Chapter 74.4- One Thousand Hands

He screamed at himself. He felt at his internal systems, his Chakra. Chakra was not unknown to the monks, and they did not wield it as the shinobi did. They were better. Just like it had on every other occasion, it began to come to his aid, flushing the poison from his body.

“What an interesting ability? I can see you flushing my poison from your system even when it should take days to run its course. I was right. You will be an ever useful tool to add to my arsenal”

“Tetsuo will never have this. Stop now and I will consider not reporting this incident to him” He managed to force out of his mouth, doing all it took not to stammer. He was seconds away from being able to use his hands. Once he could, this woman would learn to rue the day she contested Riku.

“Tetsuo? What do I care for a Kazekage that would not give me my due. My loyalty is to family, to blood. Tetsuo was nothing but a means to an end, and now that he has sent me where I need to be and delivered you into my hands, his usefulness has expired.” She said, and just as he felt a finger twitch, she was in his space. He felt a pin prick his neck and then all his progress disappeared.

This poison was like tar spreading through his system. Not just his blood, he coughed, his chakra as well.

“I offered to explain the jutsu to you, didn’t I?” She asked.

“My Grandson, the little prodigy made puppets in his parents likeness even as he struggled to make them human, he failed over and over. I realised then the true nature of puppetry and how we were mistaken. Chikotsu, Me, my grandson, even Tetsuo himself were mistaken as to the true point of puppetry. We thought the point was to make puppets as close to human as possible. That is a worthwhile goal, and when I kill my target, I can swear to return to it. But true power? True power lies in turning humanity into puppets. My poison robs you of your body’s control, and what I will implant in you will make it easier than you can imagine to puppet your body with my strings”

“Ab-abomination”

“One such as you would think that, yes. But what can you do about it but comply with the instructions of your better” This time, her voice did not come from the puppet. She was behind him. When had she gotten behind him. He felt her fingers run down his face— in a different context those fingers would have looked affectionate, caressing, but there was nothing more appaling in his mind than the thought of her skin on his.

His body turned to face her against his will, her fingers were splayed. She was already puppetting him?

“My device will make it easier. Improve my range, yes. But even without it you are already mine, Riku. Give in to your fate” She said, and then her hand was at his chest, cutting past skin and bone.

“In the beginning, this used to be much more messy, but now you appreciate how much better I’ve gotten, don’t you” Stop, he wanted to scream. Against himself he began to whimper. He tried to beg, the words refused to form.