I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 470 Only when you can't breathe do you realize you've become a puppet on a string; ultimately, who holds the string?

"He devoured the Tailed Beast and mastered its power? Sakamoto Tatsuma, you're quite remarkable. But you've certainly shown me just how high the limits of human modification really are."

Inside the Kazekage's office, the Third Kazekage sat in his seat, looking deep in thought. However, the spot where his gaze was focused, the desk, was completely empty.

The documents that should have been placed on the table were now in the hands of Sasori, who was standing next to the Third Kazekage. He was reading the intelligence sent by Iwagakure with an enigmatic smile.

"I really want to cut open your brain too, to see what kind of knowledge you've stored up to achieve this—how do you wield the power of the Tailed Beasts?"

Scorpion murmured, making no attempt to conceal his actions. However, it didn't seem like he was so reckless as to be unafraid of others discovering his secret. Rather, it was more like he was completely absorbed in his work and neglecting his physical reactions.

After a while, Sasori rolled up the scroll, looked at the Third Kazekage who was still deep in thought, and gently raised his hand, his chakra spreading out at a specific frequency.

"Squeak~"

The Third Kazekage stood up, the table legs scraping against the dusty floor with a sharp screech. Sasori raised his hand and gently spun around. As if receiving some instruction, the Third Kazekage walked towards the office door.

Scorpion followed closely behind him, like a devout apprentice, but when he occasionally glanced at the Third Kazekage, there was not a trace of respect in his eyes, but rather a scrutiny.

It's like examining one's own work.

He has elevated puppetry to an unprecedented level, a realm that has never been explored before.

In the past, puppetry relied on chakra threads and steel wires to manipulate puppets. It was even a human manipulation technique that only a few puppeteers, such as his grandmother, possessed. In Sasori's eyes now, it was extremely cheap.

So-called human manipulation is nothing more than using chakra threads to pull the bones and muscles of the manipulated object, and using knowledge of anatomy and puppets to allow the manipulated person to exert more combat power.

In essence, it is no different from a marionette show.

Even the so-called "human puppet" developed by Sha Xing more than a decade ago, which was praised by many people, was extremely crude. It was just a crude simulation of the human body, with various spells engraved in the puppet to achieve the functions of a "human".

In Scorpion's view, that level of skill would only qualify someone as a humanoid puppet, not a human puppet.

A true human puppet, like his current creation, is a dead yet living person, a "human puppet" that completely obeys his own will while retaining its original power.

The era of string puppet shows is over; now, it's the era of signal-controlled puppets.

With just a tiny bit of chakra-simulated electrical signal, the chakra needles residing within the puppet's body, acting as both sensors and generators, can be triggered, allowing the puppet to perform actions that satisfy the user's will.

The problem of limited lifespan is something Scorpion hasn't solved yet, but he already has a preliminary idea: the old trick of puppeteers, just replace the old parts, but new parts are hard to find.

Currently, only Orochimaru and Sakamoto Tatsuma of Konoha are capable of creating "new parts" for the human body. Recalling the amazing organ transplant surgery video he saw in a hospital in Daimyo Prefecture, Sasori's heart was filled with excitement.

If he could master this technology, he could control healthy, young human puppets forever simply by replacing parts, and even more.

Scorpion touched the "Father" and "Mother" seal scrolls on his back. If he could cultivate all the organs of the human body and then combine them together, wouldn't he be the creator?

If the genes for these organs all come from one's father and mother, then wouldn't that be equivalent to resurrecting one's parents?

No, there's also the soul. But even this technology has been mastered by Konoha.

Why was I born in Sunagakure? If I had been born in Konoha, perhaps I could have openly learned the mysteries of the human body from Tatsuma and Orochimaru, and then acquired the technique that could pull souls back from the Pure Land, truly resurrecting my parents.

Sasori's eyes darkened, but quickly hardened again; he had gained even more reasons to attack Konoha.

He killed Hatake Sakumo, acquired the techniques of Sakamoto Tatsuma and Orochimaru, and plundered the forbidden Impure World Reincarnation technique.

The two arrived at the outside of a temple, which was guarded by many Sand Ninja. Although it was called a temple, the doors and windows here were more secure than those of a prison, and the Sand Ninja on duty here were very serious.

"Kazekage-sama!"

Upon seeing the arrival of the Third Kazekage, the Sand Ninja bowed in greeting. As for Sasori behind the Third Kazekage, he was ignored. After all, no matter how talented he was, he was just a teenager, not someone with the talent of Sakamoto Tatsuma, so there was no need to pay too much attention to him.

Sasori was not annoyed by their disregard. He twitched his fingers hidden in his sleeve, and the Third Kazekage waved his hand, ordering them to open the door. He then entered the temple with Sasori.

The temple was very large, or rather, very empty. In the huge main hall, there was only one old monk, who was kneeling on a prayer mat, his hands clasped together, chanting scriptures, with a broken Buddha statue in front of him.

The sutras, which were so soothing to the ear, seemed to have no effect on the old monk himself. He looked extremely tired, with bloodshot eyes deep in their sockets.

However, he was unusually calm. If it were an ordinary person, even if it wasn't caused by insomnia, but just by rubbing their eyes a few times and causing them to become bloodshot and itchy, they would become irritable.

The old monk seemed completely unaware of his physical condition, as all his energy seemed to be devoted to reciting the scriptures.

"Sharing blessings."

The Third Kazekage didn't speak until the old monk was nearing the end of his chanting, thus interrupting the old monk's attempt to recite the next section of the sutra.

Fenfu stopped, took a few long breaths, and said, "Benefactor, who are you? Such blasphemy against the deceased is truly unacceptable."

Upon hearing Bunpuku's words, the Third Kazekage fell silent. Sasori behind him took a step forward, and Bunpuku at the same time released his clasped hands, braced himself on the ground, and slowly turned his withered body.

Upon seeing Scorpion, a look of confusion appeared in Fenfu's deep-set eyes; he didn't recognize the child.

This is just a child, yet it's so...

Scorpion gave a strange smile. The upper half of his face remained completely unchanged despite the movement of his lips, looking like a puppet's smile. He looked at Fenfu and asked:

"Rebirth? Does that mean death? But isn't he still alive? He can still breathe, and his heart is still beating. How can you say he's been reborn?"

"All living beings have three thousand sorrows; an empty soul cannot be considered truly alive. A dry teapot alone cannot be called a pot of tea, can it?"

Fenfu looked at the Third Kazekage, whose eyes were piercing as he stared directly at the Buddha statue, looking like a worshipper. His messy eyebrows twitched. After living for so many years, he still couldn't understand what state the Kazekage was in now.

"Originally there was nothing, so where could dust settle?"

When he heard Scorpion refute him with a verse, Fenfu was not angry. He just shook his head. He was long past the age of debating scriptures with others.

Often, when opinions or things can coexist, there's no need to determine a winner or loser, because the likely outcome is only a loss.

After shaking his head, Fenfu asked, "What business do you have with this humble monk, benefactor?"

"Shukaku must participate in the upcoming Third Shinobi World War."

Scorpion also lowered the corners of his mouth that had been raised. Even though Fenfu had given up arguing, and logically he should have won, he didn't feel anything at all.

Upon hearing Scorpion's words, Fenfu sighed, as if lamenting the endless wars, and then said, "This humble monk will not go."

"no problem."

Scorpion nodded, which made Fenfu a little confused. Before he could ask, Scorpion said to himself, "Anyway, all I want is one tail. As for Fenfu, it doesn't matter."

The Sand Village learned the name Shukaku from Bunpuku, but due to too many people's misunderstandings, Shukaku had long become another name for Bunpuku. When Sasori mentioned Shukaku just now, even Bunpuku subconsciously thought he was referring to himself.

It wasn't until Sasori emphasized the tail that Bunpuku realized what was happening. A smile appeared on his withered face, and he clasped his hands together again. Sasori could vaguely see that there seemed to be words written on his hands, but he couldn't see them clearly before Bunpuku's hands were already clasped together.

"This humble monk understands. Please do as you see fit, benefactor."

Fenfu closed his eyes, listening to the sharp and noisy voice deep within his soul, cursing himself as a liar and a traitor, leaving only an apology in the depths of his heart.

Faced with the imminent threat of death, Fenfu showed neither fear nor relief, as if he were simply dealing with something perfectly normal.

It's like welcoming the morning, seeing the birds off, or watching dust drift in the sunlight—there's no emotional involvement whatsoever.

Looking at Bunpuku, who seemed more like a dead man than the Third Kazekage, Sasori tilted his head, remained silent for a moment, then took out the scroll containing the recorded information and said:

"Let Shukaku decide. If he agrees, you escort him there. If he doesn't agree, I'll kill you."

Fenfu opened his eyes, his gaze towards Scorpion even more bewildered. Scorpion seemed unlike anyone he had ever met; it seemed that Scorpion had no concept of good or evil.

He spread his hands and took the scroll that Scorpion handed him. Scorpion could see the words on his palm: one was "Receive" and the other was "Heart." For some reason, it gave Scorpion a feeling of experiencing the embrace of his parents that he had longed for.

Bunpuku slowly unrolled the scroll, allowing Shukaku to see the information on it through his eyes. However, not only was Shukaku inside him roaring like a madman, but even Bunpuku himself, whose expression was usually calm and composed, was moved.

"To devour living beings is not human."

Hearing Fenfu's lament, Scorpion curled his lip and retorted, "Haven't you also eaten living beings? Judging life by so-called 'spirits' is a bit narrow-minded, or rather, too lazy, without even considering the essence of life."

I tend to agree that all stable matter with energy metabolism, as long as it must undergo birth, growth, and death, constitutes life. Or perhaps Buddhism held a different view, believing that life also has different levels?

Faced with the obviously provocative question about scorpions, Fenfu did not ignore it as before, but even began to seriously consider it. After a while, he said, "What you say is correct, benefactor. It was this humble monk who was attached to appearances. Whose thoughts are these?"

"Sakamoto Tatsuma."

"Tatsuma Sakamoto?"

Fenfu slightly opened his mouth, looked at the scroll in his hand, then at Scorpion, then back at the name on the scroll, and for a moment, he didn't know how to process this information.

It's hard to understand how someone who seems to have no respect for life could have such a profound understanding of its essence. This young man from Konoha, whom I've often heard about before, seems to be quite an interesting person.

Someone like the child in front of me, or even more interesting.

After a while, Bunfuku nodded, looked at Sasori, and said, "I am willing to go to the battlefield to see Sakamoto Tatsuma."

Scorpion was pleased with Fenfu's tact and nodded, saying, "Then you can line up after me."

(End of this chapter)