-One day ter-
Pov: Ryū (Kenzo)
*Tap* *Tap*
Fuck- moving with these injuries active is astoundingly difficult, I am almost near the gate however.
Hm?
"Yo! Do you need help?" A ninja sees me and runs over, waving me to a stop.
"Yes- do vilges hold medical ninja? No, wait of course they do, sorry bad headache, can't think straight" I rub my temple as I lean on him to walk.
"What does that even mean? You never been to a hospital?" The ninja asks with a senbon in his mouth.
"I used to have a guy for injuries, then he backstabbed me- do you know how many times someone I trusted deeply has stabbed me in the back recently? Twelve, twelve whole people- Kenzo really did a number on my connections list, have no clue what he bribed them with" I mutter in frustration.
"O...kay" The man raises his eyebrow but keeps moving me forward.
"Oh right- I also have a message for the Hokage, do you know if he is free right now? It's not urgent so if he is busy with the vilge recuperation that's fine" I ask.
...
"You haven't heard?" The man asks.
"Heard what?" I wobble forward.
"Lord third... he died in the attack" He says.
...
..
.
What?
But-
No!
Wait-
No-
But, he is the only one.
He was the only one who knew.
Who I could talk to.
Be me.
He was my only true friend.
He-
But-
No-
That isn't right.
"I'm sorry but you missed the funeral..." The man softly lets me know.
I-I cant think.
*Stretch* *Bleed* *Scrape!*
My wounds open as I momentarily lose control over my shape and I take a deep breath to calm myself.
"Oh- hey I need some help over here!" The man yells as he sees the blood seep through my shirt.
I keep my body in check and ensure it stays in its shape as I bck out.
---
Pov: Shikaku
"He was crying when you told him?" I ask Genma who nods and gnces at Ryū in his hospital bed.
"Yes, well- more like a silent tear before he colpsed, is that all you need? sorry sir but the gate is already shorthanded as it is" Genma asks and I wave him away.
...
Although I don't or rather didn't trust Ryū that much, I must say in these past few days he has surprised me.
I think he is starting to grow on me... but now Lord third isn't around to keep him cssified- lets hope that the next Hokage won't be so hidden with his information.
I study his report on his injuries... days old poison lingering in his system, from the Aburame cn supposedly including some bugs that were definitely made to kill someone slowly- but the cn head refuses to talk about it- torso flesh carved out and many burn scars on him from intense heat- sshes and slices desecrate his body.
His knee is terrible, apparently it was damaged in such a way that his bone won't fit back into its pce and allow proper movement... his eyes seem fine but his tanned face does have some old scars across his eyelids.
There is also a lot of Kenzo's blood on him- just sprayed all over his clothes as if he bathed in it.
Can't collect samples due to lightning? What does that mean?
I study the report closely and then look back at Ryū.
I see, so that's where he stores his lightning energy, I thought it odd how he used nature chakra without accidentally mixing it with chakra but he isn't even using his chakra system as storage for it.
Maybe this will allow more insight into how his battle-sages work, I believe they will become a powerful team one day.
Some of the genin did outstanding when defending the vilge, I might keep an eye out for them and put in some promotion papers to the new Hokage to get them properly situated.
*Knock knock*
"Enter" I say and pce the chart down.
"Excuse me sorry, is this Ryū's room? We heard he was admitted to the hospital" two ninja peak their heads out, Katsuko and Kanata- teammates of Kenzo I believe.
"Yes this is, I was ordered to watch him until he wakes up so apologies for not giving you space" I nod my head at them and they wobble forward.
Right, that kid tore up all his chakra systems in his arm... that's tough.
"Is he going to be fine?" Kanata asks.
"He is very resilient so don't worry, I would focus more on resting yourselves" I note.
"That's- we are better off than most who need help right now, plus without Kenzo... without him no one is managing our battle sages and the missions they could be doing- Raiki and Satsumi have dipped without warning and internal investigations have only gotten notified about them dying an hour ago" Kanata sighs heavily throughout the sentence.
...
"With your injury you need to rest young man, I will have a word with Ibiki about giving you guys a break considering what happened" I shake my head.
Thought Kenzo was better than that.
"It's fine" Kanata shrugs me off.
"Listen kid-" I begin to lecture.
"No- if I don't prove to Ryū that I am worth training then I can't do anything else- my hands constantly shake and won't py violin, and chakra doesn't work so I need another way!" Kanata shuts me down.
...
"Fair enough, just be careful alright" I breathe out heavily.
Nature chakra, I have never heard of it being used without mixing it first- strange of course but Ryū is always strange isn't he?
*Rustle* *Groan*
I look down at him as he wakes up from the yelling.
"What...?" He rubs his head and looks around.
"Where are my goggles" he searches the room with his eyes.
..? Isn't he blind?
"They were destroyed, apparently all the seals and your blood that you had on you when you colpsed blew up with orange lightning" I tsk.
"Ah- that would be the nature chakra fucking up everything when I lost control of it- sorry for swearing you two" Ryū scratches his head.
"We kill people dude... we don't care about swearing" Kanata deadpans.
"Sir... aren't you blind?" Katsuko notices too and asks bluntly.
"Oh- well, no not really- the goggles and mask made me blind but I needed to be for training... Lightning stuff you get it" He coughs awkwardly.
Right... odd fellow.
"Lightning Nomad Ryū, that's your new name- the Yamanaka, Nara and Inuzuka cns have been spreading rumours about you" Kanata tells him.
"And the citizens too- the higher ups have been pushing for good news around here and so they have lightened the mood with your mystery- apologies if that has... upset you?" I inform him.
"Eh- nothing bad done, right... report to- oh" Ryū mutters but catches himself of guard as he stares into space for a moment.
"Where you and lord third close?" I ask in sympathy.
"He was the st person alive to know who I am... to verify my existence... yes, he was the only man I trusted" Ryū admits with sadness in his eyes.
...
"So- what brings you two here, I know why Shikaku is here but you two should be in a room of your own right?" Ryū says.
"I'm fully healed sir, I have taken over yours and Kenzo's duties for a moment and have the battle sages helping with repairs and such" Katsuko reports.
"I wish to learn under you sir! Please accept me as a battle-sage!" Kanata stands tall and straightens his arms.
"Ok" Ryū nods his head.
...?
"That's it? No terrible test? No yelling? No ps for insubordination?" Kanata asks with grand confusion.
"Why? You only did as was asked of you, if I don't help you who can?" Ryū states as if obvious.
"Right... thank you sir!" Kanata bows ninety degrees.
"Yes, yes another time perhaps- Katsuko continue doing great work and congratutions on your promotion to internal investigations Vice-head! You have all the power like Kenzo did... don't abuse it and help Kanata would you?" Ryū shoo's her away and she bows deeply before leaving.
... *Click*
The door shuts and I am left with the heavily wounded Ryū who drops the act of not being in pain.
"Ah fuck- this hurt way less when I could focus" Ryū ys down fully again and holds his torso tight.
"Are you capable of an interrogation?" I ask.
"Not really, can I refuse until tomorrow morning?" He asks.
"I will let the council know" I walk out the door giving the man some time to rest.
---
-1 day ter-
Pov: Danzo
*Knock* *Knock* *Slide*
I open the hospital room door and enter to see Ryū the leaf's Lightning Nomad resting his body.
"Elder Danzo, I am so sorry for my appearance- I did not expect any guest's today" He sits up and tries to straighten out his hospital gown.
"Its fine, are you capable of answering a few questions?" I respond as I study him.
"Oh yeah, I am able to leave tomorrow so today I have all the time in the world" Ryū nods his head.
"Are you willing to disclose your identity?" I ask my first question.
"Until the new Hokage is decided I am unable to- my orders are too... unique to be thrown away after so long" Ryū sadly replies.
Mh. Expected as much.
"What happened regarding Kenzo? Is he dead?" I ask.
"No, I thought I had the upper hand by pcing around thirty eight lightning bombs on his body but he surprised me with his hidden strengths" Ryū admits.
"Hidden strengths? Expin?" I ask in concern, this may be a clue as to what happened at the warehouse.
"Shifting into animals, unpredictable forms and using some bugs from the Aburame cn- little purple things that he stored within his body, had I not been in a rush I could have pnned better... never thought I would have a run in with the Akatsuki however" He sighs.
"Akatsuki? What happened?" I ask further.
"Kisame Hoshigake appeared abruptly and I fled before being seen- I took many wounds thinking to beat Kenzo quickly as our preference for fight length is on the opposite ends... nothing else to say regarding that" He reports.
Hmmm...
"Raiki and Satsumi- they are dead, did you know this?" I ask him.
"Yes, I felt my Lightning erupt in one of the warehouses, that's what got me out of bed and investigating the area plus whatever happened to Kenzo" He says.
"What did you find regarding their deaths?" I squint.
"Genjutsu, they unknowingly blew themselves up by mixing the wrong ratios of chakra and Lightning nature chakra- Kenzo was written all over the crime scene... was probably watching as the ninja in that warehouse killed each other" Ryū 'tsk's at his own words.
I see... his genjutsu is more potent than I remember, and an explosion that big would be able to kill Torune with the right timing... a shame.
"Another question- what do you think happened with Kenzo" I ask.
"Well... I was running the situation constantly in my head, unsure of what happened but I think I know now" He sighs once more.
"Expin" I order.
"Kenzo... has had troubles keeping his yang energy in check, spontaneous physical abilities popping up out of nowhere and his yang energy running wild... my recent missions with Kenzo were all about bancing his yin and yang" He tells me.
"And what happens if he doesn't?" I ask.
"Too much Yin override and the person becomes mad, driven by logic and the mind- this doesn't usually happen at all because our chakra systems automatically handle that stuff easily, its not that Kenzo has a rge amount of yang but rather that his Yang energy is far too potent for his body to digest like his yin" He expins.
"And too much yang energy?" I ask, completely enthralled with the investigation of this man, he has much more knowledge on Kenzo's condition than Konoha's top experts could ever find... even Oorochimaru couldn't figure out what made Kenzo tick.
"Imagine an animal, a predator preferably- that animal has intelligence and instincts that its body uses to drive itself, the animal will hunger and the mind will hunt, the animal will be cold and the mind will search for warmth..." He takes a breath.
"Kenzo will hunger... but his mind is weaker, and it doesn't matter how terrible an idea it is- he is hungry. He will eat, his body will use his mind to find food instead of his mind using his body to find food... if he wants warmth his body will command his mind to jump into the fire- if he is sad his body might feel joy through muscle memory of fighting... he might kill someone through being sad- all because his body wants... his body takes- and his body instinctively commands the mind" Ryū coldly states.
"Instinct over logic, no matter how sane he is- no matter how illogical or crazy it is for Kenzo he will do it regardless" I summarise.
"Precisely... I just thought, that we had worked past that problem... I don't understand how it crumbled" Ryū tightens his grip and scowls.
So.. his body wanted safety and left Konoha? He saw my monster after escaping and his body saw danger? Or was it something else that happened?
...?
Wait... Kenzo wasn't fuelled by instincts... that means the monster left of his own logical mind- why is that? Tsk- can't ask that when Ryū doesn't know about my pns.
Doesn't matter- the terrible monster is out of Konoha and the vilge can take a breath, Konoha can be free from his horrid self.
Haaaa-
"Will you be staying in Konoha?" I ask.
"No- now that my mission current mission is concluded I must return to my previous one... I will return to Konoha when a new Hokage is elected and I have the time" Ryū shakes his head.
"The council would prefer to keep you here Ryū, without Hiruzen to vouch for you- you are nothing but a mystery we can't let float around" I command him.
"... can you stop me?" He sneers.
"... sorry?" I am taken aback by his sudden rude demeaner.
"I might be a little awkward to talk to but that gives you no power over me Elder Danzo- my orders are my orders and I have been told to fulfil them despite Konoha's conditions at all times- that means even if this pce is burning to the ground I have every right to ignore it" Ryū says in one awkward breath.
"That is not how Konoha functions!" I yell.
"I'm sorry Elder Danzo... but my previous orders are to be followed- I will force my way out if I have to" Ryū stands up and out of his bed.
"You think you can?" I mock.
"Danzo. What ever will you do to stop me? Break those seals on your arm... if you break yours I will break mine" as he says multiple lines of seals I have never seen before appear around his entire body, flowing from his toes to his head... glowing bright orange and ready to burst.
"You... how did you know about..." I sweat as I hold my sealed arm.
"Re-dact-ed." Ryū chuckles as his seals shine bright enough for me to cover my eyes.
What is he hiding? What do those seals do? He referred to my seal... what does he know about them... who is he!?!?
Do those seals hide power like my own? What kind of seal is that big? What is he hiding underneath them? The ones that make battle-sages are barely the size of a palm!
He couldn't be bluffing- no one can just make seals appear out of mid air without preparation- who is he!?!?!?
Do I back down? I know nothing of this man.
...
Why does that terrify me so much?
---
Pov: Ryū (Kenzo)
I turn off the seals and shift them away, it looks like I am just hiding them but with Bio-runes and shapeshifting I am able to use my blood as temporary ink that makes seals spontaneously appear on my body.
In truth those seals are garbage, like a really old computer vs a new one, the old one looks bigger and mighty... but cks in almost every other way to a new smaller cleaner one.
And because Bio-runes are a different nguage of seals he can't understand them like I can't understand most normal seal nguage without it being connected to my own.
All in all I am bluffing.
But Ryū is mysterious enough to pull it off.
------
Quest!
Make Danzo as scared of Ryū as he is of Kenzo!
Reward? K-rank instant scroll.
------
The loud scratching enters my brain and strains me of my thoughts... a brief moment ter and I focus on the silent pondering Danzo who sweats at my presence.
I just used up about three points of lightning mana on that aggressive light show...
But a K-rank scroll is too tempting to just ignore... what can I do?
Arrogance won't help.
Coldness will give him edge not fear.
But mystery? That's my biggest card.
How to elevate my mystery and make myself sound much more threatening than I am? What could I use? What could I do? What possible thing would work...?
...
The stare from above us, the man watching over us is one of Danzo's bodyguards and the man that was with him in the warehouse... he is a yamanaka isn't he?
I remember him using a mind technique to control 'Kenzo' and send him to the arena... probably the one who took control of his voice too- like a puppet.
I have 'Occupied' on... I think my best chance is to taunt him and then have him fail to occupy me.
I also need to yer more and more mystery to my name so showing that mind techniques do not work isn't enough but it's a start.
I step forward and wrap my body in Lightning, making my attempt to attack completely serious... and with complete control over my stare I can use a C- rank version of it to emit killing intent at low levels.
*Crack!*
The floor cracks and I tighten my muscles ready to fight- and the bodyguard does his job.
*Woosh* *Whish* *Woosh*
I can hear the hand signs and I slow myself down to a halt.
*Crack!*
"AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" A loud scream is heard above and both me and Danzo flick concerned looks above.
What happened? Keep my composure- I can use this to unch myself in reputation, whatever happened take credit.
"Are you willing to be next? Why don't I show you why no one has ever seen me? I am sure the term is called... 'aggressive stealth'?" I say confused- acting as awkward as ever, but with a hint of coldness on top.
"This- " Danzo starts to speak but is interrupted when his bodyguard flickers into the room and holds Danzo back.
"What was that? What did you do? Who-" The bodyguard speaks quickly and unintentionally interrupts his master.
"Enough- I am not tolerating this any longer!" Danzo harrumph's and holds up a hand sign to his face ready to cast a jutsu.
"Wait- Lord Danzo-sama wait! He- he is not what you think- he is worse than that monster!" His bodyguard grabs Danzo forcefully as if not wanting to let him continue.
"Expin-" Danzo gres me down.
"Its simple Danzo, you need a monster to keep another in check- and for your interruptions I will be punishing you" I smile and limp past him as his own bodyguard tells him to wait.
"Punish me- who do you think you are!?" Danzo sneers.
"Root base 12, 23, 14 and 17 will be taken from you now, you will no longer have eyes in the southern districts of Konoha... you will no longer have eyes on Konoha's gate" I state simply.
*Booom!* *Crash!* *Bam!*
I limp to my stuff and take it before leaving the room- Danzo is left to watch as explosions occur mysteriously around the area's his bases where, he watches from my hospital window.
"Its healthy to fear Danzo, in time you will learn that I am only a threat to Konoha's enemies, in time you will learn to stay in your ne and ensure you never become one" I say before walking away.
Now that will make him scared, just needs time to brew... let him make himself scared by just staying silent.
I need to rest another day but my body should be good tomorrow.
Helper... that man screamed in terror from my title... yet something so powerful is only D-rank? Why? How?
...
------
To control another... one must take helm at the soul or mind... all the title does is open your mind a little wider, this title actually helps the enemy inside the orange box... it widens just enough for your memories to seep through into the controlling jutsu they use... memories of your pain.
Unfathomable to those who are not you.
They may puppet you- they may use you... but they can never 'be' you.
------
...?
Oh... so the title only stops people from becoming me? So taking over my mind to use my body is in a sense taking control over my being while sticking strings to me or other methods of control would only be using me?
...?
My memories of pain... so the title just opens the gates a little bit to allow entry into my mind- it helps the enemy get closer and therefore see what I have dealt with in the box and out of it.
Huh... neat.
Thanks helper.
...
What should I do with my remaining time before meeting Kakazu?
Hmm... I do have to see what Jun meant and see if he can help 'tidy' my Kenzo skills up- hopefully to be as good as my Ryū set... then I should focus on my Ryū skills again to make sure Danzo doesn't call my bluff anytime soon after the new Hokage arrives.
So skills and stats on Ryū and spend my time on Kenzo skills.
Sounds good enough.
Thanks for reading :)
