"How do you choose?"
Tokugawa Nobunaga quietly watched Linto, waiting for his answer.
"Choose?"
Linto's smile gradually faded, and strands of golden flame ignited on his skin.
He heard the "breath" of the world again.
Ideals, rebellion, sacrifice.
Heroic or tragic deaths were happening in every corner of the city, and behind it all, Linto heard—
"The sound of betrayal's breath."
Linto's gaze grew sharp, "You think..."
"Who is qualified to give me questions?"
Tokugawa Nobunaga pointed out the window, "But those people..."
Linto chuckled, "You, them, and those hiding in the dark, like insects watching this chaos, seem to misunderstand me.
I just do what I believe is right.
This world doesn't treat people like people, and I think that's wrong, so I'm going to fix it.
Some people do wrong and aren't punished, and I can't stand it, so I will punish them."
Right and wrong are all in my heart.
The human heart, face, reputation... these are just things that naturally attach to Linto because he is doing the right thing.
"Those out there who are being used and deceived are indeed pitiable, and I will find a way to save them, but I won't see myself as an omnipotent god."
Linto could understand the commoners who turned their blades on the rich and the samurai.
They have anger towards the rotten system, and that's a good thing.
If even that anger disappeared, then this world would truly be finished.
But this pure, simple anger should not be exploited.
Warsaw City certainly needs a change, but not tonight, not in its current form, and the one initiating the change shouldn't be a schemer intending to profit from it.
Linto took a deep breath, his decision made:
"First, stop this misguided chaos, and then, go kill the schemer who started this rebellion."
"What are you going to do?"
Tokugawa Nobunaga stood by the window, "This is a city-wide rebellion."
Killing is easy, saving is hard.
Stopping two groups of people who are blinded by rage and don't even care about their own lives is even harder.
After all, if they're not afraid of death, how can Linto deter them?
Tokugawa Nobunaga looked down at Warsaw City; the entire city was now in chaos. Those participating in the rebellion included rats, students, and commoners who already had thoughts of defecting, as well as robbers and thugs taking advantage of the chaos.
Of course, it goes without saying that there were also people hired by corporations, disguised as rebels, shouting and killing all over the city, constantly inciting conflict and fanning the flames of rebellion.
"Water."
Linto said, "I need a lot of water."
Hearing this, Tokugawa Yukino froze for half a second, her cheeks flushing.
In the dark, Tokugawa Nobunaga didn't notice his daughter's abnormality and asked in surprise:
"What do you need water for?"
"To put out fires."
...
Courtyard.
There is no such thing as chivalry among ninjas.
If Monk Hoichi dared to come out alone to show off, he should have been prepared to be beaten by both Rasa and Grandma Chiyo.
Rasa manipulated gold dust, and Grandma Chiyo used Chakra threads to control several kunai, preparing to attack Monk Hoichi together.
Suddenly, figures appeared in the darkness and attacked Rasa and the others.
They were in an unfamiliar city, not knowing how many enemies there were, so they were naturally cautious, laying down a defensive network with gold dust. They retreated backward while launching long-range attacks to test the enemy's strength.
There were constant clanging sounds from the darkness as figures fell to the ground, but after a short while, they all got up again.
"Puppets?"
Rasa frowned slightly.
Judging from the stiff movements of the figures and the sound of gold dust piercing their bodies, they were indeed puppets.
But...
His nose twitched slightly.
What was this smell of blood?
"Living Puppet Technique."
Grandma Chiyo's voice grew cold.
The number of puppets a puppeteer can control is an important measure of their skill.
For example, Grandma Chiyo's White Secret Technique: Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu can control ten puppets simultaneously in battle.
Sasori, who underwent physical modification, displayed his Red Secret Technique: Hundred Puppets Play, capable of controlling hundreds of puppets at once.
In terms of puppetry, Sasori the Red Sand is truly at the peak of perfection.
However, besides honing one's skills, there are two other ways to control a large number of puppets.
The first is to pre-set the puppets' movement paths. The puppets will only act stiffly and mechanically according to the rhythm of the mechanism's design, usually used for defensive structures in factories or bases.
"The second is the method most despised by all puppeteers."
"Living Puppet Technique."
Dozens of puppets got up and moved stiffly out of the shadows.
Moonlight shone on their faces, revealing young, tender features—
This was inevitable.
The Living Puppet Technique was developed to compensate for technical deficiencies. The performer would cast illusions or brainwash living people, modify their bodies, and maintain their vitality.
This way, in combat, even if the control occasionally failed due to insufficient skill, the living person could still move with their subconscious.
In other words...
Semi-automatic control.
To ensure the fluidity of semi-automatic control, it was common to choose adolescents who were young and had flexible bodies as puppets.
This technique was not difficult, but from an emotional perspective, it was inhumane, and from a rational perspective, it was a waste of young and strong labor. It was a forbidden jutsu that no ninja village would use.
"I didn't expect them to all be 'old acquaintances'."
Mukade stood on the rooftop, his bulging eyes, like those of someone with hyperthyroidism, darting around. "How are my puppet army?"
Grandma Chiyo looked at the young faces, and finally her gaze fell on Mukade:
"I remember you. You came to me when you were very young to ask about puppetry.
Back then, you treated puppetry as if it were life itself, but now... you call this kind of thing an army?"
"Heh—"
Mukade scoffed, "Teacher Chiyo, not everyone has the talent you and Sasori have.
For ordinary people like us, the harder we try, the more we feel our own limits.
I can only compensate in my own way."
Grandma Chiyo nodded slowly, taking out a scroll from behind her.
Whoosh—
The scroll unfurled, and ten specters "flowed" out of the scroll, eventually condensing into ten puppets with different appearances.
"Since you call me teacher, I, as your teacher, will give you a final lesson before you die."
Grandma Chiyo, who had treated her journey as a tour and had never truly intended to kill Kakashi, felt the urge to kill someone again after more than ten years.
Why was puppetry developed?
There would be many different explanations for this question, such as its convenience for assassination, the ability to install various mechanisms, the ability to control multiple puppets simultaneously, to fight many against one, and so on.
But Grandma Chiyo had asked the founder of puppetry, the Second Kazekage, Shamon.
"Why develop puppetry, sister-in-law, that's what you're asking?"
Grandma Chiyo was the wife of the First Kazekage. Shamon had previously been the First's bodyguard, so calling Grandma Chiyo sister-in-law was perfectly acceptable.
Shamon scratched his bald head. "Our village is poor, and everyone is having a hard time. I thought that with puppetry, people could take less risks when faced with danger!"
The purpose of puppetry was to sacrifice puppets to protect living people.
From its inception, it was a gentle technique.
In Mukade's hands, however, it had become a technique that harmed others.
"What big talk, Chiyo, you're old!"
"Old..."
Mukade pulled on the Chakra threads in his hands, controlling dozens of living puppets to attack.
"Just die quietly!"