Kakashi snorted. This question, if it had been asked back when his father had just died, would have really stumped him.
But now, he had already thought it over countless times and had found his own answer.
Besides, the main culprit, Danzo, was already dead, and he had long since resolved his inner demons.
He asked in return, "This elder of Sunagakure, do you think a ninja should be a person, or a tool?"
Chiyo hadn't expected Kakashi to avoid her trap and instead throw one back at her.
'Seriously, why is this kid so cunning at such a young age?'
This question wasn't easy to answer. Although all ninjas knew that a ninja was just a tool, if those words really came out of her mouth as someone high up, many at the lower levels would be disheartened.
That wouldn't be in Sunagakure's best interest.
Since she couldn't answer, she could only toss the question back, "Then what do you think?"
Kakashi glanced at Chiyo with disdain.
He said, "Those who treat ninjas as tools and discard them at will are trash."
"Those who don't even dare answer this question are the trash of the trash."
Chiyo was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Kakashi to actually dare to answer, and in such a blunt way, while also insulting her to her face.
She asked, "So, you think your father wasn't wrong?"
Kakashi replied, "That's right."
Chiyo sneered, "If he wasn't wrong, then why did he commit suicide?"
Kakashi put his hands in his pockets, "What do you think?"
Chiyo said, "Because White Fang thought he was wrong."
Kakashi calmly said, "No, he was just disappointed."
Chiyo froze again, 'Disappointed?'
That was a perspective she had never considered before.
But she wasn't about to give up her attack.
She asked, "So, you think it was the fault of those villagers in Konoha?"
Kakashi shook his head, "It was the fault of those who spread rumors."
Chiyo was secretly delighted, 'Isn't Kakashi handing himself over on a platter?'
She immediately pressed, "Then who do you think spread the rumors?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes. After spending so much time with Obito, how could he not have picked up a trick or two? Did they really think he wasn't devious?
"Of course, it was those whose Will of Fire was not firm."
"After all, our Konoha values the Will of Fire most. And the core of the Will of Fire is to protect the village and protect one's comrades."
"Only those who do not firmly believe in the Will of Fire would go around spreading the idea that protecting comrades is wrong. Such people have already betrayed the First Hokage's original intent in founding the village and deserve to die."
Chiyo was instantly speechless. It felt like she had punched cotton.
Why was Kakashi so good with words? If any Konoha ninja heard this, would they dare say anything in disagreement?
'Hmph, this crafty Kakashi.'
She couldn't understand how the strong-willed White Fang of Konoha could have produced such a silver-tongued son.
In the end, she couldn't even win against White Fang's son.
In that moment, Chiyo looked like she had aged significantly.
She only asked one last question, her gaze unusually serious, "Kakashi, I hope you'll answer this question seriously. I have no intention of mocking you."
"When your father died back then, how did you feel? Did you ever feel resentment? Were you ever confused? What did you want to do?"
Kakashi truly had no obligation to answer everything for Chiyo. Especially since that kind of feeling was not pleasant, he didn't want to recall it either.
But he knew the reason Chiyo was asking.
He had heard some things about Sasori from Obito.
He slowly opened his mouth and said, "Actually, to be honest, I was quite indifferent to life at the time. After all, with my relatives gone, I had no more attachment."
"But I adjusted quickly. After all, I still had friends."
"Orochimaru-sama was right, we should respect life and try to live well."
"I wonder though, do all people who experience the loss of family feel this way? Perhaps some can't bear the blow and turn instead to the pursuit of eternal art."
Orochimaru, standing nearby, had a flicker in his eyes.
He hadn't expected that, as Kakashi spoke, he would bring him up.
'And…'
'Why do these words sound so familiar?'
Of course, it was because his own pursuit, to a certain extent, could also be called the pursuit of eternal art.
Then, a person flashed through his mind, a mysterious masked man.
He remembered discussing the topic of eternity with that masked man.
And among the methods that masked man mentioned, there was one related to Sunagakure.
For example, turning oneself into a puppet.
'So, is it just a coincidence?'
'It should be just a coincidence.'
But regardless, Orochimaru was interested.
He asked, "Elder Chiyo, speaking of eternal art, I heard that your Sunagakure has a technique that can turn people into puppets. Is that true?"
Chiyo was stunned. Then something came to her mind, and she was shocked again.
The Third Kazekage had disappeared. Sasori had also disappeared.
'Human puppets…'
A terrifying thought suddenly popped into her mind, and the more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Her face suddenly turned very grim. If the Third Kazekage didn't just disappear, but died by accident… a lot of things suddenly made sense.
'So, my grandson. Is he really, as Kakashi said, pursuing eternal art ever since his parents died?'
'Did he even kill the Third Kazekage and turn him into a human puppet?'
'That is a forbidden act in Sunagakure.'
'But then, how did Kakashi and Orochimaru know about this? Are they subtly hinting at me?'
'Could it be that this matter is connected to Konoha as well?'
Orochimaru had no idea what thoughts were racing through Chiyo's mind. He only confirmed one thing through her expression.
The technique of turning people into puppets was real.
Just like the human experiments he had conducted before, it was likely a forbidden practice on the surface.
'So, in Sunagakure, who is doing this?'
And to be honest, in a certain sense, he and the person doing this had similar pursuits and similar circumstances.
If possible, he'd really like to talk with them.
Orochimaru let out a chuckle, "Interesting. Elder Chiyo, I have another question. When turning someone into a puppet, is it possible to retain their consciousness as a human? If so, can a person thereby attain eternal, undying life?"
BOOM!
A thunderclap exploded in Chiyo's mind.
'Turning someone into a puppet while retaining their consciousness, it sounds like pure fantasy.'
'But if it is someone as gifted as Sasori, then perhaps it isn't impossible.'
'So this is Sasori's pursuit of eternal art?'
'To turn himself into a puppet and gain immortal life?"
'My grandson, could he have already become something neither human nor ghost?'
Chiyo suddenly stared at Orochimaru, tightly and intensely, and asked, "Could it be… this is Konoha's conspiracy?"
Orochimaru was taken aback. He had only wanted to find out whether Sunagakure truly possessed the method the masked man spoke of, how far it could go.
'But it seems… Elder Chiyo has misunderstood something?'
'However, since Elder Chiyo misunderstood, that confirms the technique's existence.'
Orochimaru gave a sinister smile, "This is getting more and more interesting. Elder Chiyo, I'd really like to know, who is researching this technique? Do you have any detailed data on it? If you do, could I purchase it at a price?"
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