[Hunt] A Tempting Invitation

[Ace Trainer]

Public information on Komiya, Shizuo had been in short supply, but it wasn't completely absent. Despite being a jounin, he was notorious in part due to his role in the invasion of Wind Country. The little asking Indra had done in the last two days and the messages sent back to the rebellion had provided limited information but important among it was that Shizuo was a proficient ninjutsu user, and played a great deal of importance within Iwagakure when it came to things related to spirits. While further detail on what he was coming to Wind Country for was not available, Indra was very aware that he had the perfect bait to draw in virtually anyone of importance.

Himself.

The train that the shipping manifesto had been for was scheduled to arrive mid-morning. Early in the dawn, Indra had snuck back to the station he'd previously done his short assault on to collect information. A short henge into a short haired, rosy faced courier, and he'd approach the first guard he could find, shuffling through a bag. "Got a letter! Messenger was told some big wig is coming through and needed to pass along a status report on the east region. Says its...Komiya Shikuto? Oh, Shizuo! Can you pass this along boss?", he asked with a soft grin. The guard would nab the letter from the disguised Indra, and inspect it closely. "Appreciate it big guy!", and with a jolly shake he'd pivot on his foot and practically skip away.

Indra would quickly head out of the village and into the sand dunes. Just over a kilometer from the small station village, there was a large sand dune that laid against the opening of a cavern. The mouth of the cavern made a large cliff, creating a space about 40m in diameter that was fully shaded from the rising sun, and masked the spot from visibility at a distance, making it an excellent meeting spot for covert activities. Now he would wait here. Indra had already summoned his coffins, and he would sit on one casually, tinkering with an arm hanging out of the other one. He'd soul sense was expanded, so if, or when, Shizuo arrived it would not catch him by surprise.

The letter he had left for Shizuo was quite simple.

Hello,

Word is that Iwagakure hasn't been able to find the Soul Genma Host. Don't ask how I know, bounty hunter secret. I'm not gonna get tied up in Jinchuuriki messes, bad history with that. But I have information regarding the genma that I imagine is worth a lot of ryo. Come alone, bring 1000 ryo pieces with you. Maybe I'll let you haggle me down. You'll be happy you did.

-A New Friend

Hopefully Shizuo would get the letter, and hopefully he'd take the bait. Maybe it would be a waste, but, Indra had the day. For now, he'd just wait.

SpoilerShow

[Wandering Souls]
B-rank Shijutsu Technique
After a series of hand seals, the Indra can attune his soul to the souls around him, allowing him to better sense souls. As Indra equates the sensing of souls to ‘hearing’ them, this technique makes the souls of living people within [Control]m ‘sound’ louder, allowing Indra to sense the exact number of people and their precise location with [Control]m of himself.

[Kao]

Shizuo had made the excruciatingly boring trip to Sunagakuer no Sato with his two companions in tow, uncharacteristically silent during most of the journey. His head had been teeming with worst-case scenarios, and when none of them came to pass Shizuo assumed he'd have some time to relax. As much as he could relax in a dry hell-on-earth wasteland, anyway. He wasn't deluded enough to believe the visit to a hidden village that he himself had helped conquer would go without a hitch. But he was surprised that it took fifty-four whole hours before potential nonsense found its way to him.

He sat alone in a temporary office, a humming fan blowing the soft bangs of his silvery white hair away from his forehead as he read the letter for what felt like the dozenth time. It had to be a trap. A joke, perhaps. So much could go wrong if he followed the author's request, and he had no reason to believe even a single word of the letter was genuine. He had work to do, and the responsible thing would be to discuss the letter with Kinomichi - he was a bannin, after all.

But the curious cat scientist side of him wanted to risk it. Whoever had written the letter had certainly done their research and knew exactly how to pique his interest in less than a hundred words. Shizuo had no idea how anyone could have deduced the reason for the sudden visit to the Sand, but the proof was in his hands. With a reluctant sigh, he folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. Kinomichi was more than capable of watching over the girl. For now, Shizuo had his own interests to pursue.





Shizuo buzzed with anticipation as he approached the designated meeting spot. It was shielded from the rising sun, providing shade and a modicum of reprieve from the desert heat. It was barely past sunrise, and already his body - accustomed to the brutality of Rock Country's winters - seemed to be wilting from the discomfort.

Before approaching the mouth of the cave he'd performed hand seals for a sensory technique. Surprisingly this meeting didn't seem like an ambush - yet - but he didn't relax when he detected only one chakra signature. The weight of Envy felt suddenly heavier on his chest, as if the Great Evil itself was growing uneasy. Or excited.

”Helloooooo!" he shouted into the darkness of the cave. The jounin wasn't a stealthy man by any means. *."Come on out then, I'm here!"

JutsuShow

*[Sensory Style • Broad Sense]
B-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: *[Sensory Style • Beyond Senses], 20 Control
This jutsu is an extension of [Beyond Senses]. With this jutsu initiated, a sensor can focus on individual chakra signatures to get a precise idea of where their opponents are at up to 25 meters. A general sense of the direction and number of chakra sources can be determined at 40 meters. It should be noted that this jutsu requires intense concentration, often making the user shut their eyes so they can focus on the jutsu solely. Even with high levels of Chakra Control, this jutsu can be mentally taxing as it requires the user to sort through the individual chakra sources in the sensor’s range.

[Ace Trainer]

As Shizuo got close enough to the den Indra laid in, he would immediately sense his visitor's soul. He would perk up suddenly, pulling the cloak laid lazily against his shoulders together, and releasing the scarf around his hair to allow his hair to hang to it's full length. Releasing the puppets arm back into the coffin, he'd channel chakra, quickly activating two jutsu before Shizuo was in sight. He scrunched his nose together, focusing on the sound of Shizuo's soul as he pulled his hair into his hands, slowly braiding a portion of the hair into a braid. An innocuous enough activity. As Shizuo came into view, Indra would hold a hand up to wave, not doing more than standing. The cave wasn't deep, and there was only about 30m of distance behind him, not very much.

"Oi oi. You're Shizuo huh? You actually came alone! I appreciate that. Not a lot to be trusted these days.", ironic.

He would continue to braid the hair he had in his grasp, looking at Shizuo as he did. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but this wasn't it. This guy was notorious enough to be denoted a VIP in the manifest but he looked a bit...nerdy. Anyone could be important though, so who was he to judge. Even while doing a visual analysis of his soon to be foe, Indra paid attention to Shizuo's soul, careful to be prepared for any sort of sudden attack or display. Could Shizuo sense? He wouldn't be able to tell Indra was a jinchuuriki, so at least there wouldn't be any spilling of secret (even if it was about to come out anyways.) Shizuo's soul had a light hum to it, almost like sunlight. But, there was a tense edge that Indra could only assume was coming from the present situation. He clearly was not excited to be in this situation.

"Are you a quick to the point kind of guy? Well. I guess it doesn't matter you probably don't have time to meander. So I'll be quick to the point.", he sort of snickered as himself. As he finished the first braid, he'd clasp some sort of jewelry around it, locking the braid in place with a heavy adornment before taking some more hair and starting on a second braid on the other side of his head. "Did you bring ryo for me? You're gonna be glad ! I got good information for ya.", in truth, Indra wasn't sure what to do here. Should he just attack? Did he think he could talk Shizuo into coming quietly? That seemed unlikely. But he'd need to decide soon.

SpoilerShow

[Forewarn]
C-rank Shijutsu Technique
Indra likens sensing souls to ‘hearing them’, and noticed that when channeling chakra people’s souls often get louder for a moment. For 5 posts after activating this technique, when an individual is channeling chakra within [Control]m of him, Indra’s sense can pick up on that change in how the soul feels, allowing him to discern when someone is about to cast a technique.

[Hostile]
C-rank Shijutsu Technique
Being able to sense souls means Indra can often ascertain how someone is feeling. By performing a series of hand seals and attuning his senses to feeling of hostility, Indra can sense if any souls within [Control]m of him are hostile or if they begin to feel hostility. This technique lasts for 5 posts.

[Kao]

He didn't know what to think. Shizuo didn't have a particular image in mind when he contemplated who he'd be meeting. It could have been anyone, and frankly he was grateful and surprised that this guy was alone. The still rising sun provided enough illumination that the jounin see his new acquaintance was tall, tanned, and had dark hair. When prompted Shizuo nodded, giving a small "Mhm," to confirm his identity. The sound was so soft that the other man likely didn't hear it. But he would certainly hear the snort he gave shortly after. Trust, he'd said. At that moment the Iwagakure shinobi began to fully appreciate how the situation could easily and quickly turn dangerous, all because his curiosity overruled his training.

He parted his lips for a moment, but didn't immediately get the chance to respond to the man's question. Shizuo was, in fact, a quick to the point kind of guy when it came to meetings and exchanging information. In this moment, however, he thought it better to let this guy lead the conversation. "Yeah I brought it." He shrugged his left shoulder, bringing attention to a backpack hanging there. The heavy coins inside shifted with a heavy clatter as the bag fell to the ground and created a puff of dirt and dust. "So what is this information you think is worth a thousand ryo, mister...?" he asked with a lilt of his head. "Do I get a name out of you or do I not get the pleasure of knowing who managed to draw me all the way out here?"

[Ace Trainer]

Well. Already a decision point arrived, Indra forced to consider his options. There was a good bit of distance between them, maybe 20 or 30 meters? Enough that they both knew they'd be able to respond quickly if the other attacked. The shake of the coins caused Indra to suck on his teeth for a moment, maybe he could just lie and get some ryo out of this and let the whole thing pass? He resisted the urge to shake his head at the thought, no., that wasn't an option. Shizuo was a key piece of Iwagakure, he had been present at the assault on Sunagakure, this opportunity could not be passed. He could simply own up to who he was, play his hand and see what Shizuo does. He was confident no one accompanied Shizuo, or at least if they did they were far enough away that Indra would be able to sense them and get away if he needed to. He could lie, admit to being Teishi, and see if his rebel activity had enough to draw the attention of Shizuo. Or he could go with the act, lie entirely, and see what he could get out of Shizuo if a good moment to attack came?

"Draw sounds so suspicious. As if this is something nefarious.", his lips spread into a wide grin. In truth, Indra wasn't very good at the politics and subversion, and he wasn't very good at lying. this entire affair made him feel a bit...icky. That was the only word that came to mind. Perhaps Sakaze was more inclined to this type of thing.

He would wait, just a moment, then come upon his conclusion on how to handle this. "You being here means I was right, huh? Iwagakure is looking for the Soul Genma. How lucky am I that Komiya, Shizuo, breaker of walls and chains, shizumeru extraordinaire would be passing through my part of the desert when I happened to have information about the Soul Genma!", he'd do a sort of victorious arm pump as he finished the second braid, clasping the jewelry around the second braid as he did the first.

"I'll cut you a deal, howabouts? I got a place. A face. And a name. You pick which you want, and you tell me how much you'd pay for it. I've got a price in my head for each. You say under my price, its off the table. You say over, I'll give you what I've got.", this is how bounty hunters got rich, Indra was sure of it. But, yeah....icky. The Sun would not smile upon him for these types of bargains.

[Kao]

"Is it not?" Shizuo interjected as his companion gave a wide and rather creepy grin. The question went unanswered, hanging between the two men like bated breath before the draw of a blade. The meeting practically screamed there was maliciousness involved, but all Shizuo could sense was an almost childlike triumph. It was as if this guy was seeking information himself. That, or confirmation. But Shizuo didn't give it. He instead stood silently, a slender finger tracing one of the large beads of his necklace.

He gave another huff of disbelief, the sound turning into a chuckle towards the end. "Is that what they're calling me in these parts? I don't know whether to be honored or concerned." Though, he did like the sound of shizumeru extraordinaire. For a moment, his gaze fell to the jewelry around the other man's braid, but he quickly turned his attention back to the man's face and hands. "I only brought what you asked," Shizuo began, nudging the bag with his foot. "A thousand ryo. I suppose if you ask for more that'll mean you'll trust me enough to leave, go get it, and bring it back?"

Hardly a breath of time would pass before the jounin added, "I'm not good at this sort of thing, I'll be honest. But I won't confirm or deny what we - what I - know about the Soul Genma jinchuuriki. I'm more interested in what you think you know and why." The necklace pressed against him grew warmer the more he wanted. The thought that this random sand dweller had potentially useful information and was holding it just out of reach made his heart thrum. "How about this. You've given me three options, three pieces of information. Three thousand ryo, for all of it. And if it pans out I'll even throw in a bonus later on." Shizuo raised his brow and paused, letting the offer settle. "Let's start with the 'place'."

[Ace Trainer]

Three thousands ryo? Oh, they really did want information. Did he trust Shizuo to leave and come back? No. There was no point to let the act go on that long. Shizuo had seen his face now, the reality was that Shizuo was not going to leave this meeting spot ...or Indra wasn't going to. The thought caused the hair to stand on the back of his neck. What was he doing? Was there a point to this game that he was playing so poorly? "Heck, for three thousand ryo you can have whatever information you want.", he let out a large laugh, trying to hide the nervousness that he was beginning to feel as the reality of the situation was setting in.

"Place."

He shrugged. Very well. Shizuo wasn't leaving, right? "You should have gotten a message. What, two or three months ago? About the rebellion. Word, that the rebellion was real, the danger in unprepared shinobi coming to Wind Country lands from the rebellion yeah?", Indra thought back to the message he had his previous captives send out. The one the man he still had imprisoned carried for him. Indra had only one captive, this thought being the first time he'd consider that Shizuo could be a captive. Would that be feasible? Certainly the man would be more valuable captured than killed. Suddenly, a mix of feelings surged through him. The guilt and frustration he was having at the notion of killing Shizuo was sent away with the relief that perhaps he wouldn't have to. "The Soul Genma is under control of that very same rebellion.", he gave a soft smirk, in part pride in his duplicity in part to cover the feeling he suddenly had. Could Shizuo be captured? Yes. That would be an option, and if he was, he was sure Shizuo could provide insight and information about Iwagakure. It would be a huge bonus for the rebellion. Could he even change Shizuo to their side?

"In the East of this land, what was formerly Wind Country, there is a region of desert that bends to the sea. Far from Sunagakure, but in the same desert. The rebellion is housed there. In a temple. Deep underground, undetectable by even the most advanced of sensors. You know, they worship the Sun here. Word is, the Sun protects their uh...rebel base.", he would take a cautious step forward, one of the coffins behind him now, the other directly adjacent to him. He couldn't go too far from the hidden puppets if he was going to turn this into a fight.

"He leads them from that place.", he say abruptly. There was no turning back now.

[Kao]

Despite himself, his brows raised in surprise. The expression passed Shizuo's face for only a moment, but it was more than long for the other man to notice - and perhaps gain more understanding of Shizuo's point of view. There had been murmurs, of course, of a rebellion brewing. It was nothing unexpected, and it was certainly not something Shizuo would willingly trouble himself with. He was without a doubt a conquerer to citizens of The Land Formerly Known As Wind Country, and perhaps he should have put more thought into that legacy before he began his travels. But in his mind he was more of a scientist and researcher than a warrior. Even now, with new conflict brewing, he was much more interested in learning than fighting.

"Rebels?" he echoed, his expression neutral. "How tedious."

Shizuo pushed back his bangs, the motion masking the brief flicker of his gaze to the rectangular shapes behind the still nameless man. He hadn't paid them much attention before that moment. With anticipation and tension slowly rising, the jounin took in more of his surroundings. 'Really should have practiced perception-y techniques before now,' he observed. Instead of moving forwards or backwards, he spread his legs shoulder width apart. A sturdy stance from which he could react quickly, if needed. For now, he refrained from channeling chakra.

"That's unfortunate. As far as I know, Iwagakure hasn't paid much mind to any rumblings of rebellion recently. But, what do I know? I'm just a jounin. A 'shizumeru extraordinaire,' as you put it. Putting down rebellions isn't something I'm well versed in, or even interested in. At all. Shame." He shrugged, knowing deep down that he feelings didn't matter. Shizuo would do what he had to do, if so ordered. It went without saying that the man was nothing if not dutiful. That very characteristic was how he had found himself in the front lines of the invasion instead of in the back lines, where he was far more comfortable. He was a good soldier, whether he acknowledged it or not.

"I don't care about their gods, either. Heliolatry seems rather..." he pursed his lips, looking for a word that was the least offensive, "old fashioned."

Shizuo extended his fingers slowly, stretching them as he replayed the other man's words. 'He leads them from that place.' The jounin, breaker of walls and chains, held on to that. "Name."

[Ace Trainer]

The look on Shizuo's face flashed through Indra's mind for only a second. The tense edge on his soul bristled into a mixture of what seemed excitement and annoyance that caught Indra's attention. Shizuo was certainly interested in this all, but his voice had a tone of inconvenience to it, as if this was all more trouble than it was worth. In truth, this frustrated Indra little, though he'd do his best to suppress the frustration. His home, his entire life, had been upended by the actions of people Shizuo supported, and his work to undo those efforts was viewed as a tedious chore. It was quite disrespectful really. Shizuo droned on, and when his sights landed on Yuumegure and his not-so-polite-but-somewhat-inoffensive description of the religion, Indra even further repressed his desire to break face. From his time in the temple, Indra was likely by pure happenstance one of the foremost experts on Yuumegure and it's history in the world. In three brief sentences, Shizuo had inadvertedly insulted Indra on every front.

Even still, when the demand of the name came, Indra's lip spread into a wide grin.

"People talk yanno. Word is when the war was happening, right before Iwagakure's second invasion, they purged all records of him from Sunagakure. As far as the village knows administratively, the last Soul Genma host was a girl by the name of Sakaki. Sound familiar?", he swept the two braids he'd just created behind his shoulders, leaving only the loose unbraids locks of hair hanging to the side of his face. "But, the current host was in fact sealed for several years prior to Sunagakure's unfortunate conquering. When the war happened, he was ordered to flee. The rebels allege he was heading to Konohagakure when he felt the calling of the Temple they call home., extra detail Shizuo didn't need, but it felt in character to the bounty hunter Indra was playing to talk a little too much. Drawing out the conversation for theatrics. It was obvious Indra had never met a real bounty hunter.

"They call him a lot of things. The Pillar. The Chosen. The Guide.", he waved his hands around fancily. "All different titles for their leader that they've risen into the same sort of psuedo-godhood the Kazekage sat in.", he smirked, his eyes locking onto Shizuo, "A few call him The Warden. The ones that know his secret of the ancient being sealed within him.. But his name...", he paused.

"Gekko, Indra."

[Kao]

Chatty. As his caller prattled on Shizuo shifted his weight slightly, just enough so that his head leaned forward almost imperceptibly and noted that this guy must enjoy talking. It was as though he was enjoying himself, savoring the lead up in a way that erred just on the other side of taunting. This whole situation was not Shizuo's cup of tea, and he was quickly coming to the conclusion that he never wanted to personally negotiate for information ever again. At least, not with a young bounty hunter in a cave.

Doing his best to maintain his image as a picture of patience, the jounin nodded at the mention of the name Sakaki. That name had come across his desk more than once. She had been declared dead at a young age, but the circumstances of her passing remained unclear. It had happened years before the invasion plans had been finalized, from what he could tell. The thought caused a familiar pang as an intrusive, unpleasant memory scraped at the back of his mind. The reduced life expectancy of jinchuuriki still bothered him.

"Ordered to flee?" Interesting. If Sunagakure treated their jinchuuriki anything like Iwa did, this meant their host had likely been young and inexperienced. A liability rather than an asset. Better for him to run than to get captured. Later, if given the chance, Shizuo would wonder aloud why such measures weren't taken for the host of Creation. The fragmented question fell away, temporarily discarded as more information was offered up.

Calling of the Temple sounded like some religious nonsense. Normally he would dismiss such a detail, but it seemed important to the story. "So many nicknames. He seems important, this...Gekko Indra. Suna did a good job of erasing him from existence, in an administrative sense. It's not a name I've come across yet in my readings. And I've been reading quite a lot about that village and the vast, sun-blasted void surrounding it." He paused, letting his right hand fall onto the sheath of his wakizashi. After giving a long, pointed look to the large boxes behind his caller, he continued. "Is that too harsh?" the shinobi mused. "I suppose Earth Country is just as much of a wasteland, but in a different way."

"Seems like we're almost done here, no?" There was only one piece left. Would the cloaked man offer up a picture? Such a gesture would be odd, Shizuo felt. But he really hoped it would be as simple as that. "Before we get to the last part, you're being awfully forthcoming considering I only have one thousand ryo on hand and offered three. I'd think a bounty hunter would want to, I dunno, at least verify that there's even money in the bag before saying anything. It could be random metal in here. We're known for Metal in Iwagakure, after all." After a short pause, he sighed. They were still alone, which was possibly a good sign. "So, you're either not a very good bounty hunter, or you're not doing this for the money."

"So. Which is it?"

[Ace Trainer]

An affirmative nod would meet the first question, ordered indeed. Indra's mind floated back to his final conversation with Ikinari, his dear mentor. It had been nearly 7 years now, and still not a single word about Ikinari. None of the rebels within Sunagakure could find any information. Last record of him was in a hospital and then...nothing. For a moment he considered asking about him, maybe Shizuo knew something Indra didn't. But, he couldn't lose focus. In his mind, he struck down another tally for capture. If Shizuo was taken in, maybe he could get some information out of him about his mentor, maybe even about Ashura or Soseki. He bit his lip.

"Pretty important to them.", he echoed.

An eyebrow slowly raised as Shizuo mused out loud, questioning the harshness of his own words. This was such a strange situation to be in. He found himself pitying Shizuo in a way. He had to be aware this was risky, but he was walking in blind. And small comments like that made him feel quite human, and not nearly as arrogant or cruel as Indra envisioned Earth Country to be, certainly not the way Sakaze spoke of them and their units. Would he be able to protect Shizuo from Sakaze if he brought him back to the temple? Surely he would...Sakaze would listen, even if she would debate the merits of it for hours on end.

The question came and Indra looked at the ground momentarily. It was the moment of truth, now or never. Shizuo was catching onto the act, and in truth Indra was getting caught up in his own internal conflict to the point that maintaining the facade felt like a distraction from the real goal. "Not the money, though it's nice. Perhaps you would be deceiving me, but I suppose there is no benefit to you in that. Or you're very confident in your abilities.", he paused, "Truth is, not in it for the money, and not a bounty hunter. I just needed an excuse to lure you out here so you could be captured...or...", he wouldn't say the rest. "But, I knew the leadership of Iwagakure would be looking for the Soul Genma. Cause, well. Last thing you need is the face right?"

He'd push a strand of hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ears. As he did, his hair would suddenly drain of color, turning pure white as his eyes and jewelry began to glow with a soft golden light, the bracelets on his arms and earrings hanging from his ears coming to life with light.

The face is mine. I'm here to take you to the rebellion."

[Kao]

A place. A name. A face.

A host.

The jounin's visage showed no sign of shock or fear. After all, the way Indra had trailed off before vocalizing such a thinly veiled threat suggested he wanted to avoid killing for the time being. Shizuo's eyes simply sunk, becoming bottomless wells filled with curiosity and excitement. Within their depths was the darkest version of his desire, the kind of want and need that could drive an otherwise cautious man of science and reason into voracity.

Shizuo wanted to know more. He needed to know the extent of the power of the jinchuuriki of Soul, one of the genma that interested him the most. They already had Creation. That girl was young and malleable, and trust would form in due time. Life was already well within his influence; he had nurtured that relationship just so, even as the lingering memories and spiritual remnants of its previous host caused him near constant turmoil and pain. In front of him was yet another piece. The final member of the Architects of Genesis.

He smiled, lips practically dripping with covetous thirst. "A second invitation? Sorry but I must decline!" He flew into a set of seals, his wild desire erupting in a chittering laugh that seemed fitting for the man, yet unnatural. Unnerving.

His gamble had so far paid off, and Shizuo was elated. He didn't question whether or not Indra was telling the truth. For now, words didn't matter; this self-proclaimed jinchuuriki - He, who led a rebellion - could demonstrate better than he could tell. Killing Indra was out of the question. No matter his skills, he wouldn't dare take on an unsealed genma alone. He would only investigate and witness. "Your rebellion can wait! They'll do fine without you. Why concern them with what happens here?" His chakra surged within him, an expertly mixed brew of lightning and spiritual energy. "I'm not going anywhere until I get what I want, Gekko Indra! And what I want first -" Gold and maroon chakra crackled and snapped. "Is a demonstration of your power!" The jutsu roared to life with a deafening crack of thunder and barreled towards Indra.

JutsuShow

Control: 35
Shock to the Spirit
C-Ranked Tenkujutsu
Pre-requisite: Raiton
Shizuo performed the needed hand seals to create tenkujutsu chakra imbued with raiton. He can launch this chakra in an electrified wave towards a target at [Control] strength and speed. If the chakra comes in contact with a spirit or jinchuuriki, the raiton-imbued tenkujutsu erupts on contact at [Control] strength.

[Ace Trainer]

His now golden eyes remained locked onto Shizuos, even across the small distance between them, Indra could see the shift in the somewhat bored and impatient man's eyes into a voracious excitement. Accompanying it was the sound of his soul, the bright him Indra had likened to sunlight was overtaken by what could only be described as a thunderstorm. It was loud, in a way Indra could not quite explain but felt overwhelming. For a moment, he had a tinge of regret, perhaps he had made a mistake to do this? His invitation, was unsurprisingly declined. As Shizuo leapt into a series of hand seals, chakra would charge to Indra's fingers as puppetry strings launched from his hands and into the coffin, pulling a puppet from each.

tikatikatikatikatika

The familiar motor of the puppet coming to life would begin as they drew from the coffins and flanked Indra. But as the deep maroon lightning flew forward from Shizuo, they would simply stop. Instead, it would collide with Indra and wash over him like water and then continue past him, doing nothing to shock or harm him. He would simply shake his head, "I'm not like other hosts.", he said, his smile grinning wide, "I am blessed by the Sun, and protected by Her Light.", he'd spread his arms out the puppets lifting into the air as he did, "For five years I wandered the desert, gathering followers and training to master the blessing gifted to me by the Sun.", he'd throw his hands forward, and the puppets would fly forward at Shizuo, the chakra strings connecting them turning a golden white color as Indra's hair flew backwards, power radiating off of him as he unleashed his initial attack on Shizuo. The puppets would cross the 30m between them with [35 Speed], but as they neared, one from the right would launch a net out from it's chest, flying towards Shizuo at [50 Speed]. While the one from the left surged forward, aiming to close down on Shizuo if the net struck him.

SpoilerShow

Ability that grant immunity to Tenkujutsu

While Indra is the host of the Soul Genma, he has modified his sealing with the Chakra Forbid: Exorcism seal. Unlike a standard Jinchuuriki, Indra's complex and multi-layered seal means that he is by all intents a normal human. Indra at default does not present as a host, has no features from his genma, cannot be identified as a jinchuuriki by sensors and is unaffected by Tenkujutsu. However, either by choice or when Indra experiences exteme negative emotions, he can lose control and have his consciousness taken over by the Soul Genma. When this occurs, he becomes identifiable as a jinchuuriki, transforms, and is vulnerable to Tenkjutsu. The modified seal prevents Indra and the Soul Genma's chakra from passively mixing, meaning while the Soul Genma can use some of it's powers (as determined by the Possession stat), transforming does not confer any stat boosts. As with Form 0 for a normal Jinchuuriki, Indra is able to access his 0 Possession skill at all times

The Priest coming towards Shizuo on the right, launching electric net.

A puppet frame made available to puppeteers or those interested in it in Sunagakure, this frame is designed for offensive operations. Roughly human shaped, the wooden frame is smaller than standard frames and has shorter limbs but includes more bearings in its joints allowing for increased mobility. The frames are often customized as far as hair, facial features, etc. The frame has 50 strength and 50 speed, making it more durable than most standard frames available. Additionally, the left arm has a 100m chain coiled in it, which can be ejected with 50 speed and strength, allowing the puppeteer to wrap up targets engaging with the puppet. In the right arm, the puppet has a free floating weight that moves with momentum. When the puppet swings its arm and makes contact with something, the weight will move within the arm and slam in the direction of contact, causing a secondary strike of [50 Strength].

Additionally, the puppet has a repair pack stored in the head, which can be unlatched to reveal the pack. The Repair Pack can repair up to 40 strength when utilized with the appropriate jutsu. Stored in it’s body, the puppet has a wire netting roughly large enough to cover a full-sized adult. The netting can be ejected at [50 speed], and electrified with [50 strength] causing numbing and paralysis to those who touch it. As an added feature, the netting can be ejected and then pulled back onto the Priest, wrapping around it’s body and allowing it to electrify anything the Priest touches. The battery in the Priests body is roughly the size of a heart and stored in the chest, and has enough power to keep his body electrified for 10 posts when used this way. All four of the Priest’s limbs detach and can be manipulated and controlled separately.

Interestingly, Indra’s puppet frame is very clearly a puppet, with no-adornments on it to make it appear deceivingly human. Its face, which has a single eye in the center of its face and a jaw connected by two bolts on either side of the head, is somewhat small. It has white hair on top that gives little impression of realism. The puppet wears a deep purple robe with a white stripe on the hood, and white cuffs at the end of each sleeve

The Temple Monk coming towards Shizuo on the left

A human-shaped puppet, the Temple Monk stands at roughly 6’ in height, with a rounded body cavity, legs, and arms slightly longer than normal. It’s head, an oblong shape, as a single puppet eye in the center of its face, with a long divot that splits under the eye to break away into the jaw. On each side of the divot is an indent the size of a talisman. The puppet has a jaw with visible teeth within it, but the oblong shape of the head makes it clearly inhuman. The puppet has no hair, ears, nose, or other features. The puppet wears a black robe with a hood, with a golden stripe that runs from the center of the hood down the back, but otherwise has no features. The Temple Monk has 50 strength and 50 speed. It is equipped with a number of unique features:
Talisman Cartridge: A column inside the Temple Monk’s neck that stores a total of 30 Blank Talismans. When the column is activated, the Temple Monk’s mouth will open and produce a single Talisman. If, for whatever reason the Temple Monk’s mouth cannot open, a single Talisman can be ejected out a slot on the back of the neck where they are filled through.
Brass Knuckles: Each of the Temple Monk’s hands are wrapped in a metal covering that have spikes over where the knuckles are, allowing punches from the Temple Monk to have cutting and stabbing properties as well.
Chakra Thread Spool: A small cylindrical piece mounted to the puppets back, the spool is made out of a reactive material designed to support chakra strings. Activated chakra strings can be attached to the spool, allowing them to be maintained when not being actively controlled by the user. The spool can remain connected to a theoretically limitless number of chakra strings, though a chakra string will only remain live for 5 posts once attached to the spool.
Krag, Kingdom Come:All empires crumble under the weight of their people.: Brought forth to embody justice for the people, Krag is made of only simple leather and wood, tightly bound to form the full shaft and head; Relatively short for a spear at 1.2m in length, Krag makes for an excellent quick striking tool, however the first power of Krag is that it can extend to up to 5m thanks to an advanced telescoping mechanism. Representing the sudden change of rebellion, the second effect of the spear is that with the flick of its owners wrist, the tip can move out of the way, instantly letting loose a mighty explosion at 40 strength in a 50m spearhead shape. This can only be done once per thread, however its unpredictable nature makes avoiding at least a glancing blow very difficult. Krag is embedded into the Temple Monk's left arm, allowing his arm to eject the spear to weild it, or simply opening it's palm to expose Krag's spear head for use.

Jutsu used: Strings attached to both puppets, with 4 strings attached to the Temple Monk's chakra thread spool.

*[Puppetry Style • Perfection of Puppetry Technique]
A-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: *[Puppetry Style • Advanced Puppetry Technique]
Perfection of Puppetry is a Ninjutsu technique used by puppeteers. By releasing chakra from their tenketsu, the puppeteer is able to release chakra strings from their finger. These strings are able to move 65 meters away. This jutsu allows the puppeteer to attach their chakra strings to humans or animals arms and legs at [Control] Speed, using every part of the puppet to its max potential. In order to break out from this technique, the target must be willing to break out and have at least [Control] strength to resist the puppeteer’s control. While being controlled, the target is unable to move on their own and the puppeteer can move their arms and legs in any way.

Holy Release: Kugutsu
C-rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Puppet String techniques
While the user is maintaining puppet strings, they can perform a series of hand seals to send Holy energy through the chakra strings, causing whatever the strings are attached to become [Blessed] with [Control].

[Kao]

Shizuo's lips parted into a surprised and pleased 'O' at the unexpected sight. Was Indra's boast of being different from other hosts true, or a bluff? Perhaps he was just much stronger than expected and was able to shrug off the effects of Shizuo's technique. Or perhaps he wasn't a host at all. Indra being a liar would make more sense to Shizuo than encountering a jinchuuriki unaffected by his technique. No matter the reason, he'd have to find another way to goad the alleged jinchuuriki further. His shoulders tensed when two figures emerged from the human-sized boxes and took position on either side of Indra. The telltale clattering coupled with the faintly glowing strings made the corners of his lips pull downward.

As soon as the puppets began to speed towards him Shizuo clicked his teeth in disapproval. He quickly formed hand seals and then released a wave of chakra from his body. It spread quickly, visually distorting a thirty-meter area around him. Unless something unexpected happened, the incoming puppets would freeze in place before touching him. The net, significantly slowed, would be easy enough to avoid. The jounin took a few steps to his left so that the net wouldn't touch him. "No need to explain all that to a non-believer," the man droned, his excitement temporarily dampened by Indra's sudden religious outburst and use of puppetry. "Put your puppets away. At least show me proof you're the host you claim to be." He glanced at the puppet to his left and then tilted his head in consideration. "Ah. Maybe you're using puppets because you're not very proficient with your genma? It's fine if that's the case. I've found that's not unusual outside of Kirigakure." An annoying truth. It was part of why he wanted to locate the Soul jinchuuriki. It was long past time that Iwa caught up to Kiri in terms of the strength of their jinches. With the Sand under their control, Shizuo thought it was more important than ever to have competent jinchuuriki.

He began sealing again, excitement still blazing behind his eyes. Slowly, Shizuo took a few steps forward. "Are you able to enter your first form?" His tone walked a fine line between mocking and instructive. "Even if you're 'special,' every jinchuuriki has at least one form."

JutsuShow

40 control; range 30 meters

Close Time: Freeze Zone
B-Ranked Jikukan Ninjutsu
By channeling the needed chakra the user will send out a wave of Jikukan chakra in a 40 meter sphere around himself closing time on any objects by [Control]. This freezes projectiles, jutsu, and particulates. At the end of 2 posts, everything will resume as it was.

Prepping for:
*Raiton • Galvanic Zone
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals, the user will seep Raiton chakra in an area around them with a 25m diameter. The user's Raiton will constrict and paralyze jutsu and people who enter it. They will lose -1 Speed per post for 2 posts or until the user ends the jutsu.

[Ace Trainer]

Shizuo would conduct some jutsu, locking the puppets in place as Indra tugged ever so gently on the chakra strings, finding them also frozen in place. The net, however, would not be, only slowing down drastically...how curious. What an impressive fighter the man was. The third puppet would chatter to life, launching itself from the coffin as more strings connected to it. "Why tap into the temptation of darkness when the Light guides us to salvation?", he retorted at Shizuo's request. No, he would not use the Soul Genma's power for Shizuo, even if he wanted to it was not that easy. The Soul Genma was not just sealed away in Indra, it was deep inside him, separated from the physical aspects of Indra. He could not simply release the Soul Genma's power when he wanted, an intentional choice to lock away the dark being and keep the world safe.

The third puppet would fly forward at full speed, the golden white puppet strings carrying it through the air towards Shizuo, flying over the other two frozen puppets. As it did, Shizuo would see two string detach from the puppet, intending to continue their course to fly past Shizuo and grab onto the net that had launched past him. While Shizuo's face was one of thrill and excitement, Indra's face was focused, an intense concentration as he manipulated the puppet strings. It was clear that the young jinchuuriki understood the deeper stakes here, and couldn't be as light hearted as he usually was. "Darkness clouds your view of the world around you, through the Sun and her Light I am nothing like any other jinchuuriki you've seen.", he said, his voice stern but confident.

As the puppet neared Shizuo, it would suddenly expand outwards into a big balloon, as if intending to swallow him up. The other strings would grab onto the net behind Shizuo and pull it back, intending to meet him if he backed away from the puppet.

SpoilerShow

Continuing puppet string jutsu

Defensive Puppet Frame
A puppet frame made available to puppeteers or those interested in it in Sunagakure, this frame is designed for defensive operations. Roughly human shaped, the wooden frame is bulkier than standard frames and has wider arms and legs and a barrel chest. The frames are often customized as far as hair, facial features, etc. The frame has [50 strength] and [50 speed], making it more durable than most standard frames available. Additionally, when the arms are brought together then can be extended to form a 3m x 3m flat wall with [50 strength], acting as a barrier. Additionally, the puppets' barrier chest is lined with an elastic material with [50 Strength], and through the use of tension with chakra strings the chest can rapidly expand to 10 meters across with the front open. When the tension is released the elastic will pull the puppet back together with its strength, crushing anything inside.

The Priestess has been retrofitted with a unique type of material that is created in several layers. Either when met with a force equal to or less than the strength of the material, or by pulling on it with chakra strings, the material splinters, creating jagged spikes that stab with [50 Strength]. This makes physical combat with the puppet difficult as striking it causes damage.
Additionally, the puppet has a repair pack stored in the head, which can be unlatched to reveal the pack. The Repair Pack can repair up to 50 strength when utilized with the appropriate jutsu. As she is fully coated in it, when the puppet collapses around something with it’s barrier chest, the user can use chakra strings to force the splintering effect, dicing anything inside the barrier chest.

Interestingly, Indra’s puppet frame is very clearly a puppet, with no-adornments on it to make it appear deceivingly human. This puppet appears to be intended to be female, the face being slightly more slim, and having long black hair hanging off its head that gives little impression of realism. Its face has a single eye in the center of its face and a jaw connected by two bolts on either side of the head. The puppet wears a white robe with a deep purple stripe on the hood, and deep purple cuffs at the end of each sleeve.

[Kao]

"What are you even talking about?" scowled Shizuo as Indra continued to prattle on, this time about darkness and salvation. It was as if Indra wasn't listening and was purposefully deafening himself to Shizuo's questions and prodding. These religious types were irritating at best, insufferable at worst. He didn't grow up with teachings about arcane higher powers and their arbitrary moral codes, and he certainly didn't want to hear Indra blather about it. All he wanted was proof that he wasn't wasting his time, and maybe he could convince the man to return to Sunagakure with him for tests and evaluations.

As a third puppet sprang to life and approached, a shock of agitation exploded from his chest. It manifested in his expression as a twitch of his eyebrow and a brief deepening of his frown, his teeth flashing in a silent snarl. These puppets were in the way of progress. They were slowing the pursuit of knowledge and his patience was reaching its end. "Then show me!" His voice grew an edge, twisted with disdain, and he reached for his necklace and snapped its string.

Instead of falling to the dusty cave floor the beads of his necklace flew forward and grew, multiplying exponentially. They morphed into a large swarm, and with a circular motion of his closed fist Shizuo would direct the entire swarm to surround him and rotate at maximum speed. He left an area five meters in diameter around him, watching as Envy twisted around him. It would hopefully snap Indra's chakra strings and keep the bulbous puppet from swallowing him.

"Are you done?" He shouted over the din of Envy's tempestuous rotations. "If you refuse - or were lying about being a host - then I'll be on my way!"

[Ace Trainer]

A small smirk spread on his face. His opponent's loss on what Indra meant about the Light was a little funny, and his increasing frustration even funnier. Of course an agent of Iwagakure - despite occupying these very lands - would not be able to understand the scripture and it's subtext. It was heathenous in a very literal sense. But it was funny, here was Komiyo, Shizuo, begging for Indra to release darkness from within him. It was a sort of metaphor that only reinforced the righteous feeling Indra felt in leading the rebellion, even if it was a reluctant leader.

Shizuo would continue to beg - beg - to see the power of the Shigenma, and Indra would simply shake his had as if he was a disappointed parent. The orbs expanded and began to spin around Shizuo. The puppet would stop suddenly mid flight, jerking as the puppet strings attached to it resisted the gravitational pull of the orbs. The net, however, would not. The two strings attached to it would vanish for a moment like a flashing light as Indra manipulated them out of the way of the swarm and then attached them to the puppet in front of him, letting the net fall to the ground harmlessly. What a powerful weapon Shizuo had! It would matter not, though, as Indra do hand seals, "I'm not going to be able to let you leave.", he said with a frown, he wasn't enjoying this part. As he finished the hand seals, the ground around him would suddenly erupt into life as it converted into muddy terrain. Immediately the sludge began leaping into the around and grasping around the swarm Shizuo had created and dragging it down with 50 Strength as Indra released his full strength. Shizuo too, if he did nothing, would find the ground pulling into the earth. From the edges, the puppet floated just outside the Envy swarm, as if peering down on him waiting to strike.

"I can't show you what you want to see, but I promise you I'm what you're looking for.", Indra said again, a stillness to his face as he waited to see how his plan would work. Standing on the only bit of ground not converted by the mud, Indra watched carefully, ready to strike next.

SpoilerShow

[Puppetry Style • To Be]
B-rank Ninjutsu
When manipulating chakra strings, the user has become so adept in their usage that they can rapidly disconnect and reconnect chakra strings with ease. Being able to do so allows them to more effectively avoid their chakra strings being attacked or effects by external forces.

[Mud: Sludge]
A-rank Ninjutsu
The user does a series of hand seals and then focuses on the ground around them, converting the ground in a 100m diameter around themselves into mud. This mud is incredibly deep, and grabs onto anything it touches with [Control] strength. Once something is grabbed by the mud, it will be pulled down into the mud with [Control] strength at 1/2 [Control] speed. Additionally, the mud will bubble and rumble, causing bubbles to form on the surface. While it appears random, if anything flies over the mud lower than 20m over it, the bubbles will erupt to splash whatever is going over the mud, grabbing it and pulling down as well.

[Kao]

With his teeth clenched, the jounin rapidly perused his mind for a different strategy. Indra's puppets were a nuisance, and the man himself was driving Shizuo up the wall with his refusal to show even a small amount of the Soul genma's power. He would have thought a jinchuuriki of the Sand who was stubbornly taking up arms against the Stone would leap at the chance to show someone of Shizuo's fame - infamy - his strength. It more than annoyed the man. The entire purpose of this trip was to find information about the Soul jinchuuriki. Now it was supposedly right in front of him, pigheadedly denying a researcher precious data.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him changed. It softened and thickened, becoming wet and muddy all around him. The rotating swarm came to a sudden halt as dark sludge smashed into it. The collision was strong enough that much of the swarm was immediately pulled to the ground, while the remainder of the weapon cascaded thunderously as it tumbled over itself. Shizuo quickly found himself knee deep in mud, sinking more quickly than he was comfortable with. Even as he directed Envy towards him so he could grab onto it, he found his efforts to pull himself out of it futile. He concentrated solely on keeping as much of his swarm near the mud's surface so he could hold onto it, and having it pull upwards against the downward force of what was presumably Indra's technique.

"Alright, alright, I yield!" he shouted, and he silently cursed Indra and his entire bloodline for being so resolute. The last thing he wanted for his body to be crushed by something as stupid as mud.

[Ace Trainer]

The attack had worked better than Indra has expected, and as quickly as the fight began, it was over. Shizuo, half sunken down into the mud and struggling to control his own weapon let alone escape, was trapped. Crossing his arms, Indra would nod when Shizuo surrendered, announcing his entent to yield. The puppets Indra had been controlling would creak back to life and surround Shizuo, "A day basked in Light.", he said to himself as the puppets would grab onto Shizuo's arms. Two would pull Shizuo from the sludge as the third wrapped it's arm around Shizuo's throat and began to squeeze. It would compress on Shizuo's neck, squeezing harder and harder until Shizuo would fall from consciousness.

Lifting the now unconscious Shizuo fully from the mud, Indra would carry the body over towards him, inspecting the jounin carefully before resting him in the open coffins and sliding the lid on top of it.

It had worked. They had one of Iwagakure's top assets under their control now. He would take a deep breath, then take several steps out, letting the sunlight wash over him and staring up into the sky. Yes, perhaps they were truly chosen by the Sun to be the saviors of Sunagakure? Was this divine favor? He would stand for a moment, letting his mind rush through his options and what to do next. He would need to take Shizuo back to the base. Sakaze would be thrilled...and likely thirsty for blood. Indra would need to protect his new prisoner from the people that had been victims of the very campaign Shizuo had supported. It was ironic to an extent.

Chakra strings manipulating the puppets, they'd lift the coffin up hoisting it into their back and marching over to Indra to stand next to him. "This is gonna be rough.", he muttered to himself. But, Shizuo was now his prisoner, and that meant they would be able to get out insider information from their new hostage. Perhaps this could be a turning point for the rebellion, and perhaps Iwa would know they would need to take them serious.