Qingshui rummaged through Sasori's Ninja Tool Pouch, pulling out a bottle of Antidote Pills. He weakly said, "Here…"
"Hmph!"
Sasayama of the Sand snatched the bottle.
"Don't let it happen again! As punishment, both of you are cleaning the entire base today!"
Qingshui and Sasori exchanged glances.
"Do you know Water Release?" Qingshui asked Sasori.
"A little."
"That's good."
Having Water Release would make cleaning a bit easier.
"Next time, I'll challenge you again. I hope you don't regress."
"Huh? So I'm just your sparring partner, and a free one at that? Isn't that a huge loss?"
Qingshui picked up a broom and a mop, staring at Sasori with dead fish eyes.
Sasori averted his gaze slightly.
"Grandma was worried I'd be bored alone, so she left a lot of books at home. If you're interested, you can read one for every time you beat me, until I win."
Qingshui's eyes lit up.
Chiyo's collection?
She was a seasoned Kage-level expert, and still in her prime, Chiyo was definitely one of the strongest Kage-level figures, arguably the top Puppet Master in the Ninja World right now.
No Puppet Master wouldn't want to explore her collection.
"Ahem, Sasori, my friend, about this time…"
"Follow me after we're done cleaning."
...
...
Thanks to Sasori's Water Release, cleaning the base progressed faster than Qingshui had imagined.
Although Sasori wasn't extremely proficient in Water Release, and due to geographical and climatic factors, its effectiveness in the Sand Village was inherently weakened by 30%, it was more than enough for cleaning.
Even so, by the time Qingshui and Sasori finished tidying the entire Puppet Force base, it was already afternoon.
In a beggar's fantasy, an emperor always ate white bread and used a golden hoe for farming. Sasori's home situation also surprised Qingshui a little.
It wasn't that he hadn't seen the world before transmigrating, but he knew how difficult it was to own such a house in the barren Sand Village.
It was a spacious courtyard, built entirely from smooth, polished sandstone bricks, giving it a slightly dull yellowish-white appearance.
In the Sand Village, where water resources were incredibly precious, there was also a small pond in the middle of the courtyard. A spring at the bottom continuously bubbled, making gurgling sounds, and poplar trees transplanted from elsewhere grew on both sides.
Fish were kept in the small pond, and beneath the shade of the poplars, there were two automatic retractable fishing rods crafted with Puppetry.
What seemed like an ordinary farmhouse in the Sand Village was, in fact, like a royal palace that money couldn't buy.
"The study is here."
Sasori opened a door on the left side of the courtyard.
The rooms here had three walls lined with bookshelves.
One bookshelf held common books, while the one next to it contained Ninjutsu scrolls.
The remaining one in the middle was a mix of both.
"Don't touch the bookshelves on the left and right. Grandma placed Sealing Jutsu on them. The one on the right is specifically arranged with books I'm allowed to read."
Qingshui curiously walked towards the bookshelf Sasori pointed to.
Forbidden Jutsu Advanced - Part One, Advanced Design and Application of Puppet Mechanisms, Poison Making Notes and Antidote Pharmacology, Medical Ninjutsu Basics, Sand Hidden Sealing Basics, Monzaemon's Chakra Threads Application Techniques…
Books related to Puppetry accounted for more than half, with many others on Sealing Jutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, and poison-making—a wide and dazzling array.
"These books all belong to Grandma, so I can't give them to you directly or let you take them home. But you can choose any one to read here. It's okay if you can't remember everything; I can bring you back tomorrow too."
Sasori sat down at the desk and picked up the Human Puppet creation book Ishido had given him last time, reading it quietly without speaking further.
It was Qingshui's turn to face decision paralysis.
This entire wall of bookshelves contained hundreds of books, any one of which would likely fetch a high price outside, and some were even unique copies personally written by Chiyo.
Medical Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu are definitely things I'll need to learn in the future, but they won't immediately improve my combat strength, so for now, they won't boost me much.
Poison making and pharmacology also require starting with basic pharmacological knowledge. My foundation in that area is probably insufficient, and I won't be able to grasp it just by reading one book for a short while. At most, I'd learn a few recipes.
I still need to learn Puppetry. In terms of puppet crafting, my current level is barely adequate, and my Avatar is studying modern engineering in the DC Universe. On the other hand, while my foundation in puppet manipulation is decent, and I've learned the basics of Forbidden Jutsu, there's still significant room for improvement.
After some deliberation, Qingshui finally chose Chakra Threads Application Techniques written by Monzaemon.
It was certainly impossible to memorize an entire book in one afternoon, but a single read-through was more than enough. Still, Qingshui chose to have his Avatar in the DC Universe work simultaneously.
His main body read here, while his Avatar took notes in the DC Universe.
Monzaemon represented the pinnacle of Puppetry to date, both in creation and manipulation. Even the fully developed Sasori, who in the original story possessed the Third Kazekage Human Puppet and the Hundred Puppets, might not have surpassed him.
Their respective positions in Puppetry could perhaps be compared to Newton and Einstein: one inspired natural science, while the other achieved the greatest accomplishments in the field.
Human Puppet was invented by Monzaemon, and Puppetry truly became a systematic art in his hands. The Chikamatsu Collection was also the strongest puppet combination created by Monzaemon. Chiyo, as his successor, could at best only approach Monzaemon's strength, not surpass it.
As for Sasori's greatest achievement in Puppetry, it was breaking the limitation that Human Puppets could not use Kekkei Genkai and other abilities, thereby raising the upper limit of individual Human Puppets.
For Qingshui, he could understand about ninety percent of the content in the book written by Monzaemon, with the remaining parts being somewhat unclear.
Those were more advanced topics.
After all, he was currently just a Genin who could only manipulate two Puppets—even if he could sometimes defeat some Chunin.
Qingshui couldn't yet put into practice the theories for manipulating three or more Puppets. He could only have his Avatar record them and slowly ponder them in the future.
Dusk fell, and even after his Avatar finished recording, Qingshui remained engrossed in the book.
*"Squeak—"*
The wooden door to the study opened.
A tall, thin man in his forties with long eyebrows and a white cloth wrapped around his head walked in.
Sasori looked up, gazing at the newcomer.
"Great-uncle."
Qingshui also rose from his desk, realizing who had arrived.
"Lord Ebizo."
Ebizo smiled and nodded at Qingshui, then looked at Sasori.
"It's rare to see you out of your workshop. Aren't you going to introduce your friend?"
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