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"I may be made of stone but it's not like I can hold this all day long." Hotarubi gritted his teeth, talking to Nageku as he stood on a plateau for the boy to work on his postures and carving in general. To create greatness, bla bla - was Nageku's form of greatness. Hotarubi did not find this fun at all but subjected to his brother's wills. They obviously had the superior form, and Nageku was on the right track to create earthen puppets. That much Hotarubi knew - but how they had joints? Would they work in the same way as how he moved himself? Would they even have the ability to hold weapons inside them? Those mechanics, Hotarubi had no idea what would or would not work - his puppetry knowledge was severely lacking but Nageku was taking specialist classes for it, much like those who did Genjutsu or Fuinjutsu, both things that Hotarubi did not currently partake in. Genjutsu seemed interesting, in the interest of fighting dirty he could use it to demolish and destroy his opponents he knew. These were his thoughts as he held a pose for Nageku, his body lightly shivering at holding it for the time he had, it did take a form of energy in order to move his body much like any other normal human's.

[Nageku]

Nageku was on the right path at this point. Searching for the form of a perfect stone puppet, that was until a revelation hit him! Why look for perfection when you were perfection! And even grander he had a shitty brat of a twin who just so happened to have followed the model of perfection out of the womb in ever conceivable fashion, including copying Nageku's image. Now if only he wasn't such a whining baby he would be the best little self-replica trophy brother that the stone carver could ask for. A hammer and chisel working on a boulder the same size as the two boys. Calmly taking large chips out of the rough shape of the legs that he was modelling the statue on. His spare stone clone being the perfect figurine to base his artisty off of. Again assuming the jackass would shut up for five minutes... which he promptly didn't. "Shove a rock in it Ruby would ya? I'm already going pretty damn fast, but I need to get this correct first," Nageku would bark back slightly agitated by his brother's complaints at this point. How the hell was he supposed to have this dumb puppet-craft assignment done by tomorrow if his brother was being so uncooperative?! Huh? It was so damn annoying.

[Deleted]

Why use anything other than greatness? That was what Nageku had put in his head, endless amounts of courage, braveness and self appreciation. Who else to use when you (or himself?) were a good enough subject? Hotarubi had not seen any other creations Nageku had made beyond... well. Themselves. "If you were better you'd have corrected it already," Hotarubi barked back at his brother. He was clenching ... well. Everything: a flex all on its own, he took all of the time out of his day in order to work out... and yet, this wasn't the way he had intended. A bodyweight exercise in its own right! He abandoned his position to flex out his muscles and stretch, taking a moment away from Nageku's precious time carving. Not that he couldn't visualise for the time he took, his body... muscles... rock, whatever it was, thanked him. It was especially heavy and not because he was just made of rock. He swung about his arms, rotating them through the rotationless shoulder cuff, making a perfect 360 as he did so. He wasn't entirely limited in this form, which was why Yamakira were better than other humans. But surely Nageku would have something to say about Hotarubi's disobedience.

[Nageku]

Perhaps it was because when one looked upon a slightly less godly version of themselves and still found near perfection Naga did not complain at the poses that that body flexed into. He found Hota's posing to be rather decent all things considered. It was adequate when what the boy was doing was more or less an arts and crafts study on the muscular structure. Trying to make puppets that looked like people outside of the material being stone. "Oi! I am absolutely amazing at this. Lets see you carve down a boulder this quick huh?" Nageku would lash back as he would slam the hammer into the chisel at a rate that made the process sound like someone was trying to break apart a mountain with a kunai. The difference was, Nageku actually had the strength behind his earthen arms to properly tear into stone, and he was getting good at it. Without even a moment in which the two had spoken a roungh shape was already starting to take shape for the young man. For once in his life the deliquent older brother was focused on the stone and melding its shape to his likeness. Stopping and looking over finally at his brother would earn the agrivated scowl that Hotarubi may have been expecting more readily. His jaw grinding audibly for a moment before a smile spread on the crude stone man, "Your really itching for an ass beating next time you sleep aren't you? Get your ass back in position before you wake up limbless for that shitty school you like so much. Don't think I wont keep them filed for class all day too."

[Deleted]

So Hotarubi couldn't carve down a boulder with the grace that Nageku did. As far as he was concerned, they were good at different things. "Could crush it though," There was no mumble to his voice because he believed what he was saying, stretching out the soreness from sitting in such a position for so long. But he expected Nageku to get angry, and he nodded at the other teenager's harsh admonishment. It was better and easier for Hotarubi to not start a fight. "Hai," he responded. Had the time with his uncle done him good? He wasn't sure, but Hotarubi knew better than to try and fight back with his brother on the subject and reassumed the position again. From what he could tell in his peripheral vision was the shape being carved. It was interesting, because he hadn't really put into words how puppetry would make them move. He couldn't see too much detail yet, but it was definitely looking human which was more than what Hotarubi could say for his own ability to carve. The best he himself could do was create noodles, and cooking noodles. "You could do well in showing up too, otherwise I'll graduate before you." Hotarubi chirped from some time of silence. He could already feel the tenseness in his body, but he knew he would have to hold it. This was an exercise of sorts, and if he were in a human mode: would have a trickle of sweat at this point. Let it be known, he would be ready to switch it up if he got through the academy and was eventually stronger than Nageku. If he slacked. If, being the operative word.

[Nageku]

Nageku would huff in annoyance as his brother got back into position with the posing that the older twin needed of him. Despite his ego the tattoo'd rock was well aware that he would lack the gifts in the areas that his brother did. After all, he was not his brother. Years of putting down the younger mutt would only feedback to his eventual downfall. A Naga would need to become a dragon that could compete with a stone tiger. Truly he had no interest in being the one to do most of the dirty work though, preferring sleep to work, but here he was still. That was what lead him to the idea of stone puppets though. Constructs with the same strength, or perhaps more than his own, but he knew he would still need to wade into battle with the damn things more than likely. "I show up plenty to class moron. Im in a different course, or did you lose the marble in your bag of rocks to actually keep more than one memory in there?" Nageku would respond to his brother pushing the chisel down lower on the body, not even bothering to respond to everything his brother was trying to say out loud. It wasn't always worth the breath, and even less so worth a godly young man's energy.

[Deleted]

"Different course. Right." Hotarubi repeated back to Nageku. With how lazy he tended to be, it was more of a guess from his own part. But, fine. 'My fucking body is going to be sore as hell after this.' Hotarubi sighed internally, and he didn't want to but the signs of exhaustion were going to show - there was a light wavering in his movements and body, like holding an invisible weight. 'I will win.' Win against what? Gravity? But he was dead set on sitting there until Nageku was done with his sculpture. The stone tiger would have better patience than the Bulwark dragon bringing all of his toys to battle. Not that Hotarubi fully understood how and why he required Hotarubi to sit as still when he could have used a mirror. Though he also realised why lug a mirror when you can order around a brother? "I'm tellin you. We're going to be unstoppable out of the academy, but we need that fucking headband first." Hotarubi did have a bit more enthusiasm for his brother and with him - they were naturally butting heads, but they generically got on well one another and enjoyed similar things in life. The exam was coming up soon as well, which meant that they needed to be on that ship out - or risk waiting a few more months. Hotarubi did not want to wait a few more months at all.

[Nageku]

He did have a point on that matter, and despite continuing his work Nageku would laugh at his brother's words. The face and torso now coming to full view for the young men as their complexion unblemished by tattoos or scars appeared before them both. It was a good look as far as Naga's opinion was concerned on the matter, "I am more than sure that if we combine our strengths then we will definitely be more than powerful than the other kids since we have a few years on most of the chumps out there." Nageku hadn't lied though, he was often kept seperate from Hotarubi in school, the academy fearing the two being in the same class would end someone's life. It almost had before, though not nearly as close to death as the twins could have hoped for all things considered. It was for that reason that they both craved power. Nageku needed his brother to act as his second set of hands, and his brother needed someone with more than one brain cell who could work with him. Another arm would be done before he would look again at his brother and then sigh a bit more, "You know we still have some bastards to kill before we can really start doing anything as genin Rubs."

[Deleted]

They had a few more years on other chumps, sure. "You hear that the Mizukage is 14? They must have some weak ass shinobi." He chirped what he had heard some time ago from. "That Bikuta Shinichi, some Genin told me. If thats true then.. well. Weak." They would roughly be on the same page so he thought. Hotarubi knew that he himself would move mountains in the long run, that's what he envisioned. An army couldn't stand against a mountain. Nobody could. Not even Ryu. He daydreamed while he waited for Nageku to finish up his sculpture and that was the thing that kept him going for the time being even while his body was lacking. The two of them together generally meshed on good days and battled it out on bad days, but this was more or less their general stereotype between the two of them. It had been on good authority that they were split up, each having had their rebel phase accordingly. "Right. I'll build some shitty houses, help some ladies across streets. gya gya gya." Hotarubi laughed. "Then I'll ruin them all." A bit more seriously. That was the bane of the Yamakira way, but their chatting was one way to idly pass the time while he tensed his core, keeping his arms up - no matter how heavy it would get.

[Nageku]

It wasn't hard to get the older twin to agree on the matter of a fourteen year old leader being an incredibly weak type of leader. Inexperienced, scrawny, not even fully grown nor matured to a point where he should have been given that sort of position. It was honestly a massive sign of weakness and oversight... like how stupid could an entire village of people become that they would allow something like that. A sort of synical laugh would leave his lips... another oddity was the seemingly perfect match of voice between the two. Especially when they laughed, truly two of the same. Even as Hota focused on his body, Nageku focused solely on his creations. His brother could act as the front guard when needed, and he could control the perimeter when necessary as well. It was an insanely simplistic view of everything, but what were strategies before sheer power? Nothing. No one could overcome the Yamakira after all, that old goat would not still lead their clan if there was something strong enough to do so after all. Hammering more of the stone a form of a full body, began to truly take shape. It looked just like the brothers if just a bit larger. The details still lacking for the most part. Nageku would drop the hammer haphazardly out of a lack of fucks to give and... he turned to look at his brother disgustedly, "Like the old hags that can't cross alone? Since when were you into dustbins?" Naga was regretting tossing his hammer to the ground and not sending it at his brother.

[Deleted]

Nageku was right; they were old, out of power. He would be shown no mercy when his time came, and respect meant little when there was nothing to substantiate it. Just like a village! If they weren't capable of great violence, they weren't pacifistic: they were harmless. A distinction they all had been taught from a younger age. "You wanna get paid right?" Hotarubi's motive was the money - and the missions it would eventually lead to. Of course he didn't want to do any of that, but he wouldn't be given the juicy stuff if he didn't play his bit as a ninja of Takigakure. But, it took his mind off the other issues present in his body, namely the ache. But - the sculpture was taking form. "I'm okay doing anything that leads me to leading." Hotarubi was ready to get down and dirty: but he was also ready to do his bit, and perhaps that distinction was important for the two of them.

[Nageku]

Oh yeah, this jokestter thought that he could become the Lord after Ryu kicked the bucket. Admittedly it wasn't that bad of a plan if he was smart about that. Often though, Hotarubi was just as dumb as Naga, admittedly, thought his brother was. Which was pretty low on the intelligence chain, at least when the two were compared in any reasonable fashion. Nageku ignored his brother's comments for the moment. He had more important things to do then let his brother run the show of power grabbing the little shit. Actually Nageku couldn't really claim that just yet, beyond the fact that it was true. The dude had basically his same face so he really couldn't stay mad at his little brother, even if he did have a constant urge to crush him into the dirt and commit a homicide. That was a back brain thought that could stay there... for now. Naga would instead get deep into the actual detailing of the statue he was working on. Grabbing the hammer he had dropped he would move back to his work and get to it, crushing out large chips across the board and starting to get an unpolished detailing of himself and his brother's very own visage to fit. It would be about then that Naga remembered he forgot to bring anything to actually sand down the creation to smooth out the rough outline of a man he had made. His hammer coming down too hard, he would crack off the piece that was meant to serve as a nose. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Naga would yell his frustration before turning to his brother lifting the statue. "Get your ugly arse dressed I am done with this. Lets go throw this gargabe at something." Naga would order his brother as he tossed his hammer and chisel over to his brother and heft the statue onto his shoulders. The lack of strain from the lack of muscles only assisting in his rage-fueled wish to leave.

[Deleted]

The chit chat was helping the lump concentrate so at least that was going for him. He wanted to bash Nageku's brains against the dirt and concrete, or perhaps using the puppet as a weapon? These were thoughts that satiated the nothing going on in his mind. Some small time would pass and the chip sound was as clear as day, and Nageku's voice started next as well. Hotarubi would look over at Nageku's outburst, that was not good. He stopped - knowing what it likely signified from the subtle communication. He jumped down from his pedestal to find and look at what it was that went wrong. Hotarubi would wheeze with some thankful release as his body visibly curled and lost its form - hunching. Nageku had the right idea though, and at least it would be fun - had it been for nothing, he would have been pissed. "Can't you make it work?" Hotarubi did not appreciate the finer details of puppetry or his chosen art, even if it was lazy this did take some form of work. Nageku would hoist it, and Hotarubi would be the brains for this moment. "I'm thinking old man Oko." he would wander off with Nageku, free to play some pranks. [end]