What you see now is only part of the front yard. The backyard behind our house is even larger!"
Kazuki nodded, then followed Tenten as they walked around the house. Compared to before, his home was indeed much bigger. Not only had he rebuilt the original house, but he had also redesigned the courtyard and garden. Of course, the family hadn't forgotten to upgrade the small forge in the backyard, where he used to practice.
In a room about twenty square meters in size, a forging table stood at the center, surrounded by neatly arranged ores and materials that Kazuki frequently used. Although he had outgrown the need for a traditional forge—since most of his ninja tools were now created within his own system space—the effort his family put into maintaining the forge touched him deeply.
"By the way, sister, I brought you a gift this time!" Kazuki grinned, wrapping an arm around Tenten's shoulder. "Come and see if there's anything you like!"
"Wow!" Tenten's eyes sparkled instantly. Gifts? What girl wouldn't love them?
"So much delicious food! And I love all of it! Wow, I can eat to my heart's content today!"
She immediately picked up a small cake, taking a big bite. A look of happiness spread across her face. Though she could buy treats like these herself, the fact that her brother had chosen them made them taste even better.
Could it be... I'm turning into a brother-con?
She giggled inwardly. Well, who cares? My brother is the best in the world!
"Oh, right, Tenten, besides the food, I have something else for you."
Kazuki flicked his wrist and retrieved something from his storage ring—a bundle of white threads.
Puppet threads!
He had obtained this special material on his way back, forged using celestial silk, a rare and highly durable material. At first glance, it resembled a simple bundle of fishing line, almost invisible unless gathered together. However, this was no ordinary thread—it could channel chakra, allowing it to change shape and be used to control weapons.
But its most outstanding trait?
It was practically indestructible—resistant to blades, fire, and water. Even Kazuki's sharp Kusanagi-like sword struggled to cut through it. No wonder it was classified as a four-star weapon in his system.
He had only managed to acquire a small amount of celestial silk by chance while training outside the village with Might Guy. Even with his perfected forging skills, he had only been able to create two of these threads.
And now, he was giving one to Tenten.
Kazuki was already strong—strong enough to rival the Five Kage in battle. Even if he lost, he had enough means to escape. For him, the puppet thread was just an extra advantage.
But for Tenten, it could be a game-changer.
Tenten tested the thread with a curious expression. As she experimented with it, her eyes widened in amazement, her excitement impossible to hide.
"Brother! Did you really make this?" Tenten was almost incoherent with joy. "You're actually giving me this ninja tool? I—I love it! This is incredible!"
Kazuki looked at her curiously. "It's just a puppet thread. Why is it so important to you?"
Understanding his confusion, Tenten quickly explained.
"Brother, I recently went on a mission outside the village with Sensei Guy. We encountered some rogue ninjas, and one of them was strong—an elite Chunin. During the fight, I realized I had hit a bottleneck with my techniques..."
"Aren't you hurt?" Kazuki asked with concern.
Compared to Tenten's strength, Kazuki was more worried about his sister's safety.
"No, Guy-sensei protected us well," Tenten shook her head and explained. "He believes that Neji, Lee, and I are now capable of challenging opponents of this level, so he let us try. If we were in real danger, he would have stepped in."
Kazuki nodded. This was consistent with Might Guy's teaching style. When he had traveled with their sensei in the past, he had experienced the same approach. Guy-sensei would let his students handle battles independently as long as he believed they could manage. This method of training was what had allowed Kazuki's strength to grow so rapidly over the years.
Tenten's expression suddenly became a bit downcast. She continued,
"But in that battle... whether it was Neji with his Gentle Fist and Byakugan or Lee with his pure taijutsu, their performance was much stronger than mine. My proficiency with ninja tools had the least impact, and I was the slowest to defeat the enemy."
"The opponent was a ninja highly skilled in Wind Release jutsu, which countered my weapon-based techniques. If it weren't for the enhancements you gave me, brother, I wouldn't have been able to take him down. My self-developed techniques, like Twin Rising Dragons, the Equipment Scroll, and Bound Meteor, were completely disrupted by his wind jutsu. There was no way to land a clean hit...
Maybe Guy-sensei noticed this weakness of mine, which is why he had me face such an opponent. After the battle, he still praised my performance, but I wasn't happy.
Brother... I want to be stronger! I want to be as strong as you!
I want people to recognize me not just as Kazuki's sister, but as a powerful kunoichi in my own right!
Like... like Lady Tsunade!"
Tenten's words left Kazuki momentarily stunned.
His sister had always performed well in terms of strength. Back at the Academy, although her grades weren't as high as Neji's, she consistently held her own against Lee in sparring matches. Over time, she even became known as his "big sister" due to her leadership in their training sessions.
That achievement had always made her proud.
But recently, while Kazuki had been busy with Anbu missions, he hadn't been paying much attention to her progress. Had something changed? Was she really falling behind Lee in taijutsu?
How could that be?
Suddenly, a thought struck him. His expression turned slightly awkward.
"Wait... during that fight… were you on your period?"
Tenten froze.
She hadn't expected her brother to guess that.
Her face quickly flushed red, and she lowered her head in embarrassment, replying with a barely audible, "Um…"
As expected.
Kazuki sighed internally.
It had been several months since their graduation, and the new year was approaching. Soon, they would both turn thirteen—the age when their bodies developed rapidly.
For a kunoichi, this period of change was crucial.
Their mother had always guided Tenten through these things, but she wasn't a ninja and likely didn't have the right advice for dealing with such challenges in combat. During her cycle, Tenten wouldn't be able to engage in high-intensity physical training, which inevitably affected her performance.
This was a major reason why the number of female ninjas was lower compared to male ninjas.
Now, Kazuki understood why she had been so surprised when he gave her the manipulation wire.
Visit patreon.com/shirokendama for more chapters