[Graded]In the aftermath.

[Zao]

A broad shouldered man set slightly hunched over at a wide, elegantly carved wooden desk that had various scrolls and miscellaneous paperwork scattered about it. His once pure crimson locks seemed to have touches of grey and silver mixed within them, despite the man's body only being a representation of his old self as he had a body made purely of the elements that was incapable of aging in the normal sense of the word. It would seem that the great war and the expansion of all the major countries, to include his homeland of Water Country and his village, had cased quite the strain on the man's mental status trying to keep everything in check with the expanded territory. He had claimed all the land around the formerly small water country, truly creating a small empire for Kiri to rule over but expanding would always bring about some problems...but it was more than just that.

Golden eyes looked up from the parchment map before him that had been unrolled for some time, it detailed the expansion of the great five countries that had occured over the course of the great war from which the ashes were still settling in many places. Yet, it was the new lands that had fallen under the control of the other four ninja villages that had the old man's gaze...no that was the country of Gold, it had been conquered but one of Kiri's bannin in an unexpected act. The old Kage knew that Aimi was one to walk his own path, one of the reasons that he promoted the man was because he felt the village was only holding the shinobi back from what he could become if he went out to challenge the world. But the small shinobi party that had been dispatched to make contact with the Bannin had not returned nor sent word...a troubling feeling had began to slowly climb into the back of the large man's mind.

Shaking his head the man placed both of his hands onto the sturdy wooden furniture and used it to aid in his ascension to a standing position, but even as he stood allowing for his white and blue Kage's robe to unravel around him Kasai only seemed to be focused on the small country and then an barely audible sigh left the old man's thin lips that were almost concealed by a rough looking crimson beard. "What are your intentions..." Shaking his head from side-to-side the long locks of hair swayed slightly to and fro before the man pulled himself away from the messy office desk and moved over to the large floor to ceiling window that looked out across the island village and the faint layer of mist that enshrouded it. Placing the thought into the back of his head once more a faint, content smile formed on the man's scarred face as he felt a great sense of accomplishment for what the shinobi he led were able to accomplish in the great war. He would give everything for his homeland and its shinobi..

[Golnax]

TWO WEEKS AGO

Aimi Kaguya stood before the last of the four man squad that had been sent to assess or assassinate him. Blood dripped from his sword and a group of his soldiers surrounded the two of them. Three corpses of Kirigakure ninja and two Gold soldiers were piled on top of one another not far away from the ring of soldiers. Two of Aimi's men stood with spear tips pressed against the back of the hands of the shinobi who had been forced down on his knees and made to place his hands against the ground for this very reason. Aimi would not have him casting jutsu again.

The self proclaimed Daimyo of Gold let out a sigh as he knelt down in front of this ninja so that he could be eye to eye with him. Droplets of blood stained his white hair and bare chest. The sword was placed on top of his knees to rest. The air was tense but not quiet. Crickets chirped loudly in the afternoon sun throughout the tall grass off in the distance of the borders of Kusagakure. Beyond the circle people were already going back to what they were doing or working to repair damages caused in the scuffle that had ended only a short time ago. The shinobi platoon had found that finding a way into Gold Country had been easy. Infiltrating Kusagakure as it was now had been easy. Confronting Aimi Kaguya had been easy. But remaining undetected once the rogue bannin knew they were there and what they had come for? That had not been easy. Aimi had made certain that everyone around, peasant and soldier alike, knew that they were under attack. One advantage to being stationed in a village that was still under construction was that the temporary buildings of thatch and grass were easy to destroy and just as easy to rebuild. Many people were already in the process of rebuilding around them.

Finally, Aimi Kaguya spoke. "I'll ask it again; Kasai sent you here to check up on me. Why?" he asked, looking into the eyes of the younger shinobi across from him. The young man was barely more than a boy.

The boy glared back at Aimi Kaguya. "You have to be joking. You act without permission and conquer nations not in the name of Water or Kirigakure but for yourself, and you expected not to get noticed? Kasai will know of your crimes soon enough! When we don't return he'll know what you've done and the entire wrath of Kirigakure will be upon you!"

Aimi sighed and stood up to look down on the boy. "Well, you're right about that. You won't be leaving here," he stated simply. Lifting his sword Aimi swung it vertically and swiped much of the blood off of it before sheathing it at his side. The boy scoffed at what he perceived as some measure of mercy.

"What, I'm not good enough for your sword? The 'Great Aimi Kaguya' who killed so many in a bar fight over some spilled fucking food isn't going to give me the decency of a death by his own hand!?" the shinobi spat, struggling against his captors who tightened their grips and forced his head down though he groaned in protest.

"No, let his head up," Aimi ordered and the soldiers complied, letting up the pressure on the back of the young ninja's head and letting him glare once again into Aimi's eyes. "I have something more utilitarian in mind for you."

Aimi stared back at him with a look of tired apathy, seeing within this ninja what he saw in every Kirigakure shinobi; a reflection of himself - younger and less wise. Raising his right hand and holding his palm up, Aimi pushed out a spike of bone from his palm. "I am sorry," he said simply before taking a step forward and driving the spike through the young shinobi's forehead. As he pulled his hand back a small skull-shaped plug was left attached to the spike and from the wound in his brain his flesh and soft tissues began to transform into bone. The soldiers let him drop to the ground and took a step back after that.

"Let him petrify fully, then grind his bones and use them as building mortar. Char the carcasses of the others and use their bones as well. Bury our fallen," he ordered, turning his back on the whole affair and walking away. He had much to think about now and decisions to make. Finding a pot with some water in it Aimi knelt down and scooped some up to wash his hair and skin. As he washed he thought and processed.

Kasai knew what he had done. He didn't harbor any illusions that the old man wouldn't find out sooner or later. This was just the first of many attempts he could expect on his life. Wave after wave of ninja squad, growing more and more specialized as they gathered information - if he was lucky! If he was unlucky, Kasai would personally see to dealing with him himself, bringing as many powerful shinobi as he could to lay waste to all he had built in the pursuit to kill or otherwise neutralize him. These four shinobi had just been the first. They wouldn't be the last. What could he do? What should he do?

Time passed and Aimi mulled over his options, coming up with variables, plans and possibilities on how best to deal with the situation in front of him. He had an army he could call on, but the mightiest armies in the world were useless against a well placed shinobi squad. He knew this from his training., and his army was far from the mightiest. His nation was still, as of yet, barely unified, scattered, with little to no infrastructure. In short, they wouldn't be able to withstand any sort of prolonged bombardment from a nation like Water, nor would they be powerful enough to contend with a legion of ninjas who came to call. So what was he to do? What was he to do?

The answer, the grim answer, was that he couldn't wait for either of those options to happen. He needed to act now, before Kasai could react to his missing shinobi... and he would have to act alone. A well placed Ninja, after all, is better than any army, and to deal with Kirigakure...

Aimi Kaguya began to make an itinerary.

[Zao]

With the dark room, from a far corner of the room a shadow seemed to rise up from the very darkness itself with no sound as it stepped out of the shadows revealed a individual cloaked in garbs that concealed everything but a set of green irises that glanced across the room at the Mizukage. Kasai seemed to hardly react as his head turned slightly to the left allowing the light entering the window to outline the man's strong jawline. "Do you have anything new to report?" The shadowy figure of a shinobi was one of the three personal bodyguards of the Mizukage and one who specialized in stealth and information gathering, though this figure was merely a clone projection as the real soldier was far from the lands of Water at the moment. A muffled, feminine voice managed to cut through the material hiding the individual's mouth and nose as they spoke with a rather urgent tone. "My lord, the shinobi you dispatched to investigate the motives of our great Bannin Aimi have not reported back to the rendezvous point..." There was a slight nervous pause as the group had been missing for almost two weeks at this point and for an experienced killer like the garbed shinobi it only pointed to one possible answer. "...from my probes it appears that he plans to construct his own strong hold, perhaps even his own village..."

The gloved left hand of the Kage lifted up to stroke the untamed beard upon his face as he simply shook his head, the shadow warrior behind him was Sin, he had dispatched them after word had not returned within a week's time which was the orders he had given the scouting party. In total it had been around two weeks since having dispatched the others so he could only ponder what news they had brought him now. "I see...." A faint smile could be seen on the man's scarred face now before he turned around allowing his face to become shadowed in darkness with the one exception being his golden irises that seemed to almost glow in the dark as if tiny lightning was sparking across them. "...it would seem that I may have misjudged this young one." The next words seemed to contain a hint of disappointment...Aimi had been such a strong, promising Kiri shinobi that he had never expected such a man to act in this way. It was truly difficult to know what was going on inside the head of a man like him.

A brief wave of killing intent managed to surface from the old man as his face seemed to contort slightly out of a mixture of the disappointment and anger, the brief flare up was enough to cause the season assassin before him to unconsciously take a step backwards from the action, "Sin, leave a recon party and return to my side. I will begin gathering a squad of shinobi to be under your charge when you return..." The old ninja didn't have to finish his sentence, the intent of death that filled the slowly spoken words in the Kage's deep voice was enough to cause chill bumps to rise up across Sin's body, pushing back the urge to shudder despite only a clone behind there and not themself in person. Sin's clone immediately knelt down to acknowledge to new order as the clone then melted into a dark shadowy liquid that evaporated as it hit the floor. As soon as the shadowy clone had faded away sparks of pure lightning flickered across the man's body with sparks of flame body causing a small light show within the darkened Kage's office, his anger slipping past his normally calm exterior momentarily before they too vanished without a trace.

One his bodyguard returned he would attach a specialized squad of ninja best suited to counter the strengths of the powerful Kaguya member, but he would need some additional insurance of course as he reached up and touched a fuuin inscribed upon his right ear speaking to some unknown recipient. "Juu, go to the Kaguya clan elder and request all the information on Aimi that they have, even what they know about him before he was adopted into the clan. Report back to me immediately afterwards." A strong sounding, masculine voice that was nearly as deep as his own tricked back into the ear of Kasai with only a short response, "Yes Lord Kasai." Another bodyguard of the Mizukage, Juu who was tending to other things within the village on the Kage's behave immediately departed to speak with the clan's Elder. With the order issued the man took a seat back in the old wooden chair that creaked lightly as the weight pressed it into the wide wooden floorboards of the office before both hands closed together atop the desktop...

[Golnax]

Present Day

Unfortunately for Kasai and his cohorts, too much time had passed between the death of his initial investigation team and the arrival of the reporting clone for the order to be effective. Aimi Kaguya was already back within the borders of Kirigakure.

He stood well on the outskirts of the village itself, high atop the artificial mountain range to the west of the village proper. Aimi stood and looked down at the misty lake below. From this height it was impossible to actually see the surface of the water down below and, likewise, it was impossible to see the village proper from where he was perched. This wasn't a new sight for Aimi Kaguya as he'd stood there many times and looked down at both the world he had known and the world beyond, that vast expanse of sea. He stood there now with a solemn look on his face remembering his life within Kirigakure and how often he had looked to the world beyond in wonder. Now that he had been out in the world for an expended period of time, he understood just how small this misty cage was.

Reminiscing wasn't Aimi's mission there though. He'd flown through relatively clear skies and made it this far because, frankly, there was something of a glaring weakness in the defenses of Kirigakure. This far out at least there was no antiair defenses in place for individuals such as him, and why would there be? Flight was such a rare ability that he could only think of two individuals from Kirigakure itself that could use it - both of them Genma hosts. It was, thus, safe to assume that any invading force would have to contend with the mountain range first and foremost, then the lake, then the mist, then the village itself. On paper it was a perfectly sound plan of action... but it was flawed all the same. Aimi Kaguya understood the defenses of his former village and thus knew how to exploit them. Of course he had accounted for the possibility of a patrol stationed on the mountain range but he had as of yet to see any such patrol. He did not plan to linger for long.

The first part of this invasion was going to be preparation. To that end, Aimi Kaguya jumped off of the edge of the rocky ring and took flight, dropping down to just above the layer of mist. He knew for a fact that it was possible to use the mist itself as a means of surveillance, so it was important to not make contact with it initially. His flight caused a light ripple in the fog below as he passed over it, nothing more. He flew slowly and with purpose, channeling chakra as he did into the tip of his index finger. There would condense a droplet of green liquid that, as he flew, he would flick down into the mist below where it would collide with the surface of the water and begin to rapidly change it into more of the green substance, his napalm. The droplet was so tiny that he didn't even bother to worry about it being picked up by any sort of surveillance jutsu in the mist. He believed that, if any such jutsu were currently in place, by the time someone came to investigate he would already be on to the next part of his plan.

Onwards he flew, slow and steady, channeling chakra and dropping little droplets of napalm down to the lake below. Every thirty meters he let another droplet fall as he circled the lake slow and methodically, making a spiral that lead towards Kirigakure proper. He knew from experience that the tide flew inwards towards the island that housed the village, thus he knew that once the napalm had finished converting the water as much as it could it would slowly drift towards the village proper. The spiral pattern of his flight would create layers of napalm that would form a barrier around the shore. By the time it reached the shore itself, he would hopefully, if all went according to plan, flying away from there and never coming back. If all went according to plan, he wouldn't even have to activate his napalm. It would come floating to shore as some strange green gel that people might puzzle over for a while and maybe even discover its' flammability, but he had doubts that even if it was closely analyzed it would be determined to be jutsu by the time he was gone.

Never the less, the napalm was only the first step of this plan, and converting so much water was going to require a large quantity of his chakra. For the time being, he needed to concentrate on this and only this. The rest would come later, but for now there was this task and this task alone. He had maybe half an hour before he reached close enough to Kirigakure that he could drop down into the infernal village below. It was going to be a tense half an hour flying so low and slow. His only condolence was that, as he could not see the surface of the water or village below, so too was it unlikely that anyone would be looking up and spot him.

Jutsu UsedShow

[Napalm • Unending Smoldering]
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Napalm • Water Converter
A more advanced version of Napalm • Water Converter, the user channels Napalm chakra and creates a drop of napalm on the tip of their finger. The user flicks this drop of napalm into a source of water. This napalm drop will rapidly begin to convert the water around it into napalm, stopping only when it has converted 303 meters. In order to convert Suiton based ninjutsu, the users’ [Control] must be greater than the opponents’ [Control]. At the user's discretion, or until the napalm comes into contact with a source of ignition, the user may Kai to cause the napalm to burst into flame, burning the opponent or any organic material with napalm-fueled flames. The flames remain for a number of posts equal to the users’ [Control/5] before the fuel is used up or until otherwise extinguished.

[Zao]

Mere minutes later where the bone winged villain had been standing a squad appeared, though the Bannin had left no obvious traces for them to find nor discover and this allowed for the long haired swordsman to continue on to his current sceams while the border patrol went unaware of his presence for now. Inside the mist there could be found small crew manned vessels that served as a means of forewarning against large scale attacks but they too had the weakness of dealing with individual threats. Though it was not all their fault, Aimi was a truly resourceful and experienced shinobi who knew all of the implaced measures to aid in securing the village, but perhaps it wasn't that but the pride of Kiri that no one was bold enough to come here wanting to start a fight in their own home turf.

While Aimi slowly circled within the mist, using it and his extensive knowledge of the area to slowly move towards the island within the artificial lake, the Mizukage's bodyguard managed to traverse across the village and arrive there at the clan compound baring the message from the Lord himself. There was no push back as he was welcomed, within the village those who were strong enough to be chosen to serve as the guard to the village's leader were treated with almost as much respect as the Kage himself. After all, within the great village of the Hidden Mist, strength was revered above all else in the end.

It would not take the muscular man long to discover the information that was needed by the Kage, but was the bodyguard and Kasai communicated through fuuin seals it made the old man frown that the clan didn't even have any new information on the Bannin that he already did through his own information collection outlets. "So it would seem that the young man likes to keep things close to the chest...not bad." Kasai shook his head lightly but couldn't help but silently praise how cautious the shinobi had been with his planning...it would appear that this plan, whatever it was, had been something that the shinobi had thought long and hard about doing.

With nothing to gain from the visit, he then directed the ninja to head outside the village to investigate the former parents of the shinobi before had was forcible inducted into the Bone clan due to the natural disease he possessed at birth. Perhaps their would be better results there...

[Golnax]

Half an hour later, Aimi Kaguya was making his flight from over the lake to over the village itself. As he flew, the shape of his face changed and his body shrank an additional six inches until he looked like a completely different person than who he actually was. What came next would be perhaps the most dangerous part of all of this, but if he managed to pull it off he was confident enough that he was in the clear. Flying low through the mist, Aimi picked up speed enough that when he dropped down into the village blow in the middle ring, where all of the shinobi clans and the academy were housed, he was able to dash out of sight in the blink of an eye the second his feet touched the ground with hopefully not a soul spotting him, though he couldn't be completely sure.

Aimi dashed from the street where he had landed into the shadow of an alleyway and kept going, following alleys, blitzing across streets while causing as little disturbance as possible, zigzagging from one place to the other and avoiding people as best as he could while doing it in a seemingly random pattern... because it was, mostly. The only order to it was that he was not yet heading to his true destination, but instead trying to throw off any would-be followers who might have seen him and felt inclined to catch up to him. Due to his extreme speed, he was able to cover a fairly vast distance in very little time and came to a stop in the shadow of an ally between two buildings. Hugging his back to the wall he looked out and waited, observing, trying to see if there was anyone to spot who was looking at him...

If there was nothing, Aimi would pull his cloak up and put it on over his shoulders, arms tucked into the sleeves and tying it around his waist, before bring his hands together into a quick, basic series of seals and perform a jutsu he loathed - the transformation jutsu. Having already affected his bone structure in such a way that being struck would not give him away, he needed to change a few other things about his appearance. His hair went from white to black and appeared much shorter, cut so that his bangs were long and the back of his hair short, the color of his cloak changed from white to a dark blue and he made it so that he wore a black T-shirt underneath his cloak along with a pair of standard issue shinobi pants and sandals. Lastly, it made it so that he wore a Kirigakure shinobi headband on his forehead. As an additional measure for stealth he would close his tenketsu and shut his chakra gates, giving him an extremely limited pool of chakra to work with even after having spent so much converting much of the surface of the lake to napalm (Which, by now, at least one patrol ship would have come into contact with).

His disguise complete, Aimi would step out of the alleyway and make his way down the street at a stroll's pace towards his first destination within the village - the Ninja Academy. He had some things he needed to pick up from there and the list was all in his head. If his efforts thus far had been successful, he needed only to keep calm, keep out of sight as much as possible, stay out of the way as much as possible, and try not to attract any attention. He didn't look like Aimi Kaguya right then and there, but just your average Kirigakure swordsman. Perhaps a young, aspiring member of the Seven for all anyone knew. He just needed to keep this low profile up and, if he could manage, in a couple of hours' time he would be flying away from here with no trouble at all...

Jutsu UsedShow

Death Bone Pulse • Master of Disguise
A-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
By ossifying bones throughout their entire body, the user is able to change their entire skeletal structure. With this jutsu, the user is able to drastically alter their facial structure, allowing them to change the look of their face. With enough practice, the user can even take on the appearance of others. In addition, the user may also change the skeletal structure of their body, allowing them to grow or shrink by inches. This kind of change is limited, however, as the user must be careful not to loosen their musculature from their bones too much or else cause sever damage due to severed muscles. Because of this, the user may only change their height by 6 inches in either direction. The user is able to make these changes at a speed equal to their [Speed].

*[Basic Jutsu • Transformation Technique]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After completing the needed handseals, the user of this technique will be able to alter their physical appearance to match that of another person. By consistently emitting chakra throughout their body, the user is able to keep their appearance adjusted at the cost of their Chakra Pool draining over time. As this technique is quite strenuous to uphold, experienced shinobi may see more clearly through this delusive disguise. This technique lasts for a number of posts equal to that of the user's (Chakra Pool/2).

[Ignorance Is Bliss]
S-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
Prerequisite: 45 Control, [Heavenly Body Control], [Rigid Structure]
The saying 'ignorance is bliss' is not just an apt name for this stance, but also true in many cases. Using this Stance, the user tenses their body up in such a way that they limit their physical capabilities severely. The user's muscles become tense and rigid, severely hampering physical movement and strength capabilities. More impressive, though, is the restrictions placed upon the tenketsu system. While in this stance, the 8 inner gates are closed off, leaving the user with only a severely limited chakra pool to draw upon. This Stance places a -40 stat debuff on the user's Strength, Speed and Chakra Pool for as long as they maintain the Stance. Once assumed, even a direct look at the user with sensory ninjutsu will be fooled. Once this Stance is broken, the 8 gates are all thrown open at once, resulting in a sudden, massive influx to the user's chakra that is momentarily visible and palpable to anyone within an X meter radius of the user, where X is equal to the user's [Chakra Pool] as chakra bursts out of every tenketsu and forms a 'cloud' around the user. Anyone within this area of effect who's Strength is less than the users’ [Chakra Pool] is afflicted by a tremendous sense of nausea that lasts a number of posts equal to the difference between the users’ [Chakra Pool] and the affected's [Endurance]. If a person's [Strength] is 10 or more less than the users’ [Chakra Pool], they will be unable to prevent themselves from vomiting. If a persons’ [Strength] is 20 or more less than the users’ [Chakra Pool], they will be unable to prevent themselves from passing out for 1 post. The user must maintain this Stance for a minimum of 5 posts before breaking it once assumed to achieve this effect.

[Flankingfox]

Sitting on a patio couch near the edge of the railings of the lavish terrace connected to his penthouse, Shiv casually sipped upon a bottle of sake. Up here on one of the taller buildings of Kirigakure no Sato, one could almost escape the dreary blanket of mist that perpetually drifted in and out of the megalopolitan. Surrounding him were the scattered remains of many other bottles much like the one he was caressing almost lovingly. Today wasn't exactly a workday, but in reality, it should have been as he was scheduled to go into his place of work for some mind-numbing paperwork. However, that hadn't been in the cards due to the happenings of last night. Just a few hours before his seemingly incessant lounging he had one of his 'slaves' get rid of the beauty he met the night before. The only cure for a one-night stand was more drinking, came the internal voice of the champion of the village. Stretching slightly, Shiv was still perceptive enough to notice an oddity that would have probably gone unnoticed by the majority of the populace. There above in the sky was a lone shape, if he was to take a guess it was probably a large bird, but again the voice in the back of his head pushed that obvious lie aside. Nope, that was too large to be just your average bird, maybe that vulgar beast genma?

Scratching his head for a moment, Shiv knew he was obligated to at least check it out even if it ended up being nothing more than somebody having a bit of honest fun. The champion wasn't exactly prepared for any sort of combative bout, nonetheless, that had never stopped him before. Standing in a blink of an eye, Shiv pushed off from his couch pushing it over in the process. Flying forward he skimmed by the gazebo near the edge of the garden portion of the terrace. Stuck into the wood was his machete he had thrown at a fly awhile back, grabbing it the man continued forward in the blink of an eye. To be fair, to a person of Shiv's caliber reaching wherever he wanted in the village was pretty much only a snap of your fingers away. This wasn't always the best thing as the takeout was far too convenient in many cases. It had honestly reached the point that the kitchen was just a decoration for guests to be bedazzled by. Shiv couldn't remember that last time he used it for anything other than keeping his drinks cold. The closer the champion came to the figure the more of an oddity it became. Nothing like that of a bird, surely the wings were bird-like, but they were too thin to be anything of that nature. A person maybe? Tossing back the last swig of his bottle of sake, he quickly realized that this wasn't your standard individual. As their feet hit the ground they were suddenly nowhere to be seen. Years of training seemed to kick into gear when his tubules instantly started to channel.

Darting downward, Shiv landed soundlessly on the roof of a building near where the figure had landed while also making sure to listen and scan for anything relevant. With somebody of this level, information could vanish in an instant. Vigilance was key here or the trail would get colder than the village in which they resided. When he rose from his crouched landing, wind poured outward from within his tubules coating his entire body hiding his body from the human eye. Blinking forward in chase of his quarry, Shiv wasn't exactly sure of anything concrete as it would seem this individual wanted to remain anonymous. A single thing remained of any tangible worth and that was the slight noise made as the person tried to throw off any would-be trackers. With years of experience and countless hours of knowledge on the sound of wind and air, Shiv was almost able to reasonably catch on to the trail. However, the movement speed was something that obviously left only a figurative needle in an otherwise haystack of humdrum nonsensical noise created by the living village. Finding the person would be anything short of luck if the individual had kept pace and moved further into the confines of the city. Fortunately, a silence came jutting forth leaving an abyss of nothing. This act almost startled the champion who had been so focused on tracking by sound alone. Stopping too, Shiv found himself probably only a street away from his apparent quarry. Using the moment of silence as an opportunity, Shiv expertly threw the sake bottle toward where the sound had suddenly stopped. Sure he couldn't exactly see anybody, but surely somebody was there. If not, there was nothing to lose as the bottle was empty anyway. Why had the champion held onto it this far was beyond the inner workings of the man. The crack of the bottle splintering into countless shards of glass seemed to rip through the quiet alley, before a voice came floating in like a breeze.

"Can you slow down a minute, I'm not as young as I used to be... would you spare a moment of your busy day to converse with daddy?", came the sarcastic yet chillingly cold tone that was commonly used by Shiv. There wasn't exactly a switch that turned on any sort of feigned emotion. Nah, this was just how his standard tone sounded after having attempted for so long to remove his humanity from the weapon that was supposed to be himself. Then again, even without knowing Shiv was there or hearing exactly where the voice had come from. If the person in question knew anything of the village they would instantly recognize this voice and who it belonged to. A literal case of black and white that didn't need any sort of detective work.

Jutsu UsedShow

[Embrace the Sky]
A-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Implanted Chakra Tubules
Shiv has advanced with his air tubules to the point where he has acquired the ability to essentially fly; this flight is achieved by steering with said air tubules. Shiv is able to change direction on whim while flying but moves at a speed equal to that of his control stat, to a maximum of his speed stat. To activate this ability Shiv must either do the required hand seals or channel chakra throughout his body. However, once complete he is able to freely fly or hover in the air. Flying height is limited to 30 meters above ground level in combat. This technique lasts for six posts.

[Speed Analysis]
C-Ranked Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite: 20 Instinct, 10 Taijutsu
Analyzing his target for awhile, the user will determine if they have greater or lesser speed then the target, thus the user can determine a rough estimate as to just how fast a target is moving. Using this knowledge the user can predict the flow of combat better.

[Very Quiet]
B-ranked Taijutsu Discipline
Whenever the user is moving at full speeds, they won’t be able to be heard moving unless the person has a jutsu to better their hearing. If the user sticks to walking, they won’t be able to be heard regardless of advanced hearing techniques.

[Projectile Whistles]
C-ranked Taijutsu Discipline
The user has attuned their hearing to the sound of things moving through the air. This allows them to hear projectiles flying at them from a general location, even if they can’t see them. This technique does not work in enclosed areas where sounds bounce off walls/doors/windows/etc.

[Keep on De Target]
S-Ranked Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite: 35 Instinct, [Perception]
Shiv has trained himself beyond what many consider possible. His mind is now perceptive enough to notice the smallest of detail when his intent is focused solely on that particular target or the like. Recollection of these details can be thought of as if he had seen them just a moment ago. What this does in regard to combat, is make it so that he can expertly predict the flow of combat as if time had seemingly slowed down. As long as he has a higher instinct stat then that of a combat stat he can get a read on it which allows him time to mentally prepare or anticipate whatever it is that he is focused upon. An opponent which is far slower than Shiv's (Instinct+Taijutsu/2), will be seen as if they were moving at 2/3rd their speed. This is only in accordance to comprehension of what is happening before him, meaning that he may not always be capable of keeping up with the opponent(s).

[Evasive Maneuvers]
C-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite: 10 Instinct
The user has learned to maintain accuracy while on the move. This allows the user to move at full speed and even change directions without interrupting their rhythm.

[Wind Walk]
S-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Implanted Chakra Tubules, 40 Control
Shiv begins by charging his implanted air tubules. Once completed he vents out the gathered Fuuton chakra which will then proceed to coat the entirety of his body. The effect of this process makes Shiv practically invisible to the human eye by bending electromagnetic radiation around the coat of wind. To those that see this, his body will simply fade into the surrounding environment. At this level while invisible, Shiv's isn't limited by a minimum and can move at any speed. The downside of this invisibility is that it only hides Shiv from sight alone, meaning that there are multiple other ways of tracking him while invisible. This technique lasts for a total of 5 posts or until cancelled.

[Voice in the Distance]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After channeling chakra to the vocal cords, Shiv releases a breeze of wind that can travel a maximum of 20 meters away from his position. This breeze of wind acts as a speaker for his voice. Whenever he speaks his voice will be projected from the breeze of wind instead of his mouth. This is a great way to confuse people from knowing his actual position. This effect can be used for two posts or until dispelled.

[Golnax]

Shiv Karagata. Shit. Aimi hadn't anticipated running into him so quickly.

Of course Aimi hadn't known that he was encountering the most famed member of the Karagata family - even more so than Shinji, really - until he spoke. As he had no way of detecting the bannin, Aimi had simply walked out from the alleyway in his disguise and attempted to be on his way, only to make it just a few steps before a bottle came flying in his direction seemingly out of nowhere and crashed into the hard ground behind him. Only then did the sound of Shiv's voice reach his ear, instantly recognizable despite the fact that the two of them had only ever shared a single mission together. Never the less, he remembered it well, and knew full well how dangerous Shiv could be.

Paramount to anything, though, was the necessity for stealth and though he might have looked the part of any ordinary Kirigakure shinobi in that moment, he still needed to act like it! So even before he had fully processed that Shiv was among him and only a second or two after the bottle broke he was turning around, intending to face the banning and only finding empty air. He couldn't see the man, but he could have swore he was the voice he'd heard. So where was he? His head turned to and fro as he tried to spot the man but to no avail. While he looked around, he took some time to think.

'Shiv Karagata... I really hadn't expected this. He's dangerous. He's... drunk from the sounds of him. No surprise, he's always been drunk as long as I've known him... perhaps that will make getting by him easier,' he quickly thought to himself, recalling also that day outside of the Mizukage's office when Shiv had thrown a kunai at him in a drunken ramble and he had barely managed to catch it, the effort hurting his hand for all of his trouble. Back then, his speed had been on par with the mans' strength... was that still true? Did either exceed the other? Shiv was so inactive as a shinobi anymore, seemingly choosing to take the route of doing as little as possible since he had become a bannin, that he genuinely had no idea if the man had continued training or not since their mission. He simply didn't know. And that was dangerous.

Almost as dangerous as keeping quiet for too long. "Ah, Karagata Shiv-senpai!" he called out, raising his voice as much as was comfortable in an effort to disguise it. He'd frankly intended not to speak to a soul upon landing and so hadn't prepared any sort of technique ahead of time to disguise his voice. He hoped that a little falsetto would be enough to convince the possibly drunk Shiv that he was just some random ninja. Further playing the part of a younger, respectful shinobi, Aimi bowed his head as he continued to speak. "Forgive me, I don't know where you are right now, I can't see you... n-not that I'd be worthy to look on you anyways! Uh, Yasuke Muramasa, bled from the family Muramasa, born of the family Muramasa!" he greeted, using the insufferably formal greeting that all shinobi in this village were supposed to use in order to sell his disguise all the more. Hopefully Shiv would lose interest in him quickly and he could move on. He couldn't afford to stay in one place for very long...

[Flankingfox]

An individual sauntered from the alleyway as if in glee that they had surely gotten away with their superficial guise. For a moment this could have actually been factual as by all accounts this lone individual was without visual proof of an 'admirer', however when the bottle clanked and split did reality truly come rushing forth. Somewhere in the vicinity of the disguised man stood the once-powerful Bannin known as Karagata, Shiv. Having recently run himself aground seemingly into a pile of festering muck where there was no place left to go but up?! Yeah, there wasn't an ounce of hiding the fact that the champion had hit rock bottom from his previous exploits. That wasn't to say that Shiv wasn't lethal per se, but blunted in some fashion nonetheless. A fine weapon at one point was now a husk tormented by loss and his own humanity. Shiv's eyes carefully caressed the individual from the safety given by this loathed technique.

Nothing about this person looked out of place, to be completely honest, he looked just like any other run-of-the-mill soldier garbed in standard-issue Kirigakure no Sato attire. That black hair wasn't really an indicator of his origins, nope as there were far too many people with that color even among the clans of the village. What then could Shiv attribute to the speed of this person? Almost frantic in appearance the person looked around in an attempt to find the source of the words that came forth only a moment ago. Shifting now this boyish individual finally acknowledged who was speaking. Again, it's not surprising that Shiv's voice was a signifier to his identity but that is exactly what the champion had anticipated. Most everyone knew the infamous voice of the person in charge of the 'Head Hunter Division'. Well, that and the fact that it usually meant some form of bad tidings be it execution, assassination, and or otherwise extortion. One would ask isn't assassination and execution one and the same? Not in this village where the lines between death were slightly fuzzy and everyone was at each other's throats for some reason or another.

In any case, an incessant higher-pitched voice creaked outward from the boy. Such an aggravating sound would have on any other day been reason enough to leave this deplorable-looking thing within an inch of life in a trashcan in the confines of that alley. However, Shiv wasn't exactly sold on the whole ruse that rolled off the tongue. Lifting an arm upward without even a peep, Shiv allowed the familiar breeze to run through the tips of his fingers once more. This felt unmolested from what had been not long before. There was something peculiar that happened to the air when somebody of godly ability sprang into motion. Yeah, the feeling was a bit like static raising the hair on bare skin. Looking over the boy again as it finished spitting the venomously enveloped words, Shiv pondered for the briefest of seconds.

No way was this person responsible for that apparent speed?! What else could have caused such a ripple? Was this an imagined slight that I had fabricated out of boredom? These are all great questions, but none helped moi with the here and now. If this suspect was in fact innocent and not the apparition sought then maybe they were, in fact, able to answer for the crime committed just now? Nobody should have to bear witness be it visually or audibly to the abomination of that which came out of... Sa..Sau..Sauce Sake Mirror Matcha. In fact, this Mirror Matcha, Sauce Sake should definitely be punished without any concern for his welfare. Without any sort of action or consequence, this varmint would proceed to further spread the blight! No, this disciplinary action would instead fall upon the shoulders of me; the legendary Karagata, Shiv.

Shiv looked at the back of his hand again before turning it to the palm side. What had he been looking at just now? Surely it was of some inherent purpose as to why he was standing here right now in the middle of the street covered head to toe in a layer of concealing wind?! Closing and reopening his eyes, Shiv's gaze met the boy again, and instantly as if replayed exactly like before came the same wretched squeak from inside now. The words seemed to echo throughout the inner workings of Shiv's mind causing a ruckus unbeknownst to the champion in some time. Ah, yes came the clarity of his being here. It was to punish the boy for blurting this filth. Bringing a hand to mouth, Shiv whispered into the breeze before casting forward upon that of the current legitimate breeze that ran through the surrounding buildings.

"Shut the fuck up, if I had genuinely known your voice was the product of cousin fucking I wouldn't have commanded anything from you... This won't due now though, the crime you've committed is of the most grievance in nature. To bother the sharpest weapon in the village is a travesty in and of itself, but to further salt the wounds you have the audacity to greet me with the most irritating voice imaginable? I say, I don't like you in the slightest; MirrorMatcha, SauSake. So... what do you believe to be an appropriate punishment for the crime you've been charged with?!" These words came forth out of seemingly nowhere, they were like icicles piercing the air as if freezing this moment in time and making a person fully aware of the danger that lay steps away. Somewhat comforting was the fact that these words were genuine and one could assume that the threat behind them was tangible if not completely and utterly against any sort of reason. Was this what happened when you became a godly figure in the world? To be charged with the crime of 'being'. Surely now, the man behind the mask knew that the path tread in the country far from Kirigakure no Sato was, in fact, more righteous than the actual depravity that kept in the shadows now.

[Golnax]

Shiv's voice came barreling towards Aimi on the breeze, berating him for... existing, he guessed, and demanding that he be punished simply for... speaking? It was honestly a bit hard to follow the 'logic' coming out of Shivs' mouth because of how drunk he apparently was and, internally, Aimi grinned ear to ear because of it. Nowhere in the invisible bannins' actions had he gave so much as a hint of knowing who it was that he was facing, which meant that his disguise was working! Shiv must have noticed him descending upon the village, but for whatever reason - be it distance, his inebriation, both, something else - he hadn't immediately identified Aimi as being Aimi Kaguya, and now that his chakra gates were closed off even if he were to look closer at his chakra pool or try to analyze his strength he'd find only the capabilities of a competent genin at best! It had been frightening hearing Shiv's voice initially, but now that he was demanding that the disguised Aimi be punished just for not liking his fake voice? Aimi Kaguya felt reassured that he was, for all intents and purposes, invisible.

Aimi was so confident in this, in fact, that he had an idea on how to act which could lead him out of this confrontation with Shiv. In response to Shivs' question on how best he should be punished, Aimi decided simply to ham it up and placate his ego. Throwing on a fearful expression on his face (appropriate for any genin who was facing Shiv, really) as Shiv spoke further and further, it was only after the bannin demanded an answer that Aimi threw himself to the ground on his knees and reached into one of his butt bags to pull out a kunai before aiming it at his stomach.

"Forgive me my transgressions! If it would please you I would happily give my life for offending you!" he cried out in his false voice, fairly certain, though realistically hoping, that this display of humility and willingness to literally kill himself out of fear for having offended a bannin would be enough to placate Shiv and convince him to be on his way, or at least deescalate things for the moment. Such extreme displays of devotion were uncommon in Kirigakure, but not unheard of at any rate. The bannin might just consider it less work for him to do! Even if it didn't deter Shiv it ultimately wasn't a big deal. So Shiv orders him to gut himself, no big deal for Aimi Kaguya! He can just play the part and let his body regenerate in the aftermath once Shiv was gone. Really what happened next would depend on how Shiv reacted to this overly dramatic display.

[Flankingfox]

The utter look of fear suddenly crept upon the face of the boy before Shiv, which in turn produced a grin of satisfaction on the Bannin's face. Though completely obscured by the mask, this showing of emotion revealed a glaring weakness of the champion. Having quite the narcissistic view, this charade of Aimi's was all but too effective on Shiv. There was nothing like a bit of groaning and or apologizing to get the blood pumping! In this particular situation too, how could Shiv know of any ill intent? Literally, there was nothing out of the ordinary aside from the feigned blind stupidity. However, not looking too much into the whole thing, Shiv bought this story as there were numerous tools just like this boy gallivanting throughout the village. That look of fear turned to action as the boy threw himself on the ground while brandishing a kunai with intent to harm himself? Curiosity had now peeked. Shiv didn't know many children of the village that would go so far as to harm themselves over such a tame berating from a superior. Well, tame in Kirigakure no Sato terms. This act seemed to sober up the Bannin for the moment as he contemplated ordering to go ahead with this suggestion.

Power in all forms was acknowledged as the epitome of Kirigakure might. This child was simply giving away his life after a couple of spiky words meant that the life of a ninja wasn't fitting for the boy. A person like this was of zero value to the upper echelons of the village, if this had been a different situation would this boy have given up to a foreign ninja spilling secrets without thought for comrades?! The annoyance from earlier now became an irritation as Shiv looked upon the pathetic display. Surely a bit of groaning was a thrill, but this was a ludicrous display that went against Kirigakure doctrine. Standing firm in the face of adversity was paramount in how Kirigakure ninja were constantly able to overcome the more numerous numbers of rival powers. Shiv glanced down at his hand again, the static feeling had all but vanished now. There was a pull now to just leave it be, this was beneath somebody like Karagata, Shiv. Nonetheless, there was also a feeling of obligation that nipped at his heels. Did discipline not fall on his shoulders now that it was apparent that the system had failed this particular child? The whole rivalry and squad training weren't enough to mold this thing into a weapon, meaning the worth of the thing was irrelevant.

Flashing forward, Shiv disarmed the kunai from the hand of the boy leaving it firmly in his own hand. Next, Shiv grabbed the boy by the shirt and slammed him against the wall near to where he had originally emerged from. The force of the slam was enough to indent the wall and cause a bit of wanton destruction as a few of the bricks came loose. At this proximity, one would assume that the coating of wind would betray the champion but that would be all too hopeful as nothing of visual importance was divulged. The only thing the child would experience was pressure from being held firmly in place by an invisible clamp. A moment later came the slightly distorted voice from Shiv, "You're not fit to wear that headband... you never were."

Once the last word had left Shiv's mouth, came the kunai he had been holding. These words would potentially have more meaning to Aimi than just the current situation. If Shiv had known who he was actually speaking to then this wouldn't have ended with just words as the crimes committed by Aimi were without a doubt unforgivable. A weapon is a manifestation of a choice that has already been made. To go against what one was made for and to wound the ones responsible for your existence in the process was nothing short of despicable even for the likes of Karagata, Shiv who had evolved into a wretched husk of his former self. Making sure not to cause too much damage, the Bannin slashed upwards shredding the fabric that had kept the Kirigakure headband in place while also making sure to pierce the skin ever so slightly to leave what he would think to be a lasting impression. Throwing the kunai haphazardly at the brick wall, Shiv grabbed the forehead protector and strands of sliced hair. In his usual cold tone he commanded, "This life isn't for you, go home and rethink your life kid... there is still time for you to become of some other value in the village."

Releasing the child now, Shiv looked away as if about to leave. Hoping that the message got through to the child or be forced to take further action.

[Golnax]

There was a brief instant where Aimi believed he might have taken his little display too far, that he had misjudged just how much Karagata Shiv enjoyed having his ego stroked as long seconds of silence filled the distance between them. Such doubts were momentarily escalated as the sudden rush of oncoming wind followed by Shivs' hand gripping the rogue shinobi and lifting him up before slamming him into a wall. The impact hurt, sure, but it wasn't anything substantial in the grand scheme of things. More a display of superiority than a true threat of violence really but that didn't mean Aimi didn't have a part to play. All doubt was erased as Shiv spoke once more. Aimi looked up with that same faux fearful expression and noticed the distorted air directly in front of him but nothing more. 'Ah, so there you are, Shiv,' he thought to himself.

Now bereft a kunai and pinned against the wall, Aimi was helpless against Shiv as he slashed against the left of his forehead to cut the 'cloth' of the 'headband' he wore, slicing open skin and cutting some hair off in the process. Then Shiv... let him go. A surprise, to be sure, for Shiv wasn't exactly known to be merciful, but then again, he was very drunk and Aimi was acting very pathetic. Perhaps it was as simple as Shivs' own patriotism towards Kirigakure that lead him to act as he did and say what he said. After all, from the perspective of the Bloody Mist village, he was right; a 'boy' so pathetic as he had no right being a ninja... well, at least not one on the front line, anyways. Truth be told Aimi didn't give the whole thing much thought but instead seized his moment, turning and running down the street (with a slight limp for added effect!) away from Shiv.

With his back turned to the air cloaked bannin, Shiv wouldn't notice Aimi's forehead healing from the minor wound in a short matter of seconds or the bit of his hair growing back. As soon as he could he rounded a corner to fully get out of Shivs' line of sight and continued to run. Keeping his pace up but slowing down mentally, he thought back on what had just happened to him and if it had compromised him in any way. Shiv hadn't recognized him, that much was certain. He'd taken the 'headband' from him which mean that he had to stay in this form at least for a little while, for if he changed it would disappear along with the superficial parts of his appearance. That was hazardous, but ultimately? Not terribly important. The headband would inevitably disappear when he dropped the transformation jutsu but by then he should be long gone from this place and Shiv, inebriated as he was, would likely either not notice its' disappearance because he sat the thing down or he might just forget about the whole encounter entirely and never notice it was gone. That left him in the clear as far as the headband was concerned, had there been anything else?

Aimi slowed his pace down to a walk once he got maybe a couple hundred meters away from where Shiv had been or so, reaching up and wiping the small strand of dried blood away from his forehead. As his thumb brushed his hair he remembered - some of his hair had been taken as well! That wouldn't disappear along with the headband, it would just turn from black to white once he dropped the jutsu. His hair would be a dead give away, if not an immediately obvious one, that he wasn't who had said he was... but of course, that revelation predicated on Shiv actually keeping the strands of hair and not losing them, forgetting about them, or simply not be looking at them when he dropped this transformation a couple of hours from now. Long odds, and even when they did change color? How would Shiv immediately link the strands of hair back to him, Aimi Kaguya, of all people?

No, Aimi was safe, he had nothing to worry about or to fear from that encounter with Shiv Karagata. The man had a fearsome reputation to be sure, but Aimi was confident that he had outsmarted the man just now! There was now no one currently standing in his way towards achieving his ends here in Kirigakure. The momentary distraction of Shiv dealt with, Aimi once more picked up the pace and sprinted as fast as he was capable of sprinting with his current limitations towards his first destination:

The Ninja Academy of Kirigakure awaited.

[Flankingfox]

While Shiv was looking away the sound of feet slapping the ground frantically filled the air. Maybe that was enough of a scare to get the child back on a proper path, but more importantly where exactly had they ended up? Shiv glanced from side to side in an attempt to get his footing once again. This was definitely the military ring, unfortunately, not a place that the champion had graced frequently. Oh right, came a sudden realization. They were near one of the academies of the village as a memory came back vividly of walking through these streets to train with his given rival years long past. No wonder Shiv had run into that pathetic tool. An area like this was probably littered with premature adolescents being broken down and forged into something of worth. An inkling of regret filled the champion now as he became aware now that maybe that kid was fresh out of the academy? This was suddenly pushed aside when the other realization came rushing forward. There was a decent pub not too far away that served the best YAKITORI which in turn would most likely have an ample amount of sake too! With the flick of his anckle, Shiv sprang forward in a flash leaving the scene just the way it had been before the incident. In the back of his mind Shiv knew he had come here for some other reason but for now that was lost in the sprawling mess that had become his mind for today. Still firmly yet unknowlingly clutched in his grip was the tattered forehead protector and the few strands of hair that fell with it...

[Zao]

As Aimi managed to retain his identity with his own techniques and perhaps impart of the drunkenness of the Kiri Bannin, but nevertheless the pair had separated and went on their own ways while the Mizukage was still none the wiser that the man who had been troubling him for sometime had already infiltrated the village right under his nose. Kasai sat quietly within his office, his partially folded hand propping up his bearded face as he used the other gloved hand to sort through another stack of paperwork. Many things had changed with the close of the great war and it left him stuck more in this dark office than even before the war. Sighing to himself quietly he looked across the room at a large wooden clock that hung on the wall and simply shook his head before turning back to his work. Who knew that being the Kage of a village meant that you'd become some paper bitch working in an office, shaking his head once more a faint chuckle came from the mouth of death himself as he thought about it. Here the grand Black Reaper of the village who had carved his name into history of the village and even other villages for his feats over the past fifty years was now simply stuck behind a desk...this was not the life he imagined himself living and he could only think back to his one surviving child. What was she doing?

While the ruler of Kiri was lost in thought about his daughter who had left the village nearly ten years ago, elsewhere the bulky framed bodyguard of the Kage had managed to leave the confines of the outer village and entered into the slums area. A place where the village left those they saw unfit to be placed with normal people to fend for themselves and a place were normal laws weren't enforced. Juu lifted his bright eyes to scan over the start of the misty shanty town before him and could only shake his head. It would be easier to simply just spare these people and end their suffering and misery now but the will of the council and the orders of the Kage were something no one could go up against and it seemed that they had certain uses for these destestible people. If not for an order directly from Lord Kasai he would not dirty his feet in this worthy trash heap. Recalling the words he received from the Kaguya clan elder and their records the shinobi Aimi had been the sole child to a pair of miners who worked in the village that had to give up their son at the age of one to the clan or watch their son die a painful death.

"Such filth..." The man shook his shrouded head as he walked quietly with his eyes scanning the area as he began to look for the area that the clan administrator spoke about but who knew if the information was anywhere close to being accurate as it was several years old and no one cared enough about this population of Kiri to keep up to date and accurate information on them as they were worth less than the lives of animals to them. For now his search would continue as this wasn't a place the noble shinobi visited...why would he ever need to mingle with such a waste of life as the people that lived here, if you could even call them that after all. But as an order from his Lord, Juu would find these two individuals if they were still alive and return them to the Mizukage. It was clear to see that the Mizukage was planning to use them in some shape or manner against the rogue Bannin but he honestly could understand as the shinobi shouldn't even remember or know who his real parents were due to the processes of the clan. Yet, the muscular man would never question any order given by the Kage as he had seen and experienced the power and knowledge first hand that Kasai possessed and it was truly something terrifying to behold for those on the wrong side of the old man. "Hopefully at least one of them is still alive, Kasai-sama will not be approving if I return empty handed..." Juu did not wish to suffer the rage of that man again...

[Golnax]

In the muck and grime of the Untouchable district, a shack was guarded by skeletons. They had been left years ago by Aimi Kaguya to guard the house of his parents, a warning to all - peasant and wandering shinobi alike - that all who came to this home with ill intent would meet death. The chakra had long since left the bones behind, leaving but piles of a collapsed skeleton outside of the makeshift dwelling of the parents of the former Kirigakure bannin. Moss had begun to grow over the bones and covered much of them in fact, yet the house itself remained untouched and left alone. Such was the power of the threat of Aimi Kaguya's wrath that he had made before leaving the village six years ago with Kasai's blessing. No one was certain when or if the bones would rise to defend those who lived in the simple dwelling at any time! Better, indeed, not to risk it. It also helped that among even the untouchables and the ninja alike, Aimi Kaguya's parents were rather obscure within the district itself.

This would be the state that Juu found the shack in when indeed he did find it. Knocking on the door would yield a few seconds of silence before a small, frail looking woman with blonde hair opened the door a crack to look out of it. She looked tired, haggard even, her eyes puffy and sunken. "Yes? May I help you...?" she would ask hesitantly to the ninja at her door. It had been many years since she had been a slave, but she had never forgotten to respect and fear the ninja who lived within the walls of the Blood Mist village.

---

Inside the village itself, Aimi Kaguya approached the ninja academy. It had been no more than twenty minutes since his encounter with Shiv Karagata and since then he had not run into anyone else owing to his choices to stay mostly to the shadows, the sides of the street and to generally make as little of an impact as possible on the village at large. His disguise was working wonders thus far but he needed to be careful - a prolonged transformation would continuously drain his chakra reserves, and he had already gone through a sizeable chunk by turning much of the surface of the lake surrounding the village to napalm. Always he was being mindful of roughly how much chakra he had left, never knowing when he would need a massive amount of it to make an escape if need be. By now he was practically sustaining himself on adrenaline despite being as calm as he was, so stressful was it to blend in and to keep an eye on his chakra consumption!

All the same, as he came within sight of the academy, there was no one around. The afternoon was growing late and if any lessons had been conducted that day they were long since concluded. No one guarded the academy and what few people were left would likely be teachers or workers and slaves tending to duties of cleaning and general maintenance. As he was, the rogue Kaguya looked much younger but all the same he needed to be careful to be seen as little as possible. This being the case, Aimi crept up to the front door of the academy and opened it a crack, peeking inside to make sure no one was there before slipping in and closing the door behind him.

The academy was empty where he was and all was silent and dark. The main lights were turned off and dull sunlight bled in through the misty windows. Aimi knew exactly where he needed to go and what he needed to take from this place. He'd went over it in his head so many times in the weeks leading up to this infiltration of his: books on chakra and chakra control, basic jutsu scrolls, basic elemental release scrolls, blank scrolls, blank tags, paper bomb tags, shuriken, kunai, rigged shuriken (if he could find any!), wire, smoke bombs and senbon needles - all of the basic knowledge and equipment that he could use to teach and help mass produce things for his own village and country. It was just a matter of finding and gathering them as quickly as possible and so, without releasing his tenketsu, Aimi ran through the halls as fast as he could while keeping his eyes sharp and his ears primed for the sound of anyone else.

The most important items on his list, and thus the first that he went to grab, were the books and scrolls kept on basic chakra knowledge, control, and the elemental styles. With those in hand he could begin teaching, really teaching, those who wanted to know in Gold Country the ways of chakra and start the foundation of his own ninja village! The rest were just items that would be useful teaching tools, but the books and scrolls were absolutely essential. He ran until he came upon the teachers' lounge, his first stop. After peeking in through the door to make sure that no one was inside he went in himself and began to look around for the items he sought.

While he looked Aimi attempted to remain laser focused on the task at hand. Even being in the academy when there were so few people around was dangerous here, for him especially, so he knew he needed to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Despite this he was haunted by the echoes of his past. It seemed as he rummaged through drawers and looked in cabinets as quickly as he could the sounds of running foot steps, laugher, jeering, gossip, crying, screams of triumph and of pain crept in from just outside of the hallway. Memories of his days at the academy assaulted his mind and for the first time in a long time the thought hit him that he was about to give up everything he had ever known for the chance at a dream that he had almost made reality at this point. Everything he had ever been taught, every experience he had had while in this space and beyond to the village at large was all going to be abandoned...

As Aimi opened a counter drawer and picked up one of the scrolls within, opening a crack to find that this was one of the elemental scrolls he had been looking for, he stood resolute in his decision. Compared to the potential of Gold and the shining future he could see, the years of abuse and cruelty that he had known in these walls and beyond was naught but a bad dream. It was best not to dwell on bad dreams. Aimi pocketed the scroll and rummaged through the drawer until he found a singular copy of all the basic elements - doton, suiton, katon, raiton and fuuton. It didn't take him long after that to find a teaching manual on chakra and chakra control that he was looking for and after that the scrolls for basic jutsu. These things in hand, Aimi left the teachers' lounge and ran to the next part of the school to gather the equipment he needed. He did not turn back.

---

It didn't take Aimi long to get everything he sought within the school, perhaps half an hour at the most. Once he had everything that he could find and get his hands on he grabbed one last thing from the supply closet that he had looted the equipment from - a large scroll. Unrolling it and slicing open his finger, Aimi would use his own blood as makeshift ink to write out a seal on the scroll, give it a minute to let it dry, and then place everything he had looted from the academy while avoiding all others on top of the seal. It was a small pile and realistically he could have used a smaller seal but there was no time to deviate from what he knew. Once everything was placed and within the seal Aimi would perform a short series of seals, a puff of smoke would appear from the seal itself and when it cleared seconds later all of the books, scrolls and equipment would be gone, sealed away within the scroll itself.

This done Aimi rolled the scroll up and tied it around his lower back with some rope before peeking out into the halls one last time to make sure the coast was clear as he bolted for the door. He had everything he needed from the academy and once he was back out in the mist, the first part of his infiltration would have been complete. His next destination?

The Kaguya compound.

Jutsu UsedShow

Fuuinjutsu • Underwater Basket Weaving Storage
C-Rank Storage Fuuinjutsu
By inscribing this seal on a scroll or surface, the user may store anything that is 1m3. When kai'd the fuuin releases the item to be used ontop of the surface. This fuuin must be at least as large as the item being sealed to a maximum of 1m3.

[Zao]

As the frail looking woman opened the door the tiny figure would have to tilt her head up to see the man's scarred face now as he looked down at her, her words went unanswered for a few moments as the shinobi frowned slightly. 'This is the woman who birthed the great Bannin? Is this some kind of joke?' Juu couldn't help but question the woman's appearance in his head but was reminded that even a gem could be found in the mud, if these types of people even rated to be called that! Shaking his head lightly the man pointedly asked, "Are you the mother of Kaguya Aimi?" There was no friendliness or warmth contained in the words from the Mizukage's Bodyguard as he spoke, only the brutish voice of the man with a certain killing desire laced within the simple words. He'd already came to the conclusion based on the information that he'd received from one of the clan elders back at the Bannin's clan area and that was reinforced even more by the skeletal remains that he found outside the house as even he was able to recall the bold face threat made by the newly titled bannin back before the Great War began. Has it really be over half a decade since then?

Juu couldn't help but think about how much time had passed so quickly with the constant strife and fighting that had allowed now only Kiri but the entire country of Water to expand to its now current size seizing key points on the mainland that were both key to trade and strategic in location if the movements of their troops or shinobi were needed to support the Kage's orders. Shaking his head slightly from one side to the other now he refocused back on the task at hand as he was waiting for the woman to either confirm her identity or to attempt and lie to his face as he'd already garnered the truth just from the evidence that he'd gathered up to this point from other sources and the obvious signs that were right before his own very dark eyes. After gaining this confirmation and not caring what her words were, after they were spoken he would quickly grab the woman up as he spoke one more in the same manner to the elderly looking woman. "The Mizukage wishes your presence, come!" It wasn't as if there was an option for the woman as she was scooped up and the muscular warrior instantly pushed off the ground with his powerful legs and rapidly advanced back towards the center of the village were the lone tower that expanded upwards disappearing into the layer of mist could be found...the Kage's Tower.

Little did anyone know that Aimi had already made out at the academy and was now also moving throughout the interior of the village, barely one or two steps behind the route that Juu had already taken that was now leading him back to Kasai...

[Golnax]

The woman's hand clenched the frame of the low-quality door and her eyes hardened once she saw the expression of her accoster. She recognized that look instantly from when she had been a slave - the look of a man who saw her as less than the rocks she pulled up from out of the ground, the look of a man who believed that her life had no value. The look had followed her her entire life, even after giving birth to her son Aimi and being granted freedom because of her 'contribution to the village' - as if the life of her child, too, was only worth what could be taken out of him! Even when she was freed, she had nothing. No money. No possessions. No way to get within the walls. No way to leave the mountains. Her only choice was to settle in this awful ghetto called the Untouchable District and don the mantle of one of the same sort of person that ended up here of their own volition. She'd never had a choice to begin with, and even among the low lives, the drug addicts, the murderers and rapists, she'd seen that look as well. She'd only survived because she chose to leave her dwelling as little as possible, to become as much of a speck on the filthy wall that was this place as she could. If she went unnoticed, who would dare look at her so?

Now she was being looked at again and by the most dangerous sort of all - more dangerous than the common addict, more dangerous than the slavers; this was a ninja at her door, and he was demanding to know in no uncertain terms of she was who she was: a question less of her identity but more of her own worth because of it. She replied. "Yes. What is it you -" She could go no further before the shinobi interrupted her again and scooped her up with all of the self-righteous certainty that came from being the Mizukages' personal guard. He would find that she was quite light indeed. "What are you doing!? Let me go! Let me - !" It was all she had time to say before she was being carried away and heading into the walls of the village where she seldom had a chance to go. The breath was taken out of her lungs from the speed alone and, helplessly, she screamed, knowing that it was very likely that she might not return from this visit to see the leader of the Bloody Mist ninja.

---

The Kaguya compound was quiet, as it usually was. Surprisingly, despite having their own personal training grounds, most Kaguya in Aimis' experience chose to train elsewhere. He certainly had whenever he got the chance which was pretty easy once he figured out how to make his own wings. He stood now at the corner of a building in the shadows gazing at the front gate of the compound and waiting for people to walk on by. The street was surprisingly busy at the moment with a couple of groups of young ninja walking along and a ninja or two with dates - one seeming to be getting kozy with their fellow kunoichi, one looking as though they were dating someone from the merchant district and not a shinobi. Aimi paid them only enough mind to be aware of them in his path, and once he had a clear shot...

There! The street was clear and Aimi saw his chance! Climbing up to the roof top of the building he was in the shadow of, he raced as fast as he could in his limited state towards the compound, looking around to make as certain as he could be that he wasn't being watched. When he was at the final roof before the walls of what used to be his home, he knelt down and gave a final look around to make sure no one was around, or at least not looking in his direction, before dropping down to the street below, running over to the wall and scaling it with the tree climbing jutsu. Of course he wasn't going to be using the front gate! What he was seeking wasn't in the front of the compound anyways.

Once he was at the top of the wall he leapt to the closest building, an apartment complex, and clung to it with his chakra before scaling it as quick as he could and making it to the roof. He was headed over the roof tops towards the back of the compound where he knew with some level of certainty that he would be safe. The Kaguya never went to the back of the compound unless they were being taken there to be cured of their illness or were training in specific clan jutsu that the older members felt the need to pass down themselves. That being said, it was important to all Kaguya to understand the significance of the back of this place, for it was here at they kept...

Jumping down from the apartment rooftop, Aimi sprinted across the modest training field that he had used only a handful of times in his life - one of them being to accidentally create one of his most destructive Kaguya taijutsu - and went further back into the mist. Beyond the empty yard there was grass and carefully taken cared of vegetation, bonsaied trees and bushes, large juniper and sakurai trees, and then there was the shrine. At least that was how the building was treated. It was a small building, only a single room, with a set of three white tori gates in front leading to the set of six stairs that gave way to the door. Inside was the most sacred object in all of the Kaguya clan - the Kaguya Clan Scroll. That scroll was what he was there for.

Originally it had not been on his list of things to grab, however, not long before he came to the decision to make this one man invasion, he had encountered a small child, hardly more than an infant, that had the fatal disease that he and every Kaguya shared. He knew that if he only had the knowledge of the scroll he could save the child, and this line of thinking naturally lead to the conclusion that, if he were in possession of the scroll, that he could foster his own clan of Kaguya away from Kirigakure! The thought proved to be too tempting to pass up, and so he made the decision to save that child, and any other he found, by taking the scroll for himself. The Kaguya elders would have it memorized he was sure and could recreate the thing. Why else would it be left unguarded if not for this fact and a taunt to any other family? No children within the Bloody Mist would die because of his actions: he was sure of this, and so his conscious was clear.

So filled with certainty was he that Aimi ran through the tori gates, up the stairs and came to a stop outside of the door. Panting lightly, he opened it and stepped inside, the dim light of the misty outside leaking in along with the curling tendrils of mist. Stepping further in onto the polished and lacquered wooden floor, Aimi made his way directly to the back of the shrine where a bone-white chest held the object of his desire. Naturally the chest was locked, but he'd learned how to beat these locks long ago. Practically every Kaguya knew, in fact! No one came for them though because of the implied repercussions, and, perhaps, the awful memories this room produced. Even as he strode forward his mind was settling on a series of trainings years ago, when the Kaguya elders had taken him to this very room and systematically broken every bone in his body so that he could learn how to repair them. It was easily some of the most memorable and intense training of his life.

Kneeling down before the chest, Aimi extended his finger and ossified the bone there, creating an extension of malleable bone that filled the lock. With a twist of his wrist the first lock was open and the others quickly followed suit. Afterwards he simply broke the bone in the lock itself and opened the lid up, and there it was. The scroll that was responsible for his powers as a Kaguya and the generation of his entire clan... his former clan, that was. With this he could go on to make his own version of the Kaguya in his own image, and they would be his clan then! The scroll itself was somewhat large, a bit smaller than the one already on his back which made carrying it easier. He picked up the scroll and worked to get it tied around his midsection, when suddenly -

"Who are you!? What are you doing here!?"

Aimi froze in place. He knew that voice. Every Kaguya knew that voice. Turning around, the disguised Kaguya faced the elder of his former clan who stood, old but imposing, in the door frame, blocking his escape, and having caught him red handed in the act of stealing the Kaguya scroll!

Jutsu UsedShow

~Death Bone Pulse • Lockpick
E-Ranked Taijutsu
The user will place their finger against a lock, ossifying the tip of their fingers, and then forcing it forward into the lock. The produced bone will fill into the lock, producing a key that can then be used to open the lock, or saved for the future. The bone is brittle, and will break rather easily if under too much pressure.

[Diatenshi]

Most would find it unnerving to run along side Chisaki. She didn't sweat and her breathing never seemed labored no matter how hard she ran. Especially, when she'd been going practically non-stop without any sleep. She'd been rushing in an effort to make it back to Kirigakure before it was too late. When the initial task force had failed to respond Chisaki had been selected to check in due to her unique transformation abilities.

Her mission was, at least on paper, simple. Discover what happened to the initial task force and complete their mission if possible. While within Gold country, she'd inadvertently uncovered a plot to attack Kirigakure no Sato. The nature of the discovery forced her to return to Kiri immediately with all possible haste. As such she hadnt slept and had rarely eaten devouring only a handful of random strangers to ensure she didn't "starve" as she made her way back.

The viral shinobi's face was morphed into an inhuman form as she replicated an HHD mask of her own design, not one to ever wear actual clothing. She entered the village through one of their private entrances. She didn't have time to be held up at the main gates. Rushing straight towards the Kage tower in the center of the Village. Due to the urgency and time sensitive nature of her task she ignored the entry guards causing quite a stir when they tried to apprehend her until they saw the mask. She was sure she'd hear the complaints from her superiors within the HHD for causing a ruckus, but she didn't have time to deal with plebians. Besides, if her actions helped protect the village she was sure her violation of protocol would be ignored.

She made her way to the Mizukage's office and called out to him from outside. "Lord Mizukage! HHD operator Chiyōkin reporting on the gold country situation." She'd announce her purpose as she entered his office and continuing with her message. "Kirigakure needs to prepare for an imminent attack. Kaguya Aimi is on his way or could even quite possibly already here! He's turned traitor!"

[Zao]

The moment the young chuunin HHD member had entered the door a pair of blades, one rapier style and one fist weapon could be found pressed to her neck as two of the guards on duty where from the SSM. Though they didn't kill the Kiri-nin immediately and instead looked to the Mizukage who had yet to rise from his seat but was instead simply staring at her with almost glowing yellow irises in the darkened room. It was almost like one could see lightning bolts sparking around inside each of the old man's eyes as he simply gave a glance towards the two older men who quickly withdrew allowing for Chisaki to finish the words which she was shouting from outside the Mizukage's office door. It was something of great interest to him as this mission was something he had tasked out two or three weeks ago with little to hear back from the shadow stalkers who had been attempting to gather intelligence on what the Kiri Bannin had been up to. Finally, it seemed he would be delivered the answer to his questions even though part of him already assumed the worst due to the actions that Aimi had demonstrated.

"Sou ka...." Kasai placed both hands on the sturdy wooden desk as he appeared to use it in order to stand straightening out his slightly humped over figure to his full height that towered over most individual, a few whisper-like words slipped from the bearded man's mouth in an old language before he sighed and turned to look out the large pane window behind him to revealed a good portion of the village. "You have done well, Chisaki-san. If I know that man then you are probably right in assuming that he's already within the village. Swordsman!" A sharpened gaze of killing intent swept through the entire room as one could feel the strength of the Kage as he simply turned his head to look upon the three shinobi in his office before calling directly to the two Swordsmen Members. "Have the village placed on lockdown, find and locate this traitor..." There was a short pause as the words of the Reaper carried the air of death with each annunciation. "...I will deal with this man personally...Death will be his punishment..."

The elemental energy of fire and lightning burst forth from around each of the man's arms causing a shockwave like force to push off from the man as all the office funiture was pushed away from him and the glass window before him shattered....the two SSM froze in fear for a moment before both feeling beads of cold seat forming on their bodies. Luckily, they were not the target of the Kage's anger and instantly dashed out of the room with their top speed spreading the world that the village was to be locked down and the traitorous dog found and his location relayed to the Kage. While the two swordsman vanished Kasai's feet floated up from the ground as he flew out of the shattered window and up to the tip of the Mizukage Tower where his feet lightly tapped down, his Kage's cloak had its sleeves burn off from the flash of elemental energy that had leaked out of each of the man's muscular looking arms as the tattered pieces flapped quietly in the gentle breeze that circulated within the faint layer of mist that blanketed his village.

"So he has come...but I'm sure he won't be able to stay quiet forever..." Kasai believed that he knew enough about the young man to understand that sooner or later things would turn up a notch and he would be revealed to the world and in that moment he would find him as his eyes became like those of a hawk peering down across the outline of the building within his line of site below. A predator looking for his next prey, simply waiting for the disturbance to happen as things never truly went to plan for a shinobi...without a doubt in the old man's mind soon a battle to be remembered would happen and on this day he'd either prove himself to be the stronger shinobi within the village or he'd die like a true warrior. Both of the powerful looking arms folded over one another as they came to rest upon the man's chest...waiting for his opponent to reveal himself now...

As the large pieces of the window panes crashed into the ground outside of the Kage's tower, the muscular man carrying a frail and unconscious woman looked up from just ouside the range of that glass. Juu could bot only see but feel the elemental fury swirling inside his Lord and found himself taking a half step back. But he was sure that his lord wasn't in any danger and proceeded with his mission and ascended the tower vefore depositing the mother of Aimi into the Kage's messy office before securing the door. He'd heard from one of the passing shinobi of the news and he couldn't help but smile as he knew that today the Bannin would meet his end...

[Golnax]

The pair stared each other down for a long interval of time, both trying to figure out what was best to do in this situation with the information that they had. For Aimi's part, he was trying to figure out how his presence had been detected. He should have read as someone with chakra so minuscule that it wasn't worth worrying about it. His face was completely different. He had come through quietly over the roof tops and made his way here as quickly as possible. Had he been seen? Had he been watched without his realizing it? Now that he had been discovered here, what was he to do now?

One thing was certain; he needed to stall for time. Just a little bit, enough to decide what the best course of action was. His options were limited... "How did you know I was here?" Aimi asked, not bothering to disguise his voice.

"That voice... is that Kaguya Aimi I hear?" the elder asked, his eyes narrowing with scrutiny. The young looking shinobi looked nothing like the always near-nude ninja that he was familiar with after all. Aimi declined to answer, neither confirming nor denying that he was who he was being accused of. The elder decided it didn't matter. "There are sensory jutsu placed all around this shrine that alert me the instant that anyone approaches it. I am always near by to protect that which is most precious to this clan; the means by which we reproduce."

Ah, so that had been it. Tucked away, hidden from sight, perhaps attached to the tori gates or just as a general bubble around this misty garden were sensory jutsu. It came as no real surprise to Aimi that even now there were things even a bannin (well, former bannin he supposed) like himself wasn't privy to in this village. The revelation was mostly just disappointing. No sooner had the elder finished speaking, however, than two other, younger Kaguya stepped out from behind the doorway outside to act as sentinels behind the leader of the Kaguya clan.

"If you are Aimi Kaguya, I am going to have to insist that you put the scroll down and come with me. You have some questions to answer because of this. If I am mistaken, then be warned; for this transgression, you will not leave this room alive!" the elder challenged, never once taking his eyes off of the disguised Aimi. The two younger Kaguya members behind the elder tensed up, readying themselves for battle that might break out any moment now. Aimi remained quiet for a moment, trying to run through his options in his head but it was no good; he could see no way out of this: Save for one.

"No, I don't think I will put this scroll down," Aimi replied calmly, turning to face the trio fully and tucking the scroll underneath his left arm. "It can do so much more good elsewhere, in my hands." His words were both but in truth Aimi was slightly intimidated. The clan elder had over seen a portion of his training as a shinobi personally. Most of what Aimi could do with his kekkei genkai was known to the old man, as was his general tool kit for combat - it wasn't exactly a secret in the village, after all, that he favored the Iaido style of sword play, katon ninjutsu and Strong Fist style of fighting. He'd learned a few new tricks while out in the world, true, but nothing that wouldn't immediately alert Kirigakure at large of his presence. Thus far only the three Kaguya before him knew that he was there in the village and had a more or less concrete confirmation that he was Aimi Kaguya. If possible he wanted to keep it that way.

More than any of this though was the fact that Aimi was unfamiliar with what the three before him could do. It was his ever slothful nature that kept him from keeping any sort of mental notes or records of what his fellow ninja of Kirigakure had been capable of, thus he knew only this much; these were Kaguya clansmen he was facing, and being a Kaguya himself, he understood intimately how dangerous they were simply by their kekkei genkai alone. It truly wasn't a boast (at least from his perspective!) that the Kaguya were easily the most powerful clan in all of the Bloody Mist village, meaning that he was now staring down three of the most capable ninja in the entire village. To say that this situation was dangerous would have been a gross understatement; it was suicidal.

The situation only grew worse as, from behind the trio, came a fourth ninja appearing in a flash and gaining the attention of the other three Kaguya, though the elder never once took his eyes away from Aimi. The masked ninja stepped forward past the two young Kaguya and knelt down to whisper into the elders' ear, being wise enough not to say whatever it was that she had come to say out loud. The leader of the Kaguya stiffened and stood up straight, taking in a deep breath and letting some of it out in a sharp huff. "So! You've not only come to steal the most sacred object of this clan, but you come as a traitor as well, Aimi Kaguya! You will know pain for this!" the elder declared, now all four of the ninja were on high alert and readying themselves to pounce at any moment.

Thus, Aimi was left with but only one solution; his trump card.
phpBB [video] A wave of visible blue chakra washed over the four ninja and beyond into the vegetated path leading up to the shrine and behind it all the way up to the training ground in the compound and high into the sky as Aimi Kaguya released his hold upon his tenketsu all at once, throwing open all eight of his chakra gates at once and unleashing the full fury and force of his raw chakra in the surrounding area. The effect was immediate upon the rear three shinobi who all wobbled in place before falling over unconcious. Only the Elder was able to withstand the physical force of Aimis' chakra, but even he flinched and threw his arms up reflexively. It was a reflex that would prove deadly for the old man. For in the same instant that he had released his chakra, Aimi ossified bone in his right palm and pushed a spike out from it then, his full speed now at his disposal, he would rush forward in less than a blink and thrust the spike into the bottom of the throat of the old man, a guttural, wet gasp escaping his lips as the pain washed over him. Aimi was quick to withdraw his arm and leave the skull shaped plug in the Elders' throat, the barbs on the spike dug deep into the flesh of his neck. Blood would pool down the old mans' throat and though in excruciating pain, he was still alive for the moment. Not for long.

"Can you feel it?" Aimi would ask, watching as his jutsu already began to work its' macabre wonder. "That tightening feeling in your skin, the pain of your cells dying rapidly, being turned to bone. I've killed you in the most just way possible, old man; I've inflicted the disease you were cured of so very long ago." Aimi was cold as he spoke, staring down into the old, hard eyes of the Kaguya clan leader as he reached up and clawed at his throat. Already the bleeding had stopped internally but what took its' place was so much worse. The ossification was slow and agonizing, but so much faster than it had been when they were all infants.

"You can take the plug out of your throat by force, but if you do you'll have a fist-sized hole in your neck and you will bleed out in a matter of seconds. The longer its' in, though, the more of your flesh will be turned to bone. Eventually, your entire body will be ossified. It's just a question of what will turn first: your heart or your brain..." Aimi glared at the old man who refused to show fear at his own demise to the treacherous Kaguya who stood before him, his gnarled fingers curling into fists as the rogue ninjas' words began to sink in and knowing that he was dying the death he should have died so many decades ago were it not for the grace of the Kaguya clan.

"I'm taking this scroll with me, and I'll form a new Kaguya clan," Aimi went on speaking, stepping past the dying elder and moving the scroll over the one he already wore and securing it in the same manner. "A better clan, free from all this... this... I'm not even going to justify it with words. You know what you've done." Aimi paused as he heard the elders' knees touch the shrine floor. Looking back over his shoulder at the slumped over old man, he could already see the creeping corrosion of bone slither up the back of his neck and into his hair line. It was immensely satisfying to behold.

"This is goodbye, then," Aimi said and then he was gone, leaving three of the ninja there unconscious and one dying, soon to be dead. He rushed through the village, now no longer trying to hide his presence with stealth but rather through raw speed alone. He had obtained his second objective and now he had but only one thing left to get in this village before he could leave it all behind for the rest of his life:

His parents.

---

Deposited on the floor of the Mizukages' office, Aimi's mother groaned weakly and pushed herself up onto her knees, her whole body thin and meek, hardly more than a skeleton. One look at her from anyone with any level of medical knowledge would know that she was frail from some form of malnutrition and as she lifted her head and looked around the office at first her eyes seemed glazed and distant. She focused them, though, and saw that she was in a room that, even now, mildly destroyed as it was, was finer than most rooms she'd been in her entire life. She turned her head from side to side and looked to the door, seeing that it was guarded. No point in trying to run she quickly concluded.

Turning her head yet again she would meet the visage of Kasai, striking red hair and imposing form before her, easily one of the most intimidating figures she'd seen in her life since the masters she used to work for. She took in a sharp breath upon seeing this frightening man but steeled herself quickly enough despite her frailty. The initial look of fear and surprise gave way to something like determination, her mouth drawing itself into a hard line. Taking another breath to steady herself, the woman pulled herself up onto her knees and sat down on her calves, straightening her clothes as best as she could and running her hands through her hair to try and make herself presentable as quickly as possible while not rushing. She seemed to take her time and be deliberate with her every action despite the person whose company she was in.

When her hair was in as satisfactory a position as she could get it, naught but a humble bun, the blond woman would sit up straight and place her hands above her knees before looking upon Kasai and addressing him formerly. "Hail to the Mizukage, ruler of the Bloody Mist village... that's correct, isn't it? You are the Mizukage?" she would ask and her tone was steady if not quiet, her annunciation poignant and precise. She sat before Kasai as a woman with no fear, or had merely become an expert at hiding it.

Jutsu UsedShow

Unleashed:

[Ignorance Is Bliss]
S-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
Prerequisite: 45 Control, [Heavenly Body Control], [Rigid Structure]
The saying 'ignorance is bliss' is not just an apt name for this stance, but also true in many cases. Using this Stance, the user tenses their body up in such a way that they limit their physical capabilities severely. The user's muscles become tense and rigid, severely hampering physical movement and strength capabilities. More impressive, though, is the restrictions placed upon the tenketsu system. While in this stance, the 8 inner gates are closed off, leaving the user with only a severely limited chakra pool to draw upon. This Stance places a -40 stat debuff on the user's Strength, Speed and Chakra Pool for as long as they maintain the Stance. Once assumed, even a direct look at the user with sensory ninjutsu will be fooled. Once this Stance is broken, the 8 gates are all thrown open at once, resulting in a sudden, massive influx to the user's chakra that is momentarily visible and palpable to anyone within an X meter radius of the user, where X is equal to the user's [Chakra Pool] as chakra bursts out of every tenketsu and forms a 'cloud' around the user. Anyone within this area of effect who's Strength is less than the users’ [Chakra Pool] is afflicted by a tremendous sense of nausea that lasts a number of posts equal to the difference between the users’ [Chakra Pool] and the affected's [Endurance]. If a person's [Strength] is 10 or more less than the users’ [Chakra Pool], they will be unable to prevent themselves from vomiting. If a persons’ [Strength] is 20 or more less than the users’ [Chakra Pool], they will be unable to prevent themselves from passing out for 1 post. The user must maintain this Stance for a minimum of 5 posts before breaking it once assumed to achieve this effect.

Newly used:

Death Bone Pulse • Heterotopic Ossification
A-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
The user creates a spike of bone with three hook like prongs in the palm of their hand then rams it into the target's flesh. Pulling their hand away, the user leaves behind a skull shaped "plug". Over the course of 10 posts, this plug will spread a layer of bone throughout the target's soft tissues, gradually spreading out from the point of origin until the entire body is covered at a speed of 1. This technique acts as a paralytic as it spreads through the limbs of the victim. This is only effective if the users [Strength] is greater than the targets [Endurance]. At any time, the person afflicted by this jutsu may forcefully remove the plug, stopping the jutsu, or break off sections of ossified flesh at the cost of massive physical trauma. Removing the plug or breaking ossified flesh requires 20 [Strength].

[Zao]

Hearing that his personal guard had secured the woman and was ascending the tower allowed for the man's serious face to smirk ever so slightly as the left corner of his mouth rose upwards now and just like before he seemed to levitate as he returned back through the broken window in his office landing without a sound only moments before the elderly looking woman was placed into his office. Without a word the guard simply bowed deeply and left the room securing the door behind him now. His golden eyes gazed over the mother of the famed Kaguya Bannin, observing her appearance and actions closely as she regained her situational awareness from the brisk trip to the Kage's tower from the outer limit of the village. As the woman took in her surroundings and noticed him she sat up on the floor straightening her clothing and hair as if she needed to look presentable for the man she most likely didn't even know. But Kasai simply allowed his golden eyes to linger on her for a moment before he reached out with one hand towards the chair that was on the other side of the room causing a gust of wind to slide the chair back over to him as he took a seat at the handcrafted desk

Simply folding his fingers together and placing his elbows on the desk the Mizukage sat in silence allowing for his chin to come to rest upon the interlocked hands as the woman before him finished her preparations and addressed him formally. With a gentle nod of his head the man couldn't help but admire the woman's strength despite her level of uselessness to the village, perhaps this was a trait which Aimi had inherited from her. His fingers would break apart and with a wave of his hand another air current pulled one of the other chairs from across the room coming to stop a few meters from the front of the large desk before another gentle breeze would be felt around the woman. Her body would be lifted and placed just as gently into the see, "Please sit..." The words of the Reaper which like an eerie whisper that seemed to linger in the dimly lit office air, as if spoken by Death itself. He had planned to say more but from a shadowy corner of his office space a dark garbed figure emerged, "My lord, a disturbance has been detected from the Kaguya compound." Kasai didn't speak a word and only nodded as the shadowy figure melded herself back into the floor. "It would seem that your son will be visiting us soon, Chihiro-san"

A disturbance at the specific location was too much of a coincidence to be anything other than the work of a certain Kiri Bannin, or perhaps it was better to say Ex-Bannin at this point. With confirmation from the spies and now this bit of news it seemed that the Kaguya clansman was indeed here but Kasai was rash to rush after the man. After the events that happened right after he promoted the man to the rank of Bannin for have a skill set about all others besides himself and perhaps his fellow hunter Shiv, when the man openly proclaimed how he'd eliminate anyone who dare touch his parents, Kasai knew well enough just how important the frail looking woman before him was. If Aimi had come back here for the last time, hoping to 'acquire' items for his own desires, then most likely he would not be planning to leave this woman behind to suffer the consequences of his actions that would undoubtedly befall her now that he had been declared a traitor of his homeland.

"You son has acted against the village and his home and as such has declared himself a traitor bold enough to openly attempt to steal from the village, as well. As such, he must be punished. " Kasai spoke once more to the woman who was probably around his own age, sighing aloud to himself as he had held such high hopes for the warrior who had reminded him of himself so many years ago. If the shinobi was not a tool for their homeland they were a tool that could be used against their homeland. As the Mizukage, it was his duty to eliminate any such possible threats to the Hidden Mist...it was also the reasoning that led him to secure the young man's mother and bring her here...there would always been an punishment for one's doings and Aimi would get to experience that first hand when the time came. When he realized that his mother was no where to be found then even a person like him would be able to put together where her most likely location could be...

[WrightJustice]

Nishiki was simply resting at the Tsukino compound after various odd jobs of the day and was nodding off after a delicious meal, his head bobbing up and down as his eyes fluttered in true sleepiness and his body slowly leaned forwards as it slowly moved to collapse off his right elbow and pool at the low table.

With consciousness slowly drifting the young Jounin suddenly jerked fully awake at the voice of a bratty fox boy.
"Nishiki... Sama" the angsty sounding boy spoke out in great distain
"I'm supposed to tell you the village is going into lock down or whatever and like all capable shinobi are supposed to hunt down some idiot or something..." the kid droned on, one finger in his ear just before sniffing it
"Umm apparently it's some big time traitor or whatever, like umm Kaguya Aimi or something" the boy finally finished before wandering off to get back to his homework that he loathed even more.

With great shock Nishiki's senses became fully alert as he jumped to his feet, his seven grand tails flowing out behind him as his gracious and ornate looking kimono floated down towards the ground.
"Right!" he simply called back in return before fully realising what the boy's words meant.

The foxy clansman looked stunned and pensive for a moment as he came to realise who it was attacking the village, wondering to himself what he truly thought of facing Aimi now with him seemingly acting as a traitor.

The five tiny teru teru bozu dolls floated around the man so nonchalantly as he was lost in great ponder, his eyes glancing at the watery one as he slowly reached out and poked it causing it to recoil in an almost playful manner.
"So he is here then?" he questioned as if asking the doll.
"As a traitor no less" a deep and menacing voice spoke out within the man's mind.
"So it seems... I suppose we must go then Yoshi-kun" he spoke out loud again as if speaking to someone, which he of course was but no one outside his inner circle would truly understand.

With that he brushed his elegantly long, pinkish hair aside and burst out of the compound as he gathered all his things (even his technically useless pair of swords).
With haste he swiftly made his way towards the rooftops of the village as he curiously thought about what actions he had to take in the lock down, along with the actions of his former sensei.
phpBB [video] As the Jounin began to move and scan the area he heard some ruckus as screams and general disturbance came from a particular direction.
"The Kaguya compound?" he questioned as he moved in said direction.
It seemed as though people were running from the area, some quite nauseous and barely capable of moving as some form of chakra explosion must've took place originating from the compound.

"I dunno what he is up to but if he is traitor then there is only one thing we must do..." he muttered, still slightly apprehensive over seeing the man now at this time.
"Aimi-sa-a..." he paused with a sigh in his mutterings "San" his words switched all twisted "I had hoped you would not return as a traitor but..." his words were solemn and hushed but as he spoke them he turned truly serious.

The Tsukino's right hand pulled a real teru teru bozu doll from his pouch and flooded it with chakra.
"Yoshi-kun, why did these elementals form like my dolls anyway?" he curiously asked, briefly glancing across all 5 mini elementals, this time in his mind for once though the genma simply grunted in distain as if to say now wasn't the time.
After barely a second the doll was released and shot up into the air at 40 speed before bursting into a large 80m radius of rain spreading from the Kaguya compound.

"Hope no one minds, it is rather beautiful after all shishishishi" he chuckled to himself over the rain.
"it's the best option to not only find him but be aware of any movement around the area" he thought internally as he focused on all his senses for where the man may appear.

SpoilerShow

Please refer to the base form description for elementals which aren't described in Nishiki's main physical description yet.

Suiton • Rainy Day
D-Rank Ninjutsu
The user will channel suiton chakra into a weather doll and send it into the sky at [control] speed, whereupon reaching cloud height the chakra will disperse and cause a light rain to fall for 5 posts within a 10m radius whilst causing the doll to fall back to earth along with it. This rain doesn't do much of anything besides make everything wet just like any ordinary rain and once it has began, attacking the Teru Teru Bozu will not stop it as the chakra is already dispersed into the sky.

Boosted to 40 control with 80m radius.

Feel the Rain
D-Rank Stance
Nishiki will stop and put his vibration senses to the task by focusing on the rain around him, feeling the vibrations moving through the rain within up to (Stat Total/5) meters just as usual. This helps him zone in specifically on the shapes and movements that he picks up specifically from the rain, giving him a basic layout of what the rain touches and how things are moving through it.

Area Awareness
C-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Nishiki has trained his sense of spatial awareness so that he can not only constantly remain vigilant of what is around him with great skill, but is also able to expand it further so that details of his surrounding environment come to him naturally and easily. This means he can more easily figure out the space he can manoeuvre and generally work in, even in wide areas which is particularly useful for using wide scoping jutsu and kinesis.

[Diatenshi]

Chisaki stood there wordlessly and unflinching as the weapons kissed her neck. While losing her head would certainly be a pain and a major inconvenience it would fail to kill her. No what struck her was the Lord Mizukage's eyes. The power contained in just his glance alone made her excited. If she had a heart she was sure it would be racing with excitement. While he was sure there wouldnt even be a trace of her left should they fight an overwhelming urge for combat arose within her core. The desire to prove herself as the apex predator.

Stifling the suicidal impulse within her one Shinjiro would surely chatise her for, she listened quietly to the Mizukage's words. Her eyes within the mask would analyze the elder shinobi. He was the one man in the village she'd likely never hunt. His word was law within the village and he couldn't ever truly be considered a traitor to the village. Maybe if he retired then went rogue it might be a possibility but chances of that were definitely slim to none.

After the weapons were withdrawn she'd finish the report while quietly berating the Mizukage's guards in her mind. Their reaction to her sudden entrance was remarkably underwhelming. While they chopped off her head she could've exploded with spikes of viral tissue turning them both into pincushions. While the Mizukage would surely strike her down after, they'd have wasted their lives. A better guard would've been a genjutsu specialist or a paralytic jutsu to stop any possible movements. Otherwise, a being like her could storm through and while they wasted time striking at normal vitals she'd be able to eviscerate them leaving a path of blood and gore. Granted beings like her were rather rare though Kirigakure seemed to have a fair number of them. Shinji would've done better. His instincts would've detected the lack of heartbeat before she'd entered the room. He would've known not to strike for normal vitals.

When lord Mizukage used her actual name instead of her HHD call sign she realized his anger must've been great than his controlled demeanor showed. Her identity behind her mask was supposed to be a secret and for him to just reveal this information showed either great trust in the two SSM or that it'd slipped his mind. Seeing as her cover was blown she'd reveal her normal face before the two SSM, the mask morphing before their very eyes into the young feminine face of Chisaki, the Abomination of the Toukai clan.

She quietly accepted his praise as he spoke but when he releases his killing intent she once more had to fight the urge to establish supremacy over the being before her. Her mind knew full well the result of such a clash. And yet, she couldn't help but lick her lips at the thought of fighting such a strong opponent. When he blasted out the window and she got a small glimpse of his actual strength was the first time she felt fear in place of excitement. Something seemed off about the display and she realized what it was. The Mizukage was a being like her without a heartbeat. She likely would be unable to devour him. He was not prey she could consume. For the first time Chisaki encountered a being that didn't count as food or friend.

Her face would morph back into the mask as she took off into the streets with the two SSM as they fled the wrath of the Mizukage. She made her way to Shiv's favorite bar to report the news. He was one of the few people with the strength to go toe to toe with the rogue Bannin. She just hoped he wasnt too deep in his cups to be of use.

[Flankingfox]

Plenty of watering holes could have honestly been called Shiv's favorite, however, the one he fancied the most was known as the 'Regal Beagle'. Here in the rather cozy pub-like establishment sat Shiv indolently as one may expect from a 'drunk'. Fixated on one particular barmaid who looked awfully like the late Masami, Naoko. Even thinking the name seemed to prod open the seemingly antique wound which the champion claimed was all but handled, but the actions of the man constantly betrayed his denial of his own reality leaving him in this sorry state of self loathing.

When Shiv first laid eyes on the individual he shuddered unexpectedly before the double-take was finished. Few things brought the man a sense of peace, but this was one of them. More like that of a guilty pleasure, Shiv made sure not to ruin this moment by willfully indulging but by watching from the outside like somebody casually reading a book or the like. Sitting like rotting corpses were the remnants of the yakitori he had picked up alongside several empty bottles of the fiery water that had become a staple to the once-famous celebrity. People here knew not to bother the man, nor did many actually want to as talking to the man brought on a sense of dread that gave truth to the words; you should never meet your heroes. Glancing away from his fixation he looked back towards the table realizing now that the reason he was here in this part of town was much more complicated than getting grub. What his eyes caressed now were strands of white hair with the previously confiscated headband nowhere in sight.

A bit of a 'yikes' came rippling through Shiv's mind to the forefront of thought as he now remembered he was supposed to be 'hunting' something that piqued his interest from earlier.

Yeah, there it was. The memory now came rushing forward. An individual came flying down with skeletal-looking wings, surely, that was a coincidence right? That man wasn't daft enough to commit the act of desertion? Actually thinking about it for another second was like asking why water was wet. Obviously, that person was capable of such a heinous act. The more powerful one becomes the less humble they are as Shiv looked down at the mess that was himself. Smirking slightly, Shiv knew what was coming next and looked over toward that special person once more as it could potentially be his last conversation.

With a gesture, the woman came over. Pleasantries and the words seemed to mesh together as eventually another drink was brought before the champion who had reciprocated in turn by giving a generous gratuity alongside payment for the service. Slouching back into his seat, Shiv's glazed-over eyes darted toward the entrance as his hand haphazardly pushed the bottle of sake to his mouth of razors. Those sharp choppers made easy work of getting the thing open before allowing the liquid goodness to pour down the throat in one last-ditch effort to 'fuel up'. What a way to have to spend a day off...

[Izanagi]

Having been promoted to Overseer of the Seven swordsmen upon becoming a Bannin at the age of 17, Shinjiro felt certain obligations to train at the headquarters now more often than his home training facilities. He had long surpassed his siblings and though his father served as a formidable sparring partner, it was time to live his own life now. He wasn’t just an assassin as he had been trained in his youth. Now, the 20-year-old man was an experienced warrior, having fought on many battlefields over the course of the war he was experienced in both stealth and direct combat.

The headquarters were essentially a second home to him now, while there were a number of promising daggers being scouted the ranks of the seven themselves were still left lacking. Only four active members including himself currently held positions. It was a shame that Chiane had stepped down completely when passing on the title of Overseer. As he went through his Zantou forms, moving with precision and fluidity at about half-speed suddenly he heard the sound of alarms ringing through the training facility. Sheathing the blades, the young man grabbed his hooded cloak and tightened his mask, re-adjusting his sword holsters to sit comfortably.

Moving to the intercom he was informed by someone back in the main headquarters of the situation. Aimi had returned…as a traitor. The young Jinchuuriki felt an emptiness giving way to rage building within. “Understood. I’ll support the Mizukage. Aimi won’t leave the village alive” he vowed, his voice a low growl. After all these years, the man that he had considered a friend and mentor had returned. Only to spit in the face of everything Shinji stood for. He recalled Kaguya Aimi’s frequent lectures, his hubris and his hypocrisy, but even for his faults Shinji had always respected him and taken his words to heart, helping to navigate and re-shape his own philosophies even if they didn’t completely line up with one another.

But now he had taken it too far. There was nothing in him that would allow Shinjiro to betray his village; the Mizukage, the Karagata family, Kirigakure. They were his purpose for existence. No matter his history with the man he would not allow him to jeopardize his purpose. Those who threatened his existence would be met with death. There were no exceptions. Taking out his vials of poisons he lathered both of swords, Malevolence and each of his knives and shuriken in both of his liquid poisons. So too would he grow claws from his fingertips and dip them in his deep red poison. He would have to kill the man swiftly and without mercy, in a prolonged fight he was at an extreme disadvantage though he had many tools, tricks and techniques that he had acquired over the years in order to kill people like Aimi. With the might of Kirigakure at his back it seemed to him there was no question the man would die on this day, it was only a matter of who got the honor of the killing blow. If he had anything to say about it, the privilege would be shared between himself and the Mizukage. Their justice would eliminate Aimi from the world and set a strong example of what happens to traitors that thought they could poke their nose around Kirigakure. After the disgrace of Katsu managing to flee about six or seven years ago when Shinjiro was a mere Special Jounin, there was no more room for error.

Moving at a brisk pace he left the building, locking it shut and stowing away his key securely before growing a pair of large black bat wings from his back, perhaps the transformation he was most known for. Taking off quickly he silently moved through the skies, arriving at the Mizukage’s tower in less than a minute given its close proximity to the headquarters of the seven swordsmen. Typically, the Hitachi’s guarded the Mizukage though he found it strange when they were not guarding the door. Perhaps he had already left with them to track Aimi down. If so this would only be a short stop for him and he would check the Kaguya compound next but his natural reaction was, of course, to check in with his Kage and rally together with him. “Lord Mizukage. Karagata Shinjiro; Overseer of the Seven, reporting for duty” he announced before opening the door himself, there was no telling what Aimi was planning. From what he knew of the man it would surely soon include a great deal of fire and destruction but where that would begin was hard to say. Likely either an attack directly on the Kage building or a situation breaking out in the Kaguya compound. As soon as he saw the ragged woman and the Mizukage, Shinjiro understood the situation. She was bait to lure him in, the other swordsmen sent to the Kaguya compound in an effort to provoke him and lure him in. “I see. So, we will wait then?” he confirmed. He was eager to kill the man himself though above all Shinjiro was dutiful and he would make any sacrifice necessary for the village, even his own pride. His fists had been clenched since he left the headquarters, his sharp claws digging into the palm of his hands and drawing blood, just enough to mix and coat the poison already covering his claws. The man’s bright green eyes were as vibrant and intense as ever, a true predator, he could feel the call to the hunt rising within.

Jutsu UsedShow

Claws of Fury
D-Ranked Partial Kaerujutsu
Focusing chakra into his hands Shinjiro is able to extend 3-inch long claws from his fingertips which are able to retract at will. These claws are quite sharp and sturdy, equivalent to his strength stat.

Assassins Flight
A-Ranked Partial Kaerujutsu
This transformation allows Shinji to grow a pair of large bat wings from his upper back. Each wing is 3 meters long and 1.5 meters wide and typically brown or black in color. These wings are fully functional allowing Shinji flight capabilities. As an extension of his body Shinji has learned how to fly and move as swiftly and silently as he normally would.

[Golnax]

Chihiro, the frail mother of Aimi Kaguya, could do nothing but gasp as she was lifted in the air against her will and placed in a seat that had been pulled up for her by the red haired Mizukage. The wind that carried her undid the little bit of work she had done to her hair and clothing and as she righted herself in her new position, she did not bother to correct it, instead staring back at Kasai with equally hard eyes despite how tired she looked. She sat in silence as another ninja entered the room and gave the news of some kind of disturbance at the Kaguya compound, the place her son had called home for most of his life.

It wasn't until after Shinjiro arrived through the broken window, her thin face turning towards the winged Genma host, that she would answer. Despite being in the presence of two powerful shinobi, her tone was remarkably calm. "If my son is half as intelligent as I believe him to be, he will not come anywhere near me," Chihiro claimed boldly. "You might as well kill me now and save yourself the trouble of trying to interrogate or keep me as some sort of bait; I don't know anything about where my son went or what his plans were or are. He didn't tell us before leaving. I'm only just being made aware that he has returned now - and the fact that he didn't come straight to me should tell you how unimportant I am to him! I don't know how you can call him 'traitor' and I don't want to know! You ninja have done nothing but cause my family harm since long before Aimi-kun was born! Whatever it is he's done you deserve a thousand fold for the lives you've ruined and continue to ruin every single day! Kill me! And be done with it! I hope my son is far, far away from here and you will never find him!"

Her bravery as a mother displayed, Chihiro would take a breath, close her eyes and bow her head. Despite her words both Kasai and Shinjiro would easily see how she shook in her seat, the whites of her thin, boney hands as she clutched at her clothes. She was obviously afraid and doing everything within her power to face what she believed was her inevitable death with as much dignity as she could muster while protecting her son. In her mind, it was the last thing that she could do in order to protect her one and only child.

---

While Nishiki created a rain and began to search for his former mentor, while Chisaki ran to find Shiv Karagata to combat the infiltrating Kaguya, while Shiv embibed his last bits of alcohol before preparing to search and while any number of other ninja scoured the village, Aimi Kaguya stood outside of his empty parent's home. The door had been left wrenched open and the empty darkness inside called out to him as if to say "Come and see! No one is home!" The clones he had left to guard the place had long since lost their chakra and were still dutifully keeping their post despite moss covering much of them and despite having failed in their mission ultimately. The air of the misty village was cool chilling against his bare skin.

Aimi knew at once that Kasai had acted and his parents had been taken. Somehow, in the few seconds it had taken him to go from the Kaguya compound to the Untouchable district and to his parent's home, his presence must have been detected for what it actually was and the Mizukage had had his parents abducted as a preemptive measure to try and control, bargain or threaten him. It was the only explanation that made sense. He didn't fuss about the details such as when or how; his parents were basically shut ins when they weren't being worked to the bone or made to go haggle unfair prices in the Merchant District for however much food they could get because of how crowded and dangerous the other Untouchables were. There was no one else who could have done this.

Aimi clenched his fists. A white-hot rage filled his body making him forget about the cold. He had achieved two of his three objectives for coming back to this cursed place but all he could think about is how much the institution that was Kirigakure had deprived him of; a life with his birth parents, a true childhood, knowledge of how different and vast the outside world was, so much more and now at last they were coming to take his parents from him once and for all! He would not let them! It would not happen! As the alarms from within the village were beginning to reach the Untouchable District, Aimi Kaguya was taking flight up above the mist and heading back towards the western border of the mountains that surrounded the island.

Landing atop the mountains, Aimi would remove the two scrolls that he had taken from the village - the Kaguya Clan scroll and the scroll containing the necessary items for starting his own academy - and place them securely so that they were more or less out of sight. He hardly expected anyone to come looking for them up there anyways. That done he would turn back and transform his form once more with the transformation jutsu, taking on the visage of a dark skinned young man with red hair wearing red and yellow clothing. Taking flight, Aimi would race back towards the Bloody Mist village at full speed. He could think of only one location where his parents would likely be held:

The Mizukage tower.

[Zao]

The net had been spread for the ex-Kiri shinobi and so the Mizukage was simply biding his time at the moment after the HHD member left and it was just the woman and himself seated quietly within the large office. Her hard eyes only made the old man smile, her age a bit younger than his own even though it was hard to tell with her old, over worked features that came with the life she was born into as an Untouchable. Foot steps in the hallways finally drew the golden eyes away from the wrinkled woman's face as they shifted to the left corner to observe the door, hearing one of the most trusted members of his village call out. Karagata Shinjiro; Overseer of the Seven, Kasai could remember the young kid whom had attempted to approach him transformed in the shape of a bat whom he had trapped in the wind and another time when he traded rounds with the trader Katsu before she fled with her tail between her legs after only a few blows. All those time were before he took over the mantle of Kage after claiming Kai's life, perhaps one day someone would be able to take the title away from him as well...this kid might have that level of potential in the future. His exploits during the war had been nothing short of outstanding and in the old man's mind this Genma host would possibly be the next Bannin level Mist shinobi.

As the young man called out, a voice that could only be described as a whisper from the Shinigami wafted out of the door to greet him just as the door was about to be opened, "Enter." It was but a single word but one that carried the most violent level of killing intent, not really directed at the Leader of the Seven but just the current mood of the Kage, who dare had a traitor break into the village and think he could do what ever he wished without regard for the punishment that he was due in time. Despite the killing intent that filled the old man's word, a simple smile could be found upon the face of the thick bearded Kage who sat at the desk as though he had been in conversation of sorts with the woman. He didn't even have to explain the situation, the intuitive mind of Shinji was able to almost instantly figure out the situation at hand and with a gentle nod the red haired man replied. "Something of the sort...." Seeming to ignore the woman who was almost full on ranting about just killing her, it was nice to see that a mother who barely knew her son held such emotion...it was interesting to see. "...while I can not be for sure, I do believe that little Aimi will come here once her realizes that his mother is not at her home in the outer district. If you wish to search for him though, I will not stop you."

Kasai's words let the option for the young swordsman to either stay or go, after all there was a traitor roaming someone within the village that still hadn't been pinpointed as of yet. Either he could stay here and take the chance that perhaps the old man's thoughts of Aimi coming to attempt to retrieve his mother were wrong and the ex-Bannin was currently attempting to flee. It was a fifty-fifty shot because both of the men knew that Aimi wasn't the easiest to read at time what his motifs where. But the Kage felt that the obscene display back when he had deemed the man worthy of the prestigious title of Bannin, when he left his words and skeletons back at the home of his birth parents, it wasn't just against any shinobi but Kasai had taken it as against anyone in the village including himself. At the time he felt that it was just the power of the title that had went to the man's head as it did to some, but the more the thought about it now with everything that had occurred it seemed that the threat was indeed directed at the entire village itself.

What a bold man, Kasai couldn't help but smile once more as he leaned back in the large office chair befitting of man's large stature...as the boy reminded him somewhat of himself. "Heh.." A light chuckle accompanied a few more words that were directed back at the ranting woman who had already said her piece by this point as his eyes fell back upon her frail body now. "The love of a mother and of one's parents is not something one can truly forget. You're son is too much like you so I must wager that he will come here and risk his life for you. You will live at least until then as it is something you should see with your own eyes before I take that away from him for his actions..."

[WrightJustice]

Nishiki couldn't feel any unusual movements and definitely couldn't see anything, leading him to believe he was too late and since he did not wish to intrude on the Kaguya compound without request for aide despite the emergency and decided to leave them to their own devices.

With a burst of wind the Tsukino flew up into the air and began flying around and spreading a bit more rain to no avail. After awhile he decided he was not going to find Aimi at the rate he was going, for even that man had the skill of a bannin and appeared to be quite elusive but then a thought struck; what if even as a traitor the bare chested warrior could not resist seeing his parents?

Nishiki pondered for a good moment if the man truly would make such a move only to come to the conclusion that he knew no better plan at the time, thus he made haste as he he flew over the top of the village and its walls towards the part of the untouchable zone he recalled said parents living.
As the fox approached he recalled the rather spooky skeletons Aimi had left and as he came down towards them, he truly wasn't sure if they were better or worse without any life left in them but either way he made his descent rather slowly and cautiously as the apprehension from before filled him once more.

If he did find Aimi, what would he do? What would happen?
Nishiki gritted his teeth at the thought of just seeing the man, knowing what he was duty bound to do despite any hidden feelings.

SpoilerShow

Fuuton • Up Up and Away
A-Ranked Fuuton Jutsu
Nishiki will channel fuuton charka all around his body causing a small whirl of wind to surround him at [control] speed. This wind will spread out behind him like an intricate dance of streams that appear almost like wings that flow off into the distance and in turn will begin to lift the user up into the air.
Once the wind trails are formed and Nishiki has been lifted he can then freely move about with perfect flight following the flight rules for 10 posts.

[Das Kirb]

BackgroundShow

"Lass, we've got as good a plan as any iffen we're doing this. They're likely to be down on resources after the war and probably on high alert even now. Nothing ever just ends, an they be knowing that. Ye sure you wanna do this run alone? Aye, we need them books and scrolls, but be a hard rush even fer you."

Hide sat in a throne made of wrought stone behind a marble desk. To his right was Varu who dutifully gathered many pieces of scrap paper with discarded plans, ideas, and structures for the further reinforcement of their nation. Through the window behind him a titanic draconian eye peered through. Pacing the center of the room was Katsu, her tail flickering back and forth in agitation and anticipation.

"I take you and you have no backup, you get overwhelmed and butchered by them. I take mom and she can handle herself, but frankly I don't want to risk looking down and seeing her dead. Yeah, she put herself back together but that's not something I wanna relive so soon. I take Arsa and she can unleash armageddon, but then what? That fucker literally boiled the lake on a whim. I take Kori and outside these lands I'd be getting drained by the minute. Bear, face it, if someone's doing this it's me alone."

"True, but last time ye came back missin yer arm, burnt like a fish on the fire too long, a sword in yer guts, and impaled by stone tentacles. Let alone yer busted up leg and ribs."

Katsu stopped pacing for a brief moment and turned towards her dad, running her dagger-like tail along her frame.

"Yes, and I healed. Besides, I have an idea about that fucker now. He's the third of those bastards who don't smell right I've seen. First was Kenji years ago. Second was that piece of shit Aimi turned into a stain on the ground, and third is him. I want a crack at one of them again. I think I'm getting an idea what makes them tick, but need to test a theory."

Hide raised an eyebrow at the woman now.

"And what if ye run into Shinji. Can ye tame yerself enough to get the scrolls and get out? Or will ye lose yerself trying to get back to Vorashu?"

At this Katsu paused and looked away. Reaching up and rubbing the back of her head she thought for a moment.

"I. . . I can't make that promise, da. He smells. . . too much. I can feel every move that bastard makes and its. . . its like dangling a steak before a lion. But. . . I. . . I know it's not time yet. When I rip that cage open and let him lose it'll be brutal. At this point it's a fight for dominion, a fight for him. And frankly, I may be able to tear into his flesh like paper, but that won't serve Vorashu fully. I'd need to bring him here and let Arsa truly open the door. Cause otherwise he'd just be trapped again. And I can't do that and keep on task at the same time. That said, Varu has been working with me and I THINK I can keep my eyes on the ball. Doesn't mean if given the chance I won't take a couple limbs as trophies on the way."

Hide sighed and looked out the window at Kori who returned the look but said nothing. He looked towards Varu next.

"In open war her ways are unstoppable, but we have made strides in taming those urges. Untested though those strides are, I think she deserves the chance to prove her conviction."

"Lass. . . Ye know I can't stop you doing what ye will anymore. Nor do I pretend to bark orders at you. But this I do promise. Ye come back to us or I swear to any and all I'll shove me hammer up yer arse till it comes out yer thick skull."

Katsu actually smiled at this and let out a slight chuckle.

"Aye, a hardy fuck you too old man."

---

Katsu flew low among the trees, darting through their branches and often using one as a spring board to gain even more speed. Her wings tucked as she rolled through the obstacles presented. As the mists began to creep in she knew the lake was close. Like wisps in the crisp air the ever eternal fog started to creep around her. With intense speed they quickly were dissipated as the air rushed to replace them. It was only when the advancing haze had grown thick enough to bar all sight that she ascended to the skies above. It was here in the air away from the village but with it's shadow in sight that she finally prepared for what was to come.

Bone and flesh rent and cracked as her skin turned to scale, hardened armor against the coming trials. Her maw and face contorted to give way to the visage of hunger and monstrosity. Teeth to rend, horns to puncture, and a line of small holes around the nose and mouth. If vision was to be a problem, she'd remove that advantage. Her nails became talons and knuckles spikes. Afterwards, one of her newest tricks as spear like shards lined every conceivable inch on her body just beneath the armored carapace. Her grizzly metamorphosis wasn't complete here. Her torso split up the middle and lined itself with teeth and vile acid. As the pain of the ordeal passed, she'd make one last manipulation. Starting at the groin her body sundered in twain. Through sheer force of spite she held back a scream or groan. Soon, but not quick enough for her liking, the pain would subside. The twin aspects of aberration would look to each other now and grunt, returning their gaze below.

What greeting their eyes was a thing of curiosity though. Though the two shared no words, they both looked at the waters and back to each other as if to confirm what they were seeing. The waves of the lake were. . . green? It was like an emerald sheen upon the cresting ripples. At this the pair would instinctively sniff the air and find the smell almost toxic to them. There were so many other smells and it was strong enough to be distinctly picked out from the lot. It almost masked the ever persistent smell of blood and decaying fish. There were also other scents, ones the pair recognized all to well. The eternal wrongness that was the kage of this prison. The smell of burning earth and air mixed with the rest as intricately as a knot tied by an expert hand. Mixed with that and through was the smell of. . . fresh blood? From this distance neither could make out the village proper, unable to see through the fog. At this they began to rethink a straight up assault now, instead opting for more information.

As the thought crossed their minds something seemed to dart from the fog. It was fast, and small. Not small enough to be a bird but definitely too small for her to get a good look at from this vantage. However, it did give an opportunity. In unison the pair began to beat their wings towards it. Looking for intimidation they scouted the shape of a man and paid no mind to its features. It didn't smell like the creature of fire and earth, so it'd pose significantly less threat, especially off guard. They threw themselves towardsit mere meters away from where the man stood, Only pulled back to unleash a massive gust of wind in it's direction. Together they growled and moved in as the dust would attempt to clear. However, both would spot, and smell, something familiar that'd halt their advance. In tandum they'd both speak.

"Aimi? The fuck are you doing here?"
"Aimi? The fuck are you doing here?"

Jutsu used before and duringShow

Aspect of the Beast: Talons
D - Parasite
The nails on each of the host's fingers and toes grow out to between one and three inches in length, with the middle finger being longest. These newly formed claws shape and harden to be sharp enough to puncture and rip through nearly any material they have the strength to damage.

Aspect of the Beast: Maw
D - Parasite
The jaw slightly deforms as each tooth is rearranged. The host's teeth is replaced my predatory pointed teeth that resemble a mix between a caynid's and a monitor lizard. These teeth range from a quarter of an inch to a full inch in length, with the k-9s being the longest at an inch and a half.

Aspect of the Beast: Strike Spikes
D - Parasite
The host has their bone elongated out to two inches in the knuckles of each hand, except the thumb. This bone is then covered with a hardened keratin to protect it. These new spikes don't hinder hand motion at all and are capable of puncturing anything the host would have the strength to damage without being damaged themselves.

Aspect of the Beast: Living Spear
D - Parasite
Katsu augments her body to have several spikes laying beneath the skin. She can then force a skeletal spike covered in keratin from any point of her body through the flesh. This spike may only be up to a foot long and immediately retracts back into her body.

Aspect of the Beast: Horns
D - Parasite
The host's head grows two symmetrical horns from their forehead, just above the brow line. These horns come forward about two inches before curving upwards and back towards the back of the head. They then curve forward once more before terminating in a sharp point each. They're fourteen inches in length total.

Aspect of the Beast: Exoskeleton
C - Parasite
The host forms a hard carapace over every major surface of their body from bone and keratin. The joints are left vulnerable to allow for full range of motion. This exoskeleton turns piercing and slashing damage from physical attacks into blunt damage from strength less than the host's own.

Aspect of the Beast: Abyssal Maw
B - Parasite
The host is split up the torso from groin to throat. New muscle and skin tissue is formed alone with several hundred skeletal augmentations to create a great gapping maw lined with teeth. When closed this cavity is nearly impossible to recognize as anything but a large scar running the length of the torso. This new structure is directly linked to the stomach and treated as a second mouth for all purposes.

Aspect of the Beast: Wicked Blade
B - Parasite
The host's spine elongates beyond the pelvis to roughly their full height in feet beyond it in length. This structure is then covered with muscle, sinew, and skin to create a fully functioning tail with full range of movement. The top ridge of this tail is covered with serrated bumps of hard caratin to act as force amplifiers. However, the bottom eighteen inches are replaced with a bone plate that's shaped to create a sharp serrated blade on the top and bottom portions, coming to a triangular point.

Aspect of the Beast: Sniff em Out
B - Parasite
The host's olfactory receptors are enhanced and multiplied several times over. This augmentation allows the host a more potent sense of smell and the ability to consciously recognize scents they normally wouldn't notice. Unless scent masking techniques are used, the host can detect any living creature's precise location within forty meters of themselves, and their rough direction out to twice that. They may also train additional uses of this newly powerful sense via Discipline taijutsu.

Aspect of the Beast: Hot Blooded
B - Parasite
The host has their face slightly augmented around their nostrils. Small pits can be seen by those who look closely. These pits are a new sensory organ for detecting heat within a forty meter radius around themselves. They can detect any heat and its intensity similar to a serpent. They may also train additional uses of this newly formed sense via Discipline taijutsu.

Aspect of the Beast: Vile Spittle
A - Parasite
The host grows an additional sack similar to the stomach that fills with a caustic and noxious fluid. This bladder is connected to the trachea and allows the host to projectile vomit a potent and putrid acid out to their strength in meters at the same speed. Over the course of three posts this fluid will dissolve organic material equaling half its effective strength (endurance) in cubic feet. Once used, this bladder will require one full posts to refill.

Aspect of the Beast: Queen of Blades
A - Parasite
The host grows two bat-like wings each roughly as long as they are at full extension. The wings are fully flight capable but must follow flight rules. However, they are also capable of ripping the webbing between them and moving each "finger" individually from each other. The tips of each "finger" is hardened and sharpened to be used as stabbing weapons. The webbing will regenerate over the coarse of a post if allowed.

Aspect of the Beast: Divine Sundering
S - Parasite
The parasite starts by creating a second brain somewhere within the body and duplicating itself to attach to this new "core". At the top of the second post Katsu's entire body starts to rip asunder directly up the spinal line. As the flesh tears new structures can be seen developing to create two perfect copies of the host, each retaining all the memories and experiences of the first. At the bottom of the second post two fully formed Katsu's are capable of fighting with half the Endurance and CP of the first. At any point either of the copies can "absorb" the other to regain all remaining CP/Endurance and use the biomass for regeneration. This does not count towards the maximum of five augmentations.

Vorashu's Fury: Wind Glide
B - Tai (Stance)
Should Katsu possess wings she is capable of flight with all the ease and precision of normal ground based movement. This does not grant her flight nor allow her to break flight rules.

[Golnax]

The invader of Kirigakure's flight was interrupted by a second and unexpected interloper. His focus and driven flight towards the center of the Bloody Mist village came to a halt as the oncoming presence of seemingly not one but two individuals, his head snapping over to look at them and his wings beating as he pulled his body downwards, increasing his drag in the air until he came to a stop. A similar sudden stop came from the pair, sending a bust of wind over Aimi who looked upon the faces of his competition only to find -

"Katsu!? What the... what the fuck are you doing here!?" he demanded in tandem, only afterwards realizing that she had managed to recognize him despite his transformation. How was that possible? And speaking of possibilities:

"Wait, wait, no, hang on, what the... why are there two of you!?" he demanded to know, taking in the fact that, yes, in fact there WAS two Katsu flying in the air with him. What was this? Some sort of clone technique? Which was the real Katsu? Of course they both looked as nightmarish as the next so it was impossible to tell them apart, what with her looking more insect than person at that point but some sort of horrible fever dream insect, Kroonenberg's worst nightmare made flesh.

This was suddenly too much! He'd just been so intently focused on his mission but now was so distracted that he couldn't think straight! He shook his head vigorously, placing one hand against his temple and holding the other one up in front of him. "Stop! Stop! Don't say anything, just, give me a second..." he demanded, taking in a breath and trying to straighten his thoughts out. Obviously he was still concerned about his parents and knew that he needed to go back to try and find them, but Katsu being there was a problem. There was no telling what she was there for and how her actions would mess with his plans. If he was going to rescue his parents from this awful place once and for all, he needed to know what her purpose was here.

"Ok... I take it you... I don't know, smelled me out or something? You can clearly see I'm in disguise so... Okay, I'm here invading the village so that I can rescue my parents and steal some things that I need to help Gold flourish. Your turn: What are you doing here Katsu?"

[Das Kirb]

The pair almost grinned at the confusion they had already caused, but his words cut through the mirth. This not only made things more complicated but also more simple. It'd been her intention to tie them up using this sundering split, then grab the goods and reabsorb the other and get the hell out. If Aimi was already here causing trouble that'd explain the smell of fresh blood. However, it'd also have already put ever single one of those fuckers down below on high alert. And as willing as she was to make a sacrifice out of some hapless dipshit, Aimi was a bit more than that. Besides, she owed him a debt.

"You have a distinct scent dumbass."
"Surprised none of those fuckers sniffed you out. Especially if Shinji is among them."
"Anyway, the bear sent me after a bunch of scrolls. The ones they teach ninjutsu with. Elemental as well. Was also told to nab blood and mist if I could."
"Weaken them and give us more tools according to him. Frankly wanna take a bite out of that. . . creature that doesn't smell right. The blue blooded Kage. Wouldn't mind smacking Shinji around a bit too if given the chance."
"That said, if you've got a job to do here perhaps we can help each other out. Make it quick and hit em hard. Get the hell away while they're figuring out what to do."

[Golnax]

One Katsu was bad enough. Having two of them right in front of him speaking one after the other was just plain confusing. Aimi found himself looking from one to the other as they spoke and processing what they were saying. What a strange coincidence it was that they were both here for the same thing... in a fashion at least. The rogue Kaguya came to the very same conclusion as her; they could be of use to each other. The full extent of this help was more in line with his thoughts though. For all her power, Aimi didn't know Katsu to be the planning sort of... she-beast. Where as he already had a plan in place.

He just needed to slot her in.

"Most of what you're looking for can be found at the academy. There's plenty of copies covering the basic types of jutsu and elemental jutsu. The Mist and Blood scrolls would be harder to come by than that, though. I don't know where those are but, if I had to guess? I'd say there were copies in the Mizukage tower... which is where I'm headed now. I'm guessing that if Kasai has my parents anywhere it's going to be there. I've got to try and get them out before..." He didn't feel the need to explain to her what would likely happen. To the both of them, both former members of Kirigakure, it should be obvious.

"We should help each other out, yes, I agree," he said, turning his body slightly and pointing towards the village shrouded in mist. "I want to head to the Mizukage tower to try and get my parents and get out. I've got everything else I came for. If you go to the academy I've got very little doubt that anyone would be able to stop you from getting what you want. While you're causing havoc, I can sneak in and get my parents, get them out, and then come back and help you get the Blood and Mist scrolls. Once that's done I've got a plan of escape in place; we just need to be beyond the lake and then I should be able to make it so that most of the village, if not all of it, can't follow us. Sound good?"

His briefing finished he waited to see how Katsu would answer. For the moment the two of them were safe hovering in the air above the mist far from the confines of the village, but even from this distance the faint, muffled sounds of the village alarms going off could be heard. They didn't have much longer to get their plans sorted out and get this done before things likely became too chaotic within the village for either of them to take advantage of the situation. They needed to get on the same page now and get this operation finished.

Fortunately, for the both of them, the pair already had a history of working together with minimal planning.

[Das Kirb]

Both of the woman nodded in unison.

"Little change. One of us will go after the scrolls in the old slaughter grounds. The other will come with you to the tower. Doubtless that fucker is there, probably more. By my guess you're expected. Having both of us show up at the same time should have a bit more impact and we can watch each other's back. Once she's done getting the scrolls she can come meet up with us and we can figure it out from there."

One Katsu flipped the other a middle finger and scowled. As she did she turned her nose up to the wind and caught the scent of panic and exertion.

"First, fuck you for voluntelling me for this shit. Two, we're a bit short on time. Seems like this is the best we got. I'm heading off."

One of the women would bolt off without a second word at great speed, heading directly for her own schooling grounds. With her memory of the place it wouldn't be hard to find, and if needed she'd go through the walls and straight to where the old study halls used to be. It'd be cathartic to level those rooms after the hours of forced study that never took.

"After you?"

[Golnax]

Watching the two monsters bicker at one another was something of a strange experience. It was like watching someone argue with their own mind, which was not something he was particularly keen on. It seemed that they were in agreement on what needed to happen though... for the most part. He didn't say anything but he did berate himself mentally for not specifying that he though tit would be best if both of the Katsus went to cause chaos at the academy. She did explicitly say that she was out to harm the Mizukage after all which could prove problematic. If she flew off the handle too soon it could very easily put his parents at risk!

She was right, though. Aimi, at least, was expected in the village. They were searching for him right now, but Katsu? They'd never see her coming! Frankly because he hadn't seen her coming until she was already there. He still remembered the potent fear she could inspire from his time in helping her conquest. He could use that here and now... and if she got too out of hand, he supposed he could always subdue her himself with the use of katon ninjutsu. Not that he would do that unless it was absolutely necessary but it was some comfort to know he had some measure of control over this unexpected situation.

One of the Katsu darted off once it was settled, leaving Aimi alone with only half the woman he knew. He turned to look at her and frowned. "I don't suppose you could use the transformation jutsu to make yourself look... normal? Like I am? It's not the worst thing in the world if you can't. It's just that we need to be careful on our end at first. If Kasai as my parents I need to know where they are and how to get them out of his grasp. If you're recognized he might kill them out of spite! So if you can, do, if not... here we go."

With that said he, too, would turn and fly off towards the village he once called home, dropping down through the cover of fog and dropping in onto the village after retracting his bone feather wings back into his body. The instant his feet touched the ground he was off, once more darting through the streets using as many back allies as he could and moving as quickly as possible to get to where he was going. He didn't really bother to make sure that Katsu was following him. For one he was confident enough that she could keep up with his speeds, for two she was just as much from this village as he was. She knew the way to the Mizukage tower and could go her own route if she felt like it! Either way, the two of them would converge on the tower.

For Aimi's part he would come to a stop not far from the front of the tower itself, back pressed against the shadow of a building and peaking out to see what the situation was. To his surprise he noticed shattered glass on the ground in the mist and, upon further inspection, he was able to see that the glass had come up the same floor that the Mizukage's office was. In fact he felt certain that the broken window was Kasai's office. It made him question what had happened, and he understood that through the window was no way for them to go. As obvious of an entry point as it was, it could just as easily be a trap! Too risky, there had to be another way.

The Kaguya knew that Katsu's other half would be causing a distraction for them any minute now, drawing away the attention of the majority of the village ninja out hunting for him hopefully. But Kasai himself and whoever else was in the tower likely wouldn't go, meaning they would need a secondary distraction... Should Katsu have followed him to this point, Aimi would turn to the beastia and say, "Wait here a moment," before dashing off, flitting away and heading around to various buildings, placing on them each one explosive tag for a total of nine different tags on nine different buildings.

All surrounding the tower.

Once placed he was back to where he had started in a flash, only a few scant seconds having passed between then and now. Once more, if Katsu was beside him, he would say, "Alright, with me!" before going the final stretch to the base of the K shaped tower. From there it was as simple of a matter as opening the door and getting inside or finding an unlocked window or simply breaking in if need be. Regardless of what way they got in, the two of them would get in. After that?

They needed only to wait, for now...

[Das Kirb]

DistinctionShow

Academy Katsu= Katsu A / Tower Katsu = Katsu B

Katsu A began to head towards the academy and gain speed. With each beat of her wings she'd begin to cause a mach cone to form before her. It wouldn't be a hundred feet that she was beginning to put herself into a nose dive straight for the training grounds just outside the school proper. Regardless of opposition she'd go faster still until a sonic boom would crack the skies. Faster though, pushing the limits of her ability. The grounds were in sight and she was on target. Now she pushed the last of her potential out and the very air began to protest as it rushed to fill voids she created. Cavitating explosions began to ring behind her as she came in for a landing, making it loud. She'd land with an explosion of dirt and stone, cratering part of the area and causing significant collateral damage. As she stood she let lose a primal roar to challenge the entire village at once. The shard of Vorashu had landed.

Time wasn't spared waiting for challengers however as her feet pounded against what remained on the stone. She turned immediately towards the old school building and cared not for it's structure. Putting her shoulder into it she would charge down the door and through any wall that stood in her way. Her only pit stop would be to a detention cell, a specific one she'd spent many a night in during younger days. Here she'd strip the pillow of it's case and move on towards the resource center, rending the doors from their hinges upon arrival. She did not know what exactly all the books and scrolls would be named. So she began looking for what sounded right and throwing them in the case. She would grab a few extras that sounded close enough and grab them too.

---

Upon request Katsu looked at her hands and thought back to learning the jutsu. In those old days her own scar tissue had made even the most basic of conjurations difficult to form the seals for. However, she made an effort. With focus she slowly made the seal required and cast the cantrip. Rather than mask who she was, she merely manifest a thick brown woolen cloak with hood and made effort to have it conceal her wings and tail once she would land. It didn't take long, and as soon as feet touched stone she was able to do so and off behind Aimi.

She took a step behind the big man and began to sniff the air around them. The smell was getting stronger with each passing second of scorched air and earth. Another would come into focus as well, two in fact. One of a. . . creature. Another like the previous bastards and Kage. The other of. . . Vorashu. A wave of emotion flooded through as she began to growl and hiss briefly. With effort it was stifled. When Aimi brought them to a full stop she was proven breathtakenly right. Shit had gone down and that open window was either the Kage himself furiously looking for them now, or Aimi had already been here. However, she spoke in a low whisper before following his lead further.

"Another like the blue blood. Smells different, more wrong. Like its just a walking mass of flesh and blood with nothing else. Like puss and rot but no sweat or otherwise. I'm sure even you can feel that bastard as well. . . . And Vorashu."

JutsuShow

Katsu A

Vorashu's Fury: Cavitation A - PHT (Maneuver) Requires: 35 Speed, 35 Strength Katsu must be moving at her maximum speed constantly for this to take effect. As she's moving she'll leave vacuums that desperately want to be filled. Air will rush to fill the void creating a suction force of [speed] in a [speed]/5 meter radius. At the center of each cavity an explosion will go off in the next instant with a force of [Speed], causing intense heat that can cause 3rd degree burns and ignite nearby combustible materials.

Katsu B

*[Basic Jutsu • Transformation Technique] D-Ranked Ninjutsu After completing the needed handseals, the user of this technique will be able to alter their physical appearance to match that of another person. By consistently emitting chakra throughout their body, the user is able to keep their appearance adjusted at the cost of their Chakra Pool draining over time. As this technique is quite strenuous to uphold, experienced shinobi may see more clearly through this delusive disguise. This technique lasts for a number of posts equal to that of the user's (Chakra Pool/2).

[Zao]

The sounds of what one thought could have been an explosion followed by the sheer over pressure that could faintly be felt against the Mizukage's tower despite the rather large distance between where the academy was positioned and the center of the village were the massive structure stood. Inside the dark office the air suddenly grew very dense as the faint glow of chakra outline the broad shouldered Kasai's body before he stepped forward from his desk only taking two steps from the large man to move from the desk to the old, frail woman he was keeping company with. Then the large black gloved hand reached down taking hold of her by the hair and forcing her into a standing position. "Your son has finally returned for you, it is time for his first punishment..."

With the woman in tow by her hair a breeze swept through the office and lifted both of them from the floor leaving Shinji tucked away within the Kage's office for the moment. The shinobi in him already understood that the disturbance off closer other academy was some sort of diversion, but surely that wasn't the only thing Aimi would do before attempting to see him, was it? Either way the old man planned to enact a bit of his own planning at this point as the strong breeze caused the two of them to float outwards through the shattered bay window as hover about fiver meters outside of the building so that anyone from the ground could potentially see the two of them. The larger Mizukage standing on nothing but air as the frail woman appeared to be suspended by only the hair gripped tightly within the right hand off to his side and slightly below himself.

Though he could not see through the lingering mist at the base of Mizukage tower, the instincts of the old man and well trained killer knew that one needed to interject themselves into ones plan and cause them to have to rethink their actions. If one was able to out think or think fast and respond than their enemy this was how one gained the advantage that normally led to victory. But what he didn't know at this point was the kind of company that the ex-Bannin was keeping. To Kasai, it still didn't truly matter as the man had a long, bloody history behind him that few could match...little could scare or intimidate the old man. Finally as the mist that lingered around the man's floating position shifted slightly in a circular motion around him the Reaper spoke, letting his whisper like voice descend down to the blanket of white mist below.

The word of the death god carried only a short set of words for the grey haired man whom he assumed was somewhere below attempting to decipher the best course of action to move against him. "Little Aimi-kun...do you have any last words you wish to speak to Chihiro-san?" It was a moment for last words as the man obvious planned to publicly execute the elderly woman for all to see, there was only path in this village, the path of the Mizukage and those who veered off it would find that the punishment would not extend only to that one person but their whole family. To a man who had killed hundreds of women and children during his time as a shinobi through war and other missions, many of those unofficial missions from the previous Kage as a hunter-nin, killing one more old woman could not tug at his conscious or heart strings...for the old man had neither at this point in his life.

Jutsu usedShow

Wind Element • Superior Aero Infusion
A-rank Ninjutsu
Requires: Aerokinesis
The user channels chakra into air around themselves at a speed of [Control] infusing up to eight cubic meter volume of air be manipulated with Aerokinesis, this infusion lasts until the end of the thread.

Wind Element • Aerokinesis
A-rank Ninjutsu
Having achieved notable mastery over Fuuton, the user is capable of shaping, directing, and manipulating existing bodies of the element without the need of hand seals or an existing technique. The range at which the user can manipulate the element is equal to the user's control times two meters. While the user can freely manipulate this element, they cannot produce the element naturally where it doesn't exist.

[Izanagi]

The young Bannin was rather moved by the touching display of defiance Aimi's mother displayed. Having recently killed his own mother in the streets after observing the way she attempted to sacrifice his half-brother for her own sake, he hadn't expected to see such love. Truthfully, it confused him. This woman; Chihiro, was someone he couldn't understand. She had been abandoned, left in poverty judging by her appearance and scent, and yet she still protected her son. Perhaps she wasn't mentally well, though he suspected that wasn't the case given her sharp tongue and firm words that gave a mask to the fear she clearly felt. 'So, this is a mother's protective instinct' he considered. Given all that Aimi had accomplished, there was no question his life was more valuable than hers, if she were to die defending him it would be a noble death. Unfortunately for the woman, neither Shinjiro nor Kasai had any sympathy to spare for her. She meant nothing to him at all, only a tool to draw out Aimi. And so, he had no reservations when Kasai marked her for death.

Shinjiro knew what had to happen. As he heard the distant shockwaves he remained calm, likely a diversion or simply another stop Aimi intended to make before coming here. There was a moment of doubt, perhaps Aimi wouldn't confront the Mizukage or come for his mother. No, at the very least he would surely wish to destroy the Kage tower. he had always been flamboyant about making a proper statement through his destruction. for one reason or another, he would come. Glowing green again Shinjiro would continue to prepare for battle, an array of 6 spider arms protruding from his torso as hairs sprouted from his body, before forming a turtle-like shell around himself, beneath his cloak and his weapons, though it also altered his joints in such a way that he could retract them inside if necessary. There were even small spaces available for the extra legs.

As the Mizukage levitated through the broken window, a gentle breeze flowed through and a particular scent caused Shinjiro's nostrils to flare and his hairs to stand upright. "They're here. Not just Aimi, it's her...Katsu" he growled, fighting the urge to enter his Jinchuuriki state. He couldn't afford to go all out yet, he was an assassin first and foremost. Even now he wasn't confident or foolish enough to fight both Katsu and Aimi directly in close quarters. He would keep his distance and protect his Kage, exploit openings as they presented themselves. 'Beastia...she has returned once more to tear asunder this cage. Is today the day you die little pup?' the old shaman gloated, truly excited to feel this clash of titans once more. With Aimi at her side they may yet be able to surpass the Mizukage and the young Jinchuuriki. Shinjiro didn't waste any time, forming handseals as the Mizukage taunted Aimi out of hiding, Shinjiro would run a claw along his forearm, cutting deep enough to flow a stream of blood done his hand after he finished his handseals. Moving toward the window as blood coated his claws and dripped to the floor he would stare down from the edge. If he could smell Katsu, there was no doubt she could smell him. And he had never before used genjutsu against either Katsu or Aimi. If he could interrupt any teamwork they might have early on, that would be instrumental in picking them apart. He had no idea when they met each other or how long they had been plotting, but he knew now without a doubt that the man he used to respect was an enemy. "You won't be escaping this time Katsu...and Aimi. You were foolish to come back here, I hope you enjoyed your freedom while it lasted" he practically growled as he spoke to Katsu though softened his tone as he considered his former idol. But in either case, he wouldn't hesitate to bring them each down. Permanently.

Jutsu UsedShow

Eight-Legged Freak
B-Ranked Partial Kaerujutsu
Channeling chakra through his body, Shinjiro will grow thick bristly spider hairs from every part of his skin, each hair follicle is wiry and thin enough to prick skin on contact, releasing his sweat into their body through many glands. In addition, Shinjiro will develop a set of sharp mandibles from his mouth capable of injecting venom as well as grow four spider arms from his torso, each growing up to 5 meters in length and retaining his full strength and speed. These spider arms are able to grab things in their pincer grips, scale walls with ease and even wield weaponry.

Armored
C-Ranked Partial Kaerujutsu
This transformation allows Shinjiro to manifest a black turtle-like shell around his torso, protecting his stomach, chest, back, and even his shoulders, thighs, and neck. This shell acts much like a suit of armor although it is physically a part of him, bonding with his skin, manifesting beneath the swords worn on his back. He can even retract his limbs and head into the fleshy space inside the shell. The strength of the shell is equal to that of Shinjiro’s Strength.

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.

[Genjutsu • Hidden Mist]
B-Ranked Warp Genjutsu
After forming hand seals, this genjutsu will initiate in anyone that smells the scent of his blood, designed to target multiple opponents. Even if the target doesn’t have enhanced senses if Shinji has an openly bleeding wound and is within 30 meters of them they will be affected. Once initiated a think blanket of mist will appear to roll in around them, obscuring vision so that they are only able to see 2 meters ahead of them. This mist will follow the target wherever they move and will not disperse unless the genjutsu is broken. While in the midst the target will feel a fogginess of the mind as well, making it difficult to form complex thought or recall important details such as plans and objectives or even names or faces unless they put a lot of focus and effort into recalling such things. This genjutsu lasts for 4 posts.

[WrightJustice]

Nishiki slowly approached the shoddy little house as he glided through the air, almost like a solemn ghost not touching the ground as he thought about the possibility of finding Aimi. He turned to look at the skeletal masterpiece still left behind once more, taking in just how eerie it was when he felt the tingles from a whole other experience coursing through his body.

Vibrations triggered the airs all over the Tsukino's body as their lingering sounds trickled into his ears from afar.
"What the?!" the jounin exclaimed in shock, instantly tilting his head towards the village as his ears fully perked up and tails quivered.
It seemed something devastatingly powerful occurred back in the village, something large enough to send rippling shockwaves out as far as even the untouchable zone.

Given that Nishiki seemed to always be one step behind Aimi in his whereabouts and that once again the man didn't seem to be around, he decided to leave the quiet rubble built house and its spectacle of skeletons in search for the origins of the tremendous rumblings.
Thus with an airy burst, the seven tailed fox flew back into the sky and made haste back over the walls and into the village.

The Tsukino wasn't fully sure where to go and took a good while getting his bearings until he spotted major movement down below through the mist, then finally as he approached he noticed the massive crater in the ground near one of the academies that seemed to be surrounded by increasing activity of various shinobi.

"Tsukino Nishiki!" a voice called out as the jounin approached, prompting him to come down.
"What's going on?" he replied, question the young chuunin.
"Some crazy dangerous beast just burst down and broke in!" the girl screamed, almost panicky.
"Yes, yes!" added another chuunin boy "There was a HUGE boom and some monstrous roar and everything" he exclaimed.
"A roar?" Nishiki questioned, seemingly too far out to have heard it himself.
"Yes a few people nearby reported it as such" a calmer sounding woman stated as she approached the scene.
"We surely must investigate, especially if it has anything to do with the supposed invasion by that repulsive defector" the elder jounin scoffed with great disdain.
"Yeah, well perhaps a sensor to start?" Nishiki replied coyly, bouncing back at her with some snide.
With that the panicky girl calmed down and sprung into action with a set of hand seals.
"Oh, of course" she blurted now with excitement.

After a short moment the sensor opened her eyes and reported all she could, exclaiming how there was a few sparse chakra signatures scattered around inside and that there was a near overwhelmingly powerful rummaging deep within.
"If I had to guess, I'd say it was at least bannin level with how overwhelming it was" the girl sounded tired from just picking up Katsu's signature.
Nishiki wasn't sure it was even Aimi and was almost certain it was a distraction given how explosive the entrance was and how more and more people where describing a vicious monster bursting into the academy, however he knew a bannin level chakra signature couldn't just be left alone.
"I dunno exactly what this could mean but we can't let them keep routing around, probably probing for secrets, regardless on if it has anything to do with Aimi or not so we need to get those stragglers out and prepare for a fight" Nishiki spoke now like a commander.
"Tch. I agree but we surely need help" the older woman remarked.
"Yes, you lot go hunting for further support" the younger jounin commanded one group, sending them to find others and direct them to the academy if they willing to get in a tough fight.
"I have a feeling that the kage has his hands full given the current lack of attention, but if you can then also report the situation to him" he added before the group dispersed.
"Everyone else prepare for combat of the highest degree" the woman jounin called out.
She then pointed out a group of 5 others and called them to her.
"We're going in to investigate and to drag out the damned stragglers" she commanded, almost with a clear hint that she hated people who needed rescuing.
"Right, so everyone else can surround the area and make sure whatever is in there doesn't escape the area" Nishiki then called out, almost rolling his eyes over the woman's behaviour.
"Ninpou art - Room: Silence!" the woman muttered to herself as a film spread around her and her team, seemingly silencing their movements as they rushed into the building.

With that the rest began to surround the area with Nishiki hovering from above, everyone preparing to fight if the so called beast attempted to leave.
As they moved a strange one way barrier suddenly erected around the academy, blocking those from within from leaving (without force) and those outside able to slip through as they pleased.
"Ugh... SO TIRESOME!" a dreaded voice finally spoke up within the jinchuuriki's mind.
"Just bury it all and burn it to the ground!" Yoshimitsu complained.
"Shishishi, if only" the host replied with a bit of a chuckle, fully expecting such a response from the genma.
"Perhaps when Karen comes back out with everyone still trapped inside" he replied, causing the beast to scoff.
"Her being inside is even more of a reason to just do it now" the beast snidely commented, finding her even ruder and more annoying than Nishiki did causing a sneaky grin to form at his mouth.
Thus the mission to stop Katsu began and more people were already beginning to arrive on the scene whilst the investigation squad swiftly moved through the halls inside, the woman leading keeping her room as large as she could as they spread out trying not to step outside of it and even found a young student stuck near the entrance already.
"A... A... A... Dragon..." the girl shakily cried as she was carried out by one of the chuunin, seemingly dazed and not making sense having been pulled out from some rubble but in reality a clear indication of the beast's true origins.

[Golnax]

Katsu was wrong about her assumption; Aimi had no such ability to 'feel' the presence of another that wasn't directly next to him. By her description, though, he was willing to bet that the mass of flesh she spoke of what a Toukai. Her sensing Vorashu could only mean that Shinji was there as well which might prove problematic... assuming that his past interactions didn't hold any weight with the young man. He thought back to years prior when he had humiliated his entire family simply to prove a point, doubly so by letting them live afterwards. Would Shinji really be so eager to attack him head on with a memory like that? Had he grown enough that he didn't feel the potential fear that would come from facing him?

In silence in the ground level of the Mizukage tower Aimi contemplated these things, trying to figure out what was the best move to make next. The truth was he was running out of chakra between everything he had done that day and needed to be careful with what jutsu he performed from then on out. He needed enough energy to escape this place, after all, so for the moment avoiding a direct confrontation was still preferable, and he had managed to do so thus far! However, he luck in that regard was about to run out. For as he was still trying to plan his next move, Kasai made his.

Through the relative quite of the fog of war in the center of the village, the screams of pain coming from his mother were easy to hear. His body stiffened and his head turned towards the window that he and Katsu had come through, the sound of his mother's voice coming from that direction to him. She was close by and so were his enemies, which could only mean one thing: they had her, and they were tormenting her. In that instant he knew that the Mizukage was trying to draw him out and this knowledge only put further stress on him to make a choice - if he moved now, he would undoubtedly have to face Kasai at a disadvantage. The advantage he had with Katsu at his side was at least somewhat mitigated by the presence of Shinji, and at any time his mother's life could end and the whole purpose for him coming back to the village after getting the scrolls he needed would be lost!

Kasai's words cut through the fog. A taunt. A threat. He knew that they were there it seemed though how he knew Aimi wasn't sure. Did he not know their exact position? If he didn't, why wasn't he directly before them? So much to consider. So much pressure. The rogue bannin was still very much in the throes of figuring out his next action when Shinji struck, unseen and undetected by the Kaguya, his genjutsu would wash over him unchallenged. The open window through which they had come would, to him, billow with fog that filled the room they were in, limiting his field of view to a mere two meters around him. More than that, though, his thoughts became foggy. His thoughts became fuzzy and... he couldn't recall what he was doing there. At least not at first. With a shake of his head, grinding of his teeth, and a measure of concentration he could remember. His mother. Kasai. He had to rescue her. Yes, that was why he was there. As for the woman he was with...

Turning to Katsu, Aimi had to take another moment to focus to remember who she was to him. Katsu, his ally, yes... why were his thoughts coming so sluggishly? A genjutsu perhaps? He could barely even focus on the possibility that he had been caught in a dreaded illusion, it was too much effort to think of that and focus on the fact he needed to act to save his mother. He knew one thing; there was no more time to consider. He needed to act.

"Katsu," he said quietly to the monstrous woman. "Don't look at the window," he warned, channeling katon chakra into his right hand. With a snap of his fingers, a large bloom of flame would erupt outside in the air close to where Kasai floated. As it blazed, Aimi would perform an equally blazing series of seals and close his eyes, projecting his senses into the fireball in the sky and changing it's shape, the flame taking the general shape of his face and bright spots appearing in the flame to indicate his eyes and mouth. Through these he was able to speak and see and he needed only a second or two to located Kasai directly in front of him, holding his mother by the hair. She was crying, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched at Kasai's wrist in a vain attempt to ease the pressure off of her scalp.

"Aimi-chan..." she moaned. Aimi's flaming eyes narrowed. He could see the trio of Kasai, his mother and Shinji clearly through the fire, but the genjutsu was still affecting his mind. As such he had little capability to think of anything fancy to say or to try and negotiate. Hands had been forced and there was only one course of action: Confrontation.

"You have one chance," Aimi spoke through the fire. "Release her and my father and let us leave this place, or I will decimate everything, and destroy you."

His threat was plain and blunt, a consequence of the genjutsu he was under and every bit as serious as Kasai's intention to publicly execute Aimi's mother to an audience of none but himself. The visage of flame was the manifestation of his resolve to burn down everything before him if his demand wasn't met.

This was the final stand off. Depending on how Kasai reacted, a peaceful retreat could be made.

Or all hell would break loose.

Jutsu UsedShow

Katon • Flash-bang
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
The user channels their katon chakra into their finger tips. Then, with a snap of their fingers, the user ignites an area equal to the user’s [Control] in meters in size in flame, causing an explosion within this area. A brief moment before the ignition, there is a small 'ember' of flame that indicates where the bloom of flame will erupt. This flame lasts for only an instant and quickly dissipates after burning. The flame and ember appear with [Speed] equal to the users' [Control] and has [Strength] equal to the users' [Control]. The user can perform this jutsu at a range of 10 meters.

Katon • Message in the Flames
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Katon • Visions of Fire
The user closes their eyes and focuses on a flame within 25 meters of themselves, channeling katon chakra as they do. This chakra allows the user to both see and speak through the selected flame. This is signified by a pair of fiery eyes appearing within the flame through which the user can see up to a range of 15 meters and their voice can carry up to 15 meters away. While using this jutsu the user is completely blind and cannot perform any other ninjutsu.

[Zao]

"I see, your senses are quite astounding." A bit of rare praise passed through the lips of the scar faced man as his golden eyes glanced briefly to the side close to where the gemna host swordsman was located, so there were still some within this village who had exceptional talents. A brief smirk on his face as he remembered a few encounters involving himself and the spirit hosts when he was young and weak. But the fierce shinobi that stood at his Kage's side at the moment causes a wave of pride to build up within his false body...almost like he still had a heart. He had encountered both of these foes before but never at the same time, it would have truly been a difficult mountain to ascend but with the help of Shinji some of that uphill battle could be mitigated. A wild beast, a bag of bones, and an old ghost were about to mark a page in the illustrious history of strength within the Mist village.

Such things as peaceful thoughts in such a moment were truly foolish to have, these were ideals that would never even enter into the old man's mind as his accomplice went into action morphing his body and initiating an illusionary technique but the swirling mass of wind prevented the smell of the young man's blood from reaching his artificial sense of smell at the moment. This disturbance in the difference likely had something to do with the company that the half-naked man had brought with him, when one should have perhaps felt fear or unsure about in that moment the Reaper only felt the lost feeling of excitement which he hadn't felt in such a long time. 'Ahh....there it is. I had truly forgotten this rush.' A smile from the Reaper that looked like that of a sinister serial killer was cast down into the thin layer of fog as he awaited the appearance of the unexpected visitors.

Just then a burst of flames from just outside the swirl of air current around Zao and the old woman flickered into life as it took on the rough appearance of what he faintly remembered the ex-bannin looking like when he left to explore the world, or at least that was what he thought the young man at the time had been planning. Who knew how long that he had been planning these actions against his homeland. "Little child, save her if you can. As for the other, well your too late for him. But I'll give you only this one chance to rescue your mother. Kekuku...." A laugh that held an evil force to it was the only response Aimi would receive as the swirling winds expanded and intensified absorbing the flaming face and igniting the swirling air as the gloved hand holding the frail loosened and she slide down a few inches closer to the swirling mass of wind and flames as the wind and flames cut at her feet and the flames started to burn her clothing on her feet and legs.

To reach her the Kaguya clansman would need to force his way up through the massive of flaming wind that surrounded his mother and her captor. Judging from the unfolding events it would also appear that the man didn't have much time to do so before the elemental prison would also devour the old and fragile woman. Of course, the man holding her life in his hands didn't even feel a since emotion towards the woman's life, this was like a fun little game for him...like an appetizer before the man course. Kasai would exert his full strength into the barrier between himself and Aimi as a faint blue glow of chakra outline his body as he strengthened the barrier. Whether or not the man was able to rescue the old woman or not, the Mizukage had already decided that she would not be allowed to leave this village alive, just like her son and the little beasty girl who he had brought in tow this time. He couldn't wait to watch the life leave their eyes at his own hands....oh how had missed that feeling being the Kage. He had become the Kage out of a necessity, not a true desire to do so, but he could never truly be the old monster that slept within him that had forged his past in the blood of Kiri's enemies as the Kage but today it was different.