I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 462 People are like living puppets, always acting according to the wishes of others.

"Shh~shh~shh~"

Slow, dragging footsteps gradually began to sound. Although the sound of the footsteps being squeezed on the floor indicated that the person was not heavy, the dust on the ground still made the footsteps very clear.

Inside a room, a red-haired boy quickly covered the table with a piece of cloth stained with some old machine lubricant, only covering half of it, which appeared to be books or something similar.

"Knock knock knock~"

"Scorpion, are you busy?"

A kind, but seemingly lifeless voice rang out as the red-haired boy addressed the doorway, saying, "I'm just reading, Grandma, come in."

The wooden door slowly opened a crack before opening wider. The hinges supporting the door were smoothly lubricated, making no sound. Chiyo's numb face regained a glimmer of color when she saw the red-haired boy in front of the table.

This was a small room, and the bed was tiny. Even though Scorpion was still just a boy, he felt like he was sitting in a miniature showroom. The room had many hanging cabinets filled with various scrolls, books, and puppet materials.

Besides that, there was only a desk left. Even the wardrobe was omitted, and some tall trays were used under the bed as storage boxes for clothes.

Sasori was sitting at his desk, surrounded by numerous books. Chiyo approached and, noticing the uncovered books, asked curiously, "Are you interested in medical ninjutsu now?"

These books were brought from the study; they were Chiyo's collection. Chiyo was not offended by her grandson taking her books without telling her; in fact, she was quite pleased.

It's gratifying that Scorpion is gradually moving on. If Scorpion can truly forget his parents, perhaps that would be a good thing.

Scorpion glanced at the books in front of him again, then nodded and said, "Yes, I think it's necessary to learn some. Grandma, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"There's a market open today, what would you like to eat? Grandma will go buy it for you."

"That's fine. If you have dates, please buy some for me too."

Sasori said calmly, seemingly not particularly interested in food. Chiyo nodded and said, "Okay. By the way, if you have any questions about medical ninjutsu, you can always come to Grandma."

"I will."

Seeing that her grandson didn't get up and didn't seem to want to go to the market with the adults like the other children, Chiyo nodded with slight disappointment, turned around, and dragged herself out of the room, closing the door behind her.

After Chiyo left, Sasori did not immediately resume his previous actions. Instead, he remained seated, and his left hand was somehow connected to a chakra thread. After a short while, his ring finger twitched.

Sasori finally felt a slight sense of relief. The chakra threads broke, and Sasori lifted the dirty tablecloth, revealing a jumble of books hidden underneath.

There are books on basic anatomy, physiology, and neurology, as well as books on psychology, behavioral science, and other subjects that are only slightly related to basic medicine, along with articles clipped from journals.

"The Theory of Functional Zoning of the Brain", "Experimental Research on Brain Function", "Brain, Consciousness, and Behavior: How the Brain Works", "Theoretical Research on the Brain's Control of Motor Behavior", "Spinal Cord: A Review of Functional Neuroanatomy", "Your Body is Electrified: How Neurons Work"

There are many papers that are completely ignored in this era. The authors of these papers are very similar. Either Sakamoto Tatsuma is the first author and Orochimaru is the corresponding author, or Orochimaru is the first author and Sakamoto Tatsuma is the second author.

These were all secretly collected by Scorpion over the past six months during his missions. He went to great lengths because these periodicals didn't sell well in the Land of Fire, let alone the Land of Wind.

He had traveled to every hospital in the Land of Wind to obtain these papers. What saddened Scorpion was that when he discovered them, the journals in which they were published still had their original plastic seals, and no one had ever opened or read them.

Scorpion picked up the books and papers; he had to move them to a different place. To avoid arousing his grandmother's suspicion or disappointment, he needed to ask her about medical ninjutsu.

In other words, the privacy of his desk might be reduced. Therefore, given his grandmother's level of dislike for Konoha, Hatake Sakumo, and Sakamoto Tatsuma, she would absolutely not allow these things to exist.

He sealed the documents with a seal scroll and mixed them among the many scrolls in the hanging cabinet. Scorpion took out a notebook from the drawer. This was his unfinished research. He touched the cover, opened it, and took a look.

"Experiments on Chakra-Simulated Neuronal Electrical Signals—A Conjecture on the Hyperliving Puppet." This is his masterpiece and his idea: to kill a person but ensure that he continues to live.

A super-living puppet, its body still alive, but its mind blank, manipulated by the puppeteer. After watching for a long time, Scorpion closed the notebook and took out the sealing scroll that contained "Father and Mother".

He then drew a sealing incantation in the spare space, sealed the notebook inside, rolled up the scroll, and carried it with him.

At the same time, he took some books and scrolls related to medical ninjutsu and placed them in the original position on the desk, then covered the dirty tablecloth back on, making it look as if he had just casually put the tablecloth there.

He then opened the ninjutsu scroll about chakra scalpels and began to practice. However, what he condensed in his hand was not a chakra scalpel, but rather chakra threads with a harder texture.

Floating on his fingertips like a needle, he stretched out his other hand and slowly inserted the chakra needle into his arm. His fingers began to twitch uncontrollably. Sasori kept trying until he could stably control the amplitude and frequency of his hand twitching.

At this moment, Chiyo also returned home. Sasori stopped what he was doing, moved his somewhat "unfamiliar" hands, and extended the chakra needles inserted in his hands to hide the chakra threads. Then, he regained his gloomy calm, got up and walked downstairs.

"You're down?"

Hearing footsteps, Chiyo's voice held a hint of excitement. Her grandson rarely left the room his parents had prepared for him. Except for when he was a child, when he was at school, and now when he was away on missions, he spent most of his time in his room.

Even meals are obtained by controlling puppets. Chiyo has to ask permission for permission for the grandmother and granddaughter to meet. However, things seem to be getting better now.

Chiyo turned around with a smile and said, "Are you hungry? Why don't you have some dates first? Dinner will have to wait a while."

"it is good."

Sasori nodded, walked into the kitchen, and extended his left hand, which was pierced with chakra needles, toward Chiyo, who was offering him dates. Although he did not look directly at her, Sasori kept his eyes on Chiyo's reaction.

It wasn't until he picked up the dates, withdrew his hand, and Chiyo turned around and put down the other dates that Sasori breathed a slight sigh of relief, and even the corners of his mouth turned up for a moment.

He didn't reach for the dates with his left hand; instead, he used the chakra threads and chakra needles connected to his right hand to control his left hand, mimicking his usual behavior, and took the dates.

During this process, Chiyo did not notice anything amiss. Chiyo was no ordinary person. From childhood, as his only relative, although their interactions were far less than those with other family members, Chiyo was extremely familiar with him.

From a broader perspective, Chiyo, as one of the most outstanding puppeteers in the ninja world, was actually deceived by the puppet's techniques. Even considering that Chiyo's vigilance towards Sasori was far lower than her vigilance towards others, it was not so easy to fool her.

It can only be said that Scorpion's research direction is not problematic; living people can indeed be directly manipulated, even to a near-perfect degree, as long as he continues to refine it.

"By the way, the village has been having some trouble lately. Apart from necessary tasks, you should try to avoid contact with other people, just like you have in the past."

Chiyo suddenly spoke, her tone filled with undisguised worry. Sasori, interrupted from his thoughts, frowned and asked, "Trouble? Is it Konoha?"

"You could say that, it was Konoha that forced Sunagakure to do this."

Chiyo stopped washing the not-so-fresh vegetables, braced herself against the counter, and turned to look at Scorpion, whose eyes held a hint of inquiry. After a moment's thought, she said:

"The Third Hokage has been facing a lot of criticism lately, and our family may become a weapon against him, so we must be even more careful with our words and actions. Like your grandfather Ebizo, he has already gone fishing in the southwest and is not coming back to the village."

"Weapons? Like puppets?"

"Yes, people are like living puppets. They have their own consciousness and thoughts, but they are always manipulated by others to do things that hurt themselves and the people they care about."

The simplest way is to stay away from other people, just like a puppet thousands of miles away, which even the most skilled puppeteer cannot control.

Therefore, in the coming period, whether it's Rasa, Yokura, or the Third Hokage who approach you with attempts to win them over, you don't need to pay them any attention.

Chiyo really wanted to explain, but explaining would inevitably involve the poor child's parents, so she decided to leave it at that.

Scorpion lowered his head slightly, took a bite of the sweet date, and did not agree with Chiyo's idea, even...

He seemed somewhat pleased to see this scene unfold, as both the Third Kazekage and his political rivals seemed capable of making important decisions. If he could manipulate the "winner," it would be equivalent to manipulating the "shadow."

In this way, perhaps the things he wants to do can proceed smoothly.

Thinking this, Scorpion turned and headed towards the stairs. Chiyo turned back and asked doubtfully, "Is one enough?"

"Hmm, I'm not very hungry yet, I'll wait for dinner."

After finishing his sentence, Sasori went upstairs and returned to his room. The chakra thread connected to his right hand disappeared, and the chakra needles buried in his left hand also gradually disappeared. He took off his coat and shirt.

The next moment, he stretched out his palm, and ten chakra needles appeared on his ten fingers.

His plans need to be accelerated.

(End of this chapter)