Zetsume yawned as he awoke with his big loaf of a dog laying on top of him. They had traveled to Takigakure to see what this place was like, plus it got Repede slightly more happy to see other places. The loyal pup awoke the same moment that his master did, jumping out of the bed and running around looking outside of their hotel window barking frantically because he wanted to be out there instead of in here. Zetsume grabbed his pillow from up off of his bed and threw it at the dog who actually dodged it quite well and gave him a look of "Nanana you missed". The dog, Repede, then ran over and grabbed the blankets and drug them away from Zetsume making it rather cold. All he could do was glare at the dog, but never truly scold him. Getting out of bed he decided it was time to get ready, taking a rather long shower to enjoy the hot water. It would have been longer but Repede busted the door down and basically stared at him to hurry up. Which he quickly and promptly finished just to satisfy the dog's needs. He was dressed in his usual attire of a white shirt, black leather jacket with a fur collar. black jeans, and just a normal pair of black shoes. One could say he almost liked the color black, which could for the most part be true. He grabbed his bow and quiver from up off the hotel wall and decided it was time to go exploring, if even for a little bit.

The two of them were on the outskirts of town, stumbling around looking for something to do, anything really. A cave within the distance was within sight, a cave that looked like it could use some exploration. Zetsume looked at the dog before speaking, "Well, it is not a lewd bar like you hoped boy, but at least we are not in that hotel right?". The dog happily barked because he was happy to be with his master exploring new things. Zetsume smiled and began to walk towards this cave with interest in looking to see what was all on the inside. Who knows, maybe there will be a group of bandits he could kill, then again he was representing his village. Even if they were criminals he was not authorized to kill them and it would make his whole village look bad. He was saddened by that fact because he was kind of looking forward to killing something to relieve some stress. He let out a long sigh before stuffing his hands into his pockets and ventured forward with his trusty companion behind him.

Akira had ventured off yet again. But this time he had a goal in mind. He had heard of the recent death of a hermit who had separated himself from society as he was slowly driven into madness. The man had been a master of genjutsu which had peaked Akira's interest originally. After all Genjutsu was something he had a very keen interest in learning about. But what had driven the man into the depths of madness? Why had he left the city to go live in a cave? All these questions were running through his mind as he contemplated the concept of it all. He had never been the victim of a genjutsu that he could remember. But if anyone had a chance to avoid the genjutsu or at least see it for what it was then he would certainly be up on that list. He tried not to use it very often but the byakugan was without a doubt a very useful tool. Either way the rumor was that no one was eager to go explore the cave. After all the man had been insane before he perished. Who knew what dangers were there? But Akira was as usual overconfident.

So quietly he showered and dressed in a black suit with a red tie and a silver vest but no suit coat this time. He put on some boots in spite of his preference for Italian leather. And tucked his dagger into his belt on the back. As usual he didn't bother wearing a headband. People either recognized him or they didn't. After he scooped up that Iwa genin and healed her from the finals in the chunnin exams he would be surprised if there were many that didn't recognize him. Still his yellow eyes looked into the mirror as he tightened his tie before he was out the door. He informed two of his guards to remain within a reasonable range to be able to monitor him through sensory but not to get too close. And then him and his two guards were off into the woods. Racing from branch to branch towards the underground caverns.

Akira had arrived and managed to get into the cave with his guards posted a good fifty meters away from him. They could sense him and his condition but nothing more. And they were instructed to remain out of site unless the situation turned dire. Akira had then managed to enter the cave and travel its depths. Holes in the roof of the cave allowed light to filter down until he reached the main chamber. To be honest he was disappointed at the lack of traps or dangers. He had been hoping to find something to teach him about genjutsu here but instead he had simply found the mans bedroom. Within was a dirty old bed and a single desk, the lighting in the room was from mirrors angled under the holes in the ceiling where light filtered through lighting the room up.. But the majority of the papers on the desk were nearly unintelligent. The man had obviously lost himself to madness. For a time Akira shifted through the papers looking for something older...only to find a journal. Some of the earlier pages were actually still fairly sane. Apparently the individual had lost a wife and child. In his despair he had lost control of his genjutsu. It would frequently cast on himself against his will to show him the faces of the dead he had lost. So based on that Akira assumed seeing his dead family so often had driven the man to his madness and seclusion. An interesting dilema. Akira spent a good hour down there trying to pour through the notes to unlock the secrets of genjutsu. Unaware someone else was approaching the cave entrance.

643

Looking around at the cave, the two of them were rather disappointed in their walk. They had not seen anything that caves in his books depicted of large crystals, odd glowing bugs, hell not even a stream could not be seen. Zetsume let out a rather long sigh before thinking his travel was futile. Though before leaving he could hear someone deeper inside, a bandit? Or something else. He did not know. The two of them looked at each other before venturing deeper out of curiosity. If it was too much of a danger, he would have to pull out using a genjutsu to let them both be able to escape. However curiosity was getting the best of him as he was travelling inside. Reaching the main chamber which was illuminated with holes in the ceiling to provide light, though that was not the interesting part. What peeked his interest was seeing a rather well groomed male shifting through some papers inside what appeared to be a cave that was made into a home for someone. Zetsume did not think it was the man before him that owned this place. He was judging by how dirty it looked and how well groomed he was. Well that and he was looking through the things almost like he was searching for something. Zetsume's inner demon kicked in wanting to shoot down this robber, though something was off about him. Even though he did not look like a shinobi, there was a great deal of a presence that he held. Instead of coming out from his hiding place, which was not very good that the man probably sensed him soon anyways, he walked towards the man with a half smile and his hands within his jacket pockets. Repede was right behind him, eye balling the man down. Zetsume then spoke in a friendly tone towards the man to find out his true intentions. Hoping that the man would not just charge at him for invading in on him.

"Yooo, did not expect to find a room here, let alone someone within this cave. Judging from your looks I would say that this is not your home, just as much as it is not mine. What brings you here?"

Zetsume stopped his approach towards to man roughly thirty meters away. He had to firs make sure he was not a serious threat before becoming more friendly of him. The dog behind him was as nervous as he was when speaking to him. He would have to stay on his toes, be polite and maybe a fight would not break out in here. Zetsume placed his hand on his head before speaking again.

"Oh where are my manners, names Zetsume Zix, I am a jounin of the fine village of Kumogakure. The fellow behind you is Repede, my good friend and ally. As a knight it is always important to introduce yourself to one another, though I am unsure if you have the same pride. All in all though would you care to give me your name sir?"

((OOC: Sorry i was out of town, If you post back today I should be able to get a few more down for you))

Akira had been buried in his studies. The mans madness seemed to hold no true answers. Truthfully he had been hoping for something along the lines of an actual diagram on how Genjutsu worked. Something that demonstrated how one focused chakra and inflicted illusions on others. If anything he expected at least the most basic of information on Genjutsu. A mere definition of it would of been more then plausible. He had after all witnessed his own student utilizing it. It infuriated him that he was incapable of understanding it through simple means of practice. But this cave was also a warning. Had Akira managed to unlock to much to quickly he might of been driven mad as well. After all if he unlocked the Genjutsu and locked himself within it a mad Kage was far more dangerous then some hermit slowly losing himself in a cave. He was seeking a master and information to avoid just that. Genjutsu seemed like such a rare talent that he wasn't sure just how far he could get. But he was sure he could find someone and that was what he was doing in the cave of a dead man. As disrespectful as that was.

He had considered simply empowering his student until he was capable enough to teach Akira. But it was taking too long. Akira was growing anxious each time that Konoha was so much as mentioned in passing. Each time he was wondering if it was stated around him passively or as a targeted thing for his reaction. Partially because he was the Kage of Iwagakure and people had a tendency to twist words and reactions. Testing him constantly to see if they could drag a reaction out of him to at the very least start a rumor. At the most to dissolve relations. But the other half of that coin was who Akira really was. If someone had somehow figured it out. Akira has been so careful to wipe out any hints of him being Tsuyo that he had altered his own face and eyes. And deceived his own allies. No one knew of his true face. that much he was almost sure of. But there was always doubt in the back of his mind. Was some one smarter then him? Was someone capable of finding the trail he had buried and root him out? Or was there simply something he had forgotten that would lead to his downfall?

He paused in his brooding as he found something. There it was! The document he had been searching for. It was a diagram of how the man had twisted and manipulated chakra into his own eyes. His reflection had been used to cast the genjutsu on himself. That was certainly a weakness that Akira would be careful not to let others exploit on him. It was strange though how the chakra twisted and writhed in the diagram. The man had certainly had a darker view point on chakra then most did. Was genjutsu really such a twisted and horrific thing? He contemplated that as he figured it twisted the mind so it might as well be twisted itself. Still he would be careful to practice such a dangerous thing. If anything the dangers of genjutsu were more pronounced to him now then before. Still he narrowed his eyes as he heard someone approaching. Not just someone. He could hear foot steps and...padded taps...paws? Quickly Akira folded the diagram and pushed it into his right pants pocket as a voice spoke out. Walking towards him was a man and his dog. His hands were in his pockets. Which made Akira wary.

Still the man spoke in a friendly tone but Akira could feel the tension in the air. His own yellow eyes shifted between the man and the dog as he noted their presence was thin. Either the man was being careful or they weren't much of a threat. Akira wasn't about to bet on the latter. The man stopped thirty meters away. The entirety of the room away from him. If this did break out into a fight at least Akira would have a limited amount of space to cover which allowed for taijutsu to be of more use, but some ninjutsu could be dangerous as well he thought to himself. Still the man introduced himself as a jounin of Kumo. As polite as he was that simply made Akira more wary. He had no public relations with Kumo yet. If a Jounin thought he had a Kage of Iwa cornered it could turn ugly quickly. But he also wasn't an enemy to Kumo. They were fairly neutral. At least that was what he had been led to believe and he hoped. If not then this conversation could turn very dark very quickly. Still Akira would prefer to take the chance that someone willing to introduce themselves wouldn't openly attack a Kage. So he turned to face him entirely and smiled his most charming smile. Placing his hands up in the air he spoke in a joyful tone. His voice like silk on the ears. Before crossing his hands in front of him after the initial sentence.

"Ah you caught me being naughty it seems. No this isn't my place indeed. I was actually here looking to study the deceased inhabitants thoughts and theories on Genjutsu. A keen interest of mine. Ah but you are right, I should introduce myself as it would be rude of me not to. I am Kazako Akira, Tsuchikage at your service."

1500/1500 Genjutsu trained!

78 remaining

Zetsume could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise as the man before spoke his identity. Zetsume was not one to believe such a thing, especially seeing how he had no body guards near him, and when he entered he did not see any posted. This led him to believe that either he was lying, or that he entered the cavern after he did. The only reason he did not notice the man was because they were in separate parts of the cavern. He could feel his palms starting to sweat as he looked upon the man when he spoke. He did not look like one to be trifled with even if he did not fully believe he was a Tsuchikage. Though he could not make any hostile actions towards him. If the man's words were true, then he would flat out kill him without breaking a sweat. Causing their villages to become rivals and getting many innocent people hurt just because Zetsume wanted to prove his worth. He would just have to be civil this time, maybe get some information from him that could be useful towards his village, but he doubted that would happen. Then an idea sparked into his mind, he should help him. It would give the Kage a good impression of his village and maybe strengthen their ties. Deep down he wanted peace, but knew so long as the villages were separate that one day a successor would become power hungry and attempt to cause another brutal war. A one world order was not bad, but it could have no leader. Just people living to help one another. He slightly laughed into his mind as that silly idea passed through his mind. How could anyone believe such a fairy tale. Zetsume heard him speak of Genjutsu, something that he was rather well practiced in, maybe he could be of use towards this Tsuchikage. Smiling while taking his nervous hands out of his pockets to hold them up in a manner to show that he meant no harm, he walked slowly towards the man, speaking in a friendly tone as to not anger him and cause an untimely death upon himself. After all this was the first time he has ever met a Kage from another village, he would not gain such a grand moment again probably. He knew he would have to learn from this man, surely he has something that could help him, maybe not.

"A Tsuchikage here in this dingy cave almost seems unlikely. I see no body guards, though from your look you do not seem to be a man to be trifled with. I am not saying you are not the Tsuchikage, but if you look at it from my point of view, would you be so easily to accept this fact? So please do not think I am here to harm you. That would cause me to have an untimely death and put shame on my village since as far as i know our two great villages are neutral. If i were to do that then it also could cause many lives to be lost as it would cause you to resent my somewhat peaceful village. You see, we were just simply sight seeing this country and happened to stumble across you. I must say though, it is quite an honor to meet you Tsuchikage"

Zetsume had stopped a few feet before the man and slightly nodded his head in what could have looked like a bow in hopes that he could show the man respect.

"You see, I am a practitioner of Genjutsu, if I could take a look at these so called documents maybe I could help. I mean im no master of the art but i know my way around a few tricks here and there. Helps being an archer with tricks, if you know what I mean. If you would like maybe I could help you with Genjutsu. Tis a simple yet very detailed practice that takes a good amount of concentration. Not only that but to a man like you most tricks would not work I am guessing. "

Zetsume oddly smiled as he became more nervous as he got closer. The man could just strike him down any moment, but he hoped that by saying he was an archer and getting close to him it would make the Tsuchikage feel at ease, since what archer would want to get close to anyone let alone a kage. Repede knew better than to be rude to the man so the dog simply sat on the ground and started to pant a little with his tongue hanging out before laying down on his paws. The dog himself knew that his master wanted no harm here, and would have to also look like he wanted no harm. Though the dog was worried for his master, for if Zetsume made one fatal flaw, it could not only be the end of him but also his master.

Akira watched as the man removed his hands from his pockets. That alone relieved a bit of the tension in the room. Before Akira had to wonder if the hidden hands were up to anything. The hands of a jounin were nothing less then deadly weapons that could spell doom within seconds. Not being able to see what those weapons were up to meant even less time to react to whatever happened. If nothing else Akira had his guard up to a higher level then usual. It was true Kumo was fairly neutral towards Iwa. Akira had been unsure how to open trade routes with them seeing as they were usually neutral towards all the nations. That and he had never met the current or previous Kage of Kumo. He had little to no idea what they were like. But he had heard of a few exploits from the bells war that the current Kage had accomplished. Truth be told Kumo had hardly been a push over in that war. Certainly they did more then Iwa had openly done. Of course what Iwa did from behind the scenes had prevented the city from burning while everyone else was on the front lines and defeated the Uchiha hunter Ukiyo. That had certainly cost him though. For a moment he felt a tinge of pain in his right arm and leg and both of his eyes. A reflection on the past. A memory of pain was all it was. Nothing more from that experience had stuck with him as much. Other then perhaps the damage to his pride.

But Akira was no longer that man. He had surpassed that and grown rapidly to new levels. His old self would of been easily crushed by him now. And yet it still haunted him. His old persona possibly causing his eventual fall. He was after all a criminal by some messed up standards by his own birthplace. He didn't resent the entire country for it though. It just worried him consistently. Still, that was not his current concern. His yellow eyes shifted to look briefly at Zetsumes legs as he began walking towards him. The abrupt movement snapping him away from his thoughts as he was now fully attentive to the mans every move. Did the man know nothing of the Tsuchikage? Akira was sure his taijutsu mastery was widely known. Either this jounin was supremely confident or was very hopefully nothing between them happened. Still he could hear the calm tone in the others voice as he took on a fairly humbling and respectful sound. At the very least that comforted Akira a little more.

"A Tsuchikage here in this dingy cave almost seems unlikely. I see no body guards, though from your look you do not seem to be a man to be trifled with. I am not saying you are not the Tsuchikage, but if you look at it from my point of view, would you be so easily to accept this fact? So please do not think I am here to harm you. That would cause me to have an untimely death and put shame on my village since as far as i know our two great villages are neutral. If i were to do that then it also could cause many lives to be lost as it would cause you to resent my somewhat peaceful village. You see, we were just simply sight seeing this country and happened to stumble across you. I must say though, it is quite an honor to meet you Tsuchikage"

Akira raised his eyebrows and smiled in a coy way much like a cat by the looks of it. More like the cheshire cat with the way his pearly whites showed. The man stopped only a few feet away and now Akira felt fairly in control. He could understand the mans doubts about his words. As a Kage in some dingy cave he was certainly aware of how out of place he was in appearance anyway. But even if the man had his doubts for the moment he wasn't an idiot. He wasn't some hot headed shinobi that wanted him to prove his might or anything like that. Even bowing his head ever so slightly. It slightly inflated Akira's ego so all in all Akira felt better about all of it. He was in perfect range if Akira needed to crush him quickly and he was being respectful. Akira called that winning in his book. But still Akira nodded his own head in a symbol of acknowledgment to the other. But he wasn't done speaking yet it seemed.

"You see, I am a practitioner of Genjutsu, if I could take a look at these so called documents maybe I could help. I mean im no master of the art but i know my way around a few tricks here and there. Helps being an archer with tricks, if you know what I mean. If you would like maybe I could help you with Genjutsu. Tis a simple yet very detailed practice that takes a good amount of concentration. Not only that but to a man like you most tricks would not work I am guessing. "

Akira let his eyes widen ever so slightly for just a moment at the two announcements. A genjutsu practitioner and an archer? Akira had only ever met one other Kumo nin he liked, well Kajiya had, but that was just another of his faces. During the war Akira had saved a man named Kenji and joined him on a mission to save a daimyo. They had worked really well together at the time. For the moment Akira let his eyes shift over to the dog sitting there doing dog things. Kenji hadn't had a companion at the time. But perhaps it was a common practice in Kumo to combine archery and genjutsu? At least so far that was what he had seen. Still Akira returned to look Kenji in the eyes. Those yellow eyes seemed to read Kenji. As if somehow the golden orbs could see everything all at once. Somehow it felt like nothing could be hidden from this individual. Just from his gaze it was like he was observing every detail in a second. Still he smiled and took a step to the side. With an outstretched arm he indicated the desk before he too spoke. His voice though was like silk. As if his words kissed the ears and softened the tension in the room like feathered pillows. His experienced voice contradicted his blatant power and powerful gaze. He was both a warrior and a politician. As all good Kage were.

"I wouldn't say I am immune to tricks. Just not a fan of having pranks and illusions played out in front of me. Or on me for that matter. But as I seek to understand it my abilities as a taijutsu expert will expand to new levels. Much like with your archery but on a much more personal and bone breaking level. But please do not feel any hesitation to speak your mind when you and I are alone. And please just call me Akira in private. This isn't an official meeting so we can dispense with the pleasantries yes? Ah but you are an angel sent in my time of need good sir. Please look over these notes at your leisure and try and translate them in a way a simpleton like me can understand."

With that Akira smiled and moved entirely out of the way. Pulling up a spare chair and frowning at it before he looked it over. It was dusty at best. With a sigh he casually moved his right hand over it. It happened so fast that it was hard to see as he flicked it in ten different spots and the dust burst from it. The sounds of the concussive force echoed in the room from just his flicks in such a way it was a miracle the chair didn't shatter. But still Akira was satisfied at the slightly cleaner chair and settled upon it before straightening his tie. His eyes looked over to Repede before he smiled a soft and warm smile. A sort that seemed entirely kind and inviting. He was a practiced doctor after all. Such a bed side manner was just part of the job. Still he held out one hand with his palm up in a welcoming gesture to the dog. It was common to let a dog get a scent of your hand to let it feel safer around you. His other arm rested his elbow on his knee to support his weight even as bent as he was. More comfortable that way. His voice speaking softly again.

"Might I have the pleasure of petting your companion? I do so love dogs. Loyal creatures that would quickly place their masters life before their own. I prefer their presence over any other animal."

1586

Zetsume was quite unsure as to what make of this man before him. His demeanor and his way of acting about things were all different from what he had expected a Kage from another village to act like. Especially one from the village hidden in the stone. Then again he knew nothing of other places as he had been secluded to his own village and his own people that he never even found time to venture off to see some of the world until now. Even though the man was showing the same signs of friendliness it did not make him any more less nervous as he was. The man's yellow eyes seemed to notice everything and almost felt like they could pierce his soul. A small part of him wanted to use an illusion on him and flee, but then what of Repede and how far could he really get away from this man before being hunted down. Even if by some miracle he did escape the man surely  had guards outside waiting for their lord of at least jounin level status probably higher, and if he came running out they would surely catch him and thus he would no longer help his people. This was something he could not allow to happen, at least this man called Akira was being friendly. It could very well be a good start towards building a union towards the villages. Zetsume would have to try and help this man when he could and how he could. Shortly after Zetsume had told the man he was a practitioner of the Genjutsu arts there was a small spark in his eyes that were followed by his softly spoken words, much softer than anyone he had ever heard speak. Almost a slight pleasantry on the ears.

"I wouldn't say I am immune to tricks. Just not a fan of having pranks and illusions played out in front of me. Or on me for that matter. But as I seek to understand it my abilities as a taijutsu expert will expand to new levels. Much like with your archery but on a much more personal and bone breaking level. But please do not feel any hesitation to speak your mind when you and I are alone. And please just call me Akira in private. This isn't an official meeting so we can dispense with the pleasantries yes? Ah but you are an angel sent in my time of need good sir. Please look over these notes at your leisure and try and translate them in a way a simpleton like me can understand."

Zetsume was almost floored when the man had finished speaking. Not only was he being polite in the presence of a ninja from another village but he also had a humble approach. He had asked Zetsume to call him Akira, which is something he did not expect. As with most Kage's they enjoy their title and their prestige, often getting somewhat angry at people who did not address them as their title. Not that it really bothered Zetsume much as it was much easier to call him by his name. Though that was not the only reason why he was floored, he almost seemed like he was genuinely excited to see him because of his arts. Even going as far as to say that he was an angel, this only somewhat boosted his ego causing him to let out a small smile. Which his dog Repede instantly picked up on, lightening his mood to. Now Zetsume felt even more compelled to help this man in any way he could, which was even more flooring seeing as normally he would not do such an activity, hell it could be seen as helping the enemy though right now the two of them seemed like pals. Akira had moved out of the way for him before dusting off the chair to sit upon it, straightening up his tie. Seemed the man also had some class and respect, slightly unusual for ninjas. Zetsume had never really liked people from other villages but this guy was not all that bad. Letting out a small smile before speaking back in his friendly tone,

"I will see what I can do, Akira. Though no promises, this place does look like it is a little outdated and I do not know of the contents of which I am about to read. Never the less I shall see if I can help."

Zetsume walked past Akira who had been sitting on the chair, before rummaging through the notes that were on the desk. Most of them were hardly readable and when they were they spoke of nonsense. Then his eyes looked upon a journal and when he had opened it, Akira had spoke again which almost startled him.

"Might I have the pleasure of petting your companion? I do so love dogs. Loyal creatures that would quickly place their masters life before their own. I prefer their presence over any other animal."

Turning around he could see Akira's hand out before Repede's nose to let the dog sniff it. It was a quite unexpected thing for the man to also enjoy the company of the canine species though Zetsume was a little over protected of the dog, he was reluctant to let him pet him. Though if the man should harm him, Zetsume knew it would turn ugly. Letting out a small smile, he spoke back in his friendly usual tone that he had been using.

"By all means be my guest. He is friendly as a whole though. Just so long as you do not try and startle him. He can understand our language but can not mimic it. So if you want you could converse with him while I look through these notes. I am sure he would love the attention"

Repede sniffed the mans hand to get his scent then crawled closer to him as to get a good petting. Zetsume turned back around to go back to the studies of the owner of this cave, skimming through the journal. At first it was almost a futile search. It spoke of nonsense that even Zetsume did not understand. Then he read a paragraph that startled him. Within the contents of the paragraph it spoke of how his genjutsu went wrong, then it became almost unreadable. Zetsume turned back a few pages as to thoroughly read again quickly, his eyes became wide as he noticed what had happened. From as far as he could tell the man was heartbroken over the loss of his family and then to see their faces again he cast a genjutsu on himself to see them. Though when he did his mind had warped thus warping the genjutsu as it is based off what the user wants the victim to see. If the mind of the caster is not healthy then it could lead to horrible images. Zetsume slowly stood up and walked over to a mirror to see his reflection, it seemed that this was how he used the visual genjutsu on himself, noticing small scratches on the side unsure as what to make of them. Zetsume cleared his throat before speaking

"Genjutsu is the art of manipulating the body's five senses to cause a slight deviation from the truth. Sight, hearing, tasting, smelling, and finally touching. The most common are Sight and hearing as most genjutsu uses those as the other senses would be hard to do. It seems that this poor fellow could not accept the death of his loved ones and thus just wanting to see their faces again cast the genjutsu on himself using this mirror. Of course this is nothing more than an observation and I could be wrong. Since he was manipulating his own mind, it seems it backfired causing him to see horrific visions of them. More than likely of how they died or what they looked like when he saw their dead bodies. A genjutsu user knows never to cast it upon themselves, even if you could just release it. From how the journal goes from slightly sane to bat shit crazy then back to sane then back to bat shit crazy makes me think he actually dispelled it but it kept casting each time he looked into the mirror. Hmmmm I dunno, seems you should have looked for a master in the arts instead of coming here. You would learn nothing from these studies except the fact that casting it upon yourself is a silly thing to do.

Zetsume walked back towards Akira before speaking again.

"If you would like I could cast one upon you. Nothing harmful, just a visual genjutsu that causes no harm to the victim other than showing an illusion. You did say you would like to learn more of it, well I could help you by showing you first hand what I meant by you need a trigger of the five senses. This of course will be a visual one, so I would need for you to look me in the eyes if you would like to see what i mean."

He was really unsure as to how the man would take it. Though he hoped he could help the man in any way he could and looking through those crappy notes on the desk would have had Akira lost on what Genjutsu was really about. Zetsume smiled and if the man accepted he would use his False image genjutsu the moment he looked him in the eyes. Though if he declined he would not even cast it. He stood there looking at Akira and waited for his response before he would cause a false image of himself. Zetsume was worried how the man would take his offer, hopefully he did not take it as an attack as he was really only trying to demonstrate what he meant. Letting out a smile in hopes that he would not think anything bad of it

WC:1680

Jutsu that could be used:

Akira was hoping that being pleasant would lighten the formal and somewhat wary mood of the place. To be perfectly honest he wasn't entirely trusting of the other man yet. For all he knew this was some ploy to lower his guard. He doubted it due to sensing no hostile intent from the individual but Jounin were highly capable shinobi. Hiding their abilities and their presence was something each of them learned to survive. It wasn't a terrible thing to practice. If Akira didn't know how to condense and reign in his power he would drop anyone below Spec jounin just from his chakra pressure. It was a constant state for him really. He was always holding back in both chakra and physically. It was an effort not to cross a room in a single step. Or to shatter some ones hand with a hand shake. More then once he had accidentally ripped off a doorknob. He wasn't a hulking monster though. He looked relatively normal. But that was because of the type of training he did. He didn't bother with too much heavy lifting as he was careful to tone each muscle group. Most bodies were partially white muscle tissue but mostly red tissue. After all red tissue was what made people bulk up and is only exercised when using less then three fourths of ones maximum ability. White tissue could typically only be exercised in short bursts when exceeding that three fourths of ones maximum ability. Akira was careful to only lift on exactly the line between the two. By doing so his red and white muscles would tear and regrow at the same rate. Molding together into pink muscle. The pink muscle wasn't too bulky but still increased his power like red muscle while also maintaining the endurance of white muscle. In short he was taking the both of best while limiting the downsides. His medical mind was an extreme benefit to his training with his body.

Still his mind only drifted slightly as he tried to figure out which the man standing before him was. He was thin for one so that indicated a lack of red muscle tissue. If anything Akira figured he would be capable of overpowering the man in that regard. He was an archer mere feet from him after all. But did that mean the man was primarily white muscle tissue build? Well it was either that or the man simply didn't work out his muscles much. Perhaps he was simply more into aerobics? It would make sense after all. An Archer would typically need to evade anyone getting close to them. So being able to maintain a speedy pace would benefit them greatly. If anything he figured this Jounin was a quick little bugger. And perceptive too. What kind of archer wouldn't be able to spot its target from a great distance? Not only that but they considered distance, position, pace of the target and even the wind speed. All very important things requiring a potent perceptive ability. Still when the man finally smiled and moved to the desk Akira reacted much like the dog and relaxed a little. The manipulators typically forgot to give a smile or had one that was cold. But if nothing else Akira could see the smile reflect in his conversational partners eyes. It was a comfort to say the least that the smile was genuine. For the moment it allowed Akira to stop measuring him up. Still he listened as the man spoke.

"I will see what I can do, Akira. Though no promises, this place does look like it is a little outdated and I do not know of the contents of which I am about to read. Never the less I shall see if I can help."

Akira couldn't argue there. If anything it was stating the obvious. The place was a junk heap with a slight smell and uncleanliness to it. Even the air was damp and somewhat cold. The shadows seemed to stretch across the floors and the general insanity of it all seemed to be the theme. It made Akira feel a little sick just sitting there. But it was important to him enough to bear with it for now. Still he watched the man hesitate before giving him permission to pet his dog. The words were cautious but fare as a man caring for his companion.

"By all means be my guest. He is friendly as a whole though. Just so long as you do not try and startle him. He can understand our language but can not mimic it. So if you want you could converse with him while I look through these notes. I am sure he would love the attention"

Akira smiled as Repede sniffed his hand and even came forward in order to receive some attention. Carefully and as drawn back as possible Akira began to pet the dog. Treating the pup like a small child and barely touching him. It was an effort not to be too rough just because Akira was inhumanely strong normally. But he was aware of that and paid attention to the dog as he scratched him ever so gently behind the ears and along the scruff off the neck. His hand for him like a feather but to the dog likely like a normal person was petting him. Still Akira smiled and ignored Zetsume for the most part only keeping track of him by keeping the dog between them so Akira could watch from his peripherals. Even if the tension was lessened he wasn't prepared to totally let down his guard yet. It took a bit but eventually Zetsume stopped flipping through the notes and moved over to the mirror. Studying it before he spoke in an explenation that was far better then the notes had been towards furthering Akira's understanding of the subject.

"Genjutsu is the art of manipulating the body's five senses to cause a slight deviation from the truth. Sight, hearing, tasting, smelling, and finally touching. The most common are Sight and hearing as most genjutsu uses those as the other senses would be hard to do. It seems that this poor fellow could not accept the death of his loved ones and thus just wanting to see their faces again cast the genjutsu on himself using this mirror. Of course this is nothing more than an observation and I could be wrong. Since he was manipulating his own mind, it seems it backfired causing him to see horrific visions of them. More than likely of how they died or what they looked like when he saw their dead bodies. A genjutsu user knows never to cast it upon themselves, even if you could just release it. From how the journal goes from slightly sane to bat shit crazy then back to sane then back to bat shit crazy makes me think he actually dispelled it but it kept casting each time he looked into the mirror. Hmmmm I dunno, seems you should have looked for a master in the arts instead of coming here. You would learn nothing from these studies except the fact that casting it upon yourself is a silly thing to do. "

Akira smiled a moment at the explanation. The man had gathered more then Akira had managed by some degree and was showing intelligence in doing so. So far the man had demonstrated intelligence, patience, wisdom and honor. Akira was beginning to rethink his thoughts on Kumo as someone to be cautious with. Perhaps it was time to extend an olive branch to open trade agreements with them as well. But he had to think it over first. Iwa had just started to have its Economy regrow and was bustling with trade routes with both Konoha and Kirigakure. But the question was if Kumo would dry up what Iwa had left to offer in trade or not. Still it would mean trade with everything east of Iwagakure which would be the best economical boost Iwa may have ever experienced. Still Akira stopped petting Repede as Zetsume approached him once more. An eye brow raised as Zetsume began to speak. Not sure what the man intended at first but that eye brow remained more and more raised as he listened to the mans words.

"If you would like I could cast one upon you. Nothing harmful, just a visual genjutsu that causes no harm to the victim other than showing an illusion. You did say you would like to learn more of it, well I could help you by showing you first hand what I meant by you need a trigger of the five senses. This of course will be a visual one, so I would need for you to look me in the eyes if you would like to see what i mean."

Well now that was a dangerous proposition. The man was asking Akira to willingly place himself in a genjutsu? Normally Akira would of denied such a thing right away. He wasn't one for allowing jutsu to influence him. But it wasn't something he didn't know how to defend against. And if he wanted to learn then the best way might be to experience it for himself. He had never really been placed under a genjutsu aside from the academy days and he was a wee bit curious. That aside if it meant he could ask more questions he would happily accept such a challenge. Even if it wasn't intended to challenge him Akira felt it would go against his pride and his sense of wonder to deny the man. So after a moment Akira nodded and smiled. Letting out a breath Akira focused some of his chakra as he sat up. Placing his hands on his knee's he sat very still. Slowly something golden formed around his stomach. It looked like a small golden dragon no thicker then Zetsume's arm was circling Akira's mid section. Slowly it circled before it opened its jaws and bit its own tail. And just like that the golden dragon shrunk into Akira. It looked like it might crush him but instead passed right into Akira. Its glow vanishing for the most part. Still as soon as it vanished Akira looked Zetsume in the eye.

"Do it."

Was his only command. He was serious now as he could be. Still as soon as Zetsume activated the genjutsu it would be obvious that it worked. He would feel it take hold and infect Akira. But something was off. No matter where or how Zetsume would move, those golden eyes followed him. As if that Illusion held no effect on Akira. As if somehow he knew exactly where Zetsume was. And yet even though Akira looked at him it was as if he was looking through him. His eyes followed Zetsume but didn't seem to focus on him. The genjutsu was working, but somehow Akira knew where Zet was at all times. Whatever that golden dragon had done or been. It had to have been the source. Still Akira spoke up. His face splitting into a smile as his soft voice spoke out.

"Well I did find a master here after all. And it is good for a student to see a cautionary tale such as this one. The student rarely believes or obeys his instructors teachings until they learn a harsher way. It is good that I have seen for myself the dangers here. It also is interesting to me that sight and sound are the easiest triggers to manipulate. It would benefit me greatly if my opponent can not afford to look at me or listen for me. But I also am eager to learn of scent based Genjutsu and touch based genjutsu. While not being able to see or hear me is to my advantage, Not being able to breath or not being able to touch me seems incredibly beneficial. Both defensively and offensively. If I combine all four then I have managed all but taste, And I am not one for playing with the tongue much anyways, Well, Not anywhere but in private anyway." He smiled like a mischievous and naughty man at that one.

3650
Genjutsu D-C 3000/3000

650 left over

335/350:

This thread is closed