The cold wind in Kumogakure cut through Zetsume's body. It almost felt like an icy hand was occasionally slapping you across the face. Well I guess it is better than being burned to death., he thought to himself while he was tracking through knee high snow. Off in the distance he could see a beautiful white wolf rip a bunny into pieces. It looked painful and raw, then again that is how the world was. Everyone striving to be the top dominate being, when in reality everyone has their faults and perks. One of Zetsume's faults was about to be alleviated. For a long time the  the feeling of weak has dreaded his mind. He watched many times in horror as people he knew well fell before him. As one man how much of a difference could he really make on the battlefield? That question was about to be answered as Zetsume heard about an old Puppet master in the Kumogakure mountains who would teach him. This excited Zetsume because this would mean he could control more on the battlefield, maybe even help with his shots. Oh god how he wanted to become strong, it was a burning desire that needed to be fulfilled. Zetsume heard that this old man liked to live alone in these moutains, that and he is a bit of a lunatic. Yet, these things mattered not, for he was about to learn a new skill, one that could change his fighting style for years to come.

After a couple of hours of extreme climbing Zetsume thinks he finally found this cave that this man lived in. It was a rather large entrance than curved to the right and into the mountain. In the distance within the cave Zetsume could see lights from what appeared to be a campfire. The anticipation was growing, and his destination was nearing. While venturing inside, the cold temperature was dropping and the warm air burned across Zetsume's face because it was still a little frost bitten from outside. Around the campfire was an interesting sight as an old man in raggedy clothes and a long light brown beard was sitting around a campfire talking to what appeared to be 4 puppets. From a first look, it looked like he was speaking to people. Though after a few seconds they would move but not speak, yet the man would act as if he could hear them and give a loud thunderous laugh. All of the heads of the puppets tilted back as if they were laughing, which in an instant all stopped as all five were staring into Zetsume's direction. A sweat drop started to form on Zetsume's head as the feeling of nervousness set in.  He had never thought he would ever have a teacher, especially one as dirty as this one.

"Why have you come here?", the man spoke in a low but deep resonating voice that seemed to be amplified by the cave. It gave the old man an ominous feeling each time he spoke.

Zetsume took a gulp before giving a slight bow and replied to the old man, "Uhhh, Yes I have been in need for a puppet master trainer. I have searched many towns and areas for one and only your name pops up. My name is Zetsume Zix, I came from the Kumogakure Village. Please teach me, I will forever be in your debt."

"Begone, I do not have the patience to teach anyone. Leave this old man to rot in here.", He had a slight cough at the end of it which was followed by a small hand gesture to leave.

I have come to far to turn around now. He will teach me and I will make sure of it., he thought while he looked into the old man's dark eyes. Zetsume got on his hands and knees, something he does not do often as it was a testimony to his will to learn.

Please, You are the only one I can turn to. I need this power, I MUST OBTAIN IT! I will either ask you to teach me or force you. Either way, I will know., A cold sinister look formed on his face as he looked at the old man and spoke. Zetsume was not sure if he could take him, but one old man did not seem all that scary. Zetsume's muscles tightened as he was either ready to attack or defend depending on how this man acting. Hopefully it could be resolved peacefully, even if that was just a selfish thought.

"You would force an old man to teach you who is already dying anyways. How cruel."

"I will do whatever it takes to protect those I care about. I am not the one who only needs this power, but so does the whole village. Please I am even begging, do not make this into a horrible memory."

The man let out a long sigh before he spoke again. He seemed a bit less tense than he did just minutes ago.
"If that is how it must be then I guess I have no choice then, eh? Before I can even teach you, I must see if you have the aptitude to even do it. I have disconnected myself from the puppet just before you. I want you to try and mold your chakra into fine lines and connect yourself to it."

Zetsume was shocked to hear that the old man had agreed to help him. It was a blessing indeed. Zetsume quickly sat down on the cold hard stone floor to listen to the man intently to try and absorb as much information as he could.

Zetsume sat there for hours listening to the old man explaining the principles of Puppetry. It was the kind of combat that could change the tides of battle by being more than one person. Excitement filled his lungs with each breath as he listened to the old man speak. His training was a bit unorthodox though as he made Zetsume sit Indian style right in front of a puppet. It started out simple enough, Zetsume's goal was to simply move an arm of the puppet. After many many attempts he finally managed to move a finger, which only made the old man go into full train mode when he saw that Zetsume had potential to do it.

You are not focusing hard enough. You must try harder before I die of old age."

"I am trying okay. It does not come naturally like it does to you."

"Then try harder!"

"I AM TRYING!", Zetsume yelled back at the old man who was only simply trying to help him now. It was a shame that Zetsume let his anger get the best of him right there. Though right after the words left his mouth, the puppet that was sitting before him reached over and gave a hard slap on his face. Zetsume's head went to the left as he noticed the puppet hit him so hard that his lip is bleeding. Zetsume whipped the blood away and looked coldly at the old man snickering in the darkness.

"What the hell was that for you crazy old bat?, Zetsume hissed in the direction that the old man was sitting.

"I just think you need some motivation. Try and stop me from slapping the shit out of you."

Then another slap came, just as hard as the last one. The crazy old man meant it, and if Zetsume did not want to be slapped again he must learn how to control the strings better. Time after time again he was slapped, some did less damage that the others but that was only because Zetsume managed to be able to slow down the hit just a little bit. It took roughly thirty tries before he could fully stop the onslaught. The last slap came only inches away from his face before he stopped it. Zetsume looked stunned as he was able to control the arm freely. It almost felt like an extension of his body. The small chakra burn from having the strings out were of little problem to the amazement of how easy it really was.

"Good, I see you are starting to get the hang of it. Now I want you to try and walk. Take it slow, these puppets are my prized possession."

Zetsume replied with a small nod before he attempted to make the puppet walk. Zetsume felt like a baby learning how to walk. The legs were all wobbly, and had little structure to support them. Just when he got the puppet up, it fell over the moment he tried to walk. Even though Zetsume was starting to get the hang of it, it would still be awhile until he could fully understand it.

Many nights passed that Zetsume stayed with the old man. As training the old man would have him go out and try to kill something to eat. After numerous attempts of trying and not being able to move the puppet fast enough, Zetsume would just imply shoot it and bring it back so they would not starve. Zetsume liked the old harsh man who would tell him legends of when he was a shinobi. He was once feared because of his puppet skills. As he said, "I could be everywhere on the battlefield to make sure no one died." This was the type of power that Zetsume had been in search for, one that he needed to have. Zetsume could feel the anxiousness swell inside of him. He wanted to get stronger, even if that means listening to this old man every day.

It had already been four days since he arrived at the mountain to ask permission to train from the old man. Surprisingly it was going much faster than anticipated. In just four days Zetsume could move a human sized puppet at around the speeds of a genin. To Zetsume this was a big leap forward in his life.

On the fifth day however, things changed. From the mountain top you can see for many miles off to the distance, and when Zetsume woke up he could see the man looking down at horror on what was happening. Zetsume crawled out of his make-shift bed to see what he was looking at. Upon looking down, he could hear the screams of many and a burning building in the town that was just below. The same town that would often send the old man medication for free so long as he scared off any bandits that were nearby. Now that there were bandits Zetsume could tell that the old man wished to help them but couldn't. He was far to old and sick now to do any help for anyone. How could he help them.....

"Do not worry gramps. I will save them." Zetsume said in reassurance while giving the old man a slight rough pat on the back. The old man looked at Zetsume with a heart that was filled with happiness.

"I want you to take one of my puppets with you down there. You do not know how bad it could be....., his voice trailed off at the end. It made it hard to hear him. Zetsume would not deny this old man that request, it would help him feel like he is saving those people. Zetsume connected the strings to his favorite puppet this man had. It had the ability to make a bow come out of his arm. That was pretty cool.

With a slight bow, Zetsume jumped down the mountain with the puppet to see what was going on down below.

Running down the mountain was much easier than getting up it. Zetsume was flawlessly jumping dowm from rock to rock with the puppet that the old man had given him. Zetsume tried his hardest not to mess up. Every now and then he would have to stop and let the puppet catch up. Zetsume was trying to make it down in time before there was too much bloodshed.

What if I can not make it in time and I let the old man down....

Zetsume took a deep breath and exhaled loudly as if he was trying to rid his mind of those kinds of thoughts. The screams of pain grew louder and louder with each step he took. Most people would have probably ran away from hearing such sounds but not Zetsume, something in his core made him want to help people, no matter who they are. He would protect everyone from the smallest child to the richest man. He would not let the old man down, not in this lifetime nor the next.

Upon arrival many of the houses were on fire with black smoke pouring out of them. The smell of burnt bodies and blood was in the air. It made Zetsume want to puke but he resisted and kept moving through the small village in hopes to catch the villains. Soon while he was making his way through he could see a small villager with his family behind him and a local gang member trying to kill them. In an instant Zetsume made the puppet pull out a bow that was kept inside of the puppet. The puppet then pulled out an arrow and shot at the bandit piercing him through his heart. It was easy shooting with the puppet, all he had to do was imagine himself in the puppets spot then aim and shoot. Before he could get the many wanted thanks from the family he could see more battles going on. From the looks of it the gang members had a red piece of cloth that covered there heads. Zetsume made note of this and began running through the village shooting at anything with that type of clothes. One by one the town started to sound quieter, well other than the amount of crying that was happening. Either it was loved ones crying or bandits from Zetsume not being able to shoot at one hundred percent with the puppets. It would cause him to miss the vital organs and they would just bleed out slowly or die from angry villagers. It took almost half an hour to sort it out. Yet, it seemed that there was not a leader, or if there was he died before Zetsume showed up. The villagers began to gather around to thank their savior, though Zetsume was not really in the mood for hearing their praise. Plus, if he could leave before any of them got a good look at his face, then maybe they will think that the old man did it., He thought while he was trying to cover his face and head back towards the mountain top.

The travel up there was much harder now that Zetsume was more tired from just having to fight those people. It was only about twenty of poorly skilled individuals, but still, it would not hurt to take a small rest. Though his body would not let him, he had to get back and learn more from the old man. This new feeling was exciting, he needed to know more, and become stronger. It was his only reason for even doing all of this.

In fact that old man owes me for helping them.

He thought, though while he was thinking that it seemed like karma that the puppet would hit a tree and fall down. Zetsume got it back on its feet and went about his business. It did take much longer than anticipated to get back up the mountain that by the time he was there he was very exhausted and could not hardly move. His legs felt like they were on fire and his chakra was in a lowered state from having the puppet on for so long. Zetsume got back up the mountain and sat down on the cold hard rock near the old man, enjoying the heat from the fire. It seemed to melt his frozen face and hands.

"Well how did it go?", the old man asked eagerly his eyes white with anticipation of good news. Zetsume however was still catching his breath and took a moment to speak just to add more of a dramatic effect.

"I saved as many people as i could, there were a lot of bandits. I would say that the casualty was in the twenties. Also a lot of homes were burnt in the process. That is all i have to report."

The old man looked at Zetsume with astonishment, he could kill so people and still stay so calm and collective. The old man smiled wide and spoke in a cheerful tone,

"Well then it is celebration time then eh?"

From behind a rock that looked like it was dug into to look more like a refrigerator, the old man brought out a bottle of alcohol. For the rest of the night the two spoke and laughed while having many drinks. Onetime during their drunk escapade they would make two puppets wrestle like they were wrestling. Of course with their actual bodies, Zetsume would probably break something on him. So they would wrestle like this instead. It seemed to make the old man happy knowing he still had some friends.

Early in the morning the old man woke Zetsume up and told him that he had little else to teach and he would be better off going home. Zetsume had been away from the village for quite some time, his puppy must miss him. Zetsume nodded his head to show respect and then proceeded to walk out of the cave and stopped before he left, turning back to the old man and speaking, "I want to thank you for all that you have shown me, also the people down there probably think you saved them, so in case they ask, just go along with it."

Like that Zetsume made his way back down the mountain and towards the village. He could feel the power growing deep inside of him. Step by step he would achieve his goal, and fulfill his destiny.