He truly was a genius—the ultimate ceiling of puppet talent in the Naruto world, and the future's strongest puppeteer.
Among the eighty participants in this training selection, the two youngest were currently performing the best.
Looking at the lifelike puppet Tom, carved from white ironwood and standing before him, Shimizu's face broke into a smile.
[Puppet Name]: Tom
[General Parameters]:
Height: 61 cm
Weight: 14.31 kg
Materials: White Ironwood, Reinforced Bone Material...
Energy Source: None
Control Method: Chakra Threads
[Puppet Rating]: C
[Overall Evaluation]: A small, lifelike puppet with excellent agility and a refined design. Possesses standard Genin-level combat power and can be further enhanced by replacing some materials with higher-quality ones.
Shimizu extended both hands, chakra threads flicking out from his ten fingers and connecting to the white cat puppet, making it move through a few motions.
Feeling how smoothly it operated, Shimizu was even more pleased.
Tom's combat capabilities were probably close to Fatty's by now.
What a shame there was no blue dye—if he could bring Tom back home, he would definitely paint the puppet cat blue.
"To be able to make a puppet like this in under an hour… I really am a genius!"
"You're Shimizu?"
Sazan Kamiyama approached and examined Shimizu as he asked the question.
"Yes, Jonin Kamiyama," Shimizu replied, immediately stopping his actions and standing at attention before his superior.
"Hmm. Good name. You built your puppet very quickly. No design blueprints?"
Sazan Kamiyama tried to put on his friendliest face.
But to Shimizu, he looked like a mafia boss—gruff voice, intimidating expression, and a vibe that said, "If I open my mouth, it's to beat someone up."
"Uh…"
His suspicions were confirmed when Kamiyama grinned, revealing a terrifying smile.
"If you think not having a blueprint is inappropriate, I can draw one up right now…" Shimizu muttered nervously, still wary of this scary Jonin's smile.
"No! No blueprints are great. Excellent!"
Kamiyama clapped him on the shoulder with a loud laugh.
It hurt. A lot.
Is this guy really a puppeteer?
With arms thick enough to ride a horse on, he looked more like a taijutsu specialist Jonin than a master of puppets.
"My original plan was for you all to fight each other after finishing your puppets," Kamiyama said, slapping Shimizu's shoulder again. "But since no one else is ready yet, how about I spar with you and see what your puppet can do?"
"Hah, forget it, Kamiyama," said Ishido, stepping in with a grin as he pushed Kamiyama aside. "If you bring out one of your puppets, where's the room for Shimizu to showcase his? Let me handle it."
He pulled out a sealing scroll from his back, formed a hand seal, and released a puppet that Shimizu immediately recognized.
[Puppet Name]: Little Boy
[General Parameters]:
Height: 1.35 meters
Weight: 29.18 kg
Materials: Reinforced Wood, Lightweight Composite Materials, High-Strength Alloy
Energy Source: None
Control Method: Chakra Threads
—Contains five chakra connection hubs
[Puppet Rating]: B–
[Overall Evaluation]: A combat-support-type puppet with excellent design and refined structure. Possesses newly promoted Chunin-level combat capabilities.
This was the same puppet Shimizu had repaired just a week ago!
"You brought that puppet?" Kamiyama's eyes widened.
He knew that wasn't one of Ishido's main puppets. As a Jonin, Ishido used far stronger ones.
"You'll see," Ishido said, winking at Shimizu.
He glanced around and then said, "Let's move to a more open area, so we don't disturb the others."
He was about to lead Shimizu away—
"No need."
A clear child's voice cut in.
A short red-haired boy stood with a puppet of his own: a six-armed construct with a white ironwood shell.
"My puppet is complete. Its name is White Ant, and it's the perfect opponent for yours."
Sasori maneuvered the White Ant to leap in front of Tom, then turned his gaze to Shimizu—his eyes glimmering with curiosity.
This person had finished his puppet even faster than Sasori did. But what about the quality?
Ever since losing his parents, Sasori's heart had been like still water—but now, a faint ripple appeared.
A precocious genius, Sasori had never found a peer among his age group. To him, other kids were immature, stupid, and boring. As the grandson of Elder Chiyo, his social circle was even smaller.
So he buried himself in his one passion: puppet arts.
Games of pretend and ninja antics felt beneath him. No one among his peers could even keep up with him in puppet crafting.
Genius is often a lonely road—unless you meet another genius.
And now, Sasori had taken an interest in Shimizu.
Maybe... he had found someone like himself.
"Already finished? As expected of Elder Chiyo's grandson."
Ishido stopped in his tracks, and even Kamiyama stared at Sasori's puppet in surprise.
"This one looks impressive too!"
Shimizu also looked over.
So it is Sasori, huh?
He had long suspected the red-haired boy's identity—his age, hair color, and ability to join an elite puppet selection at such a young age pointed clearly to only one person.
In all of Sunagakure, there was likely no second candidate.
"Alright then, let the two of you face off!"
Kamiyama declared decisively.
Just like that, Shimizu's opponent changed from Ishido to Sasori.
Sunagakure wasn't like Konoha—there were no rituals like forming the seal of opposition or reconciliation. With Ishido acting as referee, he simply gave a wave of his hand, and both boys began their puppet duel.
I wonder if this White Ant has anything in common with Sasori's future puppet, Black Ant from the original story...
Judging by its specs, it's a bit less powerful than Tom in terms of raw function. Still, it's probably at the Genin level, which the system would classify as a C– grade.
After a few exchanges, Shimizu couldn't help but admire his opponent.
No doubt about it—Sasori really is incredible.
To be able to build a puppet like this in such a short time, and at such a young age, with excellent control skills… even though White Ant was slightly weaker in design, Sasori forced a dead-even match through sheer manipulation prowess.
And that's when Shimizu realized—
His own puppet control skills, which he thought were decent, were actually inferior to this boy two years younger than him.
He had to rely on superior materials and systems help to him stay competitive.
He was just a fake genius, gifted only because of a cheat system.
But Sasori? He was a true genius.
Fortunately… cheats are called cheats for a reason.
Because sometimes, they're even more powerful than talent.
(End of Chapter)