Naruto: Reincarnated with a programmable system core.

Hiroshi walked down the dimly lit corridor, Pain had summoned him. Another mission, another opportunity.

As he turned a corner.

'Sasori of the Red Sand'

Sasori halted a few paces away, "You're the new recruit, aren't you?"

Hiroshi nodded, his tone calm and collected.

"That's one way to put it. Can I help you with something, Sasori?"

Sasori stepped forward, releasing his chakra in a sudden surge. The oppressive energy washed over the corridor, "You've been acting like you belong here," Sasori said coldly, "but you haven't earned that right yet."

Hiroshi didn't flinch. He stood there, utterly unaffected by the wave of chakra pressing against him.

Sasori's eyes narrowed. In a blur of motion, Sasori disappeared from his spot, reappearing behind Hiroshi with a kunai pressed against his neck.

"How do you like this?" Sasori whispered, his voice dripping with confidence.

Hiroshi sighed audibly. "Not very much."

Before Sasori could process the response, he felt the cold steel of a kunai against his own throat.

His eyes widened in shock as he realized Hiroshi was now standing behind him, mirroring his pose perfectly.

"How...?" Sasori's voice trailed off.

Sasori clicked his tongue and leaped forward, putting distance between them.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the puppet of the Third Kazekage,

"I didn't want to waste this on you," Sasori said, his tone dark. The puppet's arms extended, releasing a wave of iron sand into the air, ready to crush Hiroshi at Sasori's command.

But Hiroshi didn't move. Instead, he raised one hand, forming a single seal.

"Dark Release: Eclipse."

The entire corridor plunged into darkness. A shadowy domain spread out around them, swallowing all light and sound.

The iron sand froze in midair before disintegrating into nothingness. The chakra strings connecting Sasori to his puppet also vanished, severed by the oppressive energy of the domain.

"What is this...?" Sasori muttered, his puppet fell lifeless to the ground with a hollow thud,

That's not all; he couldn't even feel his own body!

"You can't use chakra," Hiroshi's voice echoed from the shadows, cold and detached. "That includes Your body which is also a puppet."

Sasori gritted his teeth, his hands twitching as he struggled to regain control. "You... what are you?"

Hiroshi stepped closer, his figure materializing out of the shadows. His blonde hair shimmered faintly as he used his kunai to dig out only the living part of the Sasori.

Sasori's mechanical body slumped further. He realized he couldn't win—not here, not against this technique.

A cold smirk appeared on Hiroshi's face, then he raised his hand again, forming a new hand sign. "Release."

The dark domain dissipated, the corridor returning to its dimly lit state. Sasori collapsed to the ground, his puppet body barely functioning while his organic part hanging out.

He looked up to see Hiroshi standing over him,

But then, without warning, Hiroshi's body dissolved into crimson smoke, vanishing into the air.

Sasori's eyes widened in disbelief. "A clone... it was a clone the entire time?"

The faint echo of Hiroshi's voice lingered in the corridor. "Don't get in my way."

Sasori somehow managed to get on his feet and reached the Pain's chamber.

"You're late; they already left." Pain said.

Sasori clenched his fists, anger, and frustration boiling inside him. "I don't like this new recruit."

...

"Still not talking?" Obito's voice was calm, eerily detached. He rolled the tooth between his fingers before throwing in a small pill of tooth and nails.

"You know, I have plenty of time, but I doubt you do."

Uchiha elder coughed blood onto the floor.

"You'll... get nothing from me... You're not Madra are you?" he managed to choke out.

Obito tilted his head slightly, his expression hidden behind his mask.

The elder tried to glare at him, but his resolve was cracking. Obito could see it in the way his shoulders trembled, in the way his eyes flicked nervously toward the half-closed door.

"Please… kill me," Shisui's voice comes out from inside of that door, after a long time.

Orochimaru's cold, clinical voice followed, muttering something about "increasing the dosage" as another syringe plunged into Shisui's arm.

Obito sighed, the sound tinged with irritation. "That sound is distracting," he muttered. He turned to one of the white-masked operatives stationed by the door. "Close it. I don't need his screams ruining my fun "

The door closed, muffling Shisui's pained cries.

Obito crouched down to the elder's eye level, his glowing Sharingan inches from the man's face. "Let me make this simple for you. Either you let me use Shisui to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, and tell me where is that vial of Hashirama's blood, or... well… you can do nothing."

The elder shuddered but remained silent.

Before Obito could reach for another "persuasive tool," a soft rustling sound came from the wall.

Zetsu materialized from the shadows, half of his body still embedded in the wall.

"Madra," Zetsu said in his usual monotone, his black and white halves speaking in unison.

"What is it now?" Obito asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

Zetsu's expression remained unreadable. "Pain, He's dispatching Akatsuki members to the Hidden Mist to support the resistance. He wants to overthrow the current Mizukage and make Mei Terumī the new Kage."

Obito straightened, his interest piqued. "So, he's finally making his move in the Mist, huh?"

Zetsu nodded. "He's sending Konan, Sasori that blond shinobi—and Kisame.

They're tasked with aiding the resistance and ensuring Mei takes control."

"Even with the Rinnegan... even with the so-called 'eyes of the Sage,' Pain still doesn't understand human nature."

"So, what do you intend to do?"

"For now, nothing. Let Pain play his little game in the Mist."

Crack

Orochimaru opened the door; this time, the lab was quiet.

"We need to find another specimen; I think I increased the dose too much!" Orochimaru said.

sigh~

"How many remain?"

"About 20 Sharingans remain…. I heard the Uchiha clan head has a son with tremendous potential."

...