Chapter 421: Sasori's Rin Nohara Puppet
Kenichi decided to begin implementing his plan immediately. Although this scheme might lead to Obito discovering his tracks, Kenichi didn't care in the slightest. Ever since Obito had frantically snatched away Rin's remains during their last encounter, Kenichi had all the leverage he needed to move forward.
The logic behind his deduction was incredibly simple: among all the remains present at the scene back then, only Rin's were missing. Based on that glaring clue alone, it required no great leap of faith for him to deduce that Rin's body held immense significance to Obito. Of course, whether Obito chose to believe the connection was his own business.
After all, Kenichi and Obito had already torn off all pretenses of civility.
"My dear friend, I'll be leaving this task in your hands,"
Kenichi said, patting Sasori on the shoulder.
To bring this plan to fruition, Sasori's unique talents were absolutely essential. Only a master puppeteer like Sasori could construct puppets that precisely met Kenichi's stringent specifications.
However, merely deploying life-sized dolls might not be enough to completely drive Obito over the edge.
Kenichi had already devised a definitive way to push Obito into a state of absolute fury: he just needed to use the One' Own Life Reincarnation to reincarnate Rin, thereby obtaining a fully revived version of the girl.
The only drawback to this method was that it required sacrificing two shinobi.
First, one shinobi would serve as the sacrifice for the Jutsu to provide a physical vessel for Rin's soul.
Then, a second shinobi—having been forced to learn the One' Own Life Reincarnation—would cast the jutsu on Rin's reanimated body, allowing her to be fully resurrected into the living world.
Kenichi had already utilized this exact operational procedure when he revived Kushina in the past.
Because he already possessed firsthand experience with the process, reviving Rin would be even easier. Furthermore, Rin possessed a distinct advantage over Kushina: Rin's overall strength during her lifetime had not been particularly outstanding.
Consequently, the shinobi chosen as the second sacrifice wouldn't even need to be a Jonin.
Kushina's revival had demanded a Jonin-level sacrifice. While the Reanimation Jutsu itself was lenient with its sacrifices, the One' Own Life Reincarnation was incredibly strict, which had caused quite a bit of trouble back then.
"How many do you need?"
Sasori asked. If it was just a single puppet, he could finish it in no time, but if Kenichi required a large batch…
"A lot. I plan to market and distribute this as a commercial commodity. If business takes off, I can even grant you a cut of the dividends,"
Kenichi replied, scratching his head. To be honest, he wasn't entirely certain if a lucrative market existed for this specific type of product.
But he was determined to go through with it anyway, purely out of a desire to disgust Obito.
The Shinobi World was filled with various entertainment districts. The hot spring resorts in particular specialized in these kinds of services, even offering mixed-gender baths and similar amenities at various price points.
Kenichi, naturally, had never frequented such places himself, but Jiraiya certainly had.
Jiraiya had not only frequented them, but he had also published comprehensive guides to these entertainment establishments in certain adult magazines.
He had meticulously listed the prices, ranging from exorbitant high-class establishments costing hundreds of thousands of Ryo to cheap roadside venues for a mere few dozen Ryo. It was clear that these establishments did everything in their power to cater to the diverse desires of their clientele.
Therefore, while Kenichi couldn't predict whether this particular puppet would become popular, he felt it was worth a shot.
"A large amount? My personal funds are currently a bit tight,"
Sasori admitted, sounding slightly embarrassed. One' Own Life Reincarnation construction of Unit-01, as he had invested every resource he possessed into that project.
If it were just a single puppet meant for Kenichi's personal amusement, Sasori would have crafted it without a second thought. But now Kenichi wanted a massive production run with the intent of exporting them to other hidden villages, and Sasori's current budget simply couldn't cover the raw material costs.
"Don't worry about it, I'll foot the bill. Let's start with a test batch of one hundred for each of the great villages, making a grand total of four hundred puppets. How much will that run me?"
Kenichi asked, confidently patting his chest with the swagger of a man possessing vast wealth. One had to remember that he had recently seized control of the Land of Water, effectively turning the Mist Daimyo into a soulless, compliant rubber stamp.
The Daimyo, having been parasitized by Kenichi's mind-controlling worms, no longer possessed any of his former hedonistic desires or materialistic greed.
As a result, the national treasury had naturally fallen under Kenichi's complete control. While Kenichi might not be wealthy enough to buy out an entire continent, his personal funds could easily rival the entire financial reserves of the Hidden Sand or Hidden Stone Villages without breaking a sweat.
Sasori's estimated production cost wasn't actually that high. In fact, the total figure he proposed felt rather conservative to Kenichi.
After all, in Kenichi's previous life, the prices of high-end anime figures and life-sized dolls were often astronomical. While cheap alternatives existed, you always got exactly what you paid for.
Some of the rarest, premium-grade figures could easily equal the down payment on a house. In regions where real estate was cheap, a single top-tier collectible could be worth an entire house, if not more.
Yet, he hadn't expected that commissioning a master like Sasori to craft a life-sized, hyper-realistic puppet would be so inexpensive.
Without hesitation, Kenichi decisively paid double the requested amount, instructing Sasori to manufacture a few extra units so he could use them to promote the product to the other shinobi villages later on.
The mere thought of Obito's absolutely furious reaction upon witnessing these dolls made Kenichi feel that every single Ryo was exceptionally well spent.
"In ancient legends, powerful monarchs would wage catastrophic wars just to win a beautiful woman's smile. Now, here I am, Amamiya Kenichi, spending a fortune just to trigger Obito's blind rage. Wait... why does that phrasing sound so incredibly weird?"
Kenichi muttered, scratching his head. Oh well, there was no point in dwelling on the semantics. He planned to return to the Land of Water shortly to prepare a massive surprise for Obito.
Just as Kenichi turned around to make his departure, a peculiar noise echoed through the air, sounding faintly like an old-fashioned airplane flying at a low altitude. The strange sound instinctively caused him to look up toward the sky.
High above, a dark silhouette was swooping down rapidly from the clouds.
"Amamiya-senpai! Ahhhhhh!"
Accompanied by Deidara's incredibly excited, voice-cracking screech, Kenichi instantly realized who it was.
However, noting Deidara's wild, overly enthusiastic expression and the violently wobbling construct beneath him, Kenichi proactively utilized his Wood Release to manifest a dense, cushioned wooden structure on the ground, intending to give Deidara a safe place to land.
Before he could even step back, Kenichi was violently yanked behind the massive frame of Unit-01 by Sasori. Before Kenichi could voice his confusion and ask why he had been pulled away, a deafening explosion erupted. A violent shockwave accompanied by roaring flames spewed out across the immediate area.
Kenichi's mouth twitched in sheer disbelief.
Hadn't he just constructed a perfectly soft cushion? Why on earth did Deidara still manage to explode? That defied all logical explanation.
"Deidara's flight experiments always end like this. Ever since he figured out how to take to the skies, he invariably triggers an explosion the moment he touches down. You'll get used to it,"
Sasori remarked calmly. Seeing the utter bewilderment reflecting in Kenichi's eyes, he offered the explanation dryly, though the clarification only left Kenichi even more dumbfounded.
What kind of ridiculous operational routine was that?
"Amamiya-senpai! It's been way too long!"
A completely blackened, soot-covered Deidara excitedly squeezed his way out of the smoke, eagerly extending a soot-stained hand. Kenichi let out a soft chuckle and reached out to shake Deidara's hand. He couldn't help but notice that the young artist seemed to have grown a bit taller since their last meeting.
"Deidara, why exactly did your flying machine detonate just now?"
Kenichi couldn't resist asking. He hadn't been able to get a perfectly clear look at the aircraft before the crash, but he had definitely noticed that its structural design closely resembled an old-fashioned propeller plane.
"Hehe, Amamiya-senpai, I had a sudden burst of inspiration after studying those artistic masterpieces of yours! But as for the specific mechanics I was researching..."
Deidara rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit too embarrassed to finish his sentence.
The aircraft wasn't actually supposed to explode upon landing. However, because he had spotted Kenichi from the air, Deidara had become overly excited. That momentary lapse in focus led to a critical operational error, which promptly triggered the volatile clay and caused the machine to blow up.
Kenichi didn't know the exact details behind the mishap, but seeing Deidara's profound embarrassment, he merely smiled and chose not to press the issue further. Instead, he casually chatted with Deidara about everyday matters while Sasori quietly slipped back into the main laboratory.
Sasori had already invested a vast majority of his premium components into the construction of Unit-01, but he had intentionally set aside a modest stockpile of materials for crafting standard puppet frames. Now presented an ideal opportunity to assemble a quick prototype, allowing Kenichi to inspect the quality firsthand before leaving the base.
He wanted his associate to evaluate the design and determine if there were any areas that required refinement, which would greatly streamline the upcoming mass-production process.
"Deidara, you're already aware of what happened to the Hidden Mist Village and the Land of Water, right? I was the one responsible for that entire operation. Tell me, are you interested in formally working alongside me?"
Kenichi inquired.
Deidara's current combat capabilities were already quite formidable. Though he hadn't yet reached the pinnacle of strength he would achieve in the future, he was still an incredibly versatile and lethal shinobi. Incorporating Deidara into his ranks would significantly enrich Kenichi's tactical options.
Although he couldn't predict exactly how the remaining four great shinobi villages would react to his recent actions, Kenichi was well aware that conducting aerial assaults would become significantly more difficult moving forward.
Even executing covert infiltrations using the Vanishing Facial Copy Technique wouldn't be nearly as simple as before.
He had never underestimated the Kage of the four great villages or viewed them as fools.
Shinobi warfare was fundamentally a war of information. Having undoubtedly analyzed the intelligence gathered from the Mist Village disaster, those leaders would inevitably implement highly targeted countermeasures based on their respective village defenses.
"Eh? The Hidden Mist Village? Hmm,"
Deidara muttered, looking briefly confused. He was well aware of the massive geopolitical upheaval that had rocked the Land of Water, but he had never imagined that his own senior was the mastermind behind the entire event.
That was simply too magnificent!
Deidara agreed to the proposition without a single shred of hesitation. To his mind, only by following Kenichi could he truly pursue the absolute pinnacle of art. However, in his current state, Deidara didn't fully comprehend what the ultimate form of his art was meant to be.
At times, Deidara even felt that transforming his own physical body into a permanent work of art might be the ultimate choice.
"Oh, that's right, Deidara. When the timing is appropriate, I'll show you a brand-new concept I've been developing,"
Kenichi said, looking at the young shinobi while keeping Deidara's specific interests in mind. For someone who firmly believed that art was an explosion, a nuclear weapon would undoubtedly represent the absolute, undeniable pinnacle of artistic expression, wouldn't it?
Granted, while the hydrogen bomb existed as an even higher tier of destruction, Kenichi lacked the capability to manufacture that supreme crystallization of devastation just yet. For the time being, he would have to suffice with standard atomic weaponry.
"Really?"
Deidara asked, eagerly rubbing his hands together. He knew full well that Kenichi wouldn't make such a statement without a good reason. Since he had brought it up, the project was almost certainly tailored to his explosive style.
The only things Deidara could envision were the various advanced firearms and ballistic weapons Kenichi had previously demonstrated.
The sheer destructive force of those armaments was breathtaking, making them exquisite works of art in their own right.
Heavily influenced by Kenichi's designs, Deidara had subconsciously begun shaping his explosive clay creations to mimic the appearance of Kenichi's modern weaponry.
"Yes, but the explosive yield of this particular weapon is overwhelmingly massive, so I can't simply demonstrate it for you on a whim. However, I am confident that I will be able to show you its full glory on the battlefield,"
Kenichi promised, nodding firmly.
As the wielder of the Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai, Deidara possessed an incredibly unique and profound insight into the nature of detonations. Kenichi was highly curious to see what kind of magnificent inspiration Deidara would unleash after witnessing the apocalyptic brilliance of an atomic blast.
Deidara's eyes practically illuminated with unbridled excitement. Looking at the ecstatic youth, Kenichi felt that if he hadn't explicitly established those boundaries beforehand, Deidara would likely be pestering him to detonate a nuclear weapon right then and there.
Just as Kenichi opened his mouth to advise Deidara to calm down, he noticed Sasori walking out from the adjacent laboratory facility. Emerging directly behind the puppeteer was a remarkably familiar female figure.
Kenichi froze in place, completely stunned.
It was Rin Nohara.
The girl calmly following behind Sasori looked exactly like Rin. Kenichi vigorously rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Had Sasori somehow managed to master the One' Own Life Reincarnation without his knowledge?
But a moment of careful observation quickly corrected his initial shock. This wasn't a reanimated corpse brought back by the Edo Tensei at all—it was an exquisitely crafted puppet built entirely by Sasori's own hands!
"Kenichi, take a look and see if this model satisfies your requirements,"
Sasori said, presenting the puppet.
The Rin puppet stood gracefully before Kenichi. The face was utterly identical to the original girl, down to the precise purple markings painted on her cheeks.
She was dressed in a delicate, translucent silk garment that draped half-hidden and half-revealed over her form, a design choice specifically calculated to provoke the viewer's curiosity to see what lay beneath.
Kenichi instinctively lifted the edge of the sheer fabric to conduct a thorough inspection, before silently giving Sasori a definitive thumbs-up. He had to openly concede that Sasori's craftsmanship was nothing short of miraculous; an artisan of this caliber would have amassed an absolute fortune in his previous world.
He had even lightly touched the synthetic skin just now, and the tactile feedback was remarkably realistic.
The internal engineering was so sophisticated that it could even simulate natural sensations in specific anatomical areas. If this Rin replica hadn't remained perfectly frozen in her default pose, Kenichi might have genuinely believed she had been restored to life.
"Incredibly well-made. This is exactly what I was looking for,"
Kenichi praised, thoroughly satisfied. A customized puppet of this extraordinary caliber would easily command a seven-figure price tag back home. If one were to incorporate advanced mechanical features or tailored individual specifications, breaking into the eight-figure range would be an absolute guarantee.
However, this was the Shinobi World, and Kenichi needed to first gauge the actual market demand for these specialized constructs among the local population.
"..."
Deidara stood off to the side, quietly swallowing hard. Having witnessed the entire inspection firsthand, he couldn't help but feel a bit flustered.
For a wild moment, he had genuinely thought his senior was about to personally test out the puppet's physical functions right then and there.
"In that case, Sasori, I'll trouble you to begin mass-producing these dolls. I'll personally transport this initial batch to the other shinobi villages to test the waters of the market,"
Kenichi instructed, casting a final appreciative glance at the masterpiece. There was genuinely no flaw to criticize; the creation was flawless.
The most astonishing detail was that Sasori had even meticulously applied fine, microscopic texturing to the skin's surface, elevating the realism to an uncanny degree.
"If this basic configuration is all that's required, then mass production will be an incredibly simple task,"
Sasori replied, nodding in agreement. Crafting a puppet of this simplified nature was nothing more than a casual pastime to pass the time.
He had previously contemplated implementing several advanced upgrades, such as integrating vocal cord mechanisms, dynamic facial expressions, variable skin textures, and automated temperature regulation systems.
He could even calibrate internal lubrication levels. While those additions would have required a bit more technical effort, he hadn't expected Kenichi's parameters to be so straightforward, which significantly reduced the overall manufacturing time.
Deidara secretly let out a massive sigh of relief, profoundly grateful that his senior wasn't the kind of degenerate he had briefly feared.
Thank goodness, thank goodness. Amamiya-senpai truly is a pure, dedicated artist through and through. Compared to the eternal pursuit of true art, what use do we have for mere women?
.....
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