"Although I know you've researched puppet prosthetic limbs for a while, puppet prosthetics and the Puppet Technique are two different things, right? Or is it that…"
Orochimaru suddenly had a bad feeling.
"You're not thinking of having me research it, are you?"
His tone was cold.
"I'm not interested in such a boring thing!"
Ryoho Kyohiko had pulled this kind of stunt too many times before. He would propose an idea, and then let him or other ninjas skilled in research tackle it, while he himself only put in some effort, or even none at all.
If Orochimaru had free time, he could help with the research. With his talent, learning the Puppet Technique wouldn't take much time. But now, he had too many things to research. Hashirama's cells, White Zetsu's cells, curse marks, Sage Mode, and he also had to spare some time to study what was going on with the Uchiha's Sharingan… He was too busy! He wished he could split himself in two to get things done. If Kyohiko added another meaningless workload for him, he would really go on strike and flip the table. After all, even on Madara's side, the workload couldn't possibly be this heavy!
Ryoho Kyohiko smiled.
"Of course not. How could I let you research such a boring job? I've already figured it out myself. It's just that in terms of cell combination, I'd like to consult your opinion."
Orochimaru was a little surprised. He actually spent time researching it himself… and listening to Kyohiko's meaning, it seems he has already figured out puppet creation.
He thought carefully and quickly remembered—when Sasori of the Red Sand was killed back then, a large number of human puppets were in Kyohiko's hands.
Orochimaru's brow furrowed.
"Human puppets?"
Ryoho Kyohiko explained seriously.
"No, it's proper puppet technology. I've already figured it out. It's much simpler than human puppets. But human puppets also have their merits…"
He had already integrated the memories. The main difference in Grandmaster-level puppet creation lay in "chakra" and "ability enhancement." Ordinary puppets could only achieve changes and kill enemies through mechanisms and structures, but more powerful puppets could release special secret techniques in conjunction with chakra. In addition, some techniques of human puppets were also included.
And Ryoho Kyohiko's idea—using "White Zetsu cells" as the core, restricting them within the puppet through sealing jutsu and curse mark-like means, and combining the manufacturing techniques of puppets and human puppets to create a Wood Style puppet.
After hearing Kyohiko's concept, a look of interest finally appeared on Orochimaru's face. Wood Style puppets… that's an interesting idea. However, he thought for a moment.
"If a seal is applied, the power of the cells cannot be fully utilized, and the Wood Style ability that can be displayed will be quite limited…"
Orochimaru didn't finish, but his meaning was self-evident—a Wood Style that wasn't strong enough was probably even less effective than Yamato's. What great combat significance could it have?
Ryoho Kyohiko looked at Orochimaru and smiled.
"It can't be explained clearly here."
"Let's change locations."
Orochimaru nodded.
He was interested in "Wood Style puppets," but he wasn't optimistic about their "usefulness" and "potential." But Kyohiko seemed to have other ideas.
The wood clone took Orochimaru and instantly used the Flying Thunder God to arrive in a forest. This was the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind. It was originally a desert, but Kyohiko had released a Deep Forest Emergence here, creating a patch of woods.
Then, Ryoho Kyohiko directly created some wood through ninjutsu, then simply carved and pieced them together with a knife. A puppet the size of a chicken was quickly completed. The next second, with a flick of his finger, a chakra thread flew out. It quickly disappeared from its spot.
"Can you still sense it?"
"Interesting!"
Orochimaru realized what Kyohiko meant.
Wood Style's affinity with nature was far superior to other ninjutsu. So by covering it with Wood Style ninjutsu, a special barrier could be formed, thereby concealing its presence. Without a continuous supply of chakra, this effect could not last for long. But if the core was replaced with a special piece of cell tissue, then it would be different. It was equivalent to using the cells as a temporary battery and heart, as a short-term supply after detaching from the chakra threads. This was achievable.
"I'd like you to experiment and explore whether it's possible to make this piece of flesh into something like a relay station. After inputting chakra, it will overflow with an equal or half amount of chakra…"
"I understand what you mean."
Orochimaru nodded.
He realized what Kyohiko hadn't finished saying. What if the puppet were large enough? A sufficiently large puppet could accommodate a larger number of flesh pieces, and the chakra could be gathered from a number of people, and even—Tailed Beast power! A true Tailed Beast weapon!
Orochimaru took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.
"Kyohiko, I have to admit, your puppet technique is more interesting than Sasori of the Red Sand's!"
"So?"
"Alright. I was going to research it anyway."
Orochimaru nodded lightly.
Compared to a person, a puppet had an advantage—it had no life. Without life force, it could only fixedly wait for the input of chakra. As long as the dosage was controlled well, with appropriate operating methods, a similar effect could indeed be achieved. Once successful, releasing Wood Style abilities through puppets could be realized. Even if only a small part could be realized, Wood Style was still Wood Style, possessing many incredible abilities. And such a "battery" might not necessarily be installed alone. An accumulation of small amounts could also lead to a qualitative change.
***
In Konoha, at the Hokage's Office.
Tsunade sent the letter out with Minato and finally let out a sigh of relief. But then she started to get a headache. It was a good thing for the Suna children to come over, but wrangling with the old men would really require some saliva. No choice! I have to do it! After all, the subsequent negotiations and specific income definitions all required the three advisors to discuss. It wasn't just her own business—many parts of the village's political affairs and financial expenditures were in the hands of the three advisors. This was a check and balance of power, and also to share the Hokage's work. If all the advisors' work were pressed on Tsunade, she wouldn't be able to handle it even if she split into three. In the end, she would still have to find someone to delegate to.
Soon, the personnel were assembled.
"Shikaku isn't here, and on this matter, I need to unify our internal opinions first…"
Tsunade explained the situation.
The three advisors looked at each other, then fell into deep thought. Letting Suna ninjas go to school…
"Is Kyohiko trying to pull that old trick of Jiraiya's, or does he have another purpose?"
"Let's not worry about Kyohiko for now. He only mentioned it roughly. I thought about it and think it's feasible…"
Tsunade explained her analysis.
Sarutobi Hiruzen listened and nodded.
"I also thought of this. It can indeed be used. But what if Sunagakure really learns it…"
Tsunade looked at Utatane Koharu.
"How much money will this set of ours cost?"
A part of the financial work was shared by Koharu.
Utatane Koharu answered.
"In the past, the training for these techniques was basically the responsibility of the ninjas themselves. But now our school has to share a part of it, so the expenditure is much larger than before."
If not for Konoha gaining a lot of reparations in the war, even they might not have approved and continued to support this system.
Tsunade looked at Mitokado Homura.
"Can Sunagakure learn it?"
Mitokado Homura thought for a long time, then shook his head.
"The possibility is very low. Even if they can learn it, they can only imitate in some areas, and cannot be as comprehensive as us."
"That's that, then!"
Tsunade stood up straight and smiled. "Since they have neither the financial resources nor the ability, what do we have to worry about? In conclusion, I think the pros outweigh the cons."
Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his hand.
"I agree."
For Konoha, this strategy was indeed beneficial and harmless. Even if there might be one or two spies, if they could cultivate a batch of Sunagakure ninjas who recognized Konoha's spiritual values, then after they returned, Sunagakure would slowly move closer to Konoha. Combined with measures like tying interests, this proposal could promote further union between Konoha and Sunagakure! They had no reason to refuse!
***
Outside Kikyo Castle.
"Is this Konoha?"
"No, this is Kikyo Castle."
Ryoho Kyohiko answered.
Temari was silent for a moment.
"I know this place. The Third Kazekage seems to have died just outside here."
"Yes."
Ryoho Kyohiko nodded, without hiding or explaining. There is no right or wrong in war.
Temari followed him inside. She observed her surroundings, her feigned strong eyes showing a hint of timidity. She was, after all, only a three-year-old child. Such a performance was already more mature and strong than many children. All the way into the city, her eyes gradually showed joy and longing. Children are always full of curiosity about new things.
She walked on the road, following all the way inside.
"I thought this was your Konoha Village. I didn't expect that just a border city would have so many ninjas."
Ryoho Kyohiko answered with a smile.
"That's because you've seen too little."
"It's not a little! I've seen many ninjas!"
Temari immediately retorted.
Then, she began to detail how many people she had seen, her speech and reasoning very clear. But gradually, her voice weakened, and finally, she fell silent. Smart children are often also more pained. Temari was three, but she already understood… she might not be able to return to her familiar village. In the future, she would remain in Konoha as a special ninja. She couldn't imagine such a future.
"Want to look around more?"
"No need."
Temari said in a low voice. "Anyway, there's nothing to see. It has no meaning to me."
"Then let's go."
Ryoho Kyohiko led him into the house.
Then, several figures appeared before their eyes.
"Sir!"
"Send us to Konoha."
"Yes!"
Although they glanced at Temari, they didn't ask too much. The space-time barrier was set up, and then—Flying Thunder God Formation Technique!
Temari was still wondering what these techniques were, but the next second, she was picked up by Kyohiko. Then… she vaguely felt a warm force enveloping her. Then, the world spun. She went through several spatial rotations, as if she had been thrown into a washing machine and spun wildly. Then, she fainted.
***
In the hospital.
Tsunade was a little speechless.
"Using the Flying Thunder God Formation on a child, how could you think of that!"
Ryoho Kyohiko coughed lightly.
"I was protecting her. There would definitely be no problem. And she's not an ordinary person, so it's even less likely to be a problem."
"Shukaku, sigh!"
Tsunade sighed.
Jinchuriki in the past were an existence that maintained the balance of the shinobi world, but now they had become a factor affecting the order of the shinobi world. But they themselves had done nothing wrong. It was always people who started wars.
Tsunade sighed for a short while, then briefly recounted the matter of her exchange with the advisors and the various clan heads in Konoha, while Kyohiko also recounted his experience of going north and then south.
"So, why did you use Kakashi's appearance?"
"Because I didn't want the Cloud Village to know I had already left Konoha, so I had to do that at the time," Ryoho Kyohiko explained.
Tsunade held back her laughter.
"Do you know Kakashi's reaction?"
Ryoho Kyohiko gave an embarrassed smile.
"Ahem, it probably wasn't too good."
Hatake Kakashi was a case of sitting at home when disaster struck from the heavens. This wave of boosting the other's fame directly raised Kakashi's threat level in others' eyes.
But.
"The current Kakashi's strength is incomparable to before. He can definitely do it!"
Tsunade smiled.
"You'd better tell Kakashi that yourself."
"If he stops helping you with your work later, I can't do anything about it!"
"I'm going to the Anbu for a bit. Temari's side…"
"I'll have Shizune watch her."
"Good, good."
Ryoho Kyohiko left with the Flying Thunder God. Kakashi's side, he really had to go and "comfort" him a bit. Otherwise, if Kakashi threw a tantrum and quit as Tsunade said, the plan he had just laid out would be shelved again.
***
At the Anbu, Hatake Kakashi was writing furiously. He quickly approved and read documents and intelligence, but the intelligence coming from all over was like raindrops, simply impossible to finish.
"Damn it!"
"I haven't trained for a long time!"
"Being a captain is really troublesome!"
Hatake Kakashi was getting a little irritable.
He wasn't angry at Kyohiko's actions. On the contrary, he understood them quite well, and even agreed with Kyohiko's approach—in that situation, the only one who fit the identity and strength, and could also affect the battle situation, was him, the "genius." He was just angry at his own weakness!
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock on the door. Kakashi didn't even raise his head.
"Come in. What is it?"
"Ahem, I'm back. You're quite busy, huh?"
"…"
Hatake Kakashi looked up, sneered coldly without responding, and continued to read the intelligence.
Ryoho Kyohiko coughed lightly.
"Actually, Shinnosuke-senpai could also…"
"Shinnosuke-senpai is on a mission," Kakashi answered faintly.
"Shusaku-senpai…"
"He's handling matters of the intelligence network."
"Then what about Yamato?"
"Yamato?"
Hatake Kakashi paused for a moment, then looked up, squinting at Kyohiko.
"He's only ten years old!"
Ryoho Kyohiko was a bit embarrassed.
"We were only ten when we went to the battlefield. He can already hold up half the sky. Or find someone to share the paperwork."
On his side, he would sooner or later have to leave his post, or be unable to stay in his position all the time. Handling documents… he wasn't so good at it.
Kakashi wrote while recalling, then quickly put down his pen.
"There really is someone!"
"Hmm?"
"Ebisu. He passed the Chunin Exams this year and is quite talented in some special work. Maybe we can pull him over to temporarily fill in."
Hatake Kakashi rubbed his brow. "Or Shiranui Genma, he's not bad either…"
"Genma is alright. And he's two years older than us. He's already fourteen or fifteen now. It's time for him to share more tasks!"
Ryoho Kyohiko immediately made the decision. "You go and tell him. I still have some things to do. I'll handle them first."
???
Hatake Kakashi looked up. Kyohiko had already disappeared. He was stunned for a while, then sat down speechlessly—what 'things' could that guy possibly have!