"Lord Kusuo." Kuroko's voice came from outside the room.
Hatake Kusuo stood up, his figure vanishing from its spot. "Did your investigation in the Sand Village turn up anything?"
Hearing the question, a worried expression appeared on Kuroko's face. "During our search for the Stone of Gelel, Orochimaru personally attacked and defeated Lady Chiyo, stealing her possessions. It's said that among the stolen items was her secret art of puppet making... one that can turn living people into puppets."
Kusuo's eyes narrowed. "Just as I thought."
The rumor spreading outside was that Chiyo's secret puppet-making techniques had fallen into Orochimaru's hands. But from what Kusuo knew of Orochimaru, he would never be interested in ordinary puppetry. Orochimaru's true passion was human experimentation. The only thing that could possibly interest him was the art of turning living people into puppets. Looking at the situation in the Star Village now, with so many people turned into puppets, it was highly likely the work of Orochimaru.
"Lord Kusuo, I encountered some of these living puppets in the village just now. It must be Orochimaru's doing," Kuroko reported, relaying everything he had seen.
"Alright, you may go," Kusuo said, then returned to the room. Kuroko stood stunned for a moment but quickly departed. The Demon Slayer Corps still needed him. He wasn't too worried about the living puppets in the village; the Star ninja weren't very strong to begin with, so their power wouldn't change much after being converted.
Throughout the night, Kusuo contemplated how to reforge the "Star." At the same time, he considered how to disseminate the Mysterious Peacock Method. This method of chakra cultivation was incredibly powerful. It allowed chakra to manifest in physical forms, something extremely difficult for ordinary people. However, for powerful Jonin, it could compensate for many of their weaknesses on missions. Kusuo decided that once he obtained the Mysterious Peacock Method, he would have every member of his Demon Slayer Corps learn it, just as they had learned the Breathing Styles.
The next morning.
Natsuhi woke up and glanced at Kusuo. He was standing by the door, his hand gripping his short sword.
"You're awake?" he asked faintly.
Natsuhi was a bit dazed for a moment but quickly grabbed her weapon pouch, stuffing all the exploding tags from her house inside. She then noticed Kusuo watching her with interest.
"What is it?"
Kusuo didn't speak, remaining by the door. Only after Natsuhi had fully armed herself did she push the door open. The moment she stepped outside, she fired a signal flare into the sky. A red flare hung high above the Hidden Star Village. At the same time, rustling sounds came from outside. Soon, about ten Star ninja appeared in the room.
"This is everyone we have."
Kusuo used his Transparent World to briefly scan them. As expected, every one of them had injuries of varying degrees, all caused by the "Star."
"Aren't you afraid of being discovered by firing a signal so openly?" Kusuo looked around. Using his Transparent World, he had already detected many puppet soldiers heading in their direction. Even the Jonin who had been training by the "Star" last night were all rushing here.
The Star Village's overall strength wasn't high; twenty to thirty Jonin was already a formidable force for them. Among Natsuhi's group, only three to five were Jonin-level. With such a disparity in strength, if a battle broke out, Natsuhi and her followers would be annihilated.
"Today, we are betting everything. We hope you can help us overthrow the current regime and save our people from their suffering."
Hearing this, Kusuo simply nodded. He knew that Natsuhi didn't yet realize the true severity of their problem. The real power occupying their village wasn't the "Star," nor was it the current Hoshikage. It was the person in the shadows who had turned them all into puppets.
"I believe that as long as we overthrow the rule of this generation's Hoshikage, they will all return to normal." Natsuhi's hands were clenched tightly, a murderous glint in her eyes. The sheer killing intent was enough to surprise even Kusuo.
Just as the group was about to set out, the door behind them suddenly opened. "I'm ready too."
A childish voice came from behind Kusuo. He turned and saw the ten-year-old Subaru, fully equipped with his gear, walking out of the house.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (390 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (166 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (190 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (150 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (168 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (180 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (120 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (160 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (50 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (70 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (60 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it