"It's finally over~"
After the exam, Naruto was in high spirits, his stride noticeably wider than usual.
Strutting around, full of himself.
"Hey, hey, hey—Sasuke, we passed the first exam! Why do you look like that?"
Naruto noticed that Sasuke's expression looked like he could barely hold it in.
Hanabi, meanwhile, wore a smile that said absolutely nothing.
"Listen, Naruto. You remember what Hanabi gave us before the exam started, right?"
"Oh, that thing—"
Naruto rummaged around, then pulled it out from inside his jacket.
"Open it and take a look," Sasuke said.
"What even is thi—AAAAHH!"
The moment he saw what was inside, Naruto let out a shriek.
An exam paper.
A fully completed exam paper.
"So what was I agonizing over during that entire first exam?!"
Amid Naruto's anguished screams, this episode's events drew to a close.
Since pay was settled quarterly, Hanabi didn't receive any immediate rewards.
But the popularity points shop had refreshed.
After the group said their goodbyes—leaving behind a quietly devastated Naruto—Hanabi opened the shop.
The popularity points shop currently had just one item, but it could be purchased three times.
Performance Prop Procurement Card (Purple)
Rarity: Four-star
Lets you purchase local props for use as performance props. Different item qualities require different procurement costs. Cannot procure five-star gold-quality items. Procured props are restricted to the current character only.
Price: 20,000 popularity points
"A bit underwhelming."
Performance props mainly served to draw attention and catch the audience's eye. The only real difference from ordinary items was that they could be repaired if damaged.
But the restriction to the current character only was awkward—otherwise, she could've prepared performance props in advance for roles in other productions. On top of that, the card only granted a "procurement license." You still had to pay for the items themselves, and the ceiling was four-star equipment.
Far less useful than pulling skill cards or having props refresh in the shop directly.
Hanabi figured items like the Sage of Six Paths' tools were definitely off the procurement list.
"But they're worth stockpiling."
The Naruto world actually had plenty of useful tools.
Not needing something now didn't mean she wouldn't need it later.
She still had a comfortable surplus of popularity points. As for the several hundred thousand she'd still need to upgrade her character card to Level 7 and unlock a new trait—well, this wouldn't put a dent in that.
"Now then—"
Hanabi made her way to Shiki Ryougi's house once more.
Only this time, her teacher wasn't Shiki Ryougi.
"I never thought I'd end up as a 'substitute teacher.'"
Touko Aozaki was seated in what was normally the "tutoring" area.
Beside her sat several objects that looked like puppet limbs.
"Good morning, Aozaki-sensei." It was morning on this side, so Hanabi greeted her accordingly.
She'd also noticed the limbs nearby. They didn't look like Touko's handiwork, though—they seemed more similar to actual puppets.
"These are...?"
Hanabi was puzzled.
"In this country, ninjas once existed too. I don't know how different your concept of a ninja is from the ones in our world... but anyway, there have been similar tales of artificial humans here as well."
Touko explained, "Strictly speaking, my puppets—my dolls—would have difficulty adapting to the kind of power your world uses. But among the 'ninjas' of this world, similar things existed. After reviewing the Puppet Technique materials you provided, I combined my own knowledge to do some reconstruction and improvement."
And indeed, in the TYPE-MOON world, an artificial automaton ninja did exist.
Kato Danzo.
A ninja who had actually existed in recorded history—but in the TYPE-MOON world, she was a mechanical automaton, an artificial female ninja crafted by the Kokusin Bureau.
As a side note, Dan Kato—Tsunade's lover in the Naruto world—was a nod to the same historical Kato Danzo. The Chinese name used the character 断 (Dan), but it was originally written in kana, pronounced "Dan." Danzo's reading, meanwhile, was "Danzō."
"I couldn't fully replicate that thing on short notice. But since what you need isn't the full mechanical automaton—just limbs and such—this should be enough."
Touko opened the box beside her.
Inside lay several sets of limbs. Some were complete arms and legs; others were just forearms and hands, or lower legs.
"They're all prototypes. Completely hollow inside, but you can install weapons in them... well, the technology from our side probably won't work on yours, so you'll have to handle the outfitting yourself. And here—" She handed over a set of documents. "These are the construction principles and parameters. You should be able to make adjustments on your own going forward."
Touko stood as she spoke.
"Basically, this is all I can do."
"Are you leaving?" Hanabi asked.
"Yes. I originally came to investigate the anomaly. The 'substitute teaching' was a bonus—novel, I'll admit. But this is as far as it goes."
Touko had no interest in cross-world power comparisons. This had been more of a whim than anything else.
Research into what lay beyond the world might be interesting, but she'd already realized that certain limitations had been imposed on her here.
Conducting research along a path someone else had fixed for her? That was no fun at all.
"Would I ever have a chance to become your student someday?"
Hanabi was genuinely interested in the knowledge from this side.
"Me? I'll pass. Even if you end up as a 'local' someday, don't come looking for me. Otherwise, I might actually turn you into a doll." It was impossible to tell whether Touko's last remark was a joke or something else entirely. "If you're truly interested, I'd recommend someone—Lord El-Melloi II. He'd make an excellent teacher for you."
With that, Touko was already at the door.
"Well then, take the remaining time and look things over carefully. Bye-bye."
"Hai. Safe travels."
After Touko left, Hanabi turned to the prototype equipment.
"Hmm... all prototypes, huh."
Prototypes they might be, but they were already quite functional.
Usable in the Naruto world, though they didn't qualify as "local props."
However, the construction manual Touko had left behind was a tremendous help.
Could Hanabi replicate the full mechanical automaton, Kato Danzo? No—the research was far too complex. And she had no intention of becoming a puppet master.
Maybe someday, if a production featured an Unbreakable Machine-Doll storyline, or if she pulled a character card like Herrscher of the Myriad—that'd be the time to dive deep.
Hanabi's main goal with these was to enhance Curse Bind's effects.
Curse Bind wasn't as simple as just making deposits and withdrawals. Maintaining continuous Curse Bind also subtly strengthened the body itself over time—minor gains, but meaningful enough.
"I'll study the rest back home. For now, let me go play with Mana~"