Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

"Ahem...! We can appreciate beautiful things later. Now it's your turn to introduce yourselves. Keep it simple: name, gender, and what you're good at. As for dreams, they're just slogans. If you can't do them, don't even mention them..."

As the two were admiring Sasori's handsome face, Masato said, he had never understood why people in the Naruto world always liked to mention their dreams and set flags when introducing themselves. Flags were like a curse. Apart from the main characters, he had never seen anyone in the entire Naruto world who could survive after setting a flag. It was the same when he introduced himself when he entered the school. He especially remembered the many students who entered the school at the same time as him. Their dreams were either to become Kazekage or to become a strong person. As a result, they all became rich and powerful, leaving him the only one who had survived to this day. He had not become Kazekage, nor could he become a strong person. Just talking about it was useless.

Like these three people in front of him, he couldn't be bothered to listen to their talk of being powerful figures, wind shadows, or restoring their family's glory. He didn't mean anything by it; these three simply couldn't reach the heights they dreamed of. To avoid embarrassing himself later, he'd rather not let them set ambitious goals only to end up harming others...

"My name is Mei Chuan Neiyi, gender...male...skilled in puppetry...-_-||"

The children of wealthy families adapt quickly, and being a few years older than the kids present, Mei Chuan Neiyi reacted swiftly. However, when he looked at the soon-to-be teacher, Master Zhendou, even though he hadn't slept all night, there was still a light in his eyes!

Yesterday, after his clan chief father knelt in his grandfather's room until five or six durians were worn out, he limped over to him and told him that Lord Shinto would be his mentor. He couldn't believe it and thought his clan chief father was trying to fool him. Although he rarely left the village, he still had a general understanding of the situation. Not to mention his own clan, the Meikawa clan... in fact, his grandfather had been fighting with Lord Shinto for several years because of him. The relationship between the Meikawa clan and Lord Shinto was complicated. Moreover, he was disabled. Although he hadn't given up on himself, he knew in his heart that even with his talent when he was healthy, Lord Shinto might not have thought much of him, let alone now that he had lost both legs. As for his talent in puppetry, that was even less of a question. His family did that, and Lord Chiyo was an expert who had studied under the master of puppetry. It would be strange if he thought much of him.

Putting yourself in his shoes, if he were the real Dou-sama, he wouldn't have taken a liking to a member of a family with whom he still had a grudge.

If it weren't for the people from the Dark Guard coming to tell him later, he would have thought that his clan chief father had gone crazy from kneeling on durians!

Actually, he used to hate Shindou-sama quite a bit, not because of his legs, but because of his two friends. His two friends died under the enemy's sword while covering his retreat. That was the first time he had ever seen a dead person, and it was one of his own friends who had died.

However, after hearing news of so-and-so from the clan dying outside every day, I eventually came to terms with it. Life and death, fighting and killing, are the fate of ninjas. Even the legendary ninja god, Hashirama Senju, couldn't live to a ripe old age, let alone them. Even if their comrades hadn't died, they might have died on the battlefield together someday. The elders in the clan said that Lord Shinto was ignorant and incompetent, but there was a saying that made a lot of sense: what goes around comes around. Moreover, growing up under someone else's wings will never allow you to become a soaring eagle. Perhaps Lord Shinto's decision not to let the clan's elders follow them was to let them witness the cruelty of the world firsthand. The world is never as beautiful as they imagined, and they were just unlucky to run into the Iwa ninja army.

Hmm...that must be it!

409. The man Conan can call "Dad"

"Hmm, old man Meichuan has a bad temper and is domineering, but he has a good eye for people. You've grown up again, kid! It's a pity you're unlucky, otherwise your old man would have to step down and give way to a more capable person by now!"

I don't know what Masato was imagining. Even though he was in a wheelchair, Masato still looked like a gentleman. He was full of praise for Masato and didn't care whether it was immoral to talk about Masato's grandfather in front of him. Anyway, this kid was just as he thought. His mentality was really unassailable. His broken leg hadn't defeated him. Instead, it had elevated his spiritual world. He was optimistic, cheerful and positive. If you gave such a person a halo, he would be the protagonist!

"cut...!"

Handsome Scorpion glanced at his face and turned his head away with disdain. This bastard was talking so nicely, he was definitely trying to criticize the other man's grandfather. This kind of feint was all too familiar, otherwise, this bastard would not say such things.

“Scorpion, what did your uncle teach you? You can’t be so rude. He’s your senior, both in age and physique.”

Masato knew what Sasori was cutting, so he gave him a mock sidelong glance, while his left thumb and forefinger secretly moved to Sasori's youthful, collagen-rich face and rotated it 180 degrees to the left...

"Hiss! Bastard..."

Scorpion, being pinched so hard, couldn't help but drool from the corner of his eye. With his resilient physique, it should have been a piece of cake, but this bastard had used dark Armament Haki. If this bastard was too tough, he really wanted to kill him.

"Scorpion, are you alright? Lord Shinto, really, your face is all swollen..."

Karin's mother is easily swayed by this. Seeing the handsome Sasori with tears in his eyes, she was instantly overcome with maternal love and gave Masato a disapproving glare.

"...It's your turn. -_-||"

Shinto, who didn't want to eat dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), looked at Karin's mother, who was acting like a protective mother, and said speechlessly to little sister Yekura and another young man.

"My name is Yekura, and I'm skilled in ninjutsu..."

Little Yecang wasn't buying his act. She automatically ignored the gender issue; anyone with eyes could tell she was male or female. What boy would dare wear a backless dress...?

"Little Yecang has grown up quite a bit since I last saw her. However, I personally suggest that this outfit doesn't quite suit your style yet. You could consider changing back into your old clothes, which would be more convenient for you. You can always change back when you're a few years older and have a more mature look..."

If Masato hadn't seen her at school before, he wouldn't have recognized the girl in front of him as the well-behaved girl he asked questions when he went to school to brag. It's true what they say, girls change a lot as they grow up. She's only been out of school for a short time and she's already let loose. She even wore that sexy backless dress from the original work. However, her flat figure now doesn't really suit that sexy backless dress, and it's really not interesting... The contrast is huge.

"Yes, Lord Shinto."

Yecang didn't understand the meaning behind those words. She first looked herself up and down. Although she felt fine, she thought that since Master Shindou said so, he must have his reasons. She nodded with a serious expression.

She knew why she had been "kicked" out of her original ninja squad. She had heard about the commotion in the village over her these past few days. Although many people said that Master Shinto was unreliable, he was still a legendary ninja. Others wouldn't even dare to dream of receiving his instruction. It was just a change of clothes; she could even go without them...

"...Relax, I'm not the dean of students, there's no need to be so nervous. Just call me teacher from now on."

He discovered that this girl's personality, to put it bluntly, was taciturn; to put it nicely, it was composed. She didn't have the typical girly, coquettish personality of other girls, nor was she a hot-tempered tomboy. Instead, she was somewhere in between. In the Naruto world, this type of girl isn't very popular; most boys prefer the more tyrannical type. No wonder this girl, despite her considerable talent—otherwise, she wouldn't have awakened the Scorching Release—was absolutely a top-tier talent in her generation. Yet, after so many years at school, she hadn't received a recommendation from her homeroom teacher to Sunagawa. If it weren't for awakening the Scorching Release, probably very few people would even know her. It really is a personality issue!

"My name is Yusaku Kudo, I'm male, and I'm good at... good at..."

The remaining boys dutifully introduced themselves, but when it came to their specialties, one boy seemed a bit stumped, struggling for a long time before finally figuring out what to say. It seemed he was good at quite a few things. As a child born into a commoner family, the only ninjutsu he'd ever encountered was the basic Three Body Technique. Although it was very basic, through diligent practice—and he wasn't bragging—he hadn't found anyone whose Three Body Technique was more advanced than his. Logically, the Three Body Technique was also a ninjutsu, so it wouldn't be wrong for him to say he was good at ninjutsu. But his taijutsu seemed pretty impressive too; he'd been unbeatable among his peers since school. And he seemed quite skilled with ninja tools as well—kunai, senbon, shuriken—he handled them all with impressive skill. Whenever he scored a perfect 100 on an exam, the teacher would always give him an extra 101 points…

Now he was in a dilemma. If any other Jonin teacher asked him this question, he would tell the truth. But would it be too arrogant to say it to Master Shinto? As a commoner, he didn't like to show off, so he always tried to keep a low profile and seek victory through stability.

But if I don't tell Master Shinto the truth, and he wants to teach me some incredibly powerful move, but I miss it because he didn't tell the truth, then it would be a disaster...

"Shinichi's dad... Pshaw! Is this question really that hard to answer? Don't you even know what you're good at? (⊙_⊙)?"

Seeing the boy's constipated expression, as if he'd been trying to poop for ages, Masato asked curiously, "Why is such a simple introduction being treated like a college entrance exam essay question? What's going on...?"

But this boy's name is quite striking. Conan's father is here. He was introduced by Ebizo and Sunagawa. A man that Conan calls "Dad" shouldn't be some cheap guy picked up off the street.

"No, Master Shinto, it's because... because I seem to know a lot and I seem to be good at everything, so... so I don't know how to say it... o(╯□╰)o"

Upon hearing Masato's words, Kudo Yusaku's face fell, and tears welled up in his eyes. In the end, he decided to take risks for good fortune and tell the truth.

410. Without the Three Body Technique, one can still stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world.

!!!

"You're kidding, right? (⊙_⊙)"

Everyone stared in surprise at Kudo Yusaku, who shared the same name as Conan's father. Even the usually cool and handsome Sasori glanced at him sideways. He was good at so many things... This guy really dared to say that. Everyone here, from the oldest to the youngest, was a genius or was once a genius. As the saying goes, a person's energy is limited, and it is impossible to do everything. Everyone has the highest talent in a certain area.

They generally choose to develop in the area they are best at. Take Sasori, for example. With his perfect and nimble hands, he would be a genius if he played ninjutsu. But why did he choose puppetry? On the one hand, he had a great interest in puppetry since childhood. On the other hand, his talent in puppetry far exceeded that in ninjutsu. Although the upper limit of puppetry is not very high, his achievements in puppetry will definitely far exceed his achievements in learning ninjutsu.

But now some kid claims to be all-powerful, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

"That's really true. I knew you wouldn't believe me. As for ninjutsu, although I only know the Three Body Technique, I haven't seen anyone better than me since I learned it. Even my Jonin teacher said that no one my age is better than me in taijutsu. As for ninja tools, I'm pretty good at kunai and shuriken..."

Seeing the obvious disbelief in everyone's eyes, Kudo Yusaku started gesturing wildly, explaining as he went. If his first impression of Shinto-sama was that he was just bragging, he was doomed. He hadn't expected to be assigned to Shinto-sama's ninja team. Today, when his original class gathered to do their daily quests, his Jonin teacher told him that he had been removed from their team by the Kazekage and was to meet at the Kazekage Building. Without thinking much, he ran to the Kazekage Building with a blank expression. There were already two people there. One of them was a girl who graduated with him. He remembered her a little, although she was very different from how she was in school. Back when Shinto-sama was lecturing, she was the only one who stood up to ask questions, so it was hard for him not to remember her.

He had never seen the other elder, who was a few years older than them and was in a wheelchair, but he recognized him from his clothes and family crest as a member of the Meichuan clan, the most powerful family in the village. With three people in total, he thought that Lord Fengying was going to assign them some top-secret mission.

Who knew that Lord Fengying and Lord Haizang would be smiling and watching them for almost an hour without saying a word? He started to feel uneasy. Could it be that he was wrong? Was there some top-secret mission? The girl was quite pretty, and the senior, although in a wheelchair, was very elegant. He himself was not bad-looking either... Could it be that they were selecting a concubine for the daimyo?

The thought sent a chill down my spine; a tremor ran through me for no reason. I'd often heard adults talk about how noble gentlemen had certain hobbies...

Before he could feel the tension for long, the office door was flung open. When he saw that the person who came in was not an official from the Daimyo's residence but Lord Shinto, his heart almost jumped out of his chest. Things didn't seem to be going as he thought. All the way there, he kept thinking about all sorts of possibilities, but he rejected them one by one. It was obviously impossible to go on a mission with Lord Shinto. Lord Shinto was a legendary ninja in the ninja world. How could he possibly take a few rookie minors on a mission? Their levels were too low.

Then, looking at the three of them plus Master Masato, it really seems like a ninja team. Could it be that Master Masato is going to form a ninja Madara and that's why he chose them?

Thinking of this, his eyes lit up; it seemed quite possible. As for the two red-haired children beside Lord Masato, they didn't look like they hadn't graduated yet; they were probably related to Lord Masato or something...

If what he guessed was true, then he would never have made it big!

A student of Masato-sama!

Everyone knows that Master Masato has never taken on a student in all these years. He felt that his fate might have been tainted by Lady Luck. Becoming Master Masato's student? No way, this is going to be a windfall!

Seeing the doubtful look on Masato's face, she immediately filled her eyes with tears and began to explain like a machine gun.

"Alright, alright, I believe you. Don't get too excited. Take a sip of Wanglaoji to calm down. Young man, what you said makes sense. The Three Body Technique is indeed a ninjutsu, but ninjutsu is not just the Three Body Technique. Your physical talent is quite good. You have large hands, your hands reach past your knees, and your Achilles tendons are long... Hmm, it is indeed a talent that can be seen with the naked eye."

Seeing the little guy so nervous and almost crying, Masato quickly comforted him. It's true that this kid has great physical talent; his muscles are clearly defined, and he certainly looks explosive. At the level of Jonin and below, most ninjas use taijutsu to solve problems. However, in Sunagakure, there are mostly puppeteers, and most of the other children can learn ninjutsu but don't really play with taijutsu. Children from clans usually just practice casually, focusing on ninjutsu. Children from commoners, on the other hand, have no way to access ninjutsu, so they can only practice taijutsu with great difficulty. But the cost of practicing taijutsu is very high, and it's not something that commoner families can afford. So even if children from commoner families try their best, their taijutsu is only so-so. Their physical condition isn't good enough, so generally speaking, there aren't many children in the village whose taijutsu is impressive. With this kid's physical talent, it wouldn't be wrong to say that he's invincible in taijutsu among his peers.

As for this kid's ninjutsu talent, he wasn't optimistic. It's possible that this kid's circle is small and he doesn't have access to a larger circle. In the circle he's in, no one's Three Body Technique is as sharp as his, so he thinks his ninjutsu talent is also good. That's not wrong. If this kid were to hone the Three Body Technique for a few years, probably no one in the ninja world could compare to him in that area, not even technical masters like White Fang and Minato Namikaze.

After all, they don't use the Three-Body Technique!

That thing is just a basic ninjutsu derived from the basic hand seals. As long as the transformation jutsu doesn't turn into a pile of shit, it's fine. After graduating from school, you've already forgotten everything you learned. There are tons of powerful ninjutsu to learn, so who has the time to refine their basic skills?

I've never seen anyone start out with the Three Bodies Technique.

Just like how he only remembers one commonly used transformation technique from his Three Body Techniques, he has long since forgotten the other two basic skills to his deceased uncle!

Even without the Three Body Technique, they still stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world...

411. Handsome Scorpion's Ultimate Ten-Man Army 9.0

So this kid wasn't bragging, he just lacked vision and perspective. To avoid discouraging the village's future star, Shinto had no choice but to go along with it. After all, he didn't have much to teach these kids. He didn't even know how to write the word "puppet" in puppetry, and Blaze Release... that's probably similar to Fire Release, right... but he didn't know Fire Release either! As for taijutsu... he was afraid that if he messed up the kid, the kid's parents and all the relatives would come and block his door...

However, the trio seems to have a pretty reasonable lineup: a puppeteer, a mage, and a warrior. They should be able to create some chemistry as a team. Hopefully, this kid who shares the same name as Conan's dad can hold his own.

With that in mind, Masato decided to let this kid with the same name as Conan's dad grow wider, the fatter the better...

"Shin-Shin-sama, is there a problem?"

When Yusaku Kudo saw Masato stroking his chin and looking at him from top to bottom and left to right, he felt uneasy, as if Masato had designs on him.

"It's nothing, let's stop with the introductions. To better understand your strength, skills, and current condition, we'll have a duel. The three of you will face my nephew in a 1v3 match. Don't worry! I'm not that old-fashioned, saying things like 'passing keeps you here, failing sends you home.' I mainly want to see how strong you three are so I can train you to address your weaknesses later. Don't underestimate my nephew, though; he's a true genius puppeteer. You'll suffer greatly if you're not careful. Nephew, go!"

After shaking his head, Masato addressed the three, saying, "This duel was earned in exchange for my nephew spending half an hour pinching my cheeks. As an elder, I must set an example and keep my word. I might be despicable to outsiders, but I've always been honest and trustworthy to my family. Since I promised to give my nephew time to fight, I must keep my promise..."

After saying that, Masato, along with Karin's mother who was still infatuated with him, jumped to a distance and handed the scene over to his nephew.

"...Enough with the nonsense, you ten!"

"boom!"

The atmosphere had been built up to this point, and Handsome Scorpion didn't say a word. The Ultimate Chikamatsu Ten Ninja 9.0 replica instantly appeared in front of Handsome Scorpion, like a city wall separating him from the three others. Handsome Scorpion had never known what martial ethics or tradition were. His code of conduct was to be ruthless, not talkative, and just do what he said. He had been waiting impatiently for a long time. The tradition of saying a few words before making a move didn't exist for him. He reached into his ninja tool pouch, took out a sealing scroll, and threw it forward. The Ultimate Chikamatsu Ten Ninja 9.0 replica appeared and stood steadily in front of Handsome Scorpion like a giant bodyguard.

"Watch out...! This...this is a puppet??? (⊙_⊙)?"

Upon hearing the familiar skill sound, Umekawa Nai-i, who had already become a puppeteer, was the first to react and loudly reminded Yekura and Kudo Yusaku. When he turned around and saw the replica of the handsome Sasori, the Ultimate Chikamatsu Ten, 9.0, his jaw almost dropped to the ground. Even his two new companions, Yekura and Kudo Yusaku, stared wide-eyed with disbelief.

Ten steel giants, gleaming with a cold light, stood between Handsome Scorpion and the others, completely surrounding Handsome Scorpion and Xiuli. That was to be expected; puppeteers are inherently weak points and also the enemy's weak point. Therefore, without tank teammates, they would leave one or two around to prevent the enemy from getting close. Moreover, the battle hadn't even started yet, so this was just basic tactic and nothing to be surprised about.

What truly astonished them were the ten puppets themselves—they were just too damn outrageous!

What did they see?

The ten puppets in front of them were not only ten meters tall, but more importantly, they were made of metal. Judging from the cold light emanating from them, they were not ordinary metal materials. The ten huge steel giants gave them a heavy feeling, especially compared with the five traditional wooden puppets that Mei Chuan Nei Yi threw out. The difference was simply incomparable!

Comparing people is a recipe for disaster, comparing goods is a recipe for throwing them away!

Is this still a puppet?

The puppets they knew were traditional wooden puppets, like the five that the elder of the Meikawa clan had thrown out in front of them. Generally speaking, puppets come in all shapes and sizes and are diverse in type. They don't necessarily have to be human; they could be animals, birds, or all sorts of other forms. However, in order not to affect the puppet's flexibility or increase the puppeteer's workload, they are usually made of special wood. But the ten puppets that this Sand Village's super genius had thrown out truly shocked them and shattered their worldview. They were made of special metal and were at least ten meters tall. Were these still puppets? They were Optimus Primes!

Moreover, the weight of the metal puppets was real, and there were ten of them. Chiyo's family's White Secret Technique was famous, and she could control ten puppets at the same time. As the village's super genius puppeteer, it was not surprising that a super genius who could make puppets at the age of four had learned the White Secret Technique, but controlling ten such steel giants was really too exaggerated. Could such a small body bear the burden?

"This is outrageous! How are we supposed to fight this??"

Kudo Yusaku, who came from a commoner background, trembled as he looked at the ten steel giants in front of him. He really wanted to bring his classmates who were always showing off in front of him to see what a puppeteer was and what a puppet was!

Standing in front of ten steel behemoths, just looking at them makes one's legs go weak. Putting aside their strength, their appearance alone has reached the ceiling for puppeteers. Compared to the ten steel behemoths in front of them, the puppets of those classmates are simply garbage!

Hmm... so is the puppet of this wheelchair-bound senior Mei Chuan...

"...These steel golems are extremely defensive and powerful, and there are ten of them—truly befitting of Scorpion. In a one-on-one situation, we simply couldn't handle ten of them... However, due to the weight of the metal, their agility will be greatly reduced, and they'll be very difficult to operate. A puppeteer's weakness is close combat. Yekura and I will hold him off head-on, while Yusaku, you find an opportunity to get close..."

Umekawa Nei, being slightly older and the heir to a wealthy family, immediately revealed the difference between elite education and mainstream education. While Kudo Yusaku and Yekura were still exchanging bewildered glances, Umekawa Nei had already analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of both sides and devised a tactical plan. When Kudo Yusaku asked, he immediately began outlining the strategy: his puppets and Yekura's Scorching Release would hold off the enemy tank, while the jungler would look for opportunities to flank the backline...