After dealing with Komushi, we returned home with the news that I'm no longer allowed on Guard Duty.
For me it's great, it means I can focus all my attention on making my puppets.
But Komushi, he remains hard stuck on working, despite the danger he could face. No matter how much his mother or Granny Chiyo tries to dissuade him on his decision to remain doing his precarious job, he has shown his will to continue is unfaltering.
Since my first real combat experience there has been a few key points to take away: One of which, is my physical prowess, my aim is to become a puppeteer, however in order to ensure I don't become completely reliant on my puppets, I have decided to work on my speed.
In particular, the body flicker technique. Fortunately, due to my late parents scroll stash, there is an abundance of different jutsu's for me to learn.
When I had initially come across all those jutsu's, I had naively thought that focusing on making puppets would turn out to be enough , I mean just look at how Sasori ended up becoming a Kage level powerhouse in the future. But after my near death encounter, it quickly dawned on me how vital taijutsu and physical strength is for me as a puppeteer, especially since I don't have plans to convert myself into a puppet anytime soon.
"Hmm, this doesn't seem to bad"
Upon unwinding the scroll, the contents inside seemed to be more straightforward than I had originally anticipated.
All I have to do is concentrate chakra to the sole of my feet with a single handed seal, release it all in a burst at once and jump.
Obviously good coordination and chakra control is a must to perform this. I have the latter but the first condition is something that is trained.
So, while still in my parents room I decided to try it out.
I formed the hand seal for gathering chakra planted my feet and then…
Thud!
"Ouch!"
I crashed face first into sandstone wall…
"I guess I should try this outside", I said while rubbing my sore forehead.
I should go to the public training grounds since now that I'm a shinobi I should have access to it.
Wrapping the Sunagakure headband around my head, I left the house and headed to the training grounds.
Once I arrived, I continued to practice the body flicker technique the same way I had done in my house.
Channel chakra to my feet, release it all in a burst and aim to flicker forward .
It was easier said than done however.
When I had performed it again, I ended up tumbling over with sand coating my clothes, as I fall face flat into the ground.
"What is that kid doing?", a random passerby mumbled to himself
I gritted my teeth as I rose back up.
"I won't give up", I continued to do it. Again and again until…
I was able to finally perform a successful flicker foward.
In a flash, my body smeared out of place, sand flinging up as my feet landed on the ground.
I had done it.
My body flicker jutsu didn't really take me that far, only about one metre but I still managed to travel near instantaneously.
Although I managed to do it, It definitely still requires more work in the future
But I'm satisfied for today.
I still need to get back to building puppets, my puppet making skills recently has stagnated. I need to build even more, to continue improving my craftsmanship.
So over the course of the next few months, I've practiced my body flicker jutsu in the training ground, progressing from travelling from around one metre to three. Moreover, I've also finally gotten to making 8 more high quality puppets.
Although they're all just reiterations of my tarantula puppet, each one is progressively better than the last. Wquipped with more features and enhanced durability.
[Puppets (0/10) - Completed(3)
Puppet and Baryon fusion reactor knowledge (1.0%)]
Once again, I've fulfilled the requirements for 10 puppets and in doing so, I've gained the same benefits as last time — an increase in knowledge— due to this, I've come to an epiphany, one which involves incorporating chakra metal threads into puppets producing more fine tuned movements and higher precision.
Recently, when I've been building puppets, most of my actions are subconsciously done and with the efficacy of a master at his craft. Of course, I couldn't have done this without the assistance of the system.
So since I've accrued such an idea, it's time I make my second masterpiece.
The issue is that Chakra metal threads aren't so common in ninja tool stores. I need to obtain the same chakra metal used in chakra blades.
Hmm… maybe I should ask Granny Chiyo first.
Knock Knock Knock
"…"
"Is she not there?"
Thinking she's not inside, I opened the door to peek inside but to my surprise, in place of her was an elderly man with bandages around his head and long eyebrows, it was my Grand-Uncle Ebizō.
"Oh! Little Sora, what a welcome surprise"
"Oh it's you Grand-Uncle…
I came here to ask for some puppet parts. Where's Granny Chiyo?"
"You guys, always obsessed with your puppets"
"My sister is treating a young kid in the hospital who got poisoned, he accidentally ingested some poison, so I'm here in place of her to do some research."
"Oh… what's the kids name?"
"I believe he went by Komushi"
"…"
"What! Komushi ingested poison!?"
"Oh, do you know the young man?"
Not answering Ebizō, I hastily left to inform Sasori.
Chances are, the poison he ingested is Sasori's custom blend and for Granny Chiyo to have a chance to treat that poison, she must know the formulation prior to form an antidote.
"Sasori! Komushi accidentally ingested your poison and he's in the hospital!"
I exclaimed after rushing into his workshop
However, he wasn't there...
"Huh? That's strange. He's typically always here? He must be somewhere else"
I searched everywhere however , he was still nowhere to be found.
"He must be outside the house, out of all possible times for him to have gone out"
…
Under the blinding white lights of the operating room, the poison has spread to his upper chest causing a deep purple hue of necrotised flesh.
"Aaah!", Komushi yelled in agonising pain.
"How could you ingest you're own poison?" Chiyo muttered in a sorrowful tone.
"Granny Chiyo, it's not his fault", Komushi struggles to say in a laboured tone
"I'm the one. It was me who messed up"
"Where is Sasori? What is the poisons blending ratio!?"
However, by the time Sasori came back home and I could inform him of what occurred it was already too late…
When we arrived Komushi's face was covered and his motionless body lay there on the operating table.
Komushi had already passed.
"Please heal him, please I beg you", Komushis mother's pleaded in tears whilst grabbing onto Sasori's clothes.
"Heal him please, you reattached his right arm didn't you? That means his left arm can be attached too, his legs, his body."
"You can even fix his soul, I know you can, please just give him back to me"
"Please… Just give me back my Komushi…"
Sasori listened to her cries with an emotionless face and listless eyes.
After Komushi's burial, we returned home late at night.
Sasori looked out of it, as expected, and he instantly returned to his workshop.
This time however, it was far longer than usual…
—-
A week later
"Sasori's really locked himself up in that unilluminated workshop for a week"
Komushi's death really must've hit him hard and here I thought he was a sociopath that liked to make human puppets.
Komushi's death was painful for me, I've gotten really close to Komushi recently, so his death took a toll on me.
This past week I've just been lazing around, the grief the of losing someone I had a close bond with, really set in.
In this time of mourning however, I came to the realisation , life in the ninja world can be taken so easily, I must get even stronger.
In Chiyo's study
Chiyo was sitting at her desk looking at the original poison formula paper that Komushi handed to her.
She was reminiscing to a time when she asked about Sasori
-
"So tell me how has Sasori been lately"
"Eh, pretty much the same as usual but recently he has been working on these really small puppet parts and they look just like real human hands!"
-
She also remembered how Sasori gave Komushi the prostethic arm with poison, Chiyo gasped as she came to an epiphany.
"It can't be, it's probably a coincidence"
"But… something's off"
Chiyo deciding that something seems suspicious ran across the hallways towards Sasori's workshop
"I hope my fears are ungrounded", she thought to herself
She barged into the dark workshop
Behind columns of puppets, Sasori was at his desk tinkering away at puppets parts.
"I don't like to make people wait, from what I can see, I thought there would be a little more progress", Sasori grumbled to himself
"Sasori! What are you doing?!"
"I've just barely managed to get it to the standard size"
"Sasori!" Chiyo said as she began to approach him
Clink Clink Click
Suddenly, a puppet threw a high kick at Chiyo, she it blocked with her arms.
Woosh!
A palm accelerated toward Chiyo, released a hidden blade, stabbing in her direction.
"What?! It's Komushi!", Chiyo exclaimed as she dodged the attack and disabled the puppet that resembled Komushi.
The puppet fell to the floor but rose back up
Clack.
Clack.
Clack.
Komushi's puppet slowly walks foward, as Sasori's gets up from his seat and walks towards Chiyo
"As requested this model is done"
Chiyo's pupils dilate in shock. She lets out a gasp as her hands trembles.
But she wasn't the only one in distress.
Peeking out the corner of the door, a red headed kid watched this scene in horror.
"No way…"
Slowly stepping back I came to the realisation that Komushi was a catalyst for Sasori's fanatical obsession with human puppets.
I didn't even realise this whole entire time, and there's nothing I could've done to prevent it as well.
I naively thought that being positive, trying to socialise Sasori would change his eventual trajectory, yet it seems that Komushi's death was inevitable, not that I knew it was going to happen, and Sasori would take Komushi's mothers pleas literally, creating the first human puppet .
"Sasori… don't tell me you used Komushi's corpse"
"I don't like to make people wait"
Sasori's monotonous response alone answered her question.
However for Chiyo, the answer was ambiguous and not wanting to enquire further, she began to leave the room, in fear of hearing something she would regret.
Noticing Chiyo walking towards the door, I hurried away towards my room shutting the door closed.
"There's no way"
A cold sweat trickled down my face, no matter what I could've done, it seems that Sasori's path may very well be set in stone.
Whether it's betraying and leaving the village or joining the Akatsuki.
I don't even know when Sasori decides to kidnap the 3rd Kazekage so I can't prevent that, all I can do is endure the aftermath and try to survive.
How should I even treat Sasori now that he's gone down the human puppet rabbit hole.
Even though I had a feeling it would eventually come to this, it still surprises me.
Maybe deep down inside, I really thought my presence could change him, I guess that only works for Naruto.
The next month
The events of past month have really traumatised me. I haven't had the energy to make my puppets or do my training.
Although what has occurred also serves as a stark reminder to myself to continue training.
So slapping my own cheeks, I amped myself up and decided to finally get to work on making my next generations of puppet.
"Hopefully this time Granny Chiyo is in her room".
Walking to her study I approached her door
Knock Knock
"Who is it?"
"It's me Sora"
"Oh, Little Sora", she says with a solemn look to her face.
"Come in"
I enter her room, scrolls and important documents lay scattered around.
"How's Sasori been?"
"Uhh.. he's doing fine?"
Recently Granny Chiyo has distanced herself from Sasori even further than she usually has.
Before she used Komushi or me, as a means to talk to Sasori but now she's afraid to even ask me.
"Granny Chiyo, could you lend me some Chakra metal", I requested, deciding to break the awkward silence.
"Hmm, that's quite expensive little Sora"
"I'll see what I can do, come back next week and I'll be able to prepare you a small amount"
A week flies by and Chiyo was able to use her influence as the prestigious counsellor to get some Chakra metal.
The problem now is converting this bar of metal into thin threads.
I could just ask the blacksmith, since they make metal threads regardless, for use with kunais and shurikens.
And so, I went to the blacksmith and paid for my chakra metal to be turned into metal threads.
After the arduous process of gathering materials concluded, I finally got to building my puppet.
A day later
With bags under my eyes I muttered:
"This masterpiece shall be named Mantis"
[Puppets (1/10) - Completed(3)
Puppet and Baryon fusion reactor knowledge (1.0%)]
The puppet contains the last features as the previous tarantula puppet but this time each extremity has fine tuned precision and thanks to the chakra threads interwoven into the joints the physical strength has increased ten-fold.
This puppet could probably outmuscle the Raikage, only in terms of pure strength.
I've also used the threads to recreate the raptorial claws of a mantis, hence the name.
Now that my puppet is complete I'm going to show it off in hopes of getting commissions.
Then maybe I can get paid to create puppets like Sasori.