Raging was an understatement, one of a rather high nature. Given the state of the holding cell being passed as his 'room'; one could say the lion had gone completely off his rocker. Tongues of flame as long as a man's forearm licked the ceiling from the walls; glass lay shattered and sparkling on the floor; who knows who's blood was caking the walls a nasty shade of ruddy brown. One of his 'handlers' lay dead in the doorway; decapitated and slowly spreading a pool of blood below him. Naota was... angry; in many ways. This wasn't one of his bursts of insanity, however; he was completely lucid, or as much as he ever got. This was a show, the kind of show that got the attention he wanted. Oh, this wasn't some childish "PAY ATTENTION OR I BREAK SHIT" plea for people to look at him.

No, he was trying to force the attention of the people that kept him locked away. The more havoc he caused, the higher up the ladder they'd move him. A few minutes of screaming? Maybe a bang on the door by a handler. Ice shards in the walls? Maybe a visit from a Captain. Kill a few of the handlers he didn't like? Right up to the Leader.

That's what he wanted. He wanted to see the man that brought him to this place. He wanted to talk to him again; ask why he was being caged like an animal still; the last time he'd been visited, there was a promise to at least move him above ground, or even release him from this prison should he keep himself in check. If he was reading the season correctly on his last few trips above... it had been over a year since that day; and nothing. The Elders... they had to be doing it... they thought of him as a weapon; sub human and nothing more than a tool; his ears didn't help either, a mark of his animal status. No, not animal; no animal was treated this way.

He just wanted to see the sun, feel the breeze on his skin once again. Maybe even have a chance to speak with those people he'd met again; that young woman, the older male... they seemed nice... and he could handle being around small groups. It wouldn't be too much to at least let him be around others with similar powers... the Jounin, if he remembered correctly. Or even with the ANBU that watched him; just... not in a cage... not underground.

He didn't want much... right?

"The king is dead."

He didn't even need to be leashed; he was calm by that point; merely standing in the center of the room with his hands at his side and his ears down. The command triggered his seal; his mind went blank and his body turned numb, weak. Unknown ninja rushed in; jutsu ready to kill him if he so much as twitched. Special gear; gloves that bound his hands, shackles that kept him from moving with much freedom; a mask that blocked his mouth and stifled his breathing. Anything to stop him from even trying to use his skills. They'd keep them on until they reached wherever he was being taken.

With luck... it was to the Hokage. That man that was always kind; had always understood his problems; or seemed to; but he was not HIM. If not... he was in for one hell of a nasty week of punishment ordered by the elders for 'rebelling'; as they called it.

It was worth it to try. That's what he hoped, anyway. It was a strong enough wish that it broke through the seal and gave him something to focus on; a sliver of hope, a sliver of something.

And then he was being dragged. To where, he didn't know; he merely went along for the ride.

Blaze release Training:

The stacks of paper that resided on the Hokage's desk never seemed to grow. A small collection was often seen and dealt with as soon as the current Hokage had been given them. He overworked, yet his mind was always clear. He wanted matters dealt with by his own hands, the right way, through politics and not by aggressive actions. He was running a village, not an army. At least not for now. The sounds of scribbling, pen on paper filled the otherwise peaceful room. His aide sat in the corner behind him, proof-reading the documents before passing them on to Sousetsu. She possessed a kind heart and a gentle soul. Having her around helped keep the room tranquil as her shy voice was barely heard. She worked just as hard as the Senju and for that he was impressed and thankful for her time.

"You may take some time to yourself, if you like?" Sousetsu turned with a small grin. He was usually careless with time keeping in the office but he had learned from his aide to pay more attention, for the sake of their well-being. She looked up with slight rosy cheeks, almost embarrassed to be caught off guard in such a way. She nodded in agreement before standing and formally bowing before him, to which he returned the gesture. Her smile was growing as she was leaving the room, thinking that the Hokage truly did listen to her and acknowledge her needs. He let out a soft giggle as he caught the side of her face creasing from the smile before turning back to the paperwork that lingered on his desk. The sounds of scribbling filled the air once more before it was rudely interrupted by the sound of commotion and footsteps within the building.

He titled his head up, pen still within his grasp as he waited for the door to thump with a fist on the opposite side. He swallowed wholesomely and clenched his jaw with a tight and firm expression upon his face as the thump was soon to be heard. Finally, the door could be heard calling to him with its harsh clatter.

"Come in." he spoke sternly, still remaining in the posture that was ready to continue writing. One of the men entered, an ANBU operative.

"Hokage-Sama!" he bowed. "We encountered a problem within the holding cells. One of the guards were found deceased, Sir. We figured it was best to send the man responsible to you. We will wait for your orders." he remained bowing. Sousetsu looked at the stack of paper before looking back to the ninja before him. It was a delicate matter, one that could not go unpunished. With a nod, Sousetsu allowed the man responsible to be escorted within the room. The door lay wide open as guards accompanied the prisoner. He was average height, white hair and well built from first impressions. A tanned complexion accompanied a peculiar scent towards the man. Sousetsu's nose twitched before he stood up to greet the man in question. The ANBU backed to the corners of the room, readying themselves for any sudden movements the man may have taken. Standing not three feet from the man, he looked into his eyes, his jaw tightened giving off the stoic presence he could commonly be found with. His eyes darted from the man to the ANBU behind him.

"I do not know this man. How long has he been locked away?" he spoke sternly once again. The ANBU looked at each other before turning back to the Hokage before them but before they could answer he spoke once again.

"Regardless of the crimes committed, it is cruel to keep a man confined within walls, never to see another surrounding that they can adjust their eyes to. It affects the mind and spirit." he darted his eyes to the ANBU surrounding him. They did nothing wrong. In fact, they did as they were ordered to do as the law stated.

"Leave this man with me." he spoke as he returned to his desk, sitting behind it as he once was found before the intrusion. The ANBU were hesitant for a short moment, tilting their heads to one another before slowly edging their way out, looking at the man for as long as they could. Sousetsu placed the sheets of paper to the side of the desk before gesturing with his hand for the man to sit opposite him. He looked at the door to make sure it was firmly shut before looking back down to the man. His jaw continued to tighten before he was ready to speak.

"I was a prisoner once. I left the Hidden Leaf Village in search of a ghost, only to find myself too far gone to return with the little funds I had. I took on mercenary jobs to assist battles, only I became a prisoner of war when the rest of my squad were killed in action." he swallowed once more, looking to the side where the papers resided. "The same room... I only knew when the days went by when it was feeding time. No windows, just chakra imbued metal bars restraining me." he grinned that infamous grin most got to see. He was here now, and head of a village. He came a long way from then.

"Tell me, what is your name and what is it you most desperately want?" he spoke looking deep into his eyes once more. He could see sincerity in the eyes of those who meant it. He could not guarantee any outcome, but he was a tactician nevertheless. Any crack could be filled, it was just a matter of finding it first. The man before him intrigues him. A hint of a humble man, but with too many issues overwhelming him. His strength could not go unnoticed from the toned body, it was something to look out for. He had to be careful on how he would approach this.

"Leave this man with me."

Coal black eyes lifted, breaking through the fog that the seal caused in his mind. The expression the face was blank, the perfected expressionless mask he was so used to wearing. They locked on the male before him, teeth clenching as he watched the male carefully. When the seat was offered, he ignored it: he would not relax in his presense. He would not appear weak; the pride of a lion would not allow it. Despite the bindings on his arms, hands, legs and feet, he knew this was a test. At least, thats what his mind told him it was. He wasnt quite sure what was real anymore; this man, or the dragon guarding the bowl of ramen on the desk?

Jinx used to love ramen. He could remember taking her-

The male winced as a sharp pain arced through his head, something that sparked a small fire within him; the bubbling beginnings of rage.

Not the time or the place, Lion. You're here for a reason.

"I was a prisoner once. I left the Hidden Leaf Village in search of a ghost, only to find myself too far gone to return with the little funds I had. I took on mercenary jobs to assist battles, only I became a prisoner of war when the rest of my squad were killed in action."

I really don't care about your life story, fucker. It would not pay to be rude. It would not help his case. But this man was not HIM; the lion answered to no one but HIM. He hated them all, the people they chose to replace HIM. They knew nothing of the Lion. They just him saw as another expendable body; just another obstacle between them and whoever wanted to kill them that day. His body tensed up, straining at the bindings for a moment before he relaxed.

"The same room... I only knew when the days went by when it was feeding time. No windows, just chakra imbued metal bars restraining me."

I don't care. I dont care, I dont careidontcareidontcareIDONTCA-

"Tell me, what is your name and what is it you most desperately want?"

Give him your name, Lion.

"My name...?" The voice cracked for a moment. It had been a long time since he'd actually spoke to anyone. He could hardly recognize his own voice. Swallowing, the male spoke again. "My name is Uchiha Naota, former Sannin under the Hokage Inuzuka Kenta, otherwise known as The Black Sun, or The Black Lion." His named seemed to carry something, a strange taste as he spoke it. He took a breath, steadying himself before speaking again. "And what I want... I want my freedom again. I want to walk the streets of Konoha once more, a free man." A hint of anger cracked through the mask, his eyes glaring at the man before him with a look of pure hatred through his hair. "It has been too long... so long since I was free."

Blaze release training:

The man before him seemed hesitant when asked for his name. It was something that Sousetsu could see that he was not commonly asked. Maybe it was because he should have already known what it was, or who he was. He did not sit when a seat was offered. It appeared this man stuck by his own morals, thinking he was above any who stood in his way. With a cleared throat as a result oh the man swallowing, he spoke.

"My name is Uchiha Naota, former Sannin under the Hokage Inuzuka Kenta, otherwise known as The Black Sun, or The Black Lion." still hesitant, he tried to configure himself. Sousetsu raised his head slightly higher than it was before at the name of one of the former Hokage's, Inuzuka Kenta. Did he act the same way before him? Did he neglect the offerings of another Hokage in the same manner of morals?

"And what I want... I want my freedom again. I want to walk the streets of Konoha once more, a free man." Anger began to rise within him. The Senju could see it in his eyes, the very essence of rage mustering its power and seeping through his mouth and lacing his words. Sousetsu tightened his jaw once more. He would not look weak towards this man for he had no reason to. They were both beasts in their own way, except, Naota lived with more pride than he could have figured.

"It has been too long... so long since I was free."

Sousetsu slammed the table before him with clenched fists and standing simultaneously. "Well then you are a fool!"

He could only imagine the shock that was sent to the ANBU outside the door. Their gasps or sudden twitch preparing themselves to re-enter the room before an outbreak could arise. Sousetsu moved around the table and found himself stood before the man with his stoic presence refusing to falter.

"By killing that man, did you think I would let you roam these streets?" he stared into the anger with his own bubbling at the bottom of his spine, waiting for it to rise also.

"You call yourself a lion while I only see a cub! There is still much to learn!" the azure beast's fangs began to show themselves matching the tightened jaw of the opposing shinobi. How could this go unpunished? What type of man would that make him out to be? To let a killer roam because he wished for it. The questions alone allowed his own hate dwell for the arrogance that he was shown. He let the air rush through his nostrils, in and out as he glared into the Uchiha's eyes for a brief moment. Before long, he calmed himself as best he could but part of his own anger still lingered.

"Inuzuka Kenta is dead. Murdered. His killer is dead." his voice softened as he scanned the face of the man who thought might still believe his survival, or at least have him come to terms with the current situation. He was the new Hokage. Everything was burdened on him now, but he did not ask for much but broader shoulders to carry the weight he was given.

"You will walk the streets of Konaha again... But not as a free man, at least not now." he spoke with a stern voice once again. "Keeping you locked away, a Sannin with a stripped title, proves no use to me. I will not put you to death for we have seen enough bloodshed for now." he kept his breathing in check, inhaling deeply and exhaling to keep his mind clear. No doubt some would oppose these ideas, it would affect his standing with those. Maybe they would deem him unfit in the future? All he knew was that he had not met this man and he did not know of his crimes until now, where murder was one of them. He had pride, or so he thought. His punishment seemed to fit.

"You will walk the streets of Konaha... to provide for that man's family. You will serve them until they forgive you for what you have done to them. You will be monitored at all times by the ANBU and will be on call to assist me whenever I call upon you. Their lives will be in your hands and mine, and if anything should happen to them, I will lead a squad personally to have your head." his fists tightened. The man before him would have this 'pride' stripped from him just like the title of Sannin had been. That was his punishment. He knew the family would be afraid, scared of this man under the same roof but a contract would be made of all the details. An ANBU operative rushed into the room but was stopped in his tracks as the Hokage placed a hand out to keep his distance. Sousetsu showed no signs of regret in his decision. It was final.

"Well then you are a fool!"

Perhaps. But then again, in the mind of every fool, there was method.

"By killing that man, did you think I would let you roam these streets?"

If you only knew... The Lion did not kill this man at random, no, the murder was planned, perfected down the minute detail. But why? Why would the Lion murder this man, a guard of his cell? Why him, and not anyone else? If the man before him cared to notice, or rather he did and decided not to comment, but the lion was scarred. Bruises adored his skin like tattoos, covered by the prison garb. It was revenge, plain and simple. The guard whom the Lion had killed had been cruel to him, beating the male when he'd done nothing to deserve it. But not that the male would say a word of this to the man before him, not just yet.

"You call yourself a lion while I only see a cub! There is still much to learn!"

A cub? How fucking dare he?! The rage swelled within him, so much that his very breath became flame and smoke. He was very much tempted to break free of the bindings that held him and attack the male before him for his words. To call the Lion a cub? He was a Fuckmothering Uchiha. He'd killed alot of people to earn that title, and deserved to be called as such. His body tensed up, the rage barely containing itself within his body until..

"Inuzuka Kenta is dead. Murdered. His killer is dead."

..What? No one had said a word of this to him, not once in all these years. If the man whom killed his friend had been killed already, why had no one passed the word onto him? When had it happened? Who had done it? The surge of anger vanished almost instantly, leaving the male feeling hollow.

"You will walk the streets of Konaha again... But not as a free man, at least not now. "Keeping you locked away, a Sannin with a stripped title, proves no use to me. I will not put you to death for we have seen enough bloodshed for now. "You will walk the streets of Konaha... to provide for that man's family. You will serve them until they forgive you for what you have done to them. You will be monitored at all times by the ANBU and will be on call to assist me whenever I call upon you. Their lives will be in your hands and mine, and if anything should happen to them, I will lead a squad personally to have your head."

It was at that moment a small spark of the rage returned to him, enough to to remind him of the reason he was here.  He would show this man, he would show him just why he'd done what he'd done.

"You say you do not want killers roaming the streets of Konoha as free men, yet you have an academy specially designed to train and mold children into killers. You employ them to do your wishes, you reward them for this service. You have several of them stationed outside this very room with orders to kill me should I make a move against you. And yet, you do not want a killer to walk the streets of Konoha. What is the difference between me and them? You ordering them to kill? I killed a man in your service, yes, but did you even ask me why? No, you ask me what I wanted, and you tell me I must serve his family to pay my 'debt' to them." As the Lion spoke, his clothing began to smolder, and then burn away to ashes, crumbling to reveal his scarred torso to the other male. "So, you tell me who shall pay his debt to me for these scars? His wife? His son? Look through my records; never once was someone hurt during my rages. I was locked within that cage for well over a year and a half; something that itself was not to be. I was supposed to be kept isolated until I calmed down from the news of Amay-.... and when word reached me that I would not be released because of the village elders feared me, my anger grew from that. But that man.. he took it upon himself to beat me for anything he could. I suffered for a year and a half at his hands for no reason other than the fears of old men. So, you tell me who shall pay that debt to me?!" By the time the male had finished speaking, his lips had drawn back into a snarl, flames licking them as he breathed.

"You do not want a killer walking the streets, yet you employ so many. What is the difference between us? The fact that I do not work for you?!"

Blaze Release Training:

The Uchiha retorted with his own defense. He spoke of the younger generation of ninja that occupied the ninja academy. They were being trained to become like those in the room. Killers. Naota had it wrong. They were not killers just yet. They were training for discipline and self-defense at that age. Only assassination attempts are given to those with high rank which takes years to achieve. Sousetsu would not have any of those underage to go on such missions, they were too dangerous and would only reside on his conscience. The flames smoldered his clothing as he revealed his bruises and scars and with a clenched jaw, Sousetsu approached to inspect further. Of course, he could not see the mental scarring inflicted but he was sure that there might have been some to go hand in hand. He spoke of being tortured by the man he had killed this day and wondered who the 'debt' would fall on. Who would he have to torture to feel like an equal instead of a criminal who was wrongly placed behind metal bars because of the fears of his rage. He spoke of the elderly, they were afraid, and he could see why they would have been. A man with this stature having anger dwelling within him such as this, with flames erupting to show.

The ANBU readied himself as he noted the rage rising once more, backing himself into the corner and readying himself to perform a jutsu. Sousetsu exhaled deeply before nodding for the ANBU to leave. Water began to emerge from the ground surrounding the Senju''s feet and spiraling around his body, climbing to reach his head. It was a fairly thin stream of water that showed each droplet detaching and reattaching itself to the body every so often. He would be the one to put out the fires it seemed but it was merely showing his own mastery of the affinity he was given from birth. As he stood before the Uchiha he looked into his eyes once more, matching the fear and anger that was stemmed from their conversation.

"No children are sent to kill. It is rank that determines that. They are free to leave the ninja life whenever they wish. The reason why they are different, is because we kill those who deserve it. Bounties, rebels, thieves, murderers, gangs... You should know this." he spoke sternly once again as he glared. The water curled around some of his features, wrapping itself around his arms and waist. "You speak of a 'debt' that you have already collected. If he was the man responsible, then surely his life was worth these scars." the water grew thicker before back to remaining thin, bouncing back and fourth of its size and density.

"You do not want a killer walking the streets, yet you employ so many. What is the difference between us? The fact that I do not work for you?!"

"The difference is they have discipline! The difference is they accepted their duties! They do not have to do any of this and they know that... They protect everything they love, families, the village, you protect your pride!" The waters surrounding him began to rapidly accelerate around the Senju. It resonated with his emotions, mimicking the sensitivity and showing the man before him. They were opposites here, like fire and water, and Sousetsu could only try to dim the light from the fires at this moment.

"I shall see to it that the current ninja at the cells are not abusing their power, and I will see to the elderly about you. But you have collected your debt, his life for your scars. Now what about his families scars? A child who won't have a father, and a wife who must raise the family by herself. You will do as I say to pay that debt." he stared down to him, teeth showing and anger still dwelling.