Chapter 265: Value

This kind of high-stakes negotiation would normally fall to Kitsuchi. However, Ōnoki knew his son was too straightforward and worried that Kitsuchi might end up being manipulated by Konoha into agreeing to unfavorable terms.

In truth, bringing Deidara back wouldn't solve Iwagakure's current problems, but it might provide a temporary reprieve.

Deidara, for all his eccentricities and obsession with explosive "art," was undeniably strong.

Even if he hadn't inherited Dust Release, he was more than capable of becoming the Tsuchikage. What Iwagakure needed most right now were elite warriors like him.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Aoba chuckled upon receiving news from Iwagakure. He had assumed that Ōnoki's initial silence was a flat-out rejection.

To his surprise, Ōnoki had changed his mind after several months.

Since Iwagakure was now on board, Aoba saw no reason to keep Deidara. Over the past few months, Konoha had thoroughly studied Deidara's Explosion Release techniques.

While no one had yet matched Deidara's natural talent and mastery, the lab had successfully replicated Explosion Release to a usable degree.

This meant Deidara's technical value had been nearly exhausted. Trading him for the Four-Tails and Five-Tails' essence chakra fit perfectly into Aoba's plans.

Speaking of Deidara, Aoba was reminded of the other Akatsuki members still in Konoha's custody.

Aside from Itachi, who was hanging by a thread in intensive care, Deidara, Kisame, Hiruko, and Sasori were all imprisoned in Konoha.

Among them, Kisame was a traditional ninja whose uniqueness came primarily from Samehada. While powerful, his overall value was relatively low in Aoba's eyes.

Konoha no longer had a shortage of elite fighters. Even without Hashirama, the village still boasted a roster of Kage-level powerhouses, including Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, Kakashi, Tsunade, and Might Guy.

In addition, Aoba's own students, Hayate Gekkō, Asuma Sarutobi, Yugao Uzuki, and others had reached the level of elite jonin.

Konoha's greatest asset was its wealth of combat strength.

In contrast, Hiruko and Sasori held far greater value.

Hiruko's Chimera Technique had already been thoroughly studied and integrated into Konoha's research. Unless he came up with something new, Hiruko was little more than an advanced fighter.

This left Sasori.

Sasori's capture was still a closely guarded secret within Konoha, known only to a few high-ranking officials and the ANBU team involved in his capture.

Aoba had deliberately kept this information from leaking to Sunagakure.

In Sunagakure, Sasori occupied a similar position to Deidara in Iwagakure. While officially labeled a rogue ninja, both villages would eagerly welcome them back if they ever returned.

For Sunagakure, bringing Sasori back would be a matter of great pride, regardless of the political or public backlash.

The problem was that Sunagakure was now Konoha's subordinate. If they formally requested Sasori's return, Konoha would have little justification to refuse.

Thus, Aoba's best course of action was to keep Sasori's capture under wraps, extract every bit of value from him, and then return him as a goodwill gesture when the time was right.

Sasori was undeniably a genius. The mere fact that he had transformed himself into a puppet while retaining a chakra-producing core was groundbreaking.

This feat represented a perfect fusion of mechanical and biological elements, akin to a "mechanical ascension" within the ninja world.

Additionally, his chakra core had unique properties. Despite its minimal amount of biological material, it could generate chakra endlessly. There was no way this was a natural phenomenon, Sasori must have modified it somehow, and Aoba was determined to uncover his secrets.

Furthermore, Sasori's puppets demonstrated an unparalleled efficiency in chakra flow between mechanical components. This was evident in his ability to simultaneously control hundreds of puppets, like in his Hundred Puppet Performance or his elite collection, the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu.

Sunagakure had provided Konoha with many puppet-related scrolls after becoming a subordinate, but these had yielded only modest results.

The technology was too basic compared to Konoha's advancements in chakra armor. Puppet techniques were relegated to cannon fodder roles.

Aoba's vision was to combine puppet techniques with chakra armor, creating true chakra-based weaponry.

In this system, operators would remotely control puppets equipped with chakra armor to fight on the battlefield.

If a puppet sustained severe damage, it could be remotely detonated, preventing enemy forces from seizing the technology and simultaneously serving as a powerful explosive.

However, achieving this goal required significant technical advancements.

The biggest challenge was integrating chakra armor with puppet mechanisms.

Chakra armor was designed for organic beings, not mechanical constructs. Attaching it to puppets rendered it ineffective, as the chakra couldn't be transmitted properly.

Theoretically, using vast amounts of chakra-conductive metal to create a network within the puppet could solve the issue, but the cost would be astronomical. Konoha would bankrupt itself trying to produce even a small army of such puppets.

Additionally, traditional puppets cannot perform ninjutsu. They rely solely on pre-installed mechanisms to execute preset attacks.

Another limitation is the range of control. The manipulation range of traditional puppet techniques is far too short to meet Aoba's requirements.

These technical challenges were numerous and complex.

Currently, Konoha's puppet technology fell woefully short of expectations. Even Sunagakure's advancements weren't enough. Only Sasori's unique techniques held the potential to achieve Aoba's vision.

However, Sasori was far from cooperative. Perhaps due to his extensive modifications, his emotions had become exceedingly dull.

With no physical body to exploit, interrogation tactics were ineffective. Even genjutsu, which targeted the mind, had minimal impact on him.

Even Tobirama, known for his ruthlessness, found himself stymied.

"In theory, we could directly stimulate his brain to induce pain," Tobirama suggested. "But that would risk damaging his brain irreparably, turning him into a vegetable. I assume that's not what you want."

"You're correct. I need Sasori intact, not reduced to a broken shell," Aoba replied. "But this issue is simple to resolve. If he lacks a body, we'll give him one."

Leaving the matter in Tobirama's hands, Aoba turned his attention to Kisame's cell.

At this moment, Kisame was bound by layers of sealing techniques and shackled with chains, immobilized in a corner of the cell.

His head was bowed, as though he were asleep. But the instant Aoba approached, Kisame lifted his head, revealing dull, lifeless eyes.

When Kisame recognized the visitor as Kamikawa Aoba, a faint light flickered in his gaze, only to fade back into darkness moments later.

"I've heard you've attempted suicide three times," Aoba said. "That's why they've restrained you so completely. Can you tell me why you've tried to kill yourself?"

Kisame chuckled dryly. "Aoba Kamikawa, you're a ninja. One of the strongest of our time. Do you really need to ask? Death is the destiny of all ninjas."

"No," Aoba responded firmly. "I don't agree."

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