" Optimal Control Position?"
Shin'un's eyes showed a thoughtful expression as he silently repeated the word he had just heard from Yamanaka Yū.
"Literally, 'Optimal Control Position ' means the best position when operating a giant golem?"
After pondering for a moment, Shin'un looked up and told Yamanaka Yū about his guess on the Optimal Control Position.
Yamanaka Yū blinked and nodded in reply:
"Um... it's not exactly a correct explanation, but it's not far from the answer."
Immediately afterward, Yamanaka Yū paused for a few seconds, organized his thoughts, and began to explain the specific meaning of the Optimal Control Position to Shin'un.
"First, the sheer mass of a giant puppet places immense pressure on the puppeteer controlling it... For various reasons, it's simply impossible for an ordinary puppeteer to control a giant puppet alone..."
Therefore, a giant puppet is usually controlled by several puppeteers, but when the number of puppeteers operating it increases...
"Stop!"
Seeing that Yamanaka Yū was about to launch into another long-winded explanation, Shin'un frowned and waved his hand to interrupt him.
"Didn't I tell you? These lengthy, detailed explanations can just be written into the report."
"I only need to know the most concise explanation; anything more is useless."
Yamanaka Yū, who had been interrupted, opened his mouth, lowered his head to condense his words, and then looked up again to say:
"To explain in one sentence..."
" The Optimal Control Position is the only spot on the giant golem where you can freely control the entire golem."
"Oh~" Shin'un immediately understood what Yamanaka Yū meant, and his furrowed brows relaxed instantly.
"So, the puppeteer in the Optimal Control Position is actually the one who controls the giant puppet?"
"In other words, once the puppeteer in the Optimal Control Position dies, the remaining puppeteers inside the giant puppet, even combined, will not be able to freely control the giant puppet?"
Upon hearing Shin'un's question, Yamanaka Yū immediately replied, "Uh... you're right."
"Aside from the puppeteer in the Optimal Control Position, the other puppeteers inside the giant puppet only serve to share the pressure of manipulation and distribute Chakra consumption; they do not possess the ability to control the giant puppet."
Upon hearing Yamanaka Yū's answer, Shin'un recalled the battle with the giant tiger puppet and understood something.
"That's right, after I killed the puppeteer in the tiger head area, the giant tiger puppet started to malfunction."
"Now it seems the Optimal Control Position on the giant tiger puppet is definitely its head... I thought I had destroyed some important part of its head."
Thinking of this, Shin'un looked at Yamanaka Yū and asked, "Now it seems that the best position to control that tiger-shaped puppet was its head. Is that also the case for the other giant puppets?"
"No." Yamanaka Yū shook his head, then explained:
" The Optimal Control Position is different for each type of giant golem."
" The Optimal Control Position for the beast-type puppet is at the head, while for the taller humanoid puppet, the Optimal Control Position is at the lower abdomen."
"As for the largest fortress-shaped giant golem, it's a bit special; its Optimal Control Position is in the very center of the golem."
Hearing Yamanaka Yū's words, Shin'un was overjoyed, but didn't forget to ask:
"Can the accuracy of this intelligence be confirmed?"
Upon hearing this, Yamanaka Yū nodded and replied with absolute certainty:
"Rest assured, this information was pieced together bit by bit from the fragments of memory in the minds of these three puppeteers, so its accuracy is guaranteed."
"As for why these three puppeteers knew this information, it was the result of joint training, so there's no need to consider the possibility that it was false information."
Nodding, Shin'un felt relieved when he heard Yamanaka Yū, a senior former intelligence department Jonin, say this.
"Head, lower abdomen, the very center?"
Knowing the vital points of the giant puppet, Shin'un smiled, feeling pleased, and looked at Yamanaka Yū, saying:
"Thank you, you deserve some credit for discovering the giant golem's vital point."
"I think this will at least add one more Rank A experience to your mission resume."
Yamanaka Yū nodded upon hearing Shin'un's words, a smile spreading across his previously tense face.
Even for Jonin, completing an A-rank mission carries considerable risk, so it's certainly something to be happy about if one can effortlessly gain an A-rank mission experience this time.
"Alright, find a quiet place and quickly compile a detailed report on the giant golem and submit it to me."
After saying that, Shin'un waved his hand, indicating that he should hurry.
Seeing this, Yamanaka Yū coughed twice, resumed his stern expression, nodded to Shin'un, and then vanished in Body Flicker Technique.
Just then, the messenger squad leader who had gone to collect the remains of the giant tiger puppet ran back.
" Lord Hirakawa, the remains of that giant puppet have all been loaded into the scroll."
Upon hearing this, Shin'un was taken aback and turned to look in the other direction.
Sure enough, the remains of the giant tiger puppet, which had been scattered on the ground like a small mountain, had disappeared.
"Understood." After confirming, Shin'un instructed the messenger squad leader, "Keep the storage scrolls containing the giant puppet safe. I will record today's battle, including Jonin Yamanaka Yū's detailed report. Send all three items back to Konoha."
"In addition, two extra copies of the report on the giant puppet were made and sent to Orochimaru- sensei and Nara Shikahito Jonin, respectively."
After saying that, Shin'un thought for a moment and, having nothing else to say, waved his hand to signal his departure.
Upon seeing this, the messenger squad leader immediately bowed and left.
In a canyon near the border of the Land of Rain Land of Wind, countless Konoha Ninja ran wildly through it, their unrestrained running causing ripples to spread across the surrounding ground.
At that moment, a magnificent Ninja Hawk approached from afar, quickly soaring overhead under the watchful eyes of many ninjas. Just before reaching the center of the ninja formation, it flapped its wings and slowed down.
In the running group, a middle-aged ninja with a pineapple-shaped haircut raised his arm, letting the Ninja Hawk land on his right arm.
Reaching out, he opened the letterbox on the Ninja Hawk's leg, pulled out a thick letter, and after seeing the sender's name on the envelope, the pineapple-headed ninja raised an eyebrow.
"A letter from Shin'un?"
Raising his arm, the pineapple-headed ninja released the Ninja Hawk into the air, looking somewhat puzzled.
"That's strange. According to the timeline, he shouldn't have met up with Orochimaru yet, right?"
"Did something happen on the road? Did you encounter an enemy? One of those giant golems?"
Thinking of this, Nara Shikahito's heart tightened. He quickly tore open the envelope and scanned the first line of the letter.
" Jonin Nara Shikahito Shikajin"
This afternoon, while traveling, I encountered twenty Sand Ninja, one of whom was a giant puppet.
"I fought them alone, captured three puppeteers, and obtained a great deal of intelligence..."