🥌 The Weight of Friendship

When I turned four, my peaceful childhood came to an abrupt end. My parents were brutally murdered by bandits who sought our meager wealth. Squeezed inside a small hidden alcove behind our stove, I miraculously escaped death but vowed revenge upon the vile creatures who took everything from me.

Desperate to survive and seeking solace from my past pain, I made the gut-wrenching decision to abandon my merchant family's house and pledge loyalty to Nankotsu Clan, notorious rivals of the clan responsible for my parents' deaths. Donating the remains of our assets and life savings to their cause, I was taken in as one of their elite members despite being just a young boy with no practical skills whatsoever.

Being an elite ninja allowed me to be spared combat and live without danger. Instead, my focus within the clan revolved around cultivating elegance and physical mastery to excel at stunning performances during feasts and special events. While these tasks may seem frivolous to a seasoned warrior, the dedication required of an elite ninja like myself stretched beyond what the average human could handle.

Extensive stretching, twisting, contorting – bending backwards like origami paper turned into daily ritual under harsh discipline. Through sheer willpower and months of pressure, I learned how far I could bend, turning my body into ultimate living cushion capable of absorbing forces even the thickest steel plates would splinter under.

After another session of punching and kicking, I would slump on the ground to take a breather and relax, folding my back and knees until I looked like a comfy futon, perfectly shaped and ready to be sat on. My childhood friend Yoko loved using me as such, coming home tired after his rigorous Sumo training and plopping himself down right on me.

"Oof", he breathed happily as his immense weight forced air out of lungs, squishing me completely against the tatami floor. "Ahhhh! So good~" He laughed and wiggled on my pliable form, making himself comfortable enough to begin his usual meditation for stress relief.

With years, his weight only increased while my joints and bones started feeling more and more like cartilage. If I pressed my palms against the sides of my chest, I could squeeze it like a cushion between my hands, while a few good kicks in my stomach felt so damn satisfying that I often went around looking for challenges to take my impact absorption skills even further.

"Hey Kage," chuckled Yoko after his meditative hum finally ended. "Let's have some ramen!" he said iwth a mischievous glint in his eyes. Of course, he didn't mean food – we both knew he was hungry for something else entirely. My body had not a single hard bone left inside me at this point, turning into plush, fleshy mound for Yoko to do with as he pleased.

I smiled knowingly. "Oh yeah...let me see what's on offer today, Master Yoko!"

From within him emerged muffled groan filled with deep joy, before he landed on his knees, dragging me onto his lap. "No need, I'll just have my favorite as always!"

Yoko was always eager and energetic after his zen time, making me feel like a stuffed toy he could bend any which way without getting any resistance. His large hand wrapped firmly around my upper arm and the other squeezed my thigh, tugging me like a knotted piece of rope. Each twist and turn forced my body further into some unthinkable shape that only Master Yoko could imagine thanks to his unparalleled creativity and muscular strength.

I was both his co-author and his masterpiece in this delicate art. Despite his terrifying stature of a Sumo master, underneath was surprisingly gentle soul that adored sculpting me into works of living art, especially enjoying my grunts of exertion and soft whimpers when something was too much even for me. With Yoko, there was always room for improvement, he was a true perfectionist when it came to breaking boundaries of human body.

"Oof, Kage, don't tell me this simple twist is still giving you trouble!" teased Yoko over my labored breathing. "You got to relax more! Imagine yourself a soft cloud..." he lectured before proceeding with another excruciating stretch.

"Ahh! HAH! Oww," my groans reverberated through small training dojo as Yoko expertly twisted my leg at an angle that would send anyone else rushing to doctor after just looking at it, let alone trying it themselves. "All I can imagine is twisting a fried chicken's leg off..."

"You need to be light and move like a kitten," scoffed Yoko while contorting and reshaping me at will until sweat rained down from me, painting the tatami mats glossy anew under layers of moisture.

The cooking continued long enough for him to have worked up quite the appetite. For me, a little break time was much appreciated, even if I was trying my hardest to become unbreakable. Sitting upright with my knees bent in the traditional samurai manner felt so good after having been squashed and molded into all sorts of inhuman shapes. Yoko laughed as he watched me try to take a big breath to inflate my chest back to its normal size. It still looked like a flattened pancake, and the way it expanded apparently looked hilarious to Yoko who couldn't stop laughing.

"I think you need a refill, Kage!" He went to bring us rice and tea. It was a fascinating sight watching him walk around using his massive frame so effortlessly. I couldn't help but smile, thinking back on how he used to be a slim kid who practiced martial arts day and night. The evolution to this bulky Sumo god within the last few years was truly incredible!

It was so great that he always had two or three hours of spare time each day to focus solely on training me, despite his arduous schedule. He was the only one who could push me to a new level of unbreakability every single day and the only person who could leave me feeling utterly exhausted.

None of our fellow clan members had the weight and strength required to push my limits like he did. Trust me, I've tried them all, even multiple guys stretching me at once! Some could deliver a pretty decent kick in my stomach but after thousands of such kicks my body adapted to absorb them without flinching. Any circus owner would sell his soul to get his hands on such an indestructible living prop, but my spirit belonged to the path of the ninja.

During meal time I'd hear how Nankotsu were planning various ambushes against rivals Clan Harakiri, led by men who were notorious for turning their bodies invulnerable to sword attacks. Even during leisure times they sharpened their skills, demonstrating different tricks involving steel blades and muscled bodies that didn't fear them. Sometimes I envied such power...being able to take a katana through the bowels without flinching felt so cool...

"So dull and boring!" Yoko boomed across our low table, putting another sushi roll into his mouth. "A sharp sword can't get them, but give 'em a good blunt punch in the guts and they double over like wet paper and run home with their heads in their butts! Hah ha ha!"

"Haha, yeah...those weaklings..." I chuckled alongside him, cradling my teacup gently. "You could beat 'em up with nothing but your bare fists! But I doubt these guys are good enough to be able to really shove their whole head inside their very own... bu-..." I halted with an uneasy giggle, instantly regretting opening my mouth without thinking through first. Too late... straight away Yoko perked up, wiping crumbs off his full lips.

"Hey Kage," he began with smug grin plastered onto his face that told me whatever coming next will definitely be anything but sweet talk about cherry blossoms. "I reckon there ain't no way those jerks from Harakiri Clan are gonna beat us in the upcoming tourney! As long as we just follow this brand new secret strategy I've just come up with. It's all about turning weaknesses into ultimate power!"

"Wha... What do you mean, Master Yoko?" I almost choked on riceball getting stuck in my throat, desperately looking for a sign of a prank on his chubby face, but alas I found only confident amusement and pride beaming out at me.

"Don't worry yourself further," chuckled Yoko gleefully. "I'll do all the hard work! You'll just take care of the soft part! Hah ha ha! We shall crush them to paste with my intellect and your body! Show them what they truly fight against..."

He pulled up three rolls from across table and placed upon each another forming a little mountain of sushi before grinning ferociously and devouring all at once, crushing the stack flat with his jaws so savagely it gave shivers down my still aching spine.

"Now's when you really get tested!" proclaimed Yoko as sushi scraps dropped off both corners of his mouth. He quickly took the plate from me and swallowed my whole batch in one gulp, leaving not a single grain leftover. "Come on! Let's go! Victory for Nankotsu awaits us!"