Making Money on Merit Is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of

Puppet Core?

Watching the smug red-haired young man, Hatake Sakumo's brow furrowed ever so slightly.

He was a spy on a mission. Concealing his identity was his top priority. Getting too close to someone high up like this would definitely increase the risk of exposure exponentially.

"Thank you for your appreciation, ninja-sama, but I'm just a butcher. I don't know anything about Puppet Cores."

To shake off the persistently clingy red-haired young man, Hatake Sakumo shook his head and deliberately rejected his recruitment sternly in front of everyone.

"Don't say that, Aqi! Your superb craftsmanship shouldn't go to waste!"

The red-haired young man grew anxious. His Life Puppet was only missing its final, perfected Puppet Core.

To make the puppet move as easily as his own limbs and achieve Sunagakure's technological breakthrough of many years, he needed an exquisitely crafted Puppet Core. That required a master of knife skills with hands steady as a rock to forge custom precision components for him.

"You really have the wrong person."

Hatake Sakumo waved a hand, his refusal plain as day.

"He doesn't look very old. Are his knife skills really that impressive?"

Chiyo, who had been lost in thought at the sight of him, came back to her senses. Folding her arms, she studied the young Silver-haired Pig Butcher with interest.

"Aunt, how could I have misjudged him? Look at this—this is Aqi's handiwork!"

He hurriedly pulled out the white bone that had fallen into the packaging bag beside them. Chiyo took one look, and a faint trace of shock surfaced in her beautiful eyes.

To strip every last bit of muscle tissue from a Pig Bone while keeping the periosteum intact—what kind of steady hand and composure did that require?

Such exquisite skill appearing in an ordinary butcher was bound to