Chapter 159: I've seen this before...

Homura: "Hm, I think….No, I am sure… that I have seen something like this before… but that can't be, right…Huh…hm?" Homura pondered as he looked at the object in front of him.

Rather, Homura was currently looking at the puppet body on a table at his part-time job.

If during most afternoons Homura was busy at the clinic, then during most mornings and nights, when he didn't have class or training he was busy helping at Shinji's shop.

The shop owner that Homura befriended for a long time now and would work for him.

Having an apprentice was somewhat normal for most shop owners, usually, it was one of the children in the family that would serve as an apprentice.

For those without any successors that would normally be any child that the store owner or grown individual the owner was willing to teach their art to.

However, Homura and Shinji were different, first Homura was a cadet at the academy and not related to Shinji in any way. Thus, that meant their relation was already odd in the eyes of most people.

Second, they were slightly partners and more or less an apprentice and master.

Nonetheless, the truth was that both enjoyed to tinker and not knowing many people with the same kind of hobby made them gravitate towards another.

But since one is a child, but also a reincarnate, and the other was a grown adult with no family of his own; things were already kind of odd.

Still, they both seemed to enjoy one another's company.

And seeing that he got burnt by reading Jraiya's book and finding out no real information that wasn't linked to probably harassing a woman and being harassed by a one; he didn't want to take any more chances.

Though, he told himself that he shouldn't have started from a random number in the series but from the very beginning.

Either he couldn't admit that he liked the book or he truly believed those words, but as of now Homura was not completely certain about his feelings.

Regardless, that all event made him a bit more suspicious.

And Homura was naturally a suspicious person to begin with, so…he couldn't let this go even if he wanted.

Homura:"I… gotta get to the bottom of this."

Unfortunately, the object on the table did not make Homura pleased.

Whatever relationship they may have Homura was still a cadet, which meant he was trained to protect the village. He had a duty to it.

Unfortunately, Homura was always conflicted about his feelings of Konohagakure, the village itself, nonetheless if anyone would put the people he cared about in danger by proxy, he would not idly sit in silence.

Thus, even though he did not know the full picture he decided to act, because the puppet in front of him was certainly created for combat even if as far as he could see, there were no weapons inside the puppet's body.

Normally, guests and citizens were not truly able to carry weapons within Konohagakure unless they had been given permission, declared it or among the many of the other exemptions.

The world they lived in was rather dangerous, many people carried weapons. It had nothing to do with being a ninja or not.

The only reason as to why the common folk did not carry weapons with them was due to the several hurdles they would have to go through in order to be allowed to.

Either that or they could illegally hold a weapon like most bandits and vagabonds, but the punishment may depend on the country or area.

Still, the rules about owning weapons were rather serious. After all, shinobi weapons were severely dangerous.

A single explosive tag could kill several people in an instant, thus, Homura was reluctant to let this matter go even if Shinji had not tried to hide it from him.

And puppets of the size of humans were still considered as weapons, since they could be used as such.

Even if Shinji did some repairs as a side business and other odd jobs, his shop wasn't a repair shop.

However, Homura thought that there was a probability he was making a huge mistake, especially when it came to Shinji.

Shinji was much too lazy to be a spy nor did he have the skills to be one, not only that, but he had allowed Homura, a cadet at the ninja academy to help him within the shop.

Unless it was a crazy elaborate cover or ploy, none of it made any sense.

Nonetheless, Homura still needed some answers.

So he waited.

Several minutes passed.

And as almost half an hour passed, Homura was visibly more on edge.

"I hate waiting…," thought Homura as he realized how crazy the entire situation was.

Homura's patience wore thin as he concealed himself in Shinji's workshop, but now somewhat eagerly awaiting Shinji's return. He knew he needed answers about the mysterious puppet on the table. Finally, the door creaked open, and Shinji stepped inside.

"Hey, Homura, you're usually not late…huh? He isn't here yet? But I could have sw-!" Shinji remarked casually, unaware of the tension building behind him.

Homura, with his heart pounding and a sharp object in hand, swiftly landed on Shinji's back, pressing the blade-like object against his throat. His eyes bore into Shinji's with a menacing intensity.

Shinji, still not grasping the gravity of the situation, grinned and quipped, "Well, it's nice to see you too, Homura."

"Puppet." Was all Homura said as he hung on Shinji's back, ready to break several things at any moment; although he was not too keen on doing so, and besides, he wasn't sure if the puppet counted as a weapon. Especially if it was disarmed.

"Puppet? Oh, that…huh," was all Shinji said as he relaxed his back slightly.

Homura remained silent, his grip tightening on the sharp object. He was dead serious about getting answers, and he made it clear by pushing the makeshift weapon closer to Shinji's throat.

Seeing Homura's determination, Shinji sighed and relented, "Jeez. Okay, okay. The puppet in the shop, it's safe. *sigh* It belongs to my family. More like an heirloom, I guess…(Shinobi are sure a handle and this guy is definitely too serious for his own good… )".

Homura's tense posture relaxed slightly upon hearing this, but he couldn't help but voice his confusion. "No Clan in Konoha specializes in puppetry. According to everything I know, Konoha has abandoned puppet-making almost two decades ago. The last Konoha-made puppets in circulation disappeared about fifteen years back."

Shinji was genuinely surprised at Homura's knowledge of puppets and puppetry, and he explained, "Well, you see, my family hails from the Land of Wind. We were allowed to settle in Konoha over thirty years ago, and in exchange, we shared most of our knowledge of puppetry."

With this revelation, Homura dismounted Shinji, visibly relieved but still cautious. "You should've led with that information," he grumbled.

Whether it was true or not Homura had no way of knowing, besides, people from all over the continent could settle in konohagakure if they were granted permission; it was something related to the administrative body and had nothing to do with Homura.

He is just a cadet, the worst obligation he had towards the village was to protect village if he was ordered to or get conscripted to fight in a war if the village or hokage demanded it.

Shinji chuckled, "You're such a serious kid, Homura. Lighten up a bit."

Homura couldn't help but smirk as he revealed the fake blade he had used earlier. "Speak for yourself, you have no idea how many rules I have to keep in mind at all times. Besides, this isn't a real blade. I knew you wouldn't harm me."

Shinji rolled his eyes and tossed something toward Homura, who caught it deftly. It was a piece of chakra paper. Shinji teased, "Getting paid in chakra paper, huh? You're really a weird one, no matter how many times I try to grasp my head around it… It won't do anything if you don't have an elemental affinity you know, right?"

Homura's response to Shinji's teasing was a dismissive snort. "Elemental affinity or not, at the end of the day none of it matters," he retorted. He had plans and theories he wanted to test and at this point it was more about just stock piling.

Besides Homura's true goal had almost nothing to do with elemental ninjutsu, he found most elemental ninjutsu pretty useless.

But he couldn't tell Shinji his plans, even he thought they were crazy.

Shinji chuckled, recognizing that Homura's curiosity about the puppet was getting the better of him. "You're quite an interesting kid, I'll give you that."

Homura started sweeping the workshop floor, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I've got my theories, you know. And I'll find a way to prove them, one way or another."

Shinji couldn't help but be intrigued by Homura's determination. "What are these theories of yours, then?"

Homura glanced up at Shinji, his eyes gleaming with intellectual curiosity. "It's all about the mechanics. It is the same as these puppets. How do these puppets work? How does the chakra flows so easily through them? Can it be improved or would better to pursue a different method? Everything has an answer. And I want to uncover it all."

Shinji nodded approvingly. "That's the spirit, kid. Keep that drive, So your not going to ask me how I got my hands on that and my family?" Asked Shinji slightly amused.

"A…Are you getting sentimental already at your age or are you planning to brag about your family or something? Besides, nobody wants to hear about some old stories, belonging to an old man. I already know that you're a konohagakure and that's enough for me."

As the conversation continued, Shinji's tone shifted slightly. "You know, you're quite unlike the other cadets I've met. Most of them are just kids, going through the motions at the academy. But you… sometimes I can't believe you're just a brat."

Homura paused in his sweeping, looking thoughtful. "I've always believed that knowledge is power. And there's so much I don't know yet. I can't afford to waste time. I need to get stronger…much stronger."

Shinji tossed a screwdriver towards Homura, who caught it effortlessly. "I've got a proposition for you. If you're interested in learning more about puppetry, stick around. Help me with some repairs, and I'll teach you what I can."

Homura's eyes lit up with excitement, and he couldn't hide his eagerness. "R-really? ! *Cough* I mean sure."

Shinji grinned, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Of course. But remember, puppetry isn't just about mechanics; it's also about heart. You've got to put your soul into it."

"What's that about? Are you some kind of cult leader, or are you one of those guy-!" Before Homura could finish running off his dirty mouth Shinji stopped him.

"Shut up. I'm serious about this, those who don't respect the art of crafting puppets have no business learning," He said with an unusual serious look.

Seeing Shinji's reaction, Homura couldn't but wonder if all artists were crazy in this world, but if Shinji was truly a descendant of some kind of family that obsessed with the art of puppetry; then Homura's disregard for the art could be seen as an insult.

With a serious look on his face Homura agreed.

"Good. Now, let's do this. I have waited all night, but I finally got the spare parts I was looking forward to." Shinji said it as he took out a small box from his left pocket.

Now that Shinji took of the puppet's left arm.

Homura was immediately able to tell that the puppet in question was rather old but looking at the intricate machinery he was also getting slightly excited.

To think he could have avoided such hassles if he had something like the byakugan, and not only that, but he could also have a better look inside overall without the need to disassemble anything.

He had never built something so complex, he couldn't wait to take a look at the schematics.

Homura nodded with a smug look on his face. "Hmph! I guess I should start calling sensei too, huh?"

"Please, stop…Don't make it even creepier by calling that me, I am still young." said Shinji with a rather afraid look on his face, while pressing his left hand against his chest.

"You always say that but how old are you?" asked Homura.

"20." said Shinji.

"What!? No way! You're definitely an old man! You smell like one too!!" denied Homura while pointing at Shinji.

"Sh*t up, you brat! I am 20, ok? I only got this shop 4 years ago. And I don't smell bad, What you're smelling is a true man's scent. You will get it, when you get older" Said Shinji.

For as long as Homura knew Shinji his appearance and odor only got worse with time.

"Yeah right… I don't think most men smell like grease and smokes (But actually, if he is only 20, that would explain a lot of things…hm…)" Homura remembered that Shinji was far too bad at running a business and everything else besides anything to with craftsmanship.

Even the books, were a mess since he hardly kept track of the expenses and revenues.

Homura had to help him balance it.

He thought Shinji's actions were a middle-aged man's cry for help because he didn't have a wife, but it turned out to be the actions of a teenager that had too much freedom and only enjoyed to work on his passion project and more or less ran a business on the side. "This bast*rd!… Calling me brat all this time and turns out he is the brat here!" Thought Homura.

Though Homura was younger than Shinji, he technically lived much more than Shinji had or assuming that everyone alive is reincarnating all the time, that would make the concept of time quite worthless.

"Hey, are you coming or what?" Shinji gestured Homura as he opened the chest of the puppet with a slightly odd smile on his face.

He certainly enjoyed working with craft works and puppets were one of his favorites.

"Yeah, coming. (…What a creepy smile. He's definitely enjoying that way too much. Did he really acquire that legally? )" Homura asked himself, but the hypocrisy was obvious for all to see as Homura approached Shinji with a slightly happy look on his face.

He, too, enjoyed tinkering with anything that he happened to get his hands on.

Homura and Shinji wasted no time and started to dismantle the puppet from inside out and each piece at a time.

Seemingly happily conversing as they did so.

They exchanged theories and ideas on how they could improve it, that at some point it became something totally different from a lesson or repairing anything and just two nerds having fun gushing over their desires to exploit their joined passion.

As they worked together on the puppet, Homura couldn't help but marvel at the intricate mechanisms within. He wondered about the puppet's origins and its connection to the Kazekage's family.

Were all puppets in the sand village of similar style?

After all, Kankuro's seemed to have originally belonged to Sasori.

It was a mystery he was eager to unravel, no matter where it led him.