Many of times, Kensaku would not be up until the sun peeked through the blinds to wake him up. However, today was different, the young teenager having woken up around 4 am in the morning for no apparent reason. Though he tried to go back to sleep to get more rest, something he might have needed considering what time he managed to fall asleep the night before, but he could not. His body refused to fall back asleep, and his mind was unusually hyper-aware about the world around him. Knowing that sleep was futile, Kensaku focused on designing his next puppet, along with reading over material for a few jutsu concepts. He did this for two hours.

It was precisely at 6 am that Kensaku’s alarm blared to life. The obnoxious sound was making sure that all of the occupants of the room was awake. If the house was normal, the noise could be heard even downstairs, and in the other rooms on the given floor, but, thanks to the silencing seals throughout the house, any noise within a room is contained there. The feature being a minor, but a common one within many houses own by shinobi. They being able to be activated and deactivated at the occupant's leisure. It was only due to the seals that kept anyone else from hearing the obnoxious noise. The noise did not last long though with the alarm clock being turned off by Kensaku.

Sighing, Kensaku moved towards the closed blinds, opening them. The morning sun was shining directly into his eyes causing him to momentarily close them, “Today is the day.”, He mused to no one in particular while staring at the mountainous range outstretching behind his room. The view had to be one of his favorite of all times. It had nothing do with any in particular about the scenic view, but because of the different earthly tones within the mountains range. In his opinion, terrain behind his room was the perfect example of nature's beauty. While staring outside, Kensaku’s thoughts drifted towards what all occurred yesterday, and what will follow today.

The day before yesterday, a messenger shinobi, a shinobi who is specifically used to deliver important messages by the kage or council member to a recipient, stopped by the Koizumi’s household to deliver a promotion scroll to Niala. With his twin having gone to bed early, having worn herself out with training and building her puppet, the scroll was left with their father. Seeing how she was being promoted, the family wanted to do celebrate the promotion. Thus, they planned a quick celebration for the next day.

The following day, Kensaku woke up his twin to begin her celebration. Before the party could even begin, Niala had brought up the idea of traveling to the other nations. At the time, Kensaku was surprised by the suggestion. With them been apart of Iwagakure no Sato for long, he assumed they would remain within the village, getting to know more people and completely establish themselves with the natives before venturing to visit countries. There were also the fact that he had yet to be promoted, though he believed it was close, to Chuunin.

He could only the imagine the dangerous situation which awaited them on the potential journey. If they run into enemy shinobi or bandits, there would not be the safety of the village to protect them, and it was this that worried him. He was concerned that something would happen to them out there. Are they truly ready to venture out into the world without the protections which they knew? He did not know for sure, but yet, he agreed to accompany her. There being no way in hell he was going to let her go by herself.

After giving his twin an answer, Kensaku led her down to begin the celebration. Specific breakfast, everything which Niala’s loved, was made for her. The family, along with Kannon and his mother, ate and chatted together as plans for the day was discuss. Once eating, the family went shopping, stopping by a few clothing stores to buy attire not only for Niala but also for him. Leaving the clothing store the next stop being a few shinobi equipment shops which both parents frequented a lot, to restock on tolls and other equipment. Following the trips there, it was nearly lunchtime, so they stopped at a local cafe which Niala had wanted to visit. The smile on her face when they stopped there being one Kensaku would not forget.

With full stomachs, the family stopped at a recently opened Puppet Shop.  The owners were a friendly married couple from the Henkei clan who were known, though not to the point of Chikamatsu, in Suna for their kugutsu and bukijutsu related techniques. The couples were friendly, helping, insightful, and generously nice people who didn’t try to force the family to buy anything, rather, giving advice on the Kugutsu subjects and other ideas that might be useful. It was easy to tell that there was an extreme love for the kugutsu as a whole. The family bought a lot of stuff from them before continuing their celebration. The rest of the day went by as a blur with them stopping at the park, local museum, ate dinner at a restaurant and got ice cream, and finally home.

Yesterday was amazing, Kensaku enjoying seeing the look of happiness on his twin’s face as she got an entire day dedicated to her. He could not stop smiling throughout the outing and was simply happy for his twin. In his eyes, she deserved this more than him. He knew better than anyone all the stress she was under. Not only was she pushing herself in training, but she also been working nonstop on her puppet and running missions, and unfortunately, there was the issue of the stalker, something that, in his opinion, needed to be dealt with. So yes, with all that stress, a day like yesterday was needed.

Moving away from the window, Kensaku walked towards his bathroom to take a shower with him exiting fifteen minutes later. A dark grey sleeveless shirt was slipped on, followed by a similar dark maroon one. Black cargo pants and matching boots were also put on. Tying the footwear, Kensaku took a few minutes to comb his hair and decided not to style it. Now dressed, he looked towards his workstation where four scrolls lay. Each one of these scrolls contained the needed essentials for the trip, along with his puppet, and material needed to puppet it, if necessary. The scrolls also contain material needed to create the puppet which he had brainstormed. The young teenager planned on completing the build once they reach their first destination.

Sealing the four scrolls onto his person, Kensaku took another look around his room, making sure nothing was left behind. Seeing how he got everything, Kensaku stepped out of his room, the delicious smell of breakfast wafting up to the floor he was on. Moving across the hallway, Kensaku knocked on his twin’s door, “Niala, you awake? I believe breakfast is almost done. Also, don’t forget to grab your stuff for the trip.”, He spoke, waiting for an answer before continuing, “I will be heading downstairs.”

“Good morning, Kensaku. You ready for today?”, Hanae spoke to her son as he came down the stairs. “Good morning, mom. And, yeah, I am ready for today.”, Was his reply, as he made his way towards the refrigerator to pour himself a cup of orange juice before moving to sit at the table.  After agreeing to go on the trip with his twin, the pair told their parents about it soon afterward. Surprisingly, both parents supported the trip wholeheartedly, believing the pair would gain a lot of experience from the adventure. It will show them the world outside of what they have known so far. Though, they did ask for the twins to send letters whenever is possible, giving them updates on their journey. Both twins agreed to this, neither of them having a problem with that.

“Where is your sister?”, Hanae asked, having not seen her daughter yet. “She should be coming down here soon. I knocked on the door to see if she was up.”, He spoke, having set down the cup of orange. His thoughts drifting to the traveling they would be doing. 

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1413

An all too familiar sound of metal clashing against one another rang out in the backyard. The offenders of the noise being none other than Chiyo and Kannon. The mother and son duo were once again sparring against one another, and while it might look like they were evenly matched, the truth was in their clothing and overall posture. While Chiyo had only a few cuts on her clothing, trinkles of blood having long since dried up, and breathing regularly, the same could not be said about Kannon. The young man was covered in head to toe with various degrees of cuts, many of which was still oozing crimson liquid. His breathes were labor, and lungs burned as they tried to intake much needed oxygen with deep breaths. Furthermore, with each clash of the blade, his stance and technique was getting sloppier and sloppier until finally . . . darkness greated him.

With relatively ease, Chiyo caught Kannon before he could face plant into the unforgiven ground. Laying him down on the ground, she looked at his prone figure with fondness and pride. Her son having exceeding the expectations that she, unknowingly to him, set. Usually she would just carry him to his room, healing him enough so he would not be sore, and allow nature to take its course, but, considering today he would be leaving on an adventure across the nations, she could not do that. Knowing this, she raised her sword up into the air, channeling medical chakra through the blade as it was brought down on the prone body. Instead of cutting through Kannon, something she could have easily done, the blade simply went through him, leaving his skin untouched, and causes the scars and bruises on him to rapidly heal. Again, she performed the same action over, and brought it down, this one causing Kannon’s eyes to snap open as it felt like he been injected with caffeine or some energy replenishing agencies. “Good, you awake.”, Kannon turned his attention to Chiyo, sitting up from having laid on the ground, “You will be leaving with Kensaku and Niala this morning, no? I know you already packed your stuff last night, and I added a few scrolls for you to read and learn.”

Kannon nodded at his mother’s statement, remembering that he did promise Niala he would go on this adventure with her and Kensaku. Standing up, Kannon stretched, his mother’s healing removing all the pain and discomforts he would normally have, “Yeah, I just need to take a quick shower. Which I will be doing now.”, He spoke, receiving a nod from Chiyo as the pair walked into the house; Chiyo heading towards her room for her own shower and to possibly help with breakfast while Kannon went to take a shower.

It took Kannon only ten minutes to take a thorough shower. The young man being efficient in many areas of his life. Stepping out of his room dressed in a dark blue kimono with silver intricate patterns on the back and running along the side, and a white sash tied around his waist. His swords rested on his right hip, the katana and wakizashi combo. His pink hair had long since been braided. Several scrolls, containing clothing, weapons, food, and other essentials(including a wireless radio) were on his person. Walking into the kitchen, Kannon realized he was the last one to arrive with his mother, Hanae, Kensaku, and Niala all been there at the table. “Good morning, everyone. Sorry that I am late.”, He spoke, apologizing. “It is fine honey. You are not late at all. The food had just gotten done anyway.”, Hanae spoke, setting a breakfast plate for him on the opposite side of Niala.

“Hello, Niala.”, Kannon greeted his fiance as he took the seat beside her, “And hello Kensaku and Ms. Koizumi.”

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644

Though Niala could not see it, Kensaku nodded at her words as he stepped away from the bedroom door and headed downstairs. The closer he got to the bottom floor, the more delicious the breakfast food being preparing smelt. There were many things about their mother he would miss as they embark on this journey, but, undoubtedly the one thing he would miss above all else was her cooking. She had the innate talent to make anything taste divine. There were curtains he did not like, sushi for example, but she somehow manages to make it taste not too bad. When it came to food he disliked? He would only eat it when their mother cooks it.

Speaking of their mother, he spotted the woman, who stood an inch or so taller than him, standing at the stove. The sound of food sizzling in two separate pans being heard. It did not take a genius to figure out what was being cooked. The smell of bacon was universal, and everyone knew what exactly it smelled like. Sure enough, in one of the pans, multiple strips of bacon were sizzling, becoming a nice caramel brown color. Peaking into the pan, scrambled eggs were being made, Their fluffiness being ensured with a whisk of the fork. As some of the bacon was being removed, Kensaku attempted to snag a piece, after having gotten a glass of orange juice, but was rewarded with a hard pop via a wood ladie Hanae had pulled out of the seemingly thin air, “Wait till everyone is down here to eat.”, She chimed, rolling her eyes at her son who had a dejected look on his face.

Seeing how he was denied a chance to taste some delicious bacon before everyone else did, Kensaku moved to one of the empty chairs at the table. “Where is father?”, He asked, having not seen the man at all this morning, that in itself being unusual. “He had an emergency mission last night. That all he could say on the matter.”, Hanae spoke, looking into the oven to check on the sausage links. Seeing how they would need a few more minutes, Hanae went back to check on the other food, making sure none were burnt.

Kensaku turned his head in the direction of the back door opening, watching as Kannon and Chiyo entered the house, and headed into their separate rooms. It was only after seeing the young samurai that he remembered he would also be tagging along with them. Kannon having agreed when Niala asked. Kensaku did not have a problem with the other male going; it would just mean there would be another person who would be looking after Niala, and that what all mattered in the long room.

As if called into existence, there were Niala making her way down the stairs. Kensaku smiling brightly at her “Good morning.”, He replied, noticing how Chiyo was now in the kitchen and helping their mom with the final touches. At the inquiry of Kannon, shrug, “I believe he is taking a shower. It looked like he had just got done training this morning.”, He spoke. “Yeah, Kannon should be down soon. I wanted to get in one more training session before he leaves.”, Chiyo informed the others, setting down plates, as Kannon arrived downstairs and moved to sit down. Kennsaku returned the greeting. Only after every set down, did Kensaku started eating. A comfortable silence having descended on the members that were only broken with small chatter here and there.

“Where will you be heading first?”, Hanae asked, curious about the children’s plans. Kensaku looked towards Niala, seeing if she was going to answer, if not, he would “We will be going to Mizu no Kuni first. Want to hit the island country out of the way before making our way through Hi no Kuni, Kaminari no Kuni, and then home. I Think. . .” He said, looking at Niala for clarification.

---

663[2076]

While waiting for Niala to confirm with what was said, Kensaku’s thoughts briefly drifted towards the first destination, Mizu no Kuni. There were much to be said about the location which seemingly held formidable shinobi at all of their ranks. Once known, in the annals of times, as a place were the ground was constantly soaked in blood, and monsters were bred, things had apparently change. The ground no longer reeked of blood, but, if one believed in the rumors, monsters were still be bred there. These beings at the beck and call of their Kage who some considered the strongest of the four current ones. Though, while that intrigued him somewhat, it was something else about the country which piqued his interest.

However, before his thoughts to breach the subject, his attention would be directed towards his twin. Nodding agreeance with his sibling, Kensaku added his own comment, “No, asides from checking out some of their blacksmiths, to see if they have anything I could use for my puppet(s), there is not much there I want to actively explore. And like Niala said, I must rather leave the place as quickly as possible due to the rumors that have been spreading about it.” He wonder were the same rumors Niala had heard were similar to the ones which he had? Were they about the supposes terrors which lived within Mizu no Kuni? Kensaku did not know, but, he would ask her later.

“So, after you leave there then you will be heading to Hi no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni, right?”, Hanae asked, receiving a nod from Kensaku who was in the process of putting his plate in the sink. “Alright, well, just be careful you three. Make sure to watch out for one another, and be wary of those who you meet. You can never tell the intentions of a person until it is sometimes too late.”, Hanae spoke, moving to hug each one of the children, with Chiyo doing the same. Once all the hugs had been giving, Kensaku turned his attention to his companions, “You guys ready?”, once in agreeance, he walked outside with the other two, with Hanae and Chiyo not far behind.

With the morning sun having just risen, it was the perfect time for them to make their way to the nearby port and set sail for Mizu no Kuni. Taking another look at his surrounding, Kensaku turned his attention to those who he will be traveling with, and tilted his head in the direction they needed to go, “Come on, we got to get to the port.” He said before taking off in the direction at a moderate pace. As the three shinobi, well, two shinobi and one samurai took to the rooftops, Kensaku made idle conversation between them.

It would take them roughly twenty-five minutes to finally arrive at the port. Kensaku making sure to stick close to Niala and Kannon as they navigate through the busy area, looking for a boat that was heading for Mizu no Kuni. Luckily, it did not take them long to find one, and after the fair was paid, Kensaku, along with his companions, got on the boat, while being joined by civilians who were head there as well. Hours passed, the sun now being at its highest point, before the land was spotted . . .the port leading into Kirigakure no Sato. Looking at his companions, Kensaku spoke, “You excited for what awaits?”.