Welcome my children of the night to the first in a series of Naruto themed horror stories written to celebrate the holiday of Halloween! I prefer to call it, Naruto: The Horror Chronicles. For those of you who don't know because your from a different country, Halloween is a holiday in America where children dress in costumes and go from door to door asking for candy which people give them. It's a general celebration of everything creepy and I love it! I love to spend Halloween eating candy and watching horror movies. It's the only time of the year I really watch many horror movies actually. While I'm in the spirit of the holiday, I'm going to write 7 terrifying Naruto short stories. They'll all focus on different characters and have totally different plots. The only thing linking them will be that they take place in Konoha or near it. As some of you may have guessed from the title of this chapter, this particular story will follow Kankuro as he works for Sasori, the owner of the last remaining puppet shops in Konoha. There's something about puppets that some people have always seemed to find creepy, and I can't say I blame them when you see the way some of them are designed. This will be one of my shorter chapters, as the story doesn't require a ton of explanation for some of the elements. Most will be longer than this. Sorry this intro was so long, but I had to explain what I was doing. Now lay back, and prepare to be terrified.

"Maybe from now on puppets can do the parts...they can fight it out between them."

Helena Bonham Carter

It was a room that had seen many horrors in the short time it had existed. The room always had a distinct scent of blood and medical equipment, a sickening smell the would make a person nauseous to be inside of it. In the center of the room there was an examination table, with straps on the side so that no one may escape from it. Next to the table was a cart, with tools on it. They were the tools of a man named Sasori, a man who owned Red Scorpion Puppet Shop, the last puppet shop in Konoha.

Sasori was a quiet man, with red hair and a thin build, but he was not exactly a people person. He greatly prefered the company of his puppets, and he was a master of crafting them. It was a passion for him, creating puppet. For him, every cut had to be perfectly smooth and all of the joints had fit together in just the right way. Creating a puppet made him feel like most people felt when they made love, completely and utterly blissful.

However, Sasori had slowly started to become bored with making his puppets. He tried taking on an apprentice, a young boy with brown hair and muscular build named Kankuro, but that only broke his boredom for a short while. Kankuro had caught on to the craft very quickly, so Sasori hadn't needed to do much work with him.

Finally, after much searching, Sasori had found something that satisfied him. He found that he could give himself more of a challenge if he used harder to work with materials. It started out with something simple, he used metal, then stone, and plenty of other interesting things. One, night, purely by accident, Sasori found the last material he'd ever work with. A material that was so beautiful to work with, he never wanted to work with anything else ever again.

Sasori could smell wood being sanded as he walked up the stairs from his shop's basement to the main floor. Kankuro must have been hard at work, creating his next masterpiece. The boy was incredibly skilled and Sasori felt he might even surpass him one day. If the boy kept up at his current rate, he would be able to move up from wood to trying out his first metal one. Metal was next easiest to work with, since it light and bendable, sort of like wood.

He got up there and found Kankuro was putting the finishing touches on his best creation yet, Crow. It was made to look slightly like a human, with four arms and multiple eyes. It had a long black mane and sharp teeth. Crow was terrifying and unsettling, not the kind of puppet you'd use in a kid show. A true artist didn't make puppets for kid's shows though, they made them to be a work of art.

Sasori walked over and examined Crow, "Beautiful craftsmanship and it draws out a clear reaction from people. Excellent work Kankuro."

Kankuro did his best not to beam from the praise. He thought very highly of Sasori, "Thank you sir, it's an honor to hear you say that."

Sasori put a hand on her shoulder, "Nonsense Kankuro, there's no need to so say something like that. You and I are friends."

Kankuro was focused on his puppet, but he still hear what Sasori said, "Yeah, like my only friend. The guys I go to school with find this to be a pretty weird hobby."

Sasori had a similar problem when he grew up. People thought what he did meant there must be something wrong with him, "People like us don't need to make friends with people like them. They are the puppets, and we are the masters."

Kankuro had heard him use that saying often. It meant that they had found what had made them truly happy in life, and those who hadn't just didn't understand. They were puppets who just kept following the crowd, "That's my favorite way to look at it. Hey Sasori, if we're friends, then can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Sasori said like it was nothing, "Ask me anything you'd like."

Kankuro had been wondering this for a long time, "How come you won't tell me what you do in the basement? You're down there for hours upon hours a day, but you refuse to tell me what you do. Do you not trust me or is it just really personal?"

Sasori, who had been rummaging through old parts up to this point. Suddenly stopped and got nervous. He had to answer the next question carefully, as it could have catastrophic results if he said something stupid, "I guess that you could say it's a little bit of both. I do trust, but this is an extremely personal matter and I have to be very careful about who I tell."

Kankuro looked a little down, "Oh, okay. I understand."

Sasori really did like Kankuro, so he felt kind of bad about all this. Kankuro was the only person he ever saw as being worthy of being his apprentice. He thought that he might even be able to share his darkest secret with him. Maybe there was something he could do, If he felt Kankuro was worth it, "Kankuro, what do you think my work?"

Kankuro practically got starts in his eyes. Most people annoyed him, but Sasori was almost like a god, "Of course, it's the most brilliant stuff I've ever seen! The flawless way they move, the dark gritty way they look, and the way you use the material are just fantastic. I'm getting to watch the master at work!"

Sasori was pretty satisfied with that answer, "Good, now do you think that there should be limits on what an artist is allowed to do?"

Kankuro had to think about that one for a second. It was hard to really think of an answer for this one, "Well, I can't really think of anything. I would say that it should be something that can't harm people, but that might be too limiting for certain things. The best an answer I can come up with is an artist should know where to draw the line."

Sasori felt that was a very reasonable answer, "Okay, it sounds like you and I are pretty much on the same page. How about you come by early tomorrow and I'll show you what I do in the basement. Maybe I'll even teach you a little bit about how I do it."

Kankuro didn't need to be asked twice, "Of course! What time do you want me to be here?"

Sasori thought about that for a second, "Oh, I think that an hour early should do it. Will that work for you?"

Kankuro wouldn't have said no, no matter what Sasori had asked, "Of course, I'll be there an hour early on the dot. I've gotta get home, but I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you so much for this."

Sasori smiled as he watched Kankuro leave, "See you tomorrow indeed. Let's hope I've made the right choice with you."

As Kankuro was running out, someone else was walking in. Sasori hadn't ever met him before, which would make things easier, "Hello sir, may I help you?"

The man looked around and nodded, "Yes, you can. I'm hoping to buy one these for my son, his birthday's coming up."

Sasori got something from under his desk and scowled, "These aren't children's toys sir, they're art."

The man nodded as he examined one of the puppets, "I know, my son is 23 years old. He's a fan of darker forms of art and I think he'd enjoy one of these."

Sasori lightened up a little at hearing that, "I see. Well in that case, please look around and find one that you think he'd like. I warn you though, a lot of work goes into these. They're expensive because of that."

The man seemed a little uncomfortable, "I'm not looking for what I like to be honest. Stuff like this creeps the hell out of me, but my son loves it. Nothing against the guys who make them, I just think you've gotta be kinda fucked up in the head to make stuff like this."

"Clearly he's a puppet and not a master," Sasori muttered under his breath.

The man turned to him and asked, "What was that?"

A small hammer became visible in Sasori's hand, "Don't worry about it."

He hit the man in the head with the hammer, knocking him unconscious. Sasori gave a dark smile as he grabbed the man by the shoulders and started to drag him somewhere, "Good bones structure, a nice bit of muscle, and you seem pretty clean. You'll be perfect for Kankuro's big day…"

Kankuro felt like he was about to explode, he was so excited that Sasori was gonna share his greatest secret with him! This meant the man he admired most truly trust him. He was going to the shop right now to see him, which meant it was almost time to find out the truth. It really bugged Kankuro that Sasori was afraid to show him something, but now he could show him that he was worth being trusted.

He pushed the door to the shop open, but Sasori didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. Just the usual puppet parts and tools. Kakuro called out, "Sasori, you here?"

His teacher could barely be heard from downstairs, "I'm in the basement Kankuro! It's unlocked, so come on down!"

Kankuro opened the door to the basement and went down, immediately being hit by the smell of the place. It was pretty bad, and Kankuro almost thought about turning around, but he wasn't gonna do something like that. He ran all the way down, the smell getting stronger as he did.

Sasori was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, blocking a hallway that had doors on each end, "Hello Kankuro, I'm so glad you could make it."

Kankuro could hardly contain his excitement right now. He rarely showed this much emotion, "Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Sasori started to walk down the left end of the hallway, "The first thing I must show you is my gallery. It's where I keep my best work. You should feel honored, because I've never shown it to anyone else."

"Oh yeah, I'm very honored. To see something that's your best work, now that's gonna be amazing," Kankuro replied, the smile never leaving his face.

Sasori walked over to the door and opened it, "Well then behold, the greatest examples of my genius."

He opened the door, revealing one of the most shocking things he'd ever seen. It was a cement room, with three puppets chained to the walls. However, they weren't typical puppets. On each wall hung a human corpse that had been cut up and put back together like a puppet. Some kind of chemical seemed to have been used on them, likely to harden the skin. All of them had different alterations made to them. A woman had been shaved and spikes had been put into her head, a man wan had his right and left legs switched. Another had pieces of it's skin cut off to make various symbols.

Kankuro looked around at all of the blood and macber that surrounded him, "Sasori, what is all of this?"

Sasori looked over his work with pride, "They're my masterpieces! A human canvas, what could possibly be better? You can give the work true emotion, true life! Don't you see how beautiful all of this is?"

Kankuro just kind of stammered, "How...how did you even come up with this?"

Sasori walked over to one of puppets, adjusting it's leg, "There was a man who came to my store, seeking to rob me of my work. It took some effort, but I was eventually able to subdue the man. For me, subduing him meant he had to die. At first I thought that maybe I should call the police, but then I saw the look on his face and the way sprawled out on the floor. It made me realize just much real emotion my puppets were lacking."

Kankuro swallowed hard, "Which one was he?"

Sasori pointed to the guy on the right side of the wall, "Oh, that's him. He was my first. With him I was able to convey such fear and passion! There's nothing more powerful to work with than flesh and blood."

Kankuro had fear in his soul, "This is all...I mean this is all just…"

Sasori knew how the boy was feeling, "I know, I was skeptical at first too. When I started with all this, I felt disgusting, but when I saw my results...it was like magic."

"You wouldn't kill me if I said no, would you?" Kankuro asked, his voice shaking.

Sasori shook his head, "No, of course not. You're a master, like me. Just because humans are my canvas, doesn't mean they have to be yours. I do ask that you tell no one else about my hobby though, as I know they wouldn't approve."

Kankuro couldn't deny the amazement of the human puppets, "I wasn't saying no. How do you know the police won't find you and arrest you? Or worse?"

Sasori felt confident he wouldn't be captured, "All they know is that these people were missing. They told no one where they were going, so all the cops would know is that someone went missing. We're totally safe here. These people are puppets, they're not truly happy. We're just freeing them from their mediocre lives, that's all."

Kankuro's heart was racing. This was all insane, it was so much for him to comprehend. If what Sasori said was true and they couldn't be caught, then why not? Puppets lived a sad little life, there were better off as tools for the masters. As crazy as it seemed to sound, Kankuro had a hard time fighting Sasori's logic, "I guess that I could try it… at least once I mean."

Sasori's eyes suddenly lit up with anticipation, "Yes, I knew you'd give it a shot. Please, come with me. I've got something I just have to show you."

Kankuro found himself lead down the hallway to the room on the other side. He got inside to find a man was strapped to the table, completely knocked out. It seemed that he was still alive, as he was clearly breathing. Sasori walked over to a small try that was next to the table and handed it to Kankuro, "As the artist, I'll let you choose how he dies. I wouldn't recommend slitting the throat however, as that's very messy and difficult to clean up."

Kankuro looked over the tools on the table. There was a hammer, a knife, a blowtorch, and many other things. After much debating, Kankuro picked up a syringe and a small bottle of toxins that he knew would kill the man fast. Sasori seemed intrigued by his choice, so Kankuro explained, "I don't want to damage any of the skin. I'd prefer to have more to work with."

Sasori got a look of understanding on his face, "I see. Well I can't fault you for that. I'm going to stand back and let you craft at your own pace. If you have any questions, I'll be right behind you."

Kankuro gave a short nod and turned to the man, putting the syringe in his arm. There was no turning back now. Just like his hero, he was a true artist.

For the next few days, Kankuro spent as much time as he could at The Red Scorpion. A true masterpiece took time to make. Sasori had taught him everything he could've ever wanted to know about making a human puppet. Moving limbs, removing skin, taking out bones, hardening the body, and so much more. The man Kankuro was reinventing was someone Sasori felt was deserving of this treatment.

There had been a small amount of fear caused by the man, due to the cops coming to the shop to ask about him. However, Sasori kept his cool and simply said that the man had been here, but left and never returned. The cops had no reason to doubt him, since this was the first time they'd questioned him. Sasori knew that he could move away from Konoha if need be, so he was still pretty safe.

After day's of cutting, slicing, and rebuilding, Kankuro was finally finished. When he was done, he stepped back and admired his work, just as his master had done. The man's eyelids had been cut off, causing him to stare at you constantly with unsettling eyes. His legs had the bones taken out of them, causing them to just hang there lifelessly. The arms were twisted around and switched and his lips had been cut off, causing his teeth to show. That was just the basics of what Kankuro had done, but even if he'd just done those few things is would be unsettling.

Kankuro couldn't believe it, but this whole thing made him so alive, "Wow, look at it. I did that, I made something that draws out ture horror and fear in a person. This is truly art."

Sasori was very proud of his apprentice, "Well done Kankuro. I feel you have quite a future in the art of human puppetry."

Kankuro had one issue though, "It's nice, but it's just not perfect."

Sasori didn't understand, "What do you mean? I think it looks fantastic."

Kankuro frowned as he looked at his creation, "It is fantastic, just not perfect. There's not enough emotion in the man's face, ya know? A man is good material to work with, but a master would be better."

Sasori started to see what he meant, "I suppose you're right. Perhaps one day you and I can go find a master to make a puppet out of?"

Kankuro turned to Sasori and got a rather dark smile on his face "Don't worry, I've already got the perfect person in mind."

Kankuro had been holding a large butcher's knife in his hand that Sasori hadn't thought anything of. He thought something of it now though. The younger puppeteer swung at him with the knife hard, Sasori barely avoid it cutting his neck open.

Sasori took out a small knife the he kept in his pocket and tried to stab Kankuro with it. It didn't even phase the younger man who dodged it easily. They were dead set on killing one another and turning the loser into a puppet. It was brilliant battle of two madly disturbed men.

Kankuro got a good slice on Sasori's arm, making the man screaming. Sasori retaliated by burying his knife into Kankuro's shoulder and pulling it out quickly. It wasn't quick enough though, as the younger puppet master then swung his knife right into Sasori's gut. Blood slowly began to pour from Sasori, who fell to the ground.

Sasori found Kankuro standing over him, "You've been a great teacher Sasori, but every teacher get's surpassed someday. It was an honor sir, but now it's time to become true art."

This wasn't how Sasori was gonna go out. He used all of the strength to lung up and stab Kankuro just below the groin, hitting his carotid artery. When hit, that causes a person to bleed out in a matter of minutes. Kankuro fell to the ground as well, dying with his teacher. The two of them looked at one another, but there was no anger in their eyes. It was respect that they shared with one another. They were artist, just trying to make the best art that they could.

Sasori gave Kankuro a bloody smile, "Death by a fellow master...I can think of no better way to die."

Kankuro couldn't have agreed more, "Yes...thank you Sasori...for making me a master…"

Those were the last words the two ever spoke. Two artists laid in their own blood, dying together, surrounded by human puppets. It was a macabre masterpiece.