Of Ceremonies, Cousins, and Tattoos
-Of Ceremonies, Cousins, and Tattoos-
To say Amaya was exhausted was an understatement, add nerves to that equation and you practically had a ticking time bomb. As of right now, the brunette was trailing behind her family lethargically as they made their way towards the clan's main residence.
Yes. It was time for the brunette's coming of age ceremony and despite the fact her father walked her through the steps of what would happen chronologically, she felt unprepared. It also didn't help that her brothers were warning her about some of the old crones and codgers that were the clans elders.
Amaya let out a sigh, wishing more than anything that she was with her teammates. She didn't care what kind of childish D ranked missions they had to do. It would be more entertaining to watch Naruto and Sasuke try to outdo one another, than sit around and be stared at by a bunch of elders. At least, that was her opinion anyway.
The trip itself wasn't tiring in the least, only being a three days journey. If the group kept a good steady pace, they would be there by nightfall.
'And then my hell begins.' The brunette thought to herself with a grimace. Her face then relaxed as she added, 'Okay, maybe it won't be THAT bad, but still.'
By the time the sky was filled with various oranges and pinks, they reached the gates to the main residence. Amaya looked around curiously as she took in the somewhat vaguely familiar sights.
The residence itself, much like Konoha, was tucked away next to a mountain side with large walls. The homes were like those in the compound, a mix of both traditional and modern -though leaning slightly more to the former. As for the atmosphere, the area itself gave off a very peaceful and cheery vibe, what with all of the small children running around laughing.
Most of the clansmen nearby stopped what they were doing and walked forward to great them. It was then that Amaya realized how dominating the traits of white hair and blue eyes were here, making her feel slightly out of place. 'No doubt Mama and the twins felt the same way at first.' She thought to herself as her parents and brothers said their hello's, no doubt greeting old friends from past visits.
Soon enough, however, the conversations were put on hold for another time as they were ushered away to reunite with the head of the clan.
Her grandfather.
***
"Kenji, Mitsuko." A male's deep, stern voice called out as they neared the house belonging to the main branch. Looking up, Amaya was greeted with the sight of her grandfather, Masato Minamoto, as he walked towards them.
Regretfully, it had been quite sometime since the brunette had seen the older male, though she was pleased to note that his appearance had hardly changed since their last meeting.
Standing at around 198 centimeters - sharing the same height as Toshiaki and her father, Masato was a burly man with light tanned skin. He kept his white hair cut short in hopes of taming the wild curls that ran in the family, and his blue eyes gleamed bright with a fondness only those close to him could point out.
"Tou-san. It's good to see you." Her father replied politely, giving the man a small respectful bow before greeting him with a hug - a greeting her mother followed suit shortly after.
Masato stepped away from the two and turned to her brothers and herself. Giving the boys a small nod, which they returned, he turned his stern gaze to her. "This is your youngest?" He asked gruffly.
Unused to the attention, Amaya couldn't help but shuffle in her spot and glance away awkwardly.
"Yes." Her father answered happily with a closed eye smile. "It's been a while since you've seen her." He added as an afterthought.
Amaya sent a look to her brothers as they snickered at her sudden act of shyness before locking eyes with her grandfather again.
"Indeed, it has." Masato murmured, his eyes softening slightly as he looked down at his only granddaughter. "Come here child." He orders, and the brunette could only comply silently. Once she reaches him, he places a large weathered hand on her head, ruffling the locks gently.
Amaya scowls and bats his hand away lightly before attempting to fix the mess he made, earning a chuckle from the elder in return.
Masato then looks away from the girl and to his son, resting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly as he does so. "I'm sure you've talked to her about the ceremony?" He asks.
Her father nods, replying, "We talked about it before we left the village."
"When will she meet with the other elders?" Her mother questions.
"You're all probably tired from traveling, but the ceremony will start right away. She'll be meeting council tomorrow, along with Cho, and we'll evaluate them the day after." Masato replies, motioning for them to follow him inside to their rooms.
Amaya tilts her head slightly and runs ahead to walk next to him. "Who's Cho?" She asks curiously.
"Cho is one of your cousins from a sub branch. She's the same age as you, so you both will be going through the ceremony together." He answers.
Amaya nods and asks again, "Are we the only ones?"
"As of right now, yes." Masato answers once again as his walk comes to a slow stop.
By this point, they had reached a hallway with multiple doors. "Like last time, all of these rooms are available, so take your pick."
With that, he excuses himself -allowing them time to unpack and settle in from their journey.
'As gruff as ever. Saa~ He's so hard to read sometimes.' Amaya thought to herself with a sigh as she watched him walk away.
-THE NEXT DAY-
The next morning after breakfast, Amaya was ushered quickly out the door by her grandfather. The old man explaining that they needed to leave quickly if they wanted to arrive at a reasonable time.
During that conversation, it also came to her understanding that clan meetings were sometimes considered confidential and were held in a covert place as to keep outsiders from intruding. However, despite her curiosity, the brunette only nodded and decided to keep her questions to herself until a more appropriate time.
To Amaya, walking around the residence with her grandfather was probably one of the most awkward situations she had ever been in. Due to the lengthy time period in between when they saw each other last, the two didn't know what to say or do to make the other comfortable. It was also safe to say that Amaya had more memories with her grandfather Hajime Senju, who resided in Konoha, than with Masato.
It also didn't help that the elder Minamoto had such a stern and serious disposition, but she would keep that to herself.
"Your father tells me that the Chunin Exams are coming up." Masato said suddenly, snapping the girl out of her thoughts.
"Hai! But it'll be up to Kakashi-sensei if we enter or not." Amaya informed, looking up at him.
"And what do you think?" He asks, and at her confused expression, he continues. "Do you think you and your team can enter and win?"
Amaya lets out a cheerful laugh, surprising the elder slightly. "Saa~... Ojii-san, I don't think, I know!"
Masato stares at her for a moment before a small smirk appears on his face. "Well if you do enter and make it to the finals, I suppose I'll have to come and watch. So make sure you can back up those words." He replies, letting a small chuckle escape.
Amaya scoffed playfully in response, but grinned, nonetheless.
The conversation seemed to ease the awkward atmosphere, leaving them in a comfortable silence. And before the two knew it, they were already nearing their destination.
"Here we are." Her grandfather sighs informatively, leaving Amaya to look around in confusion.
The two had entered one of the many small groves nestled against the mountain side, it wasn't far from the main branches home, but a good distance away to be considered covert and out of sight.
With furrowed brows, Amaya turned to her grandfather. "Ojii-san, there's nothing here?" She asked, her voice trailing off. And it was true, the only thing besides the foliage was the huge stone wall towards the back of the grove. The wall itself had intricate designs carved into the stone, and at the center of it all was the clan symbol.
Masato chuckled and walked forward, giving her a pat on the head as he passed. "That's because it's not meant to be seen, remember?" He replies cryptically before facing the stone wall.
Amaya watched as he preformed the all too familiar hand sign -belonging to the Yōso no Mage- before reaching out and touching the center circle of the symbol. Suddenly, all of the designs on the wall began to glow a faint blue, starting with the center.
"Is that.. chakra?" Amaya asked in disbelief, stepping closer to the wall for inspection. Masato didn't reply, giving her the answer she needed.
The silence was then filled by the sound of something unlocking -followed by a section of the wall pushing open, revealing a narrow passageway leading somewhere deep into the mountain.
Amaya looked at her grandfather wide eyed and completely gobsmacked, her expression making him chuckle. "Come on, they should be here by now. It's time for you to meet them." He said motioning for her to follow him inside.
***
The narrow passage soon opened up into a wide, furnished room. There were other doorways and archways that lead to somewhere Amaya wasn't sure of, but what caught the brunette's attention the most was the figure of a white-haired girl sitting on one of the many seats in the room.
The girl looked up as she heard their approaching footsteps, and locked eyes with Amaya. It was then the brunette noted the girl had somewhat of a wild appearance about her. Her show white hair stuck out at odd angles - as if were never brushed, she also had a sharp tooth sticking out from her mouth - almost like a fang. Her appearance overall, reminded Amaya of Kiba.
'This must be Cho...' Amaya thought to herself as the girl bounded up to her, a wide grin on her face.
"Hiya! You must be Amaya, right? I'm Cho!" The girl, now known as Cho Minamoto, introduced before turning to Masato, greeting him while giving a two fingered salute. Her bubbly attitude made a small smile creep up on Amaya's face.
"Are they here?" Her grandfather asked before anything else could be said.
Cho nodded and pointed towards one of the doors. "Yup! When the old man and I showed up, Reiko-san was cuttin' a fit! Don't know what she was going on about though... Probably dentures or something."
Amaya coughs back a laugh, the sound earning a smile from the bubbly girl. "You might wanna get in there though... Unless you wanna wait around and see if there'll be a granny fight..." Cho adds.
Masato rolls his eyes in slight amusement before walking through one of the doors.
The two girls watched as the door closed behind him before Cho turned and grabbed Amaya's wrist, pulling her to where she was sitting before. "You live in Konoha, right? What's it like? I've never been." Cho asked animatedly.
"Well..." Amaya began, her voice trailing off as she thought. "It's nice I suppose, great actually. It's really busy, bustling with life an all." She answers finally. The brunette went to say more but the sound of a door opening caught both of their attention.
Looking up, the two caught sight of Masato, who motioned for them to come inside. "Here we go..." Cho mumbles with a sigh before turning to Amaya. "Are you ready?"
"N-not really. No." Amaya stammers out as Cho grabs onto her wrist again, pulling her along.
***
As they walked through the door, Amaya glanced around. The room was pretty bare compared to the last, the only thing in it being a large U-shaped table along with its matching cushioned chairs. Seated around the table were three men, one being her grandfather in the center, and two women.
They all looked... well old. All were wearing somewhat traditional garb, and the two women of the group had their hair pulled up and out of the way in tight buns resting on the back of their heads.
"Is this it?" One of the women, with a seemingly permanent scowl, asked snippily as she stared at the two in an almost judgmental way.
"Yes. My this is my granddaughter, Amaya, and you all should already know Cho." Masato answered, unbothered by the woman's tone.
She huffs in response, raking her eyes over the two once more as if assessing their worth. "Well, they don't look like much." She comments, locking her silver, vulture-like gaze onto Amaya. "This shouldn't take long."
Amaya returned the woman's sneer. "That's too bad. I mean, your opinions matter so much to me, it's a shame that you're not in the mood to share." The brunette replied nonchalantly, internally smirking at the reactions of those in the room.
Masato sighed to himself, now understanding his sons' warnings of the girl's somewhat temperamental behavior. If it were any other time, he probably would've laughed - as the brunette's sarcasm almost too much to bare, but now clearly wasn't the time.
At her tone of voice, the woman bristled in her seat. "What a rude child!" She spat in disbelief at the girl's boldness. "I can tell you're already going to be a pain!" She added, only getting more and more frustrated as Amaya stared at her blankly. "Why, I ought to have you--"
"That's enough, Reiko." The second female elder spoke up, interrupting "Reiko's" rant. Her once closed eyes opening to send the addressed a sharp look, earning a scoff in return.
"Of course, you'd come to her defense, Kana! She's just like you, impudence and all!" Reiko spat with a glare.
"Hell yes! Granny fight!" Cho whispered from her spot next to Amaya, making it difficult for the brunette to keep a straight face.
"Shh...!" Amaya hushed quietly, her lips twitching slightly as Cho broke out into silent laughter.
"Your arrogance will be your downfall. Remember your place Reiko. You may be an elder in this village, but she is still apart of the main branch." The woman named Kana replied calmly before turning to look at Amaya fully. "You also may not like her, but I for one, do. She's got spirit, and I can sense her strong chakra from here."
"She is quite the fierce one, Masato-sama." One of the men comments in a raspy voice, letting out a feeble laugh as the male to his right sighs.
"You should hear the stories my son tells me of what happens in Konohagakure, Shin-san." He replies before continuing, "Anyway, that's not what we're all here for. Shoji, why don't you get us started?"
"Right." The other man nods, shuffling through some papers on the table before him.
Amaya observes him silently, noting that the wild appearance the elder has is quite similar to Cho's. 'Must be her grandfather or a close relative...' The brunette thought to herself in affirmation.
Shoji finally begins to speak. "A lot of youngsters like yourselves don't understand why we still have these traditions. But isn't that what makes a clan unique? The Kekkei Genkai, the Yōso no Mage, can be difficult to master and very dangerous to use. A child under the age of twelve, as you know, is not permitted to use the technique without supervision. They are however, expected to train vigorously in Taijutsu as preparation... You two are about to turn thirteen, therefore your training is going to become more intense. This ceremony will help the clan recognize you as adults, meaning you will be completely responsible for your actions should they cause strife to the clan or outsiders." Shoji then looked up at the two for a moment, pushed up his glasses and continued, "You both should know this already, but I will quickly review what will happen over the course of the next few days. Today, obviously, you meet with us for this very purpose. Tomorrow, you both will be evaluated on your Taijutsu skills and anything you have learned using the Kekkei Genkai. The next day, you will receive the clans marking on anywhere of your choosing. And then the fourth and final step, you both will be required to meditate as priests pray for your long peaceful and prosperous life. This will go into the final day until you are released, and then the celebrations will be held."
"If they can even get past the evaluations. I am the one who picked out who they will spar against after all." Reiko cut in with a sneer, her voice full of pride.
Shin chuckled in response. "Even if they lose in their sparring matches, it doesn't mean the ceremony stops, Reiko-san. It's just to see how far they've progressed in training." He replies, making her bristle.
"And knowing you, you've probably picked out someone who's had more experience." Kana added before turning to look at the girls with a smile. "This is all we needed you for dears, we have other matters to discuss so you two can show yourselves out."
Amaya looked to her grandfather for confirmation. He nodded in response, prompting Cho to take her wrist again and lead her out.
***
In the end, Amaya had spent the whole day with Cho, the two quickly becoming thick as thieves as the day progressed. And when the white-haired girl lead her home that evening, Toshiaki threw a fit. Exclaiming happily about how his little sister finally had a friend that was a girl.
That is, until the twins gave him a rude wake up call by reminding him they were only staying for a week and that Amaya and Cho wouldn't see each other much after, sending the childlike man to his knees in despair.
-THE NEXT DAY-
Once again, Amaya found herself waiting in the wide and well-furnished room. Cho had burst into her room early that morning and drug her out of bed to get dressed so that they could "Go kick some ass!" and "Show that old crone what we're made of!"
Amaya had then asked the girl on why Reiko-san was so bitter, but the bubbly white-haired girl only responded with a shrug before joking that "Maybe she had some bad food." leaving the brunette to laugh exasperatedly.
Once her grandfather showed up and lead them into another room, Amaya looked around. It was wide and spacious with a small seating area for viewers. The rest of the room resembled an arena of sorts. 'So this is where we're sparring?' The brunette thought to herself as her eyes locked onto the other elders. It was also then that she noticed two boys on the same floor as them.
"Cho, you will be going first against Yuichi." Masato informs as the girl's opponent stepped forward.
"Righto!" Cho replies, her body oozing excitement as she gave the old man another salute.
"We'll be sitting up top along with Haru." Her grandfather added to Amaya and the other boy, motioning for the two to follow him.
After a moment or two and when they were finally sitting, Amaya glanced at her opponent only to find him looking back. Neither said anything, but after a moment Haru let out a hum, turning away with a small smirk.
'Cocky son of a--' Amaya was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of weapons clashing. Looking down, she saw Cho and the boy named Yuichi going at it. Cho was showing off her flexibility and speed as Yuichi continued to send attack after attack, until finally the two clashed once more in a flurry of jabs and kicks. And whether it was due to his experience or the sheer amount of strength he had, Yuichi slowly overpowered Cho until he was able to land the finishing blow.
The boy did a spinning kick that sent the girl tumbling across the floor. Cho laid there for a moment trying to catch her breath until finally she slammed her fists onto the ground. "Damn it, Yuichi-nii! Why can't I ever beat you!" She exclaimed as the boy made his way over to help her stand.
Yuichi laughed as he said, "Maybe you'll get there one day, Imouto."
"You know all of my weaknesses, you ass!" Cho yells again as the two made their way to find a seat, their bantering echoing throughout the room.
Amaya's eyes widened slightly, not seeing that coming at all. "Imouto? They're related?" She asked aloud.
"He asked Reiko-san if he could be the one to fight Cho. Surprisingly she agreed." Haru informed, his sudden response making the girl flinch.
Masato turned to the duo sitting next to him. "Okay you two, you're up." He said, making them nod.
***
As they reached the ground floor, Cho leaped up and hung over the metal railing. With her hands cupping around her mouth she yelled, "Kick his ass, Amaya-chan! You can do it!", only to be lightly scolded by her grandfather.
Amaya let out a small laugh before she turned to look at Haru, who was observing her closely. "Just so you know, I hardly make the first move." She informed, making the boy smirk.
"Fine by me." Haru replied before he sprinted forward.
As he reached her, he leaped into the air before attempting a roundhouse kick. Amaya brought up her arms to block the blow, surprised at the amount of force coming off the attack as it made her stumble back slightly.
Moving quickly, she gripped onto his ankle and leg with both hands while moving chakra into her arms. She then flipped him over her head, making him grunt in slight pain when he landed. Opening his eyes, Haru quickly rolled to the right as she brought down her foot on the spot where his head was before, leaving a small crater behind.
"She has powerful strength..." Masato mused aloud to himself as he and the others watched the two fight it out.
"They're almost equally matched..." Kana added, slightly surprised that the girl could keep up with someone who's two years her senior.
Haru stood up from the ground, and he and Amaya charged at each other before starting a fierce Taijutsu battle. After a few moments they began to put their bloodline trait into use. Attack after powerful attack, the two continued on. Each move cutting deep into the floor and walls of the room.
The two jumped back from each other panting. Both thinking along the same lines, 'Lets end this!'
Haru began to make one handed signs. First, his thumb was laid across his palm with his pointer finger touching its tip. He then transitioned the two to where the thumb was overlapping his pointer. "Yōso no Mage: Kaze no Dangan!" He said before doing a series of kicks, each one sending three bullets of wind in Amaya's direction.
'The positioning of his fingers.. that's a level two jutsu.' Amaya thought to herself as she stared intently at the boy's hand. 'I'm just learning level one jutsus right now, and I've only got one down correctly... I'll have to use it then.' She added as she made her own hand sign. "Yōso no Mage: Kaze no Bāsuto!" She said aloud, jutting her palm out sending a huge burst of wind in hopes it could cancel out the technique.
Her hopes, however, were shattered as the two jutsu's collided, sending the force outwards. The two flew back, tumbling across the ground roughly.
"Saa~... Okay, I'll admit, that was stupid." Amaya groaned out with a sigh. Haru huffed in agreement before the two fell silent. Sitting up, the two looked at each other for a moment before breaking out in equal fits of laughter.
Masato and the others, save for Reiko, smiled at the sight. "I didn't know our techniques could combine together like that!" Cho exclaimed, laughing hysterically as the image played over and over in her mind.
-THE NEXT DAY-
One of Amaya's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. The buzzing sound from the needle echoing throughout the room. Sitting next to her father, Cho sat across from the brunette grinning as Toshiaki babbled on excitedly about how "Proud he was." and "How he still wished she got the clans symbol on her wrist so that she could match her amazing older brother."
The white-haired man-child had declared and insisted that he would go with his precious Imouto after seeing her and Cho the day before being buddy buddy with two, and very well known, trouble makers of the clan. "You're around enough boys as it is! And those two... they're almost as shady as those twins!" Was what he had said, if she remembered correctly.
"Almost done." The woman doing the clan tattoo informs, finishing the final touches before she began to prepare Amaya for the aftercare.
Amaya glanced at her father who smiled in return. "One more day to go." He said, referring to the last step of the ceremony before the celebrations begin.
"Saa~ I can't wait to get back to doing missions." Amaya murmured with a sigh as she stood up from the seat. Her right shoulder stinging slightly from the "abuse" it just went through.
"Even if they're silly D ranked missions like pulling up weeds?" Her father asked, his eyes filled with mirth.
"Yes papa, even that." The brunette replied with a light laugh as the group exited the room.
"Question!" Cho yelled suddenly, her hand shooting up into the air. The three looked at her as a sign to continue. "So, I know that we have a somewhat equivalent academy here, but how does Konoha go about forming teams? We don't do that here..."
"Well, take Amaya's team, Squad 7, as an example." Her father began before continuing, "Amaya's best friend, Naruto, made the worst grades in the entire class. So we paired him up with Sasuke, who had the best. Sakura and Amaya are somewhat equal in intelligence, but Sakura excels a smidgen higher, while Amaya works better with an on hands approach."
Cho nodded slightly as she listened closely. "So, they balance out the pros and cons of a persons abilities?" She asked.
"Mhm. You see, Sasuke is the last of the Uchiha clan, so he excels in Genjutsu while Naruto would probably excel best in Ninjutsu. And Sakura and Amaya balance each other out perfectly, as they cover any gray areas or spots that the other is lacking in." He replied informatively.
"It sounds like so much fun!" Cho sobbed out dramatically as she clutched onto Amaya tightly.
"H-hey let go!" Amaya yelped, exasperated, trying to shake the girl off who only laughed and tightened her grip in response.
"CHO!"
"Mama, do I really have to wear this?" Amaya whined childishly as she raised her arm, the yukatas sleeve covering her hand completely.
"Of course! Don't ruin this chance for me Amaya, I never get to see you all dolled up!" Mitsuko lightly scolds as she finished adjusting the bottom, making it come up slightly above the girl's ankles. "You always come home covered in dirt and grime or some unknown substance that you used in a prank with Naruto or your brothers." The older brunette adds as she moved to pin the sleeves.
"It's uncomfortable..." Amaya replies, looking away with a small pout as her mother and a few older girls who offered to help laughed.
"You're just not used to it." Her mother said with a smile, taking in her daughters' awkward disposition before sighing. "Maybe Toshiaki is right. You need to hang out with girls your age more... What about Sakura? Or Ino? They seem sweet." She suggested lightly.
Amaya scoffed. "Those two? C'mon, if they're not stalking or talking about Sasuke, they're at each other's throats, insulting one another. The only other normal girl around is Hinata, but every time Naruto comes up in a conversation she nearly faints!"
Mitsuko sighed again as the other girls laugh once more. "Mah, mah, Mitsuko-san. Don't worry, she'll start to care about her appearance once she gets a crush. I was the same way until I met Taiga!" A girl named Nanami, who Amaya was introduced to earlier, reassured.
"Saa~... It's not that I don't care, I just don't see the point when I spend all day training or on missions." Amaya pouts as she took off the yukata, so it could be quickly hemmed.
"Well, I know what we have to do now." Mitsuko suddenly states making the girls turn to her. Taking their silence as an answer she continues, "We'll just have to find you a boyfriend."
"T-that's really not necessary..." Amaya stammers as Nanami ushered her to a seat, preparing to "doll her up" as they so kindly put.
"But it is! I want grandchildren in the future!" Her mother replies enthusiastically.
"I'm only twelve, almost thirteen! Isn't it too early to be thinking that far ahead?!" Amaya asked, staring at her mother through the mirror in disbelief.
"It's never too early to start planning ahead!" Mitsuko replied nonchalantly, making the other girls laugh at their banter.
"Kaa-san, no."
"Kaa-san, yes!"
***
After what seemed like an eternity for her, Amaya was finally released from the room wearing a navy-blue yukata with a white sparrow design and red obi. Her usual wild hair was pulled up into a tight and intricate bun, with her bangs and a few curls framing her face.
In fact, that's how her brothers found her. The twins of course, joked and asked if she had seen their sister anywhere, making Toshiaki scold them before he began to dramatically praise the girls and their mother for their "hard work" as he swayed to and fro with the brunette clutched tightly in his arms. But alas, in the end, Amaya lost her temper with the eldest once again, and his face was promptly smashed into the wall.
Around that exact time Kenji and Masato rounded the corner. Both in turn staring blankly at the commotion happening before them. "I see what you mean by temper..." Masato deadpanned as he stared between his eldest grandson and only granddaughter.
Kenji laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Despite what this looks like, they actually really care about each other." He informs weakly before he moved quickly to usher the girl away to her destination.
***
After reuniting with Cho, the rest of the evening seemed to fly by. Currently the two were meeting with priests from a nearby temple. And as the priests prayed and gave their blessings, the two were asked to meditate. This entire process took several hours to finish, and during that time the clan began the preparations for the celebrations that would follow shortly after.
Once everything was finished, the two girls were released. Amaya felt refreshed, it was like her chakra was revitalized and thrumming in anticipation. And when asked, Cho said she felt the same.
The two walked down the pathway towards the sounds of voices and laughter. The residence, which already looked welcoming and lovely when they first arrived, was transformed into what looked like a festival. There were small lanterns that lit up the area while small shops were set up for food and games for the smaller children.
"It's almost like the ones held in Konoha during the summer..." Amaya mused aloud, making Cho laugh lightly.
"We hold festivals close to the heart here. Not because of all the drinking that goes on, but because it symbolizes a very important aspect of the clan. Every ceremony is important, from the coming of age to a marriage. We don't just bust out the sake for nothing." The white-haired girl replied before grabbing Amaya's wrist again. "C'mon, lets go see if we can find any of the old geezers."
***
Eventually their searching turned into wandering around, both enjoying what the booths had to offer. As they joined in on watching a competition taking place, they hear a voice call out over the noise of the crowd. "Amaya! Cho!"
Both girls turn to find Yuichi and Haru slowly making their way towards them. "We've been looking everywhere for you two! Masato-sama sent us to find you, the performance is about to start." Yuichi said as they got closer.
"Performance...?" Amaya questioned as she looked at the trios faces. Each one sporting a wide smile.
"Yeah, it's customary. They have one for every ceremony, it's one of the things everyone looks forward too." Yuichi replied informatively.
At the brunette's blank stare, Haru lets out a slight scoff with a sigh. "C'mon, you'll see what we mean when we get there." He mutters as he gently grabs the girl's wrist and pulls her along.
"H-hey!" Amaya stammers as the two siblings push her from behind, snickering all the while. 'What is it with this clan and dragging people around?' She thought to herself with a deadpan.
***
"Ah, there you are. You four are just in time." Shoji, who Amaya had earlier discovered to be Cho and Yuichi's grandfather and her great uncle, said as the quartet neared.
Amaya began to take in her surroundings as the seats slowly began filling up with other clansmen. Since they were sitting on one of the many elevated seating areas, the brunette had a perfect viewing of the stage up ahead. It was spaciously built, big enough to hold an exceptionally large performance. She also noted that there were three troughs of water, two of which were parallel to each other on both sides of the stage while the third sat in the front facing where the audience would sit.
Soon enough, she was joined by the rest of her family as the last lanterns were hung, creating a dim lighting in the surrounding area. And as the "performers" made their way onto the stage a slight hush fell over the crowd.
Amaya watched intently as a tribal like beat began to play, prompting the group to dance. She was soon surprised as they began incorporating the clan's bloodline ability into the dance as well. The brunette watched in awe as some began combining both fire and wind style to create larger, almost explosive like flames.
'That's sort of similar to what Sasuke and I did...' She mused to herself as she thought back to their previous mission.
One half of the group continued to preform with the fire until the beat slowly died down to a slow tempo. As this happened the they broke off, some moving towards the back as six moved forward and made their way to the troughs of water. They stuck their hands into the water, and using their chakra, they quickly moved away making a long stream follow along. They then began to dance once more, each one using the water as if it were another limb or an extension of their body.
Suddenly the group of fire users moved forward, and it quickly became a breathtaking show of water and fire. The beat of the music picked up, as did the dancers, their speed getting quicker and quicker until the fire users each sent a large burst of fire and the water users dropped their streams. And as the music ended, the water splashed onto the ground, sending droplets towards the front row of the audience, making them cry out in glee.
Amaya turned to her newfound friends with slight widened eyes, making them laugh in return. "Pretty cool, huh?" Cho asked as she slung an arm around the brunette's shoulders.
"Cool...? That was AMAZING!" Amaya replied ecstatically.
Suddenly, Cho was gently pushed away before Toshiaki clung onto Amaya's side. "Ya know, I could teach you how to do that, Imouto... As your amazing and dashing older brother, it's my duty to do so!" He informed cheerfully as he nuzzled his cheek on top of the girl's hair.
"Why go to you when I could get help from Kou and Kurai?" Amaya replies bluntly making the white-haired sibling recoil as if he'd been shot by an arrow to the chest.
Two sets of snickers were soon heard after that.
"Mah, mah, Aniki... Our dear Imouto has a point. We could teach her everything we know." Kou said as he plucked the girl from her seat.
"Anyway, isn't it also your duty as the "amazing and dashing older brother" to see your "precious Imouto" off on her very first mission?" Kurai asked as he and his older twin leaned against the deadpanning brunette. Toshiaki cringed with each word, clutching his chest as if each one wounded him physically.
"Saa~... You two weren't there either." Amaya sighed cutting into the conversation, making Toshiaki look up at her with hopeful eyes.
Kou shrugged, "That may be correct, but we were also away on a mission and--"
"--It's his job to also fill in for us when we can't be there, and vice versa." Kurai finished, completing the sentence.
"He is the eldest after all. ~" They then both added in unison.
By this point Toshiaki had stumbled back in shock before he dropped to his knees with crocodile tears flowing down his cheeks.
"Ahh, you know what sounds good right now, Kurai?" Kou asked slyly, making his three siblings look at him.
"What's that, Kou?" Kurai asked as a devious smirk appeared on his face.
"Dango! ~" The eldest twin replied, shooting a mischievous look to the shocked Toshiaki.
"You wouldn't." The white-haired man-child murmured lowly, narrowing his eyes at the two. "Don't you dare..."
"That sounds like a great idea!" Kurai praises, completely ignoring the look Toshiaki sent him and his twin. "C'mon squirt, we'll treat you." He added, turning to Amaya who nodded happily.
"Really?! You guys are awesome!" Amaya cheered with glimmering eyes. Already fantasizing about the sweet treat in her head.
She was then quickly swept off by the two, but not before they both sent a smug expression over their shoulders to Toshiaki, who watched on in disbelief.
Meanwhile Cho, Yuichi, and Haru watched the entire moment with blank stares. Soon enough a smirk began to appear on Cho's face slowly.
"...Sis-con..." She muttered in between painfully obvious fake coughs, making the two boys beside her snicker.
After two days of celebrations, Amaya's father decided it was time for them to return to Konoha. Currently, they were standing at the residence's gates, saying their goodbyes.
Cho pouted from her spot next to her brother and Haru, trying to fight back the tears as Amaya made her way over to talk. "Saa~... You guys do know you can visit anytime, right? There's plenty of room at the compound." The brunette comforted as Cho leaped forward and clutched onto her tightly.
"We'll be sure to do that, right sis?" Yuichi replied as he struggled to pry the girl off.
"You bet! I wanna meet this team of yours! Maybe I'll tag along with Masato-sama if he visits." The white-haired girl replies, wiping at her watery eyes.
"Yeah, that Uchiha kid sounds like a real piece of work." Haru cuts in with a smirk, making Amaya roll her eyes.
"That's rich coming from you." Amaya retorts with a scoff, returning the boys light scowl. Sighing, she cracked the three a cheesy smile. "I'll miss you losers though. So be sure to keep in touch."
They each had a variation of scoffs and rolled eyes at that, but they all returned the brunettes hugs, nonetheless.
***
After quickly finishing her goodbyes, Amaya returned to her fathers' side as he spoke to her grandfather. Once the two were done, Masato turned to her and stared for a moment. "Your father is going to inform me if you enter the Chunin Exams. So be sure to back up those words, alright?"
"You bet! They won't even know what hit 'em!"
Masato chuckles at the determination burning in her eyes, briefly catching sight of Toshiaki rejoining the group. "Don't cause too much trouble and try to be a bit nicer to your brother." He said, ruffling her hair lightly.
"With his trashy personality...? I make no promises." Amaya states blankly, her response earning laughs from the twins as Toshiaki clings to her, whining.