The meeting adjourned, and the attendees dispersed.
Ryuji remained seated for a while, lost in thought, before finally heading to the newly established temporary workshop.
Without the Observation Device or the 3D Printer, and only possessing the era's standard machining tools, he couldn't create anything particularly advanced.
But Ryuji only intended to make two 'ordinary' puppets.
Tomorrow's duel... Gin and Kuro would be fighting independently. Neither the mechanical bird nor the War Fortress were suitable for the duel's designated arena.
While Armor possessed formidable performance, Minato had already witnessed its capabilities.
If Konoha had prepared specific countermeasures, victory wasn't guaranteed.
Therefore, he needed a backup plan.
Ryuji himself had no natural talent for Ninjutsu and knew few techniques. But where had most of the experience points and points gained from nearly a decade of check-ins gone?
That's right… they were almost entirely invested in puppetry and mechanical engineering.
Initially, he had used them to upgrade basic Shinobi skills like the Three Basic Techniques, Taijutsu, and weapons proficiency.
But once these skills were maxed out and he still hadn't learned any other Ninjutsu, Ryuji understood his innate talent was limited at best to becoming a cannon-fodder Chunin, throwing kunai and using explosive tags.
From then on, he stopped wasting resources and dedicated himself entirely to the path of the puppeteer.
All experience points went into upgrading puppetry-related skills and knowledge. All points were used to purchase materials. Combined with materials provided by the village, he practiced almost day and night. By the age of ten, he was already among the era's top puppeteers.
Even the First Puppet Master, Monzaemon, might not have been his match.
While Ryuji prepared, Konoha did the same.
Many were busy on this quiet night.
Tonight was destined to be sleepless for some.
…
The next day.
Clear skies, with a bright sun.
Early in the morning, the Sunagakure's delegation, led by a Konoha's guide, arrived at the duel grounds located in the north.
This colosseum-like arena was typically used for the Chunin Exams. The walls were topped with stepped spectator stands where dignitaries from various countries and villages would watch.
However, today's duel was hastily arranged, so there were far fewer spectators… only Konoha's leadership and the Sunagakure's delegation.
In the spectator stands, the Konoha contingent, centered around the Third Hokage, had been waiting for some time.
Seeing the Sunagakure's group arrive, Hiruzen and the others immediately stood to greet them. "Kureno-kun, you look even more impressive today than yesterday."
"Hokage-dono, you also radiate greater brilliance!" Ryuji exchanged pleasantries with Hiruzen, but his gaze swept over the people behind him.
The two elder advisors were absent.
Behind Hiruzen stood a group of Shinobi whose formidable presence was palpable even without looking.
Among them... Ryuji only recognized a few.
Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Setsuna, Tsunade. The rest were unfamiliar.
But their attire and demeanor allowed him to guess their identities... the heads of various clans.
'Konoha is far too strong right now!'
Ryuji was inwardly shocked.
He had known Konoha was powerful from the start, but the strength they displayed exceeded his expectations.
Though he hadn't fought them and didn't know their exact capabilities, judging solely by their aura, none were weak.
The weakest were at least at the Elite Jonin-level.
And this was with most of Konoha's top fighters already deployed to the front lines. If all their powerhouses were present, they'd probably have twenty or thirty Elite Jonin!
That was terrifying.
It was only due to the three Shinobi World Wars, where all villages prioritized targeting Konoha first, and the fact that the Nine-Tails Rampage and the Uchiha Clan's massacre occurred shortly after the Third Shinobi World War, that Konoha hadn't dominated.
Otherwise, if Konoha had developed smoothly, unifying the Shinobi World would have been inevitable.
While Ryuji assessed the Konoha's leaders, they were also evaluating him.
A fifteen-year-old head of the Puppeteer Corps; fought ten elite Shinobi alone, killed nine, one fled; faced down ten thousand enemies, repelled them with three shots; single-handedly thwarted Minato's team; outmaneuvered Shikaku in diplomacy; knocked out a Sharingan-activated Setsuna with a glance... A series of legendary feats all attributed to one individual.
But after their assessment, they mostly felt... disappointment.
Because they couldn't perceive anything particularly remarkable about this youth.
Well, there were some notable points.
At the very least, he was handsome… perhaps even more so than Minato.
But beyond that, no other obvious strengths stood out.
Especially a Hyuga attendant who secretly used his Byakugan to observe. He found this Sunagakure's delegation leader had a pitifully small amount of Chakra.
While a Shinobi's strength couldn't be judged solely by Chakra volume, this was too little… not even enough for a single Shadow Clone.
'Perhaps he possesses some special ability we can't detect,' The Clan Heads thought to themselves.
...
"This incident was an unfortunate accident. I hope it does not damage the friendship between Sunagakure and Konoha." After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Ryuji, Hiruzen ushered him to the main viewing platform. The others found seats in the surrounding stands.
"Of course, it's merely an accident. It won't affect Suna-Konoha relations."
"Then, regarding this duel..."
"It must proceed, of course."
Sensing Hiruzen's desire for a peaceful resolution, Ryuji firmly refused. "While this matter won't hinder Suna-Konoha friendship, if the grudge formed isn't settled promptly, it will only fester and grow. It might well cause problems in the future."
Hearing this, Hiruzen fell silent.
Ryuji's meaning was clear: If this matter could be resolved satisfactorily, all would be well. If not, Sunagakure's stance might change.
"...In that case, let the duel settle this grievance." Hiruzen paused, then declared, "This duel has no restrictions… no rules on victory conditions, no prohibitions on lethal force, no limitations on methods. After the duel, regardless of outcome, all past grievances are erased. No private revenge is permitted."
"Naturally."
Ryuji readily agreed, his gaze shifting to Setsuna and the elderly man beside him.
Setsuna's expression was grim, but the elderly Uchiha next to him seemed quite satisfied, nodding. "The Uchiha Clan accepts these terms."
"Good. Then, let each side present their participants. We will draw lots to determine the match-ups."
"That seems needlessly complicated."
Seeing everyone look his way, Ryuji smiled and pulled six blank cards from his pocket. "Hokage-dono, we each take three cards. We write the names of our participants on them, then draw from each other's set. The draw order will determine both the opponents and the sequence of matches. How does that sound?"
"This..."
Hiruzen glanced at Tsunade and Minato. Both could only shrug helplessly, indicating there was no alternative.
In the end, he had no choice but to agree.
"Then let's begin."
Ryuji handed three cards and a pen to Hiruzen. He then turned his back to the Konoha's contingent and began writing on his own cards.
'Hmph. Want to rig the draw? Not a chance.'