"What a magnificent art!"
The scene before them left the young Deidara deeply awestruck.
His own art might never achieve such an effect in his lifetime.
Beside him, Sasori, who appeared as a red-haired youth, twitched at the corners of his mouth. If he remembered correctly, there should have been a city here, with a sea outside it.
'Had I taken a wrong turn because I'd been so exhausted from taking care of this troublesome brat?'
Doubting himself, he moved the umbrella aside and looked up at the ever-raining sky.
'It was the same familiar rain. So, I probably hadn't taken a wrong turn.'
'It seemed something had happened in the Land of Rain during my absence.'
"Let's go. We'll check it out."
Sasori's current puppet body had been meticulously crafted, with physical capabilities far surpassing those of a normal human.
His vision, in particular, was exceptional. Even through the rain and from a distance, he could clearly see the makeshift structures in the center.
Sasori jumped into the crater and headed toward the central buildings.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
Deidara, still marveling at the scene, was a step slower but quickly followed.
He was eager to meet the creator of this artistic masterpiece.
As they approached the buildings, Deva Path, Nagato's puppet, appeared before them.
With his Rain Tiger at Will Technique, Nagato had sensed their arrival the moment they entered the Land of Rain.
"Leader!"
Seeing Deva Path, Sasori felt a strange sense of relief. At least the core of the organization was still intact.
Although Akatsuki wasn't particularly united, and conflicts among members were common, for a Missing-nin like him, it was still a place to belong.
Deva Path nodded, about to speak.
"Are you the creator of this art?"
Deidara had already jumped in front of him, his golden hair catching the light.
"Art?"
Deva Path was puzzled and glanced at Sasori behind him, his calm eyes silently asking for an explanation.
"Art is explosion!"
Before Sasori could respond, Deidara spread his legs and arms wide, mimicking the shape of an exploding firework.
"You must have been testing your art here, right?"
Deva Path remained silent, his eyes narrowing as he studied Deidara for a long moment.
Then, without a word, he turned and said in a flat tone, "Follow me."
Sasori obediently followed, dragging Deidara along.
Deidara, whose mind was filled with nothing but explosions, had no concept of reading the room or thinking before speaking.
Who would look at the ruins of a village and call it art?
If it weren't for Nagato's improved state of mind, he might have unleashed a Shinra Tensei on the spot.
"Don't call me leader anymore."
As they walked, Deva Path suddenly spoke.
"Huh? Why?"
Sasori was confused, 'Surely they weren't going to fire me, a long-time member, just because the new guy said something wrong, right?'
"The organization has joined the Land of Waves. From now on, the leader of the Land of Waves is our leader."
Deva Path delivered this news matter-of-factly, leaving Sasori speechless.
'I had only been gone for a short time. How had the organization undergone such a drastic change?'
"..."
Sasori briefly considered fleeing but quickly dismissed the idea.
In front of the Deva Path, escape was likely impossible.
'I would have to take things one step at a time.'
'First, let's go meet this new leader.'
The atmosphere grew silent again.
Deidara tried to speak several times, but Sasori stopped him each time. He was genuinely worried Deidara would say something thoughtless again.
Soon, Deva Path led them to the temporary office building in the Land of Rain.
As they entered, Naruto, Konan, and Nagato were already waiting for them.
Upon seeing the two unfamiliar faces, Sasori wasn't sure how to greet them.
"Let me introduce you."
Konan stepped forward and said.
"This is Nagato, the true leader of the Akatsuki. And that's Pain, one of the puppets Nagato created."
Hearing this, even Sasori, who had almost entirely transformed his body into a puppet, couldn't hide his astonishment.
He stared at Deva Path in disbelief, then turned to Nagato, who sat in a wheelchair. His eyes were filled with fervor.
'Such power, and movements as fluid and natural as a human's… Is this really a puppet?'
Deidara was equally shocked, looking at the figure who had just led them in. He hadn't expected it to be a puppet.
'Is it... a human puppet?'
But Sasori quickly shook his head. After all, who would know more about human puppets than him?
"It's a puppet only the Rinnegan can create."
"If you want to study it, you'll have the chance later."
Nagato's explanation saved Sasori from further confusion.
After hearing the answer, Sasori's eyes gleamed with interest.
His Puppet Techniques had reached a bottleneck. Beyond finding more powerful corpses, he had no other way to improve.
At the moment, it seemed there was a new path opening up in front of me.
"Thank you, leader... sir."
Sasori, slightly flustered, almost forgot the proper address.
Then, he turned his gaze to Naruto, who stood at the center. He had already guessed that this must be his new leader.
"This is Uzumaki Naruto, the leader of the Land of Waves, and now also the leader of the Land of Rain and the Akatsuki."
Konan, seeing Sasori's attention shift, began introducing Naruto.
Sasori wasn't particularly surprised by Naruto's youthful appearance.
He had seen the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, in Kirigakure before. The man, despite being decades old, looked like a child, which was far stranger.
'Perhaps being a Jinchuriki had some effect on maintaining one's appearance.'
'After all, both Yondaime Mizukage and the leader of the Land of Waves are Jinchuriki.'
"Leader!"
Though his mind was racing with thoughts, Sasori still bowed respectfully to Naruto.
With Nagato's promise, he was now fully compliant.
"Sasori, I have high hopes for you."
Naruto smiled warmly. Sasori's arrival was an unexpected boon for him.
Currently, the Land of Waves' Ninja Education System was quite comprehensive, covering Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, and Sealing Techniques. However, there were still some gaps.
Now, with Sasori's addition, the missing piece of Puppet Techniques could now be filled.
Moreover, the applications of puppet techniques weren't limited to combat, as they were also deeply intertwined with daily life.