoke any nostalgia in you?"
Orochimaru's sinister smile and blatant malice put some pressure on the composed Sasori, but he felt mostly disgust and indifference.
"Defeated opponent, now that you've been resurrected, let's kill you one more time! Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!"
The third-generation puppets soared through the sky, and countless black Iron Sand bloomed like a cage of thorns. The fine black sand condensed into countless spikes, spreading in all directions.
"My Kekkei Genkai, Sasori, you bastard..."
"Enough with the small talk. Letting you take revenge yourself will make it difficult to test the Impure World Reincarnation talisman. Now it's my turn. Magnet Release: Iron Sand Shower!"
Orochimaru's smile was sinister. The Third Kazekage, who had lost control of himself, floated in mid-air like a puppet, his hands Hand Seals.
The next second, accompanied by a fine drizzle, the pitch-black sand rain shot out in all directions, only to be blocked by the triangular prism, which was also Magnet Release.
In the blink of an eye, thick black smoke filled the dilapidated outlying town, and countless scattered Iron Sand darts carved deep furrows. The battle seemed endless, and it would only come to a complete end when one side fell.
However, this did not meet the expectations of the person behind it.
On the edge of the area, a woman dressed in a black outfit with red auspicious clouds, her exposed skin pale and inhuman.
The two were locked in fierce combat when Orochimaru was about to control the Third Kazekage again when the Third Kazekage suddenly clutched his head and screamed, the talismans buried in his body inexplicably losing their effect.
"Damn it, don't try to control me! I'm the Third Kazekage!"
Orochimaru's eyes showed a hint of surprise. The intense anger was able to forcibly suppress the effect of the control talisman. It seemed that the Impure World Reincarnation, a forbidden technique involving the soul, had some flaws that he was unaware of.
"Enough, step back, Orochimaru."
His voice was deep and powerful. Orochimaru chuckled coldly, his greed undisguised as he stared intently at the figure's back.
Just as Sasori was about to press his advantage, he paused, sensing the incredibly powerful, chilling chakra emanating from the newcomer, and became wary.
" Sasori of the Red Sands, who assassinated the Third Kazekage single-handedly and indirectly started the Third Great Ninja War, come to our side."
At that moment, Scorpion's lips curled into a rare smirk, revealing a hint of madness.
"Who are you? What is your purpose?"
"Xiao, even if I mention the purpose now, you won't truly understand it. Everything depends on strength, and you won't experience this pain."
Before the words were even finished, countless Iron Sand gathered into a cuboid. With a slight movement of his fingertips, a whooshing sound filled the air in an instant.
"I'm not interested in the words of a madman. Die!"
"Consider the pain, accept the pain, understand the pain, Shinra Tensei."
His eyes, hidden beneath the hood, lifted, a flash of deep purple light disappearing in an instant, accompanied by a slow, horizontal raise of his right hand.
As the moonlight shone down, the dark clouds that filled the sky quietly dispersed, turning the already dilapidated village into a pit.
Dust and smoke rose everywhere, and grass and sand mingled together. The Third Kazekage, whom Sasori of the Red Sands had praised as the most outstanding Human Puppet, had become dilapidated.
"Come, join Akatsuki, let the world grow from its pain, and embrace eternal peace."
The figure, shrouded in moonlight, stood like a god, its deep purple eyes inexplicably captivating Scorpion.
'Art, another kind of art—no, art is eternal. My puppets are the true art. That ripple is... the Rinnegan!'
In the corner, Orochimaru's cold, vertical pupils were filled with greed and desire. Even when facing the Sharingan he had longed for, Orochimaru's greed was not as intense as it was now.
'This is the Rinnegan, the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. I never imagined it actually existed. The legendary Sage's Eye, I want them so badly! I want to unravel the secrets of the Rinnegan, the secrets of the Sage of Six Paths.'
After a long silence, Scorpion laughed and readily agreed.
"Alright, collecting puppets by myself is boring. Let me see just how crazy the goals of this mysterious organization with the Rinnegan really are."
As the figure receded into the distance, in a dark corner unnoticed by anyone, a paper butterfly, blending seamlessly into its surroundings, quietly flew away into the distance.
Outside Konoha, a dark and unknown stronghold.
On a sand table depicting the territories of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, Konan frowned slightly, feeling uneasy. Just as she was about to destroy the paper butterfly in her hand, a pair of pale but strong hands gently stopped her.
" The Paper Person of God an excellent ninjutsu for disguising traces. Combined with the manipulation ability generated by Natural Energy and massive chakra, it is truly an excellent source of intelligence for monitoring the entire Ninja World."
With a deep smile in her eyes, Huayue seemed lost in thought.
"After a long period of silence, Akatsuki, which has been hiding in the dark world, has finally decided to reappear and regroup its members. Orochimaru Sasori of the Red Sands are both dangerous individuals. It is necessary to keep our allies busy for a while. Don't you agree?"
Knowing she had been exposed, Konan turned her head away, remained silent, and refused to cooperate.
"You know me, I've always believed in love growing over time..."