Name: Improved Endurance
Rank: C
Type: Physical
Physical Requirements: N/A
Training Requirements: A 600 word training post is required to gain this special characteristic.
Description: The first level in the art of endurance accessible to those who have undergone intensive training. The possessor of this talent has an increased endurance of 20% which makes them slightly tougher. They can withstand greater damage that could otherwise stun them in pain, and continue fighting.

---

Breath quickens.

‘Just keep moving,’ a shadowed figure tells itself, quietly pleading with its body to cooperate. It’s failing though, this exercise of endurance hindering and seemingly fruitless as they run. As the hours have slowly slipped by, the shinobi’s usually dormant frame feels like it is fracturing from the strain of this cat and mouse game. He somewhat laughs at himself for believing that he could win, especially since it is he that is trekking in unknown territory, not his opponent. After all, it is not necessarily his body that is failing, but his ability to remain co-ordinated for the extended period of time. If he was as intelligent as the man liked to think he was, he should have foreseen the current problem as its likelihood of occurrence sat at the distinctive level of certainty that eighty-five point three percent provides.

Alas, it was because of this oversight that he was now focusing hard on reminding his nervous system how to send efficient messages to his well-toned legs on how to continue to move. Considering that he shared the same muscle and flesh as his brother, it was not the vessel he wore that was wearing down at an incredible rate. No, it was Naoki, himself. He had been mentally unprepared for this run as he had forgotten how exhausting it could be on the mind. Considering that Katamuki was consistently taking on the role of primary, a position that Nao had willingly given him, the younger sibling was slowly beginning to feel the repercussions of such a decision. Running was not just about physicality; it was also a demonstration of mental strength. As the muscles tire, one needs to be capable of pushing through that growing fatigue to hit their proverbial second wind to continue. More often than not, when the mind tires, the body will follow as the willpower to continue diminishes.

A gasp.

It is getting embarrassing now. How could he have acted so callously as to shirk his daily work out routines in order to favor his preferred pastime of education? Intelligence was just as important as the body, he knows this as a certainty, but his mind has never been his greatest weakness. His superficial vessel, the constantly deteriorating frame that he wears, has always been. It is why his brother takes front wheel, and he sits on the sidelines, reading the potential scenario cases and distinguishing which is most likely to come to light. This ability of his is incredibly uncanny, but no matter how well it works in a battle where he can reside in the shadows, it does not work here on the front lines. His hunter was intelligent to flush him from his cavernous lurking out and into the open where now, he knows, that he is found wanting.

The weakest chain will always snap and break, crippling the rope’s strength, regardless of how strong the remaining ones are.

He will not give in though. Strengthening his resolve to continue this game of cat and mouse, Naoki pushes on, ignoring the mental screaming that is attempting to shred his ear drums and instead focuses on testing his endurance. ‘What a pitiful fool I’d be if I allowed my greatest weapon to be the first to falter.’ Chuckling lightly to himself, he speeds up with purpose, feeling the sudden lurch of surprise from his opponent as he begins to increase the distance between them once again.

“Come and get me,” he whispers quietly, his form crouching and releasing itself from the outcropping of rocks that he lands on without hesitation, “For I am ready for you.”

His breathing evens.

Name: Quick Speed
Rank: B
Type: Physical
Physical Requirements: Must Specialize in Weaponry or Taijutsu.
Training Requirements: A 1200 word training post is required to gain this special characteristic.
Description: The second level in the art of speed accessible to those who have undergone intense training in high speed movement. The possessor of this talent has an increased speed of 40% which makes them considerably faster. Their movements become so fast and vivid that the ninja can create afterimages in motion. They're body is seen as a blur as they move swiftly and almost unmatchable to the human eye.

---

Games had always been his favourite thing to partake in, because after all, that really was all life was. A simple game against time to outlast and outmaneuver all those around you until you reached that finish line and received your wonderful prize of death. Yes, that was all there was to life and no attempts to do it differently really mattered. The ideal of immortalizing one’s name was useless as it never worked; kanji carved into stone eroded away, familial ties eventually forgot their ancestry, while friends and colleagues moved on, knowing that to grieve over the dead was a pointless waste of their diminishing minutes as well. Life was a constant race against Time, a construct that did not have enough pity to give a shit about what one left unfinished. It merely chased half-heartedly, watching as the minutes over one’s head ticked by, counting down the final moments with twisted pleasure before finally reaching out, and like an innocent game of tag, claiming you as their own.

Yes, life was all just one huge fucking game and the shinobi had no problem creating even more as he went along. It was why he had allowed his target a fair start, knowing that when he finally caught up and cornered him, it’d make the victory all the more sweeter. He was not worried that they would elude him, no, because if there was anything that the man had going for him, it was the tightly coiled muscles of his body that were ready to spring into motion the minute they were asked to. He was not kidding when he viewed himself as a predator, his body lean and ready to pounce on his victim at the end of the exhilarating chase. No matter the extra distance he gave his little mouse, Kata was confident that he could catch up.

Unlike his brother, who spent endless amount of hours educating and exercising his mind, the eldest Yanagi was a physical man. He enjoyed the feeling of worked muscles stretching and straining beneath the thin flesh that weakly armored his body, or the hiss of sweat beading in the heat and evaporating as he moves. It was rewarding to be so physically strained and fatigued that when the morning came, all he could do was stretch helplessly before going for another round. It was a competition with himself, to constantly be bettering his weak and fragile body until it could be battered and bruised no more. One day, he knew, whatever limit that stopped him now, would be non-existent because he would be stronger, more agile; faster.

Speaking of which…

Feeling like his prey had been given a sufficient start, the redhead let out a joyful cackle before cracking his neck and readying himself for takeoff. Slowly, with practiced ease, he leaned forward into a generic runner’s stance, the tips of his fingers skirting the ground in a gentle carass while he propped himself up on the balls of his feet. For a moment, he merely waited in this position; the predator straining within him to be released, the fire that it was creating taking over his senses until all that was left was his glorious need for the hunt.

“Bang.”

Within moments he was running. There was not a slow start and a gradual rise to a sufficient speed, no; Kata did not have time for that. Instead, he burst through the metaphorical gates at a pace that was only slightly slower than his full capability, his muscles rippling in agony at the suddenness of movement. They quickly adapted though, bearing his full weight as he flung forward, his feet pounding soundlessly against the ground as he ran. For aerodynamic reasons, his arms flew behind him, the toned limbs straightened and tucked tightly against his body so they did not disturb the air that was slicing by him as he raced through the open trail. The mouse had decided upon taking an abandoned path, a pitiful decision, he figured, considering that there was nothing that could distract him from it now. However, the fool he was chasing was no idiot, so Kata assumed that there was going to be some type of trap lain out somewhere ahead of him that would provide him with a pleasant surprise.

Good.

He didn’t want this to be an easy catch. The harder the conquest, the better the reward, he mused good-naturedly. This was all about raw skill and talent, and although he knew his opponent was a strategic player, Kata also knew everything that man had in his books. Thus, he was at the advantage here, during this chase as his skills were at their peak of productivity. Another smile spilled onto his lips, the twisted mouth somewhat perturbing in its position as it easily depicted the glee that the man was experiencing. It was euphoric, this chase; this ability to hunt someone down at any cost and to discover what would make them crack. Oh, yes, Kata had plenty of surprises for this one.

Reaching his maximum speed easily, the man pressed on. Like an obscured blur of motion,
The man flew down the tunnel, his form hardly visible to even the most trained of eyes. Obviously the eye doujutsu crippled his speed, considering they slowed him down to a point where his motions were easily visible, but he could hardly remember a time where he had faced someone with such a Kekkei Genkai. ‘Besides’, he thought wryly as he dipped around a random outcropping of rock, ‘Only one trick ponies worry about a loss of a single skill.’

He easily navigated his way through the mountain path, his body unconsciously ducking around anything that had a potential to slow him down. The run wasn’t too strenuous as there weren’t any other paths to look out for aside from the one he was on, so he allowed his mind to wander ahead. Using his connection with his brother, Kata efficiently zeroed in on his sibling’s location, having spent the last hour or so so far behind that all he could detect was his faint chakra source. It would seem that his hypothesis about his brother’s capability to be unable to outrun him was true, he mused, a wicked grin spilling onto his lips, ‘Such a pity the hunt will have to be cut short.’

Without hesitation, Kata pumped chakra into his legs, increasing his speed again. It was exhilarating, watching as the distance between the two of them slowly diminished to the point that he knew he would be on top of his brother in mere seconds until suddenly – wait. ‘Well, little brother, it does seem like you have some tricks up your sleeve after all.’ Naoki’s chakra signature was diminishing again, the younger sibling seemingly transporting himself kilometers away from him so suddenly that Kata faltered for a moment in awe. Oh, what a pleasant surprise! Picking up his feet once more, he let out a whoop of excitement, cackling all the while as he realized that maybe, just maybe, he’d get a good chase out of this.

His brother would have the momentum of the fight now that he had gained enough confidence to push himself past whatever mental blockade he had erected for himself. It was essential that he caught up to Naoki as soon as possible in order to diminish that feeling of success so that he could once again have the upper hand. There was nothing the eldest hated more than losing to his younger brother, and this was absolutely no exception. Ahead, he felt Naoki dig in his heels and take a sharp left, his chakra momentarily blinking out of sight before erupting once again, closer than it once was. Puzzled, the brother hurried on, only to realize why his brother seemed to flicker out of existence – the idiot took a dive off the rock face to the forest below.

“What a fuckin’ idiot,” Kata muttered darkly, not even bothering to hesitate before he too, threw himself from the trail only to find himself caught in the cruel hands of gravity that pulled him down enthusiastically. Letting out a grunt, he focused his chakra and flipped himself around, slamming his feet on the side of the mountain and backtracking after his insane brother that was now running down the cliff and into the forest below. To his silent relief, Naoki was only a kilometer ahead of him now, so focusing even more chakra to his legs, the primary flew after his brother in a flurry of limbs. The minute he finally caught sight of his elusive brethren, Kata immediately dove into action. Slipping his hand into his kunai pouch, the shinobi deftly threw a volley of steel at his brother’s back, his accuracy nothing short on killing intent. If they were to train together, then they had better do it right.

He watched as Naoki dug in his heels and darted quickly to the right before running away again. Hissing in annoyance at the cowardly antics, Kata withdrew two shuriken, attaching wire easily to their centers before throwing them in a broad arch around his brother. No matter what, he thought darkly, he would catch his little prey.

Name: Evasiveness
Rank: C
Type: Physical
Physical Requirements: None.
Training Requirements: A 600 word training post is required to gain this special characteristic.
Description: The ninja trains their ability in more advanced evasive maneuvers which serves the purpose of avoiding enemy attacks. The survivability of the ninja increases as they are now capable of executing quicker flips and dodging basic forms of physical attacks by reading an enemies movement.

---

The heavy breathing was beginning to return, he noted. Abruptly changing course, Naoki ducked to the left, narrowing avoiding the piercing metal that flew whistling past his head. It was becoming obvious that his brother was taking their training spar very seriously, thus, every action that would follow this would most certainly be aimed to maim or severely injure. ‘It is obvious then,’ he thought quietly, beginning to jet off once again in a weak attempt to gain some room to move, ‘that every attack I return, must be of equal, or if not more, power than his own.’ Naoki, although never one to participate in hand-to-hand combat if it could be helped, could see of no other alternative to beat his brother. Kata was like a honing missile; once he locked on to something there was no way for the target to escape. Even now, Naoki was continuing to tire; if he continued to run around aimlessly and without direction or motivation, his viscious sibling would not waste a moment to put him down.

Feeling the shuriken whiz past him, it only took the redhead a moment to question why his brother’s aim was so far off before he recognized the cool glint of wire that was speedily surrounding him. Letting out a brief grunt of annoyance at such a tactic, he quickly completed the seals of a replacement jutsu before watching as the unsuspecting log was sliced into ribbons. Ah, piano wire. No, his aniki was not messing around. Already having been relocated, Naoki concentrated chakra into his feet before kicking off into a quick succession of back flips, narrowly avoiding the incoming kunai that his brother had, once again, thrown at him. Completely his final flip, the youngest landed back on his feet only to receive a strong punch to the face that was thankfully, not channeling any chakra. Even still, he felt his neck snap back at the contact, a dizzying amount of white spots filling his vision before another hit to the head followed: “Hello, Otouto.” Hissing as he bit down hard on his tongue, Naoki finally gained enough of his bearings to throw up a block to the roundhouse his brother had sent at his skull. If Kata kept smacking him about this way, they’d be down a brain by the end of this spar.

Evading another hit that was flying fast at his solar plexuses, Naoki side-stepped around it, seamlessly transition into a counter strike to Kata’s kidneys. The hit connected but it didn’t seem to face the eldest as he merely turned with the velocity of the punch and deftly kicked at his knee. Seeing it coming, Naoki deftly locked his leg and threw an arm down to block, then quickly back off as a set of steel knuckles had somehow made it onto Kata’s fingers.

“We’re about to damage that pretty little face of yours,” his brother said lightly, a predator-like smile overtaking his face, “We need it to be more masculine, anyway.”

Chuckling, Kata used his speed to close in on Nao so quickly that the man was dodging and ducking so quickly that everything was beginning to blur. Each punch seemed fast than the next, and by only focusing on the glint of metal, the youngest Yanagi was able to maneuver himself out of the way by the skin of his teeth. Breathless and slowly tiring, Naoki quickly began calculating his options. There was no way that he would be successful if they continued to move at a pace such as this. The biggest advantage that his brother had was his ability to utilize speed. So, if he were to take that away, Naoki would once again gain the upper hand. Dodging one more hit, he quickly activated a dormant seal and watched the flicker of surprise that graced Katamuki’s face.

They both looked down.

The punch dagger that was now protruding from Kata’s thigh stared right back up.

All they saw was red.

---

Jutsu and Weaponry Used:
Name: Kawarimi no Jutsu • Body Replacement Technique
Rank: E
Type: Ninjutsu
Range: 10 meters
Element: N/A
Description: After performing a tiger seal, this technique allows the user to alter places in a speedy manner with another nearby object. This is done mere seconds before an attack lands, thus making the attacker believe his or her attack was a success. Whatever object was used to alter places will receive the brunt of the enemy’s attack instead. The object that the user switches with must be preset somewhere else in the thread, meaning that the object must have received specific mention previously in the thread.
Chakra Cost: 2


Name: Punch Daggers
Rank: D
Type: Close (0 – 5m)
Appearance: On each ring finger rests a large, golden winged ring. There is nothing particularly special about the ring aside from a simple seal that is engraved into the gold. Here, if the user activates the seal with chakra, a two inch punch dagger will arise from each ring that the user can use on the opponent. These are best used for surprise attacks. There is only one dagger sealed in each ring.
Quantity: Two rings.
Storage: These are stored in two rings that can be found on each hand’s ring finger respectively.
Special Abilities: To activate, it costs 2CP. These cannot be resealed.

Name: Great Endurance
Rank: B
Type: Physical
Physical Requirements: Must Specialize in Weaponry or Taijutsu.
Training Requirements: A 1200 word training post is required to gain this special characteristic.
Description: The second level in the art of endurance accessible to those who have undergone intensive training. The possessor of this talent has an increased endurance of 40% which makes them considerably tougher. They are now immune to the sensation of pain which allows them to fight under harsh circumstances with normal efficiency.

---

Maybe Katamuki had underestimated his otouto greatly.

Well, not that greatly, he reasoned subconsciously to himself as his brother blocked the kick to his head as well as side-stepping the onslaught to his solar plexus that was released upon them shortly after. The eldest had always know that his brother was gifted in evasion; both linguistically and physically. If there was anything that Naoki was actually comfortable participating in that included the addition of people, it was the laws that guarded the shinobi way. His brother saw the world in a boxed-in perspective that did not include visionary areas of gray; where everything was either right or wrong. He was righteous in a way, Kata figured, in his belief that there was nothing that could justify breaking the laws that were set for them; nay, that they pledged to uphold, when they became shinobi. Idly, he had to admit that it’s somewhat stupid getting ten to twelve year olds to pledge their allegiance to silence, death, torture and maiming, but hey, who was he to really judge?

Receiving a solid hit to one of his kidneys, Katamuki inwardly groaned at the crushing power. He wanted to falter for a moment, for his organ was screaming at him to go to bloody hell, but he did not. The redhead’s training would not allow him to give in to such a weak attempt to disarm him, so his body tensed around the pain, centralizing the main area of its origin before completely discarding it. Without hesitation, he moved easily through the hit, his frame tempered to the hard life that a shinobi lived to deliver a lightning fast kick to his brother’s knee, slipping fingers into one of his pouches to remove a favoured toy. Allowing the sunlight to glint dangerously off the metal, Kata only gave his sibling a moment to recognize his next opponent before throwing a punch fast and hard at his lovely otouto’s face.

“We’re about to damage that pretty little face of yours,” he says with a smile, a dangerous feeling rolling around in his belly that he can only diagnose as excitement, “We need it to be more masculine, anyway.”

Katamuki loves this part of a battle. At this point, the tension has become pliable in the air; he can feel it squeezing down on his lungs and forcing his breaths to come out in short, quick bursts. The adrenaline in one’s body is fully pumping as well; causing sweet tingles of excitement to sizzle up and down his nerves resulting in timed urges to be the first to jump the gun and attack. He notes his brother’s fingers twitching – his own doing the same, but for an entirely different reason. As they sit in their stalemate, Naoki waits for the first attack to be made by his brother. He knows his sibling well enough to understand that there would be no other way for this battle to go. Naoki is shy and calculating when it comes to attacking, while Kata is anything but. Having the offensive edge is like an addiction to the eldest; he sees it as an opportunity to easily gain the momentum of the battle and to continually keep control of it. More often than not, those that are consistently on the defensive do not have the time to create a counter plan that is strong enough to deflect his tenacity, which ultimately results in a win for him.

The problem is, as Kata notes grumpily, his brother is not an anonymous face in the crowd of death and decay that has not witnessed his battle strategy before. Naoki, is his other, and potentially even his better, face. His brother reads him far better than Kata can read him, so it does not surprise the older sibling at all when aniki is dipping and ducking every one of his punches until suddenly he feels the slight burst of chakra, and everything seems to falter after that. ‘Why would Naoki need chakra?’ he silently wonders for a moment, a brief look of shock touching his features and widening his blood red eyes. He watches, almost subconsciously, as Naoki meets his stare and then looks downwards towards his thigh. Kata wonders what is so interesting down there; as all he can register is a burning itch that he really wants to scratch. Finally allowing his curiosity to get the better of him, the chūnin looks down.

“I see,” he utters quietly, focusing intently on the blade that his brother had so unceremoniously lodged into his thigh, “What an interesting battle tactic.”

And it was. Knowing that his strength laid in his speed, Nao had come up with the best counter he could to hinder the obvious advantage that could potentially put them back on equal footing. The only issue was the fact that his little aniki miscalculated. Sure, a blow to the thigh, where he was pretty sure the knife sliced directly through his quadriceps, would eliminate a regular opponent’s speed easily, Naoki forgot about Kata’s tenacity and will to win. For years, the two of them had trained together, and it still seemed that his little brother forgot about his inability to lie down on his back and show his belly for a graceful loss. No matter what pain he needed to endure, until Kata was dead, it would mean nothing – feel like nothing until his goal was achieved. He had trained hard to be capable of enduring such hits to his fragile body, so a simple stab from his brother was not going to halt his spirit.

Without warning, Kata gripped the dagger tightly, and pulled. Like a well-sharpened knife slicing through meat at the butchery, it easily fled from his skin, making its new home in a well-versed hand that immediately went for the opponent’s jugular. Naoki flung himself back in surprise, nearly knocking himself over with the force of his dodge. The brother didn’t bother to hide his astonishment at Kata’s aggressive movements, nor could his ability to ignore what he only assumed have been excruciating pain, before withdrawing a kunai and beginning to block the array of hits he knew would be following. Kata laughed easily at his brother’s defense, marveling in the way he quickly adapted to the situation regardless of his surprise and carried on the fight without a questioning look at his well-being. ’Good boy,’ he whispered to himself, attempting to Spartan kick the child into next week, ’Let’s just continue to grow, shall we?’

The brothers continued their onslaught for some time, each attacking and countering in maneuvers and attack patterns that could easily be dubbed by a romantic as a beautiful dance of warriors. The years that they had spent together training shone through as they seamlessly transitioned from one move to the next, reading each other like non-existent open books. Occasionally, one would shock the other with a well-timed hit or dodge but it only progressed into a smirk of confidence and a re-established urge to be victorious. Kata felt himself beginning to falter however, his wound being unable to clot itself as its location was constantly tightening and straining against his skin. The burn was becoming more consistent with, ironically enough, a stabbing pain, but the brother continued to ignore it; throwing his condition to the depths of his mind so that he could focus on the battle.

It had to, however, end quickly now.

Coercing, his brother in close, Kata focused chakra into his left hand, blocking a dangerous hook his brother sent him with his right. Without a moment’s hesitation, he quickly slid his right arm down from the completely block is a weak attempt at a jab. Easily, Naoki dodged backwards towards the left – which was exactly what Kata wanted. With a large smile overwhelming the older sibling’s face, he let out a cackle as his chakra-infused fist came down hard on Nao’s jaw, snapping the man’s head back like a twig. For a moment, the brothers just stared at each other, Naoki’s jaw, hanging loosely from its hinge in a most perturbing way that made Kata’s blood sing in triumph. His brother’s eyes, although unfocused, stared wildly in anger at such an underhanded tactic, but before he could state how he truly felt over such an indecent maneuver, his knees gave out and poor Naoki collapsed on the ground in a heap of sore limbs and knees. That would most certainly hurt in the morning. Reaching down to feel for a pulse, Kata placed his brother in a comedic pin and began counting down from ten:


“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Ding, ding, ding! FATALITY!” he stated gleefully.

---

Techniques Used:
Name: Concentrated Hit| Konku Atari
Rank: C
Type: Taijutsu
Range: Close (0 – 5m)
Element: N/A
Description: Focusing one’s chakra, the user is capable of empowering a single hit by releasing chakra upon making a connection with the opponent. The force of the attack is increased to the point that a solid hit can result in breaking a bone, while a simple graze may feel like a regular hit.
Chakra Cost: 6CP per hit.

Name: Large Chakra Capacity
Rank: B
Type: Chakra Based
Physical Requirements: Must have Increased Chakra Capacity
Training Requirements: A 1200 word training post is required to gain this special characteristic.
Description: The ninja continues their mediation and physical training which further increases their chakra capacity. Ninja with large chakra capacities have an increased chakra of 35CP.

---

It could easily be stated that the body was the mind’s bitch.

Going beyond the superficial vision that the brain was the entity that sent neutron signals through the nervous system in order to create or recreate actions, or even bypassing the idea that without initially thinking, one’s physical shape could not do anything aside from the involuntary aspects such as breathing, people can note that the mind is always in control. It can also be believed that it is merely stimulated like everything else in the body through electrical pulses and that the mind or soul of a person is in all actuality, just the brain. But it is easy to question this hypothesis as the brain is a tangible – well, only if you’re willing to crack open a skull or two to cop a feel – organ, and therefore is susceptible to the deterioration that any other organ, muscle, bone, or ligament experiences under the cruel, unforgiving hand of time.

This assumption can then extend to the speculation that the mind decays with age as well, so then there must be the possibility that it is tied into the physical aspect of the body. The only issue that arises from this unorthodox concept is that it is not necessarily the mind that actually ages, but the body can no longer respond fluently, as quickly, or potentially at all, to the ideas that are rolling through their heads. Thus, these ideas that could easily be executed as a child since the body was young and malleable, are identical visions that merely do not have the necessary operating outlet.

‘It’s an interesting quandary,’ the chūnin thought sparingly, his body twirling and dipping in ways that seemed unnatural for his physical frame. The circuit he was running was callously throwing projectiles of any kind at his thin figure, pushing the shinobi to move with increasing grace and agility through the specific area. If he thought about it honestly, he really didn’t have an ounce of an idea on why he was spending his free afternoons away from the demanding Raikage doing the physical aspect of their training, but - ducking quickly out of the way of a flurry of poisoned senbon, Naoki landed hard on his feet where he began running to the next part of their circuit - somehow he had found himself here for the past three weeks. It had been a long while since his body had been so fatigued that even the idea of climbing stairs seemed to an agonizing torture of his soul. He knew that Kata had been getting a good ol’ kick out of watching him squirm, especially since his brother had a tendency to either feel just like that, or as right as rain after such a heavy work out since he completed the majority of them that kept their body in shape.

Well, okay, so maybe the youngest understood why he was doing the physical training to enhance their chakra control. After their initial training session weeks ago when his brother had not so delicately knocked him the fuck out, Naoki had begun to realize how physically inadequate he had become. Regardless of their bodies being completely identical, his mind’s capability to control his muscles and delegate out the necessary signals in order to maximize his strength and endurance had been embarrassingly lacking. He knew it was important to polish his skills so that they were once again battle ready, which is why he found himself here, grudgingly running seemingly endless amounts of laps, obstacle courses and weapons. Falling into another set of thirty laps around the entirety of the training grounds, the young man allowed his mind to once again wander to the quandary he had previously been facing.

Ah, yes. It was an important concept to delve deeper into as he felt that it was somewhat reflective to the experience he was going through now, except in reverse. Like languages, one became inadequate in their ability to speak if they did not properly practice it on a somewhat regular basis. Thus, it only made sense that his mind mentally tired at such strenuous exercise as it was solely reacting on muscle memory and nothing more. Thus, at the peak of his physical shape, he was incapable of completing tasks that were seen as easy by others merely because his mind was fatigued. This correlation of action and inaction obviously meant that along the way, the mind and body, which must be separate as one is eternal and another depreciative, must connect somewhere. The problem now was distinguishing where exactly it was.

This alone, was Katamuki’s task.

Normally, the brothers took it upon themselves to complete the opposing tasks than what they were doing now. However, after the obvious short-sight and faults of Naoki, it was deemed important that Kata trained his mental prowess as well. Which is why, the eldest Yanagi could be found elegantly poised on the ground, his long limbs tucked up beneath him in the tradition lotus position as he fully intended to concentrate his breathing. In, and out; inhale, yes, then exhale. It was gloriously quiet around the shinobi, the birds and trees silent as they studiously watched the man before them meditate, almost as if they knew the difficulty of the exercise and they were afraid to break the quiet.

Slowly, with a forced breath, the man removed the tension that could be found in his limbs, easing the air through his lungs and extending it through his body, mentally envisioning the invisible force seeming down his limbs and massaging out the balls of stress that resided there. As the air was exhaled, he continued to image that he was expelling all of the negative energy out of his body, forgetting about the complications of the world in order to slip into the intangible mental nirvana he was creating. All around him, the regularly frustrating sights were forgotten and left in an intimidating mist behind his inner self, thus allowing the nin to venture deeper into the recesses of his mind. It was darker here, Kata noted dryly, urging himself forward before he had a change to evolve the statement into a mindless tangent and broke his concentration – again. Afterall, it had been weeks since they started their training and in that time, he had only ever made it this far into discovering the connection.

Personally, the chūnin wanted to blame it on some sort of mental disorder that did not allow him to focus, but considering that his brother and he were one in the same, that excuse hardly got any air before it was shot down gleefully. Grunting as the connection flickered nearly out of his reach, Kata tightened his hold on his concentration and trudged on. The darkness around him seemingly enveloped his soul, gobbling up the translucent light greedily before reaching in for more. It was disconcerting, traveling so far into his mind, but he continued anyway, his bloody orbs straining to catch a sight of the entity that he was after.

It was only after he felt like he was walking endlessly, did a glimmer ahead finally signal that he was nearing his goal. With renewed vigour, the man picked his speed up, nearly running towards the light until he burst through the eternal black into a brightly illuminated room. For a moment, all he could do was close his eyes as the rays blinded him, but before long they re-opened once again to view a spectacular location with veiled awe. Having stepped into a cavern, all around the shinobi glimmering, beautiful strands of energy existed. They decorated the cave like elegantly tied ribbons; connecting the ceiling to the floors and walls in such draped motions that the nin had a curious inclination to swing on them. Reaching forward to grasp one of the new phenomenon, he let out a startled gasp that was totally masculine-and-not-squeaky-whatsoever, when the ribbon suddenly pulsed with energy. The release echoed throughout the cavern, and immediately the corresponding strings responded, lighting up more brightly in turn until the room was practically sizzling with energy and Kata finally realized what he had discovered:

The home of his chakra cavern.

Inside of his mind, this beautiful place existed, controlling the ebb and flow of his chakra to the centralized locations in his body. Smiling broadly, he touched a strand again, mesmerized as the energy released itself. Intent on trying to follow its path, Kata escaped from some depths of his mind to focus instead on his chakra pathways. Gentling flicking a ribbon, he forced his body to follow the rush of energy that flowed through him, completely immersed in its descent from his mind and soul to his physical vessel. The body was a tool after all, barely sustainable to the world and constantly deteriorating unlike the forces he was watching so intently now. It was magical, he’d admit only to himself, to experience such a sensation. It was sending zaps of electricity to his toes to the point that he wanted to curl them in and shiver. It was making him giddy, he realized, being capable of tapping in more closely to his source of power so that he could better understand its mechanics. Now, he would be able to utilize this knowledge to expand his reservoirs which would ultimately, make him a stronger shinobi.

Letting out a large breath, Katamuki glanced at the chakra that pooled in his mind for a final time before slowly escorting himself out. The transition back to the land of the living was hard, but when he was finally at the outskirts of his mind, he felt the helpful assistance of a familiar presence tug on his scarf and bring him home. Blinking dry eyes, the eldest gazed blurrily in front of himself; somewhat caught off guard at the fatigue that was weighing down his body. Taking a few moments to recover, the redhead stiffly released his legs from their position and fell back on his hands, glancing up at the figure that was casting a large shadow over him.

“I did it,” he murmured roughly, his throat sounding like roughened sandpaper, “I fuckin’ touched it.”

His brother smiled down at him warmly, a small cut evident across his cheek as he bent down to offer a hand, “Good.”

Together they connected and for a moment, they both stared at each other’s beaten forms, basking in the setting sun around them and the noiseless forest that surrounded them. Without indicating his need to stand and get moving, Naoki quietly pushed his brother back down, shaking his head, “You’ve done enough, aniki. Let me.”

Slowly, without waiting for a response from his exhausted sibling, Naoki merged back into Yanagi, setting his brother comfortably in the passenger seat of their mind and clicked their ‘seatbelts’ into place, the younger resting easily in the primary seat, “Let’s go home, brother.”

Kata closed his eyes, a smile tinging his chapped lips.

‘Yes, lets.’