Pupet Master in Konoha

"Fire Boy King" is a sports-themed, youth-oriented TV series that Hideki had watched in his previous life.

Of course, this description sounds nicer than it actually is. To be blunt, it was just a large-scale yo-yo commercial.

So, even though the plot was boring, the dialogue awkward, and the actors lacked any real acting skills, as long as the yo-yo was fun enough and the cheap special effects were flashy enough, the show was still a hit with kids.

Even in his previous life, Hideki had watched it with great interest and spent a lot of his pocket money on it.

Ah, how he hated to admit the mistakes made in his youth.

But, as they say, the tail determines the head.

Although Hideki had always despised such cheap productions that treated their audience as fools, when it was his turn to direct, he found himself exclaiming how great it was.

After all, with a makeshift team consisting of him and his students, it was unrealistic to expect to produce anything truly good from the start.

Therefore, this tried-and-tested formula that made money with a bad movie model was the best option for him.

However, Hideki still had some artistic ambitions.

In order to be able to produce truly great works in the future and culturally invade the entire ninja world, he decided to cultivate relevant talents from now on.

So, even though he was making a bad movie, he didn't skimp on the auditions.

After all, the kids had all learned spy disguise techniques, so it should have been easy to find some good ones.

But what Hideki didn't expect was the opposite...

"Next, please pick up your yo-yo and shout, 'Silver Dragon from the Sky.'"

"Next, let's try a nervous expression, like you're in a hospital waiting for your wife to give birth."

"Next, do you have a freestyle?"

The little ninjas lined up and came forward one by one, performing various shows according to Hideki's instructions.

To be honest, although their acting skills were still a bit immature, they were already impressive.

But after auditioning a group of students, Hideki's brow gradually furrowed.

Teacher Yukiko, who usually taught camouflage techniques, was also pulled into help.

She nodded her head in satisfaction, but when she saw Hideki frowning, she quickly asked, "Teacher Hideki, is there something wrong with everyone's acting?"

Hideki smiled bitterly and said:

"No, quite the opposite."

"The problem is that everyone's acting is too good..."

Hideki began to realize the issue.

Acting skills are divided into different genres.

Just like a stage actor needs to exaggerate his facial expressions and make his movements larger so the audience can understand the character's emotions, this type of performance becomes very artificial and stiff when used in film and television.

Similarly, the acting skills of the little ninjas were originally meant for espionage work. They aimed for a sense of ordinariness that would make them blend into a crowd.

If this kind of acting was used for supporting roles, it would be impressive. But when it came to major roles that needed a strong personality, it felt out of place.

Not to mention that Hideki was filming the highly over-the-top "Fire Boy King" this time.

The exaggerated acting required for this drama was the complete opposite of the skills the children had learned since childhood.

Although the students were young and full of potential, they would probably master the style with a little training.

However, Hideki worried that when they carried out disguise missions in the future, they might accidentally break free from their exaggerated acting and become the brightest kid in the crowd.

So Hideki decided to stop pushing acting altogether.

He just wanted the kids to act like themselves, then find someone who matched the character's personality.

Sure enough, the casting process went much smoother this time.

For example, the role of the heroine Millie was naturally taken by the leader of the playgroup, Yuhi Kurenai.

However, this decision led to Asuma, who had been focused on preparing for the martial arts tournament, rushing in to sign up for the protagonist role.

It seemed this guy was self-taught and hoped to turn his fake love for Kurenai into reality on set.

What a pity...

Although the child wasn't unattractive, he looked unusually mature.

The type that made people ask, "Is this really an eight-year-old?"

It seemed his real youth would begin only when his age caught up with his prematurely mature appearance and he started exuding the charm of a more grown-up man.

It was clear that his appearance wasn't suited for the protagonist role of a youth drama, so Hideki decisively rejected his application.

However, Hideki also decided to use Asuma's earlier arrogance to his advantage, giving him the role of Mai Jun, a supporting character...

It just so happened that this character also liked the heroine.

When Asuma was required to show jealousy toward the male lead in the play, Hideki believed that this child could definitely deliver Oscar-level acting skills...

Other supporting roles were confirmed one after another.

But what troubled Hideki was that the role of the protagonist, Li Fei, hadn't been decided yet.

Although the yo-yo was the protagonist of this large-scale commercial, as it was the human-shaped pendant that appeared most often, Hideki still didn't want to compromise too much.

It wasn't easy to find a boy who was kind, calm, a bit immature, and decent-looking.

Aside from the fact that he lacked enough calmness, Obito was actually a more suitable candidate.

Unfortunately, his character as the class clown had become deeply ingrained in people's minds.

If he were to be the protagonist and act cool all the time, Hideki feared the audience wouldn't be able to empathize with the show.

So, even though Obito kept pleading with him after the audition, Hideki remained indifferent.

It wasn't until Obito's dream of becoming a star was shattered and he was about to leave with his friends in frustration that Hideki's eyes suddenly lit up.

He strode over, and as Obito's eyes filled with renewed hope, Hideki said to the younger boy next to him:

"You look unfamiliar to me, classmate."

"I think you fit the image of the protagonist for this drama. Are you interested in giving it a try?"

Judging from his clothes, hairstyle, and appearance, this boy seemed to be from the Uchiha clan.

But unlike other children of the same clan, who were usually cold and arrogant, this boy, though young, appeared exceptionally calm.

Though a round nose slightly reduced his attractiveness, it also made him more approachable.

In Hideki's mind, he was the perfect candidate for the protagonist.

Under Obito's surprised gaze, the little boy politely bowed and said:

"Hello, teacher. My name is Uchiha Shisui, and I just started school a few days ago."

"Thank you for the invitation, but I'm just accompanying Brother Obito to the audition. I'm not planning to be in the movie..."

Why did this scenario feel so familiar...

Hideki silently complained and then realized that the boy's name seemed familiar...

Shisui?

Instant body Shisui?

It was only then that Hideki remembered who this boy was.

Although in the original story, Uchiha Shisui only appeared in people's memories, based on Uchiha Itachi's admiration for him, his nickname "Shunshin Shisui," and the fact that he had the Mangekyō Sharingan at such a young age, this child was definitely another super genius who could rival Minato, Kakashi, and Itachi.

Especially his Mangekyō Sharingan's ability, Kotoamatsukami, which was known as the strongest illusion second only to Infinite Tsukuyomi.

It was a shame that this boy probably put all his talent into training.

He was so naive that he trusted the notorious Danzo, who took his right eye. This genius ninja would eventually drown himself in the river...

From Shisui's later life, Hideki drew three lessons:

1. Be careful of Danzo and never trust him.

2. If you have children, be cautious when naming them.

3. And most importantly, Uchiha Shisui should be easy to manipulate...

Why not be the one to fool him?

With this thought, Hideki's smile became warmer.

From what Shisui had just said, it seemed he was one of those talented kids sent to school to get ahead, rather than someone with movie aspirations.

No wonder Hideki had never seen him before.

Noticing that Shisui seemed to be only six or seven years old, Hideki wasn't in a hurry and simply said:

"Shisui-kun, you don't have to give me an answer immediately."

"This drama probably won't start filming until next week, so if you change your mind, you can always come to me."

"I'll think about it, Mr. Hideki."

Shisui politely nodded.

Hideki smiled and waved before walking away.

He heard Obito behind him complaining about Shisui not seizing the opportunity, but Hideki couldn't help but smile.

In the end, the protagonist wasn't the most important thing anymore. Meeting the future Shunshin Shisui was worth the ticket price.

Regardless of whether Shisui accepted the invitation, as long as he stayed at the school, Hideki wasn't worried he would slip through his grasp.

As for the protagonist role, if it didn't work out, Hideki would just use the transformation technique himself.

In that case, Kurenai might be the biggest winner...

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