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My Journey as Fourth Kazekage 155
🕑 Added 2025-04-22 16:00:10 +0000 UTCChapter 155: Puppets
Although Oda was a samurai, he was not lacking in political wisdom, otherwise, he wouldn’t have earned the Daimyō’s trust.
After hearing Rasa’s words, he realized that the Daimyō had fallen into a trap.
The alliance proposal from the Daimyōs of the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning was indeed a poisoned candy.
At the same time, from his conversation with Rasa, Oda could tell that while this Kazekage carried an air of arrogance, his words were sincere. He didn’t seem to harbor any true disrespect toward the Daimyō.
As for that arrogance, it was only natural for someone who stood at the pinnacle of shinobi as the leader of Sunagakure.
Having obtained the information he needed, Oda had no reason to stay any longer. He had to deliver this intelligence to the Daimyō as soon as possible.
---
Watching Oda’s group leave, the calm expression Rasa had maintained earlier darkened.
Both Baki and Sēramu could sense his displeasure.
Baki, always perceptive, spoke up.
"Kazekage-sama, the Daimyō is becoming more and more overbearing!"
Rasa was well aware of this. Technically, as the Kazekage of Sunagakure, he should hold equal standing with the Daimyō of the Land of Wind. However, over the years, Sunagakure’s dependence on military funding had led to the Kazekage increasingly being treated as little more than a vassal.
Of course, he was not satisfied with this status. But for now, he couldn’t overturn this unwritten rule. Even though Sunagakure was no longer lacking in military funds, stability remained the top priority in these turbulent times.
That didn’t mean, however, that Sunagakure would simply do nothing.
"Baki, there are too many fools surrounding the Daimyō. His safety must not be overlooked."
Baki immediately understood.
"Sēramu, we need to accelerate our cooperation with the Land of Demons. In times like these, we need some news to stabilize the village’s morale."
Sēramu nodded firmly. She had long since considered herself a part of Sunagakure’s future.
"Alright, everyone, get to work."
---
Dragon Oasis.
In the heart of the forest, several small residences had been built.
Not only had Chiyo and Ebizō moved in, but Michikawa and Pakura had also set up their own houses. After all, they had been training in senjutsu energy here almost every day. Not having a proper place to stay was inconvenient.
When Rasa arrived, both Pakura and Michikawa came over upon receiving word of his presence.
He didn’t put too much pressure on them. After briefly discussing some matters, he simply told them to focus on their training.
"As long as you master senjutsu energy, we can break the current deadlock in the village."
The two of them nodded firmly.
They could sense that Rasa was planning something. However, after more than a year of working together, they had built a strong sense of trust in him, so they didn’t ask too many questions.
Once Michikawa and Pakura left, Rasa walked toward a three-story building constructed with Wood Release.
This place had been entirely taken over by Chiyo. She had moved all her research equipment, tools, and puppets here from Sunagakure, not just because of the favorable environment, but because it was far safer.
When Rasa walked in, he saw Ebizō teaching Hana and Honoka the art of fūinjutsu.
Although Hana specialized in medical ninjutsu, she still needed to master some sealing techniques.
After all, when dealing with certain types of chakra, such as tailed beast chakra, fūinjutsu was often the most effective method.
"Kazekage-sama!"
"Rasa-sama!"
Ebizō and Hana both greeted him, while Honoka, true to her usual cold demeanor, remained silent and only bowed slightly in respect. However, instead of greeting him, she got straight to the point.
"The sealing formula you asked for, my teacher and I have finished preparing it."
"Oh!"
Rasa's eyes lit up.
Ebizō nodded.
"Kazekage-sama, please come with me. My sister is waiting for you upstairs."
---
Guided by the three, Rasa arrived on the second floor.
This place was Chiyo’s puppet workshop. As soon as Rasa stepped inside, he saw nine puppets hanging on the walls.
Chiyo was busy working on them, knocking here and there, but when she noticed Rasa, she looked quite pleased.
"Come and take a look. These are the puppets you asked this old woman to build. Modeled after the tailed beasts, they incorporate some of the capabilities of the Ryūmyaku Puppet Technique. As long as chakra is injected, they can repair themselves automatically. We tested them in real combat a week ago, and they performed excellently. Their power is no less than that of the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets."
Curious, Rasa walked over. As the Kazekage, he wasn’t proficient in puppet techniques, but he understood them well enough.
From a technical standpoint, these nine puppets represented the pinnacle of Sunagakure’s puppet craftsmanship.
Of course, though they were modeled after the tailed beasts, the resemblance was only in appearance. Their wooden bodies were still quite different from real tailed beasts, especially in terms of size, as they were only about the height of an average person.
Still, Rasa was more than satisfied.
Chiyo, however, gave him a reluctant look.
"Kazekage-sama, you’re not exactly skilled in puppetry, are you? Leaving such fine puppets with you would be a waste. Why don’t you just let this old woman keep them?"
Rasa hadn't expected Chiyo to be so possessive, but naturally, he wouldn’t agree.
The reason he had asked her to create these nine puppets was because he recalled a technique used by Uzumaki Menma in Naruto: Road to Ninja, the Nine Masked Beasts, where nine mask-wearing puppets were summoned to battle the Akatsuki.
Of course, aside from looking cool, this technique was also highly practical for Rasa.
After all, aside from gaining access to the Yellow Springs Dimension from Mōryō, he had also acquired another ability.
Forming hand seals, he released nine streams of senjutsu chakra from his body. They transformed into insect-like creatures that burrowed into the nine puppets.
In an instant, the wooden puppets became enveloped in senjutsu energy, their bodies undergoing an elemental transformation.
Before long, nine miniature tailed beasts, seemingly alive yet much smaller in size, appeared before everyone.
The sight left the three others completely stunned.
Only Hana reacted differently; her eyes lit up as she gazed at the tiny tailed beasts.
"Kawaii! Rasa-sama, can I touch them?"
"Of course."
Hana immediately ran over, excitedly petting the small tailed beasts. The creatures responded like living beings, letting out soft cries as she stroked them, which only made her even happier.
"Wow, so cute! Honoka-neesan, you should try it too!"
This was the ability Rasa had obtained from Mōryō, the Puppet Insects.
It allowed him to shape his senjutsu energy into parasite-like entities, similar to how Mōryō had fragmented his own body into insects to break through Rasa’s Shukaku Form.
Any object inhabited by these Puppet Insects would be completely under their control and could even use the abilities of the original caster.
Rasa wasn’t greedy, he didn’t expect these nine puppets to become true tailed beasts. But even if they could use just a fraction of the tailed beasts' power, that was more than enough.
Comments
Shahzaam
No mastermind update?
