Time passed quickly.
Half a month went by in the blink of an eye.
At noon—
The blazing sun hung high in the sky.
On the rooftop of the Ninja Academy, where no one else was present—
After school, Tenten had eagerly dragged Ren there.
Her ten fingers extended.
Thin chakra threads shot out from her fingertips, connecting to the puppet doll placed before her.
Click… click…
As her fingers moved and manipulated the threads—
The puppet doll stretched its legs, swung its arms, walked, jumped, and ran.
Although its movements were somewhat stiff and not yet completely natural—
Far from the effortless, fluid control that Akira Ren displayed, where the puppets moved like living beings—
It was already quite impressive.
"Ren, how is it?"
Tenten narrowed her eyes into cheerful crescents and looked at him expectantly.
"I'm doing pretty well, right?"
"Not bad. You've made a lot of progress."
Ren nodded with a smile.
Over the past several days, under his guidance—
Both girls had practiced diligently and already begun to see results.
It had to be said—
Tenten truly had a natural talent for puppet manipulation.
Her improvement had been astonishingly fast.
She could already control the puppet doll easily using chakra threads.
However—
Part of the reason was that the puppet doll was small and lightweight.
If it were replaced with a full-sized puppet comparable to a human body—
Controlling it would be far more difficult.
At the same time—
Inside the Hokage Tower, in the office at the very top floor—
An elderly man with white hair and beard, age spots on his face, and a pipe between his lips stared in surprise at a crystal ball slightly larger than his fist.
Inside the crystal ball—
The scene from the academy rooftop was clearly visible.
"Only half a month, and she can already control the puppet doll like that?"
Watching the scene, the Third Hokage couldn't help praising it.
"It seems that this girl really does have some talent as a puppeteer."
However—
The person who had truly drawn his attention was not Tenten.
It was the orphan of the late medical jōnin Akira Daichi—
Akira Ren.
"I had already noticed that this child inherited his father's talent for medical ninjutsu…"
"And his chakra reserves are remarkable. His chakra control far surpasses his peers. He has even already mastered some basic medical techniques."
Gazing at the calm and handsome young boy within the crystal ball—
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, a Hokage who prided himself on his experience and judgment of people, couldn't help but feel astonished.
"But I truly didn't expect that just by studying a few basic puppet books on his own…"
"This child would grasp puppet techniques so quickly—and even design and construct such intricate puppet dolls by himself."
Several days earlier—
While he had been inspecting Konoha as usual with the Telescope Technique—
He had accidentally witnessed Ren teaching Ino and Tenten puppet techniques.
And Ren had even been able to control two puppet dolls simultaneously.
It had been rather unbelievable.
Regarding Akira Ren—
Who had performed exceptionally at the Ninja Academy and even overshadowed Hyūga Neji, the prodigy of the Hyūga branch family—
The Hokage had certainly been paying attention.
He had also seen the boy reading books about puppet techniques more than once.
But he never expected that the eight-year-old Ren would actually achieve something from it.
Although they were only two small puppet toys—
The Third Hokage's eyesight was far from ordinary.
Even from this small glimpse, one could clearly see Ren's extraordinary talent.
And the way he manipulated them—
Smooth and natural, as though the puppets were alive.
Such astonishing chakra control—
Even he, the Hokage himself, might not necessarily be able to achieve it.
This child's talent far surpassed that of his father, Akira Daichi.
"Hoo…"
Looking at the young boy in the crystal ball—
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and slowly exhaled smoke.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
There was even a hint of anticipation.
"Perhaps in the near future…"
"Konoha may truly gain a puppet master proficient in medical ninjutsu."
Meanwhile—
On the rooftop of the Ninja Academy—
As the Third Hokage shifted the view of his Telescope Technique away from the rooftop—
The corner of Akira Ren's mouth curled slightly.
A faint smile appeared.
That old man who loved peeking around the village with surveillance jutsu—
How could Ren possibly fail to notice him?
And besides—
The matter of teaching Ino and Tenten puppet techniques was never something he intended to hide.
After all—
He wasn't part of the Uchiha clan.
Just a civilian ninja with a clean background.
Even if he displayed a bit of extraordinary talent—
The higher-ups wouldn't become overly wary of him.
At most, they would pay him some attention.
There was no need to constantly be overly cautious.
"You didn't call me here just for this, did you?"
Ren smiled as he looked at Tenten.
"That guy Lee said he wants to challenge Neji again. I still have to go treat his injuries afterward."
"Huh? Lee is challenging Neji again?"
Tenten blinked in surprise.
Then she shook her head helplessly.
"He never learns his lesson…"
She had long since grown used to such challenges.
After all—
Lee ended up beaten black and blue every single time.
"Oh right, here."
Tenten opened her ninja tool pouch and handed Ren a storage scroll.
"These are the materials you listed last time. My family already prepared everything!"
She looked very excited.
After deciding to become a puppeteer—
Ren had given her a list of expensive materials and asked her to have her family gather them.
He said he would build her a real combat puppet for training.
Tenten had been eagerly waiting for this moment.
Especially after seeing the results of her recent training—
Even her parents, who had initially been skeptical, now supported her becoming a puppeteer.
After all—
Puppeteers usually didn't need to fight enemies directly.
In truth—
If it weren't because their precious daughter had insisted so stubbornly on attending the Ninja Academy—
Tenten's parents would never have wanted her to become a ninja at all.
As wealthy merchants within the Land of Fire—
They often hired Konoha ninja to guard their caravans.
So they understood better than anyone just how dangerous the ninja profession truly was.
"Oh? That fast?"
Ren raised an eyebrow.
But he wasn't particularly surprised.
After all—
He knew this little rich girl didn't lack money.
And her family owned a weapon shop.
Resources like these were the last thing they lacked.
"Then wait for my good news."
He nodded with a smile.
Without hesitation, he stored the scroll away.
He had already completed the puppet design.
All he had been waiting for were these materials.
After waving goodbye to Tenten—
Ren leapt lightly from the rooftop.
Landing on a nearby tree branch, he dashed toward the training ground.
"I'm heading out first. Lee and Neji are still waiting!"
…