The Deaf Meets the Blind: A Friendly Spar

The finals of the Chunin Exams were creeping ever closer to a crescendo as the participants were awaiting who they'd be paired up to fight against. Amongst the crowd, a young samurai looks above at the board, the chatter of the surrounding participants feeling like nothing but vibrations in the air to him. But everything else, was silence. Kiritsu was born deaf, so he hears no natural sound around him. Instead, his other four senses picked up the slack, one of these being his sense of touch. He has been able to detect the vibrations in the air caused by sound, feeling it at his very fingertips with each passing source of sound that was carried on through the air. Despite his disability, he has always bore a bright, positive personality that always put his fellow samurai at ease. Even in the uneasy atmosphere of the finals, he feels no feelings of anxiety or nervousness, just a silent air of calm. Within the crowd, Kiritsu notices a girl, staring blankly at her surroundings, as if she was focusing on everything around her. Deciding to approach her, he sees she is blind, but has no problem noticing that she is a capable kunoichi. It put him more at ease knowing there was another skilled fighter out there who didn't let their disability get the best of them. Approaching closer, Kiritsu clears his voice.

"Hello, there, madame. My name is Kiritsu, Kiritsu Taisei. May I be worthy enough to know of your name?" The young samurai asks, a smile across his face, an air of kindness in his voice. Kiritsu has always been seen as a just and kind gentleman, always approaching those he meets with a courteous greeting.

She turns her head in his direction, and her eyes remain unfocused. Nonetheless, Kiritsu gets the sense her attention is squarely directed at him. After a moment, her face assumes a surprised expression, and confusion.

"Kiritsu... yes. I recognize the voice. You seem different somehow. A kimono? I thought you didn't care for traditional garb."