When Sasori heard what Senshi said, he made his Hiruko puppet roll its eyes.
Of course Senshi was right; tailed beasts truly are chakra-based lifeforms that don't rely on flesh. They don't need any fleshly components yet possess consciousness and can handle massive amounts of chakra. But Sasori certainly didn't have the technology to transform himself into a tailed beast. If he did, even Nagato would have to call him "Leader"!
Naturally, Senshi wasn't trying to make fun of Sasori. He was merely giving an example—telling Sasori that fleshly components aren't actually mandatory. Only after Sasori accepted that idea could Senshi recommend the Hextech Core to him.
At the moment, Sasori was also eyeing the blue-green polyhedron Senshi had produced. Floating above Senshi's palm, it radiated a glowing aqua light and emitted a startlingly powerful energy that even Sasori, with all his knowledge, couldn't identify. He also wondered why Senshi had taken it out at this particular time.
While Sasori was puzzling over it, Senshi spoke up:
"Sasori, this is a great treasure I acquired through special channels. Once it's fused with your regeneration core, your core will no longer be restricted by flesh at all."
That's what Senshi said out loud. But internally, he wasn't so certain. If the Hextech Core he held were the same item from the Arcane universe, it could indeed fuse perfectly with Sasori's regeneration core. But his own Hextech Core originated in a 'game world,' so Senshi wasn't sure it would blend flawlessly with Sasori's core. That said, it was worth letting Sasori try; if something went wrong, Senshi would figure out a way to fix it. His system storage had plenty of valuable items, so he could probably find a remedy.
Hearing Senshi's explanation made Sasori's eyes widen. If Senshi wasn't making things up, this "treasure" could indeed elevate his art to new heights. Sasori hesitated for a moment, then asked two questions:
"How much does it cost? Are you certain it can free my regeneration core from relying on flesh?"
In response, Senshi slipped an arm around Sasori's shoulder and said, "Why so formal, Sasori? We're buddies, right? I'll give you this core for free! Take it, no problem at all!"
Sasori: (O_O)???
He could hardly believe there'd be something free from Senshi of all people. But Senshi's next move left him no choice but to believe it. Senshi simply handed him the Hextech Core without hesitation.
Seeing that, Sasori immediately realized that Pain and Kakuzu must have been biased against Senshi. Senshi didn't seem bad at all. He was just giving Sasori such a precious treasure, no questions asked. And regarding that mission conversation—Senshi was also easygoing. Since Sasori didn't have enough money, he wanted to become Senshi's partner and earn funds alongside him, saving up for future upgrades. All Senshi did was ask him a few questions before readily agreeing.
Indeed, hearing from others is no substitute for seeing with your own eyes. Without direct investigation, he shouldn't have believed every word from Pain and Kakuzu. Clearly, their prejudice influenced his perception of Senshi.
Now holding the Hextech Core, Sasori started carefully examining it. After a thorough look and sensing its energy, he grew even more certain it contained an enormous amount of chakra, though he had no idea how to use it. Unable to figure it out, he could only ask Senshi, "How do I use this?"
Senshi responded casually, "That's easy. I'll do it for you."
And with that, he interacted with the Hextech Core's property interface and selected "Use." Instantly, the Hextech Core radiated a dazzling glow of aqua-blue light.
"Buzz—!"
This brilliant aqua light merged visibly into Sasori's regeneration core. During the fusion, Sasori's puppet eyes went wide in shock, for he could sense the Core's mysterious power upgrading and modifying his core in an incredible way.
By the time the radiant glow had completely fused with his regeneration core, his entire aura had changed dramatically. At that moment, Sasori felt a genuine union of man and puppet—he could use this new regeneration core to refine chakra at will, with extreme efficiency. Not only that, his upgraded "Regeneration Core 2.0" now let him wield a massive volume of chakra, about three times what he had before—or even more.
Most important of all, Regeneration Core 2.0 carried his consciousness far better than before and greatly enhanced his puppet-controlling ability. He could now manipulate more puppets at once and wield them with even more finesse. He felt reborn, inside and out.
It made sense that he felt this way. Previously, Sasori's regeneration core still contained living flesh. Now, he'd completely left his humanity behind: his body was a puppet, and his new core had abandoned all traces of flesh in favor of pure technology.
Sasori carefully took stock of the transformations brought by his Regeneration Core 2.0. The more he analyzed, the more surprised he became. This Hextech Core Senshi had given him was just too perfectly suited for him. And Senshi had gifted it to him free of charge. This Senshi was entirely different from the man Pain and Kakuzu had described.
Still, Regeneration Core 2.0 wasn't flawless. It did give him a boost, but it wasn't earth-shattering. He was stronger than before—more solid in every way—but there was undoubtedly still a big gap between him and Orochimaru, who could single-handedly take on the A–B combo plus the entire Kumogakure. Sasori looked at Senshi and said frankly:
"This treasure you gave me has enhanced my regeneration core in a truly amazing way. My strength has risen greatly, and my art is that much closer to perfection. But I'm clearly still a long way off from Orochimaru's level. Is this all you can do for me?"
Senshi shook his head, draping an arm around Sasori's shoulder again. "Sasori, you're not seeing the full picture."
He cleared his throat, then continued. What he said next was the real purpose behind all this setup. His earlier hints had been laying the groundwork for this moment:
"Sasori, your Regeneration Core 2.0 can be upgraded further. Now that you've fused the Hextech Core, you really ought to focus a lot of effort on it. The Hextech Regeneration Core can be upgraded four times total. Each upgrade is a qualitative leap forward."
"In short, you can keep boosting your total chakra, and each stage unlocks a powerful new jutsu."
Hearing that, Sasori—no, "Hextech Sasori"—couldn't help being taken aback. He already wasn't fully satisfied with his current level compared to Orochimaru. He never imagined his new regeneration core could be upgraded four more times, adding chakra capacity and granting one strong ninjutsu per stage. After four such upgrades, he might well surpass Orochimaru.
Sasori looked at Senshi with eager eyes. "So how do I upgrade?"
That was precisely what Senshi was waiting for. He squeezed Sasori's hand in excitement, then gave a troubled sigh. "Sasori, you've experienced firsthand how much stronger your new core is. You know how powerful it can be. It's true that the Hextech Regeneration Core can be upgraded four more times, but each upgrade is more difficult—and more expensive—than the last."
Those words made Sasori anxious. He had finally glimpsed hope for rapidly advancing in strength, but if Senshi couldn't help him with the next upgrades, what then? He asked hurriedly, "Even you can't continue upgrading my Hextech Core?"
Senshi shook his head and, with a regretful look, said, "Not that it's impossible—but it's definitely not easy. We'll have to pay a steep price each time if we want to overcome every hurdle."
At this point, Sasori caught on. Senshi had given him the Hextech Core for free—but upgrading it was another matter entirely. The technology to upgrade the Hextech Regeneration Core was in Senshi's hands, so Sasori could either skip it or pour major resources into letting Senshi do it. If he'd never learned about these future upgrades, he would have been fine. But now that he knew how powerful the core was and that it could advance further, how could he resist? He'd go broke if he had to, so long as he could keep upgrading until it reached the limit!
Resigned, Sasori asked, "How much will it cost to upgrade the Hextech Regeneration Core?"
Senshi put on a conflicted look. "Sasori, this isn't just a matter of money. It's also the cost of the technology itself. But fine—I know you didn't bring that much money with you today, so I'll give you a 50% discount on the first upgrade. I'll only charge you 100 million ryō."
Hearing that price, Sasori let out a long sigh of relief. He'd worried Senshi would ask for some astronomical figure he couldn't afford. But 100 million was exactly what he had. And in Sasori's eyes, the Hextech Core alone was already worth more than 100 million. That meant paying 100 million would effectively get him both the core and one immediate upgrade—a great deal.
Without hesitating, he said, "I'll pay you 100 million ryō as your fee. Please upgrade my Hextech Regeneration Core once."
[Mission Accepted!
[Client: Sasori of the Red Sand]
[Goal: Upgrade Sasori's Hextech Regeneration Core once!]
[Reward: 100 million ryō]
[Rank: S]
[Mission Bonus: 100,000 Employment Points!]
As that system message rang out in his mind, Senshi was elated. He knew perfectly well that once Sasori got a taste, he'd want more. And there were still three upgrades left. After experiencing the core's might, Sasori would stop at nothing to max it out.
After Sasori formally issued the commission, Senshi didn't waste time. Under Sasori's confused gaze, he gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
[Spent 10,000 Employment Points. Hextech Regeneration Core is now upgrading…]
Sasori: (O_O)???
He felt his Hextech Regeneration Core begin upgrading immediately—he could sense it clearly. His entire puppet body was left speechless. Not long ago, Senshi had insisted how tough it was to upgrade, yet now all he did was pat Sasori's shoulder and it was already happening? How exactly was it "difficult" or "technical?" Where were the so-called costs?
But Sasori—though miffed—had no time to argue. Upgrading the Hextech Regeneration Core was far too valuable to delay with complaints. He wanted to power up as quickly as possible.
Some distance away, Karin had been happily cooking, proclaiming that Senshi would get to taste an amazing pork cutlet rice at noon. Then, with a loud sizzle and a sudden flare of flames, her dish got swallowed by a raging fire.
Karin immediately realized Senshi wouldn't be having any delicious meal today. The pork cutlet rice she'd carefully prepared had failed! After the flames died down, what remained in the pan was nothing but blackened charcoal. Karin pretended nothing had happened, put away her pink Susano'o, and hopped over to where Senshi was.
Although she'd been cooking not far away, she'd also kept an eye on Senshi and Sasori. She knew full well what had just transpired. Once there, she clung to Senshi's long legs and praised him:
"You're amazing as always, Senshi! You've already helped Sasori upgrade his strength, huh? You really are the best!"
Senshi, however, wasn't letting her off so easily. "Hey, what happened to the pork cutlet rice you promised me?"
Karin put on a blank expression. "Pork cutlet rice? Huh? What pork cutlet rice?"
She was playing dumb. Senshi ruffled her neatly brushed red hair into a bird's nest, saying, "Karin, I've told you many times: as members of our 'wandering clan,' our personalities can be pretty scattered. Since you lack any special talent, you need to allocate your time wisely, focusing on medical ninjutsu. Yet you keep spending all your days using Susanoo to cook. Sigh…"
Karin pouted, refusing to accept his criticism. "That's not fair, Senshi! My cooking has totally been improving! And this was my first attempt at pork cutlet rice, so it's normal to fail!"
She put her hands on her hips and argued indignantly. A single line from Senshi, though, made her wilt at once: "Name one dish you've actually succeeded in making?"
Hearing that, Karin mumbled, "But all my attempts were just one little step away from success! Plus, Hidan's eaten them and survived, right?"
When she brought up Hidan, Senshi felt maybe he should remind Karin that Hidan was still human—at least in some sense. Even if he was immortal, feeding him "dark cuisine" every day probably wasn't ideal. Just as Senshi was about to say something, Karin's eyes darted cunningly. She pointed at Sasori and cried, "Hey! Sasori's got an extra arm now!"
Senshi couldn't help chuckling at how blatantly she changed the subject. What did Sasori's new arm have to do with her not studying medical ninjutsu?
Still, glancing over at Sasori, Senshi did see something new. After the first upgrade to his Hextech Regeneration Core, Sasori had unlocked a jutsu called "Death Ray." This caused a new mechanical arm to appear on the right side of his Hiruko puppet. Thanks to the Hextech Regeneration Core and that mechanical limb, Sasori could now unleash the powerful Death Ray technique.
Having completed his first upgrade, Sasori decided to test his newly gained power:
"Boom!"
Under his control, a bright blue beam erupted from the mechanical hand on Hiruko's right side.
"Crash!"
That azure beam blasted against the ground in the distance, gouging out a trench in an instant. The jutsu's power astonished Sasori:
"What a formidable, instantly cast technique. Not only does it require no hand seals; its power is comparable to an A-rank ninjutsu."
"With this in hand, I'll have so many more options in battle. An instant-cast ninjutsu like this could be used repeatedly to catch an enemy off guard. Plus, I find this mechanical arm quite artistic."
"With it, no one in Akatsuki can threaten my seat atop the pinnacle of art."
He was highly pleased with the Hextech Core's first upgrade. Afterward, his total chakra reserves had expanded yet again. Before the upgrade, the Hextech Core gave him an extra 10 units of chakra; after this upgrade, that bonus had increased to 20. So he could sense an even greater supply of chakra. Additionally, the mechanical arm—so similar in concept to puppet mechanics—sparked new ideas for him as a puppet master.
Puppets offered many advantages in battle but also had clear drawbacks. Except for "human puppets," most puppets were incapable of using high-level ninjutsu; they could only employ hidden needles, fire jets, poison gas, and other mechanical tools. While those methods were enough to kill most ninjas in the world, against elite opponents like the A–B brothers of Kumogakure or Orochimaru, they were somewhat limited and weak. Though Sasori did own the Third Kazekage human puppet, he kept that as a trump card and didn't casually reveal it. Now, thanks to his Hextech Regeneration Core, he had this Death Ray technique that he could freely use. Its main virtues—instant casting and A-rank power—made it extremely practical.
Satisfied, Sasori nodded and told Senshi, "You truly are the strongest mercenary on the black market. You accomplish tasks in unimaginable ways that exceed your clients' expectations. I'm very pleased with how powerful the upgraded Hextech Regeneration Core is."
Senshi grinned at that. Draping an arm around Sasori again, he said, "Sasori, this is only the beginning! Your Hextech Core can still be upgraded three more times. Over the next two upgrades, you'll unlock one A-rank ninjutsu each time. The final upgrade will grant you a devastating S-rank ninjutsu!"
Even if Senshi hadn't spelled that out, Sasori already wanted to keep upgrading. Hearing him confirm it only made Sasori that much more eager—he wanted to max out the Hextech Core right away if he could. With every upgrade, his chakra capacity and puppet control would keep improving. Most of all, he was dying to see just how powerful that S-rank technique could be and whether it would bring him artistic perfection. Surely, coming to Senshi for this was the right choice.
At this thought, Sasori couldn't help but ask, "So the second upgrade won't have a discount, meaning it's 200 million ryō, right?"
Yet the moment he asked that, Senshi, who'd been all smiles a second ago, put on a pained look, acting as though his highly advanced technical knowledge had been insulted. Clearly annoyed, he retorted:
"Sasori, you're in the tech business yourself. You should know how to price such a technology. Do you really think unlocking the next stage of the Hextech Core is worth only 200 million?"
"Such a grand achievement should be priceless. But hey, you're my partner, so I can't charge you a fortune. I'll give you my 'friendship price'—300 million for the second upgrade!"
With that, Senshi put on an expression suggesting Sasori was getting the deal of a lifetime, as if Senshi himself were taking a loss just to help a buddy out.
Sasori: (O_O)???
That quote of 300 million left him speechless. If the second upgrade alone cost 300 million, how much would the remaining two cost? Even if he took on missions until the ninja world collapsed, could he earn enough?
Should he look for a huge job or two? Because while upgrading the Hextech Regeneration Core was definitely necessary, the expense was staggering.
Seeing Sasori's flabbergasted expression, Senshi felt a secret triumph. Sasori was just too green to realize that in many cases, free gifts can end up costing the most of all.
Standing off to the side, Karin peeked her little head around to give Sasori a sympathetic look. In her opinion, he was in for it. He'd come all this way to find Senshi, only to hand over all his money—and that was just for the first upgrade. If he wanted to max out his Hextech Core, who knew how many years he'd have to work for Senshi?
Then again, seeing Sasori's new third arm and the instant-cast ability of that mechanical limb, Karin clung to Senshi's long legs and said, "Senshi, when are we going on missions next? If I work really hard on them, could I get a reward from you?"
Senshi thought about it and replied, "Yes, but you'll have to not only work hard on missions—you'll also have to spend less time on your bizarre cooking experiments and devote more time to training in medical ninjutsu. Then maybe you'll qualify for a reward."
Karin: "┏┛'O'┗┓ Gahhh!"
Out of Senshi's three conditions, Karin was only confident about two: doing missions diligently and practicing her medical ninjutsu. She definitely wasn't going to cut back on cooking. She was proud of her culinary "art"!
She kept clinging to Senshi's leg, protesting, "You jerk, I'll make a dish so tasty that you'll have to rave about it! Don't underestimate my bond with cuisine!"
"Sigh…" Senshi could only shake his head at the sight of her stubbornness. Yet he soon recalled that maybe, one day, he'd draw a legendary set of cooking gear in a random draw. If he gave Karin those magical kitchen implements—assuming she had even a hint of cooking skill—she could likely produce delicious food. Seeing how determined she was, it was pointless to make her give it up. Rewarding her with legendary cookware might be the better approach in the long run.
While Senshi was thinking this over, Hidan—who had finished all of that day's missions—came walking over. He greeted Senshi respectfully, "Lord Jashin, I've completed every task for today!"
Senshi nodded slightly and said, "Then you can return to Amegakure. I've found myself a new partner, so you can just solo your missions from here on."
No sooner had he spoken than the "voice of Lord Jashin" rang in Hidan's head:
"You fool! Your ability to complete missions is pitifully inadequate—you're unworthy of carrying out my doctrine to its fullest!"
"The newly arrived devout believer is far more capable and will replace you."
"You must go off on your own to do missions and deepen your understanding of Jashin's will."
Those whispers from Lord Jashin crushed Hidan's spirit. But no matter what, he desperately wanted to remain at his deity's side. He absolutely refused to leave. Meanwhile, standing in the distance, Sasori felt every hair on his puppet body rise on end, thoroughly creeped out by the scene.
~~~
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