TPMITWON Chapter 27: Kugutsu

There was a vegetable seller preparing to open his stall, an old man sweeping his yard, and a few small children running around and laughing.

Souta ignored all of that. His focus was solely on his feet, which continued to move along the slightly dusty stone path. Each step sent vibrations through his calves, reminding Souta that he was not yet accustomed to this training.

After about fifteen minutes, Souta's breath began to quicken. Sweat started to trickle down his temples, making his somewhat messy black hair feel a bit sticky. However, Souta refused to stop.

"Just a little more..." Souta murmured to himself.

Every time his mind told him to stop, Souta forced himself to continue. But after a full thirty minutes, his body could no longer withstand the fatigue.

"Ugh... Hah... Hah..." Souta stumbled slightly before finally stopping and bending over, resting on his knees. His breath was ragged, his chest felt like it was on fire, and his legs felt heavy as if weighed down.

"I... need a break," Souta muttered.

Souta's eyes caught sight of a small food stall by the roadside. The aroma of hot soup and freshly baked bread wafted from inside, causing his empty stomach to rumble.

Without thinking twice, Souta stepped into the stall. As he passed through the fabric curtain at the entrance, he was greeted by the lively sounds of customers enjoying their breakfast. There were several adult men who seemed to be workers, an old woman sitting in the corner sipping tea, and a simply dressed ninja sitting at the counter, enjoying a bowl of ramen.

Souta chose to sit in the corner, waiting for a server to come. Once the menu was provided, he quickly ordered a bowl of rice with egg soup and sambal. The food arrived shortly after, still steaming hot.

As Souta began to eat, the warmth of the food spread throughout his body, providing a comforting sensation after running for quite a while. While enjoying his breakfast, Souta thought about his training for the day.

...

...

...

After finishing his meal, Souta returned to the village streets. His stomach felt comfortable, and his body felt a bit more refreshed after resting. However, on his way home, his eyes caught a sight that left him transfixed.

Across the street, an adult ninja stood with three children who appeared to be around 12 years old. They wore the distinctive forehead protectors of Sunagakure and uniforms that were similar yet slightly different in detail. It was a team of ninjas.

Souta's eyes widened.

"So... this is what it feels like to see them in person."

Souta knew well that in anime, Genin often appeared to be nothing special. But at that moment, seeing them with his own eyes, the feeling was different. They did not look like ordinary children. There was something in the way they stood, the way they spoke, and how they carried themselves.

Unconsciously, Souta smiled slightly.

"I want to be like them one day," Souta thought.

However, another question arose in Souta's mind—what techniques would he use in the future? Would he just be an ordinary ninja, or was there something he could develop on his own?

Souta's thoughts began to explore various techniques he knew from anime. Elemental ninjutsu? Taijutsu? Fuinjutsu? However, his thoughts stopped at one thing—Kugutsu.

Puppet Technique.

Souta remembered how the Kugutsu-using ninjas in anime controlled their puppets with chakra threads, utilizing advanced mechanisms to fight from a distance.

"Puppets... Robots..." Souta murmured.

To Souta, puppets and robots had a similar concept. Both were objects controlled by their users. If Souta could use Kugutsu, then he would be like an engineer controlling his own war machine on the battlefield.