"Is something wrong, Lord Kusuo?" Natsuhi asked, noticing his gaze.
Kusuo quickly shook his head. "When we reach the Land of Water, do not use your chakra as you just did unless it is absolutely necessary. The technique you just used has already drawn a great deal of attention."
Natsuhi's expression dimmed, but she nodded in compliance. She hadn't intended to unleash such power; the combination of her fire chakra and the Peacock Method was still difficult to control. She looked down at her hands and noticed the faint burn marks on her palms, a side effect of her own chakra erupting from within. This was the one major drawback of the Peacock Method: the fire chakra would inevitably burn its user.
Kusuo walked ahead, with Natsuhi following closely behind. "Lord Kusuo's strength is truly extraordinary," she thought, her eyes filled with admiration and worship. Kusuo sensed her gaze but pretended not to notice. It was only natural for the strong to be admired. He was not only revered by Natsuhi but by many others as well.
Their journey to the Land of Water was long, the distance from the Hidden Star Village considerable. Even after traveling for some time, they were still far from their destination. If Kusuo were alone, he would have arrived long ago, but Natsuhi's presence slowed them down significantly. Unable to use the Peacock Method, her speed was further reduced.
"There's a dilapidated house ahead. We can rest there," Kusuo said, sensing the change in Natsuhi's condition. Though she appeared fine on the surface, her internal chakra flow was chaotic. If she didn't rest soon, her chakra pathways could be permanently damaged.
Natsuhi paused for a moment, then nodded. The abandoned wooden house was the only shelter in sight. She entered first, and Kusuo followed, closing the door behind them.
"Regulate your chakra," he instructed.
Natsuhi immediately closed her eyes and began to circulate her chakra. The previous battle had been the first time she had consciously mobilized her fire chakra, and her inexperience had caused significant damage to her body.
Kusuo sat down and took out the two scrolls he had taken from the Star-nin. "Puppet Jutsu…" he mused, examining one of the scrolls. He knew Orochimaru would never give away the original so easily; this was likely a copy. Given Orochimaru's habits, the previous experiment had been a success, and it wouldn't be long before he sought another village for his twisted research. Kusuo was still unclear about Orochimaru's purpose for collecting the tailed beasts' chakra. In the original story, he had primarily used the Reanimation Jutsu. But now, not only had he resurrected the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but he was also deeply involved in the Mizukage's plans.
"Lord Kusuo, my body has mostly recovered," Natsuhi said, breaking his train of thought.
Kusuo put down the scroll and looked at her. Through his Transparent World, he could sense that her chakra had stabilized considerably, though it had not yet returned to a normal state. "Your chakra is not yet fully under control. You should rest more."
Natsuhi looked at him in surprise. "Lord Kusuo, you…"
"Say no more. Just focus on adjusting your chakra," Kusuo interrupted. He had his own reasons for bringing Natsuhi on this mission. For now, at least, she could not be allowed to die or suffer any permanent harm.
"I will do my best to train," Natsuhi said, resuming her meditation.
Kusuo returned his attention to the scroll. It detailed a jutsu for creating a "perfect puppet" by transforming a living person using chakra. The puppets created this way were not only powerful combatants but could also use ninjutsu in battle. The chakra threads controlling them were nearly impossible to detect.
"I wonder what kind of person could have developed such a jutsu," he murmured to himself. He knew that in Orochimaru's hands, this technique would be pushed to its absolute limits, and likely modified even further. The Hidden Star Village was just one example.
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