“Again.”, The resounding voice of Genki run loudly within a clearing situated in the back of their yard. There being nothing special about the location asides from the pristine, crystal clear blue lake that were surrounded by a few well-placed boulders. A few trees dotted the furthest corners of the area, housing examples of the avian wildlife that could be found in Iwagakure no Sato. The grass was short, having been recently cut, and the smell of ‘cut grass’ hung heavily in the air. Clear skies hung overhead, letting the sun rays beat down mercilessly on those below. A gentle breeze would pass through now and then, giving some relief to anyone out and about in the heat. However, none of this mattered to the burly with his arms crossed, the pauldron armor he was wearing doing little to protect his massive tattooed arms, as he watched his son train.

A curse slipped from Kensaku’s lips when his left leg dipped underneath the water surface, his chakra control having loosened a bit doing a moment of broken concentration, before fixing the mistake. Now steady on the water, he looked towards his father for approval and received a shake of the head followed by the man pointing downward, at his feet. Looking down, a frown marred his face when he noticed the ripples in the water originating from his feet. It would seem his chakra control was not to the point of preventing such ripples from occurring. That was something needing to be fixed as soon as possible. He knew the slight indication of his whereabouts could spell the end for his life and comrades. Not wanting to be the cause of the death of others, Kensaku lessened the amount of chakra sent to his feet, making sure to keep the barest minimum to stay afloat. It took him a few times, and a couple of more cursing, before he got the hang of it.

“Now what?”, He asked his father, only for his eyes to widen when he saw a rub ball speeding towards his face. Acting on instincts, Kensaku dodged the thrown object, the sudden maneuver causing him to slip in concentration, and he found himself sinking into the watery depths. He did not have time to ponder on the situation as he corrected himself as quickly as possible to dodge another ball thrown at him. Watching as the ball hit the water, something strange happened, instead of it sinking into a watery grave, the toy bounced off of the water and rolled to a complete stop a few meters away from him. “Ho - - -,” before he could question how it was positive, another rubber ball smacked him across the cheek, the impact being significant enough to send him flying a couple of meters across the pond.

Water sprayed up into the air as a fine mist as his hand scraped against the surface, chakra being sent to multiple body parts to keep himself afloat. Seeing many rubbing balls in his father’s hand, Kensaku resigned himself to what was about to come. Without missing a beat, the young genin tried to sprint across the water, making a few successful steps before having to correct the chakra amount to stop himself from sinking all the while dodging the balls thrown at him. This training continued for nearly an hour with Kensaku getting increasingly better at maintaining the amount of chakra needed to keep afloat, reducing the amount of ripples caused by said chakra, and dodging some of the balls thrown.

“Let’s call it quits for now. Food should be almost ready.”, Genki spoke, watching with a hint of proud as his son moved to join him on dry land. “You did well.”, He said, patting the boy on his shoulder. Looking at the balls laying on the pond, a single hand was raised in their direction as they floated towards the man, being possible by a combination of suiton and fuuton chakra, who sealed them back on his person.

A smile spread across Kensaku’s face at the praised received from his father. It made the torture experience worth it to get acknowledged by the man who he looks up to. He watched in awe as his father recalled the balls to his person and sealed them up. He wonders if he would be able to do that shortly and if his father would potentially teach him the trick. That could be something else they talked about at another time as he followed the massive man back into the house.

Stepping inside, Kensaku made his way towards the living room to check on his twin’s, and see how was her puppet coming along. He had already finished his puppet the night before, but, had yet to tell anyone about it. He wanted to reveal it to them alongside his twin. Speaking of said twin, she was not in the living room. The controlled chaos of the area being a tell-tale sign that she had been working diligently on trying to finish the project.

It did not take him long to locate his twin, she looking through the peak hole of the door. He guessed someone had ranged the doorbell? Seeing her back away from the door, Kensaku knew something was wrong. Niala was not the type of person to ignore someone who was at the door, especially when asked to do so. His observation much have been aligned with his father who he saw throw a glance at their mother who only shrugged. “What’s wrong?”, Kensaku asked, moving to stand in front of his sister, waiting for her to answer. The question also being asked by his mother who had moved into the living room with their father right beside her.

The answer received was one Kensaku did not like. It was that boy again. Some snuck up rich kid who they had the unfortunate chance of meeting in the market. During that time, Kensaku made it a point that his twin was not interested in dating such a snuck up boy; more words were exchanged between the pair before the boy stomped off. That would not be the last time the twins ran into the boy who had a showing up at the library and other frequently visited places they went. “Great.”, Kensaku sighed, clearly ignored, “It is basically what Niala said. He is some rich kid who believes he is entitled to everything. We first ran into him a week or to ago in the market district. I put a stopped to his advancement than with some words exchanged between us. I thought that would have been the end of it, but, no. He started showing up at the library, and other places were we frequently visit. However, those times, he did not talk to Niala, only staring at her from a distance, well as long as I was around. Whenever I moved off to do something, he tried to talk to her, leaving as soon as I came back over. Not only he is a creep, but he is also a few years older than Niala, at least from what I was told. I do not like the fact he is stalking or showing interest in my twin.”

Silence descended between those in the household, only being broken by the repeated knocking on the door, as the parents digested the information said to them. Looking at one another, a silent conversation occurred with Hanae turning to her children and speaking, “We can not do anything legally yet about his behavior. But, your father will be making a report to the local police force, informing them of what is happening. For now, we must deal with this situation. . . Well, you.”, She looked at Kensaku, “Will be handling it as her big brother, and the only thing we ask it not to maim him. We will be in the kitchen if it gets too heated.” Having spoken her peace, Hanae headed towards the kitchen. Genki did not immediately follow suit, only doing so after pulling out a familiar scroll, causing Kensaku’s eyes to widen as he frantically patted down himself as if he was looking for something. “It looks nice.”, the burly man said, tossing the scroll to his son, who caught it, before heading into the kitchen.

“How??”, Kensaku said to no one in particular as he tried to figure out how his father managed to grab said scroll from his person? The musing being cut short as a shout from the boy outside was heard, “Niala! I know your home. You weren’t at the library nor any of the usual spots. So why not open the door?” Kensaku’s face twisted in anger as he gently moved Niala to the side and behind him. His left hand unlocking the door and turning it, the rays of the sun slowly peeking in,

“Niala about - - -”

“What do you want.”, Kensaku spoke, cutting the boy off from speaking. His eyes were narrowing at the one who been stalking his sister, waiting for them to say something. The grip on the scroll in his right-hand tightening.

---

1534

”The boy is either stupid or have a death wish.”, Kensaku silently mused to himself, eyes never wavering from the pompous asshole in front of him. There was an untold amount of anger shining within the young’s puppeteer’s eyes, and every ounce of it was directed at the young man before him. Said individual did not seem to notice the increased tension which he had caused, being too focused on trying to date Kensaku’s twin. Though, the story would have been different if Kensaku did not have a strong hold on his killing intent which was brimming to be unleashed onto the unlucky soul.
   
While killing intent from a Genin is not impressive to the likes of higher caliber shinobi, it was still a useful tool against civilians, especially those who never experience the rigorous training which most future shinobi undergo. Even the smallest amount of intent could leave irreversible damage to an untrained civilian psyche. Because of what could be done, it was frowned upon whenever a shinobi used it against a civilian, especially one from their village. But, as the boy stood there, waiting for him to move, Kensaku seriously thought about forgone such a warning.  

Taking a deep breath, a silence briefly descended upon the occupants in the surrounding area before it was broken by Kensaku chuckling. The sudden noise was startling the rich kid, causing him to jump slightly. “You take care of my sister?”, Kensaku scoffed, “Don’t make me laugh. Let’s get some facts out of the way shall we? First off, you are not a man. Do you work? No. Do you have your own place? No. Your money? That is what your momma and daddy give you for being a good little boy. Even if you were a half-decent guy and not a slimy sleazeball who hides behinds momma and daddy’s money, do you really think you can take care of my sister when you can’t take care of yourself?”

Kensaku cut off the boy from replying to his statement, not wanting to hear much more from the pompous asshole, “Furthermore, I do not take orders from you. Asides from my parents and siblings, the only orders I take is from those within the shinobi forces that outrank me. Therefore, unless I am mistaken, you are not apart of said forces, being just an average civilian who runs their without fearing the consequences.” Though he did not have a problem with most civilians, those like Hibiki, really rubbed Kensaku the wrong way. He detested the rich civilian who believed they are entitled to everything just because they came into wealth. They knew nothing. They did not know how easy it is for someone, a shinobi, to come about and end their lives, taking their wealth for themselves. They believe that they are untouchable because of the wealth they had.
   
With his right hand placed on the doorframe, making sure the boy had to go through him to get into the house, Kensaku turned his attention briefly to Niala. The visual anger fading immediately upon laying eyes on his sister. The small, shy girl who he loved more than anything in this world. That he would go to the far corners of the Elemental Nations to destroy the bullies who mess with her, asides from his family, Niala, his twin, was someone who he dearly cares for. The love he had for her being pure, not crossing into incestial territorial and something other siblings they knew was jealous of. When she needed help? He was there. When she is upset about something? He was there to comfort her, and then locate and deal with whatever had caused her to become upset. When did she want to do something that he did not? He would do it anyway and showing a genuine interest in the activity. It should not be understated how close the two are.

It is this closest and genuine love he had for his sister which caused him to act this way towards those who he deems ‘unworthy’ of taking out his sister for a date. Not many people have tried, and with those who did, all but one failed, and that individual was still in Kumogakure no Sato, at least, from the last received. Those in the academy learned quickly that Niala was out of their reach.

Kensaku’s head snapped back at the grinning boy, the words he had spoken registering with the young puppeteer. Was a threat just made on his person? Did this asshole really say that not only a front of him but his parents that were in the kitchen? To say Kensaku was livid would be the understatement of the century, he was pissed,“You think I care about this career?” he scoffed at such a thought, “You are a bigger fool than I thought. For you see, unlike you, who is nothing without money, I care very little about my shinobi career. You know why? Because even if you ‘ruin it’ I can still train and hone my skills. And, unlike you, they higher-ups won’t allow such valuable access to be let go due to a crybaby throwing a tantrum. But, if you want to ruin my career, I welcome you to. That means I won’t have to save your sorry ass when a missing-nin or another village shinobi comes after your family for your money. Shinobis like dealing with rich people. You know why? Because they are an easy cash cow to milk for all their wealth. Along with being a nice cash cow to butcher.”

Something within movement his peripheral vision caused him to stop talking. Whatever was happening got a chuckle from his parents with Genki murmuring, “She finally done it.” He could only assume it had to deal with Niala, but, he did not want to take his eyes off the boy who was now red-faced with anger. The words he had spoken finally getting to the rich kid. Though, he was curious what could have gotten a rise out of his parents? What did Niala do. .  .?

The answer to the question came in the form of a giant bear walking behind the rich boy. It did not take Kensaku long to figure out the bear belonged to his sister. Despite not seeing her puppet, he assumed this was its final form, and he was impressed by it. A loud chuckle escaped not only Kensaku’s lips but his parents as well, as the rich boy was startled by the roar from the bear. His body now being flattened against the side of the house. His eyes shined with terror, and there was a steady stream of yellow liquid coming from the crotch of his pants, the boy had urinated on himself.

Kensaku raised an eyebrow as Niala stepped a front of him. He noticed there being a change in her demeanor. The shy girl he knew having been momentarily replaced by something else entirely for now. As Niala began speaking, Kensaku discreetly unraveled the scroll in his hand. The small poof of smoke going unnoticed by all but the two adults. “Interesting.”, He heard his mother say, obviously commenting on what was unsealed. He did not have plans on showcasing this right now, but, the opportunity was there. Attaching a couple of chakra strings to his puppet, he had the humanoid creature climb out of a nearby window, and make its way towards the front of the house.

“She is right, you know?”, He spoke, grabbing the boy’s attention as his puppet moved towards Niala’s, standing beside the bear with a grin, “Without shinobi, civilians would become easy prey to others. That money you have is nothing without us shinobi.” The boy looked like he wanted to say something, but paused when he felt a tab on his shoulder. He was shrieking girlish as he came face to face to a humanoid monstrosity with sharp jagged teeth that looked like it could rend flesh with ease, along with long arms which touched the ground due to the creature being hunched over. If that was not enough, the create waved his hand, and spoke, “Hi.”. That along with being enough to cause the boy to run away in terror, screaming about monsters.

Once the boy could no longer be seen, the creature turned it’s attention to Niala, reaching to gently poke her cheek, “Poke.”, And tilting its head to the side. Moving closer to Niala, he hugged captured her in a hug, his puppet trying to do the same them to the trembling bear “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”, he whispered, holding her for a few more seconds before stepping back to look at her and her creation. “So, that is your puppet?”, Kensaku asked, moving his own to stand beside him.  “A bear, eh? Can I call you bear-chan now?”, he jest, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He did not want to see his twin angry.

---

1517[3051]

There was a soft smile spread across Kensaku’s face at the sound of Niala’s giggling when Fuhyō, his puppet, poked her cheek and spoke of the acted committed. Seeing how she did not fear his creation only made the smile broaden. Fuhyōwas not beautiful in the normal sense of the word. The puppet having taken inspiration from horror stories of old that talked about hunched over men with razor-sharp claws and shark-like teeth. Even the synthetic greyish skin, covering the entirety of it’s body was inspired from stories of humanoid creatures with weathered skin that have long since turned greyish, no longer being the color it used to be.

When he had made Fuhyō, he thought Niala would be afraid of the creature. For nothing about the puppet was natural, even it’s walked, being keen to that of a gorilla than a human, was unnatural in the normal sense of the world. Several of times he had thought about scraping the idea for something less creepy, for he did not want Niala to be afraid of his creation, but, he stuck to it through the end. Even after finishing Fuhyō, there were some hesitation in showing it to Niala. It was only moments of ago when his father’s discretely commented on the puppet that Kensaku decided to show his twin - it also helped he was angry at Hibiki for daring to show up at their home to harass his twin.

A metaphorical boulder was lifted from his shoulder at seeing how well Niala accepted his puppet. While he might not be ,the best puppeteer for his age and rank, having interest elsewhere, he was still immensely proud of what he had created. With the creation of Fuhyō, he was able to finally say he is apart of the Chikamatsu family. He had completed, in his eyes, the rites of passage to be officially seen as apart of the clan.

A small chuckle escaped his lips at Niala’s comment about her puppet being the only bear one she would make, “While wanting to call you Bear-chan is in part due to your puppet, but, also because how ferocious you were just now when handling Hibiki. Who knew my twin had it in her.”, He spoke, clarifying the reason why he wanted to nickname her such.  
   
Before any more could be said or done, footsteps were heard as their parents made their way outside and on the porch. With a smile ever present on his face, Kensaku noticed the look of approval and praise when both of their eyes. It being apparent they were both happy for their child. The way Niala finally stood up for herself, not letting someone bully her around, being a major improvement in Genki and Hanae’s eyes. While their children were nigh inseparable, both parents knew there would be missions where each one of them will have to face it without the immediate support of another and to see the steps forward made by them brought a sense of joy. They were finally coming into their own.
   
Kensaku listened as Niala reassured their mother that everything was okay. Saying how she got mad when Hibiki threaten to ruin her twin’s career. “You are braver than you even realize, Hanae,” Genki spoke, a smile being ever present on his face. There were a look of curiosity in both males’ eyes when Hanae asked Niala about the details of her puppet, questioning why she went the route she did. It was here where Kensaku listened in carefully to see if he could potentially add something else to his puppet from Niala’s explanation.

“Impressive.”, Kensaku said, once Niala had got done speaking about her puppet. He was thoroughly amazed by the design and reasoning behind them. It never thought about giving his puppet a means to compact in an ordinary object for easier carrying, and to confuse people in being the individual was not armed. With her bear turning into a backpack, Niala could carry it around with no being any wiser of it’s true purpose. Not only that, if the time arises, she is capable of entering the bear and, seemingly, control it from the inside. Impressive indeed.

Seeing it was his turn to speak, Kensaku moved his fingers, watching as his creation move to stand in front of him. “This here is Fuhyō, named after the pawn shogi piece. The inspiration for it came from different places. I decided to go with an overall humanoid appearance because, for some reason, people tend to be more afraid of creatures which look humanish. From there, I purposely wanted him to walk with a hunch, despite being able to walk standing up.”, He demonstrated this fact by having his puppet to do so, even still, it’s arms nearly touched the ground, “As you can see, the arms are extremely long and drag on the ground whenever it walks with a hunch. I did this on purpose. I wanted to have a longer reach for to make it easier for the puppet’s claws to make contact with another.” Allowing the information to set in, Kensaku continue speaking, “Furthermore, the puppet’s right wrist can be detached, revealing it being attached to a thick chain.”, A soft click and the sound of chains being pulled was heard as the puppet demonstrated it’s ability, “This way, I can use the puppet’s bladed hands as a flail of sorts, or to entrap someone with the chain. Asides from that, the puppet can open it’s mouth over 200 degrees, allowing a mini-cannon to protrude outward. Empty, for now, I have plans to buy various ammunition for it to hold and use.” At the mention of the cannon, Kensaku made his puppet open it’s mouth, allowing his parents and twin to see the cannon which was pointed towards a tree. “The reason for the cannon is to give me a way to potentially create space or finish off an opponent who had been injured or ensnared by the puppet.”, He spoke, there being a smile on his face throughout the entire explanation. It being apparent Kensaku was pleased with his creation. Now though, he wonders what their parents would think?

---

Finished | Thread Exit

---

1054 | 4105

Training
Speed D0 -> D1: 4105 - 325 = 3780
Speed D1 -> D2: 3780 - 400 = 3380
Speed D2 -> D3: 3380 - 450 = 2930

Reaction Time D0 -> D1: 2930 - 325 = 2605
Reaction Time D1 -> D2: 2605 - 400 = 2205
Reaction Time D2 -> D3: 2205 - 450 = 1755

Perception D0 -> D1: 1755 - 325 = 1430 | 25 ryo
Perception D1 -> D2: 1430 - 400 = 1030 | 50 Ryo
Perception D2 -> D3: 1030 - 450 = 580 | 75 Ryo


10% increase on Endurance and Strength training due to Clan
Strength D0 -> D1: 580 - 358 = 220

Discard: 220