[Graded] [Sealing] Brought to Light

[Ace Trainer]

The old council member sat on his desk, the bridge of his nose pinched between his fingers. His long silver hair betrayed his age already, but the creases in his brow, the small wrinkles by his eyes were betraying how much the stress of his position was causing him to age perhaps more quickly than he should have. Akihito, Mikado's lips were pressed together, thin and tight. Finally, he let out a sigh, dropping his hand to the desk and drumming them across the wood once before standing up. Dressed as he normally was, he looked out the window behind him for only a moment. Two days ago, briefly after the decision that it was time to pick new hosts had been made, Mikado had been informed that the Kazekage would be stepping down from her position. Or was being relieved? The details were a bit fuzzy. He was less than thrilled about the notion, the council would have to sit in for her position while a replacement was found. But, sealing hosts in times of uncertain leadership was less than ideal. However, it seemed now, more than ever, hosts would be needed, and well trained ones at that.

Two had been selected, through careful thumbing of profiles of the various genin candidates, reviewing their performance across the various parts of their academy days and grades. Careful assessment of family histories, teammates, and so forth. And perhaps most importantly, their aptitude for development into greatness and their likelihood of being compatible with a genma. The two that were chosen were Kouseki, Takuma and Hizashi, Junpei. Two clan members, loyalty would be easy to come by. They were safe choices in a tumultuous time, something that was much needed. Junpei, though slightly older, had every indication of being a strong and capable host, the maturity necessary when dealing with the Soul Genma. Takuma on the other hand was practically a blank slate, perfect for the complex and detailed abilities of the Heaven Genma. It had been some time since the two beasts had been sealed at the same time, an ideal set up that would allow them to grow together.

Walking around his desk, he'd approach his door, pulling it open and stepping through half way, nodding to the young shinobi sitting at the desk just outside, "Can you have the two genin come in?", he asked her. She was quick to stand and would scurry off to find them. Leaving the door open, Mikado would return to his desk, stopping before the chair to look out the window once more. Watching over the large, sandy village he let out another heavy sigh. This would be a long day.

[TyDie]

To say that Takuma was nervous would be an understatement; he hadn't been called to the administration building since he received his official forehead protector, since he graduated from the academy. And the timing only made things worse for the boy's anxiety, as the rumors of their current Kazekage stepping down from her office circulated in hushed whispers among the populace. A sad day whenever this happened, but he knew little of politics and the movements of the higher ups. All he knew was that being called to the administration building was usually not a good thing... And so his heart was beating out of his chest as he waited, the only sound in the room a clock on the wall, tick tick ticking away.

To make matters even stranger, he wasn't alone; Across the hall from him was another shinobi, a red haired, red eyed man who had an air of nobility to him. Perhaps the son of one some rich noble of Sunagakure, or even descended from a clan like Takuma was? His traits seemed to indicate the latter, but Takuma really didn't know anything about the clans of Suna other than his own. He thought to maybe strike up a conversation... but that might only make things more awkward. They sat for a good long while, until finally a woman came to get them. With a single nod, Takuma would look to Junpei before rising from his seat and following along with the woman, who led them to the office of Mikado, Akihito. Takuma knew the man was a councilmember, but beyond that, he knew nothing about the man's job or what he oversaw.

The room was circular in design, with a single desk at one end of the room. Behind this desk was a large window that faced the village, the sunlight pouring in through the glass. And in front of that window stood the old, wrinkled man, his silvery hair glinting in the sun. Without thinking, Takuma bowed, even though the man wasn't looking at them at the moment. "Good day, Akihito-sama. You, uh... wanted to see me?" Takuma paused a moment and turned to look at Junpei. "Sorry... Us?"

[Willoria]

Junpei sat silent in the hallway, his back against the wall. His head was leaned back, his eyes were closed for much of the waiting time. He wore his usual garb, including his jacket and gauntlets, after all he hardly went anywhere without it all. He wasn't sure why he had been summoned there, but it left him feeling uncomfortable. He and his sister had planned to train for the day, take lunch in a teahouse, and he was hoping to stop by and see Rika in the library but already most of those plans were on hold and he had a feeling that this was going to impact more than just one day. He simply took a few deep breaths to try and keep himself from worrying too much until he had more information, periodically hearing the shifting of the boy across the hallway from him.

He opened his eyes and looked at the other boy, noticing immediately he was a good deal younger than him. That wasn't so odd, Jun was considered fairly old for his rank. But it did leave him wondering what the two had in common that would have them both called up here at the same time, aside from rank of course. But a moment later the two were called forward and Jun stood, allowing the other boy to walk ahead of him into the office.

Junpei bowed just as the other boy did, the sound of the doors closing behind them sounding oddly like a tomb to him. But unlike the other, Jun didn't say a word. So far it seemed like Takuma was speaking enough for the both of them.

[Ace Trainer]

As they walked in, Akihito would wave his hand beckoning them, not turning to look as he continued to gaze through the wide glass. He crossed his arms, appearing to take the time to dwell on some thought before acknowledging them. Takuma spoke, but nothing but silence was given back, Takuma 's question hanging in the air like mist on a spring morning....well, somewhere that wasn't Sungakure. Finally, in what could have been a few seconds but surely felt like minutes to the two young men, Akihito would let out another heavy sigh and turn to face them, a weak smile on his face. It was hard to tell what part of this was really weighing on him. Perhaps it was the stress of being thrust back into a seat it felt like'd he'd abdicated mere weeks ago. Maybe he'd seen one too many bright young faces like this, unaware of the perils they were being volunteered to be exposed to. Perhaps he'd just held the weight of the village on his shoulders for far too long, even when it wasn't asked of him.

He took the back of his chair in his hand, pausing once more and the nodding again, "I expect neither of you know quite what you're here for.", he said thoughtfully. A rhetorical question.

He finally sat, leaning forward in the chair and placing both his forearms on the desk, clasping his hands together. "The village is in possession of two quite powerful spirits. You've both been selected to be hosts to these spirits; you'll be Jinchuurinki.", he wouldn't pause here, a time when reactions would often be made. There was no need, the term would be foreign to them as if it was some sort of word borrowed from another language. "The spirits will be sealed inside of you, where it will be attached to your charkra circulatory system. You act as something of a jail cell for the creature, in are able to tap into it's abilities."

He paused at this point, reaching down into a drawer on his desk to pull two files, sliding the appropriate one to each. "Within this file is data we have on the genma you've each been assigned to, and the various fates of their previous hosts; some of them less than ideal. You have been chosen to serve your village in one of the greatest ways you could."

He eyed them both for a response, seeing how they'd take the information.

[TyDie]

Takuma's anxiety was through the roof as the man before them, a man of such power in their village, was stoic and silent about their entrance. He began to fidget, looking at Akihito, then Junpei, then out the window, then back to Akihito. All the while, he was playing with his fingers behind him, pulling at them and flicking them together... nervous habits, one and all. When the older man finally spoke, making clear by his tone that he wasn't upset with them, Takuma couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. Though, he would not speak until given a chance to... which didn't seem like it would be any time soon.

Akihito went on to use words the likes of which Takuma had never heard. Sure, he knew what a spirit was; their use by shinobi as summoning companions was rather common nowadays. But that "J" word... he had no idea what that was. Before he could question it, the definition was given to him, and he couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion. Based on the vocabulary and words like "host" and "attached", the premise seemed obvious... but impossible. "Is... such a thing even possible, Akihito-sama?" The boy spoke with disbelief as he reached for the file being handed to him, and glossed over the words within aloud, though mostly to himself.

"...Janesisu no Toukougenma. Genma of the Heavens, capable of creating and altering matter itself. Former hosts... Wow." His heart sank as the realization set in. "There... hasn't been a notable host to Janesisu in almost a hundred years. There's a Henrin from about 10 years ago and a boy named 'Hanzo' about 3 years ago, but before those two... nothing of note. That's... worrysome." He'd fall silent as his eyes continued to scan the paper, letting Junpei get a word in edgewise.

[Willoria]

Junpei was hoping that whatever Akihito had to say would set aside his nerves once they were in the office. But truth be told, as he went on to explain things, he just didn't feel any better. He was hearing a slew of words he wasn't familiar with, he was hearing explanations that didn't make a whole lot of sense to him and his brow simply furrowed in confusion. The red-haired shinobi took the folder that was offered to him, and he looked over the file's content. The last shinobi to host this spirit, kunoichi to be exact, seemed to have been doing well before dying in the most recent war. But before that was an ugly history, and even that kunoichi had a rough history. Every shinobi before him hadn't done well.

Junpei found himself reading about zombies, husking, soul merging, and other scary terms and it left him looking a little ill. He felt a little ill reading over it. "Uh... wow." He was damn near speechless, in spite of how quiet he had been so far that was a rare state for the young shinobi. "This... this reads like a history of shinobi selling their souls to oni for a few ryo." he finally managed to say, blinking a few times before he looked up and looked at the young boy standing with him, and then at Akihito.

Not minutes before his biggest stress was his mother telling him she was about to arrange his engagement and subsequent marriage to a girl he hardly knew. Now he felt like he was being told his village had sold his soul for power. "Is this... is this a choice we're being asked to make?" Jun finally asked. "Or an order, Sir?" Of course even as he asked, another thought occurred to him. "These abilities... how strong are they? How much good can we do?"

'...if I can really protect everyone... if I can really protect her... I'd do anything.'

[Ace Trainer]

Akihito watched them both as they scanned through the documents, letting the situation play out for them as they began to more fully understand it. Or at least somewhat. The younger one seemed more in disbelief than the older, not to be surprising. To the question posted, the elderly council member simply nodded. He'd read a passage out loud and the man would offer not respite from the reality settling on the boy. Junpei seemed to need more time to process, and when he finally spoke his comment made Akihito purse his lips together.

"Perhaps on another day I might disagree with you, but in reality, I suppose you are not far off in some manner.", he let out a light exhale that could have been interpreted as a laugh. "Does it really matter which it is?", he posited. If it was a choice, would either of them deny themselves the opportunity to serve their village in such a way? Familiar with their files, he thought not. Neither of them had it in them to deny themselves such an honor, so he gave them a moment to come to this conclusion on their own and then moved on.

"As I said, you are something akin to a jail cell for the creatures. These are foul beasts, stricken with evil that will try to manipulate you and turn you. There is a reason many of the hosts have such....shortlived tenure.", he was honest at least. "As for how strong they are, the power they bestow gives you opportunity to become among the strongest shinobi in the world. These are powers locked away, too ancient for us to grasp in this era.". Akihito clasped his hands together again, letting them rest on the desk.

His eyes scanned between the two boys, letting them continue to process. "You are now in possession of one of the greatest secrets of this village. No one is to know about this. You are to operate with the assigned shinobi who will be able to help manage and control these monsters should you fail to do so. Any questions?", he asked with finality. It seemed this would not be a long meeting.

[TyDie]

The severity of the situation was setting in for Takuma as Akihito and Junpei spoke, the boy falling silent as his eyes continued to scan the documents. There was only a few other mentions of the genma's personal traits, such as it's "Flirtatious nature" and "Need to feel superior"... Great, so he was going to have a pompous know it all with a god complex stuck inside of him? He thought to decline, to tell Akihito that he was not comfortable putting his life on the line to serve as a prison to some ancient evil that the village kept locked away... But then he read on to discover the abilities of the genma, reported by previous hosts.

"...Creation of matter." He said aloud, quietly to himself. "Janesisu no Toukougenma flaunts the ability to bring new matter into existence at her will. The true extent of this power is unknown, but it has been confirmed to create matter from thin air." As he finished, the realization of what he could do with a power like this dawned on him. He would have to serve as a warden to this hellish beast, but in so doing, he could become one of the greatest protectors of this village. And the wealth of knowledge he could gain from such an ancient creature, with such an awe inspiring power...

"I'll do it." He said with finality, putting the file back on the desk in front of him. "I'll keep the spirit under lock and key and extract it's power for the betterment of our glorious village, Akihito. I submit to whatever ritual or test is necessary... I will become a Jinchuuriki." His eyes sparkled with determination, as he looked to Junpei to see how the older boy would react to this revelation? Would he too accept his fate and join Takuma as a Jinchuuriki?

[Willoria]

Junpei sighed. Order or question, it didn't really matter. It sounded like he didn't have much of a choice. He looked through the file and it was true, there was a great deal of power being offered here. As he read through the thing's personality it sounded like the two were oddly similar. He was so careful about his appearance, so proud, the two would get along on that respect. The more he read, the more he started to wonder if there was a reason he was chosen. 'Most think my age makes me weak given my rank... does he think it makes me more likely to fight this thing?' He sighed, his eyes snapping up from the file at Takuma's sudden excitement and eager agreement to house the spirit given to him.

From the sounds of it, he couldn't exactly blame him. He was like a child being given a shiny new toy.

But Jun felt like he was being handed a pile of explosive tags that he didn't have the power to kai. He heard Akihito speak of other shinobi that would help them control these beasts if they couldn't and his eyes fell back to the file and one particular host as he realized something. '...he means shinobi who will kill us if we can't control these things.' He didn't dare say it aloud for fear of the kid next to him. But oddly enough the thought was a comfort.

'So the power to truly protect my sister... and an outside control to make sure I don't accidentally kill her in the process.' After all, that was his real concern in all of this. All that power meant a great deal of risk to those closest to him. Junpei set his jaw as he finally set the file down and thrust his hands in his pockets and nodded.

"Alright." he said quietly, looking at Akihito and shaking his head. "No more questions, I think I know what I need... I'll do it too."

[Ace Trainer]

Perhaps he was becoming soft in his increasing age, maybe he just no longer had the constitution for being as harsh as he once was, but Akihito's demeanor softened, for just a short moment, as the two processed what was happening. How many hosts had he sealed in all these years? Shishire into a genin sex times, Janesisu five? These boys were in for it. They had a long path ahead of them, complicated and perilous. And while they would likely presume that they understood the risk, they wouldn't until the time came. When they were pushed to their very emotional and physical limits. And perhaps even then, worse would come.

They both agreed to the endeavor, finality coming from their voices. The choice was largely an illusion, if they had said no they wouldn't have been given much of an option otherwise. Perhaps forcibly sealed only to either make peace with the choice or be unsealed later. The younger one seemed more confident than the elder one, perhaps a small amount of naiveté. But Akihito nodded, if they agreed, it was simple enough. They'd be sealed.

"The process of sealing with be difficult. And painful. You chakra system will be bound to the beasts as it's sealed inside of you. You won't be a single being, the creature's consciousness will reside next to yours. Their words will reach your mind, their influence will leak into you.", he frowned. "And you will have to endure.". He'd fall silent here, taking a moment before standing, and walking the few feet to stand directly in front of the window again. "Come, both of you.", he instructed.

He crossed his arms, letting out a heavy sigh. "Are you prepared to die for this village?", he asked, his voice as cold as it had been the first time he'd done this exact process so many years ago. Before he sent them off, he wanted to ensure they understood. While he was quite renown for his harsh and sometimes callous tone, Akihito had a reason for it. The life of a shinobi was cold and dark at time, and these hosts received the brunt of it. They needed to realize the world was not a soft place, and it was his job to break that into them. These two were no different, even if they were surely the last time he'd be doing this. It would be done right regardless.

[TyDie]

Takuma listened closely to Akihito's words, and the process and life that he was going to live after this sealing... it did not sound pleasant. It was pain and stress, and a constant urging towards their foul influence and power. But his decision had already been made, and Takuma wasn't going to back down. As Akihito instructed them to stand and come towards him, he'd stand and follow the old man wherever he was going, giving a nod of understanding to his words. "I'll do whatever is necessary for our village, Akihito-sama. If I must die, I will join with Her Light. And if I have to use my body to imprison this beast, I'll do so to the best of my ability. I only hope I can make use of this spirit's power until my day comes..."

He didn't want to die of course. No 12 year old boy would. But he had a duty, and he was the best candidate for the job. Anyone else may not have the same survival chance... "I'm not changing my mind. If it means serving Sunagakure in a way no one else can, I'll do it."

[Willoria]

Junpei once again fell quiet as Akihito spoke. Everything the old man said made his skin crawl. The more he heard the more he thought what was being traded for power just wasn't worth it. He didn't understand what made it worth it, as an individual anyway. He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath, letting it out slow as he tried to force himself to understand. He'd been told more than once what shinobi were. Beyond standing in Her Light, beyond their worth as individuals, they were also weapons for their village and he tried to rationalize to himself what that meant, what this power could mean to the village. What it could mean to those he wanted to keep safe.

Just a couple days ago he promised Rika that he would be stronger, as fast as he could be. He told her that he would protect her no matter what, even though she outranked him. She was stronger than him, and he still made that promise. Akihito summoned them forward and Junpei followed him to the window, staring out of it at the village below and he asked that loaded question. The other boy gave a long-winded answer while Jun stayed quiet. He let that silence sit in the air for a few moments after as he contemplated his own answer.

The strength he promised Rika he'd find was in easy reach, painful to attain but it was right there.

Just one question to answer.

"Yes." was his answer, and all he said on the matter.

[Ace Trainer]

The elderly council man let out a heavy sigh, placing a hand against the window as he looked out of it, allowing the two young men to do the same. He was quite a bit taller than them, he could see their difference in size in the reflection of the window. This interaction with them was, to a degree, reducing some of the confidence he had. They had seemed like good choices at the time, but the interaction was giving him some doubt. The younger one seemed over-eager to a degree, perhaps just too willing to please. The academies did a good job of training that into their students, and it appeared Takuma was evidence of that. The elder one, on the other hand, seemed reserved and restrained. His mind clearly elsewhere now that he'd received this information, Akihito couldn't help but wonder what had the boy so caught up in his mind about the process. Takuma seemed to be a more than willing participant, Junpei appeared to view this as a means to an end. Both were concerning for Akihito. He caught his thoughts though, realizing this was exactly why he had elected to step aside. For years his cynicism had not only served the village well, but had kept shinobi alive. But in the post war world, views about happenings around them were different. Perhaps a motive outside the village and a little bit of zealousness was exactly what the village needed at this time.

Looking over at the both, he nodded.

"Very well.", was all he would say.

Taking the back of his chair once more, Akihito would pull it out and sit in it, giving the boys a moment more before saying in a firm voice, "You're dismissed."

He didn't wait for them to exit before he reached down into his desk, pulling out another file and beginning to inspect it. He seemed suddenly unconcerned with their presence. They'd leave and the doors would shut quickly behind them and Akihito began to finalize his last task.