This Kazekage Is a Little Weak!

Jiraiya grumbled unhappily, "Staying in the village, drinking a little sake, and playing with girls—what a comfortable life. Sigh~~~~"

"Idiot." Hatake Sakumo's mouth twitched as he gave Jiraiya a blunt two-word reply. Their subordinates watched the two big shots trade barbs and tease each other, secretly amused. They did not dare joke around with each other like that, but watching the show was fine.

Though Jiraiya complained out loud, he understood perfectly well that he had gotten too comfortable in the village. That was why Hikaru had grabbed him and dragged him straight to the battlefield. There was no way for him to run.

Hatake Sakumo could not wait to get to the battlefield and earn merit, but Jiraiya had no interest in that. How could fighting Sunagakure compare to fighting women?

At the moment, the squad was resting in a secluded forest. Otherwise, where would Jiraiya have found the time to sit around and complain?

"Still, Sunagakure's puppet ninja are really impressive. Too bad Konoha has so few talents in that field. Otherwise, forming a force like that would be absolutely incredible!!!"

Konoha did not lack money, materials for making puppets, or even ninja. What it lacked were the tricks of the trade and teachers who could provide guidance.

Konoha had considered plenty of ways to steal their techniques, but the results had been disappointing. They could only produce flashy imitations.

It was normal for villages to learn from each other and steal others' achievements. If you had the ability to get your hands on it, that was your skill. If you did not, then sorry—it only meant you were not good enough.

Making puppets was not difficult. Even if they looked terrible at first, they could be improved with enough time and money. What Konoha truly lacked were