You saved me from the mountain! Make up your mind and commit! You're a hero or a villain It was funny to hear someone say those words, as though the world was so simple. If only it was possible to be either a hero or a villain, if the world was simply black and white. It truly was unfortunate that the majority of the world, including Mitsuo, lived in the shades of gray. When he was a child he wanted nothing more to be a hero, he would do absolutely anything to make people happy and to make them smile, and he wanted nothing more but to protect people. He was absolutely sure of his path, and it was that assuredness that led him to feel loss on such a grand stage so many times...
He could still vividly remember being at the gate of the village hiding, waiting for his mother’s return. He was fairly close to everything when it happened and remembered witnessing the entire thing, the painful memory forever being burned into the back of his mind. The first thing he always remembered was the excitement of seeing his mother rushing towards the village, the childish hope that it managed to instil in him and the feeling of happiness from the idea of embracing her once more. That was the first thing, the second was a horror that would creep over him as he watched the scene in front of him unfold over and over in his mind. He watched as a group of no less than ten ninja descended from the trees above and attacked the four ninja, the two jounin and two Special Jounin fighting their hardest to stay alive .Mitsuo remembered the flash of blades and watching his mother push the Hyuga woman behind her, making sure that she was safe as she knew that she was the most likely target. The Uzumaki woman held her bow in her hand and release a bolt into the chest of one of the nearby ninja, making a handsign and causing the arrow to explode in a burst of fire.
He watched the Uchiha catch the eyes of two of the men and bring them to their knees without touching them, their minds broken before he engulfed them in a massive fireball, their minds and bodies both being destroyed in the blaze. He watched as the Senju shot massive splints of wood through the chest of one of his enemy and used his mokuton abilities to create a protective ball around the Hyuga woman. It was really quite impressive to see, and Mitsuo soaked up the entire fight, right up until the climax, which was the part that would haunt him always. He watched as the person who seemed to be the leader of the group came out of the shadows and drew his swords, his entire body twisting as he cut through the Senju’s Mokuton with a burst of flame and then dug his blades across his chest before turning on Mitsuo’s mother. He watched in horror as the Jounin Senju fell to the ground, his upper torso completely separated from the bottom of his body. The blades turned onto the mistress of the bow, her arrows being swatted away by his superior speed and ability before the blades turned on her, cutting her from her left shoulder to the right side of her hip. Mitsuo nearly screamed and gave away his position as she fell, the man dropping something beside her. That’s when the ANBU came and the ninja ran away.
Mitsuo remembered that the man who had killed her mother was wearing something that looked an awful lot like a Konoha Flak Jacket, it had bothered him even after he was told that it was Iwa shinobi who had killed his mother, even though they became the target of his hatred for a very long time. Mitsuo ran out to hold his mother, tears staining his face as he held her in his arms. She smiled at him and stroked his cheek before he watched as the light left her eyes, all that was left was the symbol beside her head; a symbol he would see a few more times at least in his life...That was the first time he had ever questioned his path as a hero, the first time he was shown failure. He learned a terrible lesson that night; you can't save everyone. It was unfortunate that the first person he had ever learned that lesson with was his mother. His family had always been so close, so supportive, and her death caused Mitsuo's father to slide into a dark place for a long time, though Mitsuo and his brother eventually got him out of that place. Of course, just when it seemed as though things were looking up for their family, Mitsuo would feel the sting of loss for a second time, and another instance where he simply couldn't be the hero...
When they made it to the docks the contact that their employer, Mr. Yamamoto, was supposed to meet was nowhere to be seen. This, of course, made Mr. Yamamoto nervous as he had remarked that the man they were supposed to meet was never late. Mitsuo and Kimaru were watching intently making sure they wouldn’t miss him if he showed up and they would quickly realise what had happened. Mr. Yamamoto stared in shocked silence directly towards the water and Mitsuo’s eyes snapped there right away, seeing the man standing on the river and realising what was happening. The entire area suddenly became covered in a thick fog and Mitsuo felt something hit the ground behind him, turning around and realising it was Mr. Yamamoto, who had fallen dead, a hole between his eyes. Mitsuo and Kimaru both made their way towards where their Sensei was standing to try to engage the shinobi who was the source of the fog. Neither of them could have seen what happened next coming.
Mitsuo heard a scream in anguish cut the air and he quickly realized it was the voice of his twin brother. He rushed back to meet him, Kimaru coming with him as Mitsuo rushed forward to where his brother was. He could see the man who was running away with a polearm weapon on his back, one that now looking back Mitsuo realised was oddly familiar, intricate design carved into the haft that featured the symbol of whatever it was Mitsuo was seeking. He watched as he dropped a wooden trinket on the ground, the calling card of the group. Mitsuo knew that it was no coincidence that these were dropped at the murder of each of his family members but he was no longer able to concentrate on that part. This was the worst part of the memory and Mitsuo would have to relive it one more time.
He rushed forward, his brother with a massive hole carved in his chest as Mitsuo scooped him into his arms. He looked down into his brother’s eyes, blue as the ocean on a clear day, and ran his fingers through his brother’s hair, stroking his cheek and trying not to cry onto his face. “Mitsuo…” Matsu’s voice was weak and cracking, Mitsuo knowing that it was taking him everything to hold on and say these words. Mitsuo’s tears were flowing, Kimaru standing back and hiding his own tears at the situation as Matsu continued. “You…you need to live on…Make father…proud…” He coughed up blood and looked back towards him. “Ne…Never forget…me…or mother…And make su…make sure you protect…the village…Protect…Kimaru…protect…” Mitsuo watched as the light slipped from his brother’s eyes, completely glossing over and turning grey. He touched his cold cheek once more and began to feel the rain falling on them.
“Nii-san?” His voice cracked and he already knew what he was trying to confirm. The tears flowed freely from Mitsuo’s eyes, falling to the ground and onto his dead brother as he looked towards the sky and let out a piercing scream. Akako sensei made his way over to meet them, returning his weapon to its place and putting his hand on Kimaru’s shoulder as they watched the horror scene unfold in front of them. There was nothing any of them could have done. This was an ambush and they didn’t come into it prepared. Mitsuo would blame himself for the death of his brother every day for the rest of his life…That instance had shattered Mitsuo's mind into another piece, and something inside of him would never allow him to let go of his brother. Whenever he would hear a voice inside of his head, it was always his brother's voice. He was his best friend, the person whom he was the closest with, and the one who helped him get through the passing of his mother. The two of them had kept one another strong, and after his death, Mitsuo was never truly the same. Kimaru Hyuga would help Mitsuo out through a lot of the pain, having someone who you loved by your side easing the pain little by little over time, but Mitsuo was not allowed to ever be happy, as his path had been predetermined.
He was never to be a hero, it simply wasn't for him. The third major loss in his life, he wasn't even there to do anything, and the man who had commited it was someone whom he had trusted...
He had returned to the town in wake of the destruction at the hands of the now deceased Hokage, Tatsumaru. He looked around in horror as he saw fallen buildings and fire set ablaze to the entire village of Konohagakure no Kato. His sensei, Takeshi Uzumaki, had summoned him back to the village from his time in Suna due to the destruction that had happened while he had been away. He looked on the scene, absolutely shocked by the carnage that a member of their own village had created and all of the pain and death that surrounded him. He heard people screaming in pain and others crying over the loss of loved ones, a cry that Mitsuo had become all too familiar with. He noticed that one of the guards was approaching the newly promoted Chuunin with a sad look on his face.
“I’m glad you’re back Mitsuo, you can still speak with him before he’s gone…” The man’s voice trailed off and Mitsuo felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach, the words instantly confirming one of Mitsuo’s greatest fears. One of the people that he cared about had been injured in this attack. He made his way through the rubble, following the guard and terrified to ask the question that he knew he had to.
“Wh...who is it?” Mitsuo’s voice was breaking already, tears beginning to form and misting his glasses as he went with the man.
“It was your father...He was helping evacuate the village during the attack, but Tatsumaru,” the guard spat as he said the Hokage’s name, “he blew up the building that your dad was inside of. He managed to get everyone out before it went down, and was making sure there was nobody else when the explosion happened. It collapsed the building on top of him. We managed to find him and he’s still conscious, but…” he trailed off once more and Mitsuo knew what the words were that he wasn’t saying. His father was going to die, of that there was no doubt. Mitsuo had experienced it already twice in his life. His last remaining family member was going to pass on, and he was once again powerless to stop it. As they got to the rubble, Mitsuo saw his father, half crushed laying under a large rock, blood covering his face and seeping from his mouth and nose.
“L...little Mitsu...I’m...I’m sorry Mitsu…” His voice was faint and Mitsuo felt the hot tears streaking down his cheek. His father lifted his hand towards Mitsuo’s face and began to wipe the tears away, the dust and dirt caked onto his hand blending with the tears before Mitsuo felt his father’s hand go limp and fall away from him. Mitsuo watched as his father’s eyes glazed over, his life leaving his eyes. He screamed out in anguish and held his father close to him, getting the blood of a family member all over himself once more. He had lost so much already, but now his entire family was gone, leaving only Mitsuo behind…His entire family had been taken from him, the only person who he had left was Kimaru. Kimaru whom had been there for him every step of the way through his pain and turmoil in his life, and Kimaru who was snatched from him by the same people who had taken his family from him. Mitsuo decided that the only way to save the village was to leave it, to try to save it from the shadows. He was still trying to pursue the path of the hero, but even when he thought there was nobody left to be taken from him, he would simply be proven wrong time and time again. The next loss he would suffer, however, would be by his own hand, and it was the one that to this day caused him to awaken in the middle of the night with tears streaking down his face...
He had been with the Aoi Bara for a small amount of time at this point. Tsuyo Hyuga, Kimaru's brother, was the leader of the group, and his agenda fell in line with Mitsuo's quite well. The two of them had been working together for about a year before they had decided that they would go to Kirigakure to intervene in the War of Seven Bells. This action would lead to one of the very few times in Mitsuo's life where he would actually consider himself to be a hero, when he had helped the village drive of the Seven Bells army, and he was recognized by the Mizukage. While they were in the village, however, they had been out looking for one of their new recruits, and something would happen that would change the course of his life once more.
He was walking through the forest when he came across the man who he was looking for. He was being harassed by a girl who it was impossible for Mitsuo to not recognize. He had known her since the two of them were in the academy together, and she was one of his two best friends. He had heard rumours that she had been harassing Uchiha members and stealing their eyes, which was something that bothered Mitsuo, but he hadn't planned on acting on such a thing. He was still going to let the entire situation slide, until Tsuyo Hyuga rushed in and tried to stop her, not heeding Mitsuo's warning and walking right into one of her attacks, which was a spore that could paralyze a target for a small amount of time. After she had taken one of Syekren's eyes, she turned on Tsuyo, trying to take his Byakugan, which was something that Mitsuo simply could not allow.
There was nothing harder than having to make the decision to draw a blade with the intent to kill someone who you love, and have cared for since you were a young boy. Tsuyo had become like a brother to Mitsuo, the two of them having shared in the loss of losing Kimaru and become close over it, and Mitsuo wasn't willing to allow this person to be harmed. The blade drew quickly, activating the Sky Cutter ability of The Messiah blade, one of the relics of The Village Hidden in the Leaves, and came down on the young girl. That moment would forever be etched in the mind of Mitsuo Hiruzen Sarutobi, always playing back in painfully slow motion as it went. He could see the blade splitting through her skull, the vacuum effect of the blade quickly destroying her body, as well as Tsuyo's arm, leg and eyes. Mitsuo hadn't meant for that to happen, but it was better than the alternative.
There were many medics in the world who could heal what had happened to Tsuyo, but Mitsuo would have to live with the death of his best friend for the rest of his life. He moved up to her, holding the pieces of her destroyed body in his arms and crying, feeling her warm blood splattered all over him as it mixed with the tears running down his face. There was no worse feeling...or so he thought...It could be argued that the act of killing Ukiyo Senju was one of heroism, with the entire Uchiha clan agreeing with that statement, but Mitsuo never really bought into that sentiment. He had never felt like a hero, even though he had saved the lives of his group mates, as well as the eyes of Uchiha all over the world. There was no possible way to feel heroic when the act of "heroism" came in exchange for the life of someone whom you loved and cared about. Ukiyo would not be the last case of someone whom he loved who had been hurt by him either, and the last was with his own death, hurting the two people whom he loved most in the entire world...
He had become so content with his life, everything having fallen into place so well. He had been the Hokage, and stepped down to pass the torch to his best friend, Soutetsu Senju, and he was enjoying the simple life of an Ex-Kage, relaxing and not having to go out on dangerous missions as often, though occasionally he would go out just to enjoy himself. He was living a fairly low profile life in his home village, and though he hadn't gotten to the bottom of what had happened to his family, he had finally been able to move on from that past. He had fallen in love with a man named Strafe Aisu, one of the former Sannin of the Village Hidden in the Mists, and the two of them had adopted a young girl named Kaia-Mai, who was such a wonderful child, something that Mitsuo could actually be proud of. He loved them both so very much, and they meant literally everything to him, nothing else in the world able to match the feelings that he had felt towards them. His life had become perfect, and in that perfection, he knew that it was time for something terrible to happen. Of course he was absolutely right to worry, even though he was trying not too.
He would receive a letter across his desk, one that would once again cause him great pain and turmoil. It seemed that the group the Aoi Bara had been discovered, and each of them had a warrant out for their arrests so that they could be executed publicly for their crimes. Someone whom had been associated with the group, even though they had never actually been a part of them, had murdered the Raikage, and the entire group was being held responsible for the crime. Mitsuo had been friends with the Raikage, Reika Misora, and this news broke his heart when he heard it. He couldn't believe that they were being framed for this murder, but since the missing ninja was from The Village Hidden in the Stone, the place where the Aoi Bara had been hiding out, they had been thrown under the bus as well. He remembered feeling tears well up in the corners of his eyes as he knew that he only had two choices, and both of them involved him hurting the people he loved. He wasn't willing to be executed at the time, though that would change in his self inflicted exile, and so he took the one that would destroy him, and his family, instead.
Mitsuo packed his things, kissing Strafe and Kaia-Mai on their foreheads as they slept, and making his way towards the door. He had wanted it to be quick, they would think he had gone on a mission and had been killed in action. Their pain would be bad for a little while, but eventually the two of them would forget him and move on with their lives, or at least that was his thought at the time, and what he would use to get him through his rough time. It wouldn't actually help to dull his pain, as he wouldn't be allowed to simply sneak off in the night. Kaia would approach him as he prepared to walk out the door, and with tears running down his face he would have to lie to his beautiful little girl and tell her that Daddy was going on a mission, and that everything was going to be fine. It broke his heart. The five years he spent travelling the world he would never forget that, and he spent every single second of every day wishing that he had allowed those men to execute him instead.
During Mitsuo's travels he had seen a great many things, and met many people. Each and every day was a new adventure for the aging shinobi who's whole life had been about war and pain. Anyone else who was put into such a situation probably would have enjoyed their time away, thought of it as a second chance, the chance to start anew and get their life on whatever path they wanted to take. Mitsuo had always wished that he could think of it that way, but he spent every second of every single day that he was away thinking of his beautiful daughter Kaia-Mai, her sweet laugh, the way she smiled, how it felt to hold her in his arms, and of his amazing lover Strafe Aisu, the surprising warmth from the master of ice, the way his lips felt when Mitsuo would kiss them, there was nothing that he yearned for more than to hold the two people he loved most in the entire world one more time. As he wandered for five years there wasn't one night he didn't dream of them, one day he didn't think of them, and one morning he didn't wake up in tears because he had been torn away from being with them once again. Everything in his life was constantly trying to kick Mitsuo while he was down, or tear him down from any possible high point he could ever find. He was done with it, and he was ready to die for his crimes.Mitsuo, in that moment, had chosen to be a coward instead of facing his demons and going out a hero. When he met up with Strafe and Kaia again, they had both been through so much and Mitsuo had wished that Strafe had simply killed him on the spot. Instead he did the one thing that Mitsuo knew he had no right doing; he forgave him and held him close. Mitsuo had broken down and cried in that moment, and he could feel tears welling up in his eyes once more as he thought on this situation. He sighed and closed his eyes, allowing wind chakra to flow through him, the girl still moving towards him as that wind chakra would pulse outwords, giving him a pair of wings through the wind. This was his famous Wings of the Saint ability, which allowed him to feel the changes in the air around him, so that he didn't have to see what was going on to see what was happening. As he held the handle of his weapon, and she came towards him, he gritted his teeth and spoke in a low melancholic voice.
"Silly girl...the world is not so simple. There is no such thing as Black and White, only shades of gray." He felt her get close enough to him, her feet leaving the ground in a truly foolish move on her part. Mitsuo gritted his teeth as he would swing his whip, not using it in a way most conventional users would do so in order to attack, but instead wrapping it around her back foot and using his considerable strength to pull her foot out from beneath her. The combination of his speed and strength, which he would use all out, would be more than she would be able to deal with, and it would work out to bring her down to the ground. As her raiton jutsu entered the pulse of his much more powerful wind technique, the lightning would dissipate, and while she would be able to touch him, it wouldn't have the desired effect. He would channel chakra down the length of Penance, causing third degree burns around the area of the leg that the blade was wrapped around. When she would fall to the ground, assuming she did, he would stand over her and begin to speak.
"Don't get up foolish child, and listen to my words well. I don't know what you think you know about me, but I am certainly no hero. If you believe life is so simple, than label me as a villain and be done with it. I am simply a man trying to atone for his sins and go through life in search of a worthy opponent to bring me a good death. There is no such thing as good or evil people, only people who commit both good and evil deeds. I have done more of the second than the first, and I accept that fact, but I am not an evil person. I do not want to train you, because I have killed genin who trained with me in the past due to them not being able to handle my training. My master taught me by nearly killing me, and it is the way I have come to train others. I do not like people who do not listen to me, and I am extremely picky about who I take as disciples..." He would stop for a second, frowning once more and gently stroking his beard with his right hand, his left strapping the chain whip back around his chest.
"Now then, allow me to point out a few things, and take this to heart. You should never EVER jump in combat when you don't know what your opponent is going to do. It is an extremely dangerous and potentially lethal move that will lead to a premature death. It is what happened to my first student, and there is a very good reason why I dislike seeing people do it. There is no way to change direction, and I can draw a sword and cut a man in half in less than a quarter of the time it takes your feet to leave the ground, to when you get to me. Secondly, you need to learn footing, as well as how to properly weild that blade. I am also assuming you don't know how jutsus work, as wind has an elemental superiority over lightning. I'm not entirely sure if you would have known I was a wind user, but if you worship me the way you seem too, you would likely have known that one of my signature abilities is a high level wind move."Now, I am going to Konoha. After that I'm not sure what will happen. I cannot force you to stay put, as I'm not going to be able to tell you anything and have you listen apparently, but I can strongly advise you do stay there. I am now going to pick you up, as you will not be able to walk on that leg, and walk you towards my comrade, who is an accomplished medical ninja. He will take care of your injuries, and then we will leave this terrible place, and hopefully I will never have to return." With those words being spoken, he would lift her up into her arms, unless she would greatly protest, at which point he would allow her to use him as a crutch to stabalize her as she walked herself out of the forest and off towards Tsuyo so that he could heal her up. He hadn't expected to be bringing a tagalong to Konoha, but it seemed like it couldn't be helped at this point...
{Exit Thread}
- Chakra 400/420:
Name:Fire Saint Style: Wings of the Saint
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: A
Type: Supplimentary
Element: Fuuton
Range: Self/15m Radius
Specialty: Ninjutsu
Duration: Maintainable (-10 Chakra per post)
Cooldown: Duration + 2 turns
Description: When Mitsuo activates Wings of the Saint, which take the forming of three hand signs, Boar, Dog, Bird, he focuses his fuuton based chakra inward on himself, right to the core of his being, before redirecting it outside of his body. When he does this, his eyes turn pure white and he emits a sky blue glow, purely asthetic wings of blue and gold growing on his back. The wind chakra itself reacts with his body in two ways. Firstly it takes a portion of his speed and turns it instead into quickness, giving him a +1 tier to Reaction Time (Reflexes) and a -1 tier to Speed. The second thing that the jutsu does is it makes Mitsuo hypersensitive to the air around him, doing so by sending small pulses of wind chakra out into the air in all directions, allowing him to feel different movements of anything that passed through the air within a 15m radius of him. The main use of this ninjutsu is to help Mitsuo when he is using his sword, as it gives him a 360 degree sense of the flow of the battle field and allows him to react quicker than normal. Sustainable until released by the user at -10 chakra per post.
10010 words
Fuuinjutsu C-A 9000 words
1000 carried towards Fuuinjutsu A-S Rank