Shindai was pacing around his house, examining his puppet, Kamiyo.
Like humans, Kamiyo had a metal skeleton, which meant Kamiyo could perform very precise movements.
Shindai had just installed a missile in Kamiyo's left arm, and a poisoned Shinobi blade in her right arm. Her joints also contained retractable poisoned blades, and various small mechanisms capable of releasing Ninjutsu through Ninjutsu scrolls.
Kamiyo's chest cavity was loaded with a large number of poisoned Kunai.
Furthermore, Shindai had filled Kamiyo's body with Sand Iron.
This Sand Iron was infused with Shindai's Chakra, allowing Shindai to control it as if it were his own arm.
What Shindai was most proud of was that he had developed a material that was indistinguishable from human skin, which made Kamiyo's appearance almost identical to a human's.
However, if one looked closely, there were still differences, as human skin has pores, while artificial material does not.
At the same time, Shindai combined the limited knowledge he had learned in the Sunagakure with the insights in his mind to develop a drive device, control system, and power device, which were successfully installed within Kamiyo.
This meant that as long as it was fully charged, Kamiyo could act autonomously.
However, this system still had many flaws; it could only execute simple commands and could not yet allow Kamiyo to act independently without his control.
There was also the issue of ten hours of charging for three minutes of operation, and various other problems.
This was the current limit of what Shindai could achieve, as the research environment here was simply too harsh, preventing Shindai from properly conducting research and improvements.
However, Shindai was not content with just this.
Shindai wanted to research and develop Scientific Ninja Tools that would only appear in the future.
These tools would store the Chakra required for casting Ninjutsu, and after loading Ninjutsu from miniaturized scrolls, they could release the sealed techniques, making them much more convenient than Ninjutsu scrolls.
If Shindai could develop this, it would greatly enhance Kamiyo.
But what troubled Shindai was his lack of relevant knowledge and information. Even if he had the information, the Sunagakure could not support his research.
Because the Sunagakure was simply too poor.
Also, only Sasori could create Human Puppets, or more precisely, Chakra Cores, which Shindai was also quite interested in.
Sasori could transform deceased individuals into Human Puppets with Chakra Cores.
Sasori was the only Puppet Master capable of creating Human Puppets, and he could do so while retaining their living Chakra, thus perfectly preserving all of their Ninjutsu and Bloodline Limit from when they were alive. The Chakra Core was key, and this was the greatest advantage of Human Puppets.
However, in Shindai's opinion, Sasori's Human Puppets only had a unique Chakra Core, which allowed them to use the deceased's Ninjutsu and Bloodline Limit through the Chakra Core and their original body. Other aspects simply could not compare to his Kamiyo.
Because Sasori's Human Puppets focused on the strength of the Human Puppet when it was alive, while Shindai focused on the puppet itself.
Shindai dared not approach Sasori for a discussion; Sasori's creation of Human Puppets was a secret, and if he were to foolishly confront Sasori, he would certainly be dealt with by Sasori.
Moreover... the process of creating Human Puppets must be very bloody and cruel, and Shindai was a bit daunted.
"Sigh... I really want to meet Orochimaru. Although Orochimaru is also very cruel, he was able to create Mecha Naruto. If I could communicate with a scientist like him, I would surely gain something."
Shindai sighed. He had never felt lonely before, but now he inexplicably felt a bit lonely, wishing for someone with similar aspirations to talk to.
Feeling somewhat tired, Shindai ate a few bites of cake, drank some water, and then lay down to sleep... Meanwhile, a meeting was being held in the Kazekage Building of the Sunagakure.
The Third Kazekage, Chiyo, Ebizo, and the high-ranking officials of the Sunagakure were all present.
Ebizo said in a deep voice, "According to my informants in the various Great Nations, the entire Ninja World is currently in turmoil. Many years have passed since the last war, and the Great Nations have recovered their strength and are planning further warfare."
The Third Kazekage frowned and asked, "Planning further warfare? Does this mean that these localized conflicts are very likely to quickly escalate into a full-scale war?"
Ebizo nodded, "Exactly. Now, all it takes is a single spark, and a full-scale war could begin."
Chiyo sighed, "It hasn't been many years since the Second Shinobi World War, and now there's going to be another war. Our Land of Wind cannot compare to other Great Nations. Our environment is harsh, resources are scarce, and we have yet to fully recover our strength. How are we going to fight this war?"
The Third Kazekage's expression was very grim.
Although the Land of Wind was one of the Five Great Nations, it was the lowest-ranking among them. Its population, military strength, economic power, and resources simply could not compare to other nations.
Moreover, after the Second Shinobi World War ended, the Daimyo of their Land of Wind proposed military disarmament.
The Third Kazekage naturally tried his best to prevent the Daimyo's disarmament, and while he succeeded, he also completely failed.
Because the Daimyo only provided the Third Kazekage with the minimum military budget, and the Third Kazekage had to find the rest of the funds himself.
The Third Kazekage knew deeply that he could not skimp on anyone but the Shinobi; only when the Shinobi were strong could the Sunagakure be strong.
So, to raise military funds, the Third Kazekage spent many sleepless nights. As long as there was money, he would truly do any dirty or tiring work.
As he thought of this, the Third Kazekage suddenly slammed his hand on the table, angrily cursing, "That short-sighted fellow truly deserves to die!"
The high-ranking officials of the Sunagakure were startled, each looking strangely at the Third Kazekage, wondering what had suddenly gotten into him.
Chiyo inquired, "Sandaime, what's wrong?"
The Third Kazekage gritted his teeth and said, "If it weren't for the Daimyo only willing to give us the minimum military budget, we would have already trained a group of Shinobi capable of participating in war. This Third Shinobi World War is an opportunity for us!
Because the other Four Great Nations will not attack us, if we participate in this war, everyone will want to cooperate with us. Besides compensation, we will definitely be able to make a huge profit. What a great opportunity! It's just being wasted like this!"
Chiyo and Ebizo immediately understood why the Third Kazekage was so angry.
Because the Land of Wind was too barren; even if the other Four Great Nations attacked them, they would gain no benefit. They would not be so foolish as to attack the Land of Wind, from which they could gain nothing.
However, the Four Great Nations had to worry about the Land of Wind attacking them, so they would definitely want to cooperate with the Land of Wind to prevent the Sunagakure Shinobi from attacking them.
After all, those with nothing fear nothing; even if those with nothing manage to grab a pair of worn-out shoes, it's a net gain.
But currently, the Sunagakure had not yet recovered its strength, and with insufficient military funds, its existing Shinobi forces did not have the ability to directly compete in the war.
It was precisely because of this lack of money that such a great opportunity for the Sunagakure to profit was being lost.
That was why the Third Kazekage was so angry.