Chakra, Naruto and shinobi. One would think I went crazy in a hospital ward and now I am imagining things that are from the imagination of an author.
I still think my mind broke after that incident. Yet, the blackness that engulfed me and these few years should have put things to rest. It was not worth going over and over the death of mine.
Not that I have a long time to survive here, if Sasori's presence is any indication of the timeline.
Yes, the batshit, insane puppet master is in the same class as me. A prodigy, a real prodigy broken by trauma and the lost of his parents.
I understand him, I had a mother here once too. Then she died betrayed by Iwa, or Suna, I am not yet sure. Shaking my head and staring at the teacher's drowning on his own hubris of boredom.
Pakura was her name, with hair orange and green. With a fire inside her taking care of her own son, with no father or support from the village.
Put to fight in the second war and then… Such is life I suppose, one day you woke up and then the next one you are no longer here.
Isn't that right Sasori? The incoming puppet masquerading as a human. At least I still have Maki, the sweet adoptive older sister, though I do think she needs to finally get with someone.
Teenage love is important first step into growing as an adult, taking constantly care of me, and ignoring her normal life for duty doesn't seem like a natural way a human should live.
And smells like desperation and a futile attempt to escape from the reality that Pakura is no more.
Kinda ironic her son didn't end up grieving her more than the student. Though my mother did take Maki from the throes of being an academy genin and took care of her, taught her, feed her.
Glancing at the teacher who kept explaining the ideology of Suna shinobi, each for their own. Competitive for yourself and putting Suna first, and then you as the person.
Individualistic, cold and harsh. What a wretched place.
How did in such a place a person like Maki was born? How was my mother able to inspire and share kindness with someone else?
I have no answers, I have no one to talk with. Someone who could understand what I am seeking and answer those questions beyond saying that is human nature.
However, platitudes or not, human nature or not. I still need a person to talk with, being alone, except Maki-san, but Maki is more than a simple person in my life, and I would gladly be alone than to force her to watch over me.
The class ended, putting the books inside my pack and bolting out into the harsh sun, into the sand-filled world called Sunagakure.
Maki wasn't today in the village, some kind o guarding mission. Soon I will also join the shinobi force, being the last year of academy.
"Hey! Toshi! Wait up," turning my eyes towards a tanned kid from my class, Komushi? Karamushi? Something, something.
Raising an eyebrow and saying, "Yes?" From what I remember this kid was constantly glued to Sasori, his friend probably. If that entity can have friends that breach into his mental landscape.
Huffing and wiping the sweat from his forehead, while rubbing one of his eyes as sand entered inside, "I," taking a deep breath, "Wanted to ask for help," scratching his hair, "You see, I have some problems with chakra theory."
Looking at the ground as he refused to glance me in the eyes, "And Sasori is kinda busy these days, so," spoke like Konoha was upon him, "Couldyou pleasehelp me?"
What? No one noticed me, or my progress or anything when it comes to my shinobi skills. They are not exactly the worst, maybe in top ten, but that doesn't mean they are the best.
Sasori is the first in all, busy? Him? I bet he is fiddling with the puppets and you are scared of not ending up on strings.
To help him? It would take at best a few hours, it's not like we learn some deep technicalities or information. Just the basic theory of chakra being all around us, how the affinities are formed and how we mold both physical and mental energies to create the fuel for jutsu.
Got carried away. It's interesting, chakra in general is just deeply fascinating on how such an energy formed in this world and has influenced the history.
The kid coughed, "Hey, Toshi? So— You will help me? I will pay for a tea."
Free tea? Sounds good, and a few hours only of explaining to a blockhead the basic theory, "Okay, will do. To do it now? Have a place in mind, or here at academy?"
Karamushi, that was his name, right? Responded, "Uh, wait a second! I didn't think you would agree, uh, let me think" scrounging his nose and pouting his lips, lost in thoughts.
I was that scary or unapproachable? I didn't remember refusing anyone's plea for help, not that anyone came to ask for it.
"I got it! Let's go to steaming cups, right around the corner. The owner there makes good, good tea," rubbing his belly and beckoning to follow him through the twisted ways of Suna.
Clay houses, sandstone houses. Little wood, little green and a lot rocks. Like in the words of someone wise, too much sand.
The place, of course was also that shade of beige, two floors, a sign with a cup of tea and a few customers inside.
Glancing at the owner, a gruff man mummified in fabric, and only the eyes, black with eyeliner.
Was shocked at first they are using eyeliner, the explanation was that it's useful against the sun glare and keeps your eyes focused in the sand storms. Pretty cool, I think.
"So? What kind of tea would you want," raising his hands in air, "They have lots, black, red, green and yellow."
Black is bitter, red is strange, green is meh and yellow. Never tried yellow, let's go with that, "One yellow, and maybe some mint inside."
Focusing my eyes on Komushi, "What's the thing you don't understand in chakra theory, it's pretty basic."
While ordering for both of our tea, Karamushi said, "You see, why we need both mental and physical energy to create chakra? Why and how affinities are formed? Why we need to channel the process?"
Oh. These aren't exactly the exam questions, slightly narrowing my eyes, nor are their explained in detail in the book, let's see. Is he snooping around Sasori's experiments? Could be.
Let's give him an honest answer, free tea is good, "First, because both mental and physical energies are incomplete, they are just one side of the blade, you could, technically channel only physical energy, but even then, it's still needs a smudge of mental, or also called yin."
Sipping from the tea as it arrived, "Affinities are a somewhat mystery, or I haven't found the answer yet in the books. From my understanding it's just luck and genetics," shrugging as I locked my eyes on him. What is this Karamuchi planning?
To channel the process. To mold the chakra into the jutsu, to use them for murder or for other, less, bloodthirsty things. One could claim chakra isn't at fault that the only use for it was war.
I will say that was the natural response to a natural energy engineered for offensive capabilities.
Komushi rubbed his eyes and tried to stop an yawn, "I know my stay around Sasori did rub on me, still, I am not on your two level, so could you dumb it down, please?"
Dumb it down? If I do continue lowering the explanation you would do some mistake and get yourself meddled into Sasori's experiments, "Just, okay."
Sighing, as I was not in the mood to send a kid to some hapless mistake, "Both mental and physical are needed. Chakra is both mental and physical, with one you mold, with the other you create the effect."
The cup of tea was cold. Komushi was nodding as his eyes were shinning, "Ah. I finally got it! Thanks. Like, really thanks you."
"About affinities, I got it, though why we need to channel chakra? Could you, somehow make it happen automatically?"
So that was it. Was it you who gave Sasori the ideas for human puppets? Automatic chakra channeling, I don't think it's possible, you would still need a source, already channeled or it to remain.
Chakra has a tendency to meld back into the world after getting out of the human system. You could catch it with seals, I suppose, and using puppet strings, made of chakra conductive material.
"Because think of your chakra nodes as a furnace, the way you keep the fire going is by combining those two elements of chakra. Basically it needs the human chakra system."
Bitting his finger and having a lost glaze into his eyes, Karamuchi then hit the table, "Yes! So, if you could capture or recreate a human chakra system, you could make a process to channel the chakra into justu!"
That was a dangerous thought for someone so young. There was only one step from theory to practice, and that was experimenting with humans. Komushi, if you keep on with this, you would end up on Sasori's table.
Should I intervene? Not like there are no ways to attack the idea, "Well, yeah. Though it would still need a person to start the match, for the process of channeling to start. For example there could be human puppets," observing carefully any expressions on Komushi.
There was none, only a dumb smile, "It would still need the puppet master's chakra link to move and to make jutsu."
A slight confusion appeared on Komushi, pouting his lips while eyes tried to find an answer or understanding, "So, it's basically the same as having normal puppets?"
"Yes, with depending on how much you have access to sealing knowledge, and chakra theory, you could make them do jutsu."
"That makes sense," nodding thoughtfully, "You are really amazing Toshi, I am glad I asked you for help," fire burning in those coal-like eyes, "do you want another tea? And let's go out more, I loved talking with you."
You loved talking with me? Or you are simply like a canine who seeks company of others and are contain to sponge information that is of no value for you. Though, I could meet Sasori this way.
That person. Should I do? Do I really want to change the future and the outcome of the story?
Can I, a nobody, to influence a world and change its trajectory? And am I enough to do it for the better? I don't posses the answer to that question.
I don't have enough key information to make a capable guess, when unable to attack, retreat for a later date.
"Thank you, Karamushi-kun, I would indeed like another tea cup, as for going more, will see. Though, not with Sasori, I have a slight distaste for him."
Komushi raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Ne, Toshi-san, my name s Komushi, okay? K-o-m-u-s-hi, not Karamushi," then he gave me a side-eye, "Why do you dislike Sasori? He is a good guy, just, ah, a bit cold."
"He gives me strange vibes. My sister always tells me to listen to my gut feelings. Most of the times they end up saving you, I suppose, even if I don't entirely agree to base your safety on residual animalistic instincts," maybe this way Komushi will get a worm inside the brain.
When interacting with Sasori he will remember our discussion, and maybe, just maybe he will survive.
"He isn't that bad, he teaches me about plants and poisons, human anatomy and the cleanest way to cut through tendons," raising a finger to his lips, "Well, uh, when I put speak about them out loud, yeah, they do sound weird? I think? But we are shinobi."
Komushi shrugged, "Sasori just has strange interests, he wants to be an artist, how amazing is that," as the fanboy in him appeared on front.
Well, I tried.
Crossing his arms and puffing, "And he is my friend. Not that you aren't one of my friends, still, we need to be kind to each other. If not, who would be? Konoha?"
I did a slight nod that I understood, "True. We should stick up closer, especially now days."
Komushi prickled, getting down from the chair, "What do you mean by that?"
Lapse of thought, how to twist this around?
"The world is dangerous, heard that the daimyo stopped the contracts for our village, and that there are more risky missions," keeping a straight face.
He rubbed his chin, "Maybe? I haven't heard such stuff, but probably you are right," shrugging as he left in tow with me the tea shop.
The sun was falling down, Komushi waved at me as he left for his home. I stood there, in the middle of Suna, around the buildings of sand and their shadows.
With no one else. Alone.