Naruto:Suna Shinobi

The smoke from the cooking stove rose, drifting toward the setting sun.

The setting sun bathed the Sand Village in an alluring, blood-red hue, dyeing everything with a sinister glow.

"This is the third group to retreat from the front lines this month," Hiriito muttered as he sat at a small table, watching a group of injured and defeated soldiers pass by the window. He couldn't help but sigh at the sight.

His name, Hiriito," was given to him by the director of the orphanage in this water-scarce Land of Wind.

It was the thirty-seventh year of Sunagakure. As the five great ninja villages had all been established in the same year, the thirty-seventh year of Sunagakure coincided with the thirty-seventh year of Konoha.

The world was currently engulfed in the flames of the Second Shinobi World War, and the battle had reached its peak.

The Sand Village's forces were divided into two main battlefronts. The first, in the northeast, was commanded by Elder Chiyo, whose goal was to suppress the Hidden Rain Village, prevent Hanzo from elevating it to the status of a sixth major ninja village, and plunder supplies.

The second front was led by the Third Kazekage in the east, targeting the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire to secure fertile territory for the Sand Village.

However, two years ago, Konoha's White Fang had killed two of Sunagakure's high-ranking officers, causing the Sand Village's initial advantages on the battlefield to gradually dwindle.

For now, these developments had little to do with Hiriito. He had returned from the battlefield in the Hidden Rain Village last week and was recovering from his injuries.

"It will take at least another month for my leg to heal completely, and even longer for my internal injuries. For now, I'll have to focus on small jobs, like repairing puppets, to make some extra money. Missions are out of the question for the time being. Fortunately, I don't have to return to the battlefield anytime soon."

Hiriito shifted his focus back to the workbench before him.

He had graduated from the Ninja Academy the previous year. To be precise, the academy had expedited the graduation process, mirroring the approach taken by the Hidden Leaf Village. Senior students were sent to the battlefield to assist in non-combat roles such as patrolling, guarding warehouses, escorting supplies, and transmitting low-level intelligence.

Though not on the frontlines, the danger was ever-present. If the battlefield ever fell into chaos, these young ninjas would inevitably become cannon fodder.

Hiriito, however, had chosen to specialize in the Sand Village's unique profession: puppetry. Puppeteers were respected for their ingenuity, combat potential, and versatility. However, the craft came with one glaring drawback—expense.

The manufacture and maintenance of puppets demanded considerable resources, which was a challenge in the already resource-scarce Sand Village.

Hiriito glanced at the scroll on his workbench and frowned.

"This mission… seems suspicious."

Repairing puppets was usually a low-level D-rank task, occasionally C-rank at best. The payment for such tasks was modest, typically around 10,000 ryo. Yet, the mission before him offered an unusually generous reward of 60,000 ryo, and he wouldn't have to share it with teammates.

All he needed to do was repair a single puppet, and any repair costs under 10,000 ryo would be reimbursed by the Puppet Brigade.

"For the village to be this generous… something doesn't feel right," Hiriito muttered, his gaze falling on the puppet standing against the wall.

This puppet, nicknamed Fatty, was Hiriito's only creation. It had been pieced together from a deconstructed teaching puppet he had purchased from the Ninja Academy and reinforced with salvaged materials.

Hiriito activated the mysterious ability he had carried with him since reincarnating into this world. A translucent panel appeared before his eyes, displaying detailed data on the puppet.

[Puppet Name]: Fatty

[Parameters]:

Height: 1.5 meters

Weight: 40.22 kilograms

Material: Reinforced wood and light metal

Energy Source: None

Operation Method: Chakra threads

[Puppet Rating]: C

[Overall Evaluation]: A modified version of a D-rank teaching puppet. Adequate for Genin-level combat, though it requires a skilled puppeteer for effective use.

This panel was an ability unique to Hiriito, allowing him to analyze anything he had personally crafted. It had been instrumental in his transformation of Fatty from a basic teaching puppet into a combat-capable C-rank puppet.

At the bottom of the panel was a progress bar, currently at 80%. Hiriito didn't know what would happen when the bar reached 100%, but he suspected it was tied to his growth as a ninja.

"I guess the only way to find out is to keep pushing forward," he thought.

Hiriito turned to the other puppet on his workbench—the one assigned to him for repair. Unlike Fatty, this puppet was far more intricate, with a mechanical claw for a left arm and an explosive kunai launcher embedded in its right palm.

(End of Chapter 1)