The Lying King

[Sia]

It had been a few weeks, perhaps even a few months now, it was hard for him to tell, really, since Maido had suddenly lodged herself inside his cores. Her parasitic jutsu had kept her just barely alive, but not able to really properly function, a mere fragment of the greatness which she used to be. Still, she had made it quite clear to him that if he faltered for even a moment, she would take over his body entirely, and he would cease to exist. "Yeah that'll never happen." He said to her confidently, but in truth he wasn't so sure. "Just be quiet, or at the least be helpful if you're going to refuse to shut the fuck up." He had said to her. "Very well I suppose. Would you mind writing a letter for me? There are a few people I would like to give some last words to...in a way."

"Very well."

Shuichi sat down in his office and began writing away and was surprised that the handwriting wasn't his own. He raised an eyebrow and stared at the paper. "How are you doing that?" He asked aloud. "My powers are limited now, but I do have some ability to apply pressure here and there." Her voice responded back. "I see." He wasn't sure what to think about that, and he certainly didn't like the idea that Maido had any level of control over his body. Having her voice being so prominently clear in his mind was already obnoxious enough. He continued writing, a letter, in duplicate, to several different persons. Chiaki of the clouds, Shinjiro of the mists, and Kotaru of the rock. "Hello dear," it began....

He awoke with a yawn and stretched out his legs, rolling off the side of the bed and slamming his feet down heavily onto the carpet floor. "Shut up Maido." Was all he said groggily as she began to get dressed. He wore his favorite outfit today, and wore lots of vibrantly colored and wonderful beaded bracelets. He looked in the mirror and one of his eyes turned red as Maido manifested behind him, also staring into the mirror and checking herself out. "Sleep well?" She asked him, but he ignored her. "I said piss off." He began braiding the hair that draped the sides of his face, ending them with golden ties. He put on his pants, then his chaps, his belt, and his sash. His boots slid on and finally he left, embarking out of the lodge him and his associates had decided to stay in for the night. "Not much further now." Maido's voice called to him. "Ugh I know already geez." He said aloud, but by now his underlings had grown used to him talking to the invisible person that the rest of them could only sometimes see.

The crowned prince of the underworld stepped into the library and looked around for the librarian. "Ah yes, we've been expecting you." She said, rounding the corner of a bookshelf and taking in his appearance. "This way please." She said to him and turned on her heel, pivoting around and going back the way she came. Shuichi sighed and followed her around the corner, towards an unmarked doorway at the end of the aisle. The woman's hand pressed against the door and he heard it audibly click before swinging open slowly. He raised an eyebrow in her direction but it went ignored. "I wonder what Shinjiro is up to." Maido's voice whispered inside his head. He took a step through the doorway and began the long descent into the undercroft of the library, walking slowly behind the librarian whom lead the way. Behind him, he heard the door close itself. The librarian channeled chakra and a ball of flame erupted from her hands, providing better light as they descended the stairs into the dark below.

He was greeted by a few folks he recognized from the outskirts of Earth Country. He was, afterall, quite popular in the small non-shinobi village he lived in there. He smiled at them as he saw them, and they rose from their seats to hug and greet him. "It is good to see you again Azazel" Shuichi said warmly. "Will the others be joining us?" He surely hoped so. He had sent a message out, in Maido's hand writing, from Maido, to the the appropriate people. With any luck, they would find the meeting place here in the underdark of the library. Shuichi patiently made his way across the room and sat next to the fireplace in a rather comfortable looking chair. He gazed around and counted, and noted that their were twelve other identical chairs to his own. "Cute." he said out loud. "Yes, I specifically picked thirteen because it is lucky." Maido's voice spoke into his ear. He chatted idly with the others that were around, but really didn't pay terribly much attention to them. No, he was far more interested in seeing some of these contacts Maido had asked him to write to, and further seeing their reactions to Maido revealing herself to the world yet again. He had heard the stories, of course, from others when he had worked with her after his time in the academy. Still, he never dreamed that the situation would be such as this.

He looked around the room, this dark basement beneath the library, and was surprised to see a few other entrances, food on the long table, and barrels upon barrels of various alcohols. "You are well prepared I see." He said aloud. His eyes began to glow red, and the Librarian gasped. "Are you Mai--"

"Yes."

[Izanagi]

The last couple of months had put Shinjiro in a particularly abysmal mood. Not only had Maido gotten herself killed. Again. But so too was the Mizukage missing and with each passing day it seemed more and more likely that Shinjiro would be required to takeover. Normally he would have no such desire to lead the village. But with the mess Maido had left in Kumogakure, Shinjiro knew it would fall on him to secure the release of Hisayo and Kayoko whom the Raikage had taken prisoner. There was also the mess with Chiaki, whom he held just as accountable as Maido herself, perhaps more so. He hadn’t determined if the woman was simply an idiot or if she had betrayed Kintsugi and lured Maido to her death. But either way, he would ensure retribution the next chance he got. And his fury was not one to be taken lightly.

As he had when Maido fell to Shio, he had sensed the Blood Witch’s end at the hands of the Raikage. But this time it had been even stronger, a sensation of the very life sucked from his soul, leaving him feeling cold and empty. His body had housed Maido more than any other living being, she had become a part of him even when she was half a world a way. He had even had a mind to offer to keep one of her cores within himself as soon as she was able to recover fully. He hadn’t expected she would be foolish enough to invade an enemy nation while she was still only a shell of herself. Perhaps then, it was suicide, he had considered.

When he received the letter, written in Maido’s familiar and rather distinct handwriting, it wasn’t like before. After Shio he had felt an indescribable sense of relief and comfort knowing his hunch was correct, that the woman yet lived. However, this time he felt only unbridled rage. Twice now she had thrown herself into the fires of hell and twice she had left him behind. To discard him in such a way; he who would follow her anywhere and fight against any odds. It was unforgivable.

And so, Shinjiro decided he didn’t care much if this was some kind of trap. If it was they were fools to invite him into close quarters, in an underground lair. But friend or foe he had half a mind to slaughter them all regardless. He moved with the utmost silence, easily detecting and evading the various sentries and common civilians around the library. He would make his own passageway, moving alongside the other winding tunnels. He could feel the movements of those around him and even smell them through the walls. And yet, Maido’s distinct scent, one he could normally detect from 250 meters away, eluded him. However, he did catch a brief whiff of Kotaru and was that Chiaki too? Whatever was going on, it seemed he wasn’t the only one lured in. Perhaps another trap by Kumo then. But even the Raikage might have his hands full if he intended to combat both him and Kotaru simultaneously. He had heard over the years that the great Emperor of Lightning country tended to avoid confronting Genjutsu users.

As livid as he was, Shinjiro was no fool. His lifelong training as an assassin would not allow him to be caught off guard or give up an advantage. Trusting his instincts that something didn’t quite feel right, he transformed his head into that of an owl, greatly increasing his hearing. And yet he still didn’t hear Maido’s voice or any sign of her, yet neither did he detect any sign of the Raikage, whom was one of only a handful of people he truly had to fear in the world. Not that he had ever met the man before, but his reputation was quite well earned. For safe measure, he would channel chakra as he waited within the walls bordering the meeting area. If Kotaru was in the vicinity he would be able to negate his genjutsu, and anyone else would be better off out of the way. A sudden series of ominous owl calls came from within the walls and all those that heard it would feel themselves growing groggy and lethargic. Though they would not fall asleep, rather this technique resembled his paralyzing poison in that the targets would still be able to speak but would simply be too lethargic to run away or do much of anything but answer any questions he had.

The wall would open up once he was satisfied with the sound of bodies slumping against the floor and heart rates slowing down. The hooded and masked figure stood in the opening, adorned with his array of legendary weapons and swords across his back. “Where the fuck is she?” he growled as his head transformed back into his human features. He wouldn’t ask twice.

Jutsu UsedShow

Predators Tracking
A-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite: [Perception]
Shinjiro has developed a remarkably keen sense of smell even when not transformed into an animal. He can easily distinguish scents between people as well as pick up on trails that are several days old. His passive range is equal to his Willpower stat though for particularly strong smells such as blood or decay he can detect from a distance of [Willpowerx5] meters away. When in a transformed state of an animal with a strong sense of smell such as a canine the range of his sense of smell is doubled.

[Vibration Sense]
S-Ranked Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite: [Perception]
Becoming finely attuned with his sense of touch and even his ability to hear low frequencies Shinji had developed the ability to feel vibrations extremely acutely. He can detect the slightest movements within a 15-meter radius of himself through solid surfaces, 25 meters if standing on water or within mist or rain and a 10-meter radius from the air itself. From this he can detect the size anything moving around him and their direction as well as approximate weight. This is only effective on moving targets.

Doton • Hidden Passage (Increased range)
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming the necessary hand seals Shinjiro will place a hand against an earthen or stone wall of some sort. As long as there is no foreign chakra within the wall will part in up to a 5 meter meter wide opening, the maximum depth that can be parted is 10 meters and if Shinjiro wills it he can close this opening to its previous state with an additional hand seal.

Awareness of the Owl
B-Ranked Partial Kaerujutsu
Flowing chakra towards his head Shinjiro can take on the appearance of a great horned owl. Only from the neck up is he transformed, allowing him to turn his head 270 degrees, see clearly in the dark up to 250 meters away and hear the heartbeats of even creatures as small as a mouse from a range up to 100 meters.

[Genjutsu • Dark Wings of Defeat]
A-Ranked Warp Genjutsu
Prerequisite: 34 Willpower
This is a Genjutsu technique that allows the caster to place a large body of people into a lethargic state by channeling chakra. The genjutsu is initiated when the targets hear Shinji make a bird call of some kind. Once the targets hear the sound, they will see and hear a murder of crows flying toward them with black feathers fluttering around and falling down. For the opponents to realize this is a genjutsu, they just need a Will Power stat of 25, and then the standard control prerequisite to break out of it. If they don't break out of the genjutsu, the target will feel as if nearly all their chakra has been sapped from their body, collapsing in a near unconscious state, too tired to move or perform jutsu for the next 5 posts. If the user targets a victim with a lethal attack they will feel their energy and alertness suddenly returned to them.

[Sia]

A bartender made their way around the room, taking orders for drinks and bringing to the lot of them some snacks in the interim. Shuichi plucked at the pork on his small plate and found it to be quite delicious, certainly more appetizing than it had appeared. "Hm, Waterfall food isn't so bad then I guess." He said to the group of them in a chuckle. "So, tell me, Yukari, how have things been back in the village anyway? It's a shame we haven't really bumped into each other much these days." Yukari sat across from him in a large red chair, parallel to his own by the firepit. "Oh, you know, just wrangling spirits the best I can and trying to contain the catacombs. We've had decent success pushing them back but the spiders just...they're neverending to be perfectly honest with you." She shrugged and sipped at her own drink, then looked down at her nails and scoffed. "Ugh."

"I see." Shuichi said after a moment of pause.

Shuichi and Maido conversed amongst themselves and the others for a while, Shuichi's eyes glazing over red when Maido decided to speak through him to the others. Shuichi wasn't particularly happy with the situation, but, he had to admit that Maido was slowly beginning to grow on him. She was useful, if nothing else. Her insight and observations were spot-on all of the time in a way that he was growing to admire, really. "He's here." She said inside of his head to him and him alone and Maido watched from inside of him as the room began to grow tired quite quickly. A slumped, lumbering, stupor of a transition took over the room as Shinjiro entered, a cross expression across him. Shuichi and Maido watched as many among them slumped in their chairs and the bartender sleepily chugged a large pint of brew before deciding she needed to sit down, immediately falling asleep as she did.

Shuichi didn't react brazeny, he greeted the young Shinjiro with a smile. "Ah yes, we've been expecting you Shinjiro and...." Shuichi's eyes glowed red and Maido's voice could be heard emanating from his lips now, "And Vorashu." She said pointedly, tsking Shuchi for his ignorance. "It is good to see you again my dear...Though I admit I wish it were under better circumstances." She sounded embarrassed, a tone Shinjiro had likely never heard in Maido's voice before.