Maybe, just maybe it'd been the heat rising from the floor below being trapped in his room causing him to sweat or maybe it was the storm showing no remorse for the young Genin trying to drift off into slumber. Whatever the case may have been, Gene was both awake and agitated - a grand slam of a combination. Sitting up from a laying position he grunted and ran his hands over both eyes in order to clear them of the crust that dried them out and snarled under his breath.
If there had been anything at all a person could do in order to get on his bad side it'd have had to have been disturbing his sleep. At present though, only mother nature was to blame.
A silent yawn slipped through his lips as Gene made his way out of bed after some few extra minutes of slow dragging around and over to the wooden dresser across the room. Since he couldn't get any sleep he figured that some late night reading would do the trick until he finally did manage to fall back to sleep besides, it'd been a while since he were able to fully focus on Sakusen what with his daily work load increasing as Team Two got more active. Grabbing the book off the top of the dresser Gene sighed and headed back to his bed where he'd be most comfortable.
From there, the young Genin brought the middle finger and thumb of his right hand together and snapped. The friction on top of a little bit of chakra play resulted in a lit flame similar to that of a candle - it'd been dim but bright enough for him to see the words he was about to read. With his opposite hand he opened the book and turned to the page where he'd last left off on: Page Thirty, chapter three. A cold wind blows.
Not even five words into the chapter it'd begun to pour down profusely in a whispering cadence on top of rolling thunder and fleeting erratic discharges of electricity. Konoha didn't usually get stormy nights like this but apparently when it did the storms were always so severe. Luckily he'd remembered to close his windows before bed otherwise right about now Gene would have been more wet than a - well, lets just say he'd be drenched. Continuing to invest himself in the chapter Gene would have tuned the storm out had it not been for the sudden sound of shuffling feet reaching his ears. I wonder what they're doing up at this hour. Gene thought to himself, assuming at first that it'd been one of his parents strutting off to the kitchen for something to drink or eat or even heading into the bathroom. This was Something that was commonplace on hot nights like these where one simply couldn't get comfortable enough to remain sleeping throughout the night.
However, the family pet Summer, wouldn't stop meowing in the darkness which made the young Genin think that perhaps she'd been hungry or something. Since he was up and about there was no qualms about taking care of her. Shutting the book and heading towards the door Gene couldn't help but yawn again as he headed on out the door making that sharp left turn toward the stairs though he'd stopped at the top when he heard the sound of voices that didn't originate from anyone in this house.
Are you sure it's here? One of the voices asked, it sounded shaken as if to be on edge about something. Presumably being an uninvited guest in a home bred with Shinobi. It has to be here! This is the house I swear! Another voice whispered back, though they weren't very good at whispering granted Gene could hear them from the top of the stairwell. His Auburn eyes narrowed and the flame dancing at the apex of his index finger faded at his will. Someone was about to be in for a rude awakening!
As Gene drew ever closer to the bottom of the stairs the two voices became more distinct as one of them sounded feminine while the other, raspy and more bass filled.
I think you made a mistake with this one Wataru, the amulet isn't here. If only she knew how right she'd been, they did make a mistake... they'd entered a home where intruders weren't taken kindly or given mercy. Gene found himself lifting up the small rug at the bottom of the stairs equipping himself with four Shuriken that had been masterfully stashed there by his father in the unlikely event that someone decided to intrud - Gene would have to thank him for that later when he got the chance. Trust me Cya, it's here. I know it.
Gene pressed himself up against the wall with his head tilted sightly toward the open space of the stairwell. He hadn't been leaning out for them to see though the eyes were given some leeway and from this position he could peek around the corner without being spotted. Of course, what with it being dark and all he hadn't been able to see much until lightning flashed and lit up the entire room.
It'd been then that he got a look at what he'd been dealing with. The one called Wataru was a tall man - taller than most in fact, with shaggy onyx hair and a rounded face that made him look like a circus act. He wore a Dark Kimono with a white obi tied around the middle and brown wooden sandals. While the one called Cya, adorned a red cloth over her face seemingly being the wiser of the two. What idiot went into someone else's home without a mask? Additionally, her hair was short and brown, tied up into a pony tail that hadn't even touched her shoulders. She wore a Red Kimono with black sandals - what was with these people?
The only thing more strange about how they dressed were their ridiculous sounding voices! Under the cover of darkness the Genin moved ever swiftly and silently from his position of over and into a corner adjacent to where the two burglars were standing, conversing completely ignorant to the person watching them from across the way.
MEOW! Summer was loud, too loud. It'd drawn their attention toward the door giving Gene a chance to get closer than before, he now hugged on the wall just off to their right. Be quiet you stupid cat! The man whispered loudly but Summer would not let up. She continued to meow and frisk until in the next room, Ken, Gene's father began to toss and turn. Oh no! If they wake up we're done for. You've got to do something about that cat Wataru! Said the woman, her palms shaking with both adrenaline and fear combined. A terrible combination in a situation like this - Gene could read her like a book.
Wataru nodded silently and could be seen walking toward Summer between lightning flashes. Did he seriously mean to harm an animal? How low could one stoop before the moral conscious kicked in or did this guy even have one?
I don't think so. Gene thought to himself as he pivoted around the corner letting one of the Shuriken fly, whizzing through air with but the grace and fluidity of rushing water down a stream. Its path both irregular and ever changing though the target remained the same.
Ugh! What the? The sound of steel tearing into flesh could be heard briefly with a grunt of pain following after. Gene had struck the male in the upper Thigh which unknown to the thief, was done specifically to hinder his mobility only if he'd pulled the thing out - which he did. The shuriken clanked upon the ground and his blood continued to drip over the hard wood floor through the Kimono. Pain littered upon his face but Gene, the one responsible for this had hidden himself well. All that ninja training did him some justice granted before he probably would have let his parents handle the situation.
Speaking of, Ken had woken up at the sound of metal clanking and immediately fell silently out of the bed, his wife still fast asleep. Unaware that Gene had been kneeling near the kitchen he'd almost tripped over the boy but was denied the opportunity to speak on anything by Gene's hand clapping against his mouth. Shhhh. We've got trouble. He whispered, the thunder timed perfectly to mask his voice and by now, wind had been added to the mix howling like wolves in the night.
How many? Ken mouthed, his eyes narrowed and mind silent. Gene responded with a simple upholding of two fingers before pointing his wrist in the direction of the two trouble makers who seemed to take the hint very - or at least, one of them Oh my goodness! I knew this was a bad idea we have to go now! This is a house filled with Shi-- The woman had fell silent. The touch of Cold steel to her naval had practically caused her to pee herself in fear.
Ken shook his head, this wasn't a ninja or anyone of real significance it'd just been the average thief breaking into the wrong home. If I were you, I'd run for the door and never look back. This had been the first time that Gene heard an eerie chill coming off of his Father's tone as if to kill emotion and become the true embodiment of a ninja, it was pretty scary. The woman couldn't stop shaking to the point where Gene had actually felt bad for her.
As for the guy slowly bleeding out on the floor from Gene's Shuriken well, needless to say he'd already made his peace. Struggling to move the man reluctantly called off his little heist and agreed to Ken's terms in place of the woman. A-alright! We'll go just please, spare our lives! You've gotta be kidding. And what's to stop you from just trying this little stunt again with greater numbers? Gene spoke in the dark which may have scared the male even more granted the Genin never physically made himself known to the group.
We won't come back I swear, please! Was this guy serious? That had to be the oldest trick in the book. Feign innocence and try again later, there was just no way. That's enough. Leave here at once. Ken declared, his initial statement directed more toward Gene than anything. His Kunai lowered and the two assailants made haste to get out of the house as soon as possible.
Phew, glad that's over with. Gene thought to himself though the stare coming from his father said otherwise. He couldn't see it per say but he definitely felt it beaming at him.
Gene, let me talk to you for a moment. The older Mitsurugi turned on a light and put away his weapon. His expression was that of a concerned parent who had just found out something about their child that they'd wished they hadn't. Yeah old man? Gene replied. Just then, you were resolved to kill that woman and that misguided man weren't you? Ken asked, Gene's face shifted into an expression of confusion. Well, I mean they did break into our home. What if you or mom were hurt or even worse? I just couldn't allow-- Those people were of no threat to us, son. I can see where you are coming from but killing isn't always the answer. I've taught you better than that haven't I?
And there it was, Gene could hardly look his own father in the face with the amount of guilt he'd felt at the moment. It made him reflect upon himself and ask certain questions like:
If Pa hadn't intervened would I have done it?
To be honest it made Gene feel like less of a person, less human than anything. But weren't Shinobi taught to kill all emotions for the sake of a task? Was this really any different? Aren't Shinobi supposed to kill all emotions for the sake of a task? Is this really that much different? Ken frowned, it was clear that as smart as Gene was - he still needed to do a lot more growing up before he could be considered a real Konoha ninja. Or so that was what he thought anyway. Leaf ninja are taught to kill their emotions, yes. But we are also taught one other thing:To love thy neighbor like your own family. Just because of right now you witnessed those people trying to enter our home, doesn't mean that they were a threat. Could you tell? Neither of them were Shinobi, the woman didn't want any part in this and the man was desperate. You don't know another person's situation so deciding that the only answer is to kill and fight would be a direct contradiction to what it means to be a Leaf Shinobi. Don't get me wrong, you did good tonight. But if that mentality of yours isn't put in check you could become more dangerous to the village than an asset.
And with the bomb dropped, Ken walked away. Leaving Gene to ponder on what he'd just been told quietly to himself. It was like he'd been swept off his feet in an icy storm of disappointment and man it felt terrible. Even as he found his way back to his room the young Genin couldn't shake the chill his father's words had left him with - like that bitter taste that wouldn't go away no matter how much you tried to drown it out.
The following morning AWK AWK AWK
Hm...five more minutes...
AWK AWK AWK AWK AWK AWK!!!!
Alright alright, I'm up. Gene mumbled, rolling over on to his back and sitting up. The sun shined brightly today and with clear skies that meant he'd be able to go outside today and buy some things. Getting out of the bed and walking over to his dresser Gene grabbed the book he'd been reading the night before and stared at the cover for a while. The lessons learned from it were valuable, sure - but nowhere near as important as the one he'd learned last night. Setting the book back down Gene turned to find his father standing in the door way with both arms crossed. At first, the young Genin didn't meet eyes with the man but after a while of thinking he abandoned his self pity and looked at his father.
Dad I.. Don't worry, son. I'm sure when the time is right you'll always do the right thing. Just never forget what we talked about, alright? Ken smiled. For some reason where Gene should have felt down he instead felt happy, relieved even. Returning the gesture, Gene smiled and nodded his head in understanding. I won't. Good, now get dressed. Your mother wants you to help her with her shopping.
Gene's eyes grew wide, if there was one thing in this house that he knew it was that his mother was incredibly indecisive when it came down to shopping. This would take all day! Before he could fix his lips to complain his father had already been chuckling down the stairs like the swindler he was - he'd made Gene go in his place! Tch, that guy sure is one heck of a pain. Gene spoke to himself throwing on a shirt and some pants in preparation for was was sure to be the longest day in the history of long days.
FIN
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