Fatty's Combat Capabilities

This should have been one of Sunagakure's puppet-material production bases.

An hour was more than enough.

The real test should have been the subsequent puppet-making process.

Two hours for puppet construction was quite tight. Although many of the materials here were of excellent quality, most required lengthy processing before they could be used.

In other words, he had to find materials that were easy to process, preferably ones that could be used directly, while also taking their quality into account.

The best choice would certainly be animals with Chakra, because Chakra flowed within their bodies, giving them the best Chakra conductivity.

Just like Sunagakure's powerful puppets, which were all Human Puppets made from ninjas who had been powerful in life.

But they were troublesome to process. Dissection, medicinal soaking, curing—each step took time, and he would also need sufficient knowledge of that creature's anatomy. Therefore, they were not Shimizu's best option.

"But... that doesn't mean I won't use them."

With a flick of his hand, he threw a kunai, striking the vital point of a Poisonous Snake hidden among the bushes with pinpoint accuracy.

He only needed to take the parts he could use from these creatures.

Shimizu stepped forward, snapped off a branch, and shoved it into the Poisonous Snake's mouth.

Sure enough, it was not fully dead. Though its brain was dead, its nerves remained active.

After ensuring the dead snake could no longer attack him, Shimizu deftly pulled out its fangs, cut away its venom sac, and turned to leave.

The rest was not without value, but there was only so much weight he could carry, so he could only choose the most valuable parts.

"The materials can't exceed fifteen kilograms, so I can only make a micro or small puppet. That means the puppet's frame can't use heavy metal. Besides, there isn't time to gather metal and smelt it under these conditions. The best option would still be the bones of small animals with Chakra, since they conduct Chakra better. Otherwise, I'll have to make do with bamboo or something similar."

Shimizu controlled the Fatty Puppet, extending the serrated blade from its wrist and rapidly cutting down a tree.

At the same time, Shimizu collected the tree's seeds and casually planted them nearby.

Everyone in Sunagakure had this awareness of planting trees after cutting them down.

This tree was called White Ironwood. Its wood was hard and solid, as though cast from iron, yet relatively light and remarkably tough. It was often used for weapon grips and similar components, and it could also be used to make puppets. It was the main material Shimizu had chosen for the puppet he would make later.

Opening the storage compartment on the Fatty Puppit's back, Shimizu placed the wood he had gathered inside.

Fatty had originally been modified from a transport puppet used for teaching, so it naturally possessed storage and carrying capabilities. Normally, however, it carried life-saving supplies such as gauze, bandages, and anti-inflammatory medicine.

There was also a secondary compartment connected to the hand-mounted launching mechanism, used to hold Poison Needles and kunai.

"Next, I need to find something that can serve as a puppet frame."

Shimizu started walking, following the lower terrain.

If there was water, it should be there.

Slightly larger animals could not survive without a stable and ample water source.

And anything capable of monopolizing a water source had to be a relatively powerful animal, most likely one with Chakra.

Other Sunagakure Puppeteers had evidently thought of the same thing. By the time Shimizu reached the riverbank, he had already spotted traces left by several Puppeteers.

Fortunately, the Emerald of the Wind oasis was vast. Its status in Sunagakure was nearly comparable to Konoha's Forest of Death. As long as they spread out a little, there was more than enough room for seventy-nine Puppeteers to gather materials. There was no need to compete or clash.

After all, this was most likely an important puppet-material production base for Sunagakure.

"There are no signs of large animals living nearby. There are mostly small animals like Rex Rabbits and Sand Foxes. This should be the territory of some powerful creature."

Following the river upstream, Shimizu soon discovered traces.

Droppings.

There was also the pungent smell of urine beneath nearby trees.

This had to be a territorial mark left by some animal.

It also gave Shimizu a clue to follow.

Tracking animals was far easier than tracking ninjas. Every qualified ninja had an awareness of counter-surveillance, deliberately erasing their tracks or even leaving clues to mislead pursuers. Animals did not.

"So... is that the cat?"

Shimizu stood on a tree trunk, looking at the large cat crouched atop a distant rock.

It was a Lynx. Black tufts stood erect at the tips of its ears, making them look like a pair of horns. Its fur was tawny brown mixed with patches of white, and it was larger than an ordinary Lynx, nearly one and a half meters long.

"This one will do."

Shimizu lowered his eyes and reached to his waist, taking out kunai, Shuriken, and steel wire. After quickly setting several traps, he spread his fingers and fired out Chakra Threads, precisely connecting them to the Fatty Puppit's limbs and torso. Under Shimizu's control, it slowly crept toward the Lynx.

The truth proved that controlling a puppet while sneaking was far more difficult than sneaking himself.

When it was still over twenty meters away from the Lynx, the Lynx alertly rose to its feet, lowering its body and letting out the deep rumble unique to felines at Fatty.

This was not the contented sound of a kitten being petted, but a warning.

"Sand Secret Technique: Poison Needle Senbon."

The Fatty Puppit's face opened, revealing a firing panel covered in pitch-black holes. Rows of Senbon shot toward the Lynx, while the serrated blade extended from its left arm and it charged forward in great strides.

"Awooo—!"

The Lynx let out a howl and lunged forward with Zoom-like speed, dodging the Poison Needles and attempting to circle around from the side, avoiding the strange creature's claws and fangs as it targeted weak points such as its neck.

Shimizu tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The Lynx's cry was distinctive, reminding him of a certain blue cat.

The thought flashed through his mind and vanished as the Lynx's body pounced onto Fatty's torso.

Although Fatty was fairly capable in direct combat, speed was its weakness.

Fortunately, it was a puppet, so its neck was not a weak point. Shimizu had also designed control-type tools specifically to deal with agile enemies like this.

"Sand Secret Technique: Split Mechanism Maneuver!"

The Fatty Puppit's arms instantly detached, and several thick hemp ropes shot out from within, wrapping around the Lynx.

"Awooo—! Awooo—! Awooo—!"

Bound in place, the Lynx howled in terror as its body struggled without pause.

Footsteps sounded as Shimizu emerged from the grass. He took several Senbon treated with the juice of desert Poisonous Cactus from his Ninja Tool Bag and flicked them toward the Lynx.

It was a Nerve Toxin that could induce paralysis.

As the toxin spread, the Lynx's cries gradually weakened, and it stopped struggling.