Watanabe Sōjirō Puppetry request

Shortly after Sōjirō's eighth birthday when Sō went to go have his daily training with Ichi his big brother Ichi had apparently gotten an idea over night and had asked him a question right at the start of his training Hey Sō how would you like to become my assistant with my little street show I and while we are at it I can teach you how to become a puppet master. That sound like a good idea to you?

That would be awesome I always wanted to be able to use a puppet like Ai and rumor has it that a single puppeteer can be more devastating than a team of shinobi of equal or lower rank. And in some cases they can even be as powerful as shinobi of higher ranks than they are. Sō said as a big grin spread across his face at the thought of one day being able to use puppets to assist him in fighting. Ichi just burst out laughing at his brothers enthusiasm. Sō tilted his head inquisitively at his brother What is so funny, come on lets get started.

Okay, okay lets see, you remember how what I taught you about walking on water right. Sō closed his eyes and after a couple of seconds he nodded his head, Well Kugutsu no jutsu is essentially the same idea just instead of focusing your chakra to the souls of your feet you are instead focusing it to you finger tips initially from their you concentrate it outwards forming it into strings that you will then attach to the puppet snaking its way through your puppets body turning it into its nervous system. I know it sounds complex and I would be lying if I said that it wasn't but after you get the hang of it it becomes real simple. Kugutsu no Jutsu also has more uses than just manipulating puppets you can also use it to control weapons in place of and more effectively than ninjawire. In fact here practice making the strings and attach it to this. When you can pull it out of the ground with your chakra then we will move on to actual puppetry.

Sō nodded as he tried to process what his brother just said about how what the specifics of the jutsu were. While Ichi pulled out two of his kunai and stabbed them into the sand a few feet in front of Sō. Ichi then went and stood next to Sō who watched intently as his brother just put his hands together as if for a prayer then when he separated his hands a single blueish string shot out from his index finger to the ring of the kunai and with a single twitch of his finger it flew out of the ground and started hovering around him. Sō mimicked his brothers motions focusing his chakra much like he did with the walk on water technique except to his hands. Sō then tried to get it from the tips of his to the ring of the kunai much like his brother did. Slowly a strand of chakra started to move from Sō's right index finger to the kunai that was sticking out of the ground. The strand attached itself to the ring as a smile spread across Sō's face and as he twitched his finger pull the kunai out of the sand but suddenly the chakra string disappear as if it was an elastic that broke off of the kunai and was sent flying. Sō tried to make the connection again this time the strand moved quicker as it connected itself to the kunai. As Sō twitched his finger the kunai moved a little so he tried a little harder this time the kunai completely dislodged itself but came flying at Sō flipping around to be blade first in the process Ichi's finger twitched as the kunai that was still floating around him went flying knocking the one that Sō had moved out of the air.

Well Sō I got some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that you managed to move the kunai out of the sand with the Kugutsu no Jutsu the bad news is that you died in the process Ichi said with a laugh as he returned both kunai to his hand with just a twitch of his finger. Well bro I think that is enough for today I really don't want to have to figure out how I would explain you getting one of my kunai stuck through your head to mom and dad.

No I want to practice some more I know I can get it I just lost focus when I dislodged it I know I can get it. Besides you're here so nothing bad is going to happen to me. So what is their to worry about Sōjirō said looking up at his brother with a kind of pouting face. Ichi just put his left hand up to his face and dragged it down shaking his head the entire time. He then exhaled deeply as he threw one of the kunai into the ground attaching the other one to a chakra string waiting for Sō to mess up yet again. Yay thank you Ichi.

Sō then calmed himself down and went back to focusing his chakra. Slowly but surely a strand of chakra moved from his index finger to the ring of the kunai attaching itself. Sō exhaled slowly as he moved his index finger this time the kunai came out and Sō kept his concentration so it more or less stayed hovering a few feet in front of him. Sō moved his finger around watching as the kunai moved to his every command then with one final motion it moved to his hand where he caught the handle before flipping it so he was holding the tip of it before handing it to his brother. Okay now what.

Now we go into the workshop for part 2 of this training. Ichi said as he holstered his kunai before walking into the house. When they got into the house Ichi lead the way to one of the back rooms that with their parents permission and help they turned into a little workshop where they would just tinker around and work on the puppets that the two were designing. There where two workbenches each lined up against opposing walls with a path in the middle there where four chairs in the room two at each station so that the brothers wouldn't have to worry about moving the chairs around as the went from station to station. On the workbench that was closest to the door lied Ai Ichi's first puppet kind of half put back together because Ichi decided to make sure that all of the joints were properly lubed before his next mission. On the other lied the blueprints that Ichi and Sō had been working on for the last three months. Once they where in the room they closed and locked the door behind them as they always did. Ichi went over to the workbench that the blueprints were on and pulled out a couple of mini-mannequins that where pretty much miniaturized versions of base practice puppets. Your task now is to be able to completely manipulate one of those with just your chakra. When you are capable of doing that then we shall move on to full sized puppets after that you we can see what we can do about getting you your own puppet.

Ichi then went and sat down in front of Ai and started to get to work on her joints being very meticulous about it. Sō placed the mini-puppet on the ground in the walkway before sitting down at the workbench with the blueprints on it. He focused his chakra back into his hands as he tried to connect with the puppet that is currently standing on the floor. The strands of chakra started to stretch slowly reaching out to the puppet from each finger tip when it connected to the puppet Sō tried to move it by moving his fingers but I lied their unresponsive. Sō kept on trying to move it by moving his fingers until their mother called for them to go wash up for dinner. Sō went washed up and ate dinner in his normal quiet manner as soon as he was done helping clear the table he and Ichi went back to the workshop to continue what they were doing. Sō sat back down in that seat and went back to trying to get the puppet to respond to his commands. That when on for about a week before Sō finally broke down and asked Ichi What am I doing wrong I am connecting the chakra strings to it like you told me too but it doesn't respond to anything I do

The problem is Bro that you are connecting them to the surface yes but puppetry requires you to fill the puppet with the strings making them become its nervous system so that you in fact have total control over their movementsIchi said as with a flick of his wrist strings connected to the puppet on the floor who then climbed up the bench and opened up the drawer and immediately two more puppets just like it and one that looked like a Miniaturized Ai came out of it and. Then a fight seemed to break out between the three identical puppets and the one that looks like Ai much like what happens during Ichi's puppet shows. Then as soon as the show was over all of the puppets but one jumped right back into the drawer and that last one jumped off of the edge of the work bench kicking the drawer closed on its way down to the ground once it landed the strings detached from it and it collapsed down lifeless again. You see you where trying to control it as if it was that kunai or a normal marionette but you see these puppets I make are designed to require the nervous system to do anything at all. Here try this when you go to connect with that thing close your eyes and picture your chakra filling up its body like veins and arteries

Sō took his brothers advice this time rather than just trying to connect at the surface he went and closed his eyes and pictured the strings of chakra entering in through the puppets back and spreading throughout the miniature-marionette and he moved one of his fingers before he opened up his eyes the puppet was standing. He moved his fingers a to see what motion did what. After about a half hour or so of just practicing to see how it reacted to the different ways he moved his hand he had the thing marching around like a miniature soldier. Ichi turned from Ai to watch as Sō started to get the puppet to do back flips Good you were able to get it to move now try to make the required connection without the visualization.

Sō broke the connection as he tried to remember what the connection felt like when he was pretty sure he had it memorized he sent out his chakra strings again connecting them to the puppet and as he moved his fingers the puppet moved but it was sluggish and relatively unresponsive not like it was before he broke the connection so he broke the connection and reformed it. Each time the connection was restored the movements became more fluid until it was moving until it was exactly like when he was first able to get it to do so. Just to make sure that this wasn't a fluke he broke the connection and reconnected again. Sure enough it was moving like it was before though that was the case Sō was extremely exhausted and decided to call it a night so that he and Ichi can pick it up in the morning.

The next morning Sō woke up to find a note on the stand next to his bed underneath the miniaturized Ai the note said. Sorry bro I got called away this morning I should be back some time later this week practice with the mini-Ai till I get back then we shall move on till your next step. Sō did as the letter told him too practicing with the mini-Ai until the end of the week when his brother returned to the village with one of his teammates half slung in between both him and the other one that went out on the mission with him when he came back after reporting in he slumped down as he removed Ai off of his back Sorry I left without saying good bye bro here I was allowed to borrow a practice puppet so here practice with this

Ichi pulled out a scroll out of one of his pockets nicking his thumb spreading the blood across the face of the scroll and in a puff of smoke a puppet appeared that stands slightly taller than Sō appeared out of the scroll Ichi then fell back and near immediately fell asleep. Sō left the room heading outside into what could barely be called a yard with the puppet slung over his shoulders. Sō sent out his chakra strings this time connecting to the puppet near instantly though it took a bit more force for him to be able to get it to respond. Man bro you didn't warn me that using a full sized puppet was this much effort oh well I guess it is too be expected because of how much heavier this thing is in comparison to the puppet that Ichi had me moving earlier. It was late in the night when Sō finally stopped his training for the day. Ichi oversaw his training the following day as they continued. About a month or so after Ichi's last mission he and Sō started to work on sparring through the use of the puppets. Well bro you are still rather sloppy with your control of the puppet but you are getting better. Lets go to the scrap yard I want to see if we can find things to make the mini-puppets for the rose sisters

Sō nodded his head and Ichi put the puppets away before they went on their way to the junk yard where Sō got attacked from behind by a couple of people looking to get their hands on Ichi's amulet and before Sō lost consciousness he saw his brother use the kugutsu no jutsu one sharp piece of metal out of a scrap heap sending it through the two that attacked them and pinned them to something in a pile behind them. Sō woke up about a year later in the hospital stiff as hell, when he looked around the room he saw Ichi sitting next to him looking as if he hasn't slept well in months. You look like you have been dragged through hell how long was I out.

Oh its only been about a year or so yeah. I am sorry about not reacting fast enough to get them before they got you but I was caught off guard Ichi said as he started to cry putting his head down on the bed crying into his little brothers shoulder.

It is okay Ichi I am fine a bit stiff and ready to leave this place but fine none the less. Sō laughed as he winced from the pain on his back he reached over and patted Ichi on the head.

The doctors reluctantly let Sō go by the end of the week on the condition that he didn't push himself too hard quite yet. Sō ignored the doctors and the day after he got home he went back to training with the puppets against his brother. Sō and Ichi trained whenever the both of them had free time up until Sō's birthday where Ichi approached Sō. Sorry that I am currently unable to give you a puppet of your own but Ai here has served me well but it is time that I passed her on to you take care of her okay.

approx 2727 words

Jutsu Requesting

Spoiler:

Rolling... 26 approved noob ~~