Caravans Out of Wind Country

[Sia]

"Oh yeah, I saw them, they were going southwest out of the country but they didn't say where."

That's what one of the scouts had reported back to Iwagakure about where Ikanbi and the Children of Kintsugi had went. They were going out of Wind Country, but they had a few places to go. First, they would fly high and go right over Fire Country, then eventually Earth Country, then they would eventually settle down in Iron Country.

It would be a long time before they got there though, so they had set up several stations in the caravans where people were working in various equipment, armors, weapons, puppets, oh so many puppets, and plants. There was also several dedicated large caravans very specifically for animals, this is where Ikanbi could usually be found, or at least a few Ikanbi clones, for the animals they took care of were very precious, and very expensive.

Their were four acolytes of the Children of Kintsugi actively watching over the largest animal caravan, each of them an elemental body of a different element.

Ikanbi herself was working on a puppet in one of the workshop caravans. They were magically enchanted with fuuinjutsu, and space time, when one stepped foot in the workshop caravans they found they were massive on the inside in an immaculate and lovely sort of way.

Ikanbi's specifically however was completely black, devoid of color. Their were several students there with her, she was not alone, and the dull purple flames that lit the room were beautiful, though, most of the students also had a large halo light and a set of glasses with several dozen lenses on either side with which they sometimes adjusted the settings of the light and zoom on whilst working on their puppets.

Occasionally, a blowtorch would go off, or someone would quietly clip a wire.

Ikanbi was working with wires today, and a weird spicy jelly.

"I wonder what it tastes like," Ikanbi said out loud.

[Zao]

There was an extra among the Children of Kintsugi—a young man who seemed barely a teenager at first glance. Yet, his eyes betrayed a depth far beyond his years, their calculated gaze reflecting the weight of harsh circumstances and near-fatal encounters he’d survived in the past few years at Sky Reach Academy. Despite his age, his rapid growth as both a shinobi and a craftsman set him apart. His shaggy white hair framed his face, somewhat unkempt but not distracting as he toiled in a corner of the spacious, otherworldly workshop—a place expanded through intricate space-time ninjutsu.

Ziv’s deep, pupil-less blue eyes focused intently on the massive, fifteen-meter-long puppet before him: a draconic framework of a three-headed dragon-snake. The puppet was a masterpiece, forged from the frame his late father had once left him. Over time, Ziv had painstakingly reworked it, modifying its design, armaments, and purpose. His right hand extended, releasing five nearly invisible threads of chakra from his fingertips, which connected to the puppet and held it aloft, suspended above the stone floor.

The puppet's serpentine heads gleamed menacingly, each maw filled with razor-sharp fangs. Its tail ended in a brutal spiked mace, its meter-long spikes forged for devastating strikes. Ziv had drawn inspiration for this creation from myths of a snake god he’d encountered during a journey to the southern Earth Country. The forging process had been arduous, requiring months to gather rare materials and refine the design, but the result was nothing short of extraordinary.

Though the puppet’s frame was complete, Ziv’s work was far from over. Only one of its three heads had been fully armed: the left head bore an ancient rune imbued with Katon chakra, a power he had extracted through his mastery of human puppetry. For the next step, however, he needed something far more complex—a second elemental rune. And for this, he required help.

With a subtle gesture, Ziv lowered the puppet to the ground. Its wooden frame landed with a soft thud as he straightened, scanning the workshop for one person in particular: his Auntie Ikanbi. Known for her mastery of rare and powerful ninjutsu, including Sand Release and the enigmatic Vector Release (Kuuton), Ikanbi was the ideal mentor—and his best chance to move forward with his project. Ziv’s ultimate goal was to learn Kuuton himself, but for now, he’d settle for her help as a chakra donor.

As he began to approach, Ziv summoned his other companion. A small puff of smoke revealed a crimson-bound book with a metallic, three-dimensional face embossed on the cover. The book stirred to life, its mouth forming words in a deep, ancient voice.

“Master, you summoned me?”

This was Jaaku, Ziv’s spirit book—a sentient artifact he had unearthed from the depths of the Sky Reach Academy library. The book floated before him, its hollow eyes glowing faintly.

“Yes, I need two of your special pages,” Ziv replied, his tone calm yet firm.

Jaaku leaned back slightly, its metallic brow raising in what could only be described as indignation. “That’s the reason you called me. What do I look like—a print shop?”

“If you had arms, I’m sure they’d be crossed right now,” Ziv quipped. “Stop pouting. This is as much for you as it is for me.”

The spirit book hesitated, curiosity flickering in its expression. “Fine. Lead the way.”

Ziv gestured for Jaaku to follow as he made his way across the workshop. The book floated beside him, its gaze scanning the strange, expansive space with evident wonder. It seemed far more interested in this lively environment than the dusty library shelves it typically inhabited.

The workshop was filled with Kintsugi children working under Ikanbi’s guidance. She stood at the center of the activity, overseeing the construction of a complex puppet frame bristling with wires and mechanisms. A pungent, spicy aroma filled the air from the jelly the children used in their work, causing Ziv to wrinkle his nose instinctively.

Jaaku muttered quietly, its tone laced with unease. “That woman again…”

Though the spirit book clearly had its reservations about Ikanbi, it refrained from speaking further. Ziv waited at a respectful distance, observing his aunt as she worked. He wouldn’t interrupt until she noticed him.

Patience was a virtue, after all—and Ziv had learned that virtue well in his years as a craftsman and shinobi.

[Sia]

After a moment of consideration she figured that at worst it probably wouldn't kill her, Ikanbi licked the flammable gel and recoiled very physically and comically, causing a few of the young shinobi to laugh.

"It's not the worst." She had said finally with a grin, though she did walk over to the east wall and grab herself a fresh cup of coffee. "Don't recommend."

A few more chuckles, one or two of the older students joined her for coffee, though one had tea. Ikanbi watched Ziv work. There were several kids here that weren't part of the Children of Kintsugi. Ziv was among them, he was merely a passerby. She would still guide him as best as she could. All of her resources were at his disposal. If he wished it, she would do anything to help him. She gazed with admiration at his great dragon puppet. It was amazing, its resemblance to the great Tiamat of legends was uncanny and wonderful.

It was inspiring, really, not just to Ikanbi.

Several of the other students had taken to not really working on there puppet from time to time and instead spying on, or rather admiringly observing Ziv's work, because the dragon puppet, as it was, was, well, wonderfully beautiful, as craftsmanship went.

That was life, however. Each of them enjoyed the work for what it was, that was why they were there, that was their purpose, their function, their fruition. Why not help the next in line? The next agenda, the next generation? It all came together in a plan, a puppet of its own, a machine a mechanical being, a purpose, a master design, a grand schematic.

The pieces fit together just like the puppet dragon on the table.

The coffee was nice and hot and soothing to Ikanbi's sandy, acidic soul.

In truth, the acidic properties of her body made coffee have no acidic sensation in her mouth, so she could to really and truly enjoy the flavor more than most others ever would, a unique aspect of being made of acid very specifically.

"Do you reckon its better to use gas clouds as a grenade launcher, a spray from the puppet, or a mixture of both?"

"Both."

"Both."

"Both."

Ikanbi had also said "Both." When someone had asked.

[Zao]

Ziv couldn't help but laugh at the comical reaction of the older shinobi who had tasted the strange, spicy gel used for working on the puppet framework and wires. Shaking his head lightly, he glanced over at Jaaku. The spiritual being, in the form of a large crimson-bound book with a metallic face on its cover, wore a half-disgusted expression on its plain features. Yet even now, there was a hint of fear in the floating book's body language as it hovered slightly behind the white-haired youth, who led the way and came to a stop just outside the group's working circle. His hands casually clasped behind his lower back, Ziv tilted his head slightly to the right, observing the two younger craftsmen working hand-in-hand with Ikanbi. She had stepped away moments earlier, presumably to grab coffee and rid herself of the powerful taste she'd endured from the spicy gel.

During this pause, Ziv had the chance to observe the new creation born from a collaborative effort between Ikanbi and the Children of Kintsugi. It reminded him of how much her years of experience and knowledge offered in terms of learning and experimentation—valuable lessons he could incorporate into his own designs. The group was deep in discussion, debating the best mechanism to disperse a gas cloud: a grenade launcher to propel gas canisters at a distance or a spray mechanism to release it directly from the puppet's body or mouth.

"Both," Ziv chimed in, echoing Ikanbi's opinion. He agreed that each option had its merits but that combining them would maximize efficiency, depending on the target's range and the dispersion needed for multiple adversaries.

"Ikanbi-sama, could I ask for your help on a matter?" Ziv asked, cutting straight to the point. There was no need to mince words with her. She was both his mentor and, in a way, a surrogate aunt. His father, the late Spirit Saint, had entrusted his care to Ikanbi when he foresaw the looming conflict with Iwa. Realizing that returning his son to the village would be unwise and knowing his own life was nearing its end, Zao had sent Ziv to study under the elder jounin at her Sky Reach Institute.

If Ikanbi had the time, Ziv planned to lead her away from the Children of Kintsugi, allowing them to continue their work undisturbed. He wanted to discuss his idea for enhancing the power of his nearly-completed tri-headed, serpentine dragon puppet.

"Jaaku, those pages, please," Ziv said, turning his deep blue eyes—pupil-less orbs that seemed to hold the depth of a hidden ocean—toward the floating spiritual book just behind his left shoulder. The book hesitated, its nonverbal cues betraying reluctance to give up its unique parchment. Ziv's serious glare caused the book to drift back a few inches instinctively. Jaaku remembered their first meeting when the boy had been a mere novice, a child with potential but lacking skill. Now, only a few years later, Ziv's abilities surpassed most of the teachers at the academy. He was a prodigy—a freak, even—much like Ikanbi herself.

Letting out an audible sigh, Jaaku finally relented. The metallic face on its crimson leather cover twisted in resignation as the book snapped open. Two thick pages, unique in quality and resembling thin metal more than paper, floated out from the hundreds within its bindings. "That's better," Ziv said with a quick smile. Two threads of chakra extended from the index and middle fingers of his left hand, easily taking hold of the parchment.

"May I have two samples of your Kuuton chakra for my work?" Ziv asked Ikanbi directly. His tone was straightforward as always, expressing his desire for her to donate two samples of her Kuuton-style chakra. He needed them to create a powerful effect using an Ancient Rune technique he was perfecting.

If successful with the first seal, Ziv intended to create a unique Ancient Rune page to house inside Jaaku's spiritual body, giving the book its own powerful ability. Bowing his head gently, he added, "If that would be okay."

Ziv understood the sensitive nature of his request. Chakra and chakra natures were often considered deeply personal, and few were willing to share them—even with trusted allies. Yet, given their shared history and connection to their former homeland, he hoped Ikanbi would trust him enough to assist in this endeavor.

[Sia]

Ah yes, I'm sure we could come up with something, she had thought to herself after a moment or consideration.

When it came to Ziv, the answer was yes, then, what was the question. She was always going to help him.

Ikanbi's body purred momentarily as she adjusted the composition of her body and siphoned off from her two cores to small sources of raw chakra that were innately her own and hers alone.

"One moment, I will help you." She had nodded.

Floating in the air above them, bur only slightly, not loomingly. She produced two hearts, two cores. One was a perfect sphere of sand that produced sphere shaped acid, the other was a perfect cube of acid that produced cube shaped sand. They met together and Kuuton began to overtake both of them and changed their shape entirely before they both ceased to produce acid or sand but instead produced kuuton, and changed to slightly blackish in color.

She pushed the two cores forwards slowly as they began to orbit around each other.

[Zao]

Though Ziv had always appreciated the kind way that Ikanbi had treated him, perhaps it was because the boy was an orphan, and the older woman had a certain sweet nature towards children. Yet, in the back of the teenager's mind he couldn't help but remember the words of caution from his father back then before he passed on, as he let the white-haired kid know that he was going to hand over his care to Ikanbi. Telling him about how she was capable of being a monster to those who opposed her ideals. This thought briefly passed through the thoughts of the boy as he watched the unique elemental body of Ikanbi respond to her chakra manipulation.

Ikanbi looked like a gentle woman, but her actual body was a unique make of two dual elementals, something Ziv had personally never heard of in his study of ninjutsu and elemental bodies. Two chaotic elements of the corrosive acid, and the rough grinding sand, who would have thought that both elements could co-exist in the same body without destroying one another. He blinked, returning his thoughts to the present as he watched the two orbs of cores of sand and acid slowly change shape and even composition.

They seemed to become almost intangible as they floated between Ziv and Ikanbi, a tiny black dot in the center of each Kuuton cube as they silently rotated around each other as the space around the dot appeared like a heat waves or fumes that were being compressed and held in place by the unseen force created by the black singularities. While he still wasn't able to fully understand why his aunt was so good to him, but he deeply appreciated it in his heart and would repay all her kindness if you asked without question.

For a moment the white haired teenage simply gazed deeply into the orbiting cubes of Kuuton chakra as they slowly rotating in a clockwise manner, simply hanging in space as there was a gentle pull or attraction around the chakra that seemed to want to pull things in at least from one of the orbs while the other was the exact opposite. The other cube wanted to push all things away from it and when that particular one came around Ziv was able to feel a pushing force that wanted to push him back. 'Interesting, this is my first time seeing Kuuton up this close. It is as if everything originates from the center point, the singularity as I've heard it called. He mused about the unique nature of the Kuuton chakra as he began to quickly circle the cubes that were at the same time circling themselves in perfect synchronicity between the pushing and pulling forces that each of them had.

"I feel like my sealing array needs to be tweaked a little bit after being able to observe and feel the forces contained within this unique kind of chakra." Ziv spoke aloud, this little experience had confirmed some of his original thoughts as he build the fuuin array within his mind, but it also changed his way of thinking forcing him to make changes to the donor seal that he was about to create. Jaaku, his spirit book that floated off and about his left shoulder watched on with its plain metal face, this wasn't the spirit's first time witnessing or experiencing Kuuton so its normally blank face somehow found itself developing a rather unimpressed look.

Closing his eyes for a moment the young man allowed for himself to full dive into his thoughts, here he was able to manifest ideas and simulate them to an extent as he went from four different ideas, down to two, and after using aspect of both seals and some other changes finally managed to come to his conclusion with a final seal array design. "Let me try..." The boy's slender, jadelike hands mixed into a set of hand seals as one was able to feel an aura of charka seeped out from the rather innocent looking teenager as his pupil less ocean blue eyes began to shine ever so lightly when his eyelids opened slowly. "First page, my friend." Two floating pages that were from the contents of the spirit book's actually body floated around above Ziv's head, upon calling for it one page was controlled by his spirit companion into the refined looking fingers of the boy.

The paper was more like a thin piece of metal due to the strength of it being infused with the book spirits chakra and barely drooped on it edges demonstrating it's rigidity. Placing his other hand down upon the flat surface of the rigid page his blue chakra floated from with his body, being expelled through the finger tips as intricate lines began to rapidly form into a complex looking array system. This process lasted for several seconds before the entire array was Inscribed on the page and Ziv removed his fingers and then placed the hand underneath the floating page.

The new array inscription still glowed with the boy's chakra as he readjusted his gaze onto the rotating cubes of gravitational chakra created by Ikanbi. Holding a one handed hand seal with his right hand and the page in his left Ziv stepped forward and as one orbiting cube neared him he used the power of his newly created donor storage seal in order to draw in the foreign chakra of his mentor. The floating cube of gravity struggled against the invisible suction force within the seal, almost as though it had its own will and wanted to resist and escape.

But in the end it would be successfully drawn into the storage rune created by Ziv, a somewhat surprised look on his face. "It worked? That was unexpected. " Usually these kinds of thing never worked on the first try. Snapping back in he performed the same thing on the second paper from Jaaku and quickly sealed away the other floating cube of Kuuton and soon both pages were held with the young man's left hand as he gave a polite bow back to the older shinobi. "Thank you, Ikanbi-sama." Hopefully he would be able tonput these gifts to good use with improvement to the offensive capabilities of his dragon snake puppet frame and maybe even Jaaku, too.