Capítulo 26: Chapter 26: Bestowing Life... to a Puppet
With the paycheck in hand, not only did Tsunade feel like splurging, even Takashi felt a little itch to spend.
Of course, Takashi had no interest in going to the casino. Instead, he wanted to purchase a batch of high-quality material components to make a puppet. He had no desire to be the second "Big Spender."
Even though Konoha had few puppet ninjas, the village still had official channels for purchasing materials.
After work, Takashi said to Tsunade, "You go to the market and buy some groceries. I need to buy some more materials and parts. I'm running short."
"Go on, go on, don't waste time. I have important business tonight," Tsunade replied, waving her hand dismissively and urging Takashi to hurry up and return.
As for what the "important business" was, it didn't take a genius to guess: she had some money in her pocket and her hands were itching to gamble. Tsunade would never settle down until she lost every cent in her purse.
After buying the materials, Takashi returned home and made dinner. Once they finished eating, Tsunade lay on the couch, curiously watching Takashi as he busied himself.
From a sealing scroll, he took out all kinds of materials, including the corpse of an animal—a tiger, over three meters tall, and without the tail, more than six meters in length. Such a huge body would have made countless people from his previous life exclaim it was practically a mystical beast.
But in the shinobi world, such a creature wasn't considered anything extraordinary. In this world, gigantic beings the size of small mountains were commonplace.
The space in the living room was limited, so Takashi had to work with the smaller materials first. As for the larger ones, he would have to find an open area during his downtime. Otherwise, hauling those corpses out might just collapse the house.
Seeing Takashi implant various components into the tiger's body, Tsunade, who had been lying on the couch, now sat up. She was curious why Takashi would create a puppet like this.
Puppet ninjutsu wasn't exclusive to the Sand Village; all five major villages had puppet ninjas, though they were most common in the Sand Village. However, regardless of where the puppeteers came from, they tended to create humanoid puppets.
Even those puppets shaped like animals rarely used actual animal corpses. Most were assembled with parts, which often made them visually unappealing. And puppets made from corpses were a niche most found repulsive. After all, few people liked mingling with those who toyed with corpses, except maybe the puppet ninjas from the Sand Village.
Before long, various parts were assembled, and a few chakra threads floated from Takashi's hands. The tiger's body, which had been lying on the floor, slowly stood up. The three-meter-tall tiger exuded an impressive aura, but its movements were stiff.
A failure.
Tsunade glanced at it and quickly lost interest. To her, Takashi was overly focused on preserving the puppet's original form, making it effectively useless. It lacked the many offensive capabilities typical of puppets. What was the point of this puppet? Was it just a disposable tool? That would be far too wasteful.
Takashi stood in front of the puppet, seemingly deep in thought. He placed his hand on it, closed his eyes, and seemed to be sensing something.
What on earth was this kid doing?
Seeing him ponder and tinker with the puppet, Tsunade couldn't understand why he bothered. To her, the puppet was clearly a failure—either keep it as a keepsake or dismantle it for parts. If reused, he could at least get a tiger pelt and salvage some components.
People always have a special affection for their first creation, even if it's a failure. Tsunade felt she could understand Takashi's feelings. It reminded her of the pride she felt the first time she successfully brewed a special potion.
"You continue studying it. I'm heading home. I still have two lessons tonight," Tsunade said. She had been sitting idly for quite a while, and Takashi's entire focus was now on the puppet, with the same concentration Orochimaru had when doing his experiments. Realizing she was just a bystander now, Tsunade decided to leave early.
"Mm," Takashi responded absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on the puppet, not even bothering to turn and say goodbye.
"Take it easy. With medical ninjutsu combined with monstrous strength and taijutsu, you already have enough to protect yourself. No need to waste too much time on puppets." She turned and left, shutting the door behind her.
Hearing the door close, Takashi's lips curved slightly. Was making puppets truly a waste of time?
He lifted his hand and placed it on the puppet.
As chakra flowed into the puppet's control core, the once stiff tiger, which needed chakra threads to move, suddenly had its dull eyes brighten.
The puppet had come to life.
This was the real reason why Takashi made puppets. His Tenseigan could bestow life upon them, so he didn't need to create the traditional type of puppet used by Sand Village ninjas.
With life now infused into it, the tiger puppet moved nimbly around the living room, performing even the trickiest actions. The only problem was the floor creaking under its weight, on the verge of collapsing.
"Lie down," Takashi commanded, and the puppet immediately obeyed, settling quietly on the floor.
For the sake of his home's flooring, Takashi decided that future puppet-making sessions should be conducted outside the village. Though there were many hidden spots in the village, the Third Hokage had a habit of sitting in his office, watching everything through his crystal ball.
Takashi wasn't eager to reveal the secret of his puppets just yet. He planned to make a flying puppet next and save the rest of the materials for later. During the upcoming holidays, he would leave the village, find a secluded place, and take his time creating more.
He could also take the opportunity to test their capabilities.
In the following period, Takashi devoted most of his energy to puppet-making. Fortunately, he continued his daily work, ensuring his job wasn't affected.
Time passed quickly, and by the end of the year, Konoha was blanketed in snow. People on the streets wore thick, padded clothing, and the lush green village had transformed into a winter wonderland.
In the depths of his mind, Takashi sensed that the time for his Tenseigan's evolution was near—probably right after the New Year.
This kind of weather was perfect for wrapping oneself up in a blanket and staying indoors. Takashi yawned as he carried his purchases from the market. Getting dragged out early in the morning to buy things was a bit irritating, but with Tsunade being an unreasonable tyrant, he had no choice.
Kushina and Nawaki might shout a bit, but Tsunade was different—she'd march straight into the bedroom and yank the blanket right off of you.
Back home, Takashi began directing Tsunade, Nawaki, and Kushina in preparing for a barbecue. The grill was set up, Tsunade was in charge of the coals, Nawaki and Kushina were the runners, and Takashi handled the grilling.
The marinated meat on the grill soon emitted a mouthwatering aroma. With the spices added, Tsunade, Kushina, and Nawaki couldn't help but swallow their saliva. The meat smelled heavenly.
When it seemed just right, Takashi picked up the brush and began applying oil. After waiting a few more minutes, he announced, "Alright, you can start eating."
Before he finished speaking, Tsunade grabbed a fork, spearing a large piece of meat and taking a big bite.
"Mmm, so good... Ah, it's hot! Takashi, if you don't want to be a medical ninja, you could open a barbecue shop. You'd definitely make a lot of money."
"I want some too!" Nawaki mimicked Tsunade, grabbing a fork and biting into the meat, only to burn his mouth.
"Kushina, don't be like them, acting like starving ghosts," Takashi said as he cut two pieces of beef, put them on a plate, and handed it to Kushina.
"Thanks, Takashi, you're the best," Kushina said, her eyes sparkling with joy, forming crescents as she smiled.
Who are you calling a starving ghost?!
Tsunade almost choked on her food, rolling her eyes at Takashi.
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