While Takara could leave right then, he first passed by the cemetery and cleaned Maki's gravestone. It was a bit odd not to encounter Temari as usual, but he didn't pay much attention to it and left when he finished meticulously.
As he momentarily returned home, he reflected on where to go first. It was strange to call that place his home, when there was nothing to return to...
He quickly decided that his first stop would be to carry out the mission in the capital of the Land of Water, during which he would release the toxins throughout the territory to locate Utakata and his future student, Hotaru Tsuchigumo.
To be honest, he was interested in both.
Utakata is the jinchuriki of the Six-Tails, while Hotaru has her Tsuchigumo clan kinjutsu implanted on her back.
A forbidden technique by the Third Hokage himself with the potential to wipe out one of the great villages: Dohatsuten.
His objective for the journey is quite clear. While he can move at greater speed using various of his creations instead of conventional means of transportation, he will take his time to try to learn the basics of senjutsu.
Because if he manages to seize Hotaru and turn her into a resurrected with Edo Tensei, while substituting the necessary chakra for Dohatsuten with natural energy, it will be no different than having a walking bijudama by his side.
Even if he fails to substitute the energy, the unlimited chakra supply to the technique makes anyone attempting to seal it have to deal first with massive explosions launched by an immortal around them.
But before all that, he had a pending matter for a long time, too busy to give it proper attention.
"What do you feel?"
Takara was in his workshop, watching with interest the puppet of Haku after subjecting it to the technique of the Reincarnation of One's Own Life through the control of a captive genin, one of the last ones he had left.
"I feel... fine, but it's strange to have these sensations," replied the puppet of Haku, now with its own life, as it stroked its cheek with curiosity. "Overwhelming, perhaps, is the most appropriate word."
"What do you remember?"
The puppet frowned for a long minute, trying to find words to express itself. After all, it had just "been born" a few minutes ago.
"I'm a puppet," said Haku, relaxing his brows. "You made me with your own hands."
"You give me purpose."
"You give orders and I will fulfill them."
Takara remained silent as he listened to his first living and thinking puppet, turning around to examine it closely. He wouldn't lie, he was a bit fascinated by the results.
"Who is Haku?"
"I am, it's the name you gave me."
"Who is Zabuza?"
"I don't know," the puppet shook its head.
There were no memories of the identity of its original self, despite its behavior?
"Use an Ice Release technique against that target," Takara ordered, indicating the target with his thumb.
The puppet of Haku remained momentarily stunned before performing a series of seals with a single hand:
"Ice Release: Swallow Snowflakes."
Several ice needles were thrown at high speed and pierced the wooden target, leaving it heavily damaged. Takara approached to remove and examine the ice needles, nodding as he saw that they were identical to the ones he knew.
"How was it?"
"At first, I didn't know what to do, but soon I felt an... instinct? I guess," it was clear that it still needed to get used to its state as "alive" and go through a period of adaptation. "Then I knew what I had to do, and my body moved, although it seems like I consumed more chakra from my battery than I should have. At least, I have the feeling that I shouldn't have spent so much to use this technique."
"That's interesting, very interesting," Takara continued with the tests, and the result was more than excellent in his opinion.
It seemed that it didn't retain the original ego, but rather formed a completely new one that used the abilities of the previous one and its knowledge, but not memories. It would carry out his orders, but its personality could alter the way they were executed.
Essentially, if he were to now use the technique with another puppet like Tsunade's, he would get a loyal Tsunade, capable of acting on her own, thinking, and making decisions, with a personality similar to her state when she was alive or rather, a personality that Takara perceived she should have.
Of course, not everything was as perfect as it seemed.
When giving life to a puppet, it needed time to "remember" its abilities and become familiar with them again; it also had to adapt to its new state and "eat" more chakra to replenish and sustain itself.
It was like implementing an AI that simulated the character to whom life was given.
Takara wasted no time and used the Reincarnation of One's Own Life on puppets like Nakime, Shaka Vegapunk, Tsunade, Shizune, 2B...
If it weren't for the fact that the amount of vitality at his disposal was already depleted due to the lack of sacrifices, he would have also given life to some puppets he kept in the warehouse.
Anyway, he could always take some people from the Land of Water.
As for the remaining ninjas, he turned them into chakra dispensers through Edo Tensei so that his puppets could recharge their batteries whenever necessary, entering a state of "hunger" when their chakra level was low.
The recharge room was named: The Dining Room.
It wasn't original, but it's not like another (living) person would see his workshop.
"It's time to learn Senjutsu."