Naruto: Reborn with the Tenseigan

The puppets were classified as being at the level of Jonin only because of the materials used to create them. It didn't mean that these puppets truly had Jonin-level strength.

A puppet, after all, is just a puppet; it can never compare to a human being.

For example, Orochimaru is a Jonin, and for him, hunting down creatures with strength equivalent to a Jonin is effortless—that's the difference between a human and a puppet.

"So, since my own strength isn't enough, I can only make up for it with numbers. I came all this way to rescue you guys, so in the future, you'll have to help me hunt more materials."

"No problem."

Orochimaru nodded with a smile, agreeing to the request.

"I don't have a problem with that either… cough, cough." Jiraiya felt as though his whole body was falling apart.

Sakumo Hatake hesitated before speaking. "Takashi, your personal strength shouldn't be weak, right? Do you still need to prepare so many puppets?"

Considering Orochimaru's previous remarks, even if Takashi was only a medical ninja, he must be like Tsunade—having considerable combat strength as well.

If that's the case, why rely on so many puppets?

"Who said that? That's slander!!" Takashi protested passionately. "I'm just a medical ninja, and as everyone knows, medical ninjas are the weakest. They lack the ability to protect themselves, so I need plenty of puppets to ensure my own safety."

"…"

You still need more puppets to protect your safety?

Then what about us?

Sakumo Hatake didn't want to say anything more after that.

"Count me in for collecting materials."

After all, he came all this way to save them, and this kindness couldn't go unpaid. Since Takashi only asked for puppet materials, it wasn't an excessive demand. In the Shinobi World, powerful creatures weren't exactly rare.

---

The giant eagle flew quickly toward the camp.

On the way, Takashi saw a figure lying on the ground like a small black dot.

Takashi nudged his foot slightly, prompting the giant eagle to slow down. It gradually descended and flew low over the ground.

"What a coincidence, it's someone from the village."

Seeing that it was one of their own, Takashi directed the eagle to pick up the person. Since they were already close to the camp, there was no need to stop and waste time.

The eagle moved quickly, and before long, they reached the camp.

Seeing an unidentified flying creature approaching from the sky put the camp on high alert.

Orochimaru was the first to launch a signal flare to alert the camp so that they wouldn't mistake them for enemies.

The signal flare belonged to their own village.

The ninjas at the camp finally lowered their guard and cleared an open space.

The giant eagle slowly landed in the middle of the camp, standing steadily on the open ground. Once everyone had disembarked, Takashi put the puppet away.

"Lord Takashi, Lord Shikashin requests that you come to the command center immediately."

"Okay, I'll head there right now."

At this moment, Nara Shikashin must be full of questions. Takashi handed Jiraiya over to Orochimaru and headed to the command center.

Inside the command center, Nara Shikashin was playing chess, by himself.

Upon hearing footsteps, he straightened up and began to put away the chessboard.

"Is everyone alright?"

"Just in time. If I'd been any later, I would've been helping collect their corpses instead."

"Iwagakure intends to bury our up-and-coming talents and weaken us from the roots."

Takashi took off his jacket and walked into the resting area to quickly change into clean clothes.

Wearing wet clothes was uncomfortable all over.

Watching Takashi head into the resting area to change, Nara Shikashin's mouth twitched slightly.

This kid really didn't hold back, acting completely at ease.

Once Takashi finished changing, Shikashin continued speaking.

"This is definitely something Iwagakure would do. I never expected Iwagakure would prepare such a gift for us—a whole elite squad, and only three survived."

This round had been a significant loss for Konoha.

The elite team they'd assembled was nearly wiped out by Iwagakure. If Takashi hadn't acted quickly, even Orochimaru and the other two might not have made it back.

Orochimaru was fine, since his ability to escape was top-notch. But as for the severely injured Sakumo Hatake, who was unable to fight, it could have been disastrous without support.

Without timely rescue, both of them could have been done for.

"With the loss of the elite team, will the village fall into a passive position?"

"It will, but it's manageable."

The loss of an elite team would definitely hurt Konoha, but it wouldn't be enough to change the overall battle situation.

Of course, this was assuming that Sakumo Hatake, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were saved. If all three of them were lost, it would be a huge setback for Konoha.

"By the way, how did you contact them?"

There had been no sign of anything at the camp, and suddenly Takashi had gone to the rescue. It was lucky he went, or things could've ended badly.

Takashi poured himself a cup of hot water, drinking a couple of sips before he felt his body warming up.

"Orochimaru had one of my puppets. He contacted me through the puppet."

"?????"

What?

If Takashi had said that Orochimaru contacted him through a summoning beast or some other technique, Shikashin wouldn't have been surprised—after all, the Shinobi World was full of strange jutsus and abilities.

But a puppet?

Was he joking?

"If you want the specifics, ask Orochimaru yourself. I'm exhausted and need some rest."

Takashi didn't have time to tell Shikashin a whole story. He had rescued the people, and now he needed a good sleep.

He had been sleeping soundly before, but then Orochimaru had actually contacted him through a puppet. Takashi had to admit that he admired him a little for even coming up with such an idea.

Anyone else wouldn't dare believe a puppet Takashi made could be used as a communicator.

"That kid, he's got more and more secrets."

Seeing Takashi leave to rest, Shikashin could only let him go. After all, Orochimaru was also in the know.

Orochimaru's injuries weren't serious. After some basic treatment, he was able to leave.

It was Sakumo Hatake who needed some time in the medical unit to recuperate. As for Jiraiya, he wouldn't be leaving the medical unit for at least ten days to half a month.

After his treatment, Orochimaru ran into the people Shikashin had sent as soon as he stepped out of the medical unit.

The elite team being nearly wiped out was a burden that neither Nara Shikashin nor Sakumo Hatake could shrug off.

One was the team's captain, the other was in charge of the frontline command. On the other hand, Orochimaru and Jiraiya had it easy—no one would blame them for what happened.

"Take a seat." In the command center, Shikashin sighed, still troubled by the report.

Though he'd spoken casually when chatting with Takashi, the loss of the elite team was having a significant effect on the battlefield situation.

Orochimaru casually pulled out a chair and sat down, unconcerned.