[Closed] Check up time, Inka

[FluffyGinja]

"That foolish boy... What does he think he is doing, tampering with his seal... He could release Shishire and then what? Another host down the drain...!" Akihito was muttering to himself as he had just finished sending out the squad that he had gotten arranged. In his mind, he couldn't imagine what that boy had just done. The amount of chakra that had been reported being flooded into his seal had been immense. He was pacing back and forth, his mind racing with the possibilities. His last interaction that he had with the boy was a tense one. The hesitation that he had somewhat let go of after having seen Inka come back from the mission he had been on had returned to him.

Now, he felt that mistrust that he naturally had for the boy was well placed, seeing as he had just done something with his seal. He had told the squad to remain on guard, knowing that Shishire was very good at manipulating those around him and that Inka has the same natural persuasion thanks to the Genma. Those that he had sent out had been either proven to be able to take on such a large threat or were gifted in the arts of spirit handling much like his watchers.

Amongst the task force that was making their way towards Inka, Akihito had put one of their bannin within the group. It was insurance, just in case Inka did not want to cooperate... or in case the worse came and Shishire somehow managed to escape once more into the world.

When the group would finally approach the home of Setsuya, Inka, the Bannin amongst them, Sueatsu, would step forward and speak to one of his watchers briefly. Not a moment later, a knock would be heard on Inka's door... before it was simply opened and Sueatsu would begin to speak to him, out loud and openly. He figured if he announced his presence, he'd make this easier for everyone. "Setsuya, Inka. You are being summoned by Mikado, Akihito for your recent tampering with your seal. Please come along quietly. If you choose not to come along with me, I am authorized to use force. I sincerely hope that it does not come to that." Sueatsu voice was one that was showing how calm he was even if those around him might not be. He had this air of genuinely wanting to help this boy, even if it meant doing what he was simply ordered to do.

[Ace Trainer]

Inks sat within the walls of his home, his consciousness receded into the depths of his soul, his body under the control of another being, another soul. This was his default state now, tranced, meditative, reflective. Within Inka's soul laid the secrets of the universe and although it was not something easy to explore, he was slowly working his way into it, digging as much as he could.

When the bannin so rudely invited himself in, Inka's eye glowed White for a brief second, his soul speaking instead of the Ransei. For now, he'd leave that in his back pocket. No one would be doing any interrogating o me anything if the like while they were moving his around.

He stood, turning to Suestsu with his arms spread wide, "What a welcome party" he said with a smile. "All this for a genma???", his smile turned into a smirk. Then finally he laughed, shaking his head "I kid. A little aggressive off the top, though. I'll come with you. Should I bring him?" he tilted his head over to Shinji, who had been standing silently in the corner.

"It would be my pleasure" he said with a nod.

Inks frowned, "Yeah Shinji come along the way. I get the feeling there's an agenda before us. Might need you to help break out, eh? This guy prolly packs a whollup!" Despite the cheery demeanor Inka seemed to be putting forward, his voice seemed almost hollow in how he spoke. It had to have been evident that Inka was attempting to control the tempo to some extent...or at least make it seem that way. Who knew what game he was playing though.

[FluffyGinja]

"Please do bring Shinji. I hope you understand that I do not want to make this anymore delayed than it is. Please, walk with me." He would gesture to Inka to move along with him. He'd wait until he did and then they would begin to move out. Sueatsu would have his gaze constantly on Inka, just to be safe but he would look right at him. "It is nice to see you happy, Inka. I am grateful that nothing horrible has happened as was first thought." Sueatsu stated freely as they were making their way towards the building within the center of Sunagakure.

Sueatsu was being very formal for once. He was polite to Inka and if Inka could tell, he was annoyed by the fact that he had to be this way but he would rather follow orders to make sure everyone was safe. "If I may ask you, why did you call us a welcome party?" He asked Inka. To him, that was a little suspicious. A welcome party was something that was usually expected and if Inka was doing something that he was expecting people to come see him about, this would be a good cause for alarm. Each step closer to the center of Sunagakure was calm and slow, seemingly in a hurry, but not that much. Maybe it was because they didn't want to alarm anyone around them. Maybe it was because they wanted to speak to Inka before hand and see if he would speak about what happened in a general sense. It was hard to tell the motives for this little chit-chat.

[Ace Trainer]

Inka nodded, tipping his head for Shinji to follow, and walking alongside his bannin compatriot. Shinji shadowed behind them by several feet. This seemed almost intentional as it would force the entourage to expand out slightly further if they intended to encircle the pair. It was unfortunate for the village that Inka had such passive control over Shinji, though he was not entirely sure if the village was even aware of this.

"Horrible? I am a servant of the village and nothing else, Sueatsu, what on earth could I possibly do.", he winked at the bannin, playful, but perhaps a bit glib.

"Woosh. Over your head I guess. I was pretending to be Shishire. But, I guess it was a poor joke if you didn't get it. But yes, I suppose I was expecting you. This village has a bit of a Big Brother thing going on so I anticipated some sort of response. Being a Jinchuurinki isn't exactly easy in this place yanno.", Inka shrugged.

"I imagine this is going to be a long ordeal so I'll forewarn now that Shinji won't make it the entirety of this little party we're having. Don't want you guys thinking I'm hiding something when his corpse goes limp cause his soul expires.", Inka chastized. The chess master was well into his game at this point, now it was just time to see if his opponents would be a challenge or not.

[FluffyGinja]

Sueatsu did notice what he was doing with Shinji and nodded his head once as he looked over at the Jounin next to him, gesturing with an eye movement to tell them to go round him up. "Thank you for confirming to me you have done something yourself and it was not an outside source. That will make this process more expedient." Sueatsu said, completely ignoring the other comments as he made note of them but didn't need to respond to them in any way. The Jounin he had signaled had very carefully moved back towards Shinji, gathering up another fellow member to his side and simply just moved Shinji in closer by the process of simply moving him. They knew what he was capable of but unless Inka wanted to cause a scene, it wouldn't be that much of an issue.

"Somehow, I imagine that Shinji will make it all the way through just fine. That being said, on a completely different topic concerning Shinji, that would have been a fight I would have relished in." He said with a soft laugh as he looked over at Inka. "What about yourself? Was that a difficult battle for you? He is a skilled fighter last I remember and he was not someone that was easily taken down." He said plainly as he was looking around himself, but he was making it inconspicuous as to where he was looking, which was at the bevy of other Jounin and Special Jounin who had been waiting for them to come down this way, per orders from Akihito. "Why don't you regale me with a story of your fierce combat while we walk? It will make the trip much shorter and will provide a good talking point sometime if I ever feel inclined to seek you out for conversation." He said with yet another smile.

[Ace Trainer]

Inka smirked, shrugging his shoulders and lifting his palms in the air, "You say that as if I have anything to hide Sueatsu.", he turned his head to look back at Shinji, "This is what I mean by an agenda.", he said back to the corpse. Shinji simply returned a small smile and nodded understandingly. His pace matched Inka's in perfect harmony, and as the escorts closed in on him, Shinji made no change to his pace. Would they truly be the aggressors in this situation? It wouldn't work in their favor surely. Any act of aggression could easily be turned against them, and Inka felt confident that the village, as short on justice as it was, would not favor a series of events that made Inka the victim.

"You can imagine whatever you want, but as powerful as I am, I can only maintain a soul in this world for so long.", he said incredulously. It seemed he really was going to be working against an agenda, if he was going to be genuine with these people are they were simply going to ignore his advice for their interrogation...well, he knew it was going to be an uphill battle regardless.

"Anyways, I had Sega and Akio with me when we got him. Shinji was a little outmatched with the three of us plus rage.", Inka said casually, his hands falling into his pockets. "Eh Shinji?"

Shinji frowned, "Regardless you had an entire entourage at the wayside if things went bad for you.", he retorted. Inka's eyes had a ring of white encircle them for a moment before fading.

"Oh don't be silly Shinji, I wouldn't have let them intervene either way. You had a fair fight either way. You just lost.", he scoffed. His eyes glowed once more, and Shinji simply shook his head.

"Nothing else to it. We dropped a cave on him.", Inka shrugged again. It was evident that he wanted to get this over with, not have small talk with some random.

[FluffyGinja]

"Impressive. Dropping a cave on someone is not easy. If this all blows over, I will have to learn more about just how you managed to do that..." Sueatsu said. Their little walk and talk was coming to an end though. The Kage building was not far off and Sueatsu had less to say now, seeing as he had found out what he needed to already. Those that were following Shinji closer was making sure he did not wander off or try to run. Within only a few more minutes, they had arrived at the building and Inka was escorted in. Only a few members of the group that were tasked with Sueatsu entered the building with him. The others would make their way in through different means.

The walk towards Akihito's chambers was silent and calm, at least for Sueatsu. The moment they would arrive, Sueatsu would calmly open the door without saying a word to his secretary, as she had likely already been informed about his arrival. Within a moment, Sueatsu would gesture for Inka to follow him and would begin to have the others leave while he made sure both Inka and Shinji were within the room. Already waiting, Akihito stood there... several other shinobi around that had been within Sueatsu group and the man himself stood near the closed door after Inka and Shinji would step inside.

Akihito was standing behind the desk in his room, light streaming in and keeping the place lit in a warming fashion. However, his face was stern, one showing to Inka just how frustrated he was. "I'm going to be blunt, Inka; You've done something wrong. Tremendously wrong. I've been informed about the sheer amount of chakra you flowed into your seal. It would cause any of them to be concerned about what actions you've taken. It causes me to be the most perturbed. I would like for you to explain to me, in detail, just what you have done to your seal and why it would take the immense amount of chakra you flowed into it..." He stated as he went to take a seat, his silver hair a tad disheveled as he would go to run a hand through it to straighten it before gesturing to Inka to sit down for him. It was clear that he wanted to make this as easy as possible for all involved and would appreciate that Inka be forward with him.

[Ace Trainer]

Inka smiled at Sueatsu, but remained silent. Inka followed through the motions, little emotion present on his face aside from a soft smile that displayed comfort and little else. As they weaved through the halls, and Inka simply followed. Arriving at the door, he gestured for Shinji to move through first, and Inka followed with perhaps only a foot between them. A guard, in a way. It seemed Inka was taking no risks at all. Once fully in the room, Shinji would take two measured steps to the side, revealing his master, who would simply smile wide at Akihito.

Akihito's response was...well, to be expected. Inka rolled his eyes in response to the over-the-top reaction from the council member. "Wise men don't make rash decisions when equipped with little information.", Inka chastized. It was a brave move, but, looking around the room, Inka had to maintain control of the conversation. "I've done something wrong? Your bias is showing, Akihito. You don't know what has happened, yet you've set a practical army to my doorstep, and toss accusations fearlessly. If I wasn't a traitor, you certainly set the tone for me to become one.", harsh, but true. The aggressive response from the council member and his cohorts only further isolated their target.

"As a leader shouldn't you have a little more....tact?", Inka responded. He shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets, "What did I do? Well, I took my soul. And I split it in half, if you must know. Somewhat personal honestly.", he frowned. "The purpose being to give you a piece of my soul, so that in the event the worst happens, if you're able to recover my body...You can revive me. So you don't lose, in my opinion, the most valuable weapon you have as a village.", it was the truth. He did indeed do that. There was more but...these were details Akihito need not be privy to.

"But, its an arduous process, and this little committee you sent interrupted it, so I'm not quite prepared to do so yet.", he let out a frustrated huff. He remained standing, directly behind the chair Akihito had intended for him to sit in. Oh no, Inka would not sit under these circumstances.

[FluffyGinja]

Akihito waved his hand at the comment that was made to him and stood behind his desk. "Do not talk down to me, boy! I was around when Shibata, Yosuke nearly destroyed himself because of that accursed creature within your body! I don't want that to happen to yet ANOTHER host!" Even if his words were harsh, his voice raised, his tone clearly frustrated, his words rang true. He didn't want to have another host fall prey to Shishire's machinations. He didn't want to have to yet again have another person suffer through this horrid creature should Inka have fallen prey to such desires.

There was a moment where Akihito breathed heavily before he leaned himself back a bit and pulled his hand through his hair, straightening it for a moment before he did the same to his beard. "You should know damn well the dangers that present themselves because of Shishire... The Eighth knew... The Ninth knew... and the Tenth knows even now after he was the one who got it back and chose you." He said as he would sit back down, the calm, but frustrated expression on his face clear. "You need to explain to me, in detail, what you are doing, what you have done, and why I shouldn't simply take him away right now... because you give me no confidence in this endeavor." He had to give Inka one small thing... He was acting rash but it was from a good place.

Unbeknownst to both of them, someone had been listening in. Someone who knew the gravity of this situation and knew someone that would most likely want to hear of this. Someone who had run off to go inform just the person that needed to be informed.

[Ace Trainer]

Inka couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes at the council member. What a small minded mortal this man was. Practically scoffing at him, Inka shook his head, "I am not Yosuke, or any other host. I am Inka.", he pulled his hands from his pocket, holding his arms out wide. "I am the most adept host this village has witnessed since Yosuke, and I imagine this feat as granted me the status of surpassing him, even if my work is incomplete.", he frowned, sliding his hands back into his pockets.

"There is nothing to explain, Akihito.", there was no respect in Inka's voice. While he was going along with this little show the village was putting forth, he was clearly unimpressed with the council member, or any of the previous kage. Would this work against him? Perhaps. But there was no reason to be concerned of that for now.

"Nothing, given your so called intimate understanding of the beast that shares my body at least. Fear of knowledge is not a good fear to have.", he chastised.

"Within our bodies, within the body of every living being is a soul. A spiritual presence intimately connected to our very essence as living creatures. As my body is the prison for the being able to manipulate this essence, I am granted that skill too. When the body dies, so does the soul. When the soul dies, so does the body. There is a way, however, to circumvent that. As when Sega died and I pulled his soul from his body so he could be resurrected when more appropriate medical attention could be rendered to him.", he paused.

"All I've done is split my own soul. In two pieces. Both are currently within my body. By removing a part of my soul, I am able to give it to you. Or to the Kazekage. Or, to whoever it seems fitting. In the event my body passes the part of my soul retained in it will pass too. But you would be able to retrieve my body and take the part of my soul you have and return it to my body. Resurrecting, again, what is in my opinion the greatest weapon you have as a village at the moment.", Inka's tone was that of a parent explaining to a child the initimate details of an operation. As if Akihito would be able to understand this, his voice basically spat in the council member's face.

"Inka.", Shinji would mutter. Inka would nod, and Shinji would lower himself to the ground, cross legged, before his body fell limp.

"I told you. Only got so much time.", Inka said to Sueatsu incredulously.

[FluffyGinja]

"You may be Inka, but that does not immediately make you better than any other host that has ever passed through these doors. Yosuke was impeccable. You, however... You have shown how in many ways you have not surpassed Yosuke. In fact, you've taken steps down, fallen further away from him. You have this tone in your voice, that you seem to think that you are better than everyone around you. You are arrgoant, vain, and ultimately... You are turning into what we all did not want you to turn into. You treat yourself as if you are greater than our Lord Kazekage. You treat yourself as greater than past Kazekages... and you seem to be leading down a path to where you may think you are greater than all of Sunagakure." His tone was calm, but frustrated. The way he was being spoken down to. The way he was being treated... This was taking a great deal of his patience to stop himself from chastising the boy even further.

"I've dealt with Shishire for years. I have never once trusted Shishire... You are not telling me the whole truth. Shishire is the type of spirit to tell a truth to conceal a lie. Do not speak half-truths at me. I want what you have done, all of it. Even what you plan to do, if you say this is not complete. Do not take me for the fool that your tone seems to suggest. I do not sit in my position by being given it. I sit here because I know what I speak about. If you do not give me the whole truth... I will assume the worst and do what must be done. I will no longer give anymore second chances, Inka." He stated as he would once more rise from his seat and stand there, arms at his side.

"As an aside, you are to leave Shinji dormant." He stated, not so much a request as it was telling Inka that he was not to try anything right now. Akihito's gaze was burrowed right at Inka's, not letting his eyes shift waver for even a moment. He was completely serious in the way he spoke, in how he carried himself... and in how he made sure to present his thoughts. He would wait for Inka to speak, giving him a moment to explain things, giving him a gesture as if to indicate as such.

[Ace Trainer]

Inka cocked a brow, "Yosuke was impeccible? Legends may be legends, Akihito, but lets not fall prey to the deceptions of human memories. Flawed or not, Yosuke fell prey to Shishire. He was not impeccible. That is a testament to his flaws on its own. I don't call to question his greatness, but if you are as wise as you lead us all to believe, you should have the capacity to look past the pedestal we place the Kazekage on and view the facts surrounding his fall from the Sun's grace.", this was a fact. Akihito could be a prideful man all his wanted, but Inka knew what they all were victims to, they were victims to the sun.

"In case you forgot, Akihito, I was chosen by Lord Kazekage, at the will of the Sun. I am blessed in her light. Pass judgement all you want but don't question the Sun's guidance. You are no holier than I and until she names you Kazekage herself, you are hardly in a position to raise your nose at me and call into question what she plans for our village.", Inka's voice was sharp, repugnant in how he spoke of Akihito. He would not allow himself to be belittled by this council member, and Akihito would remember his place.

"Trust your gut and play victim to your bias all you want Akihito. I am not Shishire. I am the host to the beast, not the beast himself. You don't have to trust him, and you may allow yourself to be played by your flaws and refuse to trust me to, but I have yet to show or do anything to suggest you have no reason to trust me. You think this entourage you send along side me everywhere could have stopped Sega, Akio and myself had we chosen to run away when I fetched Shinji? Not a chance in hell. They're toys at this point.", he rolled his eyes. "You have given me everything I needed to become strong, and now that I am strong you come to question my loyalty? What does that say of you, Akihito. What does that say of this village and it's leadership? Do you call into question Seuatsu's loyalty? Lord Kazekage's? Of course not. But you question mine because of a beast that you have no relationship with beyond being an outsider and watching failed hosts.". His crossed his arms, thinning his eyes, "I am not a failed host.", his voice was firm.

Inka closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and allowing his Ransei to take control of his body, he would speak through it now. "Think what you will. There are no half truths. I still need to stabilize the half of my soul I intend to give to Lord Kazekage.", it was evident giving part of his soul to Akihito was no longer on the table. "I can't remove it from my body without it being a detriment to myself. As a jinchuurinki my soul is harder to stabilize due to the bond with the second soul within me. Sega's? Shinji's? Childs play. Mine is a little more...complex, as anyone who has two souls in a single body would be." It was a lie. But the Ransei was a blank slate. It had no memories, no concept of what it was saying. It was a mouth piece of Inka's soul to speak through, and would have no defining characteristics to tell it was lying. That was one way to tell a bold face lie shamelessly, that was for sure.

[FluffyGinja]

Akihito would notice the chakra that was being channeled into Inka himself and with a small moment of frustration crossing his face, frustration that had a hint of disappointment to it... He would slowly step forward from around the desk. "You disappoint me, Inka... I had expected you to understand your position. To be humble even in your status. Yet you seem to not understand at all what is going on. You act like you are above all and belittle anyone who seems to question you in this. You are becoming what we have all feared and for this, I will do what I must." He stated as he had been performing hand seals the entire time he was speaking while approaching Inka. It was clear that he was going to do something to him, but it was unknown what type of jutsu. Akihito seemed to also want to make it clear that he took no pleasure in this and that even though Inka had spoken to him, he had only heard the worse parts of what were being said to him.

However, as he was approaching, there was a knock at the door that would interrupt them all before a small head would poke itself in. One of the shinobi that escorted Inka to these very chambers took a moment to look around at the very tense, very unsettling seen and pipe up. "Mikado-Sama, Lord Kazekage is coming." He would get only but a moment to speak this as within a matter of moments, Hito would enter the room. Sueatsu, out of respect, would move away from the door and bow to the Kazekage, just as Akihito would. "Lord Kazekage." He would state in a small bit of shock was he had not been expecting him but was nevertheless glad to have him here.

Prior to the Kazekage even entering the room, there would have been some information given to him about the situation that was being presented, but not what was being spoken about or how it was being spoken.

[CDF]

Damn it, Inka.

The Kazekage had a gigantic list of things he wanted to do by the end of the month, and towards the bottom of the list was choose a new genma host and become better acquainted with the existing one. Now he was regretting not rearranging the order of his tasks. He was in the middle of a strategy meeting with his aids, who were more than relieved for the break, when the message arrived. Knowing Akihito's feelings and Inka's general nature, he moved immediately.

He was already in a bit of a sour mood, he always was when he was in the early stages of planning, where it was mostly aimless chaos. This probably wasn't going to help. He strode into the room with a stern face, a look that most were unaccustomed to seeing on him. Just as unusual, he didn't command everyone to rise from their bows as usual, instead, he quietly scanned the room. Every person's body language was observed and analyzed, the presence in the room was measured and his rational mind began to put his emotions in check. This was not the time to be influenced by a bad mood. Though it didn't help that Inka was officially the first person in his entire reign as Kazekage that didn't rush to bow in his presence. It was a formality Hito never really appreciated, but now that it was absent, it was clear just how strong a message it sent.

This boy... he was irritating. Hito was always a little miffed by those that carried such an air of confidence. Ever since childhood, this was the kind of person he would constantly find himself wasting time trying to debate. The stakes here, as he had been informed, were quite a bit higher than before. Admittedly, he was intrigued, but that wasn't something he could convey in front of the ever-cautious Akihito.

"At ease, everyone. I'm glad you're all here, but I think just me, Akihito-san and Sueatsu-san should be sufficient. Please give us the room, but wait outside the door, and I want two tenkujutsu users standing outside the building until I tell them otherwise." Turning to Akihito, he spoke with a firm but not aggressive tone, one that carried his authority but was clearly not upset. "Before I get started, I want to convey that I understand your caution and it's why I'm comforted by your presence here. However, there are a few moving parts in play you don't yet know about, though you will soon once we're done here. Shishire is unbelievably dangerous, but also potentially an incredible asset, so I ask that you bear with me. " He didn't say anything to Sueatsu, instead choosing to make eye contact and nod his head. Their relationship had been growing recently, and he had no need to calm or comfort him. Now he could focus entirely on who mattered.

Turning and focusing his entire attention, he looked the boy up and down again and then again at his frankly creepy companion. He couldn't help but be fascinated by the shishire and its abilities, and he couldn't help but respect somebody who sought to fully explore, understand and utilize its capabilities. But he also couldn't deny the terrible feeling his intuitition was giving him. He had truly made a mistake in not making Inka a higher priority, he could already tell he would regret this for years.

There were many ways to start this. He wanted to reprimand him for the way he was reportedly treating his elders, but everything he heard was that Inka had a difficult personality and that was far from the best way to start. He could be honest about his curiosity and begin his customary, blunt asking of everything he wanted to know, but that would rub Akihito the wrong way and he was already clearly on edge. So instead, he would let the boy do the majority of the work.

Not quite smiling, but not frowning either, he finally spoke. "So I hear you're working on a present for me. I know you've explained it already, but I'd like to hear it directly from you. What have you done, why have you done it and how did you do it?"]

[Ace Trainer]

Hito would enter the room and Inka's head would dip just enough for it to be recognizable, but hardly enough for it to be the appropriate amount of respect. To Inka, Hito was a peer, not a superior. There was only one superior, The Sun, and she had chosen Hito, and bathed Inka in her light. That was enough for him to respect Hito, and recognize his station...but beyond that, well, really, everyone is an equal in the eyes of Her Light.

Listening to everyone's interactions, Inka's body would convey no emotion. The Ransei hardly had any understanding of this situation, it was a dummy soul after all. It was a blank slate, and Inka had vastly underestimated it's use in this situation. When Hito turned to speak directly to Inka, he'd prompt the soul to speak, voicing his thoughts through it's mouth.

"Eh, Lord Kazekage.", his head would dip again, barely. "As I explained. I am, in my opinion, without question the strongest host to Shishire this village has seen. I've accomplished much with him, in a comparatively smaller window of time to my predecessors.", there was a pause, "As such, I think my value to the village is immeasurable. So, I thought it was appropriate to take precautions. I frame this as a selfless maneuver, but, honestly, none of us want to face death, not even the ferrier of Death.", he gestured towards himself with this bit.

"Souls are fickle things. They're bound to bodies in some ways, and free, in others. I've utilized this fickleness to my advantage. By splitting my soul, I've taken a part of my very being and detached it from this body. In the event my body dies, the part of my soul that is not attached to it can be returned to the body, and bring me back to life. There are more nuances to it, things that those who have not possessed the Soul genma themselves likely wouldn't be able to understand.", his head would turn and make eye-contact with Akihito. While a scowl, or at least the thinning of his eyes would be appropriate here, Inka conveyed, again, no emotion. Simply supporting the eye contact for a second before returning to Hito.

"Ultimately, I still have some work to do to finish my project. I was interrupted, so I have yet to stabilize my soul. If you would like, Lord Kazekage, given the proper...space, I can finish my work in your presence and more thoroughly explore the nuances with you as I do so.", this was where Inka would bargain. Hito was chosen by the Sun, he'd surely be more capable of being worked with than Akihito who was shrouded in darkness.

[CDF]

ooooh he was so confident! Hito hadn't seen confidence like that in a long time, it was rare in a more humble culture like theirs. This was the unbridled kind of sensation he only recalled from a couple of missing ninja and some of the more jockish Jounin in his ranks. It wasn't inherently a bad or negative thing, but he did despise it. It wasn't a good start to this interaction.

He didn't feel disrespected, he didn't care about that. It's what it meant about the boy in context that put a bad taste in his mouth. Even under the position he was in now, standing in front of three men capable of killing him, he was confident. Did that mean he didn't think he could be killed by the three of them together? Did he do something with his soul outside of this to guarantee his immortality? If he hasn't, will he? He could just be confident in his believe that nothing will happen here. An overconfidence in his intelligence perhaps...

But no. This wasn't just smugness, it was arrogance of the complete kind. Somebody with a mission who believed wholeheartedly he would accomplish it and absolutely nothing would stop him, kind of vibe. That, the Kazekage could at least respect a little, if it weren't so foolish.

Finishing his summary of the little information he had, he spoke.

"Haha, you're more arrogant than I had been told." Hito wasn't one to mince words, and the combination of human and genma before him clearly already beyond needing platitudes and beating around the bush. "Luckily for you, young Inka, you're in the presence of three of the smartest and most experienced ninja in the village. I'm confident we have a strong understanding of this, because we've all considered the points you've already made. It's just that.." Looking around the room now, he took in the faces of Akihito and Sueatsu before turning to look Inka in the eyes again, "They have a different perspective and different opinion. Ones you should seriously consider."

He moved closer slightly, cautiously edging his way with clear curiosity on his face. Inka was one of a kind, a hybrid the likes of which the world had only sort of seen once. He truly was fascinating. "Even if you are the strongest host for Shishire ever, so was Yosuke when he was alive. The best are always the best until they aren't, and sometimes being the best isn't enough. His face grew a little more stern and he stepped forward, leaving him just four steps from Inka. His tone grew firmer and his pace faster, "You may be strong, so strong that you're confident you're better than any other host has been. You may be so strong that you're confident you can bend or even befriend shishire to your will." He slowed, his voice lowered and he moved a step closer. "But again, so did Yosuke and he failed. Everybody who has been wrong, has thought they were right. He stopped now and suddenly clasped his hands onto the boy's shoulders, his voice excited and almost like an announcers, having an uplifting quality. "Your confidence is admirable, your strength is phenomenal and your very existence is fascinating, but," His voice and pace lowered again as his grip remained loosely on his shoulders. "You are not all-powerful and you can not see the future."

He said nothing for a moment, merely watching the boy think instead. His body was.... strange. It felt like a body and looked like a body, but it behaved like a husk. There were no microexpressions, no tensing of muscles that didn't need to be tensed. Heart rate was completely steady all-throughout. This was a machine controlled by a new kind of consciousness. The boy had strong-armed his way into the kind of existence some religions strive for.

It truly was impressive.

"Your value is immeasurable, but so is everybody's in this room. We are all ultimately replaceable in this world of infinite time, but indeed, you are strong. You're bold, you're powerful and you're bright. You could be a great asset to our village, but your training has been lax." He sounded almost fatherly now, which he perfectly expected to annoy. He had the floor now, nobody was going to interrupt him, and he was going to monologue. "You've been left to your own devices, if anything because you're too complicated to understand and too advanced to guide. You've done amazing things, but your pursuit for understanding shishire and souls has led to you slacking on truly understanding yourself. We'll work on that, but not alone." Hito turned and pointed to Akihito, "Akihito will assist and watch. Ultimately, I will be your guide and commander through this, but Akihito will be here for support. There is no debate on that. I'm a very busy person and I won't be able to work with you all the time, and you've officially reached a point in your development that you can not be left alone. But in exchange, we'll work on bigger, more interesting things and with progress, you'll be given more slack." Deciding this was enough now, he returned to the center of the room and looked around, taking a breath before finishing up. "Agreed?"

[Ace Trainer]

Inka's body showed no emotion, but in his soul realm, Inka sat in his throne, the darker half of his soul standing attentively at the right hand of the throne. He rolled his eyes harder than ever, and the second soul tapped it's foot impatiently.

"You let him disrespect you.", it chastized. Looking down from his throne, Inka shook his head. "No...the Sun guides him.", he corrected. Inka saw Akihito, Sueatsu, the guards, all as pawns. Hito? Hito was not. He was blessed much like Inka was, and Inka would not divert from Her guidance. If She placed Hito in his path, it was under Her grace and he would follow through as necessary.

The Ransei gave no emotive response, but vocalized a "Hai., uncharacteristic, but effective given the situation. As Hito continued down his rambling, the situation would play out very much in Inka's favor. Akihito monitoring him more? Not an issue. More intense training? Gladly. Freedom? That was the last bargaining chip.

"You worry about nothing.", he smirked. Pushing off his throne and standing, he gestured towards it, "I guess I'm up now. Enjoy the company.", he winked at the doppleganger. It would climb into the throne, crossing its legs and placing both arms on the rests. While Inka's original soul looked comfortable, but intense on the throne, this second Soul looked at home. It looked sinister almost, the posture of a man who would lead, and kill, millions.

Closing his eyes, Inka would take control of his body again, reducing the Ransei into the soul realm.

"I need bodies.", he retorted. He didn't address anything Hito said. It didn't need to be addressed. Hito was stating these things plainly, there was no point in arguing.

"While there are many things I can still do within my current situation, the greatest growth is going to come from having bodies I can surround myself with...", he gestured towards Shinji, "And more souls to manipulate., sure, Inka could produce souls at a whim, but, the bodies he needed were far more effective at what he wanted to accomplish. And, if they wanted him to utilize his abilities to the maximum potential, well, raising the dead was surely the greatest feat he could accomplish.

"Shinji alone will not suffice. I require more.", it was a demand.

[CDF]

Amusement was sudden and clear. He didn't even try to hide it. He hadn't wanted to feed Inka's self-image, but it was something that didn't need flaming. It was the kind of evidence you only ever saw in the crazy or the religious, it was complete and utter faith in oneself. It was pointless to try to avoid inflating it, it was already going at full capacity. So he indulged it.

He reacted like he would have if he weren't Kazekage, if he were just Inka's cousin. Honest and transparent. He was amused. Demands had been laid at his feet and there was not so much as a flinch. He didn't even acknowledge any of it, just accepted it like a man reading a book before speaking.

He seemed to think he was stone, an impression Hito was particularly familiar with. He had gone a long time thinking he was above emotion, though this felt different. Still, it was similar. It gave the impression that he thought he was above things like anger and love, he was too perfect for that. Yet his words spoke to his true emotion of ambition. The very control with which he spoke was an indicator that there was far more to this interaction than what was spoken on the surface. Transparency was definitely his favorite way to combat such a person.

"How many bodies? Why?" He looked at him curiously, noticing the sudden yet subtle shift. He was a real boy! Slight fluctuations in the muscles and tones he used reflected a real human as opposed to the weird vessel that was here until now. So he wasn't just a husk. At least not yet. "What specific goal are you so set on that you know Shinji won't suffice? What is it you're string for?" The sense of ambition was clear even to an amateur, and Hito was curious. The answer was likely to be something he didn't like, and the answer he was about to hear would certainly be unsatisfactory, but he had to ask anyways.

[Ace Trainer]

Inka blinked, as if the answer to his question was obvious. Holding out his arms, he gestured to himself, "I'm not exactly a traditional combatant.", his voice was....frustrated. He didn't like having to answer all these questions. "Souls are picky. Fragile. Turbulent. They each offer differences, from their experiences. But...they fracture easily. Especially ones I make rather than naturally existing ones. If I push Shinji too far, I may lose him completely.", he paused. Missing ninja were valuable assets to Sunagakure either way.

"I certainly can't experiment too much with myself, thats just...irresponsible.", it was a snide comment targetted at how ridiculous he felt this entire situation was. "And considering I outclass the majority of the guards you've sent to "protect" me., he presented air quotes with this. "They aren't exactly top tier. Given the nature of my abilities, I'm a far more capable fighter with more bodies because we can coordinate seamlessly.", it was all true. Inka needed bodies. If they wanted him strong, he needed bodies.

They were something of an insurance policy to him. The more missing ninja he collected, the more power was consolidated directly under his control. If he was going to lead this village to the Light, he needed to be able to command authority. This started with presentation of capacity first. Hito would be one of the few to understand this, surely. Why else would She put him in his path?

[CDF]

There were people who were assholes. They said and felt what they want because they genuinely didn't care what people thought. There were people that were clueless and just had no idea how they were perceived. Some people just didn't think people's perception of them was wrong or bad, and some were especially apathetic to others opinions. Those that focused on a future where your opinion would be the furthest from the persons mind, you were just a momentary annoyance on the cosmic plate of this persons destiny.

He was getting that impression now, which only solidified his initial impulse to curb this request. He could not be allowed to grow much stronger than this yet, not like this. Speaking more with authority, seeing that he responded relatively will to it, Hito continued. "We don't need you to be as strong as possible. Our village is more guarded than effort, our relationships at the least likely to turn to violence than they have ever been, and we continue to increase in size and strength. We are in no immediate danger, you do not NEED bodies, and we do not need you to become the strongest weapon in the world." He thought for a moment while making eye contact with Inka. He spoke seriously, cautiously. "We want you to be among our greatest shinobi, a true representative of our people that was able to dominate the feared soul beast. But a shinobi isn't just great from their combat prowess. They need to be wise, they need to be experienced and they need to be exposed." Feeling and sounding more confident now, Hito began to walk into his conversational territory. It was a variation of a speech he had been giving to people all month.

"I have many things I wish to set in motion for our great village, things that will help the village both short and long term, and in the process give you the experience you need to become a more well-rounded and enlightened man. At the moment, your maturity and reasoning are lacking and you are not ready to move on to building yourself an army. We have much work to do before that." With the last sentence, he scanned Akihito's face to gage a response and noted it. "In the meantime, there's a lot regarding your abilities, both physical and of the soul that you can do in the meantime. Building a strong foundation will only make you even more powerful later on when you finally get access to more souls."

[Ace Trainer]

Inka's brow furrowed together. Did he misunderstand what She wanted for him? Why, if She had placed Hito under Her Light, if She had placed him on Inka's path, was he now acting in direct contradicting to what Inka thought was his path? Even more, what was Hito even saying? They didn't need him to be the strongest? That was nonsense, surely. He turned his eyes to Akihito for a moment, surveying the room, trying to read and understanding. His mind moved at a thousand miles, trying to figure out what he was meant to do.

---

"She's testing me. She must be.", he growled. He stood in front of the throne, pacing back and forth, his hands behind his back, his eyes on the ground as he walked. His duplicate sat in the throne, the same relaxed, comforted posture he had assumed earlier. "You can't truly believe that, can you? This man is no more blessed in Her Light than Akihito is.", it retorted. Inka had considered this, of course he had, it was him suggesting it after all.

He's the Kazekage! One of Her disciples. Surely he is blessed. Surely he is meant to guide me along my path just as She wants.", he growled. "So she doesn't want you to be strong?", he asked. In a moment of humanity, Inka threw his hands up in the air, frustration practically encapsulating his aura. "I can't possibly bring Light to Sunagakure without more strength.", he muttered. "Surely, she wants me to get more bodies."

"Perhaps more bodies is not the key. We need to focus on our body. Strengthening us. Empowering us.", he suggested from the throne. It was clear that this Inka enjoyed the frustration the true Inka was experiencing. "Thats not the plan."

"Then make it the plan.", he retorted.

---

"I hope you're right.", Inka said with finality. He was conceding to Hito. If this is what She wanted, this is what Inka would do.

"Am I dismissed.", he said, walking over to Shinji. It was clear it was more a statement than a question. Placing a hand on Shinji's forehead as he channeled chakra. the chakra would pulse into Shinji, and the bodies eye would flip open. "I believe it is time for us to go." he said. Shinji nodded, slowly, and cautiously, rising to his feet. If allowed, the pair would exit.

[CDF]

What was going on in that arrogant, driven mind of his? Being a master of reading people's thoughts and emotions through their expressions and body language, Inka was driving his curiosity mad. The lag between stimulus and response was longer than somebody with his intellect should have, but yet even his micro expressions were considerably lowered than just about anybody he knew.

He was thinking and having some sort of internal conflict, but Hito was dying to figure out with whom? Himself? Or with Shishire? Or perhaps some entirely different set-up that he still hadn't imagined? Was it like two entities speaking to each other, or were they two consciences fighting for control?

These were the questions that ultimately drove Akihito's fears, and for good reason. The village had seen multiple times what the beast could do, and Inka didn't exactly inspire confidence to those hoping he can resist its strength and influence. But he had no other choice for now unless he wanted the genma ripped out of yet another young, promising shinobi.

Staring at the impertinent shinobi quietly as he moved, Hito waited until he turned to leave and finally smiled, blocking his way for a moment. "You'll find I'm usually right. We have a lot to learn about each other and how we are both going to bring further glory to our home. You may be dismissed, but a sensor will always be watching you now from afar. No more tampering with your own soul, for the moment, stick with more traditional training and focus on rounding yourself out more. Meet me in my office in two days and we'll exchange ideas on how to move forward."

And so he stepped aside and let the boy leave. As he suspected, this whole thing felt unsatisfactory, but what choice did he have? Sighing once he was long gone, Hito turned to Akihito and Sueatsu and spoke. "I understand your fears, but Inka's the first real chance we've had at a Jinchuriki that can control Shishire. Unless we're prepared to cripple our strength on the world stage by permanently sealing away arguably the strongest genma in the world, we need to try and find a way to make this work.

With that said, however, I want the watch on him increased exponentially. He's smart, so treat surveillance around him like we were watching a bannin. I want to know every word that comes out of his mouth, every movement he makes no matter where he is. I want a sensor watching him 24/7 as well as having bodies follow him, completely out-of-sight and accounting for his skills. Today has shown me your distrust was correct." Pausing, he looked out the window and watched the Jinchuriki walk out. "Inka has been left to his own devices for far too long. It's time for some discipline."