[Name of Puppet]: Little Boy
[Overall Parameters]:
Height: 1.35 meters
Weight: 29.18 kilograms
Materials: Reinforced wood, lightweight composite materials, high-strength alloy
Energy source: None
Control method: Chakra threads, equipped with five chakra connection hubs
[Puppet Rating]: B-
[Overall Evaluation]: Auxiliary combat-type puppet, moderately damaged. When intact, it should possess the combat strength of a newly promoted Chunin. Moderate difficulty to control.
[Detailed Data]: ...
After reading these stats, Hardy was even more puzzled.
A Chunin-level puppet—how did a Genin-level puppeteer like himself get assigned to repair it?
Suddenly, Hardy recalled some rumors he'd heard from his Jonin instructor not long ago.
Maybe this was a good thing.
Due to years of war, the puppet corps seemed to be expanding their recruitment.
Hardy picked up the mission scroll and examined it carefully.
The mission was commissioned by the Puppet Corps.
Not by a specific team within the corps, nor by an individual.
This was different from before.
Did this mean he'd been noticed and was now part of the village's puppeteer training program?
Was this mission a test for him?
Every puppeteer in Sunagakure aspired to join the Puppet Corps.
That unit held strategic importance on par with the ANBU, with access to more puppet and ninjutsu techniques, as well as richer resources.
And moreover...
Hardy glanced at the progress bar at the bottom of his panel, which remained unmoving.
Forget it, he thought. Better focus on the work at hand.
He took out a pencil and began sketching on paper.
After about ten minutes, a brand new repair and improvement plan was ready.
"The left mechanical claw's hinge is broken; the right gear blade's bearing is damaged and needs replacement, model…"
"The mouth's senbon launcher is rusted—clean with No. 3 acid solution."
"Suspected cause of rust: the user frequently loaded senbon soaked in poison, resulting in corrosion. Apply anti-corrosive coating to affected areas…"
This was Hardy's first time working hands-on with a Chunin-level puppet; previously, he'd only observed others using them.
Its internal structure was much more complex than the training puppet he'd worked on before, and included some innovative designs.
"In addition to the limbs, there's a chakra hub at the core of the torso, connected to a glass lens—likely used in conjunction with some sensory ninjutsu. In combat, if other chakra hubs are damaged, this one can be shifted over via a sliding mechanism."
Hardy took out his notebook and jotted this down.
This was a new design he hadn't seen before; he'd study it further after the repairs.
If he had to rely solely on his current knowledge to troubleshoot everything step by step, it would probably take him a whole day.
But now, it had taken less than an hour.
Hardy looked at the repeatedly revised puppet schematic in his notebook, then at his panel. He put down his pencil and wooden ruler, focused his mind on the panel, and modified the puppet's design according to his new plan.
It was almost like a holographic projection, allowing him to make changes at will and perfectly simulate operations, helping him spot any incompatibilities or flaws.
With this ability, Hardy could refine his modification plan to near perfection within two hours.
This efficiency was dozens of times higher than that of other puppeteers at his level, if not more.
After all, it was extremely difficult to bring a puppet this close to perfection.
Only higher-level puppeteers could typically achieve this.
This was also why he'd been able to modify a simple training puppet into one with combat capability fit for a Genin.
...
...
"Oh? Puppet No. 11, 'Little Boy,' has already been repaired? So quickly? Is this the first one completed?"
Ebizō lifted his head from a pile of documents, looking somewhat weary.
With the Third Kazekage away and Elder Chiyo, the village's number two, also absent, Sunagakure was currently under Ebizō's leadership.
Ebizō's position in Sunagakure was similar to Danzo's in Konoha—an elder and head of the ANBU, mainly responsible for intelligence.
"The 'Little Boy' puppet has basically been restored. It took four days. Even if I'd done it myself, I might not have been faster—and he even made some improvements to the puppet, and even..."
Captain Ishido of the Puppet Corps' Sixth Squad handed several sheets of paper to Ebizō.
"He even proposed further improvement plans, though they'd require more resources."
Ebizō took the papers, resting his chin on his hand as he studied them.
He was also one of Sunagakure's top puppeteers.
In terms of puppet techniques, the current strongest in the ninja world was Chiyo—her skills in both manipulating and crafting puppets were second to none, and she was the designated successor of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppeteers, chosen by Monzaemon.
Second to her was—
Ebizō, and further back, were Chiyo's late son and daughter-in-law.
When it came to puppet manipulation, Ebizō was a notch below Chiyo, but in terms of puppet creation, he actually surpassed her.
"The modifications are excellent. Although the techniques used are all quite basic, they're enough to boost the boy puppet's performance by over six percent. And this idea of remodeling the puppet's joint structure and chakra flow nodes, allowing it to switch into a shield form, is very interesting. It even already shows the embryonic form of the 'Shield Sealing Mechanism' ninjutsu."
Ebizō stroked his gray beard, his spirits lifting as a hint of amazement appeared in his eyes.
Even in his experienced view, this was a flawless design.
This could only have come from a naturally gifted puppet master!
Aside from his own grandnephew, was there really another puppet technique prodigy in the village?
"This child only took the most basic puppet elective at the ninja academy. His previous supervising jōnin, Momi, wasn't a puppet master either. Aside from the basic skills for genin, he could probably only teach taijutsu and wind release ninjutsu. That's why I believe this child has considerable potential and fits the criteria for the puppet corps' reserve training program."
Jōnin Ishido pointed to Hardy's repair proposal as he spoke.
"Are you sure his background checks out?"
Ebizō asked Ishido.
"He's the orphan of chūnin Sashō. His mother was a civilian who died in childbirth, so the child was sent to the orphanage for fallen ninja's children at one and a half years old. The only resources he started with were the inheritance from his parents when he entered the ninja academy."
Ishido's words carried two meanings.
First, Hardy's identity was clear and aboveboard.
Second, he had no way of accessing advanced puppet knowledge, which proved his innate potential as a puppet master.
As for the possibility that Hardy had been turned by another ninja village and acquired advanced puppet knowledge from them, it was basically zero.