The Puppet Show (Private, Training)

Chakra Threads:

'So... I can actually use chakra to control objects... puppets... like Ichirou-kun...' The purple-haired girl was sat alone in one of Konoha's Training Grounds with an open scroll out in her lap. She had been reading it avidly, because it included everything about Kugutsu; the art of controlling puppets, becoming a puppeteer. It seemed to make sense to her that she should learn this skill, because it was not only something she enjoyed, but something that she remembered her old Academy sensei encouraging her to do. He had told her that her chakra control was perfect for Kugutsu, and she had the ability to keep up with enemy movements with her hands. She was decent at Ninjutsu, which would help her wield these 'Chakra Threads' too, apparently. So that was how she had found herself here today, with this scroll open and her first puppet, Ichirou, sprawled at her side. His one blinking wooden eye remained open, staring up at the cloudless sky, while his other eye which had been carved and painted, kept its fixed gaze slightly off-centre at his 'mother'; the one who had created him with love and care. He had a mouth carved half in a smile, and half in a frown for whatever reason Chikami had deemed it necessary. Perhaps so that he could be happy and sad in his own ways, even at the same time if he so wished.

Why yes, she treated him like a human being. Just like her beloved marionette, Ken-Ken. Thinking about him made her tilt her head to the side and down to the utility belt she wore. With great care, she opened up the large pouch at her left side to gently pull out the small marionette that she had made all those years ago. She had handled him with care, and made sure that the bullies hadn't gotten anywhere near him for fear of him being destroyed. "I reckon that practicing with you, Ken-Ken, will be easier because you're smaller than Ichirou-kun." She spoke openly and affectionately towards the inaminate puppet cradled in her hands. Very gently, she moved the scroll away from her, but still within arms reach, and placed the marionette down in front of her on the floor, his wooden limbs sprawled out in numerous directions. She pushed herself up onto her knees and leant over slightly, her hands held out in front of her much like paws as she was unsure how to hold herself or anything of the sort.

After all, she was teaching herself how to do this technique. She remembered reading that this was of C-Rank difficulty, which made her a little dubious of her ability to perform it properly. And how was she even going to start? The scroll didn't give any useful tips about how to learn the technique, merely how it was useful and what it did. 'Strings, huh?...' She thought, holding out her hands and stretching out her fingers individually on each hand. Her eyes briefly flickered shut and she started to concentrate on the shape of a string, something very simple to do. Next, she started to charge her chakra and push it towards her hands. She pictured herself pushing the chakra into her fingers, long and thin, and then started to imagine the chakra flowing out of her fingers like the string she had pictured in her mind.

Quite some time passed, and she could feel sweat beading on a brow from the concentration required for this technique. Chakra moulding was difficult, but eventually, she started to have some success. When she next opened her eyes, blue threads were protruding from each of her fingertips, around a metre in length each. Well, that was more than sufficient for her first try. She flexed her fingers and directed the threads towards her marionette, focused on attaching a string to each limb on Ken-Ken. The remaining threads fed into his back. Slowly but surely she picked him up using the threads, and started to control him freely using her chakra. She gave a delighted laugh as she watched Ken-Ken dance around in a jolly fashion, his wooden joints clicking while she made him salute and bow. This was it; her own private puppet show.