Land of Rain, Six Paths City.
At noon, after finishing his training, Nagato went to the lab to find Sasori and went to the Ninja Sect cafeteria to have lunch with him.
In the past, if Konan and Yahiko were at the Ninja Sect, Nagato would generally choose to eat with them. After Sasori came to the Ninja Sect, Nagato basically always ate with Sasori.
Because even if he didn't eat with Yahiko and Konan, they would never be alone.
But Sasori was different. His status at the Ninja Sect was very delicate, and besides him, Sasori didn't have anyone else to talk to. If he wasn't there, Sasori would have to eat alone.
Nagato had spent some time wandering alone. During that time, he felt he had no place in the entire Ninja World. Even in bustling streets, he was still surrounded by endless loneliness.
It wasn't until he met Yahiko and Konan, and with their mutual support, that things began to change.
Back then, he was still in the Land of Rain, surrounded by people from the Land of Rain. Sasori was alone in a foreign country; how could he not feel lonely in his heart?
Nagato didn't think he had the ability to fully pull Sasori out of hatred and completely dispel his loneliness. He didn't have Mokgetsu's abilities nor Yahiko's charisma.
Nagato just hoped that Sasori, who had a similar experience to his own, could feel a bit better. After all, now he had the extra capacity to help others.
His experience was more tragic than Sasori's, but he met Yahiko, met Jiraiya, met Mokgetsu.
"These ninjas are getting dumber by the day. They struggle so much with simple operations. When I was seven, I was way beyond this level."
While eating, Sasori couldn't help but complain about the Ninja Sect's ninjas learning techniques in his lab.
"After all, their foundation is weak, while you are a genius," Nagato said.
Within the Ninja Sect, there weren't any ninjas proficient in puppetry, and this was also a blind spot in Mokgetsu's knowledge.
"That's true, but fortunately, they are quite diligent. Otherwise, they wouldn't have any achievements in puppetry in their lifetime," Sasori thought for a moment and said.
Even though they didn't have his talent, Sasori had to admit that those who came to learn were quite hardworking.
"Do you want to take a stroll around the city?" After finishing their meal, Nagato asked.
"Six Paths City is much more prosperous than before; there have been many changes."
Sasori had come to the Ninja Sect during the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, and apart from working a few days on the construction site initially, he mostly stayed at the Ninja Sect's base and didn't go out.
During the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, Six Paths City could only be described as a developing small town. Later, the Ninja Sect seized the opportunity of the Ninja War, and Six Paths City developed tremendously, its area expanding more than tenfold, matching the prosperity of the Land of Rain's capital.
"How prosperous can it be, in this remote place," Sasori scoffed.
"But a walk could be nice. Maybe I'll even find an opportunity to escape."
"Then let's go," Nagato nodded, not minding Sasori's talk of escape.
Since Sasori was brought into the Ninja Sect, Nagato had been responsible for him, and he witnessed Sasori's changes.
Initially, Sasori was constantly trying to find ways to escape the Ninja Sect. When he realized it was impossible, he became despondent. Then, he began actively facing his situation, working hard to reduce his sentence.
Now, Nagato occasionally saw Sasori in a good mood due to various things.
This kind of Sasori might leave the Ninja Sect after his sentence but definitely wouldn't escape prematurely.
Then, the two started strolling in Six Paths City.
"It looks a bit more decent than before, but that's about it," Sasori commented.
"Actually, Sasori, you contributed to this place too," Nagato suddenly said.
Sasori lifted his head proudly; his technology probably earned the Ninja Sect a lot of money.
"Remember here? The construction site you worked at was responsible for this area's development," Nagato pointed to a building.
Sasori's face slightly darkened. So the contribution referred to that; maybe he actually built some of those bricks.
"Just kidding, Sasori. Your contribution to the Ninja Sect is much greater than building a house," Nagato laughed.
"Has anyone ever told you that you have no sense of humor? That wasn't funny at all," Sasori retorted unceremoniously.
"Really?" Nagato felt a bit down.
He hadn't made many jokes before; during his time in the Akatsuki, he was usually the one needing others to lighten the mood around him.
"Okay, maybe it was a bit funny, but not much. Perhaps people with a low sense of humor would laugh," Sasori revised his statement.
"That's good," Nagato sighed in relief.
Who doesn't want to be seen as somewhat humorous? Sometimes, Nagato even fantasized about becoming a master jokester and making Konan laugh heartily.
"Lord Sasori."
The two continued their stroll through Six Paths City when suddenly someone called out Sasori's name. Sasori turned to look in the direction of the voice.
Very few in the Ninja Sect knew his name, mainly just the higher-ups, and the ninjas learning techniques or those who had undergone surgery.
"Are you strolling with Lord Nagato? That's rare."
A Ninja Sect ninja waved a prosthetic limb to greet Sasori, jogging over to the two of them.
"He insisted that I accompany him on a walk to digest," Sasori explained.
"Hmm, Lord Sasori, you don't walk around Six Paths City often, do you? If you get hungry at night, you can explore the west side of the city. There are plenty of food stalls there in the evenings, and there's a great tempura place," the Ninja Sect ninja enthusiastically recommended.
This is the first time he's seen Sasori outside of the Ninja Sect, so he thinks Sasori must rarely go out and thus doesn't know much about Six Paths City.
"By the way, if you like ramen, you absolutely can't miss the one on the shopping street."
"And also..."
"I get it." Sasori wasn't used to such enthusiasm and quickly interrupted.
Nagato, at this moment, also smiled and continued leading Sasori forward.
"Are all you people from the Land of Rain this enthusiastic?" Sasori asked.
It's barely after lunch, and yet there's a whole introduction about food.
"His name is Sosuke and when he's not on a mission, he loves to try dishes at various restaurants and food stalls. He's really interested in this," Nagato replied.
Sasori showed an expression of understanding.
"But he's not like this with everyone. He's enthusiastic about you because you are Sasori; you saved his ninja career," Nagato said seriously.
For a ninja, whether it's arm or leg, being fully functional is essential.
If an ordinary ninja lost an arm or broke a leg, they'd definitely have no choice but to give up being a ninja.
"Even if he isn't a ninja anymore, he might still be able to contribute to the Ninja Sect elsewhere, but he wouldn't have the income to indulge freely anymore."
Sasori remained silent, contemplating.
He had many reasons for learning puppetry—avenging his parents, an inherent interest in puppetry, or even just as a boring practice.
The only thing he hadn't considered was using puppetry to save people.
After all, when Sasori first encountered puppetry, the information he got was that puppetry was a type of ninjutsu used for combat.
"So we're really grateful to you, Sasori, for developing such technology. If skills honed over decades were forced to be abandoned due to one accident, that would be so unfortunate," Nagato lamented.
No matter how skilled a medical ninja is, they can't make a severed limb regrow, whereas Sasori's puppetry technology means as long as the head remains, everything else can be replaced.
"This is just a mere leaf amidst the eternal art," Sasori shook his head and said.
Frankly speaking, prosthetic limb technology is merely a byproduct of human puppet technology and not particularly advanced at that.
The core of human puppet technology is the Chakra Core, which is a technology that can lead a ninja towards immortality.
"But it's meaningful for the Ninja Sect, the Land of Rain, and even the Ninja World."
Nagato didn't understand puppetry, but he understood the changes prosthetic technology could bring. There are always some people in this world who have lost limbs due to various accidents.
Sasori didn't argue with Nagato, after all, it's all praise.
Their stroll through Six Paths City continued, and when they passed a takoyaki stand that Sosuke recommended, Sasori curiously bought a serving to try.
"It's not as good as he said," Sasori commented.
"After all, eating is just a matter of getting nutrients to sustain life; the human body is just an inconvenient thing."
"Maybe it's just a difference in taste, but I don't agree with that view. Enjoying delicious cuisine is an indescribable pleasure," Nagato seriously rebutted.
The happiness and satisfaction of tasting the ramen Mokgetsu made for the first time are unforgettable to him.
"Sasori, you might have such thoughts because you haven't encountered the food you truly like."
"The place where I grew up is way more prosperous than the Land of Rain. It's not that I haven't tasted the cuisines famous throughout the Ninja World, and I didn't find them enjoyable," Sasori did not relent.
"That's because those aren't true delicacies. If you taste authentic cuisine, Sasori, you wouldn't think so."
"Being underestimated here, what food compares to eternal life?"
Sasori didn't think those so-called delicacies could change his mind.
Nagato opened his mouth, but ultimately, he didn't speak.
He had confidence in Mokgetsu's cooking but didn't want to make promises casually.
Mokgetsu is not only the leader of the Ninja Sect but also recently became the Hokage of Konoha. He's definitely busy with many things, so he can't bother Mokgetsu over this matter.
The two debaters didn't notice that a passerby buying snacks on the street showed a look of surprise after seeing them but quickly returned to a normal expression.
"Walking with the Ninja Master's disciple, and having such a close relationship, it seems he really joined the Ninja Sect," thought the Hidden Sand spy.
The biggest figurehead presenting the Ninja Sect outwardly is Sosuke, who, after Sarutobi Hiruzen, seemingly holds the prestige of being the strongest in the Ninja World.
Second is Nagato—with the special status of being Sosuke's disciple and also having the title of being the Ninja World's greatest genius.
The interaction between Sasori and Nagato doesn't seem like that of collaborators, but more like close companions.
The Hidden Sand spy discreetly finished his snacks quickly, sending the information gathered back to The Hidden Sand Village.
PS:
The first update, a major adjustment failed.
My head felt weird while writing today, a bit inflated, making my already slow speed even worse.
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