Chapter 79: Human Puppet Proves Its Worth, Mechanism for Boosting Drop Rates

Chapter 79: Human Puppet Proves Its Worth, Mechanism for Boosting Drop Rates

The Hidden Leaf Village, once peaceful and bustling, was suddenly thrown into chaos as war erupted across Central Street.

Villagers and ninjas alike were caught off guard by the sudden betrayal—their allies, the Sand Ninja, had turned against them, joined by Sound Ninja who had infiltrated unnoticed.

While fighting back, the Hidden Leaf forces followed emergency protocols, quickly dispersing to escort civilians to shelters. However, the shortage of manpower left them disorganized and overwhelmed, giving the Sand and Sound forces the false impression that Hidden Leaf ninjas were weaker than rumored.

Anbu units and members of the major ninja clans mobilized simultaneously. Most Anbu rushed to protect the Third Hokage at the plaza, while clan members focused on safeguarding their families and villagers, leading them to shelters beneath the Hokage Monument. This left the Hokage Office and clan compounds vulnerable and poorly guarded.

Pop—

A sound like a bursting balloon echoed through a forest clearing.

A massive cloud of white smoke, barely dispersing before being scattered by the wind, revealed 301 figures clad in black cloaks adorned with crimson clouds.

Most of these Human Puppets had their faces wrapped in white bandages, exposing only their foreheads and eyes. It was impossible to distinguish which were crafted entirely from materials and which were corpses retaining their former abilities.

At their forefront stood another figure in a black cloak.

If any Akatsuki member had seen him, they would’ve recognized him instantly as their leader.

Indeed, this was Pain (Deva Path)—or rather, Izayoi using a Transformation Technique to mimic him perfectly.

With his golden-tier Chakra Control, Izayoi could not only fuse multiple Nature Transformations into new ones via Super Hurricane Barrage but also replicate Transformation Techniques flawlessly. Unless a sensor ninja had previously analyzed Izayoi’s chakra signature, they’d never detect the deception.

After releasing the Human Puppets from storage scrolls, Izayoi wasted no time. He performed a one-handed seal, creating three chakra-rich Shadow Clones before vanishing via Body Flicker.

The “Pain” standing there was the real Izayoi—the plaza’s Izayoi was merely a Shadow Clone. This explained why that clone hadn’t played games with Gaara earlier; its durability was too weak.

The three Shadow Clones immediately split tasks.

The first transformed into Pain (Deva Path) and vanished via Body Flicker.

The second became a sunglasses-wearing civilian and headed toward Naka River.

Meanwhile, Izayoi’s Rinnegan remotely activated the chakra cores of the 300 Human Puppets. They sprang to life, scattering like shadows.

Only one remained still—a small, distinct figure: the 301st.

This puppet’s bandaged face had eyes unlike the others—crystal-clear and glowing red.

This was Ranmaru, now a Human Puppet.

The third Shadow Clone’s task was to protect Ranmaru and supply chakra to his core.

Ranmaru’s eyes blazed red.

Suddenly, red particles swirled around the scattered Human Puppets, distorting their forms like mirages before vanishing. Even Byakugan couldn’t detect them—this was the Shōgan’s power, a chakra-based illusion technique that countered Byakugan’s vision.

With Shōgan’s aid, 200 Human Puppets infiltrated Central Street like Hayate Gekkō’s transparent ninjutsu, observing the three-way battle.

The war had already claimed many lives. Corpses and wounded ninjas lay hidden in alleys and rooftops, some using tools to blend into surroundings. But Rinnegan’s long-range vision saw through all.

The Human Puppets moved.

Red particles reappeared, revealing their forms as they snatched corpses and vanished. Witnesses thought they’d hallucinated, suspecting genjutsu, but enemy attacks forced them to focus.

No one was spared—bodies of Hidden Leaf, Sand, and Sound ninjas were collected. Severely injured non-Hidden Leaf ninjas were finished off.

Pshhh—

Blades ejected from the puppets’ bodies, slicing necks, piercing chests, or decapitating. Hearts were preserved meticulously—vital for crafting chakra cores.

“No.”
“No.”
“Still nothing…”

The Shadow Clone beside Ranmaru observed coldly.

The desired result hadn’t appeared.

Undeterred, he signaled, “Initiate Plan B.”

The clone at Naka River’s cave swiftly replaced the puppets with corpse-based ones—Human Puppets retaining their former strength, now amplified by Izayoi’s chakra.

Though unable to use Rinnegan’s Black Rods, these puppets could channel Izayoi’s ninjutsu.

They split tasks: some executed injured ninjas, while others revealed themselves, joining the fray.

A puppet materialized behind a Sound Ninja aiding the Sand forces. A lightning-charged blade erupted from its arm, piercing him.

“Too fast!”

The Sound Ninja died, unaware of the fourth faction.

“Anbu? No—this uniform’s different!”

“Watch for their speed and stealth!”

The Hidden Leaf, Sand, and Sound forces grew wary.

After killing him, the puppet fired a golden Light Bullet at a Sand Ninja.

“It’s one of ours! Attack!”

A Hidden Leaf ninja, deceived, prepared a Wind Release.

But the puppet reappeared, skewering him.

Blood stained the Shimura clan’s emblem on his vest.

The puppet froze.

Shwip—

A Special Jōnin beheaded it with a Leaf sword style slash.

Seeing no blood, he frowned, “A Suna puppet? Why kill our own?”

Losing a puppet meant nothing to Izayoi.

Instead, the clones, including Izayoi himself, grinned.

It dropped!

From the dead Shimura ninja, a green beam flew toward Izayoi.

Green-ranked entries yielded mere double-digit points—insignificant compared to Purple-ranked ones.

Yet Izayoi was ecstatic.

At his power level, even low-tier drops were rare.

Elite Jōnin like Zabuza or Raiga, or bloodline users like Haku and Ranmaru, often gave nothing.

Even Sasuke and the Hyūga sisters hadn’t dropped entries in ages.

Only Rock Lee had granted two Blue-ranked entries since graduation.

Now, a Green-ranked drop from a puppet’s kill proved his theory: defeating enemies through puppets granted him loot.

This confirmed the Talent Trait System’s hidden drop-rate mechanism!

Even entry tiers were his own discovery. The system held more secrets.

To test it, the Shadow Clone ordered indiscriminate attacks.

Sand and Sound ninjas were slaughtered. Hidden Leaf ninjas were stunned or disabled, faking executions to lure rescuers.

Soon, a blue beam flew from a Sand Ninja’s corpse.

The mechanism was real!

Izayoi, still in Pain’s guise, smirked.

Meanwhile, the clone at Naka River, avoiding Jiraiya’s notice, withdrew the strongest puppets via Shōgan. They headed to Root’s headquarters—Danzō’s base.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end