Sky Curtain: Short Video Commentary on Konoha Villagers

However, this still cannot change the shortcomings of puppetry, especially with the emergence of the Impure World Reincarnation technique, which is like a high-level version of puppetry, a complete blow to traditional puppetry.

The manipulator of the Impure World Reincarnation technique can hide in a sufficiently safe place, while a puppeteer is completely incomparable to the Impure World Reincarnation technique.

The underground base of Otogakure Village.

Orochimaru looked at the words on the sky and was quite certain of it.

"The Impure World Reincarnation technique is indeed much more useful than the Puppet Technique."

He stuck out his long tongue, licked his lips, and his eyes flashed with excitement.

"Even with a hundred puppets, Sasori couldn't defeat Chiyo's ten. But I only need to dig up graves to summon powerful figures from past generations."

"If Sasori saw this, he would probably regret not having studied forbidden techniques with me sooner."

"It would be normal if puppetry were to be abandoned in the future, since the investment and the returns are not proportional."

"Unless... Sunagakure can find a puppeteer who is more talented than Chiyo, more willing to push boundaries, and can live a long time."

"Otherwise, puppetry will soon become history."

The way forward for puppetry may lie in its integration with technology.

But that was a long time later.

Konoha Year 60, Sunagakure.

Kankuro stared at the words on the sky, his hand unconsciously tightening around the scroll behind him.

"Does the future of puppetry lie in technology?"

He repeated the words in a low voice, the image of Orochimaru appearing in his mind.

Should I also go and study under Orochimaru?

But then he shook his head. How could someone like Orochimaru possibly teach him out of kindness?

"Never mind, I'll stop thinking about it now."

Since that's the case, then so be it.

The decline of puppeteers can be summarized in one sentence:

The first generation of puppeteers excelled in crafting, the second generation focused on manipulation, and the third generation combined the strengths of both.

Kankuro, the fourth-generation puppeteer who succeeded them, should have surpassed his predecessors, but the opposite was true.

[As the strongest puppeteer of his time, Kankuro has absolutely no creative ability.]

Sunagakure Village, Kazekage's office.

Luo Sha's heart, which had just calmed down, jumped again.

"What?! Kankuro?! The strongest puppeteer?!"

He suddenly turned his head to look at Kankuro standing in the corner, sized him up, and his eyes were full of "You?"

Kankuro's face paint couldn't hide the look of shock on his face.

"I...I am the strongest puppeteer of our time?"

He looked down at the scroll behind him, then looked up at the sky.

"Me?"

Ebizo pushed up his glasses, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"If Tianmu says you are, then you probably are. However... the fact that you lack creative ability does fit your usual behavior."

Kankuro was somewhat speechless.

"Are you praising me or insulting me?"

Ebizo: "It's just stating the facts."

The people from the other ninja villages were also shocked to hear this.

Kumogakure, Raikage's office.

The Fourth Raikage, A, thought carefully and tried to find information about Kankuro in his mind.

"Wait a minute, I don't remember this person at all."

Mabui, standing beside him, gently rubbed her forehead. Kankuro was just a genin at the moment; how could someone of Raikage's caliber possibly have an impression of a genin?

"Lord Raikage, according to intelligence, Kankuro is indeed the most active puppeteer in Sunagakure at present. However, he rarely makes new ones himself."

Ai snorted, her words laced with sarcasm.

"The strongest puppeteer, all he can do is pick up other people's leftovers? No wonder puppetry has declined."

Iwagakure Village, Tsuchikage's Office.

Onoki put his hands behind his back, his old face showing an expression of "I knew it."

"I have some impression of that kid Kankuro. His talent is average, and his aptitude is mediocre. The fact that he can become the strongest puppeteer can only mean that the puppetry techniques of Sunagakure have truly died out."

"They can't even pass on their own signature skills. This Sand Village... sigh."

"It's a unique skill in the ninja world, after all, but it's so sad that there's no one to carry it on."

So, from whom did Kankuro pick up all his puppets?

Sunagakure Village, on the street.

A middle-aged ninja couldn't hold back his emotions when he saw this. He simply couldn't understand how a puppeteer could find puppets that he had picked up.

"Huh?! He's a puppeteer, and all his puppets are just scavenged?!"

The young ninja next to him also looked both amused and exasperated.

"This is too tragic... He was Sunagakure's signature puppeteer, after all..."

"A shop sign? A shop sign that's for collecting scraps? Then I can be the strongest puppeteer too!"

"Why don't you try picking up a scorpion puppet? You'd better have somewhere to pick it up first."

"Kankuro is your father? Why are you defending him like this?"

On the streets of Konoha, the villagers also burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha, the strongest puppeteer's puppets are all scavenged! What's the difference between him and a beggar!"

"You know what, at least a beggar can weave a basket, but Kankuro can't even weave one."

"This is hilarious, the puppetry techniques of Sunagakure are truly hopeless."

[So far, Kankuro has collected 6 puppets.]

First, there's his starting three items: Crow, Black Ant, and Salamander.

[These three pieces work together; in battle, the crow is the primary attacker, the black ant is the capture puppet, and the salamander is the defensive puppet.]

These three puppets were all created by Sasori when he was a child, and Kankuro has essentially mastered them.

However, Kankuro didn't make any changes, so his original weaknesses remain the same.

[To the point that he had no way to defeat Scorpion, this is the consequence of using someone else's puppet.]

Under the sky, people from all timelines were starting to lose their composure.

Amegakure Village, the Akatsuki's stronghold.

Deidara finally lost his temper. Playing the puppet in front of the real deal—what's the difference between him and a clown?

"Hahahaha! Scorpion! Did you hear that?! Your puppet was picked up by that brat! And then it ran into you, its rightful owner! Hahahahaha!"

"Trying to fight the real person using someone else's puppet? Is this kid out of his mind or just too brave?!"

Scorpion was helpless about this, his voice filled with utter disdain.

"Those three puppets were my creations from when I was a child. Back then, their craftsmanship and design were poor, and their weaknesses were quite obvious. He actually used something like that against me?"

Sunagakure Village, on the street.

Kankuro, who had already run away because he couldn't stand Rasa's expression, was now being pestered by several juniors.

"Please stop...please stop..."

Several children stood not far away, looking at him with complicated expressions.

"So all your puppets were found?"

"And they're using Senior Sasori's puppet to fight Senior Sasori himself?"

"This is too much..."

Kankuro suddenly raised his head, his voice tinged with despair.

"That's tactics! Don't you understand tactics! I used his puppets against him to make him feel familiar with them and become careless!"

The young puppeteers looked at each other in bewilderment.

"So...did you win?"

Kankuro: "..."

It's guaranteed to be a loss.

Next are the scorpion's main body puppet and its parents' puppets.

After Sasori died in the final battle against Granny Chiyo and Sakura, the three puppets fell into Kankuro's hands.

[It was just right; any later and Black Zetsu would have taken him back.]

[The parents' puppets were created when Sasori was young, but were modified and strengthened by Granny Chiyo, reaching a level where they could fight the Third Kazekage's puppets head-on.]

[In Kankuro's hands, the Sasori puppet and the Sasori puppet can be paired together perfectly, making a complete family of three.]

Under the celestial canopy, people from all timelines felt that this was somewhat of a hellish joke.