"Black Zetsu… do we really have to risk showing up at this auction?"
Tobi's shoulders slumped beneath his mask, his voice full of grievance.
"Konoha has already dug up everything about me. My Chakra characteristics, my fighting style—it's all public now!"
Black Zetsu calmly adjusted his black robe, his tone steady and unyielding.
"This auction is non-negotiable. I need to personally confirm the Sacrificial Shop's transaction logic, evaluation system, and operating principles."
Tobi scratched his head in frustration. "But even if we figure all that out, what's the point? Jinchūriki can't be sold. The shop already made it clear they don't deal in intelligent life."
"Naïve."
Black Zetsu's gaze slowly shifted toward the colossal silhouette lurking deep within the cavern.
"Rules exist to be interpreted. If intelligent life is the problem—then what if intelligence no longer exists?"
Tobi followed his line of sight. His breath caught.
"The… Gedo Statue?"
A feverish glint flickered in Black Zetsu's eyes.
"If the Sacrificial Shop can give me enough certainty, then even the Gedo Statue is negotiable."
This wasn't madness. It was desperation sharpened by reality.
The wastelands beyond the Ninja World were brutally unforgiving. Natural energy there was violent and unstable, stripping even White Zetsu units down through attrition. Mining under those conditions came at a terrible cost.
If brute force no longer worked, then leverage had to be found elsewhere.
Wrapped in black cloaks, Black Zetsu and Tobi quietly entered the auction hall, melting into the crowd.
The moment they stepped inside, Tobi's restraint shattered.
"Whoa—this place is insane! Look, look—there are toads and slugs here!"
"Silence," Black Zetsu hissed. "Those are Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest."
His gaze swept further, lingering briefly on three women dressed in ancient robes.
"And Ryūchi Cave is present as well. The three great summoning sanctuaries have all arrived."
They retreated to a shadowed corner.
Black Zetsu observed silently, his mind racing.
"Interesting… Summoning Beasts, Ninja, nobles, Daimyō—all seated as equals."
A thought crystallized.
"In the Sacrificial Shop's valuation system, they're all categorized the same."
Tobi tilted his head. "So a Kage and a summon beast are… equivalent?"
Black Zetsu didn't answer.
But the silence was confirmation enough.
Moxiao, already familiar with auction protocol from Douluo Continent, wasted no time.
"The first item—Fourth-Grade cultivation technique: Heavy Wave Stacked Mountain Art."
"A dual Water–Earth technique. Starting bid: 600,000 sacrificial coins."
The bidding ignited instantly.
Ōnoki, Yagura, Hidden Mist elites—voices overlapped, prices surged.
Ultimately, Yagura claimed it for 1,080,000.
The momentum never slowed.
Lightning Release insight scrolls.
The Jonin Pill, driving clans and nobles into a frenzy.
A natural energy evolution pill—won by Hanzo after crushing all competition.
Each item stoked the crowd further.
Then—
Sasori's puppet appeared.
The auction hall exploded.
"This is Lord Sasori's Magnet Release puppet," Moxiao announced.
"Dual control modes. No Chakra required."
Data flooded the projection.
Two and a half meters tall.
Hundreds of tons of iron sand capacity.
Spirit Bone core.
"This," Sasori declared with quiet fervor, "is art beyond flesh."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed.
And when the bidding started, it turned savage.
The Fire Daimyō secured it for 3,200,000 and activated it on the spot.
A public declaration.
Tsunade's gaze turned icy.
Then came Orochimaru's counterstrike.
"Fourth-Grade pill—Chakra Condensation Pill."
A core.
A pseudo-Spirit.
Hand-seal-less Ninjutsu.
The hall erupted.
Even Sasori stood.
Li Rong listened carefully as Orochimaru explained—Spirit structure replication, Chakra stabilization through ratio mimicry, evolutionary response tied to growth.
Not perfection.
But potential.
True potential.
When applause finally faded, Li Rong smiled.
"Metal without Chakra. Chakra without hand seals. Two paths, one destination."
He looked at them both.
"Are you interested in seeing a new world?"
Their answer was immediate.