[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Food & Medicine 食べ物と薬

Ishi no Kuni was most well known for the temples and ruins that littered its landscape. There was a small shinobi village on the west side of the county that had worked with Iwagakure and its allies during the last war, but Hotaru was much more relaxed than he had been in Arashi no Kuni. The grounds around them were a mix of broken jagged stone and verdant greens that grew more yellow and scarce in the distance. Through their journey they passed ancient spires of stone and obelisks through a treacherous path of foothills and depressions.

In their travels they came to a small village built up an ascending pathway between two large hills. The homes were made from stone and painted with tangerine. The name of the village was Ishi Abaraya, and littered along the paths were baskets of fruits and vegetables. The baying of goats could be heard throughout the otherwise quiet village. The approach of Kazui and Hotaru had drawn the eyes of various villagers who were dressed simply. The nukenin himself had discarded and sealed away his drenched robe, wearing a sienna garb beneath.

It was here that Hotaru would let out a sigh of relief. There was some time for them to rest and to get Kazui back on her feet. Investigations took time and Konohagakure had many places to search. There was one jutsu that he was weary of…

"Try to keep five feet away from any sort of signs or unique landmarks that might identify our location,” he muttered to her.

With that they went further into the village, passing chickens pecking at grains out in the open on the road and villagers waving at them. When his eyes fell on a signage for an inn he hastened his pace. He pushed through sheets of lined hanging over the door frame and into the rather small building. Paying an old woman at the counter and taking them into the only room, which had four beds. He paid for all of them to avoid having company.

Placing Kazui onto one of the beds which were little more than haystacks with animal furs draped over them, he smiled at Kazui. They had traveled through the night and he hadn’t slept, but he was too anxious to be tired.

"After we get your legs taken care of, we can get some breakfast,” he told her. He didn’t remember her being a big eater when she was a sick young girl, but he was sure that she needed to eat. They had been on the road for awhile. "Do you think that you could eat something light?”

@

@

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Once they crossed over the border separating Arashi no Kuni from Ishi no Kuni, Kazui was able to breathe a bit easier than before and relax now that they were clear from the land’s zero tolerance for trespassers. She didn’t know much about the land other than that outsiders typically weren’t welcomed. Nevertheless, once they crossed over into Ishi no Kuni, the girl was allotted some time to rest, so she did. Having Hotaru carry her through the night allowed for her energy to return completely and her strength to do so as well.

By the time she had woken up, they were pretty far into the stone country, but didn’t seem to have quite reached their next destination as of yet. Nevertheless, the girl would try walking on her own, and despite the constant pain and the limp that came with each step she took, the girl would push through as best as she possibly could - but of course she wasn’t quite able to as of yet, so back to being carried she went. The stone paths were unforgiving as well, it was best to stay off her feet until the pain in her leg eased up. Throughout their journey however, Kazui remained relatively silent. Still torn between her brother and the village, she couldn’t quite escape the thoughts and the feeling of fire burning beneath her heart. If Hotaru knew about the teen’s emotional state, then he would know the slightest thing could spark hatred in her heart, but regardless of who was right or wrong, the fact that the village lied to her tarnished their reputation drastically.

The two eventually came across a small village, fruits and vegetables displayed neatly on the side of the path that led further into the village. Managing to gather a few looks and glares from some of the locals, Kazui wondered if they were friendly or not, but as the villagers smiled and waved..Kazui’s concerns would subside. She looked to her brother and nodded. "Okay.” She didn’t know exactly what he was talking about, but she did know that she wasn’t going to go wandering off away from him.

Kazui would enter the inn along with Hotaru. She watched her brother pay for the only room that the old lady had available, and she wouldn’t question why he had paid so much if it were just the two of them, but she soon found out. Once they reached the room, Kazui would see four beds and Hotaru would place her on one of the beds closest to the door. From there she would caress her wounded leg as the dried blood could be seen through the bandaging.

Part of her wanted to punch Hotaru for hurting her, but she decided against it, though she would never forget how he purposefully injured her. As Hotaru spoke again, the girl would look into his eyes and see that he hadn’t slept in a while. She sighed at his question, she hadn’t eaten in awhile but it was almost as if she didn’t need to or want to, but for the sake of Hotaru she would nod her head. "Sure..I guess I should eat something.” She voiced softly in compliance only to ease Hotaru’s concern about her well being.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

"Alright, well. Let’s get this taken care of then,” he said as he kneeled at the bedside and began channeling chakra into her legs to help clear up small microfractures in the bone caused by the explosion and the impact of the shrapnel. He also found several fragments of metal that had embedded itself once again, just as it had been back in Byakuya. He’d spend the next little while in silence getting her mended up as well as possible with what medical ninjutsu he had. It was clear he didn’t possess shousen jutsu, which may have made things easier overall.

"I know we have a lot of business to discuss,” Hotaru said as he was finishing up with giving her fresh wrappings that were tighter now that he wasn’t fighting the rain and rushing against the probability of attack. "But let’s wait awhile. We… nevermind.”

We may not get this chance again. He thought.

"At the least you should make sure to drink plenty of water while we are here,” he told her. She had refused his drink back in Arashi no Kuni, and he hadn’t bothered her about it since. He offered her a hand in getting up out of the bed. "Just take it easy, it shouldn’t be too bad to walk now.”

@

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

"Okay.” The girl spoke lightly as she stared at the floor beside Hotaru and moved her hands from around her badly injured leg. The other one did have puncture wounds from the shrapnel but it was much of a big deal compared to the one that had been nicked by shuriken. The lacerations were pretty deep, but nothing to be overly concerned about. Kazui would lean back, her hands propping her up as she watched Hotaru use chakra to help aid in her recovery.

Picking shrapnel from the girl’s skin again, she would wince at the pain and clench her teeth. The way things played out at the standoff that happened at the river seemed to be similar to what happened to the girl at the chunin exams. Caught in an explosion, riddled with bits and pieces of makibishi. It was stupid now that she thought about it. He could have just told her who he was, she’s his sister! But of course she probably wouldn’t believe him, even if she could tell if he were lying or not. It didn’t matter, anything but attacking her right? She didn’t even want to fight, and luckily she didn’t - She would’ve missed out on the opportunity to speak to him.

Taking in a deep breath, Hotaru’s voice would draw Kazui’s attention, they had business to discuss apparently. "Business?” She asked curiously, her gaze quickly averting towards the ceiling for a brief second as she pondered on what business they had to discuss. She wanted to ask what he meant, but as he insisted on the waiting until later, she would simply hold on to her questions.

"Alright..I’ll make sure to stay hydrated.” She in a slightly annoyed tone, but it was still lighthearted in nature, she wasn’t mad at him. "I’m not a little kid anymore.” The girl voiced softly as she grabbed ahold of his hand and pulled herself up to her feet. Reaching for his shoulder, Kazui would sort of lean against Hotaru as she tried to take a step, her leg felt a little better but she still had to walk lightly. From there she would let go of her brother and take another step, she had a limp but it’s the best she could do at the moment.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Hotaru smiled and laughed when she reminded him that she wasn’t a child. He nodded and patted her on the shoulder. "It’s true, you don’t really need to be looked after anymore,” he said. He wouldn’t clarify what he meant by business, only guiding her out of the small inn and onto the dirt path of the village’s streets. He missed the frail child that he left behind, but was happy to have a chance to get to know what she had become.

As he led them to a small bizarre the villages was a bit noisier. Various merchants excited by the arrival of outsiders with money. A man with a salt and pepper beard loudly propositioned them to sample his lamb stew, children dressed in rags yelled out about fresh carrots, lettuce, apples, and more. There were interesting smells in the air, some pleasant but not all. Hotaru hoped that she’d see something appealing as they walked and avoided the sales pitches of the residents.

"You said you were adopted. Is your new family nice to you?” he said in a soft voice. "and did they finally throw the old man in jail, or..?” he asked her. He wasn’t so hardened that he couldn’t wonder what became of his father, though he remembered she had spoken of him in the past tense in Arashi. For the most part he wanted to know more about her life before he interjected himself back into it.

@

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Slightly turning her body, she would look back at her brother and wait for him to take the lead, standing by the door as he made his way past her. The smile on his face warmed her heart, and Kazui would smile in return as he agreed that she was no longer the same little kid that he had left all that time ago. She didn’t need to be taken care of, but the girl did enjoy the feeling of having someone who cared for her so much.

Following Hotaru out of the inn and back into the stone streets of the village, it appeared as if the locals became a bit more lively knowing that there were visitors amongst them. The smell of various foods filled the air, it was a lot to take in, so Kazui just followed closely beside Hotaru until something managed to grab her attention. "Yeah, Lady Hiruko adopted new after grandma died, but I guess she’s a cool mom, she’s just never at home.” Kazui explained before continuing, "Hachiko passed a few years before grandma...so that’s that.” The girl explained blandly. She was still looking for food, clearly she was picky, but her taste was simple, so as she limped and hobbled down the path - eyeing all the options available, the girl would come to a stop where one of the merchants and her father were selling onigiri (rice balls) and various meats and sides, but Kazui only wanted the rice.

"H-Hi...may I have three onigiri please.” She asked softly, the lady would give her a deep cheeky smile and nod as she packaged the food and handed it to her. "Welcome to Ishi Abaraya, would you like anything sir, it’s on me!” The young lady merchant asked with a flirting tone, she insisted on Hotaru ordering something. She appeared to be just a handful of years older than Kazui herself, but if the young Uchiha had to guess she’d say she was 19.

Kazui took a step backwards and allowed her brother to decide if he wanted anything or not.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

He contemplated Hachiko’s death for a moment. He didn’t really feel the way a son should feel about such a thing, which brought on a bit of guilt deep in his gut. He was more saddened to hear that their grandma had passed, though he was more prepared for that reality. If anything, his time with Hachiko felt incomplete. There wouldn’t be a chance to say what needed to be said to him. It made him more grateful about the time he was getting to spend with Kazui now.

His quiet ended when the young woman asked to treat him something on their menu. "Thank you, but I’m not hungry right now,” he would say at first. It might have been easier to notice in this particular outfit more than his usual billowy cloaks and robes that he was rather thin. After further insistence he would give in and ordered onigiri as well. When the food was given to them he still ended up giving them the full amount due for both orders. "Thank you for your hospitality.”

He wasn’t oblivious to the effect he had on some, but he didn’t like to take advantage of those kinds of situations. He also felt a bit embarrassed being flirted with in front of his sister, so he tried to make nothing of it beyond smiling and being polite.

"Hiruko-senpai, eh?” Hotaru said as he led them to a nearby area to sit, a makeshift bench made from stone. "That must be interesting.”

It was better than ending up in the boat of the more extreme Uchiha families. Though he had distracted Umetaro with false ideations, his loyalties were to his own ideals rather than the village or even the clan.

"Do you have a lot of friends in the village?” Hotaru asked as he sat with his onigiri unwrapped, rolling one around with his hashi but not taking a bite. He never had time for things like that back then. Not really. The closest thing he could say he had was comrades, but even then one of them had been incredibly cruel.

@

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Kazui didn’t expect much of a reaction from Hotaru as she mentioned the passing of their father, especially after what he had told her. Kazui herself struggled to find her true feelings weeks after he died, she felt as if she could forgive him but her heart just wouldn’t allow it. The girl took in a breath and sighed, it was the only parent she had ever known and he wasn’t even a parent, a guardian, nor a father. He was just a man who she shared blood with, and that was about as far as that went. Somehow his absence brought her peace.

Kazui took the wrapped onigiri and stepped back as the woman offered Hotaru food at her own expense. It was awkward but it was human nature, the girl couldn’t get mad at her. Kazui did smile faintly as her brother left money for the merchants anyway, seeing as she would have done the exact same thing.

"Thank you!” The lady said as the two siblings walked off and searched for a place to enjoy their food comfortably. "Mhm..as interesting as being in the house all alone can be.” The girl voiced sarcastically. She was also hesitant to mention that she lived in the Senju compound for a week or so before Hiruko eventually brought her in as a ward, only so that she wouldn’t be spending the nights all alone during such a rough time. The passing of their grandmother really put a hurting on Kazui’s emotions, she thought that the woman was all that she had left.

Gingerly limping to the stone bench, Kazui would grab a seat and unpacking the onigiri. "Mm .. I have a few...” The girl voiced. "Or .. at least I had a few but...” She wasn’t so sure of her feelings toward them at the moment, but as of now she had a gripe with the village and had no intention of returning.

"I never really cared too much about making friends anyway.” Kazui added on softly before taking a bite of the rice, it was the truth and a lie. Friends only ended up leaving her or betraying her, so of course she limited herself on how many she had, but of course when she was in the academy - friends were all she ever wanted.

The girl paused for a minute as she chewed, taking her time to eat despite the fact that she hadn’t eaten in a while. She wondered how Hotaru managed to survive all this time without a place to call home, but of course he was capable of overcoming the odds.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

As he listened to Kazui speak he finally took a single bite of one of his rice balls, chewing it slowly while he contemplated her answers to his questions. "I’m sure they aren’t responsible for anything but being misguided,” he said. "They are victims too… ah but I guess I said we’d get to more serious matters later. Forgive me.”

He watched her for a few moments and took a second bite of his food. He smiled and looked up and watched the clouds rolling east, back the way that they had fled from. He looked over at a row of clay jugs that were resting on the opposite side of the street. He thought back to some of their previous times together, when she was still bed ridden.

He withdrew a pack of senbon and placed them on the bench. He took one and quietly tucked it into his mouth, and then looked to the left and right to make sure that none of the villagers were watching. After a moment he looked over at Kazui and gave her a small grin before spitting the needle across the street, clinking against one of the jugs.

It was childish, but he remembered entertaining her with it when he was a kid by popping balloons tied to her door with it. He wasn’t sure if she would remember those times though. She was so young last he saw her...

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Shita Toge [Tongue Spine]
RANK: E
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:
An extremely simple bukijutsu that requires the use of a senbon. The user must prepare this jutsu ahead of time by placing a small senbon inside their mouth. The user then wraps their tongue around the senbon to act like a pipe of sorts and sticks it out of their lips. The user then blows hard sending the senbon flying 2-3m. The senbon doesn't really have enough force to penetrate and would only give the slightest of pin pricks to skin making this jutsu less suited for combat and more suited for school yard pranks. However, it can still be considered somewhat dangerous as a hit to the eye could cause some notable damage.

@

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Continuing to eat, Kazui would finish the first of her trio of onigiri, taking her time to let it digest just a bit before even thinking about moving on to the second one. Hotaru explained that it was more than likely that her friends weren’t responsible for what happened or what was going on, and that they were victims as well. That might’ve been true, but Kazui didn’t see herself returning which would definitely stain any friendship that she held. Besides, Hiruko was her mother so to speak, friends with the Hokage. How was this a secret for so long? The girl sighed, trying to stop herself from overthinking. "I guess you’re right…” The teen voiced gently, gazing off into the distance as a few villagers passed across her line of sight. "It just sucks.” She explained, knowing that things wouldn’t be the same.

She turned to face her brother, just in time to catch him smiling, and it warmed her heart to know that he could still find happiness somehow after all that he’s been through and after all that the girl had told him. She wanted to ask him exactly why he was smiling, but ultimately decided against it. However, as Hotaru placed a bag of senbon in front of the two, and placed one in his mouth, the nostalgia and old memories came flooding back to her. She smiled and chuckled as she watched him launch the senbon a fairly good distance and hit one of the old clay jugs across from them.

Kazui quickly shuffled closer to the bag and picked one for herself. "Watch this…” She voiced with childlike excitement behind her tone. The last time she had watched Hotaru do these sort of senbon tricks, she wasn’t old enough nor healthy enough to join him, but now she was. And like every kid who had a sibling to look up to, Kazui wanted to be just like her older brother, which was why she picked up this silly skill while he was gone. As she placed the senbon in her mouth, Kazui would look for her target. As the wind blew, a flyer just above the clay jugs would shake in the breeze. Spewing the senbon from her lips, the needle would pin the bottom of the poster to the wooden surface. "Boom, beat that!” She said jokingly behind a few chuckles and giggles.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Shita Toge [Tongue Spine]
RANK: E
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:
An extremely simple bukijutsu that requires the use of a senbon. The user must prepare this jutsu ahead of time by placing a small senbon inside their mouth. The user then wraps their tongue around the senbon to act like a pipe of sorts and sticks it out of their lips. The user then blows hard sending the senbon flying 2-3m. The senbon doesn't really have enough force to penetrate and would only give the slightest of pin pricks to skin making this jutsu less suited for combat and more suited for school yard pranks. However, it can still be considered somewhat dangerous as a hit to the eye could cause some notable damage.

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

[newclass=.cred]text-align:center;font-size:6pt;color:rgb(132, 132, 132);letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;margin-top:5px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Hotaru nodded in agreement with her, the situation was definitely less than great. He wasn’t able to gauge her feelings completely, he assumed they were likely just as complex as his own. He continued with carrying out his little trick. He was delighted that Kazui seemed to remember it, and pleasantly surprised when she showed him that she had taken the time to learn it.

He laughed along with her, gently patting her on the shoulder. "Oh wow, that is quite impressive,” he said. He couldn’t just let her completely upstage him though. He looked around again, they hadn’t yet caught any attention for goofing around. He looked at the flyer and Kazui’s senbon for a moment while he fixed another senbon into his mouth. Afterwards he brought his hands up to create something of a goal post out of his fingers while he muttered something unintelligible under his breath for nearly an entire minute while he looked things over.

He whipped his head back in forward at a strange upwards angle, spitting the senbon in such a way that it arked upwards and began to rotate horizontally as it flew forward. When it reached the end of its trajectory, the weighted tip of the senbon smacked against the senbon holding up the flyer. The tip stuck to the wall fell from the weight and the airborne senbon bounced upwards. The paper fell, landing on the ground next to the pottery, and then Hotaru’s senbon fell straight into it to pin it to the ground through the center of the paper like it had been driven through a check spindle.

"Whatwasat,” the old man who had served them alongside their daughter asked, looking around confused. He took a few steps away from his stand before his daughter pulled at his sleeve to stop him from being nosey. He shook his head as he walked away.

He glanced over at Kazui, giving her a look of humility with his silver eyes. "Was that any good?” he teased.

SPOILER: Click to show

Genius of Physics- From a young age Hotaru has possessed an uncanny understanding of mathematics and relating it to the world. He is able to use his knowledge to accurately estimate rates of speed that people are moving and the distance they are away from him. He lacks the visual acuity to track projectiles, but is savvy enough to start estimating the timing and trajectory of a foes ranged attacks if they repeatedly engage from the same distance.

@

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Kazui smiled as Hotaru patted her on the shoulder and commended her on her ability with the senbon. The girl always enjoyed appreciation and acknowledgment of her skills and smarts, especially since she had gone her entire childhood without it, but for some reason it meant more coming from her brother. She chuckled softly as she responded, "Heh, I’ve been practicing and what not.” She spoke proudly and confidently, shrugging her shoulders as if it wasn’t a big deal. Her persistent smile remained as she watched the flyer in which she had pinned to the post, she was truly proud of herself and felt accomplished.

However, she wouldn’t spend too much time dwelling on her work, instead the girl would turn back to face Hotaru and grab a senbon of her own right after he did. It appeared as if he was going to give it another go, and so Kazui watched on, twirling the thin needle between each of her fingers before placing it between her top and bottom teeth as if it were a toothpick. She waited to see what Hotaru had planned.

As he twisted and torqued his head as he fired the needle off from his lips, the thin piece of metal would knock Kazui’s senbon from the paper and allow the flyer to fall to the earth. That wasn’t the most impressive part however, as the flyer fell, Hotaru’s senbon would bounce into the air and flip continuously until the weighted end of the senbon pierced through the paper, pinning it to the ground. It even managed to grab the attention of the older man who had helped serve the two siblings their food.

Taking in a deep breath as she pulled the needle from between her lips, Kazui sighed as she looked to her elder brother. "Alright..you win this time, but just know I’m going to win the next one and every one after that.” She joked softly before turning her attention back to the food in front of her, remaining relatively quiet as she finished the remaining portion of her meal.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

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[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

He smiled but eased back, finally taking a few bites of his meal to hide a sadness. He would let her win every time if it meant that there would be a next time.

"Till next time then,” he said after a break in chewing. The market was growing a bit busier with foot traffic from a school releasing nearby. The children leaving were several years younger than Kazui, and they carried worn out old scrolls in pouches. The people here had simple lives and probably only basic education, but he still felt envy as he watched them talk among each other without a care. He was sure they couldn’t imagine the life that he and his sister had lived.

The worst feeling came when he saw a young girl coming to greet one of the school boys who was walking with his friends. She addressed him as brother and he shooed her away like a pest. He sighed as he watched it and then looked over at Kazui for a brief moment before averting his gaze. He wanted to apologize again, but he hated when people kept saying sorry over and over. The quantity of how many times he said it wouldn’t mean anything.

He sat and watched the market for a while, looking for words to say. Occasionally it looked as if he might speak, but he found himself overwhelmed with questions about her life that he might ask. He had led the conversation for a while, so he thought it might be good to be silent so that Kazui could speak her mind more openly.

He was afraid of when the time would come that they would discuss current events, afraid that the door for enjoying each others company might end depending on what she decided would be best for her.

@

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Kazui grinned and nodded in agreement with Hotaru, until next time indeed, and she couldn’t wait, but until then she would need to practice as hard as she could to even come close to dethroning her older brother. Nevertheless, she continued to eat her food, paying attention to their surroundings as a silence naturally reigned over the two siblings. Everything seemed to get just a tad bit more hectic, more people were coming out and shopping, and enjoying their time with one another. A small school nearby had finally released classes for the day, and numerous kids flooded the streets as well.

Kazui didn’t pay much attention to those around, but when she saw a young girl get ignored by one of her classmates, she couldn’t help but to feel bad for the child. She could sense the sadness in her heart, and that the situation would more than likely stick to her for quite some time. Kazui wanted to speak up, but she was never one to stick her nose into other people’s business, especially with something with little importance. So instead, the teen turned her attention and continued to finish her food.

Once she was completely finished, she would wrap the disposables up and toss them into the garbage bin not too far away from their bench, however once she returned to where they were seated, Kazui would break the silence.

"So uh..what comes after all of this?” The girl asked, "Where do we live, where do we go, how do we survive...what’s our goal?” She continued asking Hotaru.

SPOILER: Click to show

Always Passively Active:
NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu // Hijutsu
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[newclass=.cred a]color:rgb(132, 132, 132);font-size:6pt;letter-spacing:1px;font-family:verdana;[/newclass]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Hotaru nodded. It was probably time to start answering some of her questions and to help her decide on what path she would take from here. He closed his eyes for a moment and then stood up, he didn’t want to discuss things here in a bustle of the market. Shinobi of this land were sparse and mostly undertrained, but he still didn’t want to deal with eavesdroppers.

"Walk with me,” he said as he began to move away from the scene. The little village was built in between two plateau. It had little rises that were connected by ladders and wooden staircases. The area that he picked for speaking was a garden that was overgrown with flowers and weeds that rested high up on a platform with a neglected staircase, the spot chosen by whoever had planted it because it got more sunlight here than elsewhere.

Once they arrived he stopped and looked over the high rise towards the north, where endless mountains loomed in the distance.

"Should you choose to come with me, we will be crossing into Tsuchi no Kuni,” he told her. "Arashi no Kuni will put them off our trail for a time, but passing through more of their enemies territory will make their mission even more dangerous for them. Even if they had the means to track, they’d have to risk escalating conflict to come after us.”

He couldn’t tell her what their destination was. Not yet anyways. He didn’t want to put the people in Tori no Kuni at any more risk than he had to.

"When I first dreamed of rescuing you, I thought I might be able to give you a better life,” he said. "Maybe help you to forget the village and just be a girl who didn’t have to worry about the ugly parts of the world… but I don’t think you’d still be yourself without your experiences… and the danger of this path never goes away.”

He sighed and turned to face her. There was a sadness in his eyes. It looked like he had more to say, but he relented for a moment.

@