This Puppeteer Is Bit Too Strange

"This… this…"

Looking at the space portal opening behind Ryuji, all the Chinoike Clan's members widened their eyes in disbelief.

Over the past six months, Ryuji's growth had caused the space inside to expand countless times. Half a year ago, with various equipment inside, it couldn't even hold forty people. But now, it could easily accommodate over two hundred.

Spatial abilities were extremely rare and powerful throughout the Shinobi World, let alone carrying such a vast space with him.

"Do you believe in my sincerity now?"

Looking at the astonished crowd, Ryuji smiled slightly, a hint of pride in his tone.

The old Clan Head was the first to regain his composure, though a trace of shock still lingered in his eyes. "Sincerity? I haven't seen that yet. But I have indeed seen that you have the ability to help the Chinoike Clan. We can discuss sincerity slowly."

'Ah, I knew it wouldn't be that easy!'

Ryuji sighed inwardly.

He thought this clan, isolated in Hell Valley, would be simple and easy to deceive… and indeed, that was somewhat true. If they weren't simple and gullible, they wouldn't have been deceived and used dozens of times.

But even the simplest person, after being deceived and used so many times, would become wary.

"Alright then, let's discuss slowly!"

The Chinoike Clan's Kekkei Genkai is on par with the Sharingan in Genjutsu and can also use blood as a medium for various Ninjutsu… Although Ryuji looked down on the Sharingan, it was because the conditions for awakening it were too harsh and the side effects too great.

Without those factors, his regard for the Sharingan would undoubtedly rise several levels.

…

The specific negotiations were dry and tedious, making Ryuji feel sleepy.

But since it concerned their respective futures, he had to muster his energy.

Suddenly, a voice from Aka came through the Sea of Consciousness.

"Master, Bunpuku-sama is not doing well."

Although imprisoned in Sunagakure's dungeon, with no one respecting him and countless people fearing him, Bunpuku could be considered Ryuji's friend. Therefore, Aka usually added '-sama' as a respectful title when referring to him.

Hearing this news, Ryuji was momentarily stunned, then felt somewhat dazed. "The old monk is finally unable to hold on?"

He deeply respected this old monk; they were friends and confidants who could see through each other's inner thoughts and have deep conversations. Now, he was nearing his end.

The One-Tail Jinchuriki, Bunpuku, was about to die of old age… Although he had received such news over half a year ago, he thought Bunpuku could hold on for at least five more years. He never expected…

It's worth mentioning that the souls Ryuji created all used Bunpuku's Chakra. Combined with the backup measures deliberately arranged during their creation, each soul contained Ryuji's own dormant consciousness. When needed, he could instantly take over the main body of the soul, becoming its master.

Because countless souls contained his consciousness, they formed a vast Sea of Consciousness across distances, allowing him to communicate with other souls over long distances and even swap bodies as soul channels.

Of course, the maximum range couldn't exceed two hundred kilometers.

After successfully miniaturizing the Chakra Production Unit, Ryuji had been mass-producing Scarab puppets to serve as relay signal stations.

Now, Scarabs were distributed throughout the Shinobi World, and his Sea of Consciousness, like a wireless network, covered the entire continent, allowing him to receive intelligence from any corner of the land at any time.

Therefore, even a remote place like Hell Valley could receive messages.

Aka explained in detail within the Sea of Consciousness.

Bunpuku ultimately failed to overcome the mental barrier in his heart. He couldn't let go of Ryuji's comment about him being timid.

Coupled with his aging body bearing the pressure of a Tailed Beast, he grew increasingly weak and was now completely exhausted. Only through the spare-no-expense efforts of Medical-nin was he barely clinging to life.

'Ah, even a high monk, though saying he has seen through everything, hasn't truly seen through in his heart…'

Ryuji couldn't help but sigh, then continued negotiations with the puzzled-looking Chinoike Clan's Clan Head.

...

Half an hour later, the negotiations concluded.

Ryuji stepped out of the cave. The scorching ultraviolet rays outside once again shone on him. Hell Valley was now unprecedentedly deserted, with no trace of anyone.

The Chinoike Clan ultimately agreed to Ryuji's conditions and entered his Personal Space.

No matter what, even if they faced exclusion and bullying in Sunagakure, it was better than slowly waiting for death in Hell Valley.

This was the only hope they had seen in decades that could truly take them away from Hell Valley without worrying about pressure from the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure.

Floating Continent, Mechanical City.

Temple.

Bunpuku's consciousness was already blurred. Standing beside him were Ebizo, Chiyo, Aka, the Third Kazekage, and Rasa.

This news was temporarily sealed. Only these higher-ups knew, and almost all who knew had gathered.

The succession of a Jinchuriki was a major event for any village.

As they were speaking in low tones,

A rapid footstep sounded. A youth with a heavy expression walked in. Hearing his footsteps, Bunpuku forced himself to open his eyes despite his discomfort.

"We'll leave first, Master."

Aka slightly bowed, then was the first to walk out of the room. The meaning of this gesture was clear: this wasn't a place for others to stay anymore.

The following time was left for Bunpuku and Ryuji.

Chiyo and Ebizo also sensibly knew this wasn't their place to stay and nodded to Ryuji in acknowledgment.

Now, only Bunpuku and Ryuji remained in the room.

Bunpuku's voice was hoarse, his speech intermittent. The fact that he could recognize the person before him as Ryuji was already a result of a final rally before death.

"Old monk."

Ryuji called out with respect for Bunpuku. This person before him was one of the few in the world who could truly connect heart-to-heart with a Tailed Beast.

Shukaku's evaluation of him was that he had the aura of the Sage of Six Paths. If not for confirming the Sage's true death rather than reincarnation, one might mistake him for the Sage's reincarnation… This was also the highest praise received by past Jinchuriki.

"Do you have any final words?" Ryuji's inner thoughts were very complex; he had many things he wanted to say.

But to a Jinchuriki who had lived for decades, imprisoned for decades, with many thoughts already extinguished, there was no need to say more.

His seemingly aged face was full of wrinkles. Any expression was hard to discern on this face. He simply let out a long breath, seeming to have no attachment to this world, and softly recited a small verse.

"A fool… in the end, I was just a mere mortal…" The old monk left these words with a smile and passed away.

Ryuji felt Bunpuku's life force wither in that instant. It seemed he had been waiting for Ryuji's return to convey these final words.

"No, you are a true high monk!"

No matter how enlightened a high monk's heart might be, he is still a mortal.

If Bunpuku were truly as calm and accepting as a Buddha, he wouldn't be a monk, but a Buddha.

Ryuji took a deep breath and looked at Shukaku, who was transforming into flowing sand.

Now it was his time with the One-Tail.

Having long considered the possibility of a Tailed Beast going out of control, the temple built in the Mechanical City was quite large. Outside the main hall was a spacious square, sufficient to accommodate a Tailed Beast.

Sand flowed out from the hall, gathering on the square into the shape of a tanuki. Its massive body surpassed all buildings in the temple.

He had gained freedom but felt no joy from it, only sorrow from the death of a friend.

"Shukaku, do you remember our agreement?"

Shukaku didn't answer Ryuji immediately. Instead, he turned his head to glance at Bunpuku inside the hall, staring for a few seconds before shifting his gaze back.

The last bit of loss in his heart was put away.

As a Tailed Beast, having lived for who knows how many years, he was long accustomed to parting with other living beings.

"Naturally, I remember."

Once, Ryuji and Shukaku had an agreement: if Ryuji could create Chakra from nothing, Shukaku would voluntarily enter Ryuji's body to be used by him.

That machine had long been successfully developed… Although far from replacing a Tailed Beast's role, this thing allowed him to see the possibility of success.

Shukaku looked nostalgically at the sky outside, then transformed into condensed Chakra, rapidly infusing into Ryuji's body.

Instantly, powerful Chakra flooded his entire being.

Feeling the surging power brought by Shukaku, Ryuji let out a long breath.

Because Shukaku was willingly helping him, there was no need for sealing or diverting Chakra to maintain a seal. He was stronger than ordinary Jinchuriki.

Tailed Beast Chakra had pros and cons. The advantage was not worrying about Chakra, allowing reckless expenditure. The drawback was some interference with Chakra Control.

However, this was only for traditional Shinobi. For Shukaku, who willingly provided support as a Jinchuriki for Ryuji, and for Ryuji himself, a puppeteer with exquisite Chakra Control, these were not a problem.

After accepting Shukaku, Ryuji turned and left the temple. Then he heard the long sounds of Buddhist chanting.

The other monks in the temple had gathered around Bunpuku, conducting the funeral.

They bid farewell to this old monk who had lived for decades in their own way.

Incidentally, this temple was specifically built by Ryuji for Bunpuku. These monks were all Bunpuku's former fellow monks from his old temple.

However, times had changed; Bunpuku didn't recognize any of them and had never stepped out of the temple.

Chiyo and Ebizo, waiting outside the temple, also noticed the commotion inside.

Chiyo's mood was somewhat melancholy. She turned to Ebizo and said,

"I say, little brother, Bunpuku is gone. Another person we knew is gone."

Ebizo knew his sister had entered an autumn melancholy mode, but his own mood was equally heavy.

"Sister, after this war ends, let's retire and live out our years in peace."

At that moment, Ryuji just happened to walk out of the temple, sensing the heavy atmosphere.

For Shinobi, life and death were long since commonplace.

Although the passing of familiar people one by one inevitably brought sadness, they were long accustomed to it.

But this was truly a terrible habit.

He jokingly said, "You shouldn't casually plant flags like that; otherwise, bad things might happen."

Chiyo and Ebizo didn't understand the meaning behind Ryuji's words. Chiyo asked with concern, "Did Shukaku really willingly agree to reside within your body?"

Although she had lived many years, this was the first time she had seen a Tailed Beast actively submit without needing a seal. She couldn't help but worry about this disciple of hers, to whom she had imparted skills in all but name.

Over all these years, besides Bunpuku, she had never heard of any Jinchuriki living peacefully coexisting with a Tailed Beast (she didn't know about B's situation at the time).

"That's natural. Even if he were restless, with my strength, I could completely subdue him."

Regarding Ryuji's words on this point, Chiyo felt quite reassured.

"By the way, I just went to Hell Valley and brought the Chinoike Clan back. They are temporarily settled in a residential area, watched by a few Anbu. Next, they'll need file registration and reorganization. I'll leave that to you."

Hearing Ryuji's words, Ebizo suddenly remembered and slapped his forehead. "Indeed, when you get old, your memory isn't so clear. I just remembered, during your absence, the Fuma Clan also sent people to contact us, saying they want to join our village. So, you don't need to go out personally this time."

Hearing Ebizo's words, Ryuji's eyes lit up.

The Fuma Clan was a renowned clan in the shinobi world. If even they actively sought refuge with Sunagakure, then other Shinobi Clans wanting to join but still observing and hesitating probably wouldn't hesitate anymore.

However, this wasn't anything strange.

After all, this was the era of Shinobi Villages. Existing as individual clan units was too weak.

In the original work, the Fuma Clan joined the Otogakure established by Orochimaru because they had realized that a clan couldn't exist alone in this era and had to compromise.

"That's good too, saving me from having to visit them all personally one by one."

The clans worth noting had mostly already joined. After this, he could focus on improving the village's own strength.