This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 6 Lies

The village is currently in a critical moment of vulnerability due to its weak internal defenses, which can be resolved with just one order.

However, these high-ranking officials turned a blind eye to this and argued endlessly for their own interests.

They probably all felt that the Wind Kingdom had a harsh environment and no one would actively attack such a place!

but.

Even the smallest piece of meat is still meat, let alone meat that's being served to you.

Sunagakure is practically defenseless at this moment. To other ninja villages, it's no different from a piece of meat delivered right to their mouths.

"I was incredibly stupid to expect anything from these guys."

Looking at the group of high-ranking officials arguing heatedly, Long Er sighed helplessly.

Because of the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, the village of Sunagakure was attacked by surrounding villages, and then Sunagakure declined from its peak... Ryuji originally thought that it was because this war had severely damaged Sunagakure's strength, and that it was in a losing position in the subsequent Third Shinobi World War, which led to its gradual decline.

But now that I think about it, with such high-ranking officials around, it would have been difficult for the village not to decline.

"To reverse the village's decline or even make it stronger, we must completely control the village... I knew this from the beginning, but I didn't expect these leaders to be so stupid."

I originally intended to gain control of the village step by step by competing for the Kazekage position through legitimate means, but if I were to do that, by the time I become Kazekage, the situation will likely be quite unfavorable.

Long Er's mind raced, and an idea popped into his head.

"that……"

Long Er raised his hand to interrupt the argument.

Seeing the impatient looks from the crowd, he scratched his head and said, "Actually, the Third Kazekage isn't dead yet."

"What!?"

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

Ryuji's words completely disrupted the high-level meeting.

"The Third Kazekage has clearly been turned into a puppet, yet he's still alive?"

"I can't sense any life at all!"

"You're not making this up, are you?"

The crowd discussed the matter amongst themselves.

Only Granny Chiyo, a fellow master puppeteer, stared at Ryuji with a solemn expression.

"Although the body is dead, the consciousness remains." Ryuji explained, "The Third Kazekage's consciousness still lingers in that puppet, just like a prosthetic body."

"No wonder that puppet could use Magnet Release..." Yekura remarked thoughtfully from the side, "If that puppet is merely the Third Kazekage's prosthetic body, then isn't it essentially the Kazekage himself?"

Great assist!

Ryuji glanced at the higher-ups who were somewhat convinced, mentally gave Yecang a thumbs up, and then continued, "Lord Kazekage's soul consciousness is sealed in a puppet, so every word and action of his needs to be controlled by someone, which is equivalent to becoming a weapon that uses Magnet Release."

However, using my puppetry skills, I can create a new body for Lord Kazekage.

"You can do that?!"

Everyone present was shocked.

One of the old men's cloudy eyes lit up, and he asked, "Then can you give us a younger body?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked, and then stared at Ryuji with fervor.

Yes!

If you can change the body for the Third Kazekage, then you can change our bodies too!

In that case, wouldn't one be able to live forever?

"Theoretically, it is possible."

"Really?!"

Everyone stared wide-eyed, then were overwhelmed with joy and cheered loudly.

Even elderly people like Chiyo and Ebizo, who had a detached view of life, were deeply shocked and remained unsettled for a long time.

Only some young people who don't care about this can remain calm.

Luo Sha stared at Long Er and said, "You say it's theoretically possible, so that means it's practically impossible?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd stopped cheering.

Long Er looked around and saw that everyone was staring at him, their eyes filled with a mixture of anticipation and fear.

Ryuji chuckled softly, "That's right, it's impossible to do in practice."

"But aren't you capable of changing bodies for the Third Kazekage?"

"That's because Lord Kazekage's soul has left his body," Ryuji explained. "I have a way to create a new body, but I don't have a way to extract a person's soul and consciousness from their original body."

Of course, killing people is also an option.

However, I cannot guarantee that my consciousness will remain intact.

"How could this happen?"

The group of old men were greatly disappointed.

Suddenly, one person's eyes lit up, and they exclaimed, "Sasori of the Red Sand!"

These words silenced the meeting room once again, but the eyes of those figures shone brightly, like the eyes of wolves in the night.

Yes!

Sasori of the Red Sand was able to extract the Third Kazekage's consciousness and put it into a puppet, so he must have mastered such a technique.

"You dare!"

Chiyo leaped up and landed on the round table, her body radiating murderous intent. "You'd better put away your bad ideas, or this old woman will go on a killing spree today."

"I share the same attitude as my sister," Ebizo said casually.

He sat in the chair with his eyes closed, looking like an ordinary, relaxed old man.

But no one dared to ignore what he said.

Those pairs of eyes, once filled with aggression and madness, now revealed fear and resentment.

Yes, immortality is within reach.

How could they be willing to give up like this?

One of them stood up and said, "Lady Chiyo, I understand your deep love for your son, but Sasori of the Red Sand assassinated Lord Kazekage, a capital offense. Do you intend to protect him?"

"Even if it's a capital offense, it's none of your business to plot against it."

"Lady Chiyo, why are you doing this...?"

"If you want my grandson's skills, you must pardon him for this crime."

"This is impossible!" Rasa slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "Betraying the village is a capital offense in any ninja village, let alone assassinating the leader."

"It's not your place to speak here."

"I was also a member of the high-level meeting."

The meeting room erupted into argument once again.

However, it turned into a three-way argument.

Granny Chiyo wanted to protect Sasori of the Red Sand, while the older, higher-ups wanted to trade Sasori's life for technology. Meanwhile, the younger generation, led by Rasa, wanted to uphold the village's rules and interests.

"that……"

Ryuji raised his right hand again, and seeing the questioning gazes of the crowd, he spoke up: "Regarding the handling of Sasori of the Red Sand, why not wait until the Third Kazekage wakes up and lets him make the decision?"

"Ryuji is right. Lord Kazekage is still alive, so he should be the one to make such important decisions." Rasa nodded in agreement.

Grandma Chiyo was about to object when she saw Ryuji wink at her. Puzzled, she obediently shut her mouth.

The other old guys didn't care.

What they want is immortality, and it doesn't matter who makes the decision.

Even if the Third Kazekage wanted Sasori of the Red Sand dead, he would still seize this technology before that happened.

Rasa glanced at Chiyo and Ebizo with surprise, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Since everyone has no objections, then let Jonin Ryuji repair the Kazekage's body!"

"Yes, sir!"

After receiving the order, Ryuji picked up the scroll containing the puppet of the Third Kazekage from the table and left.

Yecang also took his leave from the group.

(End of this chapter)