Kiriyomi sits in his room, staring at the diamond shaped mark on his hand. It wasn’t that long ago that he had met Shusuke at night for a forbidden ritual, one that was supposed to make him stronger. So far, Kiri had yet to make his curse seal activate. He wonders what sort of strength he would gain from it, and hoped that he wouldn’t suffer the same pain as he had when the mark had been placed. He still wakes up sweating as memories of the burning sensation runs through his arm and up towards his neck all over again.
He didn’t once doubt Shusuke’s words about it strengthening his abilities; it was just frustrating to have no results after constant training. Kiri pulls a glove back over his hand; he had taken to wearing it to cover up the mark, so that his friends and family wouldn’t notice anything amiss. They just chalked the article of clothing up to being a new fashion choice. “He said that it would come out in a time of dire need… Perhaps I need to push myself further, to the limits of my abilities, to cause it to activate. In the meantime, I need to find other ways to improve my abilities. I refuse to be overtaken so easily again, and I will not let my teammates down in the future.”
Grabbing his backpack and walking from his room, he runs to the kitchen to place a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “Where are you off to today, Kiriyomi? You’ve been gone training so much lately, perhaps you could take a break and stay home with me and your grandfather. We miss you.” Suniwa gives her son a sad smile, patting him on the head. He had grown so much since his father’s passing, his resolve never wavering.
“I’m just heading to the library! I want to research some new techniques before the exams begin. We haven’t received any information about what sort of exam it will be, so it’s best to be prepared for any type of situation. You and Oto-san always taught me that the best strategy is to arm yourself with knowledge!” Kiri gives his mother a smile, while inside he felt absolutely horrible about lying to her. While he was indeed going to research techniques, she didn’t know just what type of technique he was looking into.
Taking the bento that his mother offered to him and tucking it into his pack, Kiri heads out the door and takes a deep breath. Today is a bright and sunny day, not a cloud to be seen in the sky. He decides that this is a good omen. Nothing bad happens on days such as this, when the world is at peace and nature sings its song uninterrupted. Heading off towards the Konoha Library, Kiri begins to scheme. Ever since Shusuke had introduced him to the forbidden technique that now marked his palm, Kiriyomi had an unhealthy obsession with researching it further.
Today, like every other day that he has gone out for training, Kiri takes to the roofs of the buildings to quickly cross the village rather than deal with the foot traffic clogging the streets. Being the weekend, many families are out with their children. As usual, he draws a lot of glances from the children as he leaps over their heads, and for once he feels as though he deserves to be looked at with admiration. He could feel it in his bones, he was soon to be promoted and would be able to proudly say that he was a shinobi protecting this village.
Upon arriving at the library, Kiri takes a deep breath and steps inside. He hadn’t thought much further than getting here, because clearly the information that he was seeking wouldn’t be publicly displayed. This didn’t stop him, however, from researching any public knowledge of forbidden techniques. Unfortunately, after a few hours of searching, he only found mentions of forbidden arts and how they were illegal. He thinks back to the ritual that Shusuke had performed for him and Take, glad that he had kept this secret.
Spotting a door marked “Personnel Only”, Kiri starts to get an idea. Glad that he had taken that stealth class with Hoshirei and learned more advanced Genjutsu techniques from Shusuke, he decided to combine the two in an attempt to see what was hidden behind this door. Stepping back into a shaded corner of the library, he quickly executes a few handseals and summons a clone. He sends it to the front of the library to distract the librarian with a request for a book in a section far from the locked door, and then uses a transformation jutsu to make himself appear like the librarian themself.
Walking up to the door, he stops and considers the best way to get inside. He could easily break the door down, but the noise that would make would be too loud and attract attention. Perhaps… Kiri sends some of his Kikai swarming under the door, instructing them to attempt to unlock the door on the other side. Glancing around, he begins to feel guilty. Was he really prepared to break the laws of the village just to gain strength? The faces of his friends and family flash before his eyes, followed by the memory of his father’s funeral.
Gritting his teeth, Kiri shoves the feeling of guilt aside. He was determined to do whatever it took to protect this village. He was willing to lay his life down, as he had recently risked it by getting his cursed seal. He couldn’t allow anything to bring harm to this place where he was born and raised, that he loved with all of his being. The faceless masses, while they may not know him, were considered his family as well. From the woman at the supermarket that always smiled at him when he bought groceries with his mother, to the Hokage that likely had no idea that he existed. The village was one large family that worked together to support one another, and he refused to let anything threaten that. If that meant that he had to break rules to guarantee their safety, then rules be damned.
Kiri peeks around the corner, trying to see where the librarian is at. There she is, reaching for a book towards the top shelf of the section that his clone had led her to. He had to act quickly, before she realized that his clone was illusory. Turning back towards the door, he tries the handle. It’s still locked; his Kikai hadn’t had any luck in unlocking it yet. Panicking, he runs through all of the jutsu that he knows, wondering if any of them would be able to help him in this situation. He could try to melt the doorknob, but that would be too obvious.
Just as he is about to give up, Kiri hears a small click. He rushes over and turns the handle, the door silently swinging open. Darting inside and closing it behind him, Kiri locks the door and looks around the room. At first, it appears to simply be a storage room. Turning in a circle, he sees racks full of damaged scrolls, toiletry supplies, and crates of stationery. Walking towards the back of the room, Kiri smells something. It reminds him of the older scrolls in the library, slightly musty. Running his hands over the wall, he doesn’t find anything resembling a door. On a hunch, Kiri makes a few handseals and uses Cancel.
Before his eyes, the wall shimmers slightly as the Genjutsu is cast aside and Kiriyomi sees the door materialize before him. Reaching for the knob, he glances over his shoulder and listens intently. By now, the librarian has realized that his clone was a Genjutsu; hopefully she thinks it was just a kid playing a prank and doesn’t feel the need to check the supply room. Pushing into the room beyond, he is greeted by stale air and more of the musty odor he had smelled before.
Along the walls are shelves, filled with older looking scrolls. Some of these have to contain information on forbidden techniques. There didn’t appear to be any sort of organization to how the scrolls were placed, so he started to just pull some down and glance over them. After a few minutes, Kiri drew in a sharp breath as he read over one. This… this was certainly a forbidden technique, and it was something that would allow him to bolster his own strength. Eyes shining, he slips the scroll into his backpack and walks back through the storage room to the locked door.
“Kohara, you’re up. Time to see what’s on the other side of the door, and possibly cause a distraction.” The flying ant crawls off the boy’s head and lands on the door, understanding what Kiriyomi needs him to do. Sitting on the ground, Kiri focuses on Kohara and performs Fly on the Wall. His consciousness leaves his body, entering that of the ant, who crawls under the door and flies out into the library proper. Heading over towards the front desk, he sees the librarian muttering to herself.
“Damn kids coming in here testing out their new jutsu that they learned, thinking it’s funny to make my life more difficult. I should start to report them to the academy, see if they can teach them proper manners when it comes to their training. This is a library, not a playground.” Kohara flies around her head, trying to catch her attention. She glances up and swats at him, as he deftly dodges out of the way. “What the hell? Get out of here!” Kohara flies away, leading her deeper into the library. She follows after him, going towards a window to let him out.
Kiri releases the jutsu, returning to his body and quickly slipping out of the storage room. Using his Transformation Jutsu again, he takes on the appearance of a young child and rushes from the library. Kohara flies over to meet him as he walks down the street, slipping into an alley to drop the transformation. The question was, what to do now? He couldn’t take this scroll home… Where could he go to study this further?
Wandering the streets aimlessly, Kiri walks past the bar that he had visited weeks ago with Shusuke and wonders how Asuka is doing. He hadn’t seen Lady Fifth since that day; he hoped that she was doing well wherever she was. As the thought crosses his mind, he gets an idea. Shusuke had performed their cursed seals in the Valley of the End. Perhaps he should return there to study this other forbidden technique? But no, the area was too open and exposed. He would likely be spotted there.
The forest! He and Akio had found a glade out there that would be a perfect and secluded space for him to study in private. Stepping out of the alley, he quickly makes his way towards the forest and the clearing. Almost an hour later, in the early afternoon light, Kiriyomi spreads the scroll out before him and begins to read. The more that he learns, the faster his heart begins beating. Not only would this allow him to better defend himself, he would be able to bolster his allies as well. As he reaches the end of the scroll, his hands begin to tremble. Did that just say… Reading the last portion several times, Kiri lets out a shaky breath.
He could bring his father back using this forbidden technique… no matter what the cost, the possibility of seeing his father again was enough for Kiriyomi. Casting the rules and laws aside, Kiri begins to commit the scroll to memory. He would have to remember to thank Shusuke for introducing him to the forbidden arts in the first place. Otherwise, he would never have had the chance to reunite with his father in the future. Soon…
WC: 1999
He didn’t once doubt Shusuke’s words about it strengthening his abilities; it was just frustrating to have no results after constant training. Kiri pulls a glove back over his hand; he had taken to wearing it to cover up the mark, so that his friends and family wouldn’t notice anything amiss. They just chalked the article of clothing up to being a new fashion choice. “He said that it would come out in a time of dire need… Perhaps I need to push myself further, to the limits of my abilities, to cause it to activate. In the meantime, I need to find other ways to improve my abilities. I refuse to be overtaken so easily again, and I will not let my teammates down in the future.”
Grabbing his backpack and walking from his room, he runs to the kitchen to place a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “Where are you off to today, Kiriyomi? You’ve been gone training so much lately, perhaps you could take a break and stay home with me and your grandfather. We miss you.” Suniwa gives her son a sad smile, patting him on the head. He had grown so much since his father’s passing, his resolve never wavering.
“I’m just heading to the library! I want to research some new techniques before the exams begin. We haven’t received any information about what sort of exam it will be, so it’s best to be prepared for any type of situation. You and Oto-san always taught me that the best strategy is to arm yourself with knowledge!” Kiri gives his mother a smile, while inside he felt absolutely horrible about lying to her. While he was indeed going to research techniques, she didn’t know just what type of technique he was looking into.
Taking the bento that his mother offered to him and tucking it into his pack, Kiri heads out the door and takes a deep breath. Today is a bright and sunny day, not a cloud to be seen in the sky. He decides that this is a good omen. Nothing bad happens on days such as this, when the world is at peace and nature sings its song uninterrupted. Heading off towards the Konoha Library, Kiri begins to scheme. Ever since Shusuke had introduced him to the forbidden technique that now marked his palm, Kiriyomi had an unhealthy obsession with researching it further.
Today, like every other day that he has gone out for training, Kiri takes to the roofs of the buildings to quickly cross the village rather than deal with the foot traffic clogging the streets. Being the weekend, many families are out with their children. As usual, he draws a lot of glances from the children as he leaps over their heads, and for once he feels as though he deserves to be looked at with admiration. He could feel it in his bones, he was soon to be promoted and would be able to proudly say that he was a shinobi protecting this village.
Upon arriving at the library, Kiri takes a deep breath and steps inside. He hadn’t thought much further than getting here, because clearly the information that he was seeking wouldn’t be publicly displayed. This didn’t stop him, however, from researching any public knowledge of forbidden techniques. Unfortunately, after a few hours of searching, he only found mentions of forbidden arts and how they were illegal. He thinks back to the ritual that Shusuke had performed for him and Take, glad that he had kept this secret.
Spotting a door marked “Personnel Only”, Kiri starts to get an idea. Glad that he had taken that stealth class with Hoshirei and learned more advanced Genjutsu techniques from Shusuke, he decided to combine the two in an attempt to see what was hidden behind this door. Stepping back into a shaded corner of the library, he quickly executes a few handseals and summons a clone. He sends it to the front of the library to distract the librarian with a request for a book in a section far from the locked door, and then uses a transformation jutsu to make himself appear like the librarian themself.
Walking up to the door, he stops and considers the best way to get inside. He could easily break the door down, but the noise that would make would be too loud and attract attention. Perhaps… Kiri sends some of his Kikai swarming under the door, instructing them to attempt to unlock the door on the other side. Glancing around, he begins to feel guilty. Was he really prepared to break the laws of the village just to gain strength? The faces of his friends and family flash before his eyes, followed by the memory of his father’s funeral.
Gritting his teeth, Kiri shoves the feeling of guilt aside. He was determined to do whatever it took to protect this village. He was willing to lay his life down, as he had recently risked it by getting his cursed seal. He couldn’t allow anything to bring harm to this place where he was born and raised, that he loved with all of his being. The faceless masses, while they may not know him, were considered his family as well. From the woman at the supermarket that always smiled at him when he bought groceries with his mother, to the Hokage that likely had no idea that he existed. The village was one large family that worked together to support one another, and he refused to let anything threaten that. If that meant that he had to break rules to guarantee their safety, then rules be damned.
Kiri peeks around the corner, trying to see where the librarian is at. There she is, reaching for a book towards the top shelf of the section that his clone had led her to. He had to act quickly, before she realized that his clone was illusory. Turning back towards the door, he tries the handle. It’s still locked; his Kikai hadn’t had any luck in unlocking it yet. Panicking, he runs through all of the jutsu that he knows, wondering if any of them would be able to help him in this situation. He could try to melt the doorknob, but that would be too obvious.
Just as he is about to give up, Kiri hears a small click. He rushes over and turns the handle, the door silently swinging open. Darting inside and closing it behind him, Kiri locks the door and looks around the room. At first, it appears to simply be a storage room. Turning in a circle, he sees racks full of damaged scrolls, toiletry supplies, and crates of stationery. Walking towards the back of the room, Kiri smells something. It reminds him of the older scrolls in the library, slightly musty. Running his hands over the wall, he doesn’t find anything resembling a door. On a hunch, Kiri makes a few handseals and uses Cancel.
Before his eyes, the wall shimmers slightly as the Genjutsu is cast aside and Kiriyomi sees the door materialize before him. Reaching for the knob, he glances over his shoulder and listens intently. By now, the librarian has realized that his clone was a Genjutsu; hopefully she thinks it was just a kid playing a prank and doesn’t feel the need to check the supply room. Pushing into the room beyond, he is greeted by stale air and more of the musty odor he had smelled before.
Along the walls are shelves, filled with older looking scrolls. Some of these have to contain information on forbidden techniques. There didn’t appear to be any sort of organization to how the scrolls were placed, so he started to just pull some down and glance over them. After a few minutes, Kiri drew in a sharp breath as he read over one. This… this was certainly a forbidden technique, and it was something that would allow him to bolster his own strength. Eyes shining, he slips the scroll into his backpack and walks back through the storage room to the locked door.
“Kohara, you’re up. Time to see what’s on the other side of the door, and possibly cause a distraction.” The flying ant crawls off the boy’s head and lands on the door, understanding what Kiriyomi needs him to do. Sitting on the ground, Kiri focuses on Kohara and performs Fly on the Wall. His consciousness leaves his body, entering that of the ant, who crawls under the door and flies out into the library proper. Heading over towards the front desk, he sees the librarian muttering to herself.
“Damn kids coming in here testing out their new jutsu that they learned, thinking it’s funny to make my life more difficult. I should start to report them to the academy, see if they can teach them proper manners when it comes to their training. This is a library, not a playground.” Kohara flies around her head, trying to catch her attention. She glances up and swats at him, as he deftly dodges out of the way. “What the hell? Get out of here!” Kohara flies away, leading her deeper into the library. She follows after him, going towards a window to let him out.
Kiri releases the jutsu, returning to his body and quickly slipping out of the storage room. Using his Transformation Jutsu again, he takes on the appearance of a young child and rushes from the library. Kohara flies over to meet him as he walks down the street, slipping into an alley to drop the transformation. The question was, what to do now? He couldn’t take this scroll home… Where could he go to study this further?
Wandering the streets aimlessly, Kiri walks past the bar that he had visited weeks ago with Shusuke and wonders how Asuka is doing. He hadn’t seen Lady Fifth since that day; he hoped that she was doing well wherever she was. As the thought crosses his mind, he gets an idea. Shusuke had performed their cursed seals in the Valley of the End. Perhaps he should return there to study this other forbidden technique? But no, the area was too open and exposed. He would likely be spotted there.
The forest! He and Akio had found a glade out there that would be a perfect and secluded space for him to study in private. Stepping out of the alley, he quickly makes his way towards the forest and the clearing. Almost an hour later, in the early afternoon light, Kiriyomi spreads the scroll out before him and begins to read. The more that he learns, the faster his heart begins beating. Not only would this allow him to better defend himself, he would be able to bolster his allies as well. As he reaches the end of the scroll, his hands begin to tremble. Did that just say… Reading the last portion several times, Kiri lets out a shaky breath.
He could bring his father back using this forbidden technique… no matter what the cost, the possibility of seeing his father again was enough for Kiriyomi. Casting the rules and laws aside, Kiri begins to commit the scroll to memory. He would have to remember to thank Shusuke for introducing him to the forbidden arts in the first place. Otherwise, he would never have had the chance to reunite with his father in the future. Soon…
WC: 1999