The Tales of Chikimatsu's Pupil

"Alone in the Dark"

By: Wolfeluck

Jizo's technique created a mist of poison vapor from his sweat. A water technique, it enveloped the forest, killing small animals who breathed the toxin in. Saemon and Sakura were not aware that the mist spreading towards them was poisonous, but they did notice immediately after breathing in the vapor. Saemon quickly summoned Koumori and flew away into the night, concentrating hard on keeping themselves aloft. Sakura was already unconscious, slung over Saemon's shoulder. She was starting to writhe in pain from the vapor's effects.

Soon after gaining a safe distance on Jizo and the two ninja who had fled from his technique, he landed Koumori on a cliff face, where he created a cave using an earth style technique. He brought Sakura inside after reverse summoning Koumori.

"Sakura? Are you alright? Sakura?" he said.

Sakura only flinched and grumbled from the pain of the poison.

"Sakura? I'm going to perform a medical technique on you. It's going to hurt, so try not to move too much, alright?" Saemon worried that he now wouldn't be able to fulfill his own personal mission. If she died, he'd never be able to apologize for what Sasori had done to her and Chiyo, as well as everyone who became his puppets.

Chakra glowed in the palm of Saemon's hand after he fashioned a flurry of hand signs.

"Secret Technique, Snakes of Blood!" he exclaimed. He placed his hand on Sakura's stomach, and the blood from within his own body became like tendrils, burrowing into Sakura's bloodstream, trying to extract the poison. Sakura screamed out in intense pain, but Saemon restrained her with his chakra strings. The tendrils inside Sakura were absorbing the poison, lessening the pain and keeping the tissues from becoming necrotic. Eventually, the poison was successfully extracted from Sakura, and Saemon expelled the poisoned blood that threatened to end his life as well if he didn't remove it.

After a few moments, Sakura regained consciousness.

"Sakura? Are you alright?" Saemon watched as Sakura sat up, holding her head.

"Hm? What's going on?" Sakura seemed hazy, trying to remember what had happened. "What happened? Saemon?"

"It's alright, now. You were poisoned by that Jizo guy."

Sakura remembered the strange mist that Jizo had spread from his body. She ran a hand over herself, checking to see why she wasn't feeling the effects of the poison.

"That's strange. If I was poisoned, why don't I feel anything?"

"I extracted the poison when we got here."

"I'm not going to ask how you did that." Sakura felt somewhat embarrassed that she'd been saved by someone who wasn't a medical ninja like herself. It was such a short time! How could he have drawn the poison out so quickly? Who was this man? What about his puppets? Why did they seem so human?

"Well, anyway, thanks! I mean, you did save me, right?" Sakura was still embarrassed. "Now, should we go and find Naruto and the others?"

"No, we should wait here for now. Inside this cave we're safe, and I suspect Jizo and those other ninja will be looking for us. Besides, I'm not even sure all of the poison has been neutralized."

"It should be fine. I feel great, actually." Sakura ran her hand over herself again, making sure that whatever Saemon had done to extract the toxin had taken all of it out.

"No, our safety right now is paramount. Regardless of how well you are now, it won't help us if we get poisoned again by Jizo." Saemon tried to make it sound like they wouldn't survive in the open air. It was just as he'd wanted it.

"Well, alright. If you insist. I suppose it makes sense in the long run." Sakura hunkered down, making herself comfortable in the hastily crafted cavern. "So, what do we do now?" she asked.

"I don't know. It might be best if we planned out a battle strategy when we do meet those ninja again," Saemon said.

"Tell me a story…something about yourself. To pass the time," Sakura said. "Ever since you joined our mission with Shikamaru, you haven't told anyone anything about yourself. I'd like to hear something."

Saemon was surprised to hear those words coming from Sakura. He also knew this was his opportunity.

"Sure. Where should I start? I suppose I could start in my younger days. Those were some harsh times. My teacher, Chikimatsu Monzaemon, you know he developed the Puppet Technique, right? I was his best student."

"Is that why those puppets are so different than any I've seen?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. You see, I possess a bloodline trait that prevents me from aging rapidly and can heal my wounds with my chakra. Long ago, my clan could awaken this power within themselves, but they couldn't do so for their aging. They were renowned as medical experts, since they deeply studied their own bodies for different applications. I developed the most advanced form of the trait, the first in my clan."

"That must explain how you took out the poison in me," Sakura said.

"Yes, it was. It's one of the techniques my clan used to use. Anyway…

They eventually died out in a dispute over land, and I was left alone. I was no older than yourself. I eventually met Chikimatsu, and he taught me the use of puppets in battle. His own puppets were only wood, and he often preached that the wood determined the quality of the puppet. After many battles with other ninja, I found this to be false. Their prowess in a fight far outmatched the weak and flimsy bodies of the puppets I'd originally created. They were no more powerful than samurai, because they couldn't use techniques like normal ninja. Then it got me thinking, what if I used a real human body instead?"

"The puppets you use…are made from…people?" Sakura gulped saliva down her throat.

"Yes, they are. They were all enemies I killed during the Ninja Wars. I'd often scavenge battle fields, looking for ideal corpses to transform into puppets. I'm sure you're familiar with the technique."

"Yes," she said. Sakura looked down, seeming sad.

"Tell me, how did you kill Sasori?" Saemon asked.

"How did you-"

"I know very well that you and Chiyo fought Sasori when he kidnapped the Kazekage."

"Then, answer me this!" Sakura became serious, her thirst for knowledge about the puppets Saemon had been using so far becoming even thirstier. "Did you teach Sasori how to make Human Puppets?"

Saemon thought for a moment. His chance at redemption was at hand. He found it strange it was pitch dark.

"I did, and I regret all of it. When Sasori came to me, he was your age, maybe younger. He was eager for something beyond his experiences. He wanted knowledge and understanding. I gave it to him when he learned of my existence. Sasori refused to leave me alone, so I taught him the technique. He was really quite a shy kid, but he was also a fierce and very cunning ninja. It was only later that I learned of his betrayal towards Sunagakure."

"But, still, how could you? That kind of knowledge…shouldn't be taught!" Sakura expressed her disgust at the thought of using human beings as mere playthings, thinking of Chiyo and her valiant sacrifice; of the Third Kazekage, made into a doll for the purpose of killing.

"I admit, the technique is not meant for the light of heart, but that's why I laid down rules for Sasori to follow regarding his pursuits."

"What kind of rules?" Sakura wondered what could possibly be considered rules when you were taking dead human beings and using them so coldly.

"Oh, this and that. You can't use this kind of weapon in them. You can't use a skeleton. You mustn't reveal technique's secret. You can't add wooden features to them. There was an endless list, but the most important one was that you wouldn't use your allies as material. Before teaching him the technique, these rules of mine were to be followed by the book, because if left alone, one could end up making great mistakes because of your desire for new puppets. For instance, if you wanted, you could kill a comrade and make him into a puppet, stealing their abilities for yourself. That's why, for someone with that power, I refused Sasori the choice to abuse it. He did it anyway, as I now know. He made countless Sunagakure ninja vanish, adding them to his collection, stealing their techniques. Even while I became more than just his student, while I became his friend, he was disobeying the very rules I set down. I'm sure you've seen one of his puppets…I remember it was named Hiruko."

"Mhm. He hid himself inside it and used it like armor," Sakura said.

"Hiruko was a Sunagakure ninja I personally knew. I fought alongside him during the Second Ninja War."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"No need to apologize. I should be the one doing that. I taught one of the greatest menaces Sunagakure has known. He threw away my trust, putting on a mask of friendship. I truly believed in him back then. I'd heard that he'd greatly improved the military power in Sunagakure, crediting me, of course, for the positive change."

"I kind of know how you feel. A friend of mine did the same thing. He left the village, throwing away our friendship in the process."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. People are sometimes hard to understand." Saemon thought of Sakura's similar situation. It seemed that both of them were not entirely different.

"You know, I'm not quite sure how I beat Sasori," Sakura asked.

"What? How do you mean?" Saemon replied.

"Chiyo and I were far outclassed in power by Sasori. He was very skilled, and he even controlled one-hundred puppets at once! I couldn't believe I'd ever win, but I kept on fighting regardless. I'd already been poisoned by the time the toughest part of the fight had started. Chiyo was the one who really stood up against him. I was more backup than anything. She even dealt the killing blow to Sasori," Sakura said.

"But you helped her, right? She probably wouldn't have stood a chance against Sasori if you hadn't been there. You should be glad she had help!"

"Thanks for the compliment?" Sakura smiled, trying to uplift her spirit.

"No, no. I need no thanks. I should be sorry…no, I am sorry. If I hadn't taught Sasori, he wouldn't have killed Hiruko, or the Third Kazekage, or the Fifth. He wouldn't have killed all those people who trusted him or fought him, and then made them part of his collection. I'm sorry," Saemon said.

"I can accept that. Sasori made those choices on his own. It's his own fault for not living up to expectations," Sakura said.

"Really? Are you sure?" he said.

"I'm sure. No need to act like a kid," she said.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," she said.

Sakura and Saemon exchanged a few more stories between them. The night faded, the sun rising in the east, illuminating the darkness of the ninja-made cave. It wouldn't be long until they could leave and look for the others. Saemon remarked the orange light filtering through the trees, envisioning the silhouette of a young man, his hair a disheveled lump of red on his skull, blue eyes a sad sight in the shadow of the morning sun.