Chapter Seven: Failure is a Silence Louder than Words
Jiraiya sighed as a loud crash and angry shouts came from the small motel behind him.
"You drunk hag! Get the fuck away from nurse ratchet! SHIZUNE! SHE'S TRYING TO MUTILATE MEEEEEE!" One voice screamed.
"You cheeky fucking brat! Who the hell are you calling a hag?! SIT FUCKING STILL!" Screamed the other, obviously belonging to Tsunade.
"I am sitting still, you're so smashed it's your vision that's spinning! SHIZUNE DON'T LET HER DO THIS TO ME!"
"FINE THEN! SHIZUNE! GET IN HERE AND HEAL THE BITCH!" And then the slamming of a door was heard, followed by angered footfalls heading his way. Jiraiya winced at the potential harm coming his way and let his casual goofy face hide the fear.
"Tsunade!" He said joyously as she stomped towards him. "How've ya bee-"
"Shut it Jiraiya! You're paying for drinks!" She snarled and dragged him into the street by the collar completely uncaring of the stares being sent her way. The two walked-and dragged- in silence as Jiraiya stared up at her back with a small smile on his face. Not the lewd kind and he wasn't staring at her back in a lewd manner either; he was looking at how her ponytails bounced and swayed against her back. It's been far too long since he's seen her and his feelings for her haven't diminished a bit. Their walk came to an end as she tossed him inside a bar and he crashed into the counter.
Clambering onto the stool and ordering some sake for them Jiraiya sent his teammate a large smile. "It's good to see you again, Tsunade. I even brought your favorite patient along, thought you could use another friendly and familiar face."
"Oh? That was your reasoning? And here I thought you brought her just to annoy the shit outta me." She said with a dry tone and eye roll.
"But that's my job!" Jiraiya said childishly, acting as if he'd been stabbed through the heart. A comfortable silence fell between them as they drank their drinks, enjoying the feeling of the warm nights that were all too common within the Land of Fire.
"She was banged up pretty bad, Jiraiya. She may be annoying as hell, but that doesn't mean she's not strong. What happened?" Tsunade asked in a tone that betrayed her mask of indifference. Like Jiraiya, she had a soft spot for the brat and even though the two would rather shout at each other than act friendly she still cared about her wellbeing.
"It was an information gathering mission. Sensei had a bad feeling about the recent string of disappearances in the Land of Rice and Tea so he sent us to investigate. Originally, all we found were ghost towns, deprived of both evidence and people. But then we got lucky," he paused to take a sip of his drink, "We managed to find some lunatic with a cursed seal at one of the sites." He saw her grip her cup tighter from the corner of her eye and felt a pang of sadness at the disgust that flooded her face. Where did things go so wrong? Was this the destined outcome for their team and friendship?
"We couldn't get any information out of the guy, what with his seal causing him to foam at the mouth, but we were able to confirm that whatever was going on had Orochimaru's name on it. Then we traveled to the next town and were attack by a detachment of ANBU leveled ninja's. The town was completely empty too, and they looked like they were cleaning up any evidence. Anko took on one of them, presumably the leader, while I fought the others." He said and raised his cup to his lips but was halted by her teammate asking a question.
"What's happening Jiraiya?" She asked simply. It was a rather straightforward question, something that should've been easy to answer; however, the two of them didn't make it through two wars and reach S-rank status by being ignorant. She knew that something was stirring in the shadows, and something told her that shinning a light on it wouldn't make her feel any better.
"I don't know Tsu-hime…Sarutobi-sensei has a bad feeling about this and so do I. Whatever's going on, make sure to stay near Konoha for the time being." He said and returned to drinking their drinks.
Tsunade stared hard into her nearly empty cup. She didn't like being near Konoha, but she was still a doctor, sworn to save as many as she possibly can. She would stay by to help all those that would undoubtedly suffer because of Konoha's fame, but sometimes she wished she had passed on already…
"So did you hear? Anko's got a student." Jiraiya said slyly, piercing the somber silence and filling Tsunade's eyes with life.
She grabbed two bottles of sake from the counter and placed them in between them. Filling up both their cups and flashing her old teammate a gossipy smile she spoke, "Tell me everything."
With Kouken
Kouken's cheek rested snugly in his palm as he stared boredly out of a window. The sky was painted in glorious hues of pink, orange, and red and normally at this time he would've been training or watching the sunset, but Guy had other ideas.
After the day he spoke to the old man, whom he had yet to actually meet with and finalize their agreement, Guy had taken to bringing them to a restaurant after training. At first Kouken wasn't worried, he could politely decline and if that didn't work he could've gone with them and escape out the bathroom window. He didn't want to waste his time here with the fuck around gang when he could spend it training. He needed to get stronger before Anko came back from her mission. He had been neglecting his ninjutsu training in hopes that his progress in tai would blow her away. Thankfully, he hadn't stopped any of his readings and was able to continue with all his side projects. But clearly his escape plans failed him; and the bathroom one did rather awkwardly….
'I'm never going to the bathroom with Guy and Lee again…' Kouken thought with a shudder.
He was brought out of his musings when Guy's boisterous voice grabbed his attention.
"KOUKEN! Tell me, how do you find your flames of youth burning since working with us?!" He asked enthusiastically while his clone nodded fervently with bulging cheeks filled with food.
Kouken sighed and rolled his eyes, "With the intensity of a Katon jutsu from an Uchiha, Guy-sempai." His dry tone went completely over the two nut job's heads and they burst into cheers while their only normal member snickered into her hand.
She leaned over and whispered into his ear, breath unintentionally hot on his neck, "Say what you will about them, but you gotta admit that it's never dull with them around."
Kouken's back snapped a little straighter at the invasion of space and he turned slightly to see her eyes closely staring at him waiting for a response. "Hah! With your obsession for anything sharp and pointy I could just spend time with you and it would never be, "dull," as you put it." He said with air quotes and a bland look covering his face.
At first Tenten didn't get the joke before she made the connection from dull to her pointy beauties and snorted. It was hard at first to grasp his sense of humor, he was always so dry and sarcastic. He could've easily passed off as an asshole to someone who didn't know him as well, but he was rather funny. The four of them began going to dinner together every day after training and got along real well. Guy had convinced Kouken that this was part of his training and after catching him from running away a few times he accepted it begrudgingly. Even Neji wouldn't agree to this and Guy never pressed the issue; at least not as hard as he did with Kouken.
She secretly enjoyed it; it was always so lonely at home. She was an orphan and besides her teammates she had nobody to socialize with. She knew that Kouken was an orphan too, in the Academy she wanted to make a friend out of him, but he passed her class by and advanced into the older groups. Now, she had a chance to make a friend like her. Of course, Lee was an orphan too, but she couldn't see herself hanging out with him like she probably could with Kouken simply because the boy was always hanging around Guy-sensei.
When it was time to bid everyone goodnight Kouken let loose a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Relaxing with them was always oddly hard for him. Sitting still when he could've been training always made him feel uncomfortable under his skin, but he doubted that he could've gotten much training done anyways. Three days had passed since the Old Man came to him with his offer and he had yet to seek him out. Hell, he didn't even know how to find him…
'I suppose I could always ask my neighbors; he did say they work for him…' Kouken thought as he hopped from roof to roof towards his home. He wondered how his sensei was doing and how surprised she'll be when they spar again. After training with her his speed and strength was equal to that of him before becoming her student with Ninpo: Goriki activated. He hadn't taken his weights off at all and had been using a lot of herbal remedies to speed up the restoration and strengthening of muscles. He was tempted to take them off now and turn on his strength multiplier technique just to see how strong and fast he was, but always managed to convince himself to wait. Needless to say, he was definitely excited to see his progress.
Speaking of progress, a frown marred his features as he went over his spars with Lee. He's lost every one and felt no closer to wining; his speed and strength was simply too much for him to beat. He doubted he would by the end of this week and frustration at not being able to use chakra began to set in. Of course, his next thought would be that he couldn't use chakra as a crutch and if he increased his body's strength then when he finally did use chakra he would be that much better.
Landing in front of his door he went to open it and paused just inches from the doorknob. He stood there thinking before walking to the door by his left. Sucking in a breath he knocked twice.
No answer.
Frowning he waited outside for another minute and a half before raising his fist to knock again when the door swung open revealing the same working girl from days prior.
"Damn, and here I thought I could keep you out there for at least a few more minutes. You shinobi aren't a patient lot are ya?" She asked as she draped her body over the door frame.
Kouken's eyes gravitated to her barely clothed form and he couldn't help but fight the blush forming on his face. The working girl saw this and a predatory smirk graced her face.
"Ohhh? Finally interested huh? Well I think we could do some things for free…If you ask me nicely…" She said sultrily and leaned forward giving him a more exposed view.
'Those…are…nice.' He thought in his head, or rather, in his other head. Eyes flicking back to her face and seeing that predatory smirk caused his sensei to flash before his eyes and like the ice cold water she used to wake him from his sleeping, he snapped to reality. His face returned to its usual bored and somehow sarcastic expression.
"Actually, I was thinking if I ask nicely you could point me in the direction of your boss?" He said with a dry, flat tone.
The hooker frowned and leaned back against the door frame, folding her arms and checking her nails. "A bit disappointing you're into old men there brat, I could've shown you the wonders of this world."
"Do those…wonders happen to include every known, and probably some unknown, strand of viral diseases?" He asked showing his razor sharp wit. The hooker snorted and feigned a surprised voice.
"Ooooh someone's a smarty pants; doubt you'll ever figure out how to get someone into those pants of yours though." She replied smarmily to which Kouken rolled his eyes.
"Please, it seems like a mystery to you only because that's just how I want it to stay." He said growing tired of this pointless banter. The gleam in her eye returned and she leaned across the doorframe, invading his personal space and pulling him into a compromising embrace.
"Aren't girls attracted to a mystery?" She said obviously enjoying the discomfort the boy was experiencing. Kouken never interacted much with people physically, other than sparring with them of course. Hell the only reason he bothered to interact with them socially is because he realized early on that one could gain an edge on them just by knowing them; that and he had to if he wanted to become a shinobi. His sensei was probably the only person alive to get the most consecutive words out of him in a conversation…if an illegible, ram shackled string of profanity can count as a conversation.
He schooled his features into cool indifference and push himself from her embrace. Staring blankly at her which caused her smile to fall and a shiver to creep up her form he spoke with a hauntingly empty tone of voice, "I grow tired of these games. Where can I find him?"
She looked around as if to check if anyone was watching when in reality she probably just wanted to stop looking at his blank features. Turning back to the boy she stepped out and flicked her head to follow her. Curtly she turned around and they began walking in silence.
'Fucking shinobi. Kids only fourteen years old and he already scares the piss outta me. The fuck do they do to them?' She wondered with disgusted curiosity. The walk was short, considering how little of territory they were able to take back from the RDL and arrived to the same back alley where he had flushed out those opium assholes earlier.
Opening the door to reveal a bustling and revamped interior, Kouken saw people of all creeds walking around organizing and distributing foods/supplies. The place looked like a community and help center now and as they passed down the hallways Kouken was subjected to stares and hushed whispers.
"Think that's him?"
"No way, he's too young!"
"Well they did say he had pink hair, do you know anyone else with pink hair?" That was just one of the conversations he heard and the rest were along the same lines. The people here stared at him in a way he wasn't use too, and it made him want to crawl inside himself.
"People aren't use to heroes here; you did a good thing and many of them are still waiting for the catch." The hooker said as she led him to the office he once broke into months prior. She paused for a moment and chanced a stare at him, relieved to see his face was back to the more human looking version. "I don't know if there is a catch with you, or if you worked something out with Jiji, but…thank you." And with that she walked curtly back into the throng of people.
It took him by surprise but the fact that she looked as awkward saying that as he felt hearing it made him smile slightly. It was funny to him seeing a hooker struggle to find the right thing to say; perhaps if she spent less time putting things into her mouth she would be more articulate. Kouken snorted at his own joke and knocked on the door.
"Come on in." Said a gravelly voice.
Kouken strode in to find him sitting on a traditional mat with a paper and ink well's in front of him. A brush was moving slowly and carefully across the massive sheet of paper and whatever he was doing would obviously take him a while. He motioned for him to take a seat opposite from him and Kouken did just that. Falling to his ass rather unceremoniously and sitting criss-cross Kouken propped his elbow on his knee and buried his cheek into his palm.
Without looking up or deviating from his brush-strokes he spoke, "You know, to sit so carelessly is rather rude to the host. It shows you don't want to put the time in to present yourself admirably because you do not care of what the other person thinks of you- "
"I don't." Kouken said curtly, interrupting the man mid-sentence. Still the man didn't look up from his paper and spoke after a small silence.
"It means that since you do not care of the person and their opinion you do not respect them. Interrupting them is quite a transgression of manners too." His gravelly tone of voice began to grate on Kouken already; when the man spoke in such a relaxed tone of voice it filled his ears like literal gravel. However, he wouldn't say anything of it. He would wait and hear the man out.
His waiting turned out to be longer than he expected because the silence stretched from what was seconds into minutes. After nearly seven minutes of it Kouken looked ready to blow.
"I fail to understand why you are getting so distressed. All I am waiting for is an apology, my boy." The man said simply. Kouken's eye began to twitch sporadically. After another moment of silence Kouken's grinding of teeth was audible.
"I'm sorry…" He grounded out forcibly.
"And I'm sorry it caused you that much physical harm to say that." The elderly man replied with a chuckle. He set his brush down and began pouring some tea for the both of them. After letting it cool briefly he handed the boy a cup and saw him analyze it critically.
"My, my…expecting this old man who sought out your help to poison you? My you are a paranoid lot," he said referring to shinobi before sighing, "I suppose you have to be, otherwise the treachery of man would be more lethal than your jutsu's. However, your manners are atrocious, we'll have to work on that."
"I doubt you asked for my help for my manners." Kouken replied dryly and sipped the tea only after the man in front of him did.
"Oh, on the contrary, my friend. I asked for your help specifically for your manners; or at least your lack thereof. You'll be our…negotiator with the surrounding gangs, I'm sure you'll be quite persuasive." He said carefully, measuring his words so that each of them carried a clear message.
Kouken stared hard at the man, analyzing him as he would a mark that he was planning on stealing. "Where's my proof of your end of the bargain?" He asked skeptically.
The old man simply waved his hand to a glossy and richly coloured wooden box that sat to the side near his brushes. Kouken looked at the box, then at the man, and finally back to the box. Reaching forward slowly, again never taking his eyes off the old man he dragged the box before him. Taking the time to admire the craftsmanship of the box which was odd for him he ran a hand across the smooth top. It looked old, yet the wood seemed so…vibrant. Like it held a vitality one wouldn't expect of what seemed to be a family heirloom. The box had intricate carvings on the sides and tops of what appeared to be a massive tree, with its roots stretching so far down one couldn't discern where they ended and the canopy of the tree began. A chuckle snapped him from his revere.
"So you throw all manners to the wind and appear as crude as a thug yet when faced with a box you stop to admire its qualities. Quite the conundrum you are." Kouken threw the man a slight scowl and opened the box to reveal two scrolls sitting upon soft fabrics.
Taking the scrolls out and putting the box back between them his eyes flicked over their titles quickly. One read, Ototon: Bakufuu Weebu, and the other, Ototon: Inin Kooru. Sound release Blast Wave and Reverberating Call? He never heard of any Sound release and that made him giddy. These puppies would do just fine. Putting them away in his back pouch he sat up straighter and assumed a more serious look.
"How can I help?" He asked with a tone of professionalism that made the old man smile.
"We need to solidify our hold on this area. To do that, you need to…encourage the remaining high ranking members of the Rider's to leave. Fortunately, the gang was rather small and we did some thorough cleaning. You only have three targets." He threw him a folder which Kouken caught and looked inside. Pictures of the three targets, one of which he met before. That cocky smile and chipped front teeth, a present from their last meeting, Kouken realized one of his targets was the thug he beat down way back when the ANBU collected him. The other two were unfamiliar.
Flipping the pictures over he saw that each of them in blue ink had the locations these were taken and where they frequent at what times. The two unfamiliar ones would have to wait till tomorrow it seemed because they frequent a bar on the edges of the neighborhood around seven. Even though it was well past seven and they probably would still be there, Kouken wanted to pay his old friend a visit instead. Apparently the man's name was Kuroii and he would be around the working girls area of his old apartment in the next hour.
"Consider it done. I'll take care of the other two tomorrow and this "Kuroii" tonight." He put the pictures back into the envelope and rose from his sitting position.
"I leave it to your discretion." The old man replied and went back to sipping his tea. Kouken exited the place after that and went back to his apartment.
He had at least two hours to kill before the guy showed up so he figured he would read over the scrolls in the meantime. Arriving home and kicking off his sandals he went to his workshop that he converted from a guest bedroom and deposited the jutsu scrolls onto his desk.
Ototon: Bakufuu Weebu
Classification: Nin
Nature: Sound
Rank: C
Class: Offensive
Range: Dependent on chakra expended
Requirements: Finer chakra control and understanding of the anatomy of the throat
Description: By channeling chakra to your vocal chords and releasing it in a shout one can project a wave of sound that can send objects and people flying. It can pass through walls and jutsu, although suffering a significant loss in power.
Ototon: Inin Kooru
Classification: Nin
Nature: Sound
Rank: B
Class: Supplementary
Range: Dependent on chakra, control, and objects in the vicinity
Requirements: Finer Chakra Control and understanding of frequencies
Description: By channeling chakra to your fingers and vibrating it one builds up excited sound waves. After building to the desired point without losing the frequency require simply discharge it by snapping your fingers. This will send the wave of sound outwards in all directions, bouncing off everything it touches, and creating a map of where everything is. This jutsu is designed to be used as a sensor ability and requires much practice to hone your ears to the required frequency. Keep in mind that the more things that surround you in such proximity of each other, the more cluttered the image will be.
Kouken felt himself shake with excitement. This. Was. Perfect! These two jutsu's would be absolutely sublime in his library! He would have an attack that would phase through walls and jutsu's and toss them aside like rag dolls! Sound phases through everything! The only way he could imagine it could be blocked is with an excess amount of chakra or an insanely dense wall! The other jutsu is a godsend! With it he gains an edge that a shinobi would have to be born with! He would have a sensor ability because of a goddamn, motherfucking JUTSU!
"I think I just might shit myself!" He said in a shocked tone to himself. This old man fucking delivered! His cheering was cut short when he stared at his dancing reflection in the mirror and blushed from embarrassment. Drawing in a deep breath to collect himself he put the jutsu scrolls aside as he didn't have enough time to fully dive into them.
Instead, the boy took out his trusty project notebook and began drawing seal formations. It was just some time ago that he was able to work out the problem that was blocking his chakra suppression seal. He couldn't figure out what to do with the chakra. Every attempt to suppress his own network, which in hindsight was a bad idea for what idiot would test on themselves, caused the seal to eventually burst or burn away. There was simply not enough 'oomph' in the sealing matrix to achieve the results he wanted. Soooo, he decided to just say create something else! Fuck the textbooks and forge his own path and it was surprisingly easy. That's not to say he finished the seal, but he managed to chop a good chunk of time off the project and would only require small tweeking in the future.
What he did was simple, rather than suppressing the seal he just dispersed it. He made it so that any chakra molded by the person it was attached too was drawn into the seal and would exit out of it as harmless excess chakra. The best way to describe what would become of the chakra would be what's left over after executing a jutsu. Those with poor control would pump in an extra amount and it would get wasted as it would just linger in the area before either dissipating or getting absorbed by the environment. What was good about this seal is that no amount of chakra could burn or blow the thing away, since the seal was technically feeding the world, which was infinitely vast, there would be no way to overfill the floodgates in the sealing matrix that draw in the chakra. It was as if you were pouring water into a cup with the original seal, water being chakra and the cup being the seal. Well, if there is too much water the cup would overflow and not function as a successful container for water anymore. With the new seal design it's more of pouring water into an empty ocean. No matter how much you pour, it'll never overflow.
"I can't wait to show Anko-sensei all the progress I've made!" He said to himself giddily before he just sat there staring at his book. "….I have no fucking clue what to do next…." He muttered in despair; he wanted to practice seal making as he still had another hour and forty-five minutes left until his target showed, but he had no idea what kind of seal he wanted to make!
"I guess I'll just doodle then…" he said to himself as he began crafting some disgustingly mix-matched matrix. He didn't even think if they fit or the seal would work, he just put in parts of different seals and would later look at it to see if there was any way he could round it out and actually make it work.
He stared with the base he just created, the suction of chakra matrix, and reversed the outlet so it would take chakra out of something and feed into him. Perhaps he could make a two-way seal where it would sap the target and feed him chakra…hmm, no. If their chakra was too large or potent then the filters of the seal would fail and he'd die of chakra poisoning. He then added a triple-layered filter with the third one funneling into a purifier and refiner to increase the potency of the chakra fed. Maybe he could use this as a battery seal, used to power or fill up other seals. At the end of the seal, making it a six-layered seal of…something, he placed an incomplete and open version of a storage seal. He didn't know why, but it was all he had time for and he was sure to come back and finish it later. Looking at the clock and realizing how much time flew by he donned his all black outfit and decided to hit the streets.
"I hear my old apartment got turned into a brothel…at least they won't have to get rid of all the previous stains." Normally Kouken would vine-whip his way there, but it was a nice night and he actually kinda liked walking the streets of his neighborhood now that everyone was under the old man's shield. Looking around he could see that all the kids were in for bed, but the adults stayed out; mingling with their friends and sharing a drink or two. Shopkeepers were closing up for the night and were sitting out by their store, simply enjoying either a smoke or some beverage as they took in their success for the day. The whole air felt relaxed and at ease. Too bad Kouken's gonna break that along with some bones.
He arrived at his old apartment to see hookers hanging around everywhere! Their customers came and gone, some stayed to chat up the ladies for a freebie while others proceeded to go for another round while not even making it to the rooms. He felt his upper lip curl in disgust. These people were acting like animals! No pride or dignity; just slaves to basic instinct and hormones. It amazed him how disgusting human beings were, and he was glad that he was cut from a different cloth than these…things.
Spotting his target who was downing some beer, Kouken sighed and formed a henge. He turned into a busty C-cup brunette with a princess like braid, and sporting a frim heart shaped ass. She stood at 5'5 and was clothed in a very tight and revealing light purple kimono that accented her crystal green eyes. The look he/she went for is the regal and barely seventeen girl who seemed classy, but would turn into a real slut. Men always went nuts for a classy girl that had a serious kinky side.
Making his/her way towards her mark and phasing through the crowd he/she channeled chakra slightly to his/her voice to make it much more alluring than his normally arid and bland tone. His eyes locked with Kouken's 15 feet away and Kouken let a smirk play on her features. He already had the retard in his grasp.
"Hey there beautiful, I've never seen you around here before." He said in a rather husky tone. Internally Kouken was rolling his eyes, but he batter his/her eyelashes playfully and swayed her ass just barely out of his reach.
Turning her head slightly over her shoulder she said in a chiding yet sultry tone, "Ahh, but I've seen you. And that's why I decided to show up." She sashed her hips once more and slowly twirled around, leading him to one of the rooms and careful to stay just outside his range.
"Oh is that so? So you came all this way for little ole me?" He asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Ugh, this guy probably thinks he's the absolute shit.
"From what I've heard you're definitely not little, hmm?" She said suggestively and let her tongue slowly drag across her pale blue painted lips before release a throaty moan/chuckle. He could see that he was driving the man nuts, and it was pathetic really. He didn't even have to do much, just dress like the whores around him and act like a cock-tease and the man was putty.
"You've got good hearing then girl, because what you heard is right." He crossed the distance between them suddenly and startled Kouken. Fearing he would break the henge and unable to skirt away from him without breaking the allure he's created he stood there as the man leaned in and smelled the nape of his neck.
'Fuck! I forgot to put on perfume! I didn't shower after my training with guy-sensei! I bet I smell like sweat and blood!' Kouken swore internally, every time he infiltrated somewhere it was always one minor error that gets him fucked. He didn't want to make a scene, but perhaps that would be best; send a clear public message. Readying a fist he was interrupted by a throaty chuckle.
"Mmmm you must already be wet, you smell of sex. Getting excited are we?" He asked as he leaned away enough to stare into her eyes and give Kouken the space needed to continue backing up towards a room. It was only 10 feet away now.
"Oh I can admit to excitement, but what about yourself?" She asked playfully as her eyes flickered down to his bulging pants. She acted like the sight was mesmerizing and filled her with anxious anticipation. Finally hitting his back to the door, Kouken let a predatory smirk that would've instantly turned off any man with a clear head grace her features. Unfortunately for the man, he was thinking with a different head altogether. "Why don't we make things…more exciting?..." She said openly as she left the door open wide enough for him to enter.
"Fuck ye-" He exclaimed as he entered the room only to crumple to ground, curtsey of Kouken's neck chop. Closing the door and his henge already gone Kouken let his disgust clearly show.
"Tch, like I said…animals." He scoffed and then rolled his shoulders, it was time to get to work. He wrapped the unconscious body in vines and left out the back window into the dimly lit alleyway. Using the sewer system for a brief spell to cross a great amount of distance without being seen carrying his strange load he reappeared in much more hostile territory. Hostile for anyone affiliated with the Riders' that is.
Setting the body down he looked around for the best way to send a message, something that would leave him and his party free of blame and grab the rest of the Riders' attention…Ideally, he wanted to find a way to sway the Riders' target from the Old Man's Brigade to some other gang.
"A gang war huh? Well alright Mr. Kuroii, looks like you're starting a gang war." Kouken said with a smirk as he looked around for targets. He wasn't all that familiar with the gang in this neighborhood but he was able to tell which buildings were gang affiliated simply by the traffic going in and out. Dragging the body into another dark alley way he chose this run-down restaurant as his target. The place seemed to be a way-point for all the revenue they rake in and would be the perfect target to start a war. Try and steal a man's money and he'll beat you; but try and destroy it then he'll kill you. Finding two liquor bottles on the floor which weren't all that empty he stuffed a dirty rag into the mouth before re-capping them. Putting one in the hand of Mr. Kuroii Kouken lit his own with the academy campfire jutsu and hurled it through the window. The moment it left his hands he turned and threw some smelling salt to rouse the man back to reality and bolted.
"C'mon, take the bait…" Kouken muttered to himself as he watched from a nearby rooftop as the building went up in flames with angered thugs pouring out. Kuroii, who had yet to gain his bearings stumbled out into the street still holding the makeshift firebomb and was instantly set upon by the enraged thugs.
Flashing a smile of victory, he could hear them exclaiming he was a Rider as he left the scene. Once word gets out, the Riders' will be forced to shift their attention to whomever those fuckers were just to defend themselves. That should take out the other two targets as well since them being the only high ranking officers left, it'll fall to them to organize and put up a fight. But, it'll be one pathetic fight with the numbers they have, that's for sure.
With Might Guy
Guy had done what he always did on a Friday night. Show up the jounin lounge and get absolutely smashed with his friends. Everyone was there; Kakashi, Asuma, Genma, Hayate, Kurenai, Yuago, and more. They sat around the table and exchanged stories as well as jibes on any rumors they heard lately. With a graduating class only a few months away, becoming a sensei was on everyone's mind.
"So how about the new crop? Anyone got dibs?" Genma asked with a smirk as he played around with the senbon in his mouth.
"Ino-Shika-Cho." Asuma said simply before returning to his quiet conversation with Kurenai.
"Hinata Hyuga." Said Kurenai just as simply before returning to her conversation with Asuma. Or at least, tried too, but judging from Genma's smirk he wasn't gonna let her get off that easily.
"Oh yeah? Weren't you tutoring her for a while? What's she like?" He asked with fake curiosity as Asuma shot him a dirty look. The reason why was the moment he asked Kurenai lit up and completely tore away from her conversation with Asuma. What. A. Cockblock.
Kakashi chuckled and Guy smiled as Genma's joke backfired as he seemed woefully overwhelmed by everything their fellow jounin had to say about the girl and was trying desperately to find some way out of the conversation. Asuma smiled in a vindictive sort of way which got a glare/pleading look from Genma which he dismissed as he turned towards Kakashi and Guy.
"What about you Kakashi? Got any hopeful prospects? How about that Uchiha kid? Said to be he's just like his older brother in terms of skill." Asuma said as he dangled the tidbit like a fishhook waiting for him to bite. Guy didn't seem as interested as he laid backwards into his booth seat and sent a side long glance to his eternal rival while taking a sip of his drink.
Kakashi flicked his eyes from his book and stared dully at his smokestack of a friend. "…Meh." He said simply and Asuma who had been leaning in let his head hit the table with a thud. Guy snorted and shared a small smile with Kakashi before Asuma picked his head back up and attempted to revive the conversation.
"What about you, Guy?" He asked curiously. "Word is, that your prodigy is away on clan duties, and you're down one man." His words seemed to draw the curiosity of his friends and Guy put his drink down.
"That's incorrect my youthful friend; I've taken on a student from another teacher who's away for the time being." He said simply and could already feel the perfect set-up. Everyone looked confused as they would've known if somebody became a sensei recently.
"Uhh Guy? Who's the sensei? Is it anyone we would know?" Genma asked clearly happy to finally find a way away from Kurenai's enthusiasm.
"Oh yes, I believe everyone knows of this person." He said vaguely, not answering the question directly and only enticing them further.
"Well, is it a guy or girl?" Yuago asked speaking up for the first time in a while.
"Girl." Guy replied and kept silent as everyone leaned forward, except Kakashi of course, waiting for him to go on.
"Oh for shit's sake Guy! Who the bloody hell is it?!" Hayate exclaimed without a cough surprisingly.
"Anko." He said and had to hide his smile behind his drink.
"…"
"…What?" Kakashi asked as his book hanged limply from his hand as he stared dumbly at his friend. He never knew the man to be so crafty with a joke before. In fact, he's never been all that good with..jokes… Realization that it was no joke dawned on him before everyone else as he went pale and sent a quick prayer to whomever the sad, tormented sod was.
"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted and Guy couldn't hold his laughter anymore and spit his drink out choking on his amusement. It took quite some time for everyone to settle down and once they did Kurenai was the first to speak.
"It makes sense, last I spoke to her, she was gloating about a potential way to gain her promotion and then I haven't seen her since. She must've been training her..student." The words seemed wrong coming out of her mouth and she looked as if she had marbles in her mouth.
"…Well, what's the kid like?" Yuago asked curiously, wondering what her friend's student might be like with a sensei like Anko.
Guy put his drink down with a sigh and adopted a somber expression. "The boy is…" he said struggling for words, "His name is Kouken Izoumaru, and he is one of the most talented shinobi I've ever seen." He said in a tone that seemed far too depressing for such high praise.
"Well that's some praise, Guy, especially with your Neji on your team. Why sound so down about it? Afraid he'll beat you?" Asuma asked with a smirk while Kakashi sent an odd glance in Guy's direction.
"He's a registered flight risk." He said and the silence was more deafening than when he dropped the Anko bomb…heheh A-bomb.
"He's not evil, of that I can assure you." Guy said sincerely, rushing to abate any thoughts he might've sown. "He's just…His psychological profile is almost a carbon copy of Orochimaru's." He said with a sigh and looked down at his drink.
"And Anko's teaching him…" Kurenai said sadly, almost unbelieving of torment that Anko and the child must be going through.
"He's so very talented, picks things up quicker than I've ever seen. He spars with Lee every day and although he loses each time, the next one becomes that much more difficult for Lee. If it wasn't for his speed, Kouken would've trounced the boy every time." He wasn't badmouthing his prized student, he was simply stating facts. "Kouken is frighteningly suited for the shinobi lifestyle and reminds me a lot of you Kakashi." Guy said drawing his friend's attention as well as into the conversation.
"Is that right? Well, what's he good at?" He asked with his lone eye on his book.
"I wouldn't know since all I have him do is taijutsu, but from what I'm told he wants to learn everything and that's what he's doing. Fuinjutsu, poison, psychological warfare, torture, infilitation, assassination, taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, anything under the sun. He only learns obscure techniques though, believes that the no-name moves would be the hardest to counter." Guy said with a hint of pride, but mostly sadness. "So much potential, and I fear it'll consume him."
The table was silent for a while until someone started up a whole new conversation and the happy air returned, smothering the somberness like a blanket. Guy and a few others, however, were left with a small nagging in the back of their minds. But tonight, tonight would be the night they get wasted!
Days Pass with Anko Reporting in(Assume it's Monday)
Anko stood tall and straight in front of her village's leader while he looked and listened to Jiraiya's report. She healed rather quickly thanks the sober help of Shizune, god she loved that woman, and after a few hours of rest Jiraiya and her made their way back to Konoha at breakneck speed. She kept to herself the entire way home as her mind was on the fight that nearly killed her and the conversation she had with her long-time best friend whom she only visits when her mission routes allowed it.
The fight was a sore issue for her; as she had nearly lost because she simply wasn't good enough and it's not through a lack of trying. The seal on her neck will forever limit what she's capable of as a shinobi unless she gives into the seal and use it. No matter how hard she trains or how much practice she puts in the seal caps her chakra pools, stamina, speed, strength, anything required to become stronger without the seal's help. That's how it forces the user to give in if the user is stubborn. What twisted the knife in her gut is that because of this seal, she'll never grow stronger. Never be strong enough for jounin, never be strong enough to defeat her enemies…never be strong enough to kill her sensei…
Grinding her teeth and clenching her fist in her pockets she forced her mind to the conversation she had with her friend, Shizune.
Flashback
"Thanks Shizune, I don't see how that old hag still has a doctor's license when she operates buzzed." Anko said with a grimace. She truly didn't like doctors, not after all their poking and prodding when she was returned to the village. Imagine how she felt about a drunk one! But Shizune was the exception, she trusted her. After all, the two of them were practically the best of friends growing up, they even got apprenticeships to sensei's that were part of the same team! Those were happier times…
"You know Tsunade-sama is the best doctor in all the elemental lands. The reason she still has her doctors license is because everything is so easy that she could still do it despite being…under the influence." Shizune said in an admiring tone before tapering off to slight disappointment. Tsunade was practically her mother after what happened with her older brother and it kills her when she sees her that way. It's like watching the person you knew waste away…Sometimes she's not even sure if she's the same person her older brother fell for.
"Don't let her bad habits drag ya down Shizune! So did you get that good dicking I prescribed for you the last time we met?" Anko asked with a sly grin that turned to slight disappointment at seeing Shizune's face light up red.
"Well that's a shame, it really would do wonders for your stress." Anko said with a shake of her head. She loved her friend dearly, but she was so uptight and formal. A polar opposite of her really; it's a wonder how they get along so well.
"Yes well did you make more friends like I advised? I don't think so." Shizune said with a 'tut-tut-tut' after regaining her normal complexion. Shizune really was the master of chiding and admonishment.
"I have friends! I got you, Kurenai, Yuago, Hana, and the rest of the Jounin's." Anko said defensively; truthfully she only trusted Shizune the most out of the lot. Kurenai came in second, but it was a far second. Shizune said that she should try getting closer to them so she wouldn't always be alone hanging around the T&I department or The Forest of Death.
"Sides, I wouldn't be doing much friendly things now that I got hitched." She said dismissively, absolutely missing the face of sheer shock and horror.
Tossing all care out for the patient out the tsundae sized hole in the wall, Shizune roughly spun her friend around. "You got hitched?! YOU GOT FUCKING MARRIED?!" She screamed as she shook her friend by the shoulders at the speed of light.
"What?! Fuck no! I got hitched with a student!" Anko said after she managed to make Shizune, and the world, stop shaking. "Christ, I'm wounded here, have a little more care would ya?" She muttered as she rubbed her bruised body.
Shizune's shock and awe reduced by a sizeable amount, but a sizeable amount still remained. Anko taking on a student was just as high up there on the unlikely things for Anko to do as getting married. She moved on to healing her thigh wound as the rest of the wounds on her body were mended.
"So tell me about him…her?" She asked curiously.
Anko grunted as she felt the disgusting swelling of her thigh reduce, "Him. Name's Kouken Izoumaru and he's one spacy little fucker." She snorted at all the times she managed to pounce on him unawares.
"Huh?"
"He loses sight of reality easily and drifts into his head far too much. It's kinda funny to see really." The two of them shared a chuckle after Anko imitated the look. Silence reigned between them as Shizune thought her friend would go on, but the tense air proved that this was a touchy subject.
"So tell me about him. What's he like?" She asked in a soft voice as the healing chakra washed over Anko and lulled her into a relaxed state.
"Ahhh," She sighed contently, "He's talented. Cut from the same cloth as Kakashi and Itachi really. Practically made for the shinobi lifestyle and is fully aware of it." She said as she laid back on a cot while Shizune checked the rest of her body for wounds.
"You mean he's cocky?" She asked curiously, if he was as frequent that was for geniuses of their age then she doubted he was like Kakashi-sempai and Itachi Uchiha.
"No, no…He knows that being a ninja is all there is for him. It's all he wants to do and nothing he would rather do. He put all his eggs in this basket…Very desperate to prove himself…" Anko's words became soft as both of them knew that she wasn't just talking about her student anymore.
"Ya know…he's listed as a flight risk…" She said causing Shizune to stop her scan and look up in shock. Being listed as a flight risk on your file meant that you were monitored 24/7 by ANBU. You'll never know of their presence or what they report. They remain posted and vigilant until the flight risk status is taken away or they prove themselves a threat and are immediately taken out. Her thoughts were broken when Anko continued talking, arm draped over her eyes appearing as if she was resting.
"His psychological evaluation has an 87.3% match with Orochimaru's…" She said causing Shizune's eyes to widen. "I saw the desperation in his eyes, how proving himself practically consumed him and I saw myself, Shizune. This brat was charging at me with explosive tags rigged to blow and I saw myself. He shouldn't have even passed the test, but I asked to take him on." Shizune's hands rested in her lap as she stared worriedly at her long-time friend. She didn't know what test she was speaking of, but she would find out later from Jiraiya-sama or someone else.
"I thought…I thought that maybe I could save him, ya know? That I could prevent him from all the pain that road causes. But all I see is Orochimaru in him…And I hate him for it." She said passionately, as if she was struggling to contain herself. Her voice was taking a hoarse edge, "In the spars I always go a little too hard and in the lessons I always point some failure out. I threw him in the Forest of Death for five days without any equipment before I even trained him! Even Orochimaru had me keep my supplies when I did it! Hell I just broke into his apartment and knocked him out!" She pulled her arm away and revealed tightly clenched eyes that had tears barely leaking out. Anko was always strong like that, much stronger than how Shizune felt herself.
Her voice wavered and was thick in emotion, "I wanna save him…but I'm trying to kill him! I'm training him just how Orochimaru trained me and I can see him growing up to be like the bastard more and more each day!" The tears began flowing more freely and Shizune moved to comfort her.
Patting her hair and hugging her tightly she let Anko hold on as she vented all the pent up frustration and rage that this student brings her. Rocking back and forth the two sat there for quite some time before Anko's voice sounded off once again, much more exhausted this time.
"What do I do Shizune? I'm afraid I'm making a monster and I'm afraid just being by the brat is turning me into one too!" Anko pleaded for advice as she looked at her friend directly into her eyes. Shizune pursed her lips and thought each word as carefully as the last.
"I think…That what you see happening is a very likely reality." She said watching the woman cringe and pull from her. Anko felt this way because she was viewed as the next Orochimaru growing up and even more so after his betrayal. To say the same about another child must've stung for her, but for them to be right must've made it even worse. "However," Shizune said drawing her friend's eyes once more, "I believe that only you can prevent this. To do right by the boy and give him everything your sensei didn't give you. Become more than a sensei and guide him away from his dark potential." Anko hung on every word she said but inside she was cringing. She knew Shizune was right, but to accomplish that meant she had to spend much more time with the boy whom she saw her pathetic self and deranged master in. It was like a cruel reflection that wouldn't stop mocking her with the truth.
Shizune soon left after that and Anko's exhausted mind shut down for a few hours of dreamless sleep.
Flashback Over
"Anko!" A voice called out, snapping Anko's focus to reality.
"Huh?! What?" She called out with a start, looking around to see not only Jiraiya's eyes on her but the Sandiame's as well. She dropped to a knee and shoved her fist into her shoulder, "I'm sorry Hoakge-Sama! I was merely reflecting on my battle!" She said/half-lied.
Jiraiya and his sensei shared a troubled look as they both knew that Anko was never respectful. The few times she was, one could tell that something was clearly bothering her.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Could you tell me more about your run-in with the ANBU's apparent leader and how he fought?" He asked as he leaned forward with interest.
Anko snapped back to her standing stance and nodded, "Hai, Hokage-sama. He was strong, easily ANBU level and well-experienced in fighting as an elite. He showed no signs of emotional distress and used a variety of weird techniques, two of which included damage to my ears, and powerful gusts of wind coming from his palms without any hand signs. He fought like he was trained to be an emotionless tool, and calculated the risks of every engagement at blistering speeds." She then stepped back and the other two men began discussing with each other once again.
"That'll be all Anko. Thank you." Hiruzen said with a sigh as he rubbed his furrowed brow in distress. Anko snapped off a salute and exited the room, feeling the swell of anxiety at meeting her student again.
Both men in the room watched her leave with her mind submerged in thoughts unknown and likely troubling to her.
"She nearly died…" Jiraiya said staring at his sensei.
"This doesn't bode well Jiraiya. I'm desperately hoping it's paranoia, but my gut and reports are telling me war is brewing. Sunagakure just signed a military alliance with some new village called Otogakure and already I am getting requests to participate in this year's Chunin Exams." He said as he stared at the papers splayed against his desk. As of now, the exam was only nine months away. This year's graduating class doesn't graduate for another three months, which meant they only had about six months to prepare them for a potential war.
"My spy network is digging up everything they can about this alliance with the new village, but everything is surprisingly quiet. It's as if they know we're watching and from where we are watching from." Jiraiya mused aloud, voicing his troubled thoughts.
"I've already deployed squads of ANBU to perform more aggressive forms of information gathering. If we're going to war, then I want to see it over before it even begins." Hiruzen proclaimed seriously with a fire burning in his eyes. It would seem he is tasked with protecting his home once more and it was time to assemble to council.
With Kouken, Training Tower
Kouken bounced on the balls of his feet with excitement, running through his kata's as if he was as light as air itself. Today was the day Anko returned and would be testing him on all the progress he's made and he couldn't wait to show her. His weights were off and with a few minutes of testing how he moved when Ninpo: Goriki was on he felt confident in his ability to at least land a blow! That's right, his goal was to just land a blow. He never could before and today would be the day that he breaks that record.
He also had another jutsu under his belt, Ototon: Bakufuu Weebu, which took only two days to learn. He was far from mastering it as it took too much time in his opinion to charge up and always left his throat hoarse after use, but he was still able to perform the technique successfully. It felt good to finally go back to learning ninjutsu easily as he had been stuck on Ninpo: Dokugiri since he got it. He simply couldn't perform the move, and it came down to him not having good enough understanding of chemistry. He tried to learn, but the time simply wasn't there for him and chemistry was so…BORING! Dear god, it made him want to kill himself it was that dull!
The time for waiting came to an end as he sensed the arrival of his sensei. Turning towards the great big doors she would enter through he felt excitement build and couldn't help himself from smiling. He was pretty sure that the grin would split his face in two.
That was the image an anxious and struggling Anko was greeted with. She was trying to convince herself that the boy wasn't either her or Orochimaru and that she simply needed to coax it out, and that she couldn't take her anger out on the boy. But when she opened those two massive doors she was greeted with the image of a madly grinning boy with eyes that shone with unhinged excitement. He was so overwhelmed she could see his muscles shaking and wisps of chakra swirling around him. She felt her mind go blank and a snarl rip from her throat.
"Hello, Anko-Sensei! Would you like to see how much stronger I've gotten?" He asked in what was innocent to him, but sounded horribly mocking and twisted to Anko.
"Bring it, you little shit." She snarled in a hostile way although Kouken received it as her just being her and all was well.
Kouken needed no further enticement and charged right towards her. At first, there was no change in his speed since the last time the two sparred and he could see the over-confidence in her eyes already. Just some odd feet away from her he completely disappeared from view. Her surprise bled to pain when a second later a kick that definitely bruised her ribs sent her flying. Before she could right herself she felt a thorny vine grab her by her arm and shred her coat sleeve, only stopped by her mesh armor underneath. The vine yanked her back and sent her flying against the metal rails slamming her back into it with enough force to dislocate her arm.
Watching his sensei cry out in pain was heavenly to hear. This! This was what success felt like! This is proof of all his hard work! This is proof that she needs no other student! Grinning wildly and not letting his attack cease he threw her up in the air with the vine and disappeared once more. As Anko reached her climax she saw her wildly grinning student appear before her with his knees tucked into his chest. Eyes widening in alarm she managed to put her arms into a cross block to absorb the kick before rocketing down towards the ground. Not finished in the least with his attack Kouken sent out his thorny vines once more, dripping with chakra poison to wrap completely around her body before she hit the ground. Pulling her close towards him and spinning faster and faster as he fell towards the ground he planned to pile drive her straight into the ground.
Anko could feel every one of his assaults with red hot pain. The boy managed to nearly quadruple his speed and triple his strength in just two weeks, it wasn't natural! She knew of his Ninpo: Goriki and its potency, but this was ridiculous. This also happened to be enough for Anko.
With a flare of chakra she dished out some severe chakra burns to the vines and her student that held her capture. Right before she hit the ground she grabbed the boys shoulders and tossed him over her head, transferring all the inertia and power behind the attack and sending him straight into a wall, or at least would've had his vines not shoot out once more and grab the railings and send him rocketing forward and twice the speed he was thrown.
Now moving at blistering speed, nearly four times from when he sent Anko shooting towards the ground with his double stomp, he slipped right through her guard and buried a fist in her gut, folding her slightly over his fist and making her spit blood. Using their height difference to his advantage and remaining inside her guard he sent a vicious elbow right where her nose met her lip. That move was a kill shot, or at least would've sent the cartilage of her nose into her brain had she not mover her head slightly. Pulling a ram sign and charging chakra in his vocal cords he sent her flying away with a near 180 degree kick to her chin. Kouken never felt better in his entire life, he was so close to winning that nothing could stop him! He would finally prove that he was strong enough to be a shinobi and that he deserved to be remembered forever! Anko would never forget the genin that beat her senseless with only two weeks of training. She just managed to right herself when he felt Ototon: Bakufuu Weebu finally charge up; she would get slammed by it at only three feet away!
Anko could see how wild and gleeful his eyes were in the moment she righted herself, she saw the glimmer that meant absolutely unrestrained happiness. Those eyes may have been dark blue, but in that instance, she only saw gold with black slits. That's when she snapped.
That was when it happened. Once again, on the cusp of victory Kouken felt the pain first before the actual realization that it was taken from his grasp. A punch to his temple forced him to one knee and the jutsu he was charging up tore out of his throat uncontrolled. He felt his voice box and throat tear itself apart and the resounding boom of when the jutsu impacted the ground right at his feet sent him soaring away. In the air he felt a kick propel him in another direction and he smashed into the metal railings, not unlike his sensei had earlier. Eyes shut in pain he tried to scream but nothing would come out. He could feel the rail dent from his body and felt weightless once more when he slipped off.
Now given some time, Anko put her dislocated arm back into its socket and grinned cruelly at the descending child. She felt glee in smashing this Orochimaru wannabe and she would be damned if he leaved here thinking he won. Disappearing from view she grabbed the boys head in her hand before spinning on heel and smashing him face first into the ground with enough force to crack it. The boy opened his mouth in a wordless motion and she repeated the attack, pausing each time to look at his face before using his head to create even wider cracks.
Outside that training room one could hear the slamming of concrete meeting flesh. Outside that training tower one could hear nothing. Through the sounds of the forest and into the heart of Konoha nobody would be able to hear Anko's attacks, but nobody would hear the price of his failure louder than Kouken did himself.
Wrap! That's a wrap! Fun chapter, not a lot of action once more, but hey I put things in that would interest you. This is all the rising action and I dunno bout you but it's fun to write, so I hope it's fun to read! Anyways, next chapter will likely be Kouken's first mission with Anko and I want to thank everyone for the reviews, messages, favorites and follows! My email is on the fritz right now, but I am checking the story page daily to see if new reviews are posted. I swear I love reading them. Fapman did I abate any of your concerns? I sent you a PM a long ass time ago about them and I didn't get a response. Everyone let me know what you think. Also to whomever the guest was that said he/she would drop my story if it became OCxOC romance than you might want to drop my story anyways if something so small concerns you. Now I know romance may not be small to you, but since the genre is Adventure/Drama and I have little to no interest in creating a romance other than to perhaps advance Kouken's character, the likelihood of there being any romance at all is insanely minute. That's it! PEACE OUT!
