A Figure for Your Thoughts [Open]

[Tanuki Rinko]

---Earlier that Morning---​

Tomo tapped the end of his brush against the desk, looking over the mission paperwork. Another mission as a Chuunin, another near death experience. He was beginning to think that the mission bureau didn't know how to properly hand out assignments, or perhaps there was someone in the division that had it out for him. Either way, Tomo was stuck writing out his embarrassing endeavors for all in the department to read. He took in a sign and began writing.

Then she shoved her hand in a most inappropriate location, I can only assume in search of the package I possessed.

A snicker in his mind interrupted Tomo's writing and he scowled in response. "It's not funny." His cheeks reddened as he lightly massaged his temples with his right hand. "Thank Raiden Saeko works in the tax division." The man shook his head before slamming it down on the desk. "Oh, who am I kidding. They probably talk. She's got to know all about my series of unfortunate events." A loud cackle rang in his ears. Aaaaahahahahahaha! Trap! Obviously this means that you need to train! Make much sparky sparky boom art! Fill the village with our fine, fiery art! Ahahahahahaha! Tomo lifted his head, the scowl still present. "Not a chance. I'm 100% sure Akane-san's report has been filed, officially labeling me as a disturbed man. I don't need to start blowing things up to prove it." The lips on his right hand puckered. Paaaaaarty pooper! Trap, with that attitude, you'll never master the art of art. Tomo sighed again. She did have a point. He refused to practice with her abilities, knowing full well the horrific damage he could inflict on the village should things go awry. But if he never honed his Toujigikou skills, he would forever be stagnant in his shinobi life. While he wasn't keen on rising through the ranks, he at least wanted to be strong enough to live through to his retirement.

Mulling over his options, Tomo nodded. "Alright, fine. A little practice. But no explosions." Aitouka stuck her tongue out, causing spittle to coat his desk. Pttttthhhhhht. No fun Trap. That is the whole POINT! If no explosions, how Toujigikou? Tomo pondered on this for a moment before answering. "I'll practice making clay figures. When I feel comfortable with them, then I can add in explosions." He was about to ask if this was fair, but realized it was an unnecessary question. It was his body, and now his skills. He could do with them what he wanted. He didn't need Aitouka's permission, nor approval. Aitouka pouted. Fiiiiiiiiiine. Tomo's other voice chimed in. But Tomo-boy, what will you do with the figurines? Tomo blinked a few times before smiling. "I think I have an idea."

---Nearing Noon---​

Tomo sat at a small table he'd borrowed from his uncle's home, a sign sitting in front of it.

Clay Animal Figures
500 Yen
No, humans don't count. Stop asking.

Sadly, Tomo was forced to place the last part upon his sign after the fourth teenage boy that day had asked for a naked figure. One asked for Kitsune, one for Kahako, one for Akane, and the last for Osuteno. Tomo declined every request, even after one boy offered 10,000 yen. Honestly, did they really expect him to do it? In the middle of the Susukino District no less? They should be buying secret nudies in the back alleys like normal teenage boys. Not that Tomo had ever done that...

Regardless, Tomo remained in his seat, scanning the crowds for any hopeful customers. If nothing else, perhaps someone would approach due to curiosity. Because despite the sign offering figurines for sale, there were none upon the table to buy.

 

[Shinrya Riko]

Despite her age, Komora often had a baby sitter. She had been taken on an outing to get sized for some new clothes, seeing as how her clothing was down to literally the clothes that she was wearing right now. She was wearing a kimono that was several sizes too big for her. It was earthy in tone and color and had the scent of one who had spent time among the stables. The red belt was pulled tight around her petite frame in order to keep the silly thing on, although it didn’t help that Komora continually tripped on it and needed to have the belt readjusted. After awhile, Komora hadn’t really been paying attention – but she found herself without her escort for the day. Of course she didn’t really care about the person in the first place. She just began to wander around in the streets. She was an odd one. She walked up to the glass in a restaurant and liked the surface, disturbing the couple who sat on the other side as they looked on with confusion. She didn’t stay though. She little reason to. She continued her wanderings and had managed to get her hands on some poor shinobi’s supply pouch.

As she wondered around now with a ninja pouch tuck beneath her arms like a purse she caught sight of the one called Tomo. She didn’t really think much of her approach to him. It just felt natural. Before she had really thought about it, she was now next to Tomo on his side of the stand. She unbuttoned the pouch and poured all the contents bluntly onto the table. A couple of scrolls and spools of wire tumbled out, along with some pillboxes. A Trio of smoke pellets hit the table from and then rolled off into the street. They rolled down the side of the walkway until they found themselves falling through a grate that covered one of the storm drains. Shortly thereafter the sound of three pops and a pillar of purple smoke erupted from the grate as it snaked its way into the sky. Komora was oblivious though. Instead she was thumbing through a bunch of explosive tags now. One of them blew out of her hands through the subtle wind of a passing stranger. It landed in the middle of the street and people were just barely walking past it, not many seemed to see the danger.

In the meantime Komora opened one of the scrolls. Okay. This was more like it. She held the scroll so that it faced the flat surface of the stand, she shook it a few times and applied a little bit of chakra. Countless kunai and swords began to skitter about onto the table. Komora giggled gleefully as she examined them. She began to inspect each as though she were a jeweler searching the facets of a diamond for flaws. The blades that she didn’t like were carelessly tossed to the side, ultimately that was most of everything in the scroll. She contented herself with five kunai neatly placed in front of her. She pulled on the spool of wire and wrapped a wire around the kunai. Suddenly Komora’s head jerked up towards the street. With an almost uninterested look in her eyes she twirled the kunai by its ring around her finger before catching it in her palm and throwing it into the crowd of people. Any number of people could have easily been impaled by her reckless use of a kunai. The civilians no doubt wouldn’t have the observation or reflexes to avoid such a sudden attack.

Komora yanked on the wire, and with a strange motion reeled the wire back with all the force of a spring loaded spool. There it was. The kunai dangled bloodless on the loose wire. In the middle of its blade was the explosive tag. She must have been a hawkeye to be able to pull off a stunt like that. It was dirty, and one corner had begun to burn. No doubt it was a sign that the tag was about to explode. Komora surgically drew her kunai in a circle at the center of the explosive tag. She crumpled the rest of the tag into her hand and tossed it to the ground without a second though. The middle of the explosive tag was pinned to the stand now. The core seal that had been scribed to make the paper explosive had been skillfully removed by Komora.

She lost interest in the kunai that now pinned the once explosive core of the tag. She instead turned to the four other kunai in front of her. She seemed to be mumbling something to herself as she examined each one. Blade. Check. Ring. Check. Handle. Check. Polish. Check. Oil. Check. She repeated her little check list for each kunai. Ultimately, she tucked the kunai into her kimono and leaned forward onto the stand. She looked around as though this was the first time she was actually seeing the world around her. AH! TOMO! She pointed at him and exclaimed excitedly.

edited: for grammar

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo sighed. It seemed that denying horny teenagers a form of outlet was bad for business. His mind played with the idea of giving in to demand and fulfilling the requests. Maybe take the orders, create the figurines later, then deliver them to their homes. However, he still had the issue of not knowing the female body very well. Sure, when he was a child he had bathed with his many sisters, but that was back when his mind wasn't developed enough to understand. And at this point his his life, the only woman he'd seen unclothed was Saeko. It was at that moment he shot the idea down, upon realizing that if he were to make the figures, their bodies would be based on the woman he'd been intimate with. That thought burned him up. It would be betraying the trust she'd placed in him, or so he believed.

With his mind now filled with the thought of Saeko prancing around her apartment in her birthday suit, Tomo flinched when the contents of a pouch were spilled upon his table. His head turned quickly to see his youngest sister rummaging through some items. He caught sight of the smoke bombs rolling away, but thought nothing of it. They were harmless really, only a minor nuisance until a cool breeze stirred the smoke away. Instead he was concerned about where the small bag had come from. While Komora may have been attending classes at the academy, meaning she would be allowed some of the less dangerous shinobi gear, he knew for a fact she wouldn't be given explosive tags. Thus she must have found it somewhere...or stolen it. He wasn't sure he could explain properly to the owner that his little sister was a bit special and didn't comprehend the concept of stealing. Or maybe she did understand but didn't care?

As usual Tomo's mind was filled with questions as he watched Komora flip through the tags. One slipped out of her grasp, and the elder Mochizuki took in a sharp breath. He watched it flutter into the street, his eyes wide with dread. He dared not move or breathe, fearful that it would set the tag off. He knew he had to do something, but he felt like an observer, a man behind a screen watching some sort of experiment taking place. Instead he prayed to Raiden that a shinobi would pass by and notice the slip of paper, one of its corners now lit and inching towards the center.

Tomo flinched yet again as the sound of a kunai whizzed in his ear. It shot out into the crowd, missing innocents as it pierced the explosive tag and reeled it back in. Tomo followed the kunai, and was dumbfounded when it landed in the hands of Komora. He let out the breath he had held for so long, due to shock more than relief. He just couldn't pinpoint her thought process. She could create a wired kunai and pierce a slip of paper in a sea of people...yet she couldn't dress herself or keep her clothes clean?

Tomo shook his head in disbelief, staring at the kunai embedded in the table. Komora was special, very special. Even he, who had been trained in dagger throwing as a child, would have been nervous pulling off such a feat. He continued to eye the kunai, listening quietly as Komora went through some checklist he thought seemed a bit silly. Of course the kunai had rings, handles, and blades. They wouldn't be much of kunai if they didn't. He turned to face her again in time to see a small finger pointing in his face, and an exuberant Komora shouting his name. Had she really only now realized he'd been sitting there? Sure, he hadn't spoken, or moved, but he wasn't that unnoticeable...right?

Regardless, he gave Komora a smile. "Good morning Komora." There were many questions he wanted to ask. Where did she get the pouch? Where was the person that should be watching her? Did she even know that the feat she pulled off was worthy of both a lecture and praise? However, he had a feeling he didn't want to know the answers to those questions. Instead, he chose to keep things positive. "What is your favorite animal Komora?" Since it seemed business was slow, he could use Komora as a demonostration. Maybe drum up some customers by showing what he could do. Tomo put some clay into his left hand mouth, preparing it for whatever answer Komora would give.

[WC: 761]
[MFT]

 

[Hourou Akujin]

Moro entered the Dawnbringer's Plaza of the Susukino district from the direction of the Seki district. He'd been unable to buy two small children earlier and the experience left his cash burning a hole in his pocket. Where better to spend your hard earned money than the Dawnbringer's Plaza? Moro knew the luxury of the area, the eagerness with which various types of people parted with their money first-hand. Not from spending, but because he was discovered here by his adoptive parents. "Ah, memories." At some point or another, Moro came across a small stand with a sign in front, reading:

"Clay Animal Figures
500 Yen
No, humans don't count. Stop asking."

As he read the sign, he noticed that the craftsman of said clay figurines was already talking to someone. A small child, probably a customer. "I wonder how he makes them," the shinobi pondered as he approached the man even closer. It looked like he was just using his hands to shape the clay. "I wonder how it stays hard without using an oven to bake it. Perhaps some fire-based jutsu?" It was at this time that Moro noticed what was actually going on. There was a mouth on the craftsman's hand salivating on the clay. A mouth. On his hand. Moro's eyes widened as he leaned back, trying to suppress his amazement. Yeah, yeah, there's odd shit all over in a world full of magical life energy wielding ninjas, but some things were just straight up weird.
"Hello, hello! I'd shake your hand, but I just used the bathroom and it might taste a bit salty. I see your sign and I have a very specific request for you." Moro leaned in, his face now masked by a dead-serious demeanor. "I'd like a clay figurine of two deer, does specifically, hardcore making out. But, y'know with their eyes closed. So it's still kinda romantic. They should be embracing each other, too. Like they haven't seen each other in a long time, and all they wanna do is some sweet, sweet dosey doe-ing. Can you do that? I'm willing to pay a little extra if that's a bigger piece than what you're charging for." He returned to his upright position, fervently awaiting the artisan's response.

 

[Shinrya Riko]

"Good morning Komora." Tomo smiled. Komora grinned back at him, she was quite proud of herself. "What is your favorite animal Komora?" He asked her. He slipped some clay into his hand, but Komora wasn’t really paying attention to that. She looked up at the air considered the question. What was the answer? Why it was obvious! ”Ah! Komora likes Kunai.” She answered. She demonstrated her favoritism by pulling out the kunai she had stuck into the table and showing it to Tomo. ”Lookit Tomo!” She pointed at the weapon. ”Its not the fancy stuff, but its industrial grade steel. You can even see the details that mark the manufacturer.” She pointed at the kunai’s blade. There wasn’t anything in particular that displayed a artisan’s signature. What the heck was she talking about? ”This one is produced by Shujinko Steel.” She explained, running her finger down the length of the blade. ”It’s nothing fancy, but the steel is industrial grade. Its mass produced through the use of jutsu and is distributed to the shops that sell supplies to shinobi. You can tell its private sector because of how comfortable the grips are. Way nicer than the material used for the standard issue at the armories.” Komora explained.

As she was winding down, a strange looking man with a Mohawk approached the stall. Komora hadn’t been paying attention to whether Tomo had done anything with his clay, but this man had something in mind for it even if she didn’t say anything. "Hello, hello! I'd shake your hand, but I just used the bathroom and it might taste a bit salty. I see your sign and I have a very specific request for you." While he spoke, Komora blew the little “explode” circle she had cut out from the explosive tag off of the table. It flitted through the air towards the man. It was harmless now that it was no longer part of the tag, but Komora that it was funny when it blew against his chest. Snails don’t like salt. Komora added to the man’s comment about saltiness "I'd like a clay figurine of two deer, does specifically, hardcore making out. But, y'know with their eyes closed. So it's still kinda romantic. They should be embracing each other, too. Like they haven't seen each other in a long time, and all they wanna do is some sweet, sweet dosey doe-ing. Can you do that? I'm willing to pay a little extra if that's a bigger piece than what you're charging for."

Komora looked at the man like he was an idiot, because in her opinion he was. ”What? Deers can't embrace. Deer can’t hug. Deer can’t hug each other Tomo.” She looked to Tomo as if hoping that he had some kind of common sense as well. Deer are for hunting. Komora wants to stab it with her Kunai. She demonstrated by stabbing the table.

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo should have known better, though he was interested at the answer. Before he only knew Komora had an interest in blades. No particular one seemed more important than the others. But it sounded like she had made her choice. He was a hint pleased, as kunai didn't seem as dangerous as swords. Not to mention she already had a talent for throwing them from what he had seen. However, that also meant she shared the most in common with Takama, the Projectile Prince, or so he liked to call himself. He was by far the worst role model of the Mochizuki siblings, well, alongside Tama.

Regardless, during Komora's long sermon on the development of her new kunai that had a 79% chance of not being hers, Tomo analyzed the weapon as she spoke. He wasn't particularly interested in the metal a weapon is crafted from, nor in its production, but he did want Komora to know he was paying attention. As she showed off the weapon, Tomo's left hand lightly spasmed as he still wasn't accustomed to the way clay crafting felt. Once he was sure the clay had formed in his hand to the shape he desired, he began heating the inside of the mouth to harden the material.

During this process was when a customer arrived. Tomo turned his attention to this new arrival, giving him an awkward smile. While he appreciated the man's consideration for his condition, it was still uncomfortable for Tomo to admit he was officially a freak amongst his troupe...even compared to other shinobi he was pretty weird. Komora's mini fact was not lost on Tomo, and he had to wonder what his sister's process for deciding what was worth remembering and what wasn't worth her time...like keeping her clothes on. Pushing his concern for Komora's odd mind aside, Tomo's expression took on a more pleasant look when the mohawk -wearing young man stated he had something in mind for Tomo to create. He even said he saw the sign, meaning Tomo would finally receive a proper request.

Except he didn't. Tomo's smile slowly fell as the man went on about dos does doing dirty deeds. The older Mochizuki just stared at the man, a blank look on his face. I don't...what? A particularly loud voice guffawed in Tomo's mind. Ahahahahaha! I like him Trap! If he was a woman, I would DEFINITELY fondle his jiggle. I can just tell he would have massive bazongas if he were gender-bended. Tomo's right hand licked what qualified as its lips as Komora began ranting that it was impossible for deer to do as the dude desired. She addressed her brother, and he furrowed his brows. "Um...well..." Tomo flinched violently as Komora slammed her kunai on the table. This caused the now hardened clay in Tomo's left hand to fall out, revealing a white kunai similar to the one Komora had been showing him. He looked at it for a moment, expressing a hint of regret for making a weapon for his unstable sister. Correction, one of his unstable sisters.

Tomo chose to defuse the situation, or at least try to. "Well Komora, you are indeed correct. A regular deer cannot hug. But as an artist, I am able to take a concept and rework it using my imagination to create something that couldn't be performed in the real world." Tomo's eyes were closed, his face scrunched as he pushed his brain past its usual thought process to make Komora understand. "Like...like a deer wielding a kunai. Normally its hooves couldn't hold a blade, but with imagination, anything is possible." Tomo was obviously grasping at straws, hoping that the mention of a kunai-wielding deer would peek her interest enough to not get into a fight. "I'll show you what I mean in a moment. I have a customer." Tomo finally addressed the odd man at his desk. "S-sure. Yeah, I can do that. It will cost a little extra due to it being a bit larger than what I was planning to make, so 850."

Tomo didn't wait for a response. The whole point of doing this was to train, and the only thing he'd made so far was a kunai. The money was meant to be a bonus, but he hadn't taken into account the perverted nature of his village when he came up with the plan. Whether the guy wanted it or not, Tomo was going to make it. He couldn't image this particular creation would be something he would make in battle, but the concept of crafting two separate beings into one figure could have its uses...maybe. The male Mochizuki slipped clay into both his hands this time, as he needed to take this step by step. First he made two separate deer within his mouths, shaping them in a normal fashion. He then pressed his hands together and had the tongues rework the does to the desired pose. While it wasn't necessarily hard for him to make them embrace, he really had to stretch his imagination to figure out how deer would kiss with their snouts. He was deep in concentration, his brows furrowing from time to time as he worked through the process.

Tomo pulled his hands apart and placed the figure on the table. His understanding of deer anatomy was miniscule, and he hoped it looked the way it was supposed to. Both his hands began to spit on the table. Blech blech blech! What kinda sick shit are you Trap?! I did NOT want to swap saliva with Fancy Voice! Tomo blushed as the other voice in his head spoke. The feeling is mutual Aitouka-girl. I didn't know Tomo-boy was so kinky. Tomo awkwardly smiled to his customer, trying to ignore the voices in his head and hide his embarrassment. "So...like this? If so, I'll heat it up to harden it." Tomo heard snickers within his mind and scowled. Grow up you two. Tomo hoped this would be the weirdest request he received, but had a sinking feeling this was only the beginning. The day was still young, and there were many more unusual koi fish swimming around in the gene pool of Kumogakure, and two of them were still here.

[WC: 1,042]
[MFT]

 

[Hourou Akujin]

”What? Deer can't embrace. Deer can’t hug. Deer can’t hug each other Tomo.” There was a small blue-haired child speaking to him. Moro took a quick glance at her. She was tiny and looked a bit dirty. He didn't reply to her or make any clear acknowledgment that she'd even said anything. He was too focused on the man who's hands must have earned him several sexual advances from the more depraved inhabitants of Kumogakure.

"S-sure. Yeah, I can do that. It will cost a little extra due to it being a bit larger than what I was planning to make, so 850." "Fuck yeah! He's actually gonna do it!" Moro watched closely in anticipation, but also curiosity as the eccentrically styled artisan did his thing. Blue and black hair that faded to gold? Cloud sure had a lot of strange hair colors. It seemed unfitting for field work with the potential need to blend into surroundings, as ninja were famous for. Then again, the world of ninjas was full of mystical techniques that could do anything from giving someone the appearance of a tree to forming a clone from water. Perhaps hair color didn't matter much in terms of stealth.

"So...like this? If so, I'll heat it up to harden it." Moro's eyes sparkled as the craftsman revealed his almost finished work. It was breathtaking. "It's... it's beautiful. It's so much better than I'd imagined. Worth every yen." Moro shifted from side to side, impatiently waiting for the man to finalize the product. As he did so, he withdrew the requested sum of money from his wallet and placed it across the table directly in front of the man.

This was going to be the most equisite piece of decorum he'd planned to set up the next time she was over for dinner. Nothing gets the ladies going like eyeballing two clay deer locked in the passionate embrace of lesbian love.


[WC:322][MFT]

 

[Tanuki Rinko]

Tomo gave a smile, happy that someone appreciated his artwork. However, he couldn't deny the utter confusion he held on this particular piece. Despite being an artist, such...unique viewpoints on what was considered good or bad art still escaped him. Whatever the case, this man liked this piece, and that was all that mattered.

Tomo gave a nod and held his palms against the sculpture. Flames wrapped around the deer as he meticulously hardened the clay with his fire jutsu. Once completed, he lifted the figure and placed a purple business card underneath the base. "All finished. If it needs repair, coloring, or you would like another one, ask for Mochizuki Tomo at the Mochizuki Base Camp near the gates."

Tomo glanced around as his client paid. He had hoped this display would peak the interests of others in the district, but it looked like everyone had their own things to do. He took a glance in search of Komora, but she had disappeared from his side. Tomo hoped her babysitter had found her. If not, he might be in for a lecture when he got home. Returning back to the mohawk man, Tomo smiled as he played with the notion of abandoning this endeavor and going to get lunch.