Chapter 5 .1:
....
[Quest Successful]
[Quest: Welcome to Sunagakure!
Details:
1: Learn to manifest and use standard chakra threads used for puppetry in Suna.
2: Gain control over three puppets simultaneously.
Reward: Hiruko Puppet + Human Puppet Creation Technique
Penalty: None]
Kiba smiled slightly. Not one of those theatrical or victorious grins.... more like the kind you keep to yourself. Because finally… yes, finally… the damn system quest was complete.
Oh, It had taken him months. Years, actually.
Ever since he awakened his chakra at age four... clumsy and stubborn.... it had been a long road to now, nearly eight.
This didn't come from some magic "click." It came from practice, mistakes, frustration, and obsessive persistence.
Soooo..... Did he control the three puppets like the talented Yoshiro Jiki, that early genius who seemed to have been born with chakra threads already wired to his fingers? No.
But the system, for some reason, had decided his current level of control was "sufficient." And yea, that was good enough.
For now.
As soon as the notification faded, he felt that subtle magical buzz in the back of his mind.
[Human Puppet Creation Technique Acquired]
[Hiruko Puppet Acquired]
The puppet dropped straight into his inventory. One mental click later, and there it was.... as if it had just popped out of a sealing scroll… though much more discreet.
Kiba sat on his futon, stretched his fingers, and muttered a quiet, "Alright… let's see what kind of puppet I just got."
He remembered Hiruko. Of course he did. It was the favorite "puppet-armor" of none other than the damn Sasori himself. One of those legendary pieces of the ninja world. Armored, intimidating, packed with deadly surprises.
Kiba examined it closely, using his hands, his trained senses… and his chakra threads, tracing every joint like he was reading moving braille.
It was ridiculously impressive.
It had a solid rear shell, a torpedo-like left arm that could launch explosive needles in a fan pattern, a mouth-mounted senbon launcher, and an extendable iron tail that acted as both whip and shield. Even without poison.... because no, it didn't come with Sasori's deadly venom, which was kind of a letdown... it was a formidable tool.
And on top of that… he could climb inside it. Hiruko was a combat suit. A puppet-armored exoskeleton.
Kiba exhaled slowly, reining in his excitement. He flopped backward onto his bed.
"Sometimes, sleepless nights are worth it," he murmured.
Because yeah. He'd stayed up all night connecting, adjusting, testing. Not just the new puppet, but also the knowledge now crammed into his brain: the secret technique for creating human puppets.
That, however, was a whole different beast.
It wasn't a jutsu you could just cast. It was more like having an entire manual forcibly downloaded into his mind. He had the theory, sure.... how to preserve chakra channels, how to seal organs, how to maintain joint mobility without sacrificing durability… but actually crafting one required something Kiba didn't have: real-life experience as a puppeteer at least jōnin level. Oh, and a corpse in relatively fresh condition.
Not exactly a minor detail.
Besides… did he even want to use that?
"Well… not right now, at least," he said softly, as if someone might hear him in the house where he lived alone.... since his parents had left him the place and he'd chosen to stay there once he was old enough to move out from his grandfather's home, which hadn't been the most peaceful of environments.
He mentally filed that technique under "possibly useful in the future, but definitely shady for now."
So instead, he dedicated his time and effort to studying Hiruko. To experimenting with its mechanisms. To thinking about how to adapt it to his combat style, which already mixed taijutsu with puppets.... something very unorthodox in Suna, where most puppeteers kept far, far away from direct physical combat.
But not him. He was a weirdo. And he knew it.
He was starting to like it, actually.
Yeap... He was unique in his own way.
.....
.....
The next morning, elsewhere in the village, the Kitamura sisters weren't starting their day all that differently from usual.
"Hey, get up! Breakfast is ready!" shouted Yashamaru as he burst into his sisters' room with the energy of someone who had double sugar in his breakfast.
"Buaaaah…" yawned Karura, still buried in her blankets.
But the moment she felt the hug from behind, she frowned.
"Pakura! YOUR bed is UPSTAIRS!!"
"Ehh? Huh?" Pakura groaned, half asleep, rubbing her eyes like she was trying to remember what planet she was on.
"Why do I always find you in my bed in the mornings?!!" Karura complained, clearly tired of the situation. Once was forgivable.... but her sister had always done this!
"Mmm… I think because when I come downstairs to use the bathroom at midnight, I get too lazy to go back up…" Pakura replied, stretching without a hint of shame.
"Besides, it's super warm and cozy cuddling with you," she added with a mischievous grin and gave her sister an annoying hug.
Karura just sighed. At this point, she didn't even bother arguing. Pakura was just like that. Clingy, annoying… and for some reason, only ever treated Kiba with contempt. Well, not just Kiba.... she had that attitude with all guys, but especially with Kiba.
"HURRY UP, IT'S GETTING COLD!" Yashamaru yelled again.
…
After breakfast, the three Kitamuras headed off toward the academy. As always, with a mandatory stop: Kiba's house.
"KIBAAAA! ARE YOU AWAKE?!" Karura shouted without the slightest bit of shame, walking in like it was her second home.
"Yeah, yeah… good morning!" he called back with a raspy voice from inside.
Kiba had just gotten out of bed. Spending so much time last night 'studying' his new human puppet had left him completely wiped out. If it weren't for Karura, he'd probably still be asleep.
"Give me a minute…" he added, while scrambling to get dressed.
"Tch, he just woke up!" Pakura grumbled, sounding like a grumpy old lady.
"Well, he's not exactly a morning person…" Yashamaru laughed, always the peacemaker.
"Come on, hurry up! We're waiting outside!" Karura ordered cheerfully.
"Let's go, Karura, come on. We've already been late three times this month because of him! And today's the last day of classes!" Pakura huffed, arms crossed.
"Sounds good. Go ahead," Karura replied, not budging an inch.
And yep, grumpy Pakura stayed put, just like always.... complaining but never actually leaving.
…
Kiba finally came out. The door clicked shut behind him, and the four of them began running toward the academy.
"Sorry," Kiba said, admitting his fault. "I had trouble sleeping last night. I stayed up… working on a project."
They were clearly running a bit late… but if they hurried, they could still make it on time. Of course, Kiba could've reached the academy way faster than the others if he wanted to. But, like always, he didn't feel right just leaving them behind when they'd waited for him… something that always happened with Karura. And despite Kiba's insistence that she shouldn't wait, she always did.... for some damn reason.
"Idiot! It's always the same with you!" Pakura barked without slowing down.
"Come on, hurry! Quit fighting and run!" Karura interrupted, pointing ahead excitedly.
They were just passing through a street when, by chance, a familiar face appeared walking in the opposite direction.
"Rasa! Hey! I heard you've got today your early graduation match! So cool! You have to win, okay? We're going to be watching you!" Karura yelled at full volume, not missing a step.
Rasa simply raised his hand in greeting, as calm as ever. He nodded with confidence, as if confirming he'd absolutely win. Then he turned his head slightly toward where he knew Kiba was… and the two boys gave each other a small nod at nearly the same time.
No words were needed. Ever since their match, whenever they crossed paths, that was how they greeted each other. A small gesture of mutual respect. A ritual between two boys who had really gotten to know each other through battle.
And for shinobi, that meant more than a thousand words.
....