[attr="class","APP3"]Nana watched the stone as it skipped all it could muster before disappearing into the waters. She didn't think less of Itaru for not really believing in his own words. People often gave the advice they wanted to hear and he had done just that. She wanted to believe him too. But there was a big difference between them. Just one glance at Itaru and Nana could tell he was going places with such a different kekkei genkai. Her modification was... barely anything. Perhaps even... pointless?
"I see," she paused, "I understand."
Nana turned as Itaru had and plucked a similarly flat stone from the ground.
"I kind of envy you, Itaru," she said, mimicking his prior movements in order to skip the stone. It hit the water with a resounding plop. Nana couldn't help but smile at the failure.
"Because... I think all you've gone through will result in a great shinobi one day with your eyes and experience. Like, they'll benefit you greatly. I can't say the same for myself and my modification..."
"What was the point of it all?" Nana seemed to be asking this question more so to herself.
Plotter Nana is a Genin Kunoichi of the Hidden Stone Village who is uncertain of herself. She has spent much of her life struggling to connect twith others due to insecurities surrounding a minor modification made to her during her childhood. Currently, she is making her first few steps towards becoming "something" or "someone" rather than continuing on as a stunted "nothing" and "nobody". Nana is in a vulnerable, malleable place in her life where she is taking risks, reaching out, and trying to find fundamental ideals. In short, she is trying to figure out who she is but may make a decision too quickly and zealously out of desperation.
Threads I'm interested in for Nana: - Improving Ninja Fundamentals / Kyujutsu - Discussions about Modification - Discussions about what drives people - Getting Nana out of her shell
Story connections we can make: - Came from the same orphanage - Whoever modified Nana - Nana's living parent who abandoned her after their spouse died
[attr="class","APP3"]Nana stared up at the afternoon sky, letting a sigh escape her. She returned her worried gaze to the trees that encircled the clearing, looking for any sign of movement. Today she had scheduled a training session with another shinobi. Nana had heard that Goro Kinzaru was a skilled taijutsu practitioner and she had interest in improving in that field. While she had other primary interests for her ninja training, Nana wanted to explore other skills that could compliment her dokujutsu that she hadn't considered.
But he was late…
Nana moved from the sunny clearing and sat in the shade beneath one of the surrounding trees. She had encountered many odd things while tracking down her to-be taijutsu teacher. Shinobi and non-shinobi alike told Nana to find another teacher as Goro was cursed, a monster, or ‘just weird’. While she was able to plainly see the budding horns on his head, she didn’t think that made someone a ‘monster’.
Is that what people would think of her if they knew about her modification?
Nana hopped up to her feet and brushed the uncomfortable thought away, opting to do some stretches instead of pondering further. Surely, Goro would arrive soon.
[attr="class","APP3"]Nana listened intently and did her best to let Itaru's words sink in. She wanted his words to be as impactful as he tried to make them, to have that "ah-ha!" moment that would set her down the path of confidence. In reality, it was just two insecure young people trying to prop each other up.
Even Nana-- as dense as she could be-- noticed Itaru's multitude of eyes peering about for any signs of her modification. While she knew he'd never see, it still caused her to unconsciously clench her teeth just in case.
While it was a nice sentiment to say they were more than their modifications, it sounded like not even Itaru was so sure of that fact. Nana certainly wasn't. And as he shifted the subject to be about her, she felt a familiar anxiety rise in her chest.
"Do you really believe that? That we're more than just the modifications?" She ignored Itaru's inquiries about herself; her mind focused on what he'd said and what she felt was implied.
Nana realized she had no idea who she was outside of her minor modification. She'd worried about it her whole life. It was all she had.
[attr="class","APP3"]Nana's gaze slid over the eyes visible on Itaru as he described how they formed. The sheer number of them that she could see, the years it took for them to form, and the physical and-- no doubt-- mental pain they caused him.
Colour flushed her cheeks as Itaru questioned her. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed by her own self-consciousness in the face of someone who'd clearly suffered much more. Perhaps, however, this Itaru could be an understanding ear.
Nana thumbed at the wood of her bow in thought, building up the courage to talk.
"I have a modification," she murmured, casting a worried glance around them, "I've always been embarrassed but I feel... silly now. It's well hidden and hasn't affected me, not like your eyes."
[attr="class","APP3"]Nana gave the shinobi an empathetic look as he spoke on his resentments and anatomical struggles. While she knew the former well, Nana couldn't help but pity the shinobi despite hating being pitied herself. She could hide her abnormalities with ease and they caused her few physical problems. As the shinobi squinted against the harsh sunlight that forced him to have to close all of his eyes, Nana knew she couldn't understand the level of discomfort his form caused him.
When complimented, Nana became paralyzed by her own awkwardness; slinging her bow over her shoulder in an attempt to look 'natural'.
"I'm... Nana. Imamura. Nana Imamura," she paused, opting not to acknowledge his compliment, "Nice to meet you Itaru."
While normally hyper aware of how poorly a social interaction may go, Nana never could help herself when it came to strange anatomy. She found the words would escape her before she had time to analyze them.
"Years, you said? They took years away from you...? How so?"
[attr="class","APP3"]"Oh. Well, I'm glad it didn't," she paused, "Kill you... that is."
Her words came out stiff and awkward but a genuine effort was being made. Nana's hands fidgeted along the length of her bow as anxiety fought with curiosity. She wished to connect with this Shinobi, as he seemingly would understand embarrassing body abnormalities but...
"I don't mind, I asked after all. I just... Do you ever..." she hesitated, reconsidering her words but continued onward anyways, "... hate them?"
Nana spoke the last two words in a hushed voice, as if she had said something taboo.
Last Edit: Oct 16, 2021 0:47:17 GMT by Nana Imamura
[attr="class","APP3"]Oh, she had upset him. Oops. But were they really--? As Nana observed the dark spots more closely, she could indeed see that they were eyes all over his body. Which was strange in and of itself but also because Nana was sure she'd seen him in Iwagakure before and had never noticed more than two eyes. She didn't take her eyes off the young man, even as he re-dressed.
"Oh. That's the same reason I come out here. Usually no one is here..."
A silence fell over them, Nana frowning as she internally mulled. She recognized that look on his face: the moment a fear is realized and worry for the future sets in. Perhaps she could mend this situation? After all, she understood his plight to some degree.
"You don't have to feel bad, I mean--" she licked her lips nervously, "There's a lot of experimentation in Iwagakure, right? No need to be embarrassed!"
Nana was trying to sound reassuring, in her own way, though perhaps the assurance was more for herself.
[attr="class","APP3"]As she had done numerous times before, Nana made her way through Iwagakure, out towards the remote tarn. She often found that during this time of day, the area was quiet and devoid of people. Nana didn't dislike her fellows from the Hidden Stone, but she did find it so draining trying to keep up the proper airs. Besides that, the tarn was a good place to practice her Kyujutsu or look for frogs. Today, she had chosen the prior.
Twigs snapped underfoot and leaves crunched in protest as she made her way through the brush; her bow kept readily in hand just in case. Nana was still within the territory of Iwagakure, which should be safe for a Genin such as herself, but that never fully reassured her.
Up ahead, Nana heard the protesting quacks of ducks, but thought little of it til she broke through the bushes. She jumped a tad when her focus locked on the figure in the water. There usually wasn't anyone here, and yet, there someone was. Completely ill-prepared for socializing, Nana opened and closed her mouth like a fish suddenly yanked out of water.
"Ah-- uhm--? I'm sorry--"
The polite thing to do was to look away but something caught her eyes. Nana noticed spots all over the lad and, when taking more than a brief second to examine him, she realized they were moving. With all her good graces caught off guard, she spoke bluntly.
"Are those--? Are there leeches in the water here...?"
At her core, Nana is a woman on the fringes of society who desperately craves interpersonal connections, though she is sidelined by none other than herself. After living a life of keeping to herself, Nana has come to see people and relationships from a disconnected view as if she were an observer instead of a participant.
Nana’s story is not uncommon in the Shinobi world. She was born to unknown parents and left at an orphanage in Iwagakure: a note in her bundle stating whichever of her parents was left was unable to care for her without the other. At some point in her childhood Nana had been experimented on, though she couldn’t say when as she doesn't remember the incident. It left her with extra, snake-like teeth just behind her canines, tucked away and connected to toxic glands. Nana didn’t face brutal bullying because of her experimental differences, instead all it took were a few dubious questions from her peers to make her young, sensitive self become starkly aware of her ‘otherness’. While experiments are somewhat common in the Hidden Stone, Nana found herself feeling self-conscious and monstrous because of it anyways, which was troublesome for an already socially uncertain person.
After spending most of her life admiring Iwa’s Shinobi from afar, she eventually made her way into the Hidden Stone’s Academy herself, if a bit late. Now living her life as a fresh Iwa Genin, Nana still struggles inter-personally but views such things as unnecessary in the grand scheme of being a Shinobi. Instead, Nana focuses on her interests: Kyujutsu and effectively using her toxins for something bigger than herself. Still, the loneliness still hangs over her and she hopes being a Shinobi will make her feel fulfilled.
Proficiencies
Dokujutsu [Rookie] Nana is capable of enhancing and manipulating the properties of poisons, increasing their potency and shaping it for practical uses. At her current level, she can utilize a poison that causes mild disorientation for a short period of time and is able to pull the toxins from her mouth faster than doing so manually.
Kyujutsu [Rookie] Nana was quick to pick Kyujutsu in the Academy when given the choice. While she had taught herself some of the basics during her alone time in the woods, Nana was-- and still is-- a shoddy archer. Fast-paced, close encounters are impossible for Nana as a Kyujutsu practitioner with medium range being ‘okay’. Her comfort lies in longer range, careful aiming.
Stealth [Rookie] Sneaking up on animals gave Nana some childhood practice in this respect, but not enough to give a properly trained Shinobi the slip. Her strength lies in her patience and stillness, but Nana’s silent movement is not very… silent at the moment. Learning to strategically place her steps so as to remain undetected is Nana’s current focus.
Taijutsu [Rookie] Nana has never been one for whipping out her fists, so has found learning Taijutsu to be a foreign concept. Still, she recognizes how vital it is for a Shinobi to turn their entire being into a weapon. Along with core fundamentals, Nana has been focusing on learning grapples in order to expose her opponents to last ditch effort bites.
Snake Fangs [Enhancement] Implanted in the roof of Nana’s mouth, just behind her canines, are an extra pair of teeth. These fangs are snake-like in nature in that they are able to retract and are connected to glands that produce a weak, toxic liquid which she can enrich with chakra. She produces the toxin naturally but can increase the production of it by converting proteins in her body, or by imbibing specialized liquids. The toxin itself is mostly harmless, but contains compounds found in numerous different poisons, which she can draw out based on her proficiency in Dokujutsu. Nana is unaffected by her own toxins, but not others.
