Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Nakatani Kensuke remained silent for a long while. No one spoke in the alley, making the atmosphere incredibly bizarre.

The Kusagakure ninja stood frozen in place. Their gazes fell upon the Living Human Puppet, then darted away, as if they were too terrified to look but couldn't help themselves.

That was their comrade, and now, he had been turned into a puppet.

The puppet's body was densely covered in stitches, every single thread clearly visible. Blood continued to seep from the gaps between the sutures, dyeing the Kusagakure flak jacket a dark crimson. Drop by drop, the blood fell to the ground, pooling on the stone slabs.

Some of the Kusagakure ninja's hands were trembling, gripped by an indescribable terror.

Nakatani Kensuke took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. His chest heaved, and his shoulders slumped slightly, as if he were making a momentous decision.

"As the leader of Kusagakure, I need the control rights to this puppet."

When he said this, he didn't look at Uchiha Taiga; his eyes remained fixed on the puppet.

Uchiha Taiga chuckled softly.

"You can't control it."

Nakatani Kensuke's mouth twitched.

Uchiha Taiga kindly explained, "If you want to control it, first, you must be a master of all five elemental styles."

As he spoke, he held up one finger.

"Fire Style, Water Style, Earth Style, Lightning Style, and Wind Style—you must achieve an incredibly high level of mastery in all five. It's not enough to just know a few jutsu; you must master them, using each style as naturally as eating or drinking."

He held up a second finger.

"You also need Yin Style and Yang Style chakra. Yin Style governs the spiritual, and Yang Style governs the physical; neither can be lacking. Otherwise, you won't even be able to connect to its consciousness, let alone control it."

A third finger.

"At the same time, you need outstanding achievements in Puppet Jutsu. Not some half-baked skill, but the ability to manipulate living puppets and handle the complex chakra pathways within its body."

After finishing, he lowered his hand and looked at Nakatani Kensuke, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Therefore, you can't control it."

Nakatani Kensuke's expression worsened, knowing that Uchiha Taiga was telling the truth.

Let alone mastering all five styles, he couldn't even use three styles proficiently.

Yin Style and Yang Style chakra?

He didn't even fully understand what those were.

Puppet Jutsu? Kusagakure had absolutely no legacy of puppet techniques.

He couldn't control it.

This puppet, a weapon bought with a human life that should have belonged to the village, was completely beyond his control.

Rasa's expression was somewhat peculiar. He looked at the Living Human Puppet, then at Uchiha Taiga. His brows furrowed slightly before relaxing.

As the Kazekage, he had seen many types of puppets.

From Chiyo's Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu to the specialized creations of other puppet masters, he had never seen a living puppet like this.

This was a technique Sunagakure could not replicate.

Rasa couldn't help but glance in Chiyo's direction.

Chiyo stood at the back of the crowd, her expression complicated.

Ebizo's brows were deeply furrowed. His eyes remained fixed on the puppet's stitches, as if he were studying something, or perhaps confirming a suspicion.

The two elders exchanged a glance, sharing a look that only they could understand.

Within that look was a hint of something else—unease.

Sunagakure was renowned throughout the ninja world for its Puppet Jutsu. It was their pride, their signature, and one of the foundations that allowed them to stand among the Five Great Nations.

But now, a youth from the Uchiha clan had demonstrated a form of Puppet Jutsu right in front of them that they couldn't even fathom.

It wasn't out of jealousy, but rather the sudden realization that in certain fields, they had been left far behind.

He knew that conceptualizing an idea was one thing, but executing it was another. Whether it could be done at all depended entirely on the person.

At this moment, Uchiha Taiga nodded to Yugito Nii and began walking back on his own.

Yugito Nii, who had been standing beside the red-haired woman the entire time, saw Taiga's gesture. She turned to the trembling woman and said two words.

"Let's go."

The red-haired woman was still shaking.

She slowly stood up from the ground, her legs trembling and her knees weak. The baby girl in her arms was still crying, but the sound had grown faint, resembling the weak mews of a kitten.

The woman hugged her child tighter.

Her mind was a chaotic mess. She didn't know who these people were, why they had saved her, or where they were taking her.

But she knew one thing: if she stayed here, her daughter would eventually be subjected to the same treatment.

So, without hesitation, she followed behind Yugito Nii, keeping her head down as she took it one step at a time.

As she walked past the Kusagakure ninja, no one stopped her.

The red-haired woman followed Yugito Nii out of the alley.

Nakatani Kensuke stood rooted to the spot, his fists clenched tight, his heart filled with immense resentment.

But he knew he couldn't change anything; he could only watch helplessly.

Rasa looked at Nakatani Kensuke's state with a calm heart. He took a step forward and spoke in a flat tone, "It seems we will be taking our leave."

He paused and gave a slight bow, offering a polite, customary apology.

"Your Excellency, we apologize for the trouble."

In the past, Nakatani Kensuke would have definitely seized this opportunity, trying every possible method to get the Kazekage to stay a little longer, even if just for a meal or a cup of tea. Building a closer relationship with the Kazekage would be a massive boon for any minor ninja village.

But now, he only wanted these people to leave as quickly as possible.

Nakatani Kensuke forced a stiff smile. "You are too polite, Lord Kazekage."

Rasa nodded and said no more, turning around to leave with Maki and a few attendants.

Chiyo and Ebizo followed behind. Neither spoke, but their pace was slightly faster than usual, as if they were in a hurry.

The Kusagakure ninja stood in place, watching the retreating figures. One by one, they slumped as if all the strength had been drained from their bodies, their shoulders dropping and their backs hunching.

No one spoke.

The alley remained quiet for a while.

Then, someone finally spoke. The voice was very quiet, as if afraid of being overheard by something.

"What... what do we do with the puppet?"

Everyone turned their heads simultaneously, looking at the Living Human Puppet still standing in the alley.

It stood there, completely motionless, like a statue.

Blood was still seeping from its stitches, dripping one by one onto the stone slabs at its feet, making faint sounds in the silence.

No one dared to approach it, and no one knew how to handle it.

Nakatani Kensuke cast a single glance at the puppet, then turned and walked toward the village.

"Clean this place up."

He left them with that single order and never looked back.

The Kusagakure ninja looked at each other in dismay. They glanced at the puppet, then at the lingering bloodstains and shredded flesh on the ground, and then back at each other.

No one moved.

After a long silence, someone finally crouched down slowly and began to clean up the blood.

The puppet simply stood behind them, its hollow eyes watching their every move.

Uchiha Taiga walked along the path back.

Yugito Nii walked to his right, with the red-haired woman trailing behind her. The three of them—one in front, two in back—crossed Kusagakure's main street, heading toward their lodgings.

There weren't many people on the street. Occasionally, a villager or two would pass by, but upon seeing them, they would give them a wide berth.

Taiga's pace was unhurried. His hands were stuffed back into his pockets, and his expression had returned to its usual lazy demeanor, as if nothing had happened at all.

As he walked, his footsteps suddenly slowed. He tilted his head, his gaze shifting toward a specific direction.

It was an abandoned building in the southeast corner of the village. Most of the roof tiles were shattered, vines crawled all over the walls, and the windows were pitch-black, resembling two eyeless sockets.

Behind the window on the second floor of that building, a figure stood.

It was one of the Six Paths puppets.

It stood there, having not moved a muscle from beginning to end. From the start of the commotion until its conclusion, it had been right there.

It had watched the entire process unfold but had done absolutely nothing.

Uchiha Taiga stared directly in that direction. His gaze pierced through the curtain of rain, through the vines, and through that dark window, landing squarely on those Rinnegan eyes.

He knew the other party could see him; the field of vision of those eyes was far greater than he had imagined.

The Six Paths of Pain hiding in that direction seemed to sense his gaze.

The figure didn't hide, didn't look away, and didn't assume any offensive posture.

It merely stood there, locking eyes with Uchiha Taiga through the broken window.

A subtle tension filled the air, like two invisible forces clashing in a silent standoff.

Then, Uchiha Taiga smiled.

He gave a slight nod in that direction, as if greeting an acquaintance he had bumped into on the street.

Then, he took a step and continued walking forward.

To his surprise, that Six Paths of Pain actually moved, raising a hand to point in a certain direction.

Then, it began walking toward the other side of the village, exiting Kusagakure, and finally disappearing into the wilderness outside.

It was leading the way.

Uchiha Taiga's footsteps paused. He raised an eyebrow slightly, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

He hadn't expected Nagato to pull a move like this. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

"Interesting."

He muttered under his breath, then quickened his pace, chasing after it in that direction.

"Take them back first. I'll be right back."