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"Wrong.” Hotarubi’s head was crushed under the boot of a shoe, rendering his senses gone. He did feel his body get kicked after that and his back crashed into a pillar of sorts, or a wall. He couldn’t really tell at this point. Hotarubi was getting his body obliterated, but parts of his body were pulling from nearby stores of earth and remodelling back into his face. "I’m sorry, Oji-sama.” It was emotionless when he could finally mumble the words out. "You are the epitome of human manifest. We are superior beings, Hotarubi. You would do well to remember that we are better than everything and everyone.” He was sounding like Nageku. And his father; but more Nageku than their shared collective father. Hotarubi was picked up by his head, a very uncomfortable experience as he was pulled to his feet – but the man was strong. "My bloodline will not be weak. Earn it.” The request had been simple at the time, which was that Hotarubi had humbly requested for some tutoring, and it had effectively turned into Hotarubi being beat up by a Jonin shinobi. The Jonin formed a spike from his hand: and impaled Hotarubi. "Use your might.” Again, sounding like Nageku. Hotarubi would form a fist and try and pummel at his face. He found himself without legs as he was bisected by the grown blade grew from his uncle’s arm.

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Hotarubi pulled his legs back at his body: they would be easier to connect again through the use of earth than to let earth draw back into the formation of legs, and he listened to his uncle droning on. "You aren’t giving me much of a chance. It’s poor learning.” Hotarubi maybe spoke a bit too soon. "Chance?” The tone of his uncle was definitely changing, and he could tell that he had upset the man. Before Hotarubi could form fully, his uncle had dug his hand into Hotarubi’s earthen body: splitting it up in either direction. The voice was thunderous. "Life isn’t fair. You will either be better than me, or you will die.” Hotarubi was pretty much idle, unable to really fight back against him. His uncle had leaned in rather close. "Hai, Oji-sama.” Hotarubi used that moment to grab the man’s throat and tore it out. Unfortunately, his body too was made of earth. For what it was worth, it worked. "You are pathetic and disgusting, Hotarubi. That might have worked, at what cost?” The earth formulated much quicker than Hotarubi was able to. "Your enemy would have figured out that you could not be killed, and would never have gotten close enough. You are a stain on my bloodline, you and Nageku.” Hotarubi used his own leg to sweep, quite literally using it as a broom that did make the man fall.

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The man had fallen, and for once he had some form of upper hand as he used an arm to pull himself on top of the man, to strangle him. A pointless exercise, but this was meant to be more for the lifelike. The uncle released a deep guttural growl, a laugh of deep proportions. "Pathetic,” Hotarubi elbowed the man in the face, using some form of earthen ability to make his elbow sharp – dropping it into his eye socket. This was a strange relationship, but Hotarubi would try his best even if he was without legs or half a chest. It was going to take chakra to reform, which he felt he would not have. It would mean that he’d have to wait time for his body to connect back. The man continued to laugh, undeterred by Hotarubi’s attacks. The earth turned into a slight maelstrom of earth as it connected, and started packing on top of him. Hotarubi pushed himself off, rolling away and through the dirt and rock accumulation. It revealed a much larger, blacker form that he had seen many times before. "I’m going to turn you to grain, and you can sit there and think about your poor, shitty, weak actions.” And he did.

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"You’re telling me you learned nothing?” His uncle was just as venomous as he was yesterday. Hotarubi didn’t answer. He said what he said – it was a pointless exercise if the man wasn’t going to teach. Hotarubi had effectively gotten little sleep due to his uncle, and had spent the many hours regenerating and turning back into human because he couldn’t fully control his bloodline yet. It was an emabrassing experience having to sit there and watch other Yamakira come by and laugh at him and then train, all the while making him feel conscious of his lack of abilities. "That’s your fault for not being strong enough to defeat me.” It was always going to be unfair according to the Yamakira, and it was Hotarubi’s fault for not being strong enough to defeat his uncle. "Hai, Oji-sama.” Hotarubi nodded. So what were they going to do today? Was it just going to be another one-sided fight? "I don’t have the time to baby you and beat you up. Have you learned anything new to protect yourself?” The man asked again. "I learned that…” Hotarubi trailed off, trying to think of something positive that came of their fight yesterday. Hotarubi was slapped over the back of the head as his uncle circled him slowly. "Speak up. With your chest.” The Jonin was just… relentless on him. "I learned that I should not be weak.”

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He got slapped again. "Wrong.” What? Hotarubi did turn, and got punched in the face and fell down. Obviously confused, knowing that that was one of the things he said yesterday. "What did you learn yesterday?” He asked again menacingly, staring down at him from Hotarubi on the floor. Hotarubi went to stand up and was pushed back down again, but his uncle did not beckon an answer. ‘He wants an answer while I’m down here.’ It was quickly understood. "I learned that I made a mistake in letting you into my inner breathing space.” Inner breathing space to mean his sphere of influence: it was a poor choice to let a Yamakira in your face and with dirt around. Finally, that seemed to please his uncle as the man spoke. "Good.” He offered a hand out to Hotarubi to stand up, and Hotarubi took it. Thankfully, Hotarubi had seen what was about to come next because as Hotarubi nearly came to a full stand – the man formed a sharp point of his fingers and went to pierce Hotarubi with it. Hotarubi moved out of the way. "Good.” The learning had not been for nothing. Hotarubi stepped back, giving himself breathing room. "Nearly got ya there,” the man spoke – a bit more joy in his voice that his nephew was actually putting things together correctly.

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Hotarubi listened to his uncle’s teaching – now that he had learned something as long as he continued to provide useful combat advice, the man would give him some breathing room. It was obvious how he was training Hotarubi and that was in a way that was substantially similar to Nageku, was to be brutal – to only reward the right thing, and to admonish the incorrect thing. That was the route of their fighting, and that day was spent learning about various things through fighting. Of course, his uncle wasn’t a Jonin for no reason and Hotarubi only ever got strikes where the man wanted to be struck; with some little flukes here and there, it was training the combat sense and taking advantage of their superior earthen bodies; where people wouldn’t know or understand how they operated. It was to give no ground, to keep moving – and ultimately domineering the fight so that there could be no other cause than victory. When Hotarubi got things wrong, and he did, he was taught by force. Much of his time was being found on the ground or beaten up, all he could thank himself was for their body being what it was: he was not flesh and blood. If it was, his body would have been blackened and bruised.

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"I want you to become and stay in human form.” Their training had been going fine until that point, and it caused Hotarubi to stiffen up. "Why?” Hotarubi asked. He felt he knew the answer already. "You know why, you foolish child.” Hotarubi begrudgingly did so, his face and body taking a more soft and near melted in comparison to his face previously, harsh and blocky. His uncle wanted him to fight and sustain injuries while being in human form? Hotarubi did as he was told though, and waited to be attacked, effectively much more on guard. It seemed to make the man more upset that he had done that in response. "Concerned?” His uncle jeered at him, and Hotarubi didn’t respond yet again. "Speak!” his deep voice commanded Hotarubi and the near-Genin defiantly did not. "So be it.” He went to attack and Hotarubi became earthen form again as he was caught in a punch and sent flying, sprawling along the ground. "I knew you couldn’t do it.” The man spat on the floor near Hotarubi. Back to being on his bad side again, apparently. "I knew you were a sad sack of shit who couldn’t do anything other than be a training doll for more aspiring Yamakira.” Those words were cutting deep, hurting his pride. But this was their way of life, and Hotarubi would not be changing it himself.

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Hotarubi stood up again but his uncle didn’t attack. Why was that? He was puzzled. Instead, he was commanded to become human again. Hotarubi was stiff. "Become. Human. Now.” The order was being made, and Hotarubi was not going to accept it. "No.” Hotarubi did not agree, and they were standing off against one another – although he clearly knew he was outclassed, he was ready to accept his punishment for it. But, being quite the backward family the man disengaged his combat stance and seemed to be pleased. "Good.” All of this was just very puzzling to the academy student. "Why is it good?” Hotarubi shrugged. "Because we’re Yamakira. Our strength is in our true body.” And the man clapped once, "Yes! Excellent! Perhaps you aren’t as dumb as your brother.” The man was trying to iron in the positivity of being a Yamakira. Hotarubi supposed that had been his lessons to him. He was a loyalist – to himself and to nobody else. But what familial ties they had was trying to show mercy to Hotarubi. Interspersing combat with logic and with mental development. "You are free to leave now, Hotarubi.” It seemed they were done for the day. Or were they? Again, he was unsure if it was a test or not.

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"Do you not have the time Oji-sama?” Hotarubi asked him. As far as he could tell without looking at any time-telling machine, was that it was barely into the afternoon. His weekends were taken up with Shinobi study when he wasn’t at the academy and Hotarubi wanted to feel like he’d earnt his break, and that would include a bit more training for the afternoon so he could spend the evening dozing off in a cold bath or something like that. Something lazy. Something by himself. "I do.” His uncle didn’t want to show it this time, but he was greatly pleased at Hotarubi not taking the bait and leaving, or was that he was pleased for Hotarubi to continue training? And then the new few hours would pass. Hotarubi noticeably saw a difference in the man’s mood, turning to more informative combat as they fought. Obviously, Hotarubi was still losing, but he wasn’t doing so without telling Hotarubi where he was going wrong. Once the evening rolled in, his Uncle allowed him to leave with a harsh clap on his back – bidding him farewell and for once there wasn’t a horrible statement thrown on to the end of it. That was their family for you. And that, pleased Hotarubi greatly.