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  "Zetsu, it's you! I thought I was—dead."

  "This is Konan's paper ninjutsu. How—?"

  "What about Kakuzu? Aren't we going back for him?" Sasori, sprawled on the back of the giant paper bird, asked, his voice strained.

  His puppets—destroyed.

  He'd known there might be powerful ninja in the world, capable of obliterating his puppets with a sisu. He could accept that.

  What he couldn't accept—was that mohe oh "Loyal to Konoha" etched on his back.

  He was unkilble. Sshed, burned, impaled—every time Sasori thought he'd finally won, the monster would—regee. Not even regee, just—heal instantly.

  He'd exhausted his entire arsenal, and still hadn't mao deplete the monster's chakra. If Zetsu hadn't intervened—

  "I sensed—something was wrong and tacted Konan. She sent this"

  "Kakuzu is dead." Bck Zetsu's voice trembled. They'd failed. Again.

  This—wasn't part of the pn.

  Those devious Konoha ninja had used Kamui to transport their reinforts, pletely misleading him about their strength.

  And Obitht eye—he'd wits destru. This meant Konoha not only knew Obito's identity, but they'd also mao evolve Kakashi's Sharingan into a Mangekyō Sharingan, using Kamui against them.

  Ruthless.

  They'd killed Kakuzu effortlessly.

  The image of those five ninja surrounding Kakuzu—it sent a shiver down his spine.

  "Hiruzen Sarutobi, Yugito Nii, Kisame Hoshigaki, Pakura" Bck Zetsu's voice dripped with venom. He reized them instantly.

  Evehird Hokage himself had joihe fight, to avenge Danzo. The Land of Fire—it was a cursed pce.

  Sometimes, he wondered if the Sage of Six Paths was secretly—watg, interfering.

  "We shouldn't have killed Danzo." He regretted it now. For a bit of mohey'd lost a valuable asset.

  He'd observed Hiruzen Sarutobi for years. If not for Danzo's death, he would have likely remained in Konoha, a—passive force.

  But now—

  "And you—what happened? Why are you so—battered?"

  "I entered an—unkilble monster."

  "Unkilble?" Bck Zetsu scoffed. The only truly immortal being was his mother, Kaguya ōtsutsuki.

  The others—they simply hadn't been—persuaded suffitly.

  "I exhausted my entire arsenal and couldn't—stop him," Sasori said.

  "He's that strong?" Bck Zetsu had seen Deadpool, briefly, when resg Sasori.

  He possessed intel on practically everyone in the ninja world, but this—Deadpool—he was unknown. As if he'd appeared out of thin air.

  "Not strong, but—he ters me. I specialize in attrition. I ck—overwhelming firepower. Evehird Kazekage puppet—its jutsu aren't that destructive. And he—he regees too quickly. And he feels no pain, no fear."

  "If someone like our leader, with his powerful jutsu, could obliterate him, or perhaps—a powerful sealing jutsu to restrain him"

  Sasori wasn't a fuinjutsu specialist.

  And sealing jutsu—they were the bane of immortal beings.

  Bck Zetsu sighed.

  The ninja world was being increasingly—uable, spiraling beyond his trol. He was struggling to manipute events from the shadows.

  It was as if a higher power was interfering.

  "Did you—plete your objective?"

  "Of course. The Fourth Kazekage is dead. I have the body." Sasori's voice brightened.

  Though he hadn't mao acquire Deadpool, Rasa's corpse was a valuable prize.

  He couldn't be too greedy.

  He already possessed the Third Kazekage puppet. Now, he'd have the Fourth.

  One trolled Iron Sand, the old Dust. One specialized in sustained bat, the other in powerful jutsu and sealing teiques.

  He'd once created the "Father" and "Mother" puppets. Child's py, pared to this.

  Now, he'd have the "Iron" and "Gold" bo. A true Kazekage collector.

  Though human puppets were weaker than their living terparts, two Kage-level puppets—that was a formidable force.

  If he'd had the Fourth Kazekage puppet, perhaps he could have captured Deadpool.

  Bck Zetsu, hearing this, felt a flicker of—satisfa.

  Kakuzu's death—it wasn't a plete loss. His power would—live on through Sasori's puppets.

  "You discard the unnecessary parts wheing human puppets, don't you?" he asked.

  "Of course. Why?"

  "Give them to Hiruko." Waste not, want not.

  A single corpse, two uses.

  Puppetry aensei, bined, could create two powerful warriors.

  As long as the body wasn't too—deposed.

  The Edo Tensei didn't require a plete corpse. A suffit amount anic material was enough to summon a soul from the Pure Land.

  Hiruko had reported progress with the Edo Tensei. He could begin resurreg test subjects soon.

  "How long to create a Fourth Kazekage puppet?"

  "Three, four days, perhaps. Or a couple of weeks. I o—repair myself."

  "Make it quick. We use the Fourth Kazekage puppet to—gee ine. With Kakuzu gone, our finances are—straihe Kazekage's gold-finding abilities will be—useful."

  The Akatsuki erpetually broke.

  Hiruko's researagato's—charitable donations to Amegakure—it all oney. And with Kakuzu gone—

  They needed a new source of ine.

  "Why me?"

  "Kakuzu was your partner. You should—honor his memory by—colleg funds."

  Sasori hesitated. With his puppets destroyed, he, too, was short on cash. Rasa's gold-finding abilities—he'd rather keep those for himself.

  "I—also need moo rebuild my puppets."

  "The anization's needs e first!"

  The air grew tense.

  "You said—Hiruko's Edo Tensei resurrect the dead?" Sasori asked.

  "Yes. Why?"

  "I have ao solve our financial problems. But the gold from Rasa's puppet—I'll keep that."

  Bck Zetsu scowled. Your gold? All money beloo the Akatsuki.

  Individual wealth was meaningless. Collective prosperity was the goal. And Sasori, as a member of the Akatsuki, cked the proper—dedication.

  If he had other options, he'd reprimand Sasori.

  But the Akatsuki was desperately short on mahe new recruits were still—traveling. He had to be patient. "What's your idea?"

  "Relying on the bat unit for ine is—ineffit. And risky. We failed this time because—we killed Danzo. That's why Konoha's security was so tight."

  Bck Zetsu nodded.

  He regretted killing Danzo. But there were no do-overs in the ninja world.

  "We should—emute Konoha. Establish legitimate businesses. Delegate some of the—financial burden to Konan, Hiruko—the others."

  Sasori, having witnessed Konoha's prosperity, was—intrigued.

  Why should they risk their lives for money, while those merts simply—ted their earnings?

  It wasn't fair.

  With even Kakuzu, his partner, gohe injustice of it all was—galling.

  He'd even sidered—retiring, being a mert.

  He peteer, after all. A profession that—valued money. He could manipute events from the shadows, acquire his wealth through—less violent means.

  "Legitimate businesses?" Bck Zetsu frowned. "You're suggesting—Konan use her Paper Ninjutsu to—mass-produce explosive tags?"

  He'd sidered it, but Konan's Paper Ninjutsu, while impressive, couldn't perfectly replicate the subtle variations in each vilge's explosive tags.

  Selling them locally was fine, but on the open market—they'd attrawatention.

  And then—they'd be traced baegakure.

  Unlike kunai or shuriken, explosive tags were—reguted. They could be used against daimyo, he vilges trolled their produ and distribution carefully.

  And while the bck market seemed—ued, the Five Great Vilges ofte for—"quality trol."

  For example, pg bounties on "explosive tag suppliers."

  To see which smaller vilges or workshops were supplying the bck market.

  Local produ and distribution were ohing, but supplying the bck market—that roblem.

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