Ryuji's first major prize came from his very first newbie check-in.
He obtained all of Aozaki Touko's knowledge of puppetry. (T/N: For those who don't know, Aozaki Touko is a character from Kara no Kyokai.)
After that, he persisted with daily check-ins... although he did get some pleasant surprise rewards at the one-month, three-month, and half-year marks, overall, they were things that, while helpful, couldn't play a decisive role.
Therefore, Ryuji chose to become a puppeteer.
This world had no Root, no magic. Touko's magecraft and puppet techniques couldn't be applied here.
However,
The mysteries of the human body, the combination of machinery... in worlds with the same physical laws, this knowledge was universal.
As a Grand Puppeteer, Touko's knowledge in this area surpassed everyone in her world.
Possessing this knowledge, even without things like magecraft, one could easily create exceptionally superb puppets.
And a puppeteer's combat power largely depended on their puppets.
The stronger the puppet, the stronger the puppeteer.
With this innate advantage, it was only natural for Ryuji to choose to become a puppeteer.
After all, he wasn't related to the Sage of Six Paths' family.
If he wanted to make a name for himself in this Shinobi World, he had to find another way.
And the subsequent development was as dazzling as expected.
Even though he reined in his brilliance for fear of being too sharp, merely displaying what he considered ordinary talent caused a sensation.
His various theories and practical puppet designs often amazed his teachers, and even Sunagakure's Elder, Chiyo, greatly praised him.
She even said: If she weren't so old, she would have wanted to take him as a disciple.
The Third Kazekage also called him Sunagakure's future.
Since his first display of talent, Ryuji was highly anticipated by the entire village. He received the village's full support in training, with all kinds of resources and materials... almost anything he asked for, someone would deliver it.
Ryuji also knew how to reciprocate kindness.
Since Sunagakure treated Ryuji well, Ryuji naturally wanted to do something for the village.
He was very clear about his own situation.
He knew that if he couldn't bring news of the Third Kazekage back before the surrounding Shinobi Villages launched their attacks, to allow the searching Shinobi to return to their posts in time, then, Sunagakure would be dragged into this war that would last over a decade and engulf the entire Shinobi World.
Moreover, with more losses than victories.
And Sunagakure would decline from its peak.
So, Ryuji wanted to prevent it.
…
The crisscrossing desert badlands, weathered by years of wind and rain, bore traces as if carved by knives and axes.
Two figures suddenly appeared outside a rocky cliff.
A boy and a girl, both young.
The girl looked around. There were only bare rock walls, with no place to hide in sight.
She couldn't help but look at the boy with doubt. "Is the intel correct?"
"It's correct. It's right here." The boy said, as a scroll slid out from his right sleeve into his hand.
He flipped his right hand, unfurling the scroll, and brought his left index and middle fingers together, holding them upright before his chest.
"Release!"
Poof!
Accompanied by a puff of white smoke, a humanoid puppet appeared before the two.
To call it a puppet was only based on the fact that it was summoned from a scroll by a puppeteer.
Its appearance and figure were no different from a normal person.
Silver-white short hair, delicate features, a slender and tall build, smooth skin... by all appearances, it was a living, breathing beautiful girl.
Pakura beside him kept casting curious glances, finally unable to hold back her question. "This is your puppet?"
Although they were temporarily teamed up, they were Genin who graduated in the same year and had once been teammates in the same team, until half a year ago when each became a Jonin and were reassigned to different teams.
In Pakura's memory, Ryuji had three puppets.
One was a tank-type puppet equipped with kunai launchers, powerful crossbows, large shuriken, and other heavy weapons.
One was a bird-type puppet capable of carrying people in flight.
One was a humanoid puppet that could fight in close combat and also release Ninjutsu from a distance.
But whichever one, they were all made of metal or special wood, completely different from this girl before them who seemed like a real person.
"I haven't been standing still these past six months!" Ryuji said with a light laugh. "Her name is Gin. She's a humanoid puppet I made by simulating the human body's structure. Whether it's her bodily structure or the materials composing her body, they're exactly the same as a normal person's."
"But, a body just like a human's... can such a puppet possess combat power?"
"Gin's combat power definitely surpasses any puppet I've made before." Ryuji said with full confidence.
"Is that so? Then let me see it!" Pakura was noncommittal about this.
She wasn't a puppeteer and didn't understand the specifics very well.
She just naturally assumed a flesh-and-blood body couldn't compare to a puppet made of steel.
Ryuji didn't mind. He formed a hand seal, smiling as he said, "Gin, blast this open."
Gin opened her silver eyes, light shining within.
Then, she took a step covering five or six meters, arriving before the rock wall. Her right hand clenched into a fist, fiercely punching forward.
Boom!
With a loud noise, the rock wall suddenly shattered, countless tiny stone fragments scattering everywhere along with the vibration.
"She actually has Chakra!"
Having barely steadied herself, Pakura stared dumbfounded at the figure ahead, her pupils contracting sharply.
A Shinobi's physical qualities indeed surpassed ordinary people's, but they weren't as strong as one might imagine.
They could be cut by sharp weapons, knocked unconscious by heavy objects.
What Shinobi relied on was Chakra. They could enhance their bodies with Chakra to perform feats beyond human limits.
Even a five or six-year-old child, if they could properly use Chakra, could punch through a giant boulder.
Relying on Chakra, Shinobi could fight with their flesh-and-blood bodies against puppets made of steel and packed with weapons.
But,
What if puppets could also use Chakra?
Just now, Pakura saw this puppet named 'Gin' erupt with Chakra from her hand.
This was clearly the enhanced application of Chakra on the body.
Moreover, that method of concentrating such a massive amount of Chakra in the wrist area to erupt, thereby gaining immense power... this was a technique ordinary people couldn't use.
After all, force is mutual.
Concentrating such powerful Chakra in the wrist area to erupt, the force generated was something a normal human body couldn't withstand, let alone using such force to strike out.
If an ordinary person used it, their fist probably wouldn't even land before suffering a comminuted fracture.
This 'Gin' possessed both the life characteristics of a human and a powerful physique not inferior to a puppet's.
It was a weapon combining the advantages of both.
If such puppets could be mass-produced, and could act autonomously like those scarab beetles, wouldn't that mean one person could form an army?
Moreover, puppets were consumables, producible at any time.
Mastering this secret art would equal possessing an endless supply of a powerful army… conquering the world wouldn't even be impossible.
Pakura turned her head, staring fixedly at Ryuji as if seeing him for the first time.
The two had been teammates for over seven years.
In the girl's impression, this man seemed indifferent to many things, a very easygoing guy.
But now,
Understanding just how powerful the secret art he developed was, the man appeared taller in her eyes. Even his casually curved smile, the same as before, now seemed mysterious.