Konoha, reported by the Fourth Hokage at the start.

Chapter 257 Scorpion's Dream, Dragon Vein Emerges

three days later.

Having received a message from Li Yao's Wind Release clone, Sasori of the Red Sand returned to Sunagakure, appearing to have just recovered from serious injuries, and brought news of the Third Kazekage's death.

From then on, there were no further developments regarding Li Yao's Wind Release clone becoming the Fourth Kazekage.

That very day, Li Yao's Wind Release clone took up the position of acting Kazekage. He only needed to wait until the next day when Chiyo and Ebizo set off for the Daimyo's residence to get the Daimyo's approval before Li Yao's Wind Release clone officially took office as the Fourth Kazekage.

night.

In the Kazekage's office, Li Yao's Wind Release clone sat in the Kazekage's seat. On the desk in front of him, a miniature black teapot was very conspicuous, with the One-Tailed Shukaku sealed inside.

Li Yaofeng used his clones to take out several scrolls and handed them to the desk.

"This is a research scroll on the puppets of the third generation of Kazekage. There should be something inside that interests you."

"Thank you, Fourth Kazekage!"

Scorpion's eyes lit up slightly as he picked up the scroll on the desk. When he sneaked into the secret room of the third generation's family, he didn't dare to stay long. Each time, he only looked at the knowledge related to puppet magic seals and didn't look at the others carefully.

He really needs these scrolls that Li Yaofeng's clone gave him. They can further improve his puppetry skills and are very helpful for his research on human puppetization.

"Scorpion, I've always had a question I wanted to ask you?" Li Yaofeng suddenly said through his clone.

"What's the problem?" Scorpion asked, puzzled.

Li Yaofeng, using a clone, laughed and asked, "What is your dream?"

"Dream?" Scorpion was taken aback, glancing at Li Yaofeng's clone with surprise. He seemed somewhat surprised that Li Yaofeng's clone would suddenly ask such a question. However, he thought about it carefully and said, "Eternity. I want to transform myself into a puppet so that I can live forever and study the ultimate secrets of puppetry."

Creating human puppets that possess the power of their former masters was never the puppet technology that Sasori valued; what he valued was the ability to turn human puppets into puppets.

Since his parents died, Sasori realized that life is short and that even if his parents were not killed by Konoha's White Fang, they would die from the erosion of time.

Therefore, he wanted to have eternal life.

He wanted to pursue eternal art, only eternal and only eternal.

This is his dream, and this is his pursuit.

Li Yaofeng smiled, satisfied with Sasori's answer. In his view, the only two ordinary people in the ninja world who had come into contact with immortality were Orochimaru and Sasori.

Both of them have achieved certain successes in their pursuit of eternity.

However, compared to Orochimaru's Reincarnation Technique, Sasori's puppetization has a fatal weakness: he has never escaped the constraints of physical lifespan to achieve true mechanical immortality.

"Here, take this."

Li Yaofeng used his clone to push the black teapot in front of Scorpion.

Sasori paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't want to become a Jinchūriki."

For Sasori, becoming a Jinchūriki and having a nagging guy inside him greatly hindered his research into eternal puppetry.

"I'm not asking you to be Shukaku's jinchūriki."

Li Yao's wind-escape clone said, "Didn't you want to study eternity? Tailed beasts are a kind of eternal creature. Even if they are killed, they will be reborn somewhere in the world and live for thousands of years. Moreover, if nothing unexpected happens, they can continue to live eternally."

As soon as Li Yaofeng finished speaking, Scorpion's eyes flickered a few times before suddenly lighting up. Staring at the black teapot, he felt an itch in his heart.

Seeing this, Li Yao's Wind Release clone smiled and continued, "Tailed Beasts are chakra life forms that have truly broken free from flesh and blood, and can transform between energy and flesh and blood."

"If one day you can thoroughly study the life essence of the Tailed Beasts and puppetize their power to create a Tailed Beast puppet at the Tailed Beast level, then you should be able to realize your dream."

flesh?

energy?

conversion?

Scorpion pondered these words, including the puppet seal effects of himself and the Third Kazekage. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Some wonderful ideas flashed wildly in his mind and were quickly strung together.

Suddenly, a crazy idea popped into his head.

"I see!!!"

"I see!!!"

Scorpion suddenly shouted excitedly. Li Yaofeng's clone was a little confused, wondering what Scorpion had understood. Could it be that he had really developed the technology of mechanical ascension and complete puppetization of the human body by just casually mentioning it?

If that's the case, then that would be wonderful.

Li Yaofeng was happy to see this happen, as he used his clones to create an illusion.

As long as he remains within the scope of chakra usage, no matter what kind of incredible puppetry Sasori develops, Li Yao can replicate it.

The reason he made Li Yao's Wind Release clone become the Kazekage was to better train talents like Sasori to develop new ninjutsu for him.

Then he can sit back and reap the benefits.

Orochimaru of Konoha is the same.

Once Fugaku, the Fire Release clone, becomes Hokage, Orochimaru will be the next person he focuses on developing ninjutsu.

"Lord Kazekage, I'll head back now."

Sasori grabbed the black teapot that sealed Shukaku and rushed back, eager to begin his research on Shukaku's body.

"Yiyi, come in."

After Scorpion left, Li Yao used his Wind Release clone to call Ye Yi in. Ye Yi is now the Wind Shadow's secretary; the secretary can handle things when needed and can also do things when not.

He, Li Yao, painstakingly earned his position as Kazekage through his Wind Release clones; it's time for him to enjoy it.

"Kazekage-sama."

The beautiful Ye Yi immediately went around to Li Yaofeng's clone as soon as she entered, and used her great heart to relax Li Yaofeng's clone.

Li Yaofeng used his clone to close his eyes and enjoy the moment.

the other side.

Three days ago, Li Yao and Xiao Yezi left Sunagakure Village and stopped over a desert. They have been staying there ever since.

"Uncle, is there anything here?"

Unable to contain her curiosity, Xiao Yezi asked, "Three days ago, after the two left Sunagakure, they flew towards the Land of Earth, intending to go to Iwagakure."

As he passed over this desert, the man seemed to sense something and immediately entered a state of focused perception.

I didn't want to bother Xiaoyezi, so I didn't ask.

Three days have passed, and while she is curious, she is also a little worried. She wonders what is here and whether it might affect the man's mental state.

Li Yao closed his eyes, trying to block out all other senses and focus on sensing the location of the desert below.

However, he still heard what Xiao Yezi said.

Li Yao didn't open his eyes and asked, "Haven't you seen anything appearing below these past few days?"

"Where?" Little Leaf's eyes widened.

Below was a desolate desert, completely empty. For three days, strong winds had blown, shifting the position of the sand dunes in several places, but she hadn't seen anything appear below.

"Did you sense any energy fluctuations?" Li Yao asked again.

"No!" Xiao Yezi shook her head again, looking completely bewildered.

Li Yao shook his head and said, "It seems that only I can sense it."

Xiao Yezi's perception was still a bit lacking; she couldn't sense that special energy fluctuation, and naturally, she couldn't see the phantom image of the city ruins.

Li Yao was able to sense that the extremely faint energy fluctuation was due to several factors: firstly, the special chakra perception ability brought about by the mutation of his soul after transmigrating and the fusion of chakra with his soul perception, as well as the Yin Release chakra intensity that had been raised to the level of the Rinnegan's eye power chakra.

It's normal that the small leaves can't sense it.

Xiao Yezi was clearly unwilling. Upon hearing this, she pouted, then glanced cautiously at Li Yao, and suddenly said with a smile, "Uncle, could it be that you've misperceived?"

Li Yao smiled and said, "No, I'm very sure."

Xiao Ye shrugged upon hearing this and said no more.

However, she suddenly seemed to remember something, her expression changed, and she quickly asked worriedly, "Uncle, did you sense natural energy? If it is natural energy, you must not absorb it! It will cause a big problem."

The Uzumaki clan has been renowned since ancient times for sealing monsters in the ninja world, and they are also skilled in researching basic sealing techniques. They are no strangers to natural energy.

The same applies to Xiaoyezi. Once humans rashly absorb natural energy, it's like a small leak in a water pipe. Natural energy from all around will rush in, and a large amount of natural energy will quickly assimilate humans, turning them into a part of nature.

"Don't worry, that's not natural energy, I'm sure of it."

Li Yao smiled slightly, indicating to Xiao Yezi not to worry. He knew the dangers of natural energy and also knew what the energy fluctuations he sensed were most likely.

"Do you know about dragon veins?" Li Yao asked.

"Dragon vein..." Little Yezi thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I don't know. Could it be that what you sensed, Uncle, was the energy of this so-called dragon vein?"

"Mm." Li Yao nodded slightly.

(End of this chapter)