"Hmm... Do you think this looks like Hiruko?"
Sasori's critical glance swept over the newly-crafted wooden puppet, which still had some wood dust on its surface from polishing.
"Certainly," Sasori acknowledged, pulling the said human puppet over using chakra strings to compare side-by-side. "However, to the trained eye, it's too obvious that it's made of wood."
Naruto's forehead creased.
"Huh, I guess it fails after all," he sighed, tossing the exquisitely-made puppet into Sasori's pile of discarded toys.
"I'll just lend Hiruko to you. If it's you, I know you would treat it well. Besides, I don't mind if it's destroyed," Sasori stated, controlling the puppet to walk in front of Naruto before detaching his chakra strings.
Naruto shook his head. "I don't want Yamato-taichō to notice. How can I explain having Hiruko to an ex-ANBU operative?" He raked his fingers through his hair. "This is such a pain."
"Wasn't I 'killed' by Haruno Sakura and Chiyo-obaa?" Sasori rebutted, undeterred. "That's sufficient justification for why you would have it, isn't it? No decent puppeteer would dispose of a masterpiece like Hiruko -- regardless of its origins."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"And since when was I a decent puppeteer?"
Sasori stared at him, unimpressed.
Naruto was slightly stung by the dry look that was directed at him and averted his gaze.
"Well," Sasori drawled, drawing his words out, "I believe you absorbed every single one of my skills in puppetry. Do you dare claim to be anything but a puppet master after that?"
Naruto laughed awkwardly. "I can't explain that, though..."
"Weren't you showing off to your little student? I can consider you the only apprentice I have ever taken in this life. You can handle a basic puppet like Hiruko," Sasori scoffed, turning his back on Naruto as he returned his attention to whatever puppet he was originally working on.
Naruto groaned, flopping onto the workstation next to Hiruko the Puppet.
"I can't pass everything off as a coincidence with Tsunade-baa-chan as I did with Hokage-jiji," he complained, somewhat childishly, only to be unceremoniously ignored by the redheaded puppeteer.
"In the end, isn't it your fault for showing off too much?" quipped Kurama.
'I needed to uphold my word,' Naruto defended himself weakly. 'I was just teaching Kankurō what I knew.'
"The Hokage lady already knew of your skills in puppetry, I'm sure," commented Gyūki.
"Is there a point in making the act so realistic anyway, though?"
No one answered him.
Slinging Hiruko over his shoulder as he sat up, Naruto reached the door in one step and turned to askance at Sasori.
"Then, I'll be leaving first."
Sasori replied this time, "See you."
"Yeah, I'll be off now."
Naruto sighed once again.
"Have a safe trip."
The door shut behind Naruto, and the space of the Workshop was cut off once again.
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
"Uzumaki Naruto, where did you get that... thing?" Yamato inquired incredulously, his voice rising a pitch.
YOU ARE READING
Reborn!
FanfictionNaruto, Sasuke and Sakura, the last remaining members of Team Seven, as well as the last ones left in their world. They had killed Uchiha Madara and ensured that he was gone for good. However, that was not without a heavy price. It had gone wrong s...
