This is actually easy to understand.
It's a bit like playing a game—normally, a person can only control one hero at a time. Whether you can fully utilize that hero's strength and complexity is another matter.
The Black Secret Technique lets you control multiple heroes at once, and your skill with each is still at your own level—effectively doubling or tripling your combat power.
"The key isn't just that the Black Secret Technique uses chakra threads in a more advanced way, but that it borrows from the Shadow Clone Jutsu's method of splitting consciousness using chakra. It's very difficult—so all Black Secret Techniques are at least B-rank jutsu. Anyone who can master them is at least an elite chunin."
"Of course, this technique is less dangerous than Shadow Clone Jutsu. When a shadow clone is dispelled, all its sensations and memories return to the original in an instant. For most ninja, that's dangerous—especially on the battlefield, where only those with a strong will can handle such a flood of information."
"The Black Secret Technique also consumes a lot of mental energy, but it's gradual. You can stop when you're about to reach your limit, so it's relatively safe to practice. Once you master it, learning Shadow Clone Jutsu becomes much easier."
"Next, I'll explain the different ways to use chakra threads in the Black Secret Technique. Take notes—this information is not to be shared..."
Hardy silently jotted down every word on his scroll at lightning speed.
Beside him, Sasori was doing the same.
Both he and Sasori had joined the Sixth Squad of the Puppet Corps.
After gathering information and consulting Jonin Morimi several times, Hardy ultimately decided to join the Sixth Squad.
His talent for puppet techniques had stood out during the selection process, second only to Sasori, who was two years younger.
Every squad offered good terms—none were necessarily worse than that B-rank boy puppet.
But the Sixth Squad was indeed the most suitable for him.
What finally convinced Hardy was Sasori's invitation.
A few days ago, Sasori had asked him to join the Sixth Squad together, saying it would be easier to challenge Hardy in the next competition if they were in the same squad.
With Elder Chiyo's grandson joining the Sixth Squad, it was, as Ishido had said, definitely the safest squad in the Puppet Corps.
Only after the final lesson would they be considered true members of the Puppet Corps.
The files they submitted and the orders from the Sunagakure leadership would only take effect at that moment.
"As expected, after joining the Puppet Corps, my..."
The rise in the status of Sunagakure has also increased its importance in the entire world.
Walking down the corridor, Hardy maintained a calm demeanor, shifting part of his attention to the panel in his mind.
At that moment, the progress bar shot up rapidly, surging from the previous 17.9% all the way to 34.8% before slowing down, though it continued to inch forward at a steady pace.
"We're here."
Sasori's indifferent voice pulled Hardy's attention back from the panel.
They had arrived at the base of the Sixth Squad within the Puppet Corps headquarters.
From the outside, it looked like a medium-sized factory, entirely constructed from solid rock.
Sunagakure was poor, and trees in the desert were precious. Most buildings didn't use wood as their main material, relying instead on stone and compacted sand.
"Ah-ha! Finally, the newcomers are here! That means I'm a senior now!"
As soon as the door was pushed open, an energetic female voice rang out.
Hardy looked over and saw two men and one woman standing not far away.
The girl who spoke had white face paint similar to Rin Nohara's, except hers was white, and a strip of white cloth was wrapped around the top of her head, tying her hair back. She looked about fifteen or sixteen years old.
"Ahem, Jianxue, I heard the new recruits this time have strong backing, so you'd better not act too much like a senior."
Standing next to the girl named Jianxue was a young man with a similar appearance, probably two years older than her. The two shared some resemblance in their features.
The last person was Ishido Jonin, whom they had met before.
"Glad you both finally arrived. Let me introduce you briefly. This is the Third Team of the Sixth Squad. I am your captain, and also the vice-captain of the Sixth Squad, Jonin Ishido."
Ishido introduced himself formally, arms crossed.
"My name is Jianxue, Chunin. I specialize in Earth Release and know some basic medical ninjutsu."
"I am Jianye, Special Jonin, Jianxue's older brother, and Ishido's vice-captain. I specialize in Wind and Earth Release."
The two remaining team members smiled warmly at Hardy and Sasori as they introduced themselves.
"Hardy, Genin. I specialize in... uh, nothing in particular except for puppet techniques."
Hardy shook hands with the team members as he spoke.
Aside from puppetry, his taijutsu and ninjutsu were only above average among genin—nothing outstanding.
"Sasori, Genin. Same as him."
Sasori remained as aloof as ever, his introduction brief.
He was always indifferent toward people or things he wasn't interested in.
"This is something we kept for you earlier."
Ishido handed Hardy a sealed scroll he had been carrying on his back.
Inside was the puppet they had agreed upon earlier—the little boy.
"And Sasori, there's something else. Your grandmother asked me to give this to you once you joined the Puppet Corps."
Ishido pulled a booklet out of his ninja tool pouch.
"This is a set of notes on human puppet creation. Elder Chiyo said it must be handed to you personally."
Sasori stared at the familiar handwriting on the cover, slightly taken aback.
"I understand."
...
...
For Hardy, the best part of joining the Puppet Corps was gaining access to advanced puppet technique knowledge, such as the Black Secret Technique.
Secondly, members of the Puppet Corps could buy certain items from the Corps' warehouse at internal prices.
This meant Hardy could purchase materials at a lower cost and improve his puppets.
Not just Formentor, but also Tom.
A puppet weighing no more than fifteen kilograms was a benefit for puppet masters who participated in the training selection.
However, Hardy wasn't in a rush to modify his puppets.
He planned to learn more before doing so.
The panel was simply a tool that allowed him to push his puppet-making skills and materials to their limits in the shortest possible time.