* Flashback begin*
“Kyuzaku? Do ya’no what happen when you or ya brotha hit the age of eight?”, said the gruff middle-aged voice of a drunken shark-ling father. His face was squarish, but his nose and chin were pointed like a knife. His eyes were small and beady, a trait common in fish folk. Strands of blue-Black hair fell messily over his face and pointed ears, having fallen out from his regal topknot. His blue cheeks were a shade f purple, and his eyes were lightly glazed over. Nonetheless, the perfectly circular eyes glared intensely upon his children as they ever did. The man reclining on the bamboo slat floor with one knee to the sky, the other to the ground, a hand supporting behind, and another feeding a swig of fragrant sake to his sharp-toothed mouth. His summer kimono was worn and not well cared for; it looked like it had seen its share of spilt saki and stone-cold blackouts outside. The flowing sleeves flopped withered and wrinkled, and the normally elegant bottom fell beneath the lazy a**’s rear. Pulling his blue lips off of the bottle, he slurred, “Werl, do ya?”
A young shark boy kneeled before his honorable father in a green summer tunic with yellow, stitched triangles. He seemed as happy as a kid would be on his seventh birthday. Mini Kyu scratched his short, spiky, blue locks of hair quizzically, then snapped his fingers. With delight he replied, “We become students at the ninja academy! I’m really excited to see him get in next mon-“
Kyu was cut off with a yell from the rice paper door, “Father! I’m here!” It was a taller, year older shark-boy that looked rather like the youthful Kyu. However, unlike the younger fishling, he had some kind of kid-muscle. His bare arms were pretty toned for a kid his age, and his general appearance screamed ‘Athlete’ all over it. He was sweaty from playing ninja with his friends in the afternoon sun, and light shimmered off his salty fish perspiration. Kyu smiled at his big brother, “Hey Sosuke, what took ya so long?”
The older brother walked over and knelt beside Kyu, “We were playing ninja, and I was the Hunter Nin. Hunter Nin can’t just run off when their team needs them, right, bro?” Kyuzaku nodded in agreement, but refocused when his father cleared his throat.
“As I wa’ sayin’ to Kyuzak- Next monsh Sosuke should be entering da ninja academy. However…” Kyu and Sosuke suddenly looked frightened. Whenever Father said ‘however’ after a good thing, there was always something bad behind it. The older fish-man pulled two scrolls from behind him, and tossed them clumsily onto the floor at their knees, “I gotta job fo’ you two before next month. I wancha to read these ninja scrolls.” Kyu and Sosuke’s faces brightened and they each nabbed a scroll. “Dese scrolls hab’en pasd down in our family for generations! They got hundreds of Jutsu for ya’ to learn,” he leaned in and whispered cautiously, as if someone where listening to their conversation, “even some high-lebel stuff.” He reclined back again, and took a swig of alcohol, then continued, “Do ya know what you’rr be doin’ with these?”
The two kids excitably fumbled with the scrolls and tried to open them. Sosuke answered, “Learn some really cool ninja skills like you know, right?” Kyu chimed in, “Maybe we can train together and figure something out before bed tonight!” Sosuke laughed, “Yeah!”
The older ninja laughed too, “Nah quite boys. In one monsh’s time, Sosuke will turn eight. Kyuzaku is already seben. On Sosuke’s birfday, you two are gonna’ fight.” The brothers looked at their scrolls, then eachother, then their father confused, “We are?”
“Lemme tell you a story kids. Onsh upon a time, the Mist Village had a test at the academy. In orda’ to graduate, ya’ had to kill another member of the graduating class in ninja-ta-ninja battle. Well, they got rid’a it when this guy Zabuza killed the entire graduating class. We in da’ Hoshigaki clan learned somethin’ from those battles. In orda’ to become a great and powerful ninja, ya’ gotta know how ta’ kill before you reach genin. If ya’ don’t, then you’ve gotta weak spot. Not only ‘dat, but it weeds out the weak from the strong. So, we sta’ted doin’ that here. When two young potential ninjas come from our clan, we pit’em one-on-one before dey even enter the academy. In a monf’rom now, you two are gonna fight to da’ death. One of ya is gonna walk out there a ninja academy student, and da’ other is gonna be carried out dead.”
The two boys looked frightened, and Sosuke yelled at his father, with just a hint of a whimper in his voice, “Father, but what about us? I don’t want to hurt my little bro!” Their father stared at them mockingly, “Then neider of you become ninja. Ya’ can just work down on the pier with your cowardly uncles and cousins who didn- wanna fight either.” The older shark stood up, “You two can figure this out. I’m goin’ to bed.” He made a slow about face, and stumbled to the doorway into his room. After getting passed the threshold, he slammed the door. There was a loud thud behind it; it was likely he passed out right there. Sosuke got up without a word, and grabbed his scroll. He stomped out of the room with a huff, leaving the silently crying Kyu alone in a room that reeked of Saki and sweat.
The days after the reveal were difficult. Sosuke refused to speak to Kyu, no matter how much the younger tried to speak to his brother. If that wasn’t hard enough to deal with, the entire family started to treat the youth different. Some family members he didn’t know very well started to give him hugs, like it was the last time they might be able to. Others couldn’t bear to look at him, it was just too hard.
Possibly the most depressing part was about two weeks into their ‘training period’ when Kyu’s aunt Ayame came up to him. His aunt wasn’t nearly as fishy as Kyu was. She didn’t have blue skin or sharp teeth, nor did she have the signature eyes of a shark-man. Instead, she simply had blueish hair and pointed ears. Unlike some of the other women around the estate, this aunt was really nice, and smelt of peaches, not fish or sea salt. Unlike the rest of the family, she appeared to be quite happy to see Kyuzaku, and asked, “Might if I take a few measurements Kyu?” The young fishling was excited to get some much needed attention. Spread his arms wide so she could take measurements. He practically hopped up and down thinking of the new clothes he’d be getting. They must have been for a festival that was coming up!
He stood still while Ayame put a tape measure to his feet, and measured to the top of his head, “Oh, Kyuzaku! You’ve grown a whole inch since I last checked your height!” Kyu grinned happily, and commented, “I think it’s all the milk I’ve been drinking lately. It’s good for your bones! Brother told me so…” Kyuzaku’s excitement died quickly. It had been weeks since they had even sat at the same table, never mind ate healthy stuff together. They were always thinking about being ninja back then. Now… it didn’t seem so fun…
Kyu felt his arms pressed to his sides, and his aunt took a measurement of the width of his body by stretching the tape measure from shoulder to shoulder. “All done!” She said. Kyu looked up at her questioningly, “Don’t you usually have to measure my arms and stuff for a festival Kimono?” Ayame looked at him in the eyes, and he saw deep sadness in them. She struggled to hold back tears as she said, “Oh, don’t worry about that. Your aunt has that covered.” She rubbed his blue hairy head, and walked off sniffling. When she turned the corner, Kyu crept up behind her. She made her way through the Hoshigaki estate, and walked into her husband’s carpentry workshop.
Kyu crept up to the doorway, and put his ear near the door, and eavesdropped onto their conversation. “I don’t understand why he’s forcing them to do it Yusuke! He’s such a sweet kid, and he’s so loving and innocent! They don’t deserve to be put through something like this, not at their age!” The deeper voice of Kyu’s uncle Yusuke replied, “I know it’s cruel. Me and my brother couldn’t do it, we said no right off the bat. This whole practice is just… wrong… “There was a pause, and the aunt sobbed. Kyu could hear his uncle patting her on the back, “Did you get the measurements Ayame?” There was a rustling of paper, and his sighed, “Alright. I’ll get started building the coffin.” Coffin?! Kyu gasped, and grabbed at his collar anxiously, he whispered something inaudibly, and his knees began to shake. He fell to the ground and put his hands over his face. His eyes stung with tears, and he began to cry.
Ayame and Yusuke came running out, Yusuke groaned, “I think he heard us talking…” Ayame put her arm around Kyu, “It’s going to be okay Kyuzaku, you’ll see. I know you’ll win!” Kyu shook his head, “No! I don’t want to win! I don’t want to! I don’t want anyone to get hurt!” Ayame and Yusuke looked at each other worriedly. Yusuke pated his back, “Listen, kiddo: it’s okay if you don’t fight. I understand. Here, I was going to take Ayame, but I think you should come with me instead. I’ve got a pair of tickets to the Chuunin Exams in Konoha. I hear they’ve got some big contenders this year, so it’s bound to be a great show.” Kyu sniffled, “You’d take me to that?” His uncle responded with a warm smile, “Absolutely.” Kyu’s face brightened at the aspect of seeing such a show.
Over the next two days, the two sharklings packed up and traveled to the Village Hidden in the Leaves by boat. It only took a day before they met the border, presented their tickets, and sailed down a river who ended at the famous village. Like Kyu had expected, this was a huge event. Hundreds of vendors lined the streets trying to sell their wares to travelers and tourists. The thickness of the crowd doubled when they neared the stadium. Although it wasn’t far away, the lengthy lines and crowds made getting to the pair’s seats incredibly difficult.
From the middle rows, Kyu had the treat of watching ninja after ninja fight in an eight-ninja fighting tournament. That day, two genin came from Sand, one came from Mist, three from Leaf, and two from Earth. While Kyu did root for the Mist Genin, it was a ninja from the Leaf that excited him most. The ninja sported a green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, a read headband used as a belt, and long black hair that shined in the light. This kunoichi was a third generation practitioner of the Hard Fist style taught by some Taijutsu specialists in the Leaf.
Her ability to fight was, in a word, hypnotizing. She moved so fast that she practically flew, and her taijutsu attacks were both incredibly precise and destructive. Her first fight was mesmerizing; she blew away her opponent with a powerful physical combo that the announcers called the Leaf Rising Wind. It only took seconds for her to knock out the powerful Sand ninja she was faced with.
In her second fight, Kyu was on the edge of his seat. In that battle, she fought another Sand Ninja. Unlike the first, who wasn’t skilled, this one was a real fighter. He manipulated ninja puppets like a pro, and all of them were announced to be custom made. Even when fighting such difficult opponents, the girl triumphed with her unmatched speed that only increased when she removed some training weights. As it turned out, she won the tournament, and left her final opponent, the most difficult so far, in critical condition with a move called the “Front Lotus”.
After the event, Kyu and his uncle took that long boat ride home, but Kyu felt like a completely different person. He had inspiration, aspiration, and a goal to achieve. He decided that he’d think over these techniques, and make his own.
This work was exhausting, and took the last two weeks until the match up entirely. Kyu worked day and night, pounding away at trees, logs, and even rocks until his fists and legs were covered in scrapes, cuts, and bruises. He rarely traveled back to the estate to eat, but rather caught his own fish with his bare hands. However, in those days he learned something spectacular, all on his own.
Two days before his brother’s eighth birthday, Kyu found his way back to the estate, beaten, but confident. One day before, he rested, and allowed his wounds to be taken care of for the first time in weeks. On the day of, Kyuzaku woke early, and stared into the morning mist before making his appearance in the main gardens where his brother and father waited.
Kyu stood thirty feet from his brother, and twenty from his father. His family sat all around. For the first time, Kyu really got a good look at his clan. He never really noticed how few of them looked like him or his brother. Really, it was just a few males and a handful of females. However, it appeared the fishier they were, the closer they stood to the head of the household, Kyu’s father.
“Are both of you prepared?” He asked, surprisingly sober. Sosuke nodded silently, and Kyu looked at his brother, unsure of what to say. He’d trained so hard, and more likely than not, his brother trained even harder. Kyu spoke, “Are you sure?” Sosuke looked at him hard, and said, “Kyu, I’m more sure now that I have ever been in my entire life.” The crowd gasped, cousins began to sob, and a newborn squealed. The tension made Kyu sick to his stomach, I still don’t want to hurt him… But he wants this… And… So do I. Kyu nodded, “Good luck brother.” Kyu got into a battle stance, one that he had little experience in, but enough to take down the average adult if needed. His stance was light and airy, and he faced his brother directly. He took a deep breath and whipped his hands around. He took a step back and pointed his fingertips at Sosuke. This was the fighting style known as Flying Crane. Rare as it was, it was effective in defensive combat. Sosuke took up a different stance, one of Kenpo. Strong and willful, he readied himself to fight.
Their father laughed sadistically, “See, this is what this is all about. Putting aside weak emotions, and replacing it with strength.” Kyu’s blood boiled, and without moving, he said, “No Father! You’re wrong!” Kyuzaku’s father grunted, and the youth continued, tears streaming down his face, “This battle is nothing but emotion! Sosuke and I… It is our dream to become ninja, and I refuse to give in… even if it means my life!” Sosuke’s face quivered, Kyu could tell that he was trying to suppress his emotions the way Father had described, but it was failing. He screamed, and charged at the younger fish, “Enough of this!”
As he ran, he performed a few handseals, then water came out of his hands like jets. They stopped about three feet from his palm, but still continued to flow violently. “Water Release: Dual Watercutting Blades!” He swung violently at Kyu, who dodged the blades, then got himself close enough to Sosuke that he could batter away his hands with controlled flaps. Kyu’s hands connected with Sosuke’s inner elbows. In a flash, Kyu hit his brother with a powerful offensive flurry before backing off again.
The crowd hushed at this point, they’d never seen Kyu take a lead in anything never mind in a competition against his brother. Even Sosuke seemed stunned. Kyu, however was smiling, “Come at me bro.” Sosuke took the invitation and came at Kyu with full force. Like before, Kyu got as close as he could to his opponent, while Kyu tried to stay back and strike with his blades. Each swing was countered with a close slap, and each chop made Sosuke retreat a few feet.
Sosuke canceled his swords after so long, however. The fight switched to a hand to hand battle after that. Kyu could only guess that things went this way because Sosuke was running low on chakra. He didn’t know how wrong he was.
The air was tense, and every fist that connected made the crowd gasp. Things were close, but all at once, both brothers backed off. Sosuke called out first, “Kyuzaku! Forgive me for this! I didn’t want it to go like this!” Sosuke began combining handseals for a powerful attack. The sheer length of the string made Kyu shake in his boots. As he made the seals, Sosuke chanted, “Hitsuji-Inu-Tori-Ne-Ichi-Hitsuji-Tora… Water Release: Water Shark Missile!” Sosuke opened his mouth, and water with the volume and speed of a waterfall blasted out. The tip of the attack took the shape of a great white, possibly the most fearsome shark known to man. Kyu and the rest of the clan stared in horror as the water beast took shape, then flew at Kyu.
The youth barely dodged the initial blast. The attack tore up the earth below Kyu’s initial position. However, Kyu wasn’t out of harm’s way yet! When he looked back, he yelled in terror as it came for another round! It’s do-or-die time Kyu. I have to… strike him down… NOW! Kyu bolted towards his brother, who was too busy controlling the massive water-beast to respond. Kyu knew one thing: If he canceled the jutsu now, he might hurt someone, but if he held it, he’d get it. He hated taking advantage of this, but it was his only chance.
Kyu rushed in, and then slipped below Sosuke’s eyesight. Kyu kicked high, smashing his brother in the chin with a powerful kick. His brother arced high into the air. Kyu, with strength beyond his years, jumped up after him, and kicked him back down to the earth. As Sosuke touched ground, the speedy fish got behind him, and picked him up the elder by his shoulders, then flipped him overhead onto the ground.
Kyu felt the muscles in his back tearing to shreds. He wasn’t made for this much strain, not this early in his life. However, the battle wasn’t over yet. Kyu bent down, and grabbed his brother with his triangular shark teeth, and act that caused a roar from the family around him. Kyu picked up his brother over his head, then smashed his body against the ground again, then once more after that. Kyu pulled Sosuke over his head, and then jumped into the air. The younger shark-boy spat his brother out of his mouth, and laid him over his knee. Gravity did the rest of the job. Together they fell, and upon hitting the ground, a loud crack echoed across the garden.
The crowd fell silent, and Kyu laid his brother on the ground. The boy sputtered for air, and blood was pouring from his wound. “Kyu…” he said, with what breath he had left. Diamonds rolled from his eyes, at first in droplets, then in streams. “Kyuzaku,” he repeated softly, and beckoned his kid brother closer. Kyu crawled close to the broken form of his elder brother, and put his ear to his brother’s mouth.
“Bro, you made me proud today. I always knew you had it in you.” Kyu’s eyes went wide, astonished. His brother continued, “Now listen. I’m giving you a job to do,” He paused, and coughed up some blood, then went on, “Over the past month… I’ve seen a lot of what the world has to offer. Things are not well here. Not in our family or our village. There are places worse than us as well. I want you… I want you to fix it. Make as many friends as you can, Kyuzaku. Explore the world with them. Learn from the people you meet, and help every person you can. You can do it Kyu, you can change it all. I see that quality in…” Kyu sat back, and looked into his brothers eyes. Their shine was fading, and his pupils grew small. The younger brother gulped, and whimpered “Big Bro?”
A loud clap came from above, which turned into a solo applause. “Well done Kyu! You’ve made us all proud. Starting today, you’re on your way to being a ninja. Now step away from that corpse, and come up to your dear Father.” Kyu stood up, shaky and wobbling. His mouth was covered with his own brother’s blood, and his eyes were filled with hate and distaste that no other child could ever have.
Kyu took a step in his father’s direction, and drew a kunai from his child-sized holder. With his last energy, he dashed toward the older shark, blade raised high. Kyu felt himself get cold however, as he ran. His knees gave out, and he fell to the ground. The blade fell from his limp hand, and clinked away from him on the cobblestone walkway. Kyu fell flat on his chest, and blacked out.
* Flashback end*
Kyu snapped out of his illusion just in time to see a wave of ice hurtling at him. Kyu ran towards the ice, and jumped over the wave of cold. Kyu saw the battle in its entirety from this view. Hibiki got blasted by the attack, as did Kaji and Zeru it seemed. Takeru was nowhere to be found, probably beneath the ice. Kyu had even lost sight of Novvus in the uproar.
As the shark boy touched ice, he swirled back around, and readied himself for attack, Brother, I promise you. I will not die this day. I have far too much left to do to let my life slip away.
((Okay, I rushed the ending a bit, but I think it'll do))
Quote:
Start:
Chakra: 9403
Stamina: 5753
Fatigue: 120/400
Chakra: 9403
Stamina: 5753
Fatigue: 120/400
Quote:
Item Entry:
Soldier Pills
Shark Jaws
Kevlar
Soldier Pills
Shark Jaws
Kevlar
Quote:
Actions Taken: Dodging that attack
Active: None
Sustained:
Open Minded - +50 Stealth +50 Tai Accuracy
Melee Mastery - Touch Range +50 Damage +20 Power
Kevlar - +800 Protection
Scales of Eternal Justice - Self Tai+65 - Level 60 Water Nin
Shark-gekyou Same-gan - Self Dodge+90 - Level 40 Water Nin
Poison-Tipped ... Forearm Seal - Self Water-Tai Accuracy+300 - Level 70 Water Nin
Active: None
Sustained:
Open Minded - +50 Stealth +50 Tai Accuracy
Melee Mastery - Touch Range +50 Damage +20 Power
Kevlar - +800 Protection
Scales of Eternal Justice - Self Tai+65 - Level 60 Water Nin
Shark-gekyou Same-gan - Self Dodge+90 - Level 40 Water Nin
Poison-Tipped ... Forearm Seal - Self Water-Tai Accuracy+300 - Level 70 Water Nin
Quote:
Combat Rolls: Agi(135)*2 +Agi Buff(65)*2 + Dodge Buff(90) vs 372
270 + 130 + 90 = 490 vs 372 = +11%
61% to dodge, 71% to get half damage
Successful dodge
270 + 130 + 90 = 490 vs 372 = +11%
61% to dodge, 71% to get half damage
Successful dodge
Quote:
End:
Chakra: 9403
Stamina: 5753
Fatigue: 120/400
Chakra: 9403
Stamina: 5753
Fatigue: 120/400
