Learning the Puppet Technique

Kakuzu replied in an unfriendly tone, "Brat, I'm not interested in joking."

"We're about to part ways, aren't we? I was just joking to lighten the mood." Anyo took out a scroll and offered it to him.

Kakuzu did not take it immediately. Instead, he asked, "What's this?"

"I'll probably be staying here for a while. This is the intelligence I've collected on the various nations lately, along with some of my guesses. I'd like you to help deliver it to the Konoha White Fang, Uncle. Of course, this isn't covered by our hired assignment. I'll pay extra."

Wars between nations involved not only their own Ninja, but also hired Ninja, so with Kakuzu's abilities, he could certainly deliver the intelligence. The only question now was whether he was willing.

Kakuzu looked at Anyo in silence for a while before finally accepting the scroll. "Having me deliver intelligence will cost you a hefty fee."

Delighted that he had agreed, Anyo said, "Problems money can solve are easy to deal with. Just name your price, Uncle."

In the end, Kakuzu quoted a price that was not particularly high and slowly headed toward the outskirts of Sunagakure, with Anyo following along to see him off.

"Brat, once we part this time, we probably won't meet again." For some inexplicable reason, Kakuzu actually felt a little reluctant to leave. It had been many years since anyone had spent so long with him and remained alive. This brat was probably the first person he had never wanted to kill.

Anyo gave him a brilliant smile. "Uncle, we'll meet again. I hope you'll give my last proposal some serious thought the next time we meet."

"Proposal?" Kakuzu paused, recalling the brat's fanciful talk of wanting to establish an organization. This time, he said nothing and simply turned and left.

Not long after Kakuzu left, Ebizo appeared beside Anyo. "Young fellow, it seems you've made your decision."

"Of course. Hello, Teacher." Anyo bowed very politely in greeting.

"Haha!" Ebizo laughed. "I don't even know your name yet, and you're already calling me Teacher."

"Oh, my name is Kurotsuchi." Anyo picked a name offhand. After all, he certainly could not use either Anyo or Baiyun.

"Kurotsuchi, is it? A good name. It sounds dependable. Come, welcome to Sunagakure." Ebizo held out a hand, leaving it suspended in the air, his eyes expectant. Clearly, his sole condition for teaching the Puppet Technique was that Anyo join Sunagakure.

As perceptive as Anyo was, he understood instantly. Smiling slightly, he reached out and shook his hand. "My honor."

That day, Anyo put on Sunagakure's distinctive forehead protector. From then on, Sunagakure had another Puppeteer named Kurotsuchi.

From the moment he began learning, Anyo displayed astonishing talent. His dexterous hands controlled the puppet strings to near perfection. He could master several basic Puppet Techniques almost instantly and could even control them simultaneously.

Ebizo grinned from ear to ear. He knew he had found a treasure. This talent was probably far greater than his own or his sister's.

Anyo rarely went out and never asked about village affairs. As he learned, he also studied books on the Puppet Technique. The Puppet Technique originated with the Second Kazekage, Shamon, and Monzaemon developed and researched it for use in combat. The most formidable in battle were the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu. Each of these ten puppets had its own weapons, Ninja Tools, and means of attack, placing extremely high demands on the Puppeteer. They were currently in Chiyo's possession.

That meant that during the previous battle against Hanzō, Chiyo had known she could not stop him from leaving and had not used her strongest Puppet Technique, keeping some of her strength hidden.

Generally speaking, a Puppeteer's strength was proportional to the number of puppets they controlled. For example, when you first learned the Puppet Technique, you needed all ten fingers to control one puppet. Once your strength increased, you could control ten puppets with a single finger. In theory, this could scale up indefinitely, provided you were capable enough.

Thus, being a Puppeteer was a profession with limitless possibilities. Yet its weakness would always remain: the Puppeteer's own body. Anyo understood this very clearly, and in the time he had to spare from learning the Puppet Technique, he never stopped honing his swordsmanship.

In the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed since he arrived in Sunagakure. Apart from Konoha, Sunagakure was probably the place where he had stayed the longest. In just two short months, Anyo had fully mastered the yearlong study plan Ebizo had prepared for him, even exceeding it.

Ebizo's greatest strength lay not in controlling puppets, but in making them. This suited Anyo perfectly, and it was precisely why he had chosen to stay. His ambitions were a little grand, however: he hoped to make a puppet that could fly.

Should he ask his teacher and see if he could get some inspiration? Acting on the thought, Anyo went to his teacher's office, but found no one there. Had he gone fishing again?

Just then, a childish little voice rang out. "Are you looking for Grandpa Ebi? He's not in the village."

Anyo turned around and saw a boy of about six with red hair, exceptionally delicate features, and an adorable face walk out.

"You are?"

The child said in his little voice, "My name is Sasori. Grandpa Ebi isn't the only one who left. Granny Chiyo left too. They seemed to say there was going to be a war."

"A war? That shouldn't be happening."

Anyo found it a little strange. Had Hanzō really remained locked in a stalemate with Sunagakure for so long after Chiyo discovered his weakness? Was he too strong, or was Sunagakure too weak?

"I heard they're fighting someone called Konoha." Sasori's words gave Anyo a sudden shock.

Damn, so it was two great nations fighting all along. No wonder. Forget two months-they could fight for two years. Looks like I'll have to research this on my own for now. Anyo grew a little dejected.

Sasori asked considerately, "You're Grandpa Ebi's student, right? I hear him praise you a lot. What did you want to see him about?"

What would a little kid know? Anyo said casually, "I want to build a puppet that can fly, so I came to ask him about it."

"Ask me! I know how." Sasori grinned proudly.

"You?" Anyo asked in surprise.

Seeing that Anyo did not believe him, Sasori grabbed the hem of his clothes. "Come on, I'll show you my treasures."

Anyo was led by Sasori into a small room, where several cute little puppets sat on the windowsill.

Sasori picked out a bird-shaped puppet and pressed its wing. The little bird actually flapped into the air, though it soon lost power and fell to the floor.

Although it could not stay airborne for long, Sasori really had not lied. He did know how to make flying puppets. This little guy is a genius. Well, I suppose we can talk.

Anyo abandoned the idea of going back. A familiar smile appeared on his face, and he clapped his hands. "Sasori, you're amazing. Come, let's work on this together. We'll build a big one."