Ninja Craftsmen

"What's going on here?"

In his room, Long Ye kept turning the necklace over in his hands, studying it.

It was the First Hokage's relic he had won from Tsunade, a necklace that could sense the First Hokage's chakra.

Just now, he had channeled Wood Release chakra into it. The crystal pendant had lit up at once, but before he could celebrate, its glow had begun to fade, weakening until it went out completely.

"If the pendant lit up, that means my Wood Release chakra should be the same as Hashirama's. But why did it go out so quickly?"

He studied it for an hour without finding an answer. In the end, he gave up trying to figure it out. He would have to take things as they came.

Early the next morning.

Long Ye arrived at the north gate of the Land of Crafts.

He had agreed to meet Pakura and Sasori of the Red Sands there the day before.

Sasori and Pakura were already there when he arrived, but something seemed off about Pakura's expression.

"There are two things I hate most: waiting for people and making people wait. If you make me wait again, don't blame me for walking away."

Sasori of the Red Sands sounded irritated.

Long Ye understood why Pakura looked so awkward. Sasori must have scolded her before he arrived.

"Huh? Why do you look like that again?"

Long Ye stared at Sasori in surprise.

Sasori was hiding inside Hiruko again. But Long Ye distinctly remembered smashing Hiruko with one punch. How had he restored it already?

At the mention of his puppet, Sasori immediately perked up. Pride entered his voice.

"My puppets have a self-destruct protection mechanism. When struck by a powerful external force, they use that force to break apart, protecting their