The bond of a surrogate family [P]

[Master Game]

Though no man could see or tell, but the atmosphere at that time of the day was rife with death and despair. The usual lone traveller would merely shrug off the unsettling aura around him as he attempted to keep himself from straying from his path. Most would not notice that a skirmish had broken out several hundred metres away, cloaked by the shadows of a forest’s natural barrier. While silent and unsuspecting, the conflict had been brash and fatal, with quite a few casualties as a result. It was then a figure suddenly broke out of the treeline and unto the road, noticeable, yet at that moment no one was around to notice it.

Laboured breathing and the blood vessels pounding repeatedly in his forehead, Shoko Natamura ignored the ache in his legs as he proceeded onwards. For a moment, the searing pain in his back had managed to flee for a brief two seconds before returning, worse than it was before. Alongside him, Shoko supported an unconscious figure. The man seemed to be around be fairly young, yet a mature adult no less. He bore several wounds and injuries, some of them being a puncture in his abdomen, a couple severed arteries, and a head wound with blood running done his forehead.

It might also be worth to mention that the man had six arms. Shoko thought back to what landed him in this predicament. The memories were a bit hazy because of his headache, but he remembered. The boy was off on a nature hike, nothing special because it was something he usually did at least once a month. It was through a woodland a bit far from Mount Hiroshi, and one he didn’t exactly know like the back of his hand. It was then, deeply engrossed in the sights around him, he heard the clash of steal and shouts of pain. Shoko was a genin, but a shinobi nonetheless, it was his duty to investigate such a sounds and find out what exactly was going on. It was not unexpected that Shoko might regret his bold decision.

The boy was greeted by the sight of an ongoing battle, sparks flew as two sides collided. Well given the body count, it was more like one guy trying to fend one guy trying to fend off a bunch of well-armed assailants. Keeping to the trees, Shoko realised that the assailants were missing nin, that was when real fear began to set in. Shoko was always taught that as a genin, rogue ninja were to be avoided at all cost; being little more than merciless mercenaries, willing to do anything and harm anyone. But at that moment, it seemed that the sole survivor’s chances were getting thinner and thinner by the second. In the end, Shoko intervened, saving the life of the stranger and barely escaping with his, literally. Though the boy had successfully utilised smoke pellets and body-flicker techniques to aid in his narrow escape, that didn’t stop him leaving with more than five shurikens impaled in his backside and a bleeding gash on his arm.

Shoko stared down at the stranger, it seemed his minor wounds would be healing at an accelerated pace thanks to the Gem of Healing that Shoko let him hold. Getting his mind around the fact that he had six arms, Shoko asked the man where he should take him to. With a groan and a hoarse voice the man replied.
“Keep walking... for about a 500 ki-kilometres... there should be a settlement nearby” The man croaked.

Shoko wondered what on earth he was going to do with those half-assed directions, but upon further examination, it seemed that the survivor had passed out. Shoko sighed as he felt the familiar sting in his backside, it seemed like this would be one long hard journey.

[Master Game]

Shoko arrived at a small settlement some minutes later. He lugged the unconscious body next to him, as he entered what looked like a clan residence. Women and children stared at him in uncertainty as he passed through the miniature village, he only got a few paces when a few armed men came out to meet him. Shoko also noticed that everyone in the village bore the six arms as the man whose life he saved.

“FREEZE! State your business and drop the hostage at once!” The bearded man in the front called out. He was tan in complexion and was dressed in dark clan robes; his hair colour was also dark.

Shoko paused, he was about to reply when another man barged forward, nudging past the first.

“Please forgive my brother, it seems that he doesn’t know how to tell friend from foe” The blonde man said extending his hand towards Shoko. The man’s eyes wandered towards the cataleptic man that Shoko carried. The blonde paused as he surveyed the man eyes wide, he did this for a few seconds before shouting.

“It’s... It’s Hitoru!” The clan members behind him stepped back in surprise, except the first man who furiously approached Shoko, before grabbing him by the hem of his cloak, veins almost popping out of his head.

“What happened?” He almost screamed in fury “What happened to him! Did you do anything? Tell me dammit!” the first man looked like he was on the verge of snapping but the second put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to let go of Shoko.

“C’mon Yamaha, isn’t it obvious. The boy saved his life, we should be thanking him. And what’s more, he’s even been carrying him the whole time” The second said to the first, making him release his grip. It was at that moment that the blood loss and pain of his wounds consumed him, making pass right where he stood.

[Master Game]

Several hours later, Shoko would find himself waking up from one of the most peaceful sleeps he’s had in a while. The boy’s eyes peer open slowly, taking in his new environment with keen interest. The boy’s last memories were falling unconscious after miraculously making it to what appeared to be a settlement of six-armed people. Shoko concluded that they were likely a clan, only his lack of clan knowledge had prevented him from realising it earlier. Shoko had seen some strange things, but six-armed people were definitely something to remember. After all, in a world where chakra exists, anything is possible. The shinobi focused on getting out of his bed, surprised to see that he could do so with little effort, and was even more flummoxed to find out that he felt no pain or ache in his back.

Taking off his tank top, Shoko also realised that he was bereft of his cloak, as well as all of his other possessions. Taking his mind off the fact that his back had been completely chakra-healed, Shoko proceeded out the door, looking for anyone in particular to pester for answers to his questions. Exiting the door, Shoko would find another clan member sitting on a chair right outside his door... sleeping. Shoko would nudge the young man awake.

“Wah... Gah! What the- you’re not supposed to be awake yet, Dammit! I fell asleep, I messed it up, ugh.” Shoko raised an eyebrow at the ramblings of the boy who seemed to be older than him by only a few years, not quite old enough to be an adult.

“Well you seem healthy, which is a good a thing I guess” The boy continued. “Anyway, I asked to guard your room, in case anything happened. But it seems everything went smoothly.” The boy stood up from his chair and indicated the hallway on the right. “Elder Hon told me to take you to... well somewhere important, when you are fully recovered”

“Um... lead the way” Shoko responded.



Soon later, Shoko found himself in room, a dark, dimly lit room with a cold atmosphere that didn’t spell out anything good at all. In the relatively small room was a single metal table; tow identical chairs stood parallel to each other, in the corner of the room stood a third. It might be worth to mention that two of the chairs were occupied, by the blonde man from earlier and his dark-haired from; who sat in the one in the corner.

“Ah, Good. You’re here, fully healed I presume?” The polite man spoke. Shoko was about to reply when he was interrupted by the other man, who stood up from his seat.

“Kida!” The man said, addressing the younger man that had accompanied Shoko into the room. “You are the dismissed.”

“But-“

“LEAVE, NOW!”

The boy would crack under the pressure of his superior’s intimidation, bowing his head briefly and exiting through the door. The blonde man rolled his eyes at his brother’s antics, before resuming his conversation with Shoko.

“Well, My name is Kurozawa Hachimon. Before we begin I would like to know your name.” The man said, flashing a friendly, charismatic smile in an attempt to make his questions less imposing. Shoko didn’t have to be a genius to tell that he was being interrogated; it didn’t make sense not to comply. So Shoko would decide that he would settle down and tell the two clan members all he knew.

Kurozawa listened intently as Shoko retold his story of how he came to the predicament that he currently was in. Narrating his experiences, Shoko was a little surprised that he remained uninterrupted throughout the whole process, the only thing mildly discourage were the glares from Kurozawa’s brother Yamaha; who sat arms crossed in irritation through-out the whole story. When Shoko finally came to a close, that was when he would begin to be bombarded with the older man’s questions.

“So... You are so saying that you risked your life, for someone you didn’t know. Even going to the lengths of carrying him a long distance while injured?”

Shoko nodded his heads curtly.

“Ugh, this doesn’t make anyone sense you simpleton, what if he’s a spy?” Yamaha yelled in exasperation.

“That would be for Elder Ry or maybe even the Widow to decide.” Kurozawa shot back as he glared at his brother. Shoko would take it in with slight amusement, the fact that neither of them looked alike.

It seemed that Yamaha wanted to retort but Kurozawa cut him off before he could. “Well he’s been interrogated already so just do your job and report to Elder Ry while I take him around for a bit.”

[Master Game]

Shoko spent the rest of the day being led around the community by Kurozawa as if he were on a tour, which wouldn’t be too far from the truth. The older man seemed to have a great deal of a time pointing towards local treasures and explaining that he had grown up around them. While the man soaked in his brilliant nostalgia, Shoko too would marvel at the unusual community that surrounded him. Instead of eying the boy with blunt suspicion, it seemed that the young shinobi had actually piqued their curiosity. Kurozawa would go around introducing him to various friends and relatives, all who seemed a bit weary of the new-comer, but soon deemed him not a threat and even took a sort of liking towards him.

As the two walked through the streets on their way to another location in the settlement, Shoko would clear his throat, in an effort in catch the older man’s attention.

“Umm... Kuro... Kurozawa , I was meaning to ask you a question.” The man paused, before nodding his head for the boy to speak further.

“Why are you the only one with blonde hair in this villag-settlement?” The shinobi queried.

“Well, it was once a touchy subject for me but... I feel proud to share it now” Kurozawa would continue speaking “You see, my father was a Kumomusha, but my mother was a Yamanaka, a quite unusual occurrence around these parts. My mother died while giving birth to me and my father had me raised here in our dwelling. Well we Kumomusha aren’t exactly hard-wired tribalists, but I inherited my mother’s light blonde hair, which in a way, left me stigmatised. In a clan where all the people looked similar in a way, it was easy to pick me out and as a result I was somehow discriminated.” Kurozawa paused, taking in a deep breath. “I hated it. I did my absolute best each and every day to win the favour of all the other clan members and it eventually paid off. People respected me; people treated me like I was truly one of them. It was only then, did I truly begin to feel that I belonged.” Kurozawa cleared his throat, signalling the end of the story.

Shoko was silent for a few seconds. He suddenly felt compelled to add something in so as to not make the conversation awkward.

“That must’ve been tough on you.”

“Yeah, but in the end, everything worked out just fi-“ Kurozawa was suddenly interrupted by a young woman running up to him, panting by the looks of it.

“Ah, good afternoon Kuro, it’s a pleasure to see you this fine day.”

“You see me everyday Izumi” Kurozawa replied, looking unimpressed. The woman’s face suddenly blushed red for a second before she shook off her hesitation and spoke again.

“I... um... Granny Akane needs your help round the farm” The woman was sounding more and more like a girl at this point.

Kurozawa rolled his eyes “Sure, I’ll be following you back there. Just let me take lil’ Shoko over here to his quarters.”

“No. Could... Could I help out around the farm too?” Shoko finally piped up, wanting to do some physical activity for no particular reason.

“Uhhh... Are you sure kiddo? It’s not gonna be any walk in the park.” But Shoko’s resolve was solid, he trusted in his abilities as a shinobi and wanted to seem useful to the clan members that were being hospitable to him.

“If you say so Shoko, follow me, or rather follow Izumi” The man said as the three of them proceeded towards the farm in order to lend a helping hand.

[Master Game]

Hours had passed. The sun was slowing melting into the distant amber hue of the horizon that stretched out towards the wide expanse. Shoko wiped the beads of sweat that dripped from his forehead as he dropping his metal hoe. Kurozawa wasn’t exaggerating one bit, farming was in no sense an easy job. It was at this time that Shoko and Kurozawa would then hear footsteps approaching from behind them.

“Ah, Kuro, Shoko, the elders have summoned the both of you... regarding... you know, everything that has happened so far” Kida said nervously.

Kurozawa sighed. “Well it looks like our time is up Shoko, the elders wish to talk to you it seems.”

Shoko gulped. “Is there anything I should be worried about before we go?”

“Nope. Just be honest and respectful. The elders are usually content with that.” Kurozawa said in an effort to cheer the boy up.

The three headed over to a large building that was considered to be the main clan house, where the most important topics were discussed by elders and occasionally the Widow. The three were immediately ushered inside by two standing sentinels, their bows seemingly made from pure gold. Shoko could barely take his eyes off them. The group would arrive at a room which could only be described as a simple parlour, where three men sat cross-legged on a soft rug. Shoko recognized one of them being the man he had saved in the beginning of all of this mess, whose name he recalled being Hitoru. Then there were two other elderly men on either side of him, likely Elder Ry and Elder Hon. It seemed like the three had been expecting him, the two guards ushered him and Kurozawa to take a seat on the fur mat as they left to stand sentry outside the door by unspoken orders.

“Ah, good evening Shoko and Kurozawa.” One of the elders addressed.

“Yes, it is an honour to be given reception with you Elder Hon” Kuorzawa bowed his head. Shoko did the same after two seconds.

“Well, we all know why you two are here, so I suppose we get straight to it.” The other elderly man (supposedly Elder Ry) began.

“Shoko” Elder Ry began. “After reviewing your story that was reported by clan member Yamaha, we couldn’t help but feel a little doubt. However, once Hitoru here woke up, he told us his side of the story and surprisingly, it matches yours.”

Shoko paused, waiting for what the man was about to say.

Elder Hon finished instead. “We just want to say, we are extremely grateful for your actions. Without you, Hitoru would’ve been dead along with the rest of the traders. It’s rarely seen that someone so young has the bravery or courage to save someone’s life at the heavy risk of their own. We are completely indebted to you Shoko Natamura and we honestly would like to express our gratitude.”

Hitoru, who had previously remained silent, decided to speak p. “Shoko, I just wanna say a sincere thank you for saving me, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if you didn’t come along when you did and made the decision to help.” The man said, bowing his head in respect.

“Yes, though you may not know it, now that at least one of our traders have returned alive, we now know the threat that we are facing, which is exactly why the other Elders and the Widow are discussing the implications of it as we speak.”

“Um... I’m just glad I got to help, I mean I couldn’t exactly pass and see someone die in front of me.” Shoko piped up.

“But hey, what’s that symbol on your cloaks? It looks just like the one my uncle used to where whenever he went out on missions”

“Hmmm? That’s impossible” Elder Ry replied. “This is the clan symbol, you must be mistaken, for this is only for Kumomusha members.”

“No. This exactly the symbol my uncle used to wear.” Shoko said, eyeing the spider symbol on everyone’s clothing.

“What is your uncle’s name?”

“Hachiro”

A look of disbelief clouded the faces of the two elders.

“Could you... Could you say that again Shoko.”

“His name is Hachiro, Hachirou Natamura.”

The tow elders paused with a deep look of incredulity on their faces as if they couldn’t believe shoko’s words.

“Are you sure lad?”

“Yes I am sure! What does it even me anyway?”

“Shoko... Your uncle, your uncle is a Kumomusha.”

[Master Game]

The events of the past few hours had been both tiring and exasperating for young Shoko. Yet here he sat, in front the Widow herself, the questions she asked just a few seconds ago still ringing in his ears.

“Well. Do you want to become part of this clan?” The woman repeated in a slick and sinister-like voice. Shoko got a good look at her as he thought over her question. She was a young dark-skinned woman, dressed in a black skin-tight suit. Cold and calculating hazel eyes (That oddly shone a shade of amber in the candlelight) decorated her smooth visage, while locks of snow-white hair cascaded down from her back, in deep contrast every other part of her. To say she looked stunning was an understatement, but Shoko didn’t want to ponder to long on her appearance. She was the Widow, the highest head of authority for this Kumomusha branch, and certainly the most powerful.

“Listen Shoko. I knew your uncle. He was a brilliant man, being one of the few to earn the respect of this clan, as well as the privilege of being a certified member. Though he refused to undergo our traditional ritual, he was still accepted as one of us for the amazing things he did for this village.” The widow paused briefly, staring into Shoko’s eyes.

“Ever since he disappeared, you’ve had no family Shoko, no one to take care of you. You’ve abided by your solitude in an unnatural way. You remind me so much of him y’know, you also have great potential as a shinobi. We could help you Shoko.”

Shoko thought deeply.

“I... I would love to. I would love to be a part of something as wonderful as this clan. However, I am conflicted with my need to venture through the world, I cannot stay I’m afraid, for one day I will personally find out what happened to my uncle. And until then, I will train up my skills as a shinobi in order to guarantee that I am strong enough when the time comes.”

The Widow smiled a warm, inviting smile that seemed to melt the heart of anyone who saw it.

“I respect your wishes Shoko and I know I cannot keep you here. Which is exactly why I will do for you the exact thing the previous Widow did for your uncle, I will bestow upon you the clan symbol, as well as the our ritual. Meaning you will always be one of us, yet at the same time you are free to travel wherever and make your own story.”

Shoko was speechless for three long seconds. The boy slowly bowed his head in gratitude.

“Thank you, Widow. Few things in this world would please me more.”

“Please, call me Diane.”

[Master Game]

•The Ritual of the Spider
Rank: "C"
Type: Augmentation
Effect: Grants a member of the Kumomusha Clan four additional arms.
Special: To perform: 6 hours; Duration: Permanent
Drawback: Receiver of the ritual must train into "Movement Training" in order to move their new limbs accordingly. Receiver requires two full days of rest in order to allow their body to adjust to the new limbs that have been attached to their body.
Description: External - Takes up 1 Augmentation Point. Within a large area, Twelve current members of the clan gather around to pass on the chakra of the clan to the new member. The ritualist draws the circle with the spider symbol in the middle, and initiates the circle with six of the members kneeling outside to pass on their chakra. Four clan members, each with a wooden arm in their hands, cut a section out where the new arm would be located. The arms are placed with all six hands on the arm, infusing their chakra to seal it to the body. The four step back, still inside the circle, now lending their chakra. Twelve spiders are then released into the circle, giving their life force to the arms. Two final members step into the circle and grasp the three arms on their respective sides, two arms to each. With chakra coming in three stages, and the entirety of the twelve spiders being absorbed by the arms, they are given life, and fully integrate with the new clan members body. For a full 24 hours, at 2 hour intervals, a medic heals the body. The final 24 hours is resting period before the new clan member is woken up and aided in the movement of his new limbs.
Limit: Must be a Ritualist for Augmentation Rituals.
Cost: Market Price: 12,000 Ryo Performing Price: 9,000 Ryo



Shoko sat in the middle of a large but empty room. It’s pallid, grey walls stared nonchalantly back at him, as if to observe the boy silently. Twelve clan members were in the room at this time. A balding ritualist dressed in brown robes drew a circle with the clan symbol right in the middle, as he imitated the circle, six clan members would step outside to kneel and pass on their chakra. Shoko was ushered to sit cross-legged within the circle. Four clan members, each with a wooden arm in their hand, approach Shoko. The boy was shirtless and the clan members aiding the ritual each cut a new spot in his body where the four extra arms would be located. Shoko stomached the pain with grit teeth, it wasn’t too serious anyway. The wooden arms were placed on him with all six hands on the arm, infusing their chakra to seal it to the body. The four took a step back, still inside the circle, lending their chakra as the ritual continued. Though Shoko had closed his eyes given the intake of so much new chakra, he heard scuttling on the floor. He opened his eyes to find twelve spiders that had crawled into the circle, giving their life force to the arms. Shoko was a bit apprehensive at first, but he realised the necessity and stopped fidgeting. Two final members step into the circle and grasp the three hands on their respective sides. Unknowingly to Shoko, with the chakra coming in three stages, and the entirety of the twelve spiders being absorbed by the arms, they were slowly being given life

Shoko had his eyes closed for so long that he didn’t realise that the input of chakra had eventually stopped. It was replaced by a burning pain in his sides that made him groan and double over. For some reason, Shoko was more than surprised to see six identical arms at his sides instead of the usual two. The boy gasped in painful agony as it seemed that the arms weren’t settling in quite well. The clan members were looking over him, a lot more exhausted then he was but not in near enough pain.

“Alright, that commences the end of The Ritual. Yuno, come here and tend to this boy, the rest of us must report to the elders that the ritual has been complete.” The elderly head ritualist said as he exited the room with the remaining clan members.

Shoko cold only ignore the searing pain in his body as a healer came to attend to him. Shoko couldn’t tell wherever the person was male or female, for he could feel his consciousness leaving him.

[Master Game]

Movement Training
Rank: C
Skill: TaiJutsu (Knowledge)
Effect: A training that allows one to properly use one’s arms.
Special: Must have had the “Ritual of the Spider” performed on one.
Drawback: Must be monitored and guided by a Kumomusha member. (May be a NPC)
Description: This training will allow one to use one’s extra arms as if it were their normal pair of arms. Without this training, movement would be slower, the arms would hinder eachother and the channeling of chakra would be extremely tough. By doing a small amount of simple yet usefull exercises, one can easily get rid of these problems and use them to their full potential.
Limit: Kumomusha clan only.

0/10

It was only roughly the next day that Shoko could find out that he could exit his room. The boy had been healed by the medic at two hour intervals for a full twenty four hours. And throughout, time seemed to drag along at a snail’s pace, meaning it might as well of been the longest twenty four hours of the boy’s life. Shoko was finally told by the medic to go outside, where Kurozawa would be waiting for him. Shoko was delighted to see the man again, especially know that he had become a certified clan member and they were now like brethren.

Kurozawa tired to keep the pleasantries as short as he could but it was hard to stop himself from constantly congratulating the young shinobi every five seconds on his new arms. The main voices of the people, Elder Ry and Hon had assigned Kurozawa to oversee Shoko’s movement training before he leaves the settlement. Kurozawa explained everything to him as he led him to a room, he also told the boy that all seven of the elders were having a council meeting with the Widow at the moment.

Once they had entered the room, kurozawa would begin with basic movement exercises and whatnot. Shoko found it strange wielding two extra pairs of arms, but he soon got used to it as he practised forming handseals and lifting weights and doing other things. The movement training would last an hour. Shoko exited the room with Kurozawa. The older man had just begun to tell him that preparations were being made for his departure.

“So... I guess I’ll be leaving in a few hours, wish I could’ve stayed a bit longer.”

“Yeah, but you’ll be free to visit anytime pal.”

Shoko and Kurozawa shook hands with the distinct aura of best friends.

“Well, you should probably be heading over to our hospital wing to reclaim all of your stuff and see the elders off.” Kurozawa said as he looked up to the ceiling. Shoko sighed.

“I’ll miss you guys a lot, but I’ll visit frequently so don’t you worry.” Shoko could feel his voice cracking up. The boy had never felt this way before and wondered why he was feeling this way now. But the truth was there, he finally felt like he was a part of something.

[Deleted]

Learned and deducted.

Warning - you can't have two pending training posts at the same time. Don't let me catch you doing that again.

[Master Game]

Shoko sighed. The boy would take one last look at the Kumomusha settlement before him and it's waving inhabitants before setting off on his way. It had been a great run with them and Shoko was already starting to miss Kurozawa already, but it was time to go. Shoko steadied his breathing as he begun to walk forward unto the sunset, the young shinobi would promised he would visit again. And a true shinobi never let's go of their promises.

[Exit]