Yoichi hadn't even really gone back at all. After completing his mission, he'd simply continued on his way back from the Naka River hideout. Lady Risu simply wanted him to deliver the researcher and records to one of the old Black ANBU bases. Yoichi remembered reading about them. They'd made their start back a few hundred years ago, and had been part of the Foundation project. Of course, now they had a different function, and belonged to Lady Risu. He'd made pleasant conversation with the researcher as they walked around. He was more than willing to go along with Yoichi, considering there was no point in resisting. This man was fairly smart. He made for some decent conversation and hypothetical situations. And he was fairly nice about explaining some things.

"- and the thing about the Venom Project was that we had completely failed to unlock a suitable solution to creating anything that would maximize human potential. However, we were able to accelerate muscle mass in a largely steroidic type conversion. Turning a normal person into a hulking mass of muscle and power, able to match even some ANBU members in power and skill. Although, it isn't perfect, and it has plenty of flaws itself. We've never been able to find and isolate the perfect proteins that the increase in power stays, but all the flaws didn't." Harudo Rito explained. He'd been actually quite passionate about completing the project, and was perfectly willing to answer any of the questions Yoichi had bothered to ask.

"Well, that's the thing. I don't understand why it would be so difficult to perfect, or at least make more usable. Anyhow, I'm not sure if the drawbacks to this design are even all that bad. I can assume, what, some highly addictive nature? Potential instability in the brain and sanity and such as that? Hard to control the subjects who are under the use of it? Well, the answer seems plain to me. Diluting the concentration of the Venom should theoretically decrease the addictive nature of it, as well as allow the user some modicum of control and all." Yoichi proposed, wondering if they'd already attempted that or not.

"Yes, yes, theoretically, it does work, and we have tried that. Unfortunately, it doesn't create a lasting effect, nor is it anywhere near as strong an increase in physical power. And because of that, it was deemed a failure in that aspect. There wasn't a way we could find that would make it to the standards we need to. The way it is now, the Venom makes for a hulking figure, and it lasts long enough to be useful. Even though a failure, it was still more of what we were looking for. I'm sure that there has to be a solution in the Venom we currently have developed. We were just never able to achieve that in the time we'd been given. I'm not even sure that I'm able to do so, but I've given my best shot at it." Harudo sighed. He was passionate about his work, Yoichi would give him that. At the very least, it was a fun hypothetical talk. It had his mind thinking, looking for solutions.

"I'm no medical ninja, obviously, but here's a thought. Instead of diluting out the concentration of venom with a base, dilute it out with oxygenated blood or plasma. It's the concept of a runner injecting themselves with oxygenate blood to improve their performance. That would be a possibility. If the diluted formula was mixed in, along with the increase in the oxygen and blood levels, it would send the human body into a heightened state. Not to mention the next rush of adrenaline that goes with it. Now, it might still be weaker than the current way that the Venom works now, but it would still have the less addictive nature of the full thing, as well as a longer time of effectiveness, better effects than simply the diluted formula, and the user would be able to remain in full control, with better increases in reactions and a sense of slowed time, for more thought processes in a shorter amount of time." Yoichi said, stopping. They'd arrived at the entrance to the destination.

Harudo had been listening thoughtfully. The boy in front of him was sure something else. Not even a medical ninja, and he was smart enough to analyze and come up with a potential solution, that hadn't been posed to them yet. He sure was something else.

WC: 759
TWC: 759

The original master hideout of the Black ANBU, a hideout which had been in the making ever since Danzo had created the Foundation, but which existence had been forgotten through the passing generations of shinobi, until a young Enaka had stumbled upon it. In slightly more than a decade, the former Ouroboros regent and criminal mastermind had maintained a large funding for this place, restructuring and expanding it into an immense complex which could house over a hundred researchers, had over a hundred holding cells and could maintain a regular number of nearly one hundred Black ANBU operatives.

Sadly, after he had been imprisoned and the Black ANBU had lost many important key points to Lamya's raids, the current leader of the Black ANBU had apparently decided to completely abandon the place, but Lamya herself had decided otherwise and descended upon the place claiming it for herself.

It had everything she needed for the resaerch she was conducting and for the research she wanted to resurrect. In a few months time, she had already transported a large number of her Hebi guard to the place, making sure that the researchers she still valued as necessary for her own ambitions to have a place to work and stay. All had been planned meticulously and as such, it was also Yoichi's first time to actually see the scale and the magnitude of the Orochi family's true power.

On the outside, there were only two real entrances, one in the very center of Konoha no Sato, which was so obvious that nobody actually managed to notice and the other being far in the Dense forest, nearing the outer edges of the forest, a massive rock simply acted as the second entrance. Just as Yoichi and the researcher approached it, the rock split open and two members of the Ouroboros clan's Hebi guard, armed with a spear and each wearing a gray flack jacket approached the two to check them out, before approving of their entry into the underground facility, which the two would only reach after traversing through a long, straight underground tunnel.

When they would eventually reach the end of the tunnel, they would find themselves into a place neither of them would've been able to ever comprehend, as splayed out before them was the lowest level of the massive hideout, which only housed dangerous subjects of former research in stasis-controlled containers, all encased in steel and covered from prying eyes, with at the other end of the massive hall, a staircase on which another few guards were placed, one of these guards would come for the two, bringing along another guard to escort the Researcher to his designated laboratory, while the other guard would lead Yoichi onto the staircase, leading him to the central level of the hideout, where Lamya was now waiting for her loyal Uchiha pawn.

Theme

"Come closer, Yoichi," A masked woman dressed in a leather jumpsuit, with her long black hair spread out over a large throne upon which she sat with her legs crossed. "You seem to have done well and for that I should applaud you, but your work isn't finished. Have you retrieved the research files that I have requested?"

543

Yoichi and Harudo didn't have to wait for very long. They'd soon see the extent of resources that the Orochi clan actually housed. A couple of Hebi guards came out and escorted them into the hideout, and into a long corridor. Yoichi and Haruda both remained rather silent, no longer exchanging the pleasant conversation that had been going on. Yoichi's mind had already left that, and no longer really was interested in that design. This place was much more of an interest to him. Their footsteps echoed down the corridor, betraying its vast expanse.

As the split came up, and it became evident that they were no longer travelling the same path, Harudo stopped for a second and motioned the Yoichi. "You take care now. That brain of yours is an amazing thing kid. More natural talent than anyone else I've seen in a long time. You could keep pace with my mind in conversation the entire time, and threw me for a loop too. There's a treasure trove of information in the world for people to understand. It's rare that anyone with the talent to be able to is around. Use that to your advantage. It was a pleasure to meet you, even for such brief a time. Perhaps I'll even be able to use that last bit of information you gave me to help fuel further research on the Venom Project. Thanks." he said, and was led away, to his own area.

Yoichi simply nodded in return. There was nothing further he had to say. He'd been following his orders. Kill the one, take in the other. The only reason he'd indulged the conversation was so that he could pass the time, after all. It wasn't that he was particularly invested in the man's talking, he'd just enjoyed the little brain exercise. There was no reason to tell him that though. Yoichi may not have any empathy towards him, but that didn't mean that he disliked the man. No reason to put his spirits down. So he simply nodded in return. And then, Yoichi was alone with his escorts, being walked towards the final destination.

He only saw a woman sitting in a chair. She was masked, and wearing a leather suit, so it was almost impossible to tell who it could have been, but judging by his insight, Yoichi could only assume that it was Lady Risu. Her words seemed only to confirm that fact. Yoichi's mouth flickered into a smile as he bowed his head. "Of course. I have them right here, mi'lady. Sectioned out, and ordered properly for you. Only the records of A rank and higher successful experiments and such." he said, unstrapping a smaller carrying bag from his back, and tossing it over to her. She'd specified what she wanted, and the things that Yoichi had kept for himself were only things that didn't fit into that criteria. Including some vials of the Venom. He'd have some fun figuring that one out, after all. Medical ninja he may not be, but he was still a brilliant mind. He awaited further addressing, as Lady Risu had said his job wasn't finished yet. "You may also be interested to know that I unlocked the first stage of my sharingan. There was a bit of an altercation between myself, and an Uchiha who flags allegiance with Sunagakure. Chuunin level skill and power, two tomoe eyes. I beat him with little issues, but he ran away before I could finish the job, unfortunately. His entire left side is badly burned, 3rd degree burns. 2nd degree burns ending at the other side of his torso. Displays prowess with Genjutsu and Bukijutsu, however, that remains to be the majority of his skill. He initiated combat, as far as any observer will tell you. I'm just good at subtle instigation. Figured I might inform you of those happenings."

WC: 651
TWC: 1410

The woman removed the mask, her golden eyes looking straight towards the Uchiha, listening carefully to his words and absorbing all the information he was giving, like a sponge absorbing water. To hear that his mission had been succesful was already a good sign for this Uchiha prodigy's progress, but to hear him explain an unforeseen situation regarding a suna shinobi of apparently the same blood and lineage to have confronted him and even lost to him, while obviously having had the upper hand in regards to pure skill and even its sharingan, was what made the Orochi lady almost shiver in ecstasy, the tip of her tongue sliding between her lips, almost as if she wanted to taste the actual events herself.

"How does such a pest dare to touch one of my own," Lamya hissed with a deep and loud voice, the veins in her eyes becoming clearly visible, while a purple and black aura started to envelop her like a cloak of mad chakra. "No one touches what is mine unless I say so."

Slowly, the orochi lady's black hair seemed to slither and wriggle, as it turned into a bunch of massive black snaketails curling and coiling around her, with her muscles slightly tensing up and her skin turning even whiter than usual. She stood up slowly from her seat, walking down the staircase towards Yoichi, the stairs crackling with every step she made. Lamya wasn't angry or mad,no, she was furious and all the Hebi guards in the massive room could feel and even taste the madness which was flowing through her veins.

"You burned him, wounded him and humiliated him, hmm?" The young woman asked with surprisingly and sudden calm voice, when she reached for Yoichi's chin, lifting his face so that he'd look her straight into her eyes. "You've been such a good boy, such a smart boy. Next time this Suna-nin shows his face, you have my permission to rip him to shreds and feed his corpse to the snakes."

Releasing the Uchiha's chin from her soft grip, the young woman walked to the side of the large hall, to a door where two Hebi guardmembers made a hasty bow, while taking a few steps back. Lamya's snakelike hair however, with its immense length, still caressed and slithered around Yoichi's legs.

"Follow me, Yoichi," the young woman said, while pushing open the double door in front of which she was standing. Her eyes glistening with a cold and eerie  shine in them, while a sinister smile crept upon her face. "I think you will be more than interested in what I am about to show you."

455/998

Lady Risu was... different than he'd remembered, but certainly it was her. There could be no doubt about that as she removed her mask. As she spoke, she seemed to undergo some sort of change physically, turning even paler than normal, her hair writhing like a mass of snakes. It was an impressive display, to say the least.

Yoichi's body trembled involuntarily. The fear that coursed through him wasn't for his life, it was a primordial fear, when encountering such an unimaginably dark power such as Lady Risu had. And what was more, she was proud of the work he'd done so far, even so much as to go on and be livid that anyone had attacked him without her say so. What made up even for that fact, was that he'd beaten down the other Uchiha rather handily, despite all the disadvantages laid against him. He may have been bragging about his skill and intellectual advantages when he'd talked to her earlier, but that was only because he could back it up very easily.

What sent a chill down his spine though, was the intensity of her anger. It was beyond mere paltry anger, and instead was a such a furious nature like he'd not encountered before. The Orochi clan was terrifying in its own way, but this was something else. And yet she spoke with such an utter calmness, looking into his eyes, and lifting he chin, examining Yoichi once again.

"Of course I did Mi'lady. He wasn't any match for my tactical prowess. The fight went about as expected the entire time. He played into my hands from the moment he lunged at me. There wasn't any killing intent behind that, but nobody else would know. All they saw was a Suna-nin pull out a sword and leap towards me. I didn't give much room for anyone to have any doubt that I was acting in... let's say, self defense. He'll nurture this loss though, and we'll certainly cross paths once more. I could have stopped him from leaving, but I decided to allow him a retreat. To work on his own visual prowess. Perhaps then his eyes will be useful. He's a genjutsu user, which means his eyes are of a different path than mine. That's better for a completed Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan anyhow." he said, mostly to himself, but it was out loud. It was hardly necessary for him to explain anything to Lady Risu.

He followed her silently, her snake hair writhing around his legs. He would have been rather put off by it, but he was a snake summoner, after all, and knew the feeling of snakes by heart. Most would be disconcerted, but he found them comforting. What was it she had to show him, Yoichi wondered. His eyes flashed slightly, shifting in and out of their sharingan state rather rapidly, almost instinctually. He could feel the change, but there was no drain on his chakra. There was no increase in his vision. It purely changed back and forth.

"Mi'lady, I do have to wonder. Did you want Harudo for his work on the Venom Project? Are you actively looking to complete and modify some way to unlock human potential, or is that something you're scrapping? I only ask, because he and I had an enlightening conversation on it, and it got me wondering about the potential of utilizing the research for an enhancing serum of weaker quality. I'd heavily recommend putting his knowledge on the serum to proper use, and gathering test subjects for such use." he said. He didn't care about Harudo at all, but that man was the best person to put to use in that field of knowledge, considering he knew the serum better than any other living person, to Yoichi's knowledge.

WC: 636
TWC: 2046

The sinister smile remained on her face when she heard the Uchiha talk about the possibility of reaching a perfect Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Oh how wonderful it would be to test her true power to its fullest against one with the same power as the infamous Uchiha Hao of a few years ago. By the time there would be one with such power, her dream of creating an all encompassing jutsu, a technique to shatter the boundaries of the world should have come to fruition as well. Oh the mere thought of it made her shiver in excitement.

"Haruda has been redeployed, his skills in the field of human potential have been deemed worthy of my ambition," Lamya explained at Yoichi's request, while continuing to walk towards the place she wanted to show to the Uchiha. The snake tails slithering behind her seemed to curl up on the walls of the corridor as well, as if they wanted to swallow the entire space around her. "Let's just say, that his work is beneficial for a more concentrated assignment. His work on the Venom project will be taken into a new stage, together with a few others will he no longer search for the peak of human potential, but with the research of my uncle and their own research, they will force humanity beyond its own limits. Limitless power and limitless potential are stored within a human's body, the only thing they need to do is unlock it."

Finally, after a few minutes walking through a long, well-lit corridor, the young woman opened another double door, showing a massive dome filled with hundreds of containers, all filled with people who were kept alive in stasis, monitored by researchers and guarded by easily two dozen Hebi guards.  What was obvious though, was that all of those people were different, all seemingly hailing from various clans of Konoha and even beyond Hi no Kuni.

"We've been transporting these people from all over Hi no Kuni, from the multitude of hideouts we've raided. They are all former members of the Black ANBU, ready to be reformed into my personal army," The Orochi lady laughed, spreading out her arms and laughing even louder and more maniacal. "Sarutobi, Uchiha, Hyuga, Ouroboros, all of these will be my soldiers, my pawns and my toys. They all have trained under my uncle's tutolage, they've all been rigurously screened and indoctrinated, but now they will all belong to me and soon, very soon, the last of the Black ANBU will fall into my hands and I will create an organization which will make this world tremble to its very core."

Turning towards the Uchiha, Lamya went silent as she came close, almost slithering besides him. showing a smile with her fangs bare, though strangely seductive as she looked straight into his crimson eyes.

"First these toys, than the ANBU itself...than I'll take Konoha," The young woman hissed calmly, placing her hands onto the Uchiha's shoulders, while her hair started to coil and curl around his entire body. "Soon I'll know everything my uncle had been doing and when I do know everything, it will all be mine. It's time to clean up the mess made by all the previous generations of shinobi and start a new era. You will have an important role in all of this Yoichi."

Leaning closer to the young uchiha, she licked her lips as her face came next to his, her breath touching his left ear. "Do you think you'd want to be part of all this...or not?"

609/1607

Yoichi mouth twitched into a smile again. Good, Lady Risu had made the correct choice. Not everybody would be able to make that call, to change up the primary objective. Yes, his research in unlocking the human potential was invaluable, but he was better suited finding a way to reach beyond that, and to tap into the massive storages of power that they possessed inside of them. If that was possible, it would be child's play to make one jounin worth four in power. To completely surpass even the strongest of Kage's. And all of this would be in the hands of Lady Risu and her subjects, of course. Yes, not everyone would be able to make that choice, nor would anybody else have the resources to do what she was attempting to do. All it took was Enaka's research, some of which Yoichi had provided, and Lady Risu's own research, mixed together.

As they entered the room, Yoichi saw... stasis pods. Hundreds of them, filled with people. People of many different clans, with many different special abilities and kekkai genkai. Yoichi almost laughed at the mention of the Hyuuga clan. The Byakugan's powers paled in comparison to the Sharingan. Sure, it could see the Chakra pathways sooner, at its infancy, but that was all in the long run. Soon enough, Yoichi would be able to do that same thing, and more. They were inferior to the Uchiha. What was interesting to note though, was that she included Uchiha in her army. More of the common rank and file? After all, not everyone was able to utilize a sharingan. Or perhaps, they were simply Uchiha that had served Enaka in his Black ANBU. He had taken some interest in them, and experimented to create a synthetic doujutsu. Perhaps the Byakugan and Sharingan had been utilized in a study. Ouroboros made sense, of course. That was Lady Risu's and Enaka's clan, after all. The Sarutobi were also prevalent and numerous.

He looked into Lady Risu's eyes, that strange seductive quality of hers peering through. It was a quality that he couldn't resist. With such an army at her command, Enaka's secrets soon to be hers, and the ANBU under her thumb, Lady Risu held the true power in Konoha. The Hokage didn't know it yet, but Yoichi did. Ultimately, Yoichi's goal was achievable under Lady Risu's rule. He nodded without so much as another thought. "Of course I want to be part of this. Someone would have to be a fool not to. And as we know, I am not commonly thought of as a fool. I've mastered hundreds of tactical strategems, played Shogi with the best and won, walked even talented tacticians flawlessly into my ploys and traps. If that doesn't say something about my lack of foolishness, I'm not sure what would. I am yours to command." he said, completely unfazed by the proximity of the snake lady, and her locks of snakes.

WC: 495

"Strategy, hmm," Lamya seemed to wonder, looking at all the stasis pods with an almost diabolical smile on her face. "I see, I understand. A tactical genius is indeed something which comes in handy, but what is all your strategy and tactical prowess worth when you stand in front of absolute power?"

The young woman's eyes found their way back to the Uchiha's crimson eyes, obviously quite interested as to what his answer to her question would be this time. She had already figured out that he always seemed to find an answer to every question he had been posed, but this question was tricky, for had he ever faced absolute power, had he ever seen the true power of a shinobi, power which even toppled hers.

"The Mizukage, my uncle, Itsukuchi Hataro," She sighed, seriously wondering how Yoichi would react. "Beings who have far surpassed the human limits and have stood atop the food chain of this world with unimaginable power, how would you stand before them? The answer is simple: when they display their true power, one can only bow down and cower in fear, for that is all humans can do when they face a power so absolute, that the very essence of it could crush a person's will, body and mind. I might be strong in your eyes, but I am not yet near their monstrous level."

Seemingly calming down, Lamya's snakes started to recede and revert back into her usual long black hair. With a soft smile on her face, she watched the Uchiha, knowing that he would certainly be something interesting along the way to the top of the so-called food chain. His ambition was great enough to be called useful for her own ends and he wasn't afraid of some dirty work, which was another plus. To have a genius intellect Uchiha as a pawn was certainly not a bad thing after all.

"There's something I will require you to do, Yoichi," The ANBU captain suddenly chuckled softly. "I think I might have another mission for you, though this one will be more of a hassle."

Stretching out one of her arms, a Hebi guard quickly arrived to her side, to which she requested to bring her the files on Hataro itsukuchi, Enaka's number one soldier. When the guard returned a few minutes later, he was holding a blue map, which he handed over to the Orochi lady.

"Haguromo Sheitan, that's you target's name," Lamya explained, handing over the personal file of the aforementioned person to Yoichi, after she had taken it out of the blue map. The picture on the file showed a relatively young, but keen looking young man with hazel eyes and red hair. "I hope you dont mind a more...silent mission?"

473/2080

Strategy and tactical prowess, pitted up against absolute power hm? Now that was the question. After all, there was only so much that a strategy could do, now wasn't there? No amount of strategy could give someone the power to do something if they just couldn't do it. It didn't matter if Yoichi could come up with a plan, if he was up against people who could stop him and barely break a sweat. The answer was a simple one. He listened to her though. The Mizukage, a person of extreme power, more. Enaka and his right hand, the puppet user. Yoichi had always hated him, but then again, he hated all puppet users, since it was one such user that had kidnapped his parents.

Lady Risu seeemed to think that against absolute power, one could only bow down and cower in fear, but Yoichi shook his head."When going up against absolute power? Yes, having tactics and strategy can only get you so far. In that case, all you need is more power yourself. It's simple enough, after all. A team of Jounin level Shinobi with a proper tactician should be able to take on anyone easily of a higher calibur. I fought a physically superior enemy in the other Uchiha, but tactics brought him down, and that was with minimal injuries. Imagine if he had been my rank and power. There wouldn't have even been a fight. It would have been a beat down. So, yes, the answer is simply to gain enough power to pull off what is needed. The Mizukage can be taken down, with enough planning and strong enough opponents. The key would be to weaken her support. Take out her loyalists, and she has only her own strength, while formidable, she is not unbeatable. Enaka had his weaknesses, and one of those is arrogance. Hataro may have his own as well, but I don't know much about him. And yes, you may not be their level of strength, but strength isn't power Mi'lady. It's only part of power. Power is the presence that you command. The resources at your disposal. Everything that you own consolidated into one. You stole Lord Enaka's power. That makes you more dangerous. That makes you more worthy." he said, shrugging slightly.

He sighed. It wasn't a bored sigh, it was one of contention. Another mission, and this one more of a hassle? That meant it was just more challenging, more of a task on his mind. "Of course, lady Risu. I'm a shinobi. I can easily do quiet. I infiltrated the last base silently as well. They honestly weren't expecting me, which I found rather strange. So, silent is fine and doable." Yoichi examined the picture of the man, committing it to memory. He was certain she'd debrief him this time, after he just said that he would love a silent mission.

WC: 485
TWC: 3026

"Hmm, maybe you're right, maybe I am more worthy," The Orochi lady sighed, after the Uchiha had given his own thoughts on the matter. However, Lamya did not think in the same way as he did, she knew that the only way for her to stand above those she had mentioned, was to be stronger, more powerful and immensely more influential on the future of the shinobi world than these three. Even her current level was but mere child's play for the others, first she had to be stronger than the current Hokage; Senju Sousetsu, then she had to build and use an army, before she would be powerful enough to see her ambition come to fruition. "Perhaps in time, maybe after a few more months, I will be able to see the results of my dreams come to life."

Turning her attention back to the matter at hand, Lamya chuckled, when hearing the Uchiha use his profession as the excuse or rather the reason why he would be able to do a silent mission, not to mention the fact that he used his last, albeit succesful mission to retrieve data and a researcher as an example, a testament of his skills.

"Oh, you think that by succesfully completing a single mission, you would be seen as the perfect shinobi?" Lamya laughed, patting Yoichi's head while doing so. "You couldn't be more wrong. With a silent mission, I do not exactly mean one in which you aren't noticed, I mean a mission where you leave not a single person to talk...that is what a silent mission means."

Again she started to walk, but this time it seemed that she was simply staying on the same level as they were now, just passing through a door at the side, to enter a smaller space, with just a few Hebi guards walking around with papers, cups of coffee and tea and generally discussing things. When Lamya entered the room however, she first had to raise her hand before the guards would actually continue to move and act casual.

"Take a seat, get something to drink," The young, yet imposing woman exclaimed calmly to Yoichi, telling him to relax a bit. "About Haguromo Sheitan. He's been Hataro's go-to-guy for years now, getting rare samples of kekkei genkai, delivering the perfect wood and metals needed for his puppets and getting him the false documents and papers which he needed to do his missions. I simply want you to find this guy and beat the location of Hataro's current stay out of him. Haguromo himself is set to be terminated after he has given this information. Do you think you are capable of doing this?"

461/2541

training:

Yoichi smiled somewhat. He had completely misinterpreted what she meant by silent mission. Of course she hadn't meant quiet, in the sense that he did. She'd meant that she wanted no loose ends, and for anyone who was in the area to die. "So, a silent mission as in, if that last place had had more than the two in it, everyone but those specified to remain alive would have been dead. Total annihilation of any and all living beings that can communicate. Yeah, I can do that. A bit easier actually, than having to keep people alive." he said somewhat nonchalantly.

He had no issues with eliminating people. "The only issues I might run into would be getting the information out of him if he knows he'll die anyhow. But then again, watching everyone else die might provide more of an incentive for him to spill the information if I offer a bargain. His life for the information. As you and I know, it would be a lie, but it'd be worth a shot. If not, I'll just beat it out of him. Whatever works best I suppose."

Yoichi made a cup of tea, and started drinking it, burning some of his taste buds in the process. It meant little to him. Even piping hot as it was, he didn't mind the sharp jolt of pain in his mouth, or his throat. It reminded him he was alive. It reminded him that he was willing to go through anything to achieve power. To take on any pain or injury, and he would not break. But these were all thoughts in the back of his mind. For now, he focused on the important things. Gulping down that swig, Yoichi paused for a moment, before he spoke.

"Haguromo Sheitan. He collects Kekkai Genkai to give to Hataro, you say? Does that mean what I think it means? Hataro is a puppet user of no small skill. But I wouldn't have thought that's what... Haguromo collects people for human puppetry, doesn't he? And Hataro uses the human puppets, as he has the skill and talent to, giving him an edge as a puppet master. Am I correct in my assumption? And if Haguromo does that, does he do it personally? Because that would make him quite the dangerous foe to go up against." Yoichi asked, getting to his most important questions right off the bat.

WC: 406
TWC: 3432

Listening patiently to what Yoichi was thinking, deducting and deciding on the mission and the person he was supposed to get some information out of, the young woman simply grabbed herself a cup of steaming hot coffee, sipping a few times from it while keeping an eye on the people who entered and left the place. She had to remain vigilant, because even after she had gone as far as to purge her entire clan from every subject that had sympathies for her uncle Orochi Enaka, she still remained fearful of the consequences of having missed people within her own clan, still having some loyalists remaining. The fact that she had decided not to use any of the Black ANBU yet, was simply because she had to strengthen her grip on the regular ANBU, root out all who would and could oppose her if she decided to start her rebellion against the current Hokage.

The fact that she only used the Hebi guard was a blessing and a curse at the same time. Many of these Guards had been either part of the ANBU at one part in their life, had formal training under one of the clanmembers that have been part of the ANBU or were simply trained at the academy. A large number of these guards were already around when her mother was still clanleader, but others came from the period in between the two of them, the period in which Enaka ruled supreme. So in a way, the only possible option was to either purge the entire Hebi guard or give them something to do and distract them from the loss of their former leader.

"Hmm, getting information out of someone who knows he'll die might be hard," lamya suddenly responded calmly, but obviously slightly flustered because her thoughts had wandered off for just a moment. "However, you can be certain he does not assume to die so quickly. Haguromo Sheitan is after all part of Hataro's inner-circle and therefore he has always been one of those few men who could relay information between the top brass of my uncle's entire organization, sometimes even falling in for Hataro himself. He will probably think that the Black ANBU or Hataro will come to his rescue. He is aware of my increasing influence over my uncle's organization...it's a gamble really, either he does not fear death or he does."

Putting down her cup, Lamya sighed silently, waving her hand in the air, to which the guards in the room quickly reacted by leaving the room all-together, making it so that only the young Orochi lady and the Uchiha remained.

"Haguromo isn't exactly a strong person," She explained, making sure that the Uchiha would be aware of what to expect. "He is not someone strong or powerfull at all, but he is smart. I would dare to say he would be able to outsmart you in a number of tactical games...this is why I want you to do this, as a challenge for yourself. You both might be equal in strength and intellect, but to think your sharingan would give you an edge is like thinking...well like thinking your sharingan would ever manage to be a key in defeating me. He is valued greatly for one simple other reason, the very reason why Hataro relies so much on him is because he can maintain the freshness of his samples...He can litterally revive corpses for limited amounts of time, so be aware if he has any of those samples at his stay."

603/3144

training:

Yoichi nodded to himself. He didn't really mind that Lady Risu was somewhat distracted, and seemed to be thinking about other matters. To be honest, with his objective given already, it didn't matter too much if he was still here. At that point, he was just talking things through out loud, and running certain things by her. These were all discussions he could have with himself later, and figure out the best way to deal with the situation. Although, it was nice to have another person's voice cutting into his own mind and thoughts, offering a different, or even the same view that he had given. "Yeah, it's a bit of a gamble, I'll agree. If he's afraid of death, he'll talk. If not, he won't. There's not much I can do but wager on that one. It would be different if I was a genjutsu user, but I'm not just yet. I'll have to fix that next. For now, what I can do though, is torture if he refuses to answer my questions. I am quite able to inflict a large level of pain, which, does have potential to be both lethal and not. He'll talk. I have no doubt about that. But it is a question of how long it'll take." Yoichi readjusted his eye patch. "I've been working on my summoning lately. Considering the contract I have with serpents, I have them at my disposal in my arsenal of techniques. Some of the nastier ones sheathe themselves in an aura of Katon chakra, and then constrict and wrap around someone, burning them as they do so. That one should suffice nicely in this mission. Lock him down, and burn him until he talks. By the time the summons is up, if he hasn't yet, then I have some nice wounds on him to keep him from moving. That'll be in addition to any that he sustains while I capture him in the first place."

Yoichi's mouth twitched into a smile of almost lust though. He couldn't really contain his joy at the prospect of this mission. "I can't wait to test my mind against his though. A true match of intellect is much more interesting than taking down someone with pure strength. I welcome the challenge immensely. I pit my mind against my own often enough, if he really is like me, then I'll be able to beat him. I understand my own thought process and patterns well enough. Anyone of great intelligence follows a certain pattern. The smarter the person, the more moves thought ahead. But in the end, it isn't how many moves ahead you can see, it's simply... knowing the moves that are possible that can help a person outwit someone else. If you can calculate the moves, you know everything your opponent can do. Everything is similar enough. Always a pattern of attack. The flavor of something may be different, but in the end, all moves boil back to the basics. There's only a set number of outcomes that can happen, and out of those, there are more favorable paths to take. The smart person will take the most favorable path. The smarter person will take one not so favorable. Against anyone of intellect, they already know the most favorable paths and have countered it. Doing the unexpected beats intelligence." he said, going off on his own tangent.

Focusing on Lady Risu, Yoichi shook his head. "You misunderstand though. The sharingan is not a key component of anything in particular. As of now, it does nothing but track movements quicker. Which, in turn, allows me to react quicker. I can process information at a higher rate as a result. Where before I'd see something and come up with 10 different solutions, now I can come up with 15 more in the same time. Granted, that's simplifying numbers quite a bit, but the relation is quite the same. Later on, it'll be useful for its sensory of chakra. Allowing me to see traps. Further prowess allowing me to see the actual pathways of an opponent's chakra. Things I don't necessarily need to know, but help me by providing more information. I don't find the sharingan to be an important thing in my path to power. But rather, it is a tool. Just like a bukijutsu user would utilize a sword more efficiently than someone just picking one up, I am an Uchiha. I can implement the sharingan much more efficiently, even more so than most Uchiha. I don't rely on it. It's simply convenient to have." He smiled slyly at her though, following it up. "And are you implying I'm going to attempt to overthrow you at some point with my sharingan? You truly don't understand my intentions, Lady Risu. I have no urge to pit myself against you, even if the situation presented itself to allow me to deal with you. I want power for power's sake. Knowledge for knowledge's sake. Much like the sharingan is my tools, to be used by me, not to use me, I am your tool. You control me, not the other way around. A shinobi is simply a tool to be used by the one in command."

WC: 875
TWC: 4307

For a moment, Lamya remained silent, seemingly only opening her mouth to enjoy the cup of coffee she was still holding within her hands. It was obvious that she was carefully considering everything Yoichi was saying and taking it all in like a sponge takes in water. A soft smile appeared on her face when she had taken the last sip of her cup of coffee, apparently rather pleased with the Uchiha's train of thought.

"It's rather invigorating to see someone with such high spirits and high belief in their own intellect and knowledge in their own shortcomings," The Orochi lady exclaimed, while leaning closer to Yoichi, placing the index finger of her right hand next to the eyepatch and sliding it a bit to the left, as it seemed to have shifted slightly. "Though I must implore you to take caution. Haguromo Sheitan is crafty and slick. If he were to find your patterns faster than you would find his...you'd have a hard time trying to counter him. Be prepared for any and all setbacks, Yoichi...for if you dont, I might as well expect a letter from Hataro to congratulate me on delivering him a fresh new puppet and I would be absolutely annoyed if something like that would happen."

Leaning back into her own chair again, the young woman decided that perhaps she had to close of this debate on wether or not Yoichi would or would not be smarter than his target. Thinking of a new subject wasn't easy, but of course, the Uchiha had already given her a head start with his last words earlier.

"Regarding your comment on being a tool, or rather more specific a subordonate," The woman seemed quite pleased with how she decided to turn the subject away from the Uchiha's mission, licking her lips as if she were trying to taste those words again. "I've been wondering, but there's someone...an Uchiha like yourself, who has joined up with the Konoha Military Police Force. I do not doubt his loyalty to me, but I think it is to my advantage not to be seen more than occasionally with him. So I've decided to make you my own go-to guy. You will handle the communication between me and my subordonates and spies. Do you think a position like this might suit you for the time being?"

With a smile on her face, albeit an eerie and rather freightening smile, she handed over the details of the mission regarding Haguromo Sheitan to the Uchiha, as well as a detailed personal file on the subordonate she wanted him to contact.

"Dont worry, he's not some random brute," Lamya chuckled, hoping to see some sign of interest in Yoichi's eye. "Flirty, womanhunting...sure, but quite good at adapting to situations and able to manage his own in combat. Talk to him, learn of him and perhaps...you two might even get along well."

501/3645

training:

Yoichi decided not to speak anymore on the mission. His thoughts were better suited to simply stay in his head. This person he would have to track down would have an advantage on knowing his surroundings and have familiarity over Yoichi. Yoichi had the sharingan and quick thinking. Anyway it was looked at, it would be an interesting challenge, one that he'd relish immensely. Although, it also seemed that Lady Risu wanted a change of conversation herself. Yes, the answer to who was smarter and better prepared would be answered only when it was answered. Only speculation could happen beyond that. "Things would be easier on me if I had someone else to work with, but I have made preparations for that. Summoning can come in handy, and throws out the element of unexpected allies. Oddly enough, my contract is one with serpents, to add a bit of irony to the mixture here" he said, smiling slightly.

She spoke further on another subordinate of hers. She mentioned that he was someone who had become a member of the Konoha Military Police Force that had recently been reestablished. No doubt Sousetsu's distrust of the ANBU after Enaka's somewhat untimely discoverance. Many of the current ANBU members had been previous subordinates of Enaka. Regardless, this Uchiha subordinate was now in the Konoha Military Police Force, and because of that, Lady Risu had to limit her dealings with the man. That was understandable as well. The niece of Enaka, Captain of the ANBU, couldn't exactly show to have ties in the Police Force, 'lest Sousetsu were to become suspicious.

Yoichi's face more than expressed his greatest interest in taking on such an assignment as this one. "I'd be more than happy to be your go-to-guy. I'm not even a blip on anyone else's radar. Not an ANBU of Lord Enaka's, not even a genin until recently. Apart from being an Uchiha, hardly anyone of relevance. All you need do is but tell me where and what I need to do, and you can expect it to be done mi'lady. As for this other Uchiha..." Yoichi's eye briefly shifted from his sharingan back to it's normal state. "It would be great to meet with and work alongside one such as myself. Even should he prove to be more under the influence of womanly wiles and pleasures. Which leads me to another question. You have multiple Uchiha under your control. Any thoughts on gathering them all together, unifying the clan once more, under your proxied control?"

WC: 424
TWC: 4731

"Summoning...and snakes, you say?" For a moment it seemed that Lamya was not just impressed, but actually pleasantly surprised by this reveal of the Uchiha. To know someone actually had learned what she could not: summoning snakes, was something very interesting and even if she did not possess that power, that specialty, she might've been the most knowledgeable person around to help him out with that. The Uchiha was right though, having some extra allies in combat, some unexpected allies, was a blessing in any mission or operation and not only that, to get the better of Sheitan Haguromo, it might've even been a surprisingly interesting and necessary tool for victory. "Yes...yes, that might actually be just what you needed, a pair of extra eyes, a pair of fangs to protect your back, very impressive Yoichi and very interesting indeed."

The fact that this might one day come in pretty handy, was actually quite obvious. The other proposition the Uchiha made on the other hand, seemed so interesting that even his summoning skill paled in comparison. To be able to rule another clan from behind the curtains wasn't something one had to take lightly, but to have dibs on controlling the future of a possibly completely revived Uchiha clan could've been quite interesting, but alas it did not fit into the young woman's schedule at all. She simply managed to gather some Uchihas because they are versatile, usually strong both physically and mentally and because they never had completely forgotten their differences with the Senjus. In public they might've acted rather friendly, but the hatred no doubt still rested inside each and every Uchiha.

"I dont think I would go that far, after all...to revive your clan is only a task an Uchiha can complete," The young woman sighed, followed by a rather soft chuckle. She didn't speak of the fact that it was indeed Tenzo who had the ambition of uniting his clan and to raise them to their former glory and splendor. In the end it didn't really matter for the Orochi lady, because if she was going to take control of Konoha, this would include the Uchihas anyhow, so she'd have control over them even if she wasn't taking the top spot among them. "You will be meeting him soon, Yoichi. His...job tends to be a bit difficult and his visitations are rather rare these days, but just like you, he is fullfilling his job beautifully. Besides that though, I wonder if you had anything else to ask me Yoichi, since what you're about to do wont be easy and since you'll have a rather delicate position."

456/4101

training:

Yoichi thought about it for a moment, but then shook his head. No, he didn't need anything answered, nor did he have any current questions. He'd been given plenty of information at this point, and there wouldn't be any more. Sheitan Haguromo would not be expecting one of his skills and talents. As for Lady Risu's decision to use him as a go between, well he didn't need anything answered at all. He'd receive his orders, who to speak to, what to say, and it would all be done, no questions asked. There was no reason to have any questions.

And if reviving the Uchiha clan was a task only an Uchiha could complete, well, if necessary, he would help in that conquest. However, he felt no obligation to do so other than one reason; he would need another Uchiha's completed sharingan in order to make his fully complete. That wasn't something he could do without the Uchiha being at full capacity and power. At which point, the clan meant little to him. "Perhaps the only thing I could ask would be if you knew of any lore, any obscure summons, anything that can potentially help me utilize my abilities. Aside from that, I'm not sure there's anything I could ask you that would really be of any use. Not to say that you're useless, more the only thing that could help would be manpower, which you can't and don't need to spare on me. Anyone not on my own wavelength or that I can't trust would simply impede my planning processes, and it's just more contingencies to have to work through."

WC: 273
TWC: 5004

As it seemed that Yoichi indeed did not need any more answers and that he did not have any questions anymore, Lamya chuckled softly when he started about the possibility of her knowing any...less known summonings, which she thought to be quite a good question, coming from a snake summoner to a descendant of the very White Snake sage himself. A rather vicious smile appeared on her face, while she stood up and gave the Uchiha a sign to follow her.

"Many of the scrolls on summoning stored within my clan's library are essentially summons once used by our founder and later on Orochimaru himself," The young woman explained while walking out of the break room towards an elevator which would take them to the massive underground complex' training grounds, which had already seen many of the worst shinobis in Konoha's past test their skill under Enaka's tutolage and now the ANBU captain decided to show something to the Uchiha, something even more impressive and more elusive than the sage form she had shown him earlier. "Most of those are far out of your league, Yoichi. Some even granting the power to summon beings long thought to be lost in this world. One of the strongest sage jutsu is perhaps the transformation into the Yamata no Orochi, but you might be able to summon the real thing one day."

When finally arriving at the training grounds, Yoichi would be able to see that this level was perhaps even twice the size of the one with the contained members of the Black ANBU. It was quite fitting for an army to be training here, not only that, as it was the central level of the massive underground facility, it was the defining line between the scientific and the more military divisions of the group which was slowly taking shape, a group which would one day grant Lamya the power she needed to not just achieve her goals, but bring her ambition to fruition.

"Since i realize that you are quite good at estimating other shinobi's power, I want to show you something," The young woman exclaimed with a rather obvious arrogance, but also a hint of anxiousness in the tone of her voice. She was going to show the Uchiha the jutsu she had created with only one purpose in mind; the defeat of the Hokage: The Three-headed serpent god. "Now watch carefully and tell me what you think of it."

The young womans chakra quickly became visible, as her muscles tensed, her black and purple aura emanating her full force with wind whipping up through the entire level, the floor crackling under the stress she was putting on it. A set of handseals were being made in a very quick fashion, after which she placed both her hands on the ground, making the jutsu's creation-ritual almost look like she was actually summoning something.

A jolt of chakra went through the ground, followed by a large tremor, as an instant after the young woman's hands had touched the floor of the training grounds, a massive being seemed to rise up from out of the floor, only to be obscured by the dust and dirt forming a cloud around it for a moment, only revealing a massive shadow within.

As the dust and dirt seemed to settle, a massive, fifty meters long snake made out of rock, earth and mud with three different heads revealed itself with a loud hiss. It had three enormous, fearsome looking heads, the central one being a head made out of stone, while one head was made out of air and another was made out of water, with the two latter being encased in a rocky armor to contain their element.

"Currently, I'd say this is my most powerful jutsu," Lamya laughed, rather pleased with her work, looking at Yoichi to hear his verdict. She only expected honesty, not the typical yes-nodding of one of the hebi guard though. "Now be honest and fair, am I ready to take on the Hokage or not, is this jutsu still not enough to stand up against the fool who decided to act as our Hokage or not?"

709/4810

training:

Yoichi followed Lady Risu rather quietly as she answered his only question, as of course, it had been the only one he deemed worthy of attention to be asked in the first place. She had seemed pleasnalty surprised when Yoichi had mentioned his affinity for serpent summoning. Of course, the Ouroboros clan was serpent centered of course, so it was to be expected. It brought a small smile to his face. He was slowly showing himself to be an incredibly asset to Lady Risu, and that would mean that he'd be someone more important to her for the time being, which would allow him some facsimile of favoritism, even if only minute. The good thing about that would be priority.

Regardless, it seemed that she could help him in this endeavor, as in her clan's archives were some personal summons and such of prominent clan predecessors. Of course, many were beyond his current means, but that was purely due to Yoichi's current lack of power something he'd need to work on of course, but eventually such powerful summons would be well within his grasp. While the most powerful techniques of the Sage arts included the transformation into Yamata no Orochi, if Yoichi could one day summon it and have it under his control, that would help him become one of the most powerful shinobi of course. It was a wonderful thought, and it would be one he'd certainly look into. With summoning being one of his core talents, it would be one that he could certainly achieve.

He remained quiet even as he followed Lady Risu out onto the training grounds, where she started to speak on his ability to judge other people's skills and talents at a glance. This was something that Lord Enaka had done on occasion. Although, he'd used Yoichi to size up other people, rather than himself. It spoke volumes as to how much Lady Risu actually valued Yoichi's opinions. He watched in extreme interest as she demonstrated her ability, utilizing what almost appeared to be a summons, and could quite easily be mistaken as one if someone didn't have complete knowledge on how summoning worked. Yoichi smiled as she explained that the creation of this 3 headed serpent of multiple elements was perhaps her strongest jutsu, and he would have to agree that it had power that far surpassed a great many others. "Well, purely objectively speaking, I can see why this jutsu would have great power. Combining the elements of Suiton to combat a Katon defense, Doton to combat any Suiton defense, and Fuuton to combat any Raiton defense. With the Fuuton head protecting the Doton head from Raiton attacks, the Suiton head protecting the Fuuton head from any Katon, and the Doton head protecting with its own defense from Suiton, it has elemental superiority. The Hokage as it were is a Senju, meaning he utilizes Suiton, Doton, and Mokuton. Elementally speaking, Suiton and Doton would be inferior to your technique. Leaving him with one element to utilize, the wood style. This technique is quite the powerful one, so yes. This jutsu is one of the ones that can combat the Hokage. For your current power, I am not sure. I haven't seen a utilization of either of your abilities. Judging by this, you'd definitely be able to fight toe to toe with him, however."

Yoichi's ever thinking mind had already started to work on some strategies that could compliment such powers. In fact, he'd already thought of something, something that made him smile. "Eventually, I'll require knowledge of Genjutsu in order to utilize Tsukiyomi. Which I've found is needed to access Susano'o, a powerful technique granted to an Uchiha who has used both Tsukiyomi and Amaterasu. The Susano'o is perhaps one of the most powerful techniques afforded to someone who can use the Mangekyou sharingan. I'm sure you've heard of it, even through its obscurity and attempts to keep it a secret. I'll work on the assumption you haven't, hopefully. Bluntly speaking, the Susano'o is a technique which encases the user inside a guardian deity. The defense it offers is extremely high. The offensive power is up there as well. Your technique would be sufficient to combat the Susano'o in a completed form. And indeed, I've thought of some colaborations. Lady Risu, imagine this; You with your Three headed serpent. You in a transformed sage state, mimic'ing Yamata no Orochi. Myself having summoned Yamata no Orochi. Assuming I have the Susano'o, myself in the Susano'o. And to add on top of that, if I disregard genjutsu after obtaining Susano'o, and become a sage as well, I'd be able to combine my Susano'o with a Yamata no Orochi transformation. The potential power that we could have is.... well, it rivals and surpasses even the tailed beasts."

WC: 804
TWC: 5808

The fact that the Uchiha was actually praising het newest and most powerful jutsu as of yet, made the Orochi lady smile contently. Even if it was all a lie, the fact that he called it a well-thought through jutsu, was more than enough reason for her to feel confident in her skills. Just then, he started talking about Susano'o and some ideas on how to combine susano'o with other jutsu to create even more powerful jutsu, but these fell to deaf ears in the young woman, for she held no interest in Susano'o at all.

"Susano'o, as far as I know is one of the three abilities which are granted by the Mangekyo, is it not?" The ANBU captain deduced calmly, remembering all she knew about the sharingan, which for the most of it, had revealed all its secrets in the past centuries. "If ever beasts such as the juubi would ever reappear in this world, I will not need the susano'o to beat them. By that time, this snake will be a joke compared to what I can do. However, if you want to combine those powers into those jutsu you mentioned, I am not discouraging you...I'd like to see it one day, you're idea of the ultimate jutsu."

Placing her hands together for a short time, Lamya dispelled the massive, three headed snake and sighed deeply when she could feel the mass of chakra return to her body. It was exactly that, which made the snake such an important jutsu to her, for it was possible to retrieve the chakra spend on it, as long as it still had any chakra.

"I think we've done everything now," The young woman  turned towards Yoichi, taking a few steps closer to him, while patting him on the shoulder. "I must say this: dont you fail me now, Uchiha Yoichi, for I have much greater tasks waiting for you."

After that, she walked away, leaving the Uchiha alone on the training grounds, hoping he would indeed do his duties well and survive his current task with ease.

357/5167

training:

Exit thread

Lady Risu didn't stay for too long, only throwing in a little bit more before she finally turned and left Yoichi standing in the training grounds. He had a small smile on his face. She gravely underestimated the powers that he was speaking of. Such power to rival the tailed beasts in their entirety. To go toe to toe with the 9 tailed fox spirit, and without a doubt overpower it. They'd all heard the stories of it's power. That would mean that very few shinobi would be able to stand against his own power. Even were it to surpass Lady Risu's, it didn't matter. He wasn't looking to undermine her own power, just to build up his own. She could do what she wanted with hers.

Well, regardless, Yoichi didn't have the time to spend just standing around. He walked off, ready to busy himself with his next task. After all, without these missions, it wouldn't be possible to be an asset for Lady Risu, and he'd quickly find himself tossed out like yesterday's lunch. He needed her at the moment, and he was somewhat of an asset to her, so the relationship as it was worked. There need not be anything more involved other than a mutual benefit. A symbiotic relationship. And just like that, the training grounds of the complex were once again empty. Yoichi had a bit of a situation to ponder on his own.

WC: 239
TWC: 6047

Exit thread.

Training: Kali [1250/1250]
Training: Istal [2250/2250]
Training: Striking Shadow Sneks [1000/1000]
Training: Body Flicker [750/750]
Training: Blank Space [750/750]

Remaining WC: 47