Some of the small ninjas, too caught up in the drama, were so nervous they closed their eyes in fear of seeing the next outcome.
But the next moment, loud cheers and applause filled the classroom.
They cautiously opened their eyes and were pleasantly surprised to discover that the chubby bird that had almost crashed through the high platform had transformed into a light, flying bird, happily soaring through the air, leaving behind bright red streaks.
After everyone expressed their excitement, the owl flew back to the high platform, flapped its wings a few times, and landed firmly on Hideki's raised right arm.
"From the demonstration just now, you should have seen that the technology has evolved from traditional mechanical techniques to advanced chakra control techniques," Hideki said. "A top-tier puppeteer can even control a complex puppet with just a single chakra thread."
"Although many puppeteers are pushing their chakra manipulation to the limits, they will still look for more powerful puppets through mechanisms and other methods."
"But as beginners, you should make chakra thread manipulation the focus of your learning."
"Practicing chakra thread manipulation is essentially training your chakra control. So, whether you're planning to explore puppetry deeply or not, taking the time to learn chakra thread manipulation will benefit your future training and combat."
The eyes of the small ninjas in the audience were filled with excitement.
After Hideki's vivid explanation, they seemed to have witnessed firsthand how chakra threads combined with the mechanical puppetry technique to form the modern art of puppetry.
A lot of the fear came from the unknown. So, after learning the origin of the puppets, everyone's dislike and fear of them decreased significantly.
In particular, many students from ninja clans, who originally had family secrets to learn and didn't have the time or inclination to handle puppets, now realized that even if they didn't learn to control puppets, practicing chakra control by mastering chakra threads was still a good idea.
Of course, there were also students who were happy to finally find an excuse to openly play with Pocket Puppet Beast.
At that moment, Hideki clapped again and said, "Alright, let's stop talking about the history of chakra threads because we have more important things to do in the remaining time…"
"Are we finally going to play... No, I mean, practice with that Pocket Puppet Beast?"
All the small ninjas seemed eager to try it out.
After all, testing the Pocket Puppet Beast was the main reason many of them came to class today.
"Hmm... this is indeed one of today's course topics..." Hideki smiled faintly and said, "But before that, everyone has to take a little test…"
---
"The third level of Zha Zhili!"
"—Ah, sorry, I made a mistake. It should be three chakra control points. I need to keep working harder…"
In the puppet classroom, Hideki was testing the students' chakra control.
The purpose of this was, of course, to give the small ninjas a sense of their current level.
On one hand, it allowed Hideki to understand each student's specific level, helping with talent selection and adjustments for future lessons.
On the other hand, it was related to the Pocket Puppet Beast.
Hideki had briefly explained to the small ninjas that their hair would be used as material for the future handle cords.
He also emphasized several times that it was a plan approved by the Third Hokage.
The small ninjas with thick hair had no objections, of course. Many students even admired the Third Hokage's wise decision, as otherwise, most of them would probably lose the opportunity to play with the Pocket Puppet Beast.
The reason Hideki wanted to assess the students' current chakra control level was to determine the amount of hair to use and customize the handle cord with the best training effect for each child.
The testing method was very simple.
Hideki mimicked the bamboo snake puppet used by Sunagakure to train its apprentice puppeteers, casually making a wooden snake puppet with ten segments.
Of course, this appearance was just a little joke from Hideki.
What was truly important was that there were thin threads inside the puppet that were woven with chakra-conducting materials, just like the threads for the handle cords.
Hideki deliberately divided it into ten sections, gradually reducing the amount of chakra-conducting material, so the amount of chakra passing through each section also decreased step by step.
As the chakra amount decreased, the requirements for chakra control naturally increased.
Therefore, by simply looking at how many sections of the snake's body the student could make move freely, one could easily judge the level of their chakra control.
At the same time, Hideki would also refer to the students' scores from the end of the previous semester to gauge their potential for puppetry.
Of course, this testing system wasn't perfect. For example, Obito in front of Hideki was the best example…
"—Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Master Kimura, your snake must be broken. How can my chakra control be only three points?"
Obito, who had just finished the test, shouted, unconvinced.
He continued pulling on the tail of the snake, trying to improve his results.
But even though he did his best, the entire snake remained stiff, with only three sections of the tail able to move freely.
Hideki didn't expect that Obito, who would later become one of the intellectual giants behind the ninja world, would be so miserable right now.
But this was actually normal.
Because chakra control not only tests talent but also requires a calm and delicate heart.
With Obito's current fiery personality, it was natural that he couldn't control his chakra well.
The students in the line behind him were already jeering impatiently: "This is definitely your real level, Obito."
"Don't waste everyone's time, I'm still waiting to play with the Pocket Puppet Beast!"
As you can imagine, once they finished the test, they could all go outside and line up to try out the Pocket Puppet Beast.
So everyone was annoyed at Obito, who was blocking the way.
Seeing Obito's aggrieved look, Hideki could only console him helplessly:
"Obito, the score from this test only reflects your current level and doesn't determine your future achievements, so don't worry too much."
"Actually, instead of doing tests over and over here, you can quickly practice with the Pocket Puppet Beast. That would be more useful."
"I see…"
After the teacher said that, Obito had no choice but to stop trying and hung his head in resignation.
Hideki, on the other hand, raised his hand to shoot chakra threads and then pulled several strands of hair from Obito's head.
He then used the chakra thread to twist and tie the hair with several cotton threads, and in just a few seconds, he completed the special handle cord for Obito.
Yes, the production of the handle cord was very simple.
The small ninjas had seen this scene many times before, so they were not surprised.
Only Obito felt a sudden sense of urgency because it seemed like too much of his hair had been pulled out.
If he didn't improve his chakra control soon, someday they would cut his hair…
However, Obito was still just a kid, so his mood quickly improved after receiving his handle cord. He couldn't wait to control the Pocket Puppet Beast and fight with his classmates in hundreds of rounds.
But instead of going directly to line up, he stepped aside and waited.
Because the person behind him was his goddess, Nohara Rin, and naturally, he had to see what her results were...
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