Naruto: Insurrection IC

[Syn]

OOC

”Forgive me Father for I have sinned.”

The air was crisp as it should have been on the late spring moonlight. The flowers reflected the moon's bright gaze bringing the eerie land some comfort of beauty. The air was not only crisp but filled with tension. The Samurai and Ninja were at each others throats and there was no future that held peace so there was only one hope, extermination. To experience the joy you must first experience the pain, and the pain would be thrown onto one man's shoulders. Kazuma Shinomori knew what he had to do, it was the Sage's commandment there was no other way around it. The night was his strongest ally, it gave him the home field advantage and the buff he needed to carry out any assassination attempt, but this was no ordinary assassination. The Son of the Sage, The Head of the Senju Clan was to be the target for Kazuma Shinomori. The fields of grass whisked by from a gust of wind that also carried Kazuma behind enemy lines. A short distance away from the Senju encampment he knew if he would to make one small calculation the Senju would execute him without second thought.


Lifting his purple scarf to cover his face and nose he forged several hand seal before whispering ”Fuakshi” The prime ability of Kazuma’s arsenal; this jutsu allows Kazuma the illusion of invisibility. Kazuma uses his chakra to bend light around him allowing him to become one with his surroundings. In this special form Kazuma becomes invisible to the five senses. His scent is removed and the noise made from walking has also disappeared within this form. Finally his chakra signature also becomes null making him undetectable to trackers. Vanishing from thin air Kazuma entered the village with careful leaps and jumps until he finally infiltrated the quarters of the son of the sage. The Senju Heads quarters had a few levels to the small building each with a dozen guards on each floor protecting the Senju for such attempts. Retrieving his katana sheathe he revealed that he had no katana, but two kodachi on each end of the sheathe. Carefully Kazuma teleported around each level quietly killing the guards surrounding the area. The most common practice was throat slitting or a straight through to the chest.


Finally Kazuma was at the dual doors to his fate dissipating his cloak enough to allow his figure to be seen, but still undetectable to the ninja outside the building. However the son of the sage had already known that Kazuma had entered the building prior to him even activating his jutsu. Astonished Kazuma didn't expect anything less from the Senju head except for the fact of allowing him to enter so freely. The Senju Head had no qualms about his life being cut short nor any resentment only his famous last words, ”May god have mercy on your soul.” with that Kazuma's temper flared and with a quick slash the Senju Head met his fate. Forcing himself to keep his composure Kazuma exited with the body to the front of the settlement carefully implanting a Samurai katana from a dead Samurai into the blood of the sage, finally impaling the decapitated skull on the tip of the blade before planting it in the ground and removing any traces of his appearance.

With the deceleration of war firmly planted by a fellow ninja creates the seeds for the upcoming bloodshed to further nourish the crops of death. Your story starts now.

[aqua regis]

Miyamoto Uchiha sat at a desk, dipping his brush carefully into the ink he made careful strokes across the parchment before him. He was barely thinking as his hand glided over the yellowed canvas, his focus slipping as his inner self began to control the brush. The clan leader had more important things to think about, he had children to provide for, grandchildren that were beginning their training and so many other problems. His eyes widened as he looked down at his creation, the face of his brother stared up at him with that serene smile that had always infuriated the Uchiha. He paused for a second, confused as to why he had drawn the face of a man he had not thought of in a long time, and a face he had not loved for an even longer time. With a snarl he quickly scrunched up the parchment and threw it into the fire place where it immediately ignited; Miyamoto watched as the ink burned a brilliant crimson, unsettled by this strange omen. The clan head's mind wandered to his family, to his beloved wife now long gone and to his children. Miyamoto didn't really have any family any more, he had lost or pushed away those who had truly seen who he was; now all that was left were those he had held at arms length. The Uchiha let out a long sigh, he suddenly felt very alone for some reason, like he had lost the last friend he had.

Working through the stack of parchments he realised he still hadn't finalised who was to handle the teaching of his grandchildren, it would be better for them to learn together he felt. Competition and camaraderie would make them better ninja, and teach them to trust their family above all else. The Uchiha smirked at the irony of this lesson, he who had rejected his family now teaching loyalty to his descendants. Still it was necessary, there were too many clanless shinobi, wandering mercenaries and assassins looking for work and a clan foolish enough to look after them. The Uchiha would not play host to such people, they could never be trusted like kin and the bond of a lifetime together.

"Konda, fetch my children. We need to finalise who is teaching the grandchildren, if any of them argue tell them it isn't up for debate I want them learning together regardless of their level" he called to the manservant who had entered to tend to the fire. Konda nodded, silently sighing at the thought of having to tell the other Uchihas to report to their father and the inevitable protest at their children being taught with the less experienced younger children. "At once sir" he said though, and quietly left leaving Miyamoto to ponder on his former life some more as he waited.

[yoshua171]

Kaiu Iouchiryo - Kurohasu


As Shinomori exited the compound, another hidden presence lay out of reach. His presence nearing the hidden individual there would be a flicker of movement in the brush, and then a cloak, returning to its jet-black coloration, would reveal itself upon the shoulders of the woman who hid herself from detection, both visually and energetically. As the man approached him, her Kakujū: Kankaku shihai notified her of his presence despite his avid attempt to hide himself. In many ways the woman was Shinomori's bane, but they made an effective team and a powerful mercenary duo. "I assume the deed is done," her head turned from Shinomori as soon as she had said it, and she looked away from the Senju compound, out of sight. She glanced at him briefly, her dark eyes portraying more than her words, "we must move on," she turned again and began to walk in the direction she had gazed moments ago. She did not wait for his reply for while there was no definite authority among the two there was a sense of understanding, and it was Kaiu whose dominance in the sensory field made her decision right in this case.

If they stayed, she noted mentally, they would be found regardless of their skills in espionage and assassination. This was fact, and she would not tempt fates, no she and whomever would work alongside her would weave their own place into this dark difficult world. She had no intention of being crushed, ever. So she, an esteemed woman of the Iouchiryo clan, and her partner Shinomori Kazuma would head from the Senju clan by cover of night to deliver the news and work at their next goal.

[Lyfe]

Jin

The Shogun of the Land of Iron sat at his desk. He was a tall man with a perfect physical body, each feature toned with defined muscle. He had an intellectual face and cunning green eyes. His hair was long and black, flowing down his back and resting on his shoulders. A white cloak was draped over folded hands that he rested his forehead on. His eyes wide open, staring down at his desk, Jin was obviously contemplating something important. His focus seemed transfixed on the mood of the world, as if he could feel the global tension shifting as he sat there. After a long moment of contemplation he peered up from his desk, his eyes meeting the clock across from him.

It’s over… Jin thought. He did not breathe a sigh of relief. No.. It’s just beginning. Now he sighed, receiving temporary comfort in the brief moment of solace he had bought himself, for he knew that in this time where a constant strain could be felt on every nation, it was nothing compared to the turmoil the world was about to be plunged into. However, even with this stressful knowledge, Jin did not seem fazed. He sat calmly, his eyes delving into the clock with thoughts of time and its shifting sands.

He rose from his seat and walked across the room to the double doors that guarded his chambers. Pushing open the door, he looked to one of the two Samurai on either side of the doors. “Fetch me Shimozawa, Kan and Fuji, Takeda.” After speaking his orders the two samurai went to fetch Jin’s soldiers, leaving him unguarded. Normally the Shogun’s guards were never allowed to leave their leader unattended, however under Jin’s rule there had never been an assassination attempt on his life, for none believed it capable to assassinate the Land of Iron’s most deadly warrior.

[TheDerangedDoc]

The Senju Clan - The Hour of Darkness
Ao Senju, Date Senju, Shinsei Senju, Soria Senju-Tatsukuzu

Spoiler

It was rather late at night when the two Senju siblings were enjoying a soothing outing near the edge of what they would designate their home as "Village". This said village would obviously be surrounded by massive trees, a common characteristic in this land heated by many conflicts, hence its name "The Fire Nation". That's at least what Ao would believe, witnessing countless uses of ninjutsu in this land for the sole purpose of destroying and proving dominance over others. The young man found this misuse completely absurd and inevitably pointless but also the only true way to affirm one's existence in this cold, cruel world. That was his current conclusion on the modern use of ninjutsu, though he'd obviously many different aspects of it that would go beyond this general outlook he'd often share to his brother to demonstrate his wise-ness despite knowing he had a lot to learn himself. As the two kids had found a nice place to settle and where they wouldn't disturb neighboring clan members, Date would proceed to doing his usual training, or that's what he'd call it, while Ao would enjoy the tranquility of this specific time of the day. Contemplating the peaceful surroundings and air, barely polluted by his brother's thrashing attempts to improve himself, he had set himself the duty of guard for the time being, upon activating his powerful sensory technique. He'd sit down, back leaning against a rather broad tree, his regular Bleeder katana set against his right arm he had rested over his right knee he had bent upwards. He kept his eyes closed, allowing him to enter a state of complete inner peace and would consequently allow better focusing on the sensing he had applied.

Date stood firmly with his feet planted on the ground like a tree. His right arm raised near his face to block an incoming kick from his shadow clone. Fighting shadow clones were usually noted as being useless in regards to training but, that was wrong in a sense. Testing his skills against his shadow clones allowed him to see flaws in his taijutsu pretty clearly. The kick connected with his forearm accompanied by the sound of his shadow clone screaming out Date Whirlwind. "Nice try but real Date is the best." He exclaimed gleefully before the leg and with a pivot he tossed the shadow clone away in time to take notice of the second clone. "HEY AO AO! WATCH THIS!" The younger of the Senju brothers was evidently not the quiet one. The kunai of the clone came eeriely close to Date's face and then Date enacted his taijutsu kick. Dropping downward and letting his body fall back, he used his entire body like spring. His left leg shot upward with the rest of his body and just above his head to strike his shadow clone in the jaw with great force. Enough force to send it flying high into the air before poofing into smoke. "Easy." A snicker left his lips and the other clone let out a laugh. The night would be a long with Date's training and Ao being silent to focus on his sensing but, Date didn't care. So to make terrible use of his time Date decided to pick up a rock from the dirt and throw it at Ao to see if he would sense it and catch or just get hit in the head.

The young Ao took slow, deep yet very silent breaths as he entered one of the most peaceful states he could reach with his mortal being. His younger brother's calls would just be air flowing through his ear and coming out of his other, this was truly a beautiful thing to live, almost as magnificent as pure bliss. Well, that would be an exaggerated way of putting it, but despite Ao's serious and rigorous nature, he'd enjoy exaggerating once in a while too. As he'd witness the lack of noise from his brother's behalf, he'd immediately enter in his 'aware' state, anticipating an obvious scheme from his hyper sibling's being. With an eye half open, he could see Date, about to toss some pebble toward the peaceful lad's face. In order to react to this, he'd simply swing his sheathed katana toward his other arm, the hilt would block and derive the trajectory of the little rock as it was in the middle of its motion. Ao would then open his eyes, glaring at his brother with a rather impassive look, almost as if he were tired or simply bored of this. "Date, you are an idiot. Why don't you learn how to aim nex-..." suddenly the boy's sentence would be cut short as his sensory would pick up something rather... Disturbing.
Although powerful, Ao had limited range with his current sensory skills and overall effective power, but what he felt was likely one of the most chilling sensations he had ever felt. Like a powerful breeze of frigid wind released from brutally opened door that would extinguish the only source of heat in the house and thus plunge all its inhabitants in a cold and dark atmosphere of total discomfort. He could no longer sense what would be the pillar of this tribe, an energy so powerful that he could even detect it from miles away. It was the clan's head's energy, suddenly vanishing from his radar. There was no longer this burning wave of will emitted from the center of the village, nothing.
Ao's heart raced in panic, he didn't know what this meant for he had never felt this kind of feeling crawling through his skin. He'd swiftly stand on his feet, eyes widened as he had acknowledged the event and turned his attention toward the direction of the leader's building. "... Date, enter Sage mode and find our Lord Senju. Now." he'd order his brother, expressing his anxiety and stress over what he had just felt. This was rare on Ao's behalf, but such a thing could only be greeted with an appropriate reaction.

Shinsei dropped the vase holding two orchids and a lilac flower. It shattered in a high pitch crashing noise that resonated throughout the building. The noise however was dampened by her screams of fear as she made sense of the information her eyes were passing on to her brain. Lord Senju was dead on the floor in his home, she was far to heal him. Even she who was said to work miracles couldn’t aid someone who had suffered from decapitation. There was no helping at this point. She knew the entire clan was in danger and she ran outside of the building screaming for help. Because that was the only thing she could think of doing that made sense. Everything else was void of meaning, she could only hope; pray that someone would be able to help her. Yet deep down, she knew it to be impossible. Her eyes dashed back and forth from the tall trees and the calm grass trying to find Soria. Desperately hoping to find someone to help her make sense of what had just happened. But for the few brief moments that she was stuck in, everything was calm other than her shrieks resonating through the empty woods.

Date sighed in sadness when Ao managed to deflect the rock with little ease. Ao's sensory was far greater then Date in Sage Mode but then again Date was ever so fond of his brother's ability. "Nex what?" Date asked with a tilt of his head. He wanted to know what else Ao had to say but, Ao had stop to sense something far more demanding then Date's wants. Just then Ao turned to Date, yelling for him to go into Sage Mode with great anxiety all over his face. If he wanted his younger brother to go into Sage Mode then it had to be serious. Even Date could grasp that easily, "Alright." The boy nodded and focused for a bit to enter sage mode. Date then turned and began running in the direction of the Old Man Senju's home, a name given to him by Date. For at least a minute passed before Date started to get close to the Head Senju's home and then hearing Shinsei's shrieks. Her voice he knew all too well from the many times she'd flick him in the head for silly stuff that he could do. He used her voice and his sensor ability to pick up on where she was, landing right in front of her.

"SHINSEI !" Date yelled out to catch her attention. "What are you screaming for?"

As his brother parted, Ao had hopped on the roof of many houses that made this settlement look anything like a village. The young Senju kept his cold blood despite the tensions rising in his just recently peaceful atmosphere. He'd take his time to analyze what was truly going on, why would such an outstanding chakra suddenly go under his radar? He asked himself, dropping down from a taller hut, landing near what would seem to be the 'entrance' of the little village they had founded for the time being. As his feet set themselves on the earth, Ao's sensory had picked up something weak, a chakra source that he could not recognize as a Senju, nor something that would often use Ninjutsu at all. But that feeling would vanish only a couple of seconds after Ao received it, but it would be enough for him to derive his attention toward the a spot that they could consider as the main plaza, a spot where most houses would be gathered. Though what he saw planted on the fertile Senju soil was something he would have wished to erase from his mind that very instant, he would only widen his eyes, his expression barely changing as he'd visualize the little 'message' the assassin had left for the clan. Shinsei's screams would resonate through the boy's ears but wouldn't faze him one bit, he was simply horrified by what he was witnessing. His breathing got stronger and very irregular, he was in panic despite his best attempts to hide his vulnerability.

"He's dead Date, I-i-" Shinsei couldn't pull anymore words out of her mouth as she felt cold tears running down her face. She slumped down against the wall, shuddering, crying. She was in a state that she wasn't used too, not since her gloves, not since she had been saved from her terrible fate. But it was back, the feeling of anxiety and this terrible sadness like no other. Hey eyes darted back and forth as she looked for a glimmer of hope, a ray of light. But there was nothing but silence and darkness in the forest. She felt herself pulling at the grass, before she hadn't even realized she had been doing it. It seemed her despair was affecting her more than she realized. She tried to make sure she was listening to anything Date might say. "Where's Soria? Where is he? Why isn't he here?!" Shinsei asked, her emotions were clearly no longer in her control. She grasped Date's sleeve, refusing to release it, a bit of blood began to trick from her palm, it seemed that her nail had pierced the skin whith the force of her grasp. But she dare not let go.

Cries of despair, a sensation of deep turmoil and agony almost overtook him and his hand hit the wall as he braced himself. His head lifted and he stood up fully, this sensation was unmistakable, and as his eyes closed he took a deep breath. "Shizen niku no dōka, cell activation. Locate Shinsei," closing his eyes he quickly found a clear read of his wife and then simply commanded the small formation of the symbiotic cells hidden on her body to split slightly and move a distance away. "Kawarimi no Jutsu(Substitution Technique)," in that moment he was replaced by the split off cells, appearing behind a building silently, and then appearing to walk out silently from the direction of he and Shinsei's home. It would have taken a lot longer to walk as their home was a distance from the compound to give them privacy and allow Soria to better expand and cultivate his beloved garden.

To him, the garden was almost like another family memb-.... He stopped as his position shifted enough for him to see passed Date, Shinsei, and Ao. His eyes had widened and his mouth was slightly agape as he stared blankly at the skewered head, and the decapitated body that was simply sprawled on the ground. Then a horrible rage and protectiveness grew in him and he called to Ao "Check the area, that blood is fresh, the killer couldn't have gotten far!" Rather than walk off, Soria walked swiftly over to his wife and kneeled next to her sobbing figure, noting a deep sadness and mourning in the air surrounding her. Pulling her close he brought her to her feet in his arms and held her head against his chest gently as he breathed in and out slowly in order to remain calm. While he held her he looked to Date as well "You as well, scan the area, leave nothing unturned. Alert the others and consider the entire compound on high alert." There was an edge to Soria's voice, an edge not often in his calm tones, it was aparent that he was angry and hurting deeply. That had been his uncle....

Taking another deep breath he accessed another small bit of symbiotic cells and had them split and propagate. Eventually they formed two distinct forms and he whispered roughly "Mori no ko(森の子 'Child of the Forest')." Quickly the two advanced clones sunk into the ground and then beneath it, communing with the surrounding plant-life and beginning to check the area as thoroughly as possible. It was a new meaning to leaving no leaf unturned and Soria intended to fulfill that meaning completely. After all, he was now the next head, he would not allow the killer of his uncle, the leader of their clan and patriarch of the family, get away so easily.

Getting his emotions hack on hand, Ao wouldn't even release a single tear as he'd turn to face his superior family member. His face was all pale and barely recognizable as black circles quickly darkened his lower eyelids as if he hadn't slept in days. He seemed exhausted already, as he lost complete control of his sensory attempting to locate as far as possible the perp already as well as collect anything that he could find remotely interesting such as blood stains that would still leave a faint trace of chakra. Nothing, and it angered him. "There's nothing... Nothing at all. It's all gone. It was a ghost, a ghost that could kill us all. We're fucked, Soria. FUCKED." he'd sai before delivering a fierce punch on the wall of a nearby wooden house. It took him a few seconds to get his cold blood back on normal terms, but he could no longer hide his discomfort.

He, like all the other Senju, would be plunged in a pretty deep despair knowing what the outcome of this act would be.

[Tuujaimaa]

Jikankizami, Kinjiro

Damp.

The dripping of water reverberated throughout the enclosed spaces, each sound becoming more pronounced than the last until a veritable cacophony of noise could be heard, and then the dripping stopped. Then, a flood cascaded through the laboratory, headed directly towards a woman peering over a corpse on an operating table. She did not bother to even turn to face the flood of water coming towards her, and the second the water got close to her a single kanji was drawn upon its surface - the kanji for boil.

Hiss.

The hissing of steam instantly filled the laboratory as the small wave of water evaporated nigh-instantly and dispersed into the air. A few seconds passed before Kinjiro finally turned to face what would have been an unfortunate mess - and sighed. Perhaps one of her less willing volunteers had knocked something over? Perhaps they had - heavens forbid - attempted to use a ninjutsu? Neither option really seemed plausible to the snake stood in front of an operating table.

"Mm... 'Tis not often something does not follow plan... I wonder what went wrong this time? Perhaps that ninja from the land of water did not like his containment?" She mused to herself, her reptilian tongue sampling the air as she looked around her morgue. She couldn't detect any life forms nearby, but that was to be expected - the sense of smell she had was not yet pervasive enough to encompass her entire underground facility. She withdrew her tongue and mused to herself again, looking over the corpse below her and putting the assorted tools away.

Kinjiro carried herself with an almost serpentine slither as she walked, gliding with fluid motions that looked almost odd on a relatively human anatomy. It was clear that the purely human form was one Kinjiro had not cared for, and had remedied by making herself more snakelike. She trudged through the soaked floors, and made a right turn, then a left, then a right - And she arrived in a relatively small room that had been converted into one large Fuuinjutsu - a summoning Fuuinjutsu. The entire room was a conduit for those who wished to use her Kyousei Keiyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu - and also for her should she wish to enter or leave her laboratory. Standing in the center of the room, she pulled out a small vial of red liquid, and poured it onto the ground before speaking a single word:

"Neron."

Kinjiro had called for her ally's presence.

[Syn]

Kazuma

Shinomori kept the vivid image of the Senju's face in his mind. There was something different than most of his assassinations, the head of his clan was smiling before death. No one had ever smiled in the face of death regardless of stature of strength. This was a new experience for Kazuma and he couldn't help but to stop walking as his hands started shaking his hands were shaking so hard his body began to vibrate until he fell to his knees and started jittering as if he was possessed by a seizure. That was until a feint noise left hid body. And then the noise grew in volume until it was clearly audible what he was saying. He wasn't actually saying anything, he was laughing, laughing so manically that his body began to quiver from excitement. Kazuma would have never expected this side of him to break free since he was usually well kept like an iron prison. Nevertheless Kazuma's training kicked in and he quickly silenced himself reverting back to the emotionless mercenary and quickly got back to his feet before covering his fae with his scarf again and heading off into the opposite direction of the compound.

On his way to the Shogun's palace his eyes had been shut the entire time until they slowly opened at the sensation of Kaiu removing her cloak and entering his field of vision. This girl was quite special and gifted with great sensory skills mixed with subterfuge. She truly was the bane of his existence, but for now she was a valuable asset. “It's done. Easier than I expected.” Kazuma removed his scarf revealing his facial defining features and his young skin with not a trace of facial hair. “Yes lets, we need to make it to Jin before sunrise.”

[yoshua171]

Kaiu Iouchiryo - Kurohasu

Nodding her head at Shinomori's response she continued walking, with him following, until taking in a deep breath and bursting into a run. If they had to make time, then this was better. However, even as they traveled she utilized her sensory abilities. Noticing something slightly off, she again observed her partner with both the chakra sensing technique and the Kakujū-. She could not quite pinpoint it, but he seemed just slightly different. Regardless, the sensation was fading fast and was probably not of any worry, she was sure he'd have told her if it had been. While they were indeed traveling towards Jin, the Shogun of the Land of Iron, she knew better. This might as well have been the second part of her mission and it made her smile ever so slightly. Such a clever mind behind it all, she thought. It was incredible, neither of them could predict him, it was like trying to contain air with your bare hand, or grasping at sand as it flowed through your fingers. Unreachable, impossible, and unobservable. Rather impressive, even to her.

Kamoku Uchiha - Giman-ko


While he was not one of the sons to Miyamoto, he had been summoned nonetheless. Being a grandson, and experienced on the field of battle made him exceptionally able to teach others, despite his dislike of the prospect all together. So he walked to the location of his grandfather, despite the true summons and all that official nonsense. His eyes looking as bored and unfeeling as usual, he flared his chakra briefly as a sign of respect to notify Miyamoto that he was about to enter. Kamoku did this for very few, but those he did do it for knew it was his way of showing respect, as otherwise they would not feel his presence until he was right behind them to stab them in the back, if he so wished. "You called." It was a statement rather than a question, but Miyamoto would likely know to answer with a response rather than question the false-child. Afterall, despite Kamoku's 5 foot stature and 12 year old features it was very apparent that he was far older than the years his body had aged. One always said it was in his eyes, a deep experience and understanding of the horrible world in which they all lived. A world of darkness and combat and deception.

Tatasuko, Zume - Suiteiru Meian


It was always there, a nagging itch, a sensation of endless emptiness and misery, somewhere, everywhere, nowhere. It was just that horrible feeling that he was doing something wrong, or that everything was doing him wrong, happening just the wrong way, all incorrect. He sighed slightly at his plight and muttered "I really ought to get out more." He hadn't left their base in a very long time, it was seldom that he had to, with all his allies. Chuckling lightly he stretched and rose from his chair, walking from the desk of his study and over to the suspended balcony of his home. He gazed over the compound and the few houses marked with a black swirling pattern, almost like a black hole or a hurricane. These houses were those of the Tatasuko, while the rest, many marked with the symbol of a black lotus, were the dwelling places of the Iouchiryo clan. They had a strong alliance, unbreakable one might say, afterall the Iouchiryo were determined to spread the influence of their beloved basics, and the Tatasuko both needed the protection and men the Iouchiryo offered, not to mention the presence of Zume. He was an enigmatic man, at least that is what so many told him, enigmatic and genius were the common terms. Turning his back on the sight he walked off the balcony and back into his study only to tidy up his desk and remove several key documents from one of the drawers.

With that he closed his eyes, his pitch black orbs, the abyssal manifestations of his clan, the Tatasuko, and its greatest strength: The Kusa Chūō no sei. The black orbs allowed him access to things many of his clan had never and would never experience, namely the void. Their origin it was said, of course Zume knew a deeper truth to this and he searched eternally for its presence in the emptiness of the expansive nowhere-space. Yet, this time, he had not entered to search for such a presence, no he had simply done so to reweave his awareness into the surrounding space and lock on to one location. Then in that manner a swirling vortex opened before him and he stepped into its swirling form, appearing beneath his house in the depths of his laboratory. The portal swirled into itself and he held out his hand quickly to capture its essence and vampirize some of the chakra he'd needed to utilize such a technique. It was unfortunately not something he could so easily utilize on himself in battle, but it was quite useful for travel nonetheless.

Walking over to more of a work bench now, Zume laid out the documents and their numerous contents across the board. Tilting his head slightly he observed each and every one of them and then shook his head and turned away. Slightly annoyed with the futility of it all, Zume quickly molded some of his chakra, or what at least resembled chakra, into the form of a sphere which he held up to his mouth and spoke into softly. It could levitate in the air and move at will as its charge was inwardly neutral while outward repulsing slightly in every direction. "Come to the grounds, your presence is required by Zume," these were the words he uttered into the chakratic device, for in all truth it was more a tool than it was a construct of his own chakra. Then, giving it purpose, he sent it along, its form phasing straight through a wall as it moved, to head right for Aoi, one of his...mmm, disciples, yes that was a good term. The boy would know what the grounds were, afterall, it was what everyone called the small score of training fields in the eastern quadrant of the compound. With that he would wait till the little sphere returned to him, and then he would wait several more minutes before transporting himself to the fields as was his way. Afterall, walking was such a drag.

[Zagan]

It had been a year or so now since Aoi had been seemingly picked up by the strong, yet enigmatic being that was Zume, somewhere in the outskirts of the Land of Water - half starved, bloody and bruised.

Although Aoi seemed like a nothing he did have some ability in the Water Style which had on a rare occasion been of use, most noticeably his Hidden Mist and Hiding in Water Jutsu which had allowed him to either make cover for his allies or scout hostile bases to a degree, but other wise - he needed to practice more, which is what he was currently doing. In one of the smaller buildings with in the compound; the boy had filled a bucket of water and was practicing using his one offensive Jutsu, The Water Style: Gun Shot which when successfully performed allows the user to fire a ball of water at the foe, but all that Aoi was able to muster was a ball of water that would not even be useful in a wet T-shirt contest, not that there were.

Bending over slightly, hands on knees Aoi panted as he fought to regain his breath after the continuous practice. It was then - when he had just managed to start breathing a little easier when a floating sphere floated through the partially open window, it came to hover before the 14 Year Old as it whispered: "Come to the grounds, your presence is required by Zume,"

A moment or so later and the ball fizzed out, its purpose served as Aoi closed the window and strapped his weapons into their sheathes and strapped said Sheathes to his back, one holding an ordinary Sasumata and the other carrying a slightly odd looking umbrella. With one last look around to make sure everything was okay, he left his little hut/home and headed towards the grounds over in the Eastern part of the compound.

A small while later, just enough time for a 14 year old boy to travel the distance between his home and the Grounds later...

Aoi walked towards the more central area of the Grounds and tried to peer through the darkness to try and find Zume, but to no avail and so to pass the time until the man got here, Aoi unsheathed his Sasumata and began to practice his movements with it, having better luck then with his Jutsu.

After a few minutes of this he jabbed the head of his weapon in to the soft earth and lent upon the handle to look up at the night sky, looking at all the stars which lit up the otherwise dark night.

[yoshua171]

Tatasuko, Zume and Kobayashi, Aoi

The sphere returned to Zume just as he was reading over the last of a few documents. Not even glancing up, he smiled slightly and decided he'd keep the little sphere, afterall it was already built from chakra and was self sufficient and useful for communication purposes. Smiling to himself he finished his reading and then again closed his eyes, it took barely a moment to lock onto Aoi's location and only a second or so for him to step forwards into the vortex as it manifested.

- - - - -

The wonderful thing about these vortexes is they were soundless and only a sensor nin would really pick them up and even then they'd likely just be confused. It was only right that a sensor would be confused by what would appear to almost be a rift in space. Regardless, he had arrived on the field with his second step and his first words were simple as he saw Aoi gazing up at the stars. "I have heard that the stars are quite the spectacle, beautiful I have been told," Zume, like all Tatasuko who possessed the Kusa Chūō no sei, could not see colors in the way that others saw them. Instead, he experienced colors more like sensations, so it was not that he could not distinguish the 'color' of things, it was more that he did so in a very...different manner.

"However, it pays to pay attention to the earth you live on in the now, though reaching for the stars in your goals is not a bad thing." There was almost always a kind of wisdom to the things Zume said, a wisdom and a charming attractiveness to his words.

It was not until Zume spoke that Aoi jumped out of his skin, and smacked himself in the face with the handle of his weapon in the process, did he turn around to look at the man who took him in: "Tatasuko-sama, I did not notice you appear..." It was not until the boy had closed his eyes for a moment and taken a deep breath did he remember the strange power of the 'Kusa Chūō no sei' that allowed him to pull himself out of a hat, so to speak.

The youngster had to think for a few moments about what Zume had said, about how everyone had to pay attention to the earth - but to reach for the stars with ones ambition, Aoi sighed and muttered something that sounded like "Damn fortune cookies - is that what he does when he is alone?"

Aoi opened his eyes, expecting to see scorn or dissapointment on the man's face, but it was not so - he was smiling in his normal fashion, not showing happiness but rather a deeper understanding, almost as if he alone was in on a joke no one else knew. [COLOR="#FFA500"]"You wished to see me Tatasuko-sama?" The boy spoke as he rubbed his nose where the wooden handle had forefully met his face.

Chuckling softly at Aoi's mishap, Zume's pitch black orbs gazed at Aoi for a moment before glancing away. The boy was easy to read, and despite what he thought Zume knew exactly what he'd muttered. It was one of the blessed-curses of his doujutsu, which was more an overall sensory ability rather than just something of the eyes. Looking serious for a time as he seemed to gaze off into the forest beyond the compound, he again began to speak. "I felt your attempts earlier and thought I might offer you some assistance, afterall the moulding and movement of chakra is not always such an easy task. However, seeing you with your blades, I think I have a better idea."

At first he had thought to perhaps expose the boy to a small amount of his Mukōton and let it enter his chakra system and perhaps guide his chakra. However, Zume knew how dangerous that could be, afterall Mukōton was not meant to be in contact with normal chakra, the two forces did not mingle well. So instead, he glanced at the boy again and smiled lightly, almost reassuringly as he bent his arm across his chest and reached with his right hand at the open palm of his left. In his mind he chanted 'Drifting throughout, space and time dare not grace thy silver flesh. I implore, may I receive thy guidance,...' and finished aloud "Ōku no iroai ni musuko(多くの色合いへ息子 'Son to many shades')." He had drawn forth the blade many times, it was essentially his chief weapon, and along with his unique doujutsu and affinity it truly made him a force to be reckoned with.

Aoi took a step or two back when Zume began to talk, even though he had been with the man and his allies a year - looking into the pitch blackness of his void like eyes still gave him the chills, so the teen averted his eyes, as the elder of the two began to talk, first about practicing Chakra manipulation - but a sudden thought had halted that course of action as Zume realized that the kid had more skill with a blade and had made the preperations to summon forth his main weapon, which looked long and powerful in its own right, but in Aoi's mind, it looked like someone had stuck a smaller blade at the tip giving the blade its unique look.

As he took his step back, he instinctivly reached for the handle of his own weapon and took his stance, the head of his Sasumata looking like the horns of a bull, sharp and ready for action. Aoi's eyes darted from the tip of the blade, down its length and back at Zume, but trying not to get caught in his eyes again - his panic slightly abated as he knew the man would not attack in ernest.

"This was your idea, Tatasuko-sama?"

"Oh, give it time and you will see the greater extent." Smiling lightly, the elder of the two began to close the distance between them, holding his blade at a diagonal and in his right hand pointed away and downwards. "Do not worry too much, I would not want to truly harm you, but this will not work unless..." Zume's smile intensified and then vanished all together as an almost frightening seriousness overtook his entire aura. He slightly allowed his presence to reveal itself and so a dark alien sensation would wash over Aoi, leaving an uncomfortableness and a sense of danger. Zume was subtly influencing the boy's psyche with his chakra, not quite a genjutsu, and more akin to killing intent. With this he entered range and swiped quickly with his blade, down and at the boy's right shoulder. He would not use his full strength, rather he would use speed and scale his strength to the boy's. This way it would be fairer, Aoi was not ready to have to fight opponents anywhere near Zume's level of skill and mastery, so he would gradually strengthen himself over the next few weaks allowing Aoi's strength and skill to rise as the difficulty did. Of course, this was not his plan for their immediate sparring match, no that one was a bit different.

Aoi saw Zume follow suit and take stance, before moving in on the boy, it seemed as if Zume was waiting for something, then it hit him, and he felt as if he was floating in a sea of a thick gloop like substance, it was hard to move - and then the thoughts hit him, adding to the sensations that were already present - the killing intent; it was the reaction to the thoughts that drove the boy - logic and reason having taken a swan dive out of a high rise building. he barely saw the blade coming down to his right shoulder, the hit connected with him, tearing the fabric of his top before the teen had moved his own blade to intercept Zume's the extrusion at the end of his mentors blade scratching and sliding against one of the 'horn' like prongs of the Sasumata, it cost the boy a lot of effort to fight off the killing intent that he felt slowing both his movements and thoughts.

With a grunt Aoi pushed upwards, hoping it would force the blade away from him long enough to jump back a short distance, this was the first time Zume had made Aoi feel like this, and the youngster did not like it, the killing intent alone was enough to make the boy begin to lose his grip on what was real and that which was only imagined - but as he looked at his mentor - he imagined he could see a hellish aura about him.

Snap out of it - you need to snap out of it! a small voice somewhere in his mind began, first to whisper - then to speak: Finally shouting inside him - the first steps to kick starting the most basic of instincts, the want to keep ones self alive. It was at this point that something that had never occoured in his previous training began to occour.

A small sphere began to form, but it was nothing like the sphere Zume had used to summon the boy, if one looked at the surface of this new phenomana they would see small waves breaking and forming across its surface, it was a sphere of Water... after it seemed to grow (in total to the size of a small apple) it fired from between the prongs of Aoi's blade, in which the boys only response was to stare blankly at the man, before falling over and letting loose his grip on his blade.

Zume was struck back a bit, but he reacted quick enough to allow minimal damage and to quickly send a small cushion of chakra to slow Aoi's fall. Smiling slightly he nodded to himself "quicker than I thought, this method seems to be exceptionally effective." He chuckled to himself and lifted the boy from the ground with the cushion of chakra as he walked back towards the village. Closing his eyes, as he had no need of them to actually navigate the world, he considered the truth that bonded together the mind, body, and spirit --or rather chakra system and aura-- of an individual. It was quite clear to him that the boy's physical form, his body, was far better trained than his spiritual one, his chakra. So it would simply be a matter of stressing the mind to effect the body in order to force the spiritual side of Aoi to catch up to the rest.

Opening his eyes, Zume glanced up at the stars and smiled, a smile very few had seen, for very few knew of Zume's truest nature. It was a dark, twisted smile with a different look in his eldritch orbs, the look of one bent on chaos and domination of his world. Letting out a breath and a soft laugh he would carry Aoi to his own home, not the boy's and let him rest there. They would continue with some other excercises once the boy had eaten and rested somewhat. It was only fair and healthy that he did, afterall, dead and weak individuals were of very little use to Zume, very little use indeed.