Making Tenten a Puppet Master?

Tenten took the gift box, her heart full of anticipation.

She hadn't expected Rikuto to surprise her like this so early in the morning.

Although he hadn't prepared a gift just for her,

she was still delighted.

"Brother Rikuto, can I open it and have a look?"

Ino asked eagerly.

"Of course..." Rikuto nodded with a smile.

At his words,

both girls could hardly wait to open their gift boxes.

Inside each was an exquisitely carved and painted puppet doll.

Their expressions and features were all there.

They looked remarkably lifelike.

Who could they be but the girls themselves?

The lively, cheerful Tenten and the playful, adorable Ino...

Both were uncannily accurate, just like the real girls.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

"This is... a puppet doll?"

Both girls' eyes widened.

Looking at their respective puppet dolls, they were both pleasantly surprised.

"What a beautiful doll..."

Ino's face was full of delight.

She hugged the puppet doll that looked almost exactly like her, unable to put it down.

Her eyes turned to Rikuto. "Brother Rikuto, did you make this yourself?"

"It's incredible. It really looks like me!"

Beside her, Tenten

was also happily playing with the puppet doll Rikuto had given her.

When she realized it was a chibi version of herself, she was overjoyed.

She blinked her large eyes and looked at him curiously.

"Yeah. These aren't ordinary dolls. They're puppet dolls I made especially for you..."

Rikuto smiled.

He raised both hands slightly, and several Chakra Threads shot from each set of fingertips, connecting to the puppets in their hands.

Under the girls' utterly astonished gazes,

he moved his fingers slightly, and the two puppet dolls sprang into motion.

"Click... click..." The chibi "Ino" and chibi "Tenten," each smaller than a palm, began to dance and sway.

In particular, under the control of Rikuto's magical Chakra Threads,

not only could the two puppet dolls move their eyes, ears, noses, mouths, tongues, and other facial features, but even their necks, limbs, knees, other joints, and all five fingers could move.

Their movements were vivid and extraordinarily realistic.

They were just like two living chibi people.

Ino and Tenten were both left dumbfounded.

They could hardly believe their eyes.

"Gulp! Rikuto, you mastered the Puppet Technique that fast?"

Tenten was flabbergasted.

She couldn't help swallowing.

She looked at Chiya Rikuto, utterly shocked.

She had known he was a genius for a long time, but wasn't this a bit too much?

If she remembered correctly, hadn't it been less than half a month since Rikuto started learning about puppets?

Wasn't that monstrously fast?

"You're amazing, Brother Rikuto!"

Ino gazed at Rikuto with hearts in her eyes, full of admiration.

Without anyone to teach him, he had studied on his own with just a few books about puppets.

In less than half a month,

he had already mastered the Puppet Technique well enough to use it with ease.

He had even designed and made puppet dolls with such intricate internal structures himself.

It was simply incredible.

Chapter 10: Making Tenten a Puppet Master? [Please support]

"Basic Puppet Technique actually isn't that difficult..."

His fingers moved slightly.

Controlling the Chakra Threads,

he made the two puppet dolls move as if they had minds of their own.

They leaped up

and jumped back into Ino's and Tenten's hands respectively.

They even gave their respective owners a playful little wave.

Chiya Rikuto withdrew the Chakra Threads attached to the puppets and smiled at the two astonished girls. "Besides, I think practicing the Puppet Technique is a great way to improve your Chakra control, so I wanted you two to give it a try!"

He paused.

Seeing that Ino looked troubled, as if she had something to say,

he patted her little head and said with a doting smile, "Of course, I'm not asking you to become a puppet master, Ino. There's no need to devote too much time and effort to studying it, either..."

"You only need to practice a little whenever you have spare time. If you keep it up, I believe your Chakra control should improve, which will be quite helpful when you practice your family's secret techniques!"

Although they only had time

to get together during vacations,

under his guidance, not to mention Ino, who came from a prominent clan,

even Tenten had managed to complete the two basic Chakra exercises, Tree Climbing and Water Walking, after two years of effort.

Her Chakra control had improved significantly.

At the Ninja Academy, she could be said to rank among the best.

"So that's why!"

Ino realized what he meant and couldn't help feeling relieved.

She had thought Rikuto suddenly wanted her to become a puppet master.

In that case, regardless of whether she was willing, her father, Inoichi Yamanaka, would never agree.

After all, she was the heir of the Yamanaka Clan, which had secret techniques passed down through generations.

She couldn't give up practicing her clan's secret techniques to become a puppet master.

"Once you've become proficient, I'll teach you some simple Medical Ninjutsu to improve your Chakra control even further."

Seeing that Ino didn't object, Rikuto added with a smile, "I believe the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques shouldn't be too difficult for you then, and you'll also be able to learn some fairly practical medical skills."

Considering that Ino-Shika-Cho was famous not only in Konoha but throughout the Shinobi World,

Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji were undoubtedly the next generation of "Ino-Shika-Cho," and they most likely wouldn't be separated after graduating from the Ninja Academy.

When that time came, they might inevitably have to carry out some highly dangerous missions.

Learning some Medical Ninjutsu might come in handy someday.

"Okay, Brother Rikuto, I'll do my best!"

She nodded firmly.

Ino was full of motivation.

"Good!"

Seeing this, Rikuto smiled with satisfaction.

He then looked at Tenten. Although her family was wealthy, she was, strictly speaking, a civilian ninja, with no exceptional bloodline or family secret techniques.

"But your situation is different from Ino's, Tenten. If you're really interested in the Puppet Technique, I think you could consider becoming a real puppet master!"

After thinking for a moment, he said directly, "Of course, you don't have to worry about the puppets. I can develop stronger ones suited for combat for you!"

"But if you're not interested, forget it!"

Tenten wasn't particularly talented in Ninjutsu.

As for her talent for throwing hidden weapons, it was fairly good.

But it had to be said that this had too many limitations, and her future achievements would ultimately be limited.

Even if she became extraordinarily skilled with Shuriken, Kunai, and other hidden weapons,

she couldn't compare with the Uchiha Clan, whose Sharingan and astonishing perception gave them an extraordinary advantage in this area.

Moreover, the Puppet Technique involved a great number of hidden weapons, with an endless variety of ways to deploy them, making them impossible to guard against.

With her family's wealth, there was no need to worry about funding, either.

"Huh? You want me to learn the Puppet Technique?"

Tenten was stunned.

She hadn't expected Rikuto to want her to become a puppet master.

She couldn't help tilting her head.

With her little fist against her chin, she pondered hard.

She recalled Rikuto's flawless performance just now.

In his hands, the puppet dolls had moved as naturally as his own limbs, their motions smooth and flowing.

Her eyes lit up. "Being a puppet master seems pretty cool!"

"I want to learn!"

Without any further hesitation,

she raised her little hand and nodded repeatedly.

She hadn't been interested in puppet masters before.

That was because Konoha had no school specializing in them.

Without an expert to guide her, if she had to study the Puppet Technique on her own,

there was no way she could master it.

Or rather, even if she went to great pains and overcame countless difficulties to learn it, she would only grasp the basics.

But with a genius like Chiya Rikuto teaching her, someone who had easily become extremely proficient in the Puppet Technique and could use it freely in such a short time,

things were completely different.

And she wouldn't have to worry about lacking suitable puppets for combat in the future.