Chapter 63: Strength depends on the version, being handsome is a lifelong thing

Konan was accompanied by another ninja, but it wasn't Nagato. This person wasn't wearing the Akatsuki uniform, instead donning ordinary clothes and carrying something on their back. Wait a minute, why did this guy look familiar?

"Mud cakes?" Kenichi Yumigami asked, turning to Konan despite his curiosity about the ninja beside her. It would be impolite to ignore someone speaking to him.

Kenichi prided himself on being a well-mannered person.

"Yes, it's a specialty food from our Rain Country," Konan replied calmly, as if everything was unrelated to her. "It's made from a type of soil. It has no nutritional value but can fill your stomach."

Kenichi could see a hint of lingering sadness in Konan's eyes. She was a good kid, after all. She didn't smoke, drink, or get perms. Even though she was an Akatsuki member and a paper bomb enthusiast, Konan was indeed a good person.

Kenichi scratched his head. Mud cakes? Now he understood. Similar things had happened in his previous life, like edible clay. People often joked about being so poor they had to eat dirt, but in the past, some people actually had to eat soil out of poverty. It wasn't an exaggeration, but a literal description.

Kenichi bought a mud cake, though he didn't intend to eat it. He had his own plans.

After inheriting his friend Yahiko's will, Nagato had made Akatsuki the ruler of the Rain Country. In the future ninja world, the Rain Country hadn't experienced any major upheavals, such as being drawn into wars, until Akatsuki was exposed and caught the attention of other hidden villages.

Kenichi didn't know how Nagato viewed the lower-class people of the Rain Country, but he planned to test and see if Nagato cared about their lives. If he did care, Kenichi could use this to persuade Nagato to set up a research department for him. Then he could focus on research without worrying about fighting others.

He preferred developing new and interesting things, allowing his enemies to close their eyes happily under the coverage of yield and firepower.

To Kenichi's surprise, Konan bought all the mud cakes and glanced at him. Though she didn't say it, Kenichi felt like she was asking, "You only bought one?" He couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated.

Konan was quite cute, after all.

"Is this a new member?" Kenichi noticed the ring on the hand of the person next to Konan. He had one too, though his was made of jade, while the other person's material was unknown.

Speaking of jade, Kenichi suddenly realized something. He looked at the ninja in front of him. That face...

Sasori?

Kenichi was surprised. He recognized the ninja's identity: Sasori of the Red Sand, a genius puppeteer from Sunagakure with the power to kill the Third Kazekage. He was a formidable ninja.

Moreover, Sasori was an extraordinary person who had turned himself into a puppet, achieving a different kind of eternity. However, he looked more human than puppet at the moment, which was why Kenichi hadn't recognized him immediately.

"This is a new member of the organization, Ao," Konan introduced briefly. She had brought Sasori here for Nagato to assign tasks and to prepare a set of clothes for him.

Kenichi's mouth twitched. Ao? This was clearly Sasori. However, Sasori's eyes were like those of a dead fish, showing no interest in anything in the world.

"So, you're a new member. I'm Kenichi Yumigami," Kenichi said with a smile, extending his hand. Sasori looked at him upon hearing his name.

"The A-rank missing-nin from Konoha?" Sasori scrutinized Kenichi, surprised that he had directly stated his real name. After all, the woman beside him had mentioned that the organization communicated using code names.

Noticing Sasori's gaze, Konan's expression became somewhat awkward. Nagato had indeed instructed everyone to use code names, but it clearly hadn't worked for the troublemaker Kenichi.

"Here are your clothes," Konan said, unable to bear it any longer. If this continued, the new member might start doubting the organization's seriousness before even joining!

They were the Akatsuki, not some comedy duo!

Kenichi had intended to chat more with Sasori, as he was very interested in his puppet techniques. If they could be made more complex and use more materials, could they create a Gundam? Then, if he researched and successfully awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, he could combine Susanoo with a Gundam. Wouldn't that be even more awesome?

Of course, this would be challenging, but he wasn't in a hurry. He could take it slow.

However, hearing Konan's words, he couldn't help but look over. Clothes were important, but he wondered if they would look cool.

Seeing the clothes presented, Kenichi felt disappointed. They were just very standard uniforms, with the only difference being that they were slightly looser. If the buttons were undone, it might feel like a cape.

"This isn't artistic at all," Kenichi sighed. Sasori, hearing this, couldn't help but glance at Kenichi.

A kindred spirit?

Sasori felt a bit excited. He also loved art, believing that eternal things were the most beautiful in this world. The thought of growing old and becoming a different person made him very dissatisfied with his body.

"I made these," Konan said, narrowing her eyes at Kenichi, clearly annoyed.

It was because of this guy's various demands that she had to modify Kenichi's clothes. She had never met a ninja with so many requests.

Weren't clothes just something to wear? As long as they could be worn, it should be fine.

"But they really don't look good," Kenichi scratched his head. He had to admit that the aesthetic sense in the ninja world was indeed unique, though this was related to people here being busy fighting every day.

In the ninja world, people in their forties or fifties were considered old. Very few could live to Hiruzen Sarutobi's age, especially civilians.

Sasori silently gave a thumbs up. What a brave warrior, daring to speak like that.

Although Sasori was an independent person, he knew that saying some pleasantries in this situation would improve the atmosphere.

He didn't expect Kenichi to be so frank. This was truly courageous.

Konan's face darkened.