That aside, it was time to go see Keisuke. If he was really having trouble with his sick children, it might be the most helpful to cheer him up. I went over to his house and knocked on the front door. It was Keisuke that opened the door. I asked if he was okay. He looked sad. He told me the situation. It was exactly what I had heard from Rin and Asahi. Kurota and Shirota were sick. They were no longer bed ridden, but it was too late for them to do the coming of age ceremony. I told him of Izayoi's kids. 2 of them were in the village. Keisuke looked hopeful. Hatsuka came us from behind us. "You can only do it once per year. Haruki is the only boy left. That means only Kurota or Shirota can do the Toryō Ni Hitasu." she explained in a sad tone. They both still had a year before the genin exam to go. Someone would be able to handle them. The squad itself had Rin, Asahi and Hibiki to help them out as kunoichi. None of them had the same hang ups when it came to sex that I did. I suggested it out loud. They looked at me as though I was a monster. "We want them to have it with ninja their own age."
Apparently, it was seen as shameful and unseemly to have older cousins or adult family friends do it. For kunoichi especially, it was really important for them to get their partner themselves. I sighed. "I do not get it. All of this is really fucking complicated. I got Akita to do it for Hiru. That is not a lesser thing. Hiru got his marks, so it doesn't matter. Beggars cannot be choosers." Hatsuka looked at Keisuke. "What should we do about this?" she asked her husband in a serious tone. I had no further say in the matter. Keisuke looked at me for a bit and then back at his wife. "Let's go see them. If they are feeling well, we can ask them." What about us!?" we heard from behind us. It was Kurota and Shirota. They were wandering around aimlessly. They were just getting over whatever illness had taken them. Kei was also with them. The 3 siblings were here now so it was time to ask them. The twins looked at each other and decided that they wanted to be part of their house too. They needed every single member they could get if they wanted to break off and become its own clan. They were fine.
Kei
Kurota and Shirota
Rin and Asahi were still outside. It was a simple thing to bring them in and tell them what we wanted from them. Both of them had some reservations. However, it was the puppy dog look the twins gave them that sealed the deal completely. Within 15 minutes both of them had the red clan marks and were part of this village as adult ninja. I still had to go and look for Izayoi. He was moping at home. Harumi and Haruki were by his side. That was good to see, but it did not look like his mood was improving at all. His bandages were even more numerous. He was always dedicated to honing his body through hard work and constant training. However, this seemed to be totally overboard. Even he had human limits. I pulled him into a hug. He was surprised and asked why I was invading his space. "You're always so strong Izayoi. I just want you to know that you can rely on the rest of us sometimes." I said as I looked him in the eyes. "Do I look like a kunoichi to you!? Get off of me already!" he snapped as he pushed me off of him. "I heard the news." was all I said. He turned away and just said "Yeah."
