”This seems familiar.”, Kannon mused to himself, eyes never leaving the individual standing across from him with their left hand resting on the hilt of a sheathed weapon. His weapons, a katana and tanto tangent, were already drawn with their sharp edge pointing in the direction of the individual. Silence descending in the area, only being disturbed by the sound of wildlife. Though only seconds, to him, the silence felt like it stretched on for hours on end, it was soon broken by the other figure, their voice being commanding but had a distinctly feminine quality to it, “Whenever you are ready, son.”

Taking a deep breath, Kannon stared at his mother, looking to find any signs of weakness within her guard, and there was many. He did not let the look of surprise to appear on his face, maintaining a look of indifference, “Are the rules the same?”, He inquired, “Cuts on kill zones end the spar?”. The rules being something different than some others weren’t used to. From what he had seen, teacher prefer the ‘first blood’ rules, but his mother? She prefers did not, she prefer using ‘killing strike’ rules, whereas a strike at a fatal area comes as a point. Her reasoning being a samurai should always look to end the fight as quickly as possible.

“Stop thinking.”, The words of his mother sliced through his train of thought as she patiently waited for him to move. Knowing there was no choice in the matter, Kannon sprinted towards the woman, swinging the tanto towards her left side, and bringing the katana downward in the area he believed he would move to. With a reaction that was nearly too hard to follow, Kannon watched as both of the strikes were blocked, the first one doing the instant the blade was unsheathing from its sheath, and the other when the blade was fully unsheathed. Jumping back, Kannon barely dodged a swipe from her blade that, if she was serious, could have opened his stomach up, spilling gore everywhere. Though he dodged the attack, his shirt was still cut from the attack.

Pushing off his left foot, Kannon surged forward with his blade aiming to strike against the woman once more. Attack after attack, each one was blocked by his mother who was smiling doing the whole exchange, for to her, this was child’s play. “Oof,” Kannon winced at the unexpected kick to his stomach, but, he did not have time to nurse the wound as his mother was now attacking him. The roles of the battle having seemingly wished Kannon was purely on defense, trying to block or evade his mother’s ruthless attacks. The pair performed their deadly dance of blades. The sound of metal hitting metal ranging loudly within the cleaning as spark flew whenever their blades contacted one another.


He did not know when, but sometime doing the spar, he had started using Jiton in small purses to change the course of his mother’s strikes by the smallest of margin. The use of his kekkai genkai being the only thing that lowered the number of cuts he had already received. While he had been using Jiton, he realized his mother hasn’t. She has been attacking him with only her sword skills and natural power of someone who lacked chakra. Seeing how easily she was handling him as a ‘civilian’ nearly caused him to shudder, and briefly wonder why strong was she? Asking about her strength was not something Kannon did. The topic being something that he rarely thought about. He only knew that she was strong enough to get his father’s attention. Never did he bother to inquire where she stood when it comes to power.

“It is over.”, Kannon’s eyes widen as he heard his mother’s voice from behind him, and noticed she was no longer standing in front of him. How? When? What? He was just looking at her when she did manage to move behind him? Furthermore, what did she mean it was over? He did not receive anymore ‘fatal’ wounds. “Wh- - -?”, Kannon only voice left him as he turned around and suddenly felt stinging pain throughout his body. Looking down, he was left in shock at the number of precision cuts aimed at every area which could have instantly kill him. Sheathing his blades, a shaking hand moved to the back of his neck and became wet, moving it to the from, he noticed small splotches of blood; she even managed to cut the back of his neck as well.

“When did. . “, His question being cut off by his mother who had already sheathed her weapon. “During the moment you were distracted. Kannon, you must learn never to get distracted in combat, it will lead you to an early grave.”, She spoke, receiving a nod from her son. Looking over her son, she took count of over fifty different cuts on his body, each one bleeding a little. To some, the number might been high, but, it was less than the numbers he used to receive. “That is enough for today. Get something to drink, and go have Niala to patch you up.” Kannon nodded at the woman’s words, moving towards the door which led him into the home shared with Hanae and her family. Kannon and his mother having moved in due to the incidents that happened in Kumo, along with the cloaked figure stalking Niala. Both families agree it would be wise for them to all move into together.

Stepping into the house, Kannon greeted Hanae who was busy reading a book, as he moved into the kitchen for a glass of water. Having quenched his thirst, he said his goodbyes to both women and exited the house, and made his way to the small clinic Niala and Hanae had opened up. There being a smile on his face as he walked through the doors, eyes sparkling with warm and staring at Niala who looked to be busy with something. At closer inspection, Kannon having reached the receptionist desk and peered over it, he see she was drawing some humanoid figure. Clearing his throat, Kannon spoke, “If it is not too much trouble. I need someone to heal these cuts I have.”, pointing to the numerous of cuts which could be seen through the rip portions of his training attire, consisting of dark blue hakama pants, light grey undershirt( ripped with cuts), and stereotypical black sandals. There was a joking attitude in which he spoke, for he knew who was going to heal him.

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If Kannon were more observant, capable of reading the facial expression of those around him, than he would have noticed the look Hanae had giving him upon entering the house, alas, the young male was just in the fledgling stages of learning such skills, therefore his observation skills were only adept at picking up the subtleness found within those closer to his power. There was no way he could know Hanae was mentally chuckling at the reaction Naila, his fiance, would have upon seeing him. He did not know that Hanae was wishing she could see the reaction of her daughter upon seeing him in this state, along with seeing how he would handle dealing with her. Yes, unfortunately, Kannon did not have any way of knowing what exactly he was getting himself into upon exiting the house, covered in multiple cuts. Maybe he would have got an inkling of an idea if he had lingered by the door for a few more seconds, listening to the women’s conversation on what was going to happen.  Unfortunately, the perfect scenario did not exist for Kannon, and he was walking in blind at what awaited him.

Stepping outside, Kannon was greeted by the blaring sun, its rays heavily beating down on him, causing more sweet to pour off his face. “Hot.”, Stating the obvious to no one particular, Kannon used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat off his forward. Having been apart of the Elemental Nations for a few years, one would assume he had built some tolerance for the temperature some countries have; he had not. From extreme cold to heat stroke inducing heat, Kannon did not like any of them, much preferring the mild temperatures of his homeland over anything produced here. He did not complain much about it, the temperatures being a minor nuisance considering everything that was happening with him and his family.

Family, he did not know what to think about those who he had to leave behind due to being exiled. He was never truly close to any of his older siblings. They were all too busy trying to vie for the position of their father. Trying to win the man’s favor, in hopes once he steps down he would choose them over someone else, in any way they could. Because of that, the only people who he had a remote relationship outside of his parents were the concubines and some his other siblings who had no desire to rule over the country; the mindset he secretly shared with them as well. He did not want to be the ruler. He just wants to be useful to his father.“I wonder will they come after us too?”, He silently mused, wondering if his siblings would eventually come after his and Chiyo’s head. For a while he might not have interacted with them much, he knew a couple of them believed kekkai genkai holders were abominations and should be dealt with accordingly. If some of the things he heard were true, his older siblings, those born ahead of most others, had no problem in killing children who bear a kekkai genkai or might suspected to hold one. If rumors were true, they used the bodies of the children to test the cutting power of their swords. Kannon did not know if it was true or not, but if it was . . .

Standing a front of the small clinic open by Hanae and Niala, Kannon peered through the window, spotting his fiance at the receptionist desk. Looking around, he took note of the empty waiting room, chalking it up as being a slow day. With no one in there, Kannon opened the door, a smile spreading across his face as his eyes locked onto the figure behind the desk. Chestnut brown orbs met light blue ones, those who he found more beautiful than any sapphire. His smile disappeared upon seeing Niala’s faltering, and the look of concern and horror slowly being etched onto her face. At first, there was a look of confusion on his face as he tried to figure out what had caused the reaction, but it did not take long for him to figure out it was him. The way her eyes looked over his body, not in the usual manner, told him she was looking at the scars which were litter about.

Watching as she moved from behind the desk to stand in front of him before moving pass to lock the front door, Kannon just stood there. He watched as she turned the open sign to closed before making her way back over to him, throughout it all neither said anything. Holding her hand, his smile return ever slightly as he used his thumb to rub the back of her hand, “No need to apologize, love. I would have been more surprised if you did not act the way you did. Not every day you see me like this. Mother’s training can be brutal, but, she does so to make sure I am prepared before getting in the field. Get used to pain now so it won’t distract me when my life is on the line.” He felt like he had to defend his mother’s training, even though he did not have to. He knew she would understand, and would not look at Chiyo any differently, at least he hopes that was the case.

He did not say anything as Niala led him around the receptionist counter and down the hallway before coming to a stop at the door marked Exam Room #1, and guided him into the room. “How has your day been up till now?”, He asked, sitting on the padded table, and removed his shirt, wincing slightly from some of the cuts. “If I did not know any better, I would believe mom was a surgeon with these precise cuts.”, He mused out loud, fingers running along some cuts which covered his upper body that was showing muscle definition now, no longer looking feminine! “Today seems to be a slow for you, hmm?”, He questioned, as he tried to let Niala think too much about the number of cuts on his body.

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Sitting on the padded bed, waiting for Niala to start treating the wounds, Kannon’s thoughts drifted towards his mother and the training section from earlier. Though he had told Niala that Chiyo could be brutal, this particular session was not as worse as some of the others they had. If anything, the training session was just a warm-up, allowing him to get back used to training with his mother. The pair haven’t been able to do much training since the attack on them some weeks ago, along with the sudden moving to Iwagakure no Sato, and having to get their living arrangements in order. Furthermore, with the issues with someone stalking Niala, Kannon, and by extension Chiyo, was concern about the girl’s safety as much as her own parents and sibling was. So, instead of training, Kannon were told to stick near Niala at all times, unless she was with her twin, therefore, the time he had to train with his mother had been limited.

If it had been a normal training session, Kannon would not have gone to Niala, nor would his mother allow him to. The woman would have personally taking care of the grievous injuries inflicted on him. Something she kept hidden from many was her talent in medical ninjutsu. It being something she excels at enough to incorporate the healing effects with her sword strikes, healing the wounds to the point where they appear only as paper cuts, instead of grievous ones without anyone knowing differently. Her skills in the medical arts being something she subtle when wanting to be particularly vicious. Kannon had first row seats to Chiyo’s vicious streak when she tortured the assailant for information, causing multiple cuts across their body, none being fatal, do to them being healed up to a certain point, but each being pain-inducing. He had been on the receiving in of such attacks, they being the only way for him to build up a pain tolerance, but not to the extent the assailant was.

Shutting off his musing, Kannon focused his attention back onto Niala. “Ah, I was wondering why there weren’t any other staff around.”, He spoke, having initially been curious about the lack of staff typically found within the small clinic. Upon arriving, it was a pleasant surprise to only see there, behind the receptionist desk. He had quickly grown accustomed to the members who worked at the establishment. They being friendly enough with some teasing him for the obvious affection he had for the young woman before him. He took the teasing in stride, not being offended by it at all.

Curiously he watched as a pulse of medical chakra made contact with his body. His head tilting to the side as he wonder what was being done. He dare not to ask unless he wanted to break the woman’s concentration. “Yeah, mom was incredibly skill at her trade. Despite being born and raised in Suna, she never took the shinobi route, instead, joined up for the Daimyo’s forces, and trained to wield a blade. It was here were she was taught by a retired samurai who nurtured her skills. From what I understand, she left some time afterwards, and found her way to the Land of Silence, where I am from, and married the leader, my father. No one truly knows how strong she is for she refused to raise a blade unless it is to defend her family or train them.”, He spoke, giving Niala some history regarding his mother. Yes, Chiyo rarely raised her blade unless her family is provoked or for training purposes. She did not seek glory at being the best, happily content with her position.

Niala must have noticed the look of curiosity on his face, as he looked at the green chakra surrounding her hands, for she told him it was a numbing agency to take away the pain from the cuts. Nodding in understanding, he watched as the chakra was applied to his body. The stingy situation from the cuts disappearing as soon as the chakra touched them and Kannon sighed in relief. He did not say anything as she worked in numbing every cut, though he was worried about her; he did not want her to get chakra exhaustion from numbing so many cuts.

A delicate eyebrow was raised when Niala spoke about bathing him, clearing off the blood from his body. “You do not have to - -”, Anything else he was going to say was halted as he shivered from the coolness of the clothed against his flesh. A dusty pink hue spread across his face as he watched his fiance too great care in washing the blood from his body. Did she really had to do this!? This was the first time he ever allowed another female to clean him. Hell, he did not even let his mother do it! As the Niala continued to do as she pleased, the blush on Kannon’s face only got deeper.

The possible implications of her current actions having no play in the blush adorning his face . . . nope. It was not like he was thinking about what others would say if they walked in on the scene before them. Him, half-naked, having his upper body washed by Niala, yep, nothing wrong with that at all. Furthermore, ‘what ifs’ came from those same thoughts as he wonders what would have happened if Niala was older. Would she still bathe him like this, or would they have done something else, like taking a shower together? Dismissing those thoughts, before they get dirty, Kannon silently cursed being a seventeen-year-old male with raging hormones. Did she even know what she was doing to him?  Kami!

Much to his sanity, and innocence, the bathe came to an end, “Thank you.”, He spoke, “You did not have to go through the trouble, but you did.” A smile spreading across his face as the blush that was there was slowly disappearing. Once again, Niala managed to surprise him with a sudden hug. Without missing a beat, his own arms wrapped around her, hands running up and down her back in a soothing manner “I feeling wonderful, Niala. You did an amazing job at healing these wounds, and making me feel better.” He spoke softly. Seeing how he doubt she would let go of him anytime soon, he having figured out why already, he tighten his grip on her, and eased off the bed. Once their feet were on the ground, he untangled himself from her, but, grabbing her hand with his, before she could protest, and left the building together, “Yes, let’s go eat.”

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