Chapter 39: The Puppet Master, Izayoi's Excitement

Chapter 39: The Puppet Master, Izayoi’s Excitement

“That’s the ultimate dōjutsu capable of controlling planetary trajectories in its final form. Even with just the first Awakening, I can already pull meteors from outer space using Gravity Release.”

“Even if the technique isn’t fully matured yet, I’ve still got a strategic trump card.”

After flying a distance, Izayoi descended from the sky, weaving through the trees with Body Flicker while musing inwardly. The power of the Tenseigan exceeded his expectations.

Unlike the Rinnegan, which commanded life and death through its exclusive dōjutsu, the Tenseigan’s strength lay in raw destruction.

If even Graviton and Repulsion were this potent, he could hardly wait to unlock the Tenseigan Chakra Mode.

Since there was no plausible reason for Shadow Clone to leave temporarily, Izayoi didn’t rush back to the team. Instead, once within range, he retrieved scrolls gifted by his “friends” and began studying them. He’d only skimmed them earlier to verify their authenticity before tucking them away. Now, he read them in detail.

The scrolls weren’t about generic puppet techniques—which were practically trash for Izayoi, who could already control puppets wirelessly—but focused on crafting Human Puppets.

“So this is how he preserves kekkei genkai and ninjutsu… This guy’s a genius.” Izayoi couldn’t help but marvel as he read. “No wonder his title is ‘Puppet Master (Purple)’. This chakra core design surpasses all predecessors. Even the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s lunar puppet techniques pale in comparison.”

Flipping to another scroll, he examined the blueprints for Human Puppet chakra cores. The chakra core was the most critical component of a puppet. Simply controlling puppets via chakra threads was akin to child’s play—mere shadow puppetry.

Advanced puppets housed intricate mechanisms and hidden weapons, even channels for elemental chakra. These functions couldn’t be activated via chakra threads alone. Only by embedding a chakra core and channeling chakra into it could a puppet unleash its full potential. The creator’s ingenuity determined a puppet’s might.

Sasori of the Red Sand had pioneered a radical path. Instead of crafting puppets from materials, he injected them into human corpses, transforming them into vessels. By modifying the heart—its chakra core—he enabled Human Puppets to wield their pre-death kekkei genkai and ninjutsu. It was a revolutionary school of puppetry.

As its founding master, Sasori of the Red Sand rightfully earned the system’s appraisal: Puppet Master (Purple).

To Izayoi, Sasori’s Human Puppets were far more practical than the Ōtsutsuki’s lunar constructs.

“Wait a second…” A sudden thought struck him, his eyes lighting up. “Maybe I can upgrade these Human Puppets further.”

Sasori’s Human Puppets shared similarities with Nagato’s Six Paths of Pain. In the original story, Obito had transformed jinchūriki into Six Paths vessels, retaining their tailed beast chakra and abilities. Both systems preserved their subjects’ powers. The difference? Human Puppets required chakra threads, and the Six Paths couldn’t stray far from the Demi-God path without losing connection.

But the Tenseigan could resolve both flaws.

Its Wireless Puppetry allowed control as long as the puppet remained within visual range and retained chakra in its core. Even across the spatial bridge linking Earth and the Moon, signals would transmit seamlessly. If these puppets could channel kekkei genkai and ninjutsu, and even replenish chakra remotely… wouldn’t they rival an immortalized Impure World Reincarnation army or a mass-produced Six Paths legion?

The more Izayoi pondered, the more feasible it seemed.

He hadn’t unlocked Yin-Yang Release yet to fuse all elements, but he could start mass-producing puppets. Once he unlocked Yin-Yang Release, embedding Yin-Yang Release·Black Rods would finalize the upgrade.

That night, Izayoi rejoined his team without incident.

Except for Hinata, neither Team Eight nor the caravan suspected the meteor was his doing. To avoid the “Art Bomb” duo, they’d taken a detour, adding three days to their journey. Along the way, they bypassed a village radiating a chakra signature rivaling Kurenai Yuhi’s.

Mr. Nishimura’s dwelling was a remote hamlet—a common sight in the River Country. Yet settlements rich in mineral deposits, with mining and trade networks, were rare here. His value became clear.

Given the village’s bleak conditions and the midday arrival, Kurenai declined Mr. Nishimura’s hospitality. She retrieved the mission scroll for his signature and review before dismissing the team.

Unlike their slow trek there, the return journey saw Team Eight leaping through the canopy, covering meters in seconds. At this pace, they’d reach Konoha within two days—a stark contrast between ninja and ordinary humans. In this abstract world, shinobi were indispensable tools, the most versatile of workhorses.

“First C-Rank mission—how did you find it?” Kurenai asked as they paused to walk, turning to Izayoi and his teammates.

“Exhausting,” Izayoi replied bluntly. “The novelty wore off fast. After that, it was just physical and mental torture.” Hinata and Shino nodded in agreement.

“Escort missions are grueling. Boring, time-wasting, and poorly paid,” Kurenai chuckled. “Ours was worse—rugged terrain, nearly crossing paths with S-Rank missing-nin and a mysterious expert. Few C-Ranks are this unlucky.”

“Thank goodness for Hinata’s Byakugan. Otherwise, we’d have been in serious trouble.” She ruffled Hinata’s hair affectionately.

“It’s my duty,” Hinata murmured softly.

“Such a sweetheart—lucky Izayoi.” Kurenai decided to play matchmaker.

Unbeknownst to her, both Hinata and Izayoi had their own thoughts, smirking silently as they ignored her nudges.

Two days later, Team Eight returned to Konoha. The C-Rank mission had consumed half a month, but their pay was astronomical—23,000 ryō. For a C-Rank, it was obscene. Normally, such missions paid 30,000 to 100,000 ryō, but with the village and instructor’s shares deducted, pocketing 23,000 meant the original bounty was likely over 100,000.

Still, if given the choice, Team Eight would’ve avoided this mission.

Sensing their fatigue, Kurenai smiled. “Three days off. Rest up.”

“Understood.” The team disbanded.

“Izayoi-kun, see you tomorrow,” Hinata said. Rarely skipping his home visits, today she prioritized a bath and sleep to face him refreshed.

Unable to use Physical Healing, Izayoi leaned close and kissed her forehead. “Rest well. Tomorrow,” he grinned before vanishing with Body Flicker.

Hinata froze, then glanced around—only to meet Kurenai’s knowing smirk. Her neck flushed crimson, heat rising to her face as she bolted, her mind practically steaming.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end