Metal clangs together loudly in the centre of the field. The hard surfaces grazing against one another causes skin to crawl, much like fingernails on a chalk board.
"Come on imouto, you need to come at me with more force!" Naoto calls. She straightens herself up and smiles. "If you want to graduate, you need to be more forward, come on. Let's try again."
Ren nods, and wipes the sweat from her brow. This training is hard work, and she doesn't even want to be doing it. But father will be unimpressed if she doesn't train at least twice a week. Getting off her knees and to her feet, she tightens her grip of the kunai in her hand. She throws herself forward, motioning to stab her elder sister in the thigh, but is easily brushed aside and lands with a thud on her back.
"That was better," her sister grins, crouching down beside her tired sibling, "now if you can keep that up, you'll do great as a ninja." She runs her long fingers back through her fringe. "C'mon" she smiles, patting Ren's head and stepping a few paces away. With a grunt, Ren gets to her feet and stands straight. "Okay, here I come!" she shouts as she lunges for the teenager once again. Only to be easily blocked, but praised.
"Can we please go home now neesan?" Ren sighs as she gets up off the ground for the fiftieth time today. "We've been at it for hours, and I'm tired." She begins to bat the dust from her clothes when her sister assists her. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea," Naoto says happily, "I have studying to do anyway." She takes her sister's hand and leads the way home.
"Oneechan?" Ren looks up at the figure of her big sister, looking down at her. "Yes, what is it?" "I've always wondered… why do you have a boy's name oneechan?" Naoto laughs at the question. "Why ask now?" she questions her sister. "I dunno', I just thought I may as well, while I remember." Naoto nods and smiles. "Well father wanted a son, and refused to believe I was a girl," she giggles, "so he gave me a manly name, so I'd be a manly girl."
Ren laughs. "Well you used to be a total tomboy, but look at you now!" Ren grins. "You wear skirts and makeup and everything!" "Heh heh, yup," Naoto beams as she rumples Ren's black hair.
"Imouto, you're going to graduate to be a ninja, aren't you?" Naoto asks unsurely. Since the first six months of Ren being enrolled into the Konohagakure Ninja Academy, Ren has been extremely difficult to get to class on time, and has dropped in confidence. The only times she smiles apparently, are when she's with her mother or sister. Naoko invests a lot of her time into her sister, often running late to her tutoring and falling far behind in the work expected of her. Hearing Ren say something that reinforces her efforts to be well invested, is something that she needs right now.
"Uh…" Ren pauses, and walks silently. No! I don't want to do this anymore! I'm sick of it, you've seen my grades. You know I won't pass! She looks at her older sister. I want to tell you how much I don't want to, but, I don't want you to get angry.
"Y… Yeah…"
A smile full of relief spreads across Naoto's face. "That's good," she declares, "because all the time I spend training you, I fall even further behind in my studies." Ren looks down at her feet and continues walking quietly.
"And since my most trusted training partner…" Naoto narrow her eyes in irritation, and alters her voice from reminiscent to bottled-up frustration. "And since my most trusted training partner left, on negative pretense" she restates, looking up at the sky. "I haven't had much of a chance to catch up on the other important things."
Ren laughs unsurely, and tightens the grip she has on her sister's hand. "Well uh, why don't you study and train with Michio-san, for a while?" "He has his own things to worry about," she shoots a snide smile at her little sister, "plus, he's got a thing for one of the ninja that've recently come to the village. I don't want her to think that I've got my eyes on Michio." Ren giggles. "'kay then."