The desert of the Land of Birds.
Hoshino's Swift Release Puppet sped across the sand dunes.
The metal prosthetic limbs gleamed coldly under the high temperature, the full-body armor was perfectly fitted, and the faint glow of Chakra circuits could be seen at the joints.
" Shinnō, stop."
His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable sense of authority.
Ahead, a hunched-over middle-aged man was desperately fleeing.
His long, gray hair clung messily to his sweat-dampened face, his dark green ninja uniform was tattered, and the scroll on his back swayed violently as he ran.
Shinnō, a remnant of the Village of the Sky Ninja, is medical-nin and a researcher of human body modification.
The Village of the Sky Ninja, once a small ninja village famous for its flying ninja tools and Chakra technology, was completely destroyed by Konoha after the Second Shinobi World War.
Shinnō, as one of the survivors of Village of the Sky Ninja, has been secretly working to revive Sky Ninja in recent years.
Unfortunately, his research level was far inferior to that of the former leader of the Sky Ninja. He couldn't even build a complete flying ninja tool and could only barely maintain his research by relying on some broken blueprints and human experiments.
"Damn it... why would the madmen from Sunagakure target me!"
Shinnō gritted his teeth and ran wildly, feeling waves of excruciating pain in his abdomen.
Three days ago, he had just traded a batch of Chakra Crystal on the black market when he was targeted by the other party.
After they introduced themselves, he learned who the other person was.
Hoshino, the monster who sparked a technological revolution in the Shinobi World!
"Bang!"
A crimson beam of light grazed Shinnō's shoulder, blasting a charred crater in the sand.
Hoshino's right arm armor plate slid open, revealing three jet-black gun barrels with wisps of smoke rising from their muzzles.
"Run again, and the next shot will pierce your leg."
Shinnō abruptly stopped, turned around and stared intently at Hoshino, his eyes filled with apprehension.
" Hoshino... I have no grudge against you, why are you chasing after me?"
Hoshino slowly approached, and the armor on his left arm suddenly cracked open, revealing a pale white bone spur that slowly extended out.
The abilities of the Shikotsumyaku exhibit a bizarre coordination when applied to mechanical prosthetics.
"Researching human modification, selling forbidden techniques on the black market, and even attempting to replicate the cybernetic technology of Sunagakure —do you think I'd let a rat like you continue to scurry about?"
Shinnō's pupils contracted, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.
We've been discovered!
He was indeed secretly researching the Sunagakure's prosthetic body technology, and even captured several wandering ninjas to experiment on, attempting to crack the method of manufacturing Chakra Crystal.
But he never expected that Sunagakure's intelligence network would be so terrifying!
"Heh... hehe..."
Shinnō suddenly chuckled, his eyes turning cold.
"Since that's the case, then let me show you my newly discovered trump card!"
He bit his finger hard, drawing blood on the scroll.
" Summoning Technique!"
Bang--
White smoke exploded, and two bizarrely shaped puppets appeared on the sand.
They were not humanoid, but rather half-mechanical, half-biological monsters, with Chakra Crystal embedded in their chests, their limbs pieced together from metal and flesh, and dark red liquid dripping from their joints.
" The Zero-Tails Puppet... although it's only a half-finished product, it's enough to deal with you!"
Shinnō retreated with a sinister grin, his hands rapidly Hand Seals.
"Roar!!!"
The three puppets let out a piercing roar and pounced on Hoshino!
Hoshino's Sharingan twitched slightly as he quickly analyzed the enemy before him.
"A puppet that's half-biological and half-mechanical? Interesting..."
A slight smile played on his lips as the gun barrel on his right arm recharged, and a crimson beam instantly pierced the chest of the foremost puppet!
boom--
The puppet exploded, scattering blood, flesh, and metal fragments everywhere.
At this moment, another puppet approached, and suddenly its arms deformed, spewing out sharp blades that slashed fiercely at Hoshino's neck!
clang--
Hoshino raised his left arm, and the bone spur collided with the blade, sparks flying.
"The power is good, but it's too slow."
The knee armor suddenly popped open, and the miniature thrusters spewed out blue flames, instantly shifting the body several meters to the side, dodging the second puppet's attack.
Immediately afterwards, the gun barrel on the right arm fired again, hitting the puppet's head precisely.
Bang--
His head exploded, but his body continued to wildly swing the blade.
"As expected, they won't stop operating unless the core is destroyed..."
Hoshino narrowed his eyes, his Sharingan locking onto the puppet's chest.
There was a faintly glowing energy source there, unlike Chakra Crystal, and it also emanated a dark aura.
Combining this with what Shinnō just mentioned about the Zero-Tails Puppet, the main components of this energy source can be easily deduced.
After all, the Zero-Tails is made of Dark Chakra, which is composed of negative emotions generated in people's hearts.
In fact, Hoshino didn't know how the people from the Village of the Sky Ninja managed to do it.
If negative emotions form the Zero-Tails, then could we also find a way to collect and manipulate human emotions and desires?
"Interesting..."
Hoshino charged forward, his bone spikes piercing the puppet's chest like javelins, precisely destroying the black energy source.
The puppet's movements stopped abruptly, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Shinnō's expression changed completely.
His most powerful creation couldn't even break through Hoshino's defenses?
"Damn it... damn it!"
Hoshino flicked the black liquid off the bone spurs.
"I approve of your research. Come back to Sunagakure with me. You'll be the head of the Biology Division in the Scientific Research Department, which is far better than relying on those mediocre people!"
Shinnō's pupils contracted sharply, and his bloodshot eyeballs almost bulged out of their sockets.
"Go back with you and become a lackey of Sunagakure?"
Hoshino's mechanical prosthetic eye flickered slightly, and data streams rolled rapidly across his iris.
"Lackey? No, collaborator."
"Bullshit! What do you think Sky Ninja's pride is? Something that can be trampled on at will?"
Hoshino suddenly stopped, and the bone spur on his left arm snapped back into his armor.
This action startled Shinnō.
"Pride?"
Hoshino's voice suddenly took on a hint of sarcasm, "So you're creating these half-finished products through live experiments?"
He kicked at the puppet wreckage at his feet. "Or perhaps..."
His right hand suddenly pointed to the distant, faintly visible mountain range. "So, you're telling me to leave the remaining dozen or so Sky Ninja hiding in that cave, surviving on gerbils?"
Upon hearing this, Shinnō's body trembled violently, and the muscles on his face twisted into a ferocious expression.
How did he know?
The hiding places of those companions were clearly...
"What exactly do you want?" Shinnō asked sternly, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I told you, come back to Sunagakure with me, become the head of the Biology Division, and help me train professionals in the field of biology," Hoshino said with a smile.
"That's just being a dog, a dog with absolutely no power!"
"That's where you're wrong!"
Hoshino suddenly raised his right arm, and the armor plates unfolded layer by layer, revealing the intricate mechanical structure inside.
One of the Chakra Crystal crystals, about the size of a thumb, suddenly burst out with a blinding light, projecting a holographic image between the two.
"The rules of the Reform Society are simple: the most capable rise to the top."
"A mechanical expert from the Land of Snow, a Lightning Release technician from the Kumogakure, a forging master from the Land of Iron..."
Hoshino swiped his finger, and the image switched to a densely packed leaderboard of contribution points.
"As long as your identity is clean, the Reform Society welcomes all. As for your status... it depends on how much value you can create."