Kimimaro had three main goals for joining the Akatsuki: the unique abilities of Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear, Hidan's immortality, and Sasori's regeneration core.
His hope was that by studying these three, he could further his progress on the path to immortality.
Now, with all his research completed, Kimimaro felt he had gained a lot.
"The wisdom of one person is limited, but when you combine the ideas of so many geniuses, it's like a sudden epiphany. No wonder Orochimaru loved the research reports of the Second Hokage so much—they're a treasure trove."
A slight smile of relief appeared on Kimimaro's face.
At this moment, the path to immortality was becoming clearer in his mind.
As long as he fully digested these recent findings, his goal of eternal life was almost within reach.
Thinking of this, Kimimaro felt a small wave of excitement, but he quickly suppressed it.
It was far too early to relax completely.
Besides the physical aspect of immortality, great strength was even more important.
Without enough power, no matter how long you live, you won't survive in this world.
Most ninjas don't die of old age—they die during missions.
Dying of old age is a luxury for ninjas.
"Although I've achieved what I came to the Akatsuki for, and I could technically leave, staying here doesn't really hurt. This relaxed environment won't hinder my training or research.
Plus, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Deidara get along well with me, and once Sasori is revived, I'll have control over him. None of them are truly loyal to the Akatsuki. As long as I'm stronger than them, I can make them work for me.
As for the rest..."
Kimimaro's mind raced with thoughts, and an interesting idea formed.
If he could pull it off, it would be quite beneficial.
But not now.
Before gaining absolute strength, he still needed to keep a low profile.
Thankfully, he had plenty of time to prepare.
Looking at the regeneration core before him, Kimimaro took out a Star Splitter Bug.
The bug had fully evolved by now, with its purple star patterns looking even more vibrant.
"Star Splitter Bug No. 1, I've found you a good new home. Stay here and make yourself comfortable."
Kimimaro placed the bug onto the fragmented regeneration core and began the final stitching process.
**Threaded Stitching Technique!**
Soon, the regeneration core, which had been cut up, was restored to its original form.
However, it looked noticeably weaker than before.
That was to be expected. After all the slicing and research, it was amazing it still had any vitality left.
It would just need some time to fully recover.
The Star Splitter Bug was now sewn into the center of the regeneration core.
With just a thought, Kimimaro could make the bug explode instantly.
With this control in place, if Sasori tried anything against Kimimaro, he'd have to think twice.
After finishing the procedure, Kimimaro placed the regeneration core back into Sasori's human puppet's chest.
**Thump, thump!**
The regeneration core gave off a heartbeat-like sound, and then the handsome puppet opened its eyes.
At that moment, confusion filled his gaze.
"Awake? The surgery was a success."
Sasori quickly regained his senses and looked at Kimimaro.
"What did you do to me?"
Even though his regeneration core had been sliced up, the mental core that gathered his consciousness hadn't shattered, so he knew everything that had happened over the past few days.
He couldn't miss the Star Splitter Bug implanted into his regeneration core either.
His question was filled not only with anger but also with fear.
Kimimaro's methods had frightened even him.
"Nothing much, just a small gift for you. There's a bug just like this one inside your regeneration core."
Another Star Splitter Bug flew out from Kimimaro's sleeve, circled Sasori, and then landed nearby. With a boom, it exploded!
The entire cave shook violently.
Sasori's pupils shrank.
The explosion's power could easily destroy his regeneration core in an instant.
"Are you trying to threaten me?"
Sasori's face darkened.
"No, it's just a little punishment. But if you want to see it as a threat, that's fine. But rest assured, as long as you don't act up, you'll be fine. The bug won't explode easily.
I assume you wouldn't want your eternal art to be destroyed in a single instant, would you?"
"Kimimaro!"
Sasori gritted his teeth in rage.
"Yes? Is there something you'd like to tell me, Sasori-senpai?"
Kimimaro's expression remained indifferent.
Though Sasori was furious, he had no way of dealing with Kimimaro at the moment.
With his life in someone else's hands, he couldn't afford to act rashly.
For now, he could only suppress his anger.
"What do you want?"
Kimimaro's clear intent to control him must have had some purpose.
So Sasori wanted to know the reason.
But Kimimaro wasn't ready to reveal that yet.
"You'll know when the time is right."
"Fine! I won't say anything about what happened today, and you'd better keep quiet too."
Being manipulated like this was humiliating for Sasori, and he didn't want anyone else to know.
Sasori was a prideful person, and he'd never ask for help. He'd prefer to find a solution on his own.
Of course, even if he did ask for help, Kimimaro wasn't worried.
In this situation, no one in the ninja world could remove the Star Splitter Bug except for him.
"Of course. I'm not the type to gossip, Sasori-senpai. From now on, let's get along. Oh, and here's a kind reminder:
You should avoid trying to remove the bug yourself. It's in a dormant state now, but if the regeneration core is disturbed, it will wake up. At that point, I won't even need to control it—it will explode on its own.
And if that happens, not even I can stop it."
Sasori's expression grew even darker.
Kimimaro had crushed his last bit of hope.
"You!"
"Sasori-senpai, it's bad for your health to get so worked up. Stay calm."
Sasori gave up, realizing he had no choice for the time being.
"Kimimaro, don't let me find a chance to strike back, or I'll make you suffer a hundredfold!"
"Don't worry, Sasori-senpai. I'll make sure you don't get that chance."
Kimimaro's calm response left Sasori feeling powerless, like he had punched a pillow.
Frustrated, Sasori didn't want to argue any further.
"Alright, we should get going. Deidara is waiting outside."
**Outside the cave.**
Deidara, hearing the loud explosion, became even more worried.
"What's Kimimaro doing in there? Why did it explode? Did he blow up Sasori out of anger? Little one, this time I'm going in no matter what."
Deidara said to Pikachu and prepared to charge inside.
Pikachu instantly became alert. Its tail sparked with white light, and it launched a golden electrical ball at Deidara.
"Pika!"
**Move: Electroweb!**
Sensing the approaching lightning, Deidara tried to dodge, but the golden ball suddenly spread out.
Lightning scattered and formed an electric net that trapped Deidara like a fishing net.
"What the—!"
Deidara struggled in shock.
But the golden arcs of electricity danced across the net, making it impossible for him to free himself.
"You little thing! You're serious, huh? Let me go!"
Caught off guard, Deidara was both surprised and frustrated.
"Pika!"
Pikachu wasn't backing down.
"Don't blame me for this! Check out my move!"
Deidara reached into his ninja tool pouch, biting into some explosive clay.
In no time, a clay creature appeared in his hand.
It jumped down lightly and burrowed underground.
Boom!
The clay beast exploded just seconds after entering the ground.
The explosion wasn't huge, but it was enough to blow apart the electric net that was holding Deidara down!
Deidara was free again!
Pikachu looked serious.
"You little thing, I'm not letting you off this time! You need to learn a lesson!"
Deidara was pissed, and the mouths on his hands were chomping down on more explosive clay, as if he really wanted to settle things with Pikachu once and for all.
Pikachu was ready for battle.
But then, the cave door opened.
Kimimaro and Sasori both walked out.
"What's going on here? What's with all the noise?"
Kimimaro frowned slightly, seeing the smoke from the explosion still lingering in the air.
"Haha, Kimimaro! You're finally out, I was so worried! Sasori! You're okay?"
Deidara's face lit up when he saw the two.
He quickly put away the explosive clay in his hands, acting like nothing had just happened.
"I'm fine," Sasori said in his usual cold manner, and Deidara didn't seem to mind.
"That's good, that's good, haha, we're still good teammates, right?"
Deidara tried to play peacemaker, but his words were a little clumsy.
Pikachu leaped onto Kimimaro's shoulder, rubbing his cheek happily.
"Good job, little guy."
"Pika!"
Pikachu started "complaining" in Kimimaro's ear, telling him everything.
Deidara started feeling guilty.
If he knew it'd end like this, he wouldn't have started a fight in the first place.
After listening to Pikachu, Kimimaro turned to Deidara.
"I thought we were bros! How could you do this? Pikachu is so cute! How could you hit him?"
"Uh… Kimimaro, let me explain."
"No need to explain, time to atone!"
Kimimaro was super protective and immediately started play-fighting with Deidara.
Of course, it was all in good fun, no serious fighting.
Just like how Deidara and Tobi would mess around all the time.
Watching the fake fight, three sweatdrops appeared on Sasori's forehead.
"They're this close already?"
For a moment, Sasori felt a bit… unnecessary.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rain, Konan found Nagato.
"Sasori's out of seclusion, how do you want to arrange things?"
Konan asked coldly.
Ever since Nagato refused Kimimaro's healing suggestion, there was some distance between them.
It was more like a cold war, really.
Konan was rarely mad at Nagato.
Nagato could feel it, too.
But he didn't really know what to do about it.
"Konan, what do you think?"
Trying to smooth things over, Nagato tried making conversation.
"Let Deidara and Sasori stay teamed up. As for Kimimaro, I want to team up with him for a bit."
Konan didn't hold back, saying exactly what she was thinking.
"You want to team up with him? Why?"
Nagato frowned, clearly not thrilled.
"I want to know him better."
"Know him better?"
Nagato was taken aback, but then immediately understood.
She still hadn't given up on Kimimaro healing his legs.
Teaming up with him was her way of thoroughly investigating him, to clear any doubts.
Realizing this, Nagato felt a bit guilty.
"Konan, I already said—"
Before he could finish, Konan interrupted him.
"I know. But I still want to try. Just think of it as me wanting to go out for a bit."
"…Fine. If you want to team up with Kimimaro, go ahead."
Nagato knew he couldn't stop her, so he agreed.
He felt a deep sense of apology toward Konan.
After all, the person she loved most, Yahiko, had died by his own hands.
So now, whatever Konan wanted, Nagato would try to give her.
"Nagato, if I find out Kimimaro can be trusted, would you be willing to give it a try? There are ways to keep the truth about Pain hidden."
Now that Nagato had softened, Konan pushed a little further.
"Alright, if you're sure he's trustworthy, I'll let him heal me."
Hearing this, a rare smile appeared on Konan's face.
Nagato froze.
He couldn't remember the last time he saw her smile.
Before Yahiko died, Konan used to smile all the time.
"Okay, it's settled then!"
Konan said before turning to leave.
Watching her walk away, Nagato sighed.
"That silly girl…"
Nagato looked at Pain beside him.
Yahiko's face was still young, unchanged from the past, but the smile that should've been bright and warm was now cold and stern.
A puppet was still just a puppet. It could never show a truly heartwarming smile like a real person.
"Yahiko, you haven't seen Konan smile in a long time, huh? And now, the next time I see her smile, it's because I agreed to this…"
Their Rinnegan eyes met, but only one gaze had life behind it.
Nagato's expression was complicated.
"If you were still here, everything would be different. Konan would be happy with you, maybe you'd even have kids by now, and I'd be their teacher. Sigh…"
Nagato sighed again.
"Yahiko, I'll take on the task of changing this dark world. I believe peace is close. Once I gather all nine tailed beasts and make a weapon strong enough to keep the whole ninja world in check, true peace will come.
When that day comes, I'll finally be able to face you in the Pure Land. My only worry now is Konan.
I know she doesn't really care about any of this. All she ever wanted was to live peacefully with me, with you, and with Jiraiya-sensei. But that dream was never meant to be.
Soon, I'll probably have to face Jiraiya-sensei in a battle of ideals. When that day comes, will I be able to do it?"
Nagato wasn't confused, but he was uncertain.
In this empty room, his doubts and worries went unheard, except by his six lifeless puppets.
(End of Chapter)