The strength reaching Jōnin level is only calculated by making materials. It does not mean that these puppets really have the strength of Jōnin.
A puppet is always a puppet and cannot be compared to a human being.
For example, Orochimaru is a Jōnin. He hunts those powerful creatures that are comparable to Jōnin. It is not easy. This is the difference.
"So, I don't have enough strength, so I can only make up with numbers. I came all the way to rescue you. You have to help me hunt for more materials in the future."
"No problem," Orochimaru smiled and nodded, agreeing to the request.
"It's okay with me, ahem," Jiraiya said weakly, feeling like his whole body was falling apart.
Hatake Sakumo hesitated. "Shigeru, your own strength should not be weak, right? Do you still need to prepare so many puppets?"
Based on what Orochimaru had said before, even if Shigeru was just a medical ninja, he could still be regarded as a medical ninja like Tsunade, and his own strength was definitely not weak.
In this case, why pursue such a huge number of puppets?
"Who said that? This is slander!" Shigeru retorted excitedly. "I'm just a medical ninja. As we all know, medical ninjas are the weakest and lack the power to protect themselves, so I have to prepare more puppets to protect my own safety."
"..."
Do you still need more puppets to protect your own safety? What about us? Hatake Sakumo didn't want to talk anymore.
"Let me take care of the materials."
Others had come all this way to save him, and Shigeru felt the need to repay this kindness with materials for making puppets. This kind of reward wasn't too embarrassing. In the ninja world, there were not many other things, but there were plenty of powerful creatures.
The giant eagle quickly flew toward the camp. On the way, Shigeru noticed small black dots lying on the ground.
Shigeru raised his foot, and the giant eagle slowed down, descending gradually and flying at a low altitude.
"What a coincidence, he's from the village."
Since he was from the village, Shigeru had the giant eagle carry him along. They were not far from the camp, so there was no need to stop and waste time.
The giant eagle was very fast, and before long, they arrived at the camp.
Unknown flying creatures approaching in the sky attracted great attention from the camp. Orochimaru launched a signal flare first, notifying the people in the camp to avoid being mistaken for enemies. It was the signal flare of the village.
Only then did the ninjas in the camp relax their guard and clear space for landing.
The giant eagle landed slowly, standing firmly in the open space within the camp. Once everyone had disembarked, Shigeru put the puppet away.
"Master Shigeru, Master Lu Xin requests your presence at the headquarters immediately."
"Okay, I'll head there right away."
At this time, Nara Lu Xin must have had plenty of questions. Shigeru handed Jiraiya over to Orochimaru and made his way to the headquarters.
At the headquarters, Nara Lu Xin was playing chess—alone. Upon hearing footsteps, he straightened up and put away the chessboard.
"Is everyone okay?"
"It was relatively timely. If we'd arrived any later, we'd have only been able to collect their bodies. Iwa Ninja Village planned to bury our new generation of strong ninja to fundamentally weaken us," Shigeru said.
He removed his coat, walked into a nearby rest room, and quickly changed into clean clothes. Wearing wet clothes had been unbearable.
Watching Shigeru enter the rest room to change clothes, the corner of Nara Lu Xin's mouth twitched slightly. This kid really didn't see himself as an outsider.
After changing clothes and coming out, Shigeru continued, "This is typical of Iwa Ninja Village. I didn't expect them to prepare such a great 'gift' for us. Only three people from our elite force made it back alive."
This wave had been costly for Konoha. The elite force was nearly wiped out by Iwa Ninja Village. If not for Shigeru's quick response, Orochimaru and the others might not have made it back.
That said, Orochimaru's escape abilities were top-notch. Hatake Sakumo was severely injured and unable to fight further. Without rescue, the two of them might have perished.
"With the elite troops destroyed, will the village fall into a passive position?"
"Yes, but it's not a big problem."
Losing an elite force was a painful blow for Konoha but wouldn't severely impact the war's overall situation—provided Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, and Jiraiya had been rescued. Losing them would have been catastrophic.
"By the way, how did you get in touch with them?"
There had been no movement in the camp, yet Shigeru ran off to rescue them. If he hadn't, the trouble could have been significant.
Shigeru poured himself a cup of hot water. After taking a few sips, he gradually warmed up. "Orochimaru used my puppet to contact me."
"????"
What? If Shigeru had said Orochimaru used a psychic beast or other means, Nara Lu Xin wouldn't have been surprised. The ninja world was full of strange Ninjutsu and abilities. But a puppet?
"For details, you can ask Orochimaru yourself. I'm sleepy and need some rest," Shigeru replied.
He left before explaining further. He had been interrupted from a good sleep to help Orochimaru, and now he needed it more than ever.
"This kid has more and more secrets," Nara Lu Xin muttered, watching Shigeru leave. For now, he decided to let him rest. Orochimaru could fill in the details.
Orochimaru's injuries were not severe, and he could leave after minor treatment. However, Hatake Sakumo needed time in the medical room to recover. As for Jiraiya? He wouldn't be leaving the medical room anytime soon.
After his treatment, Orochimaru left the medical room and met with someone sent by Nara Lu Xin. The loss of the elite troops was significant, and both Nara Lu Xin and Hatake Sakumo bore some responsibility. One was the elite unit's captain, and the other was the frontline commander. However, Orochimaru and Jiraiya were clear of blame.
"Sit down," Nara Lu Xin said from headquarters, rubbing his temples as he read over the reports. Losing the elite unit had a significant impact on the battlefield situation, though he had seemed calm earlier.
Orochimaru sat down, his expression neutral but thoughtful.
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