Naruto's knives were significantly less efficient weapons than Sasuke's naginata. They had limited reach, required more finesse to be useful, and didn't cut as deeply in theory with a single stroke as the curved blade on the end of Sasuke's spear would. His reach alone should have given the Amatsukami clansman an unassailable advantage.

It did, for the first several seconds of the fight, where Naruto tried to dodge Sasuke's thrusts and was forced back again and again, unable to get so much as a nick on his opponent, but harrying his opponent was the only thing he was managing to do. He should have been hurting him. He should have been clobbering the dead last. It wasn't enough to be equals. He was the outborn's superior, dammit!

"Tsukumo-Gami Purview: Helpful Spirit!" Sasuke shouted in frustration, making his naginata even longer and sharper.

"Darkness Purview: Shadow Bodies!" Naruto shouted, finally using his favorite move when Sasuke broke the unspoken barrier of Purview use.

Now Amaterasu's son had to deal with numbers. The advantage was technically no longer his, but he knew how to turn that around. If he could get four seconds to concentrate, then it wouldn't matter if Naruto were clever enough to avoid getting blinded by Heavenly Flare, the concentrated sunlight would destroy the shadow constructs surrounding him. Unfortunately, getting four seconds to concentrate wasn't the easiest possible task when five or so pitch-black warriors were trying to stab you.

Ineffectively holding the naginata in one hand and clumsily gripping his crossbow from its holster in an awkward hold that would have made it useless with mundane bolts, he intoned "Sun Purview: Flare Missile!" Before turning the light of the noon-day sun into a much more compact and useful, not to mention easier to fire, bolt, that single-handedly destroyed one of the shadow bodies even while half-grazing its torso.

The real Naruto and the Shadow Bodies all hesitated upon seeing this, which gave Sasuke the opportunity he needed to intone "Sun Purview: Heavenly Flare."

Naruto, anticipating this move, managed to look away in time, but by doing so he left himself vulnerable to Sasuke's next attack, and, more importantly, the burst of sunlight eradicated his shadow constructs even if it didn't managed to blind the kid. Exploiting Naruto's brief panic over this, he charged forward, tossing the crossbow to the side, and got a decent cut with his naginata. Not enough to bring his opponent down, but enough to definitely say that he had the edge in this fight.

Turning the spear in his hands so that he could go for an immediate follow-up strike, Naruto shocked him by shouting "Stars Purview: Perfect Timing," and actually managing to slip past his spear and get close enough that the longer reach of Sasuke's weapon was actually a hindrance. Naruto himself managed two cuts into Sasuke's clothing, deliberately avoiding anywhere that would cause a serious injury. Knowing that careful deliberation was in play infuriated the elite of their class, who dropped the spear to try and grab his lighter.

"Don't tell me that you're yielding," Naruto taunted, completely misunderstanding Sasuke's actions and thus only holding a threatening pause rather than trying to stop him. "After all, you got me just as badly as I got you, and I want a real victory before you admit that…"

"Fire Purview: Bolster Flame!"

"Sasuke, you're going too far for a friendly spar," Sakura tried to shout out, but Naruto, even covered in burns, merely laughed.

"That's more like it!" The Gatekeeper winced his way to where a protrusion from the hospital's roof projected a decent-sized shadow, intoned "Darkness Purview: Shadow Refuge," and vanished before their eyes.

Sasuke shouldn't have let him do that, but Sakura's shout had distracted him for a second. Much too long. And now Naruto was…happy? Excited about their fight? Like he wasn't getting clobbered? Because he wasn't.

Not that they weren't already at the back of his mind the whole time, but Tsumire's observations were getting stronger and stronger. Grabbing his naginata from the ground and thrusting it into the rapidly fading fire he had just created, he shouted "Fire Purview: Blazing Weapons" and prepared to run that invisible bastard through.

Charging forward as fast as he could, he rammed straight into the protrusion casting the shade, knowing full well even in his half-thinking rage that Naruto could only stay invisible within a short range of it, and struck where the heart would be on a boy of Naruto's height, over and over and over again.

He may have activated a Strength Knack without even realizing it, as he managed to create burning cracks in the material of whatever they made this hospital out of, certain that he was finally going to show his strength and end this…he managed to ignore Sakura's scream, but couldn't do anything about Kakashi suddenly grabbing his wrist. Snarling and preparing to rebuke his Guide, he was cut short noticing that Kakashi also had Naruto's wrist in his hands, where the shorter boy had managed to sneak a knife right next to Sasuke's neck. Much to his own shock, he was capable of objectively analyzing the situation; in a real fight to the death, Naruto would have just won. He was outplayed by the dead last.

"Naruto, you and Sakura please go somewhere else. I need to talk with Sasuke. Wherever it is, make sure that it's somewhere I can find you easily later."

Sasuke wasn't particularly interested in whatever Kakashi had to say at this point. He was angry, frustrated, and, though he would never admit to anyone, the least of which himself, scared. He was even sorrowful. The only negative emotion he didn't feel at this point was confusion. It was finally clear; the Village had left him weak. It was time to take Tsumire's advice and join her, and he could make his preparations just as soon as Kakashi finished wasting his time.

"What was your goal there?" His Guide asked him. "Were you hoping to kill your bandmate?"

"It was no more violent than the matches in the Rank Exams," Sasuke answered, not really caring.

"Those had proctors to make sure you didn't go too far. This didn't. Those had people watching and all of you fully prepared for what you were about to do. This was unsupervised; anything could have happened, and you weren't holding back the way you would have in a friendly spar. So I'm asking again, but this time don't dodge the question. What were you trying to accomplish?"

While there was obviously no way in the cold depths of the Underworld that he would tell his Guide the full truth, Sasuke tried to assuage him with a partial one. "When the three of us faced Itachi, he didn't care about me. He said 'I didn't interest him at the moment.' He only cared about…Naruto." Sasuke ground his teeth. "I dedicated my life to avenging my Clan, to taking him down, and he didn't even give me so much as a second glance. I wanted, I guess, to see which of us was worthier."

Kakashi sighed before sitting down, trying to think about how to deal with this. "Itachi is a Rogue and a murderer who needs to be put down, but in spite of what you've told yourself, there is no dishonor in you not being the one to do it."

"You don't understand what it's like…"

"yes, I do," Kakashi shut him up before he could go on the normal spiel. "My mortal caretaker killed himself over a failed mission. My best friend died saving my life. My other closest friend, quite possibly the woman I loved, well, I was forced into a situation where I had to kill her. I know all about tragedy. I know all about everyone you love dying around you. This isn't some incredible experience that only you could understand, Sasuke, no matter how awful. And you know what? Sometimes I got vengeance. Sometimes I didn't. It didn't make a difference. Killing the people who killed my loved ones fixed nothing."

Sasuke refused to hear it. He didn't care that he had no real rebuttal. It caused no more doubts than Sakura had when she questioned his life choices, and he wasn't going back to that confusion. As painful as the decision he had ultimately made was, he was slowly realizing that it was less painful than not knowing which way to go. It was weirdly euphoric, finally making a decision, no matter how painful, and that euphoria drowned out Kakashi's points. He merely glared. Kakashi glared back.

--

Naruto briefly wondered whether he and Sakura were currently on a date. Certain that she would slap him if he suggested it, he instead concentrated on the bowl of ramen he was slurping on the stand, right next to her identical bowl, until she spoke up. "I'm worried about Sasuke."

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Granny Tsunade said that he'd be fine."

"It's not his health that I'm worried about. Do you remember during the Rank Exams, when that mark took him over, and he started to rip that guy's chest out? I think that the mark is still affecting him. Making him…do drastic things."

Naruto shrugged. "He's Sasuke. He may not be as awesome as me, but he's strong enough to ignore what some stupid tattoo wants him to do."

"I guess," Sakura answered, barely touching her food. "But seeing his brother like that…I can't imagine that he's in the best place right now."

"I have faith in him," Naruto scarfed down some more noodles.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Naruto, that means more than you know." Tossing some money to the shopkeeper, she whispered, "this wasn't a bad date," before walking away and letting him process what he'd just heard.

--

Kakashi's words ran through his head. Sakura's words ran through his head. Unfortunately, they all paled in comparison to Tsumire's words, and the simple fact that the dead last had beat him. He had made a promise to himself, and there was only one thing to do at this point.

The Village almost managed to shock him with its utter lack of security; as far as he could tell, no one noticed as he simply left. It did occur to him that maybe some Scions who happened to be particularly good were letting him think that they didn't notice, but then he remembered how easily Itachi had apparently managed to sneak in and theorized that this place had gotten too complacent, even after the recent invasion. Another sign it was keeping him weak. No deliberate guard managed to stop him, or even come close. In the end, it was complete coincidence. Sakura hadn't even been using the Magic Purview.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, too hastily, giving too much away with his tone.

"Clearing my head after a confusing day," she answered, catching his mistake. "What are you doing here?"

"The same," he tried to lie, even as her eyes narrowed. "And I'd rather do it alone."

"Clear your head, or everything?" She asked, causing him to pause. There were plenty of answers running through his head, but he suspected that most of them would give her room to crawl into his mind, planting more seeds of doubt. That was the last thing he needed.

So, he walked forward silently.

"Sasuke, please," she begged, the hint of a sob accompanying the last syllable. "Did we mean nothing to you?"

He almost paused once more, but reminded himself 'no doubts.'

"I'll s-stop you," she continued. Realizing that she possibly could, he forced himself to stay on the path as he channeled his Ichor.

It was a testament to just how much her emotions were in control, just how much she was unprepared to actually fight the boy, that neither her Dexterity Knacks nor her Wits Knacks training kicked in when he silently sent out his signature Heavenly Flare, blinding her before jumping to her back and whispering "thank you for trying," before smashing the blunt end of his naginata to the back of her head and sending her sprawling to the ground. Blinded and dazed, she was no longer able to follow him as he kicked his Dexterity Knacks into gear to find the meeting place.

--

Tsumire was sweating, in spite of herself. The four servants of Orochimaru surrounding her, all much stronger than she was and more than capable of slaughtering her quite effortlessly, merely bowed in anticipation. The one with six arms smiled at her, but there was no kindness behind it. Rather, she was under the impression of a predator smiling at its prey. The others waited silently, bowed as if in respect.

If she hadn't convinced Sasuke as thoroughly as she hoped, if he came here with several Scions and they thought she had betrayed them…was this the end? She was not at peace with herself. She couldn't stand dying here. Luckily, Sasuke came alone, and she didn't have to.

Putting every possible effort into covering up her sense of relief and making it look like she knew this would happen the whole time, she smiled. "These men serve Orochimaru. They can bring you to him. They can also show you how to use the Itzli Mark properly."

Sasuke glared at each of them in turn. They offered him no real response. That same multi-limbed one who smiled at her earlier seemed like he was silently laughing, but they were neither intimidated nor sneering. They merely wanted to do Lord Orochimaru's duties.

One of them, a man whose face was made up like a woman's, moving with a strange mix of stiffness and vitality that came and went with each motion of his limbs, told Sasuke, "our master would like you to drink this."

He held out a bowl filled with some bitter-smelling liquid.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"If you're weak, it will kill you," they all answered in unison. "If you're strong, it will make you even stronger."

"If you aren't willing to take a risk, then you have nothing to offer us," Tsumire added, getting into the spirit of things and throwing his earlier words back in his face.

No doubts. Stepping forward, he imbibed the liquid, which was just as bitter in taste as its smell implied, and felt his throat suffer. Struggling to breathe, feeling a pain start in his mouth but then stretch out to every corner of his body, the Mark on his neck flared up and his chest felt like it was on fire. He tried to let them see none of this, tried to avoid any evidence of weakness before this group, but it wasn't long before he collapsed with a gasp.

"Get him in the basket. We have to move, now." As the four went about preparing the Amatsukami boy's unconscious body for transport, Tsumire felt the audacity to ask, "what do I do now?"

"How the frick should I know?" The lone other woman asked.

"Continue your game in the Village," the smiling one with the many limbs answered, "maybe there'll be more plays to make in the future."

The man in the make-up tossed her a bag of coin. "For services rendered. Lord Orochimaru will be pleased to call on you when he needs you again."

That was all she got before they left her there in the woods.

--

Sakura woke up to a bright white light and Tsunade's concerned face. "We found you lying on the ground unconscious. What happened?"

"Sasuke…attacked me. I think he might have…left the Village."

As their new Great God-on-Earth crossed her fingers together in thought, Sakura's own words processed in her head and she felt the need to fight back tears.

"I guess that I'm going to have to assign my first mission as Great God-on-Earth," she sighed. "What a momentous occasion, and right after I settled that Lee kid's injuries. This seat really doesn't allow for any rest."

"Who are you sending after him?" Sakura squeaked out, more scared than curious. She didn't know what she wanted. For them to succeed? For them to fail? No, for them to bring him back alive. That last part…wasn't so certain for a technical rogue.

"I have someone in mind," Tsunade answered, and gave Sakura no more information on the matter, instead simply saying, "luckily, the injuries done to you were all through natural means. Healing to more-or-less perfect health was effortless. You'll be fine tomorrow morning."

--

Shikamaru was certain that he had finally managed to get out from under whatever the higher-ups were looking into. He had been a glorified secretary in a dangerous position, and now he could be a Lesser Demigod doing whatever Lesser Demigods did, which probably meant a day or two of relaxation…until, of course, he learned that the Great God-on-Earth had called for him personally. What a drag.

--

Naruto, much to his own surprise, had woken up early that day. He guessed that he was just so excited about the whole team finally being back together, even if Sasuke was being a little aggressive and condescending, even by his normally high standards, and Sakura was worried about it, they were a Band, Band 7, and he was certain that nothing would pull them apart at this point.

So, he wasn't sleeping as he normally would have been at sunrise, when Shikamaru knocked on his door.

"Hey, Naruto, you knew Sasuke better than anyone, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so, why?"

Shikamaru sighed. "You don't know, then, which means that I have to deal with you freaking out about it. Great." Sighing again, he blurt out before Naruto could ask him what he meant, "Sasuke has either gone Rogue or been kidnapped, and I've been assigned to assemble and lead a team to get him back. Is it safe to assume that you'll be joining us?"

"What the, I mean, he just got better, what in the cold depths of the Underworld are we waiting for, let's go!" Naruto then started running in a random direction.

Smacking a palm against his forehead, Shikamaru shouted out, "we're waiting for me to get the rest of the team together, including Kiba, whose dog can help us figure out which way we're actually going, you moron!"

That did, in fact, manage to get Naruto's attention. Reluctantly, he agreed with the delay.

--

A bunch of political nonsense, an extensive reach of missions thanks to having to keep up appearances after the losses from Hekau's attack, and the priority level the mission had created so far meant that Shikamaru was limited to Lesser and Upper Heroes, though he had his pick from any still in the Village at the moment. Naruto and Sakura knew Sasuke well, and if it came to having to persuade the boy to come back voluntarily Shikamaru assumed that they'd have the best chance.

Neji was arguably the best combatant in terms of raw talent of the available rank, even accounting for his loss to Naruto, and his wolf could help with tracking.

Kiba, as he had explained to Naruto, had his magical dog and his enhancements through the Animal (Dog) Purview, which meant that he could track scents and lead them in the right direction even better than Neji could.

Finally, Choji was Shikamaru's lifelong companion and someone he knew and trusted better than anyone else in the Village.

While he seriously considered bringing Ino for similar reasons, just getting the six of them together took almost an hour and he decided that she didn't have any necessary skills here, and plus they'd have to move fast. Naruto was already chomping in frustration at how long the party was taking to assemble as it was.

So, they stood outside the gates of the Village, the sun higher up in the sky than Shikamaru would have liked, and he took only a short moment to speak.

"To be perfectly honest, I never really liked Sasuke. But he was one of us, a Scion of the Village Hidden in Legends, and it's my duty, no, our duty, to keep him that way. Kiba, Neji, do Fionadh Dearg or Remus Bane have the scent?"

After both boys conversed in a bestial language and Kiba activated his Animal Aspect, Neji said that Remus Bane could sense Sasuke and a group of unfamiliar individuals. Kiba noted five others, two probably Scions, one 'smelling of death,' which he suspected to be a Vampire or Kue-Jin, though he couldn't say for certain, and one 'like a human but wrong,' which he guessed was a type of Supernatural Man he hadn't encountered before. They both agreed on the direction.

--

On paper, the Sacrificial Four should have been able to get back to the Village Hidden in Sacrifice's current location just as easily as they left it. In practice, paranoia over running into patrols and a brief argument over who should be holding the basket with the currently unconscious Sasuke, coupled with more exhaustion than expected from traveling so far overnight only to turn right back around without resting meant they were delayed.

This caused Sakon to fret; it wouldn't take the Scions too long to figure out what had happened, and delays meant that others could catch up to them. Kidimaro and Jirobu almost seemed excited by the prospect.

"I'd love to match wits with some foolish Scions," the Deviant noted. "It could be a rather fun game."

"It's been a while since I've felt a proper offering," Jirobu noted, patting his stomach.

While Tayuya's face showed that she shared Sakon's concerns, it was also apparent that she didn't want to look weak, so she tepidly laughed along with them. Her laughter stopped when Kidimaro's bizarre smile grew even wider.

"Well, well, some flies stepped into the parlor." As the other three stared at him, he explained. "We're being followed. Someone stepped on the webs I left to let me know if that happened, and now," the uppermost two of his arms shrugged, "we have time to run, if you really want to."

"You guys do it," Jirobu answered before the others could. "I'm going to stay behind and spill some blood for Ichor. I'm not afraid of these brats."

Hopefully, the imbecile would give them time. While his Po, that ever-frustrating inner voice that mocked him by imitating his dead twin brother, pointed out that he was failing as a leader by not putting his foot down, he tried his best to ignore it and nodded before taking the basket from Jirobu and carrying it himself.

"Don't waste too much time on them." With that, three of the Sacrificial Four left the fourth to his appetites.

--

Naruto started out by whining that he didn't get put in the front of their formation, then started whining over how long the whole trip was taking. It lasted until Sakura was forced to punch him in the forehead to get him to shut up. All of the rest looked on her with gratitude, though they said nothing.

No more words were exchanged at all until they came upon a clearing covered in some form of unnatural mist. Fionadh Dearg and Remus Bane both started freaking out about something.

"Sasuke was here," Kiba tried to inform them, "but this mist is messing with our sense of…well, everything. I think that an enemy might be nearby…"

As he was speaking, a spectral form appeared and tossed itself into his mouth, filling his throat with an unpleasant but not painful freezing sensation that nonetheless made him feel like he was being held against his will.

"Itzli Purview: Obsidian Excruciation!"

When they saw who emerged from the mist, slicing into Kiba's still form with some form of obsidian dagger and seeming to eat the Tuatha da Danann's spilled blood, they were paralyzed. Not from how frightening the situation in general was, although that certainly helped, but because of the disgusting monstrosity that appeared before them.

It was human, technically, but it was covered in rolls of fat that looked like they had gone putrid, filth spilling out from where they jiggled. In spite of his obese body, his face was skeletal, as if the flesh was being pulled against his bones.

"Appearance Knack: Blinding Visage," the apparent Scion muttered, and all of them suddenly had the horrifying image burned into their eyelids, disoriented by just how disgusting the bastard was. They simply couldn't look or focus on anything, not with the image that simply shouldn't exist stuck in their cerebrums.

Shikamaru, trying to dispel the image of the enemy from his head, thought about the distribution of the mist and what it could be. He was vaguely aware of the Death Purview being able to create something like this. From the way it stopped right before the tree-line, it wasn't natural, not that it took a genius to figure that out, but it also meant that its creator had clear limits; he doubted that this…thing had any reason to keep it going for a lengthy distance past the start of the current battlefield, not if he wouldn't push it farther into the woods in their direction than he currently was. This meant that they didn't actually have long to go to get past him, probably.

That knowledge was worthless, of course, if they couldn't get past him, as he was made aware when Neji and Naruto both charged forward trying to free Kiba and both were knocked back by a club the monster had brought out from what little clothing he was wearing. With the angle and speed of his swing, both of them should have been able to dodge it, but they seemed distracted. His disgusting visage was still messing with them.

"Guardian Purview: Share Immunity!" Choji screamed from behind them.

Somehow, the boy had managed to overcome his disgust and even spread his accomplishment to the others. Even though he was relieved by the, well, relief from his torment, it still didn't give them a clear path forward.

This mist had them boxed in, surrounded by the wails and shrieks of what he assumed to be ghosts, and it was a fair assumption that this freak was stronger on an individual level than any of them. But could he control them? Thinking on what he knew of the Death Purview, that was an open question. The ghosts should be trapped in the mist, but did they serve their captor?

As Naruto and Neji charged him again, Naruto getting knocked back once more and Neji barely managing to dodge the monstrosity's club before getting caught in a game of keep-away, Shikamaru figured that it was worth a shot. "Choji, can you help me to talk to these ghosts in the mist?"

"He is the betrayer, betrayer, betrayer," one ghost screamed over and over again.

"Mictlan will have its feast!" Another screamed.

"I died birthing the brat! I gave all for the Eastern Steps! Why am I trapped? Why did they betray me?"

As semi-coherent as it was, Shikamaru found his hypothesis that the ghosts weren't actually serving willingly correct. He didn't really understand what they were complaining about, but unhappy they all were. Which meant that he could turn them against their master, at least long enough for the Heroes to get past this creep and go on to find Sasuke's kidnappers. Somehow.

"They hate the bastard controlling these mists just as much as we do," Shikamaru explained to his friend as a bloodied Neji stumbled by after having tried to use Melee Arete and getting a blow to his shoulder that knocked him backwards for his efforts.

"But they're not focused enough to resist his influence. However, if you can make them braver…".

"I don't think the War Purview affects ghosts," Choji responded.

Shikamaru cursed under his breath, but before he could invest time into coming up with another plan, his corpulent companion beat him to the punch.

"But maybe…"

--

Neji was aware that their opponent was merely toying with them, not so much as out of entertainment as to take more and more of their blood as the fight went on. The Aztlantti Scion could empower himself with their spilled innards, apparently, which meant a prolonged fight would leave him stronger. That, in turn, would mean that they were making him stronger through this fight rather than defeating or even hindering him. It was annoying.

One well-placed 'Mortal Stroke' would do a lot of good right now, but regardless of how the enemy's musculature appeared, it was too fast to let him land even a glancing blow. And that was with his Arete.

Naruto's Shadow Bodies should have outnumbered him, giving them an opening somewhere, but they were apparently vulnerable to ghosts. The surrounding mists destroyed the silhouettes as quickly as the annoying young boy could create them. If only something in the battlefield would change…

"Taiyi Purview: Five-Cycle Conjuction! Death/War Purview: Blessing of Bravery!"

The mists roiled around Neji. Whatever was holding Kiba finally let him go. Something started to surround the monster they were fighting, making him concerned, threatening him, leaving him…vulnerable.

"Go, guys, go! I have to hold it actively! I don't know the Death Purview well enough to make this work on its own!" Choji screamed through a strained voice.

Neither Naruto nor Kiba seemed willing to go on without him, but Neji and Shikamaru both shouted that the mission was more important. Sakura agreed with them. Shikamaru also shouted that he trusted Choji completely, and that convinced them that they had to move on and put faith in their comrade.

--

Jirobu had no idea why the sacrifices to Mictlantehuitl were suddenly turning against him, but he noticed the brats trying to escape. It should have been more than easy enough to chase down his dinner, maybe ripping apart that scrumptious meat a little faster so he could rejoin the others sooner (Sakon would probably be happy about that), but the ghosts surrounding him were turning his own mists against him.

There wasn't a lot that they could do, as Haunted Mist was meant to control the dead, not the living, but they were striking at him like thousands of mosquitoes, binding him, slowing him down, letting the morsels escape. Trying to brute-force his way through the throng of hostile wraiths to keep his prey from escaping, he was shocked to be grabbed by one of them, the fattest of them.

"My friends are going to bring Sasuke back, and you're not going to stop them!" The hefty morsel shouted, its little Strength Knacks enough to hold Jirobu in his current state. While he knew it wasn't in the best interest of the mission, he was also certain that the others could take down the remaining five morsels by themselves, and this one had the most blood to offer. Yes, he could spend his time enjoying this fat one.

--

Choji remembered life before he was Visited. He had been the heir of the Tian Tiang Zhi Fu Yuan Clan, but that meant nothing to the other children. They just cared about how fat he was, and that that meant he was different. It meant he was slow, and got out of breath quickly, and thus meant that he was, in the eyes of the mortal children, a weak loser.

Half the kids wouldn't let him play with them; the other half inevitably mocked him when he lost at whatever game they were playing. He hated it.

It wasn't pure pain and misery; his home life, even with the strict demands of the Clan, was pleasant enough. Every time he came home crying, his mortal caretaker was ready with one of Xiwangmu's peaches to cheer him up.

Am I always going to be like this?" Choji had asked once, bawling after a particularly bad day.

His 'father'smiled at him. "No one and no thing stays the same forever. Everything is one constant transformation; that is the essence of Taiyi, that is the essence of the Purview you'll learn one day. Of course, that doesn't mean you should change everything."

Little Choji had been angry at this. He wanted to change everything about himself, and let his father know it, stomping on the ground until he came within seconds of crushing a butterfly. Squealing in terror, he gently shooed the thing away.

His mortal caretaker laughed. "That's what I hope never changes. Your kindness."

--

"Itzli Purview: Maguey Sting!" The monster-Scion shouted as he stabbed his obsidian-spiked club into himself, before shouting something that sent all of the ghosts aiding Choji in his grapple reeling backwards. "You weak Tian tang whatever, always obsessed with changing everything, never realizing that the true nature of the universe is the offering of the sacrifice! I offer myself to gain strength, and now, I offer you, a weakling who will always be a weakling! Feed me, and be good for something for once!" Throwing Choji off of him, Jirobu charged.

--

"Why do we have so many butterflies on the compound?" A young Choji had asked his father once.

"They're a symbol. If you saw a caterpillar, and then a butterfly, would you ever guess without being told that they were the same animal?"

"I…guess not."

"Because they transform, dramatically. While not all transformations are so drastic, they still remind us that everything does transform. A caterpillar becomes a butterfly. A man who acts one way today, well, he becomes something entirely different tomorrow. As do all things under the Gods' watchful eyes."

--

"A weakling can change," Choji answered, inscribing the trigram for 'metal' on his spear as he tried to run backwards and doing something that he'd never successfully accomplished before. "Taiyi Purview: Eight-Trigram Transformation!"

The wood transformed to silver in his hands, the qi that made up all matter transforming to a different form of matter. As he'd hoped, the mists parted before him as he swung the cleansing metal at them.

"A worthless trick," the monster-Scion sneered before swinging his weapon at the boy and knocking him to the ground. "Even if you dispel the mists, I don't need them to kill you."

In order to underscore his words, the Aztlanti struck at Choji once more, raking a scar across the boy's back. Choji, still not ready to die, hastily scrawled the trigram for 'Lake' on the ground below.

--

Jirobu was utterly unconcerned about whatever nonsense the boy was trying beneath him, still wanting to maximize blood loss so he could drain some for himself before killing the kid, until the ground turned to liquid beneath him. Sinking into the mud, he was about to laugh and mock the Scion for the uselessness of his this trick until the wraiths, recovering from his earlier use of Ichor, came back and created an oppressive force that pushed him downward.

On solid ground he could easily resist, but here in the mud that was almost straight water he had no footing, slipping and feeling himself forced beneath. He had very limited Stamina Knacks, and could hold his breath for longer than the average mortal…but he wasn't focused on that. His focus was on his rage at having been tricked so.

Grabbing the Chinese Scion, pulling the kid down with him, he had him grappled, he had him under his control. "Itzli Purview: Obsidian Excruciation!" He shouted, draining at much blood into his mouth as he could, draining every last bit of life from the boy and turning it into his own Ichor. It would empower him, it would kill this pathetic brat and let him rejoin his comrades. It was…too slow, and not enough.

Jirobu, enthralled by the ecstasy of accepting a sacrifice to himself, failed to notice this until he was drowning in mud, his own open mouth to accept the blood allowing water and muck to flow down his throat and block his lungs.

--

Choji might have celebrated, were he doing any better. As it was, he realized that that last attack probably sent him on to his final transformation, that of life to death. He was just glad that it was in defense of his comrades.

His last conscious thoughts were of the day he met Shikamaru. Once again, some kids had mocked him relentlessly. Once again, he was sent running home to his parents with tears in his eyes. When his mortal caretaker gave him the same speech about his kindness, another boy about his age had interrupted and asked if he could sit with them. This kid apparently didn't like the others, as they were too active, too full of energy, and not smart enough for his pace. He thought Choji might make a good friend.

That day had made all the difference, and Choji was glad that it was his last thought before unconsciousness took him.