The thick mist made the difference between night and day almost negligible. During sunlight hours, rays barely pierced through them, leaving the surrounding areas looking dull and grey. During the night, neither the moon nor the stars were visible in the sky. Sitting on the frame of a window that had long since disappeared and keeping watch, Jun hugged one knee to her chest. There was little point in standing guard during the night. Not because nothing would attack, but rather because it was nearly impossible to see it coming. If she had had some form of Doujutsu, then maybe she could spot incoming attackers, but as it stood, she didn't. The young Kuroka turned to look at her new companion as he slept. Chigetsu was his name, right? She remembered her hag of a grandmother mentioning this kid over dinner, but she forgot what the context was. All she knew was that he was the older woman's student. Truthfully, he didn't look like much.

Jun's first impression was that the boy was clumsy. He said something about being separated from his team and frankly, Jun was far too tired to tell him to fuck off. She had spend the entire day covered in rotten guts after getting kidnapped by ghouls or ghosts or zombies or whatever the hell those had been. Maybe this way, they'd take this other kid instead of her if something similar were to happen. There was strength in numbers, after all, or at least that was what she had been told. Really, people had been little more than an inconvenience her entire life. Needless to say, she wasn't much for teamwork.

This entire trip was a mistake. She should have never listened to her grandmother. She sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. Next time Gin asked for a favor, Jun would tell her to go fuck herself and leave her alone. She tried to tell herself that, but knew it was a lie. One way or another, she always caved into her grandmother's demands. Be it through violence, gilt or even kindness, Gin always managed to convince her young granddaughter. In her heart, the young Kuroka knew that her grandmother meant well, that she only had Jun's best interest at heart, that she was helping the girl become stronger. Still, the white haired teenager somehow managed to occasionally resent her all the same. She supposed it was normal, given her age - rebelliousness and all that.

The girl stretched, shifting her gaze to the mist outside once again, knowing that it was pointless. If she saw anything, it would be because it wanted to be seen.

Bored as she was, she din't know whether she wanted to wake her companion up for some company and idle chatter or if she would rather stomach the silence than hear his life's story. After a few seconds of consideration, she opted for the former. In one of her rare displays of kindness, she unsealed a bottle of cool water, it's temperature kept intact by the atemporal characteristics of the seal. She would roughly kick the boy awake, though not hard enough for it to hurt him. "Here, have this," she would offer once he was awake. She would toss the bottle at him, none too gently. "I figured you would need it. You Hozuki members need to keep hydrated, right? You'll be useless to me if you suddenly dry up or something," she said, all the while avoiding eye contact. It was a good excuse as any, in her eyes.

[606]

Her foot would impact with water. Even in his sleep Chigetsu remained a Hozuki. Liquefication would be subconscious in response to impact. In addition to waking him up there would be now a slight puddle around him. It wouldn't remain for long though. The water that spilled out of him would be quickly absorbed back in, a slight slurping sound being made as it was sucked up. That process of liquefication and solidifying had removed any drowsiness he might have felt from waking up. Quickly he would be sitting up in the bed, staring with bright eyes at the girl. He would be in a state of confusion. The first thing that he assumed was that they were under attack, some creature of the night bursting in to confront them. He had been half ready to reach for his kunai in order to reflexively stab whatever woke him up, but upon seeing that it had been Jun that impulse would be held back. The bottle of water that she tossed towards him made him glad that he did too. He would reach out in an attempt to catch it, only to be held back by his clumsiness and miss completely. The bottle hit against his chest, where it slid down into his lap. Perhaps he wasn't one hundred percent awake yet. His initial panic would pass quickly though, seeing as though it didn't seem like there was any danger.  

The water bottle would be taken off his chest as he stood. After the cap was unscrewed he would take a sip. The temperature was pleasant. He had never come into contact with a fuuinjutsu sealed water bottle before, but this was enough to convince him to their usefulness. The chilled temperature did wonders in waking him up. After his initial sip he would take a mouthful, draining the bottle by about a fourth. A small sigh would release from him after, satisfied. "Thank you."

"I'll make sure not to suddenly dry up, if you're so worried. You don't need to be afraid." He would say with a smile as he screwed the cap back on. "I'll protect you while we're out here together. You can hide behind me if things start to look scary." The entire situation was cute. Any annoyance he might have gotten from being kicked away disappeared as soon as the liquid hit his lips. It was a nice gesture. With all the ambient mist that flowed through this place he doubted he would ever be in any danger of becoming dehydrated, but at the same time it was much more pleasant to drink water out of a bottle than absorb the stale moisture in the air. Something concerned him about absorbing too much liquid here anyway. He didn't have any concrete reasons to be afraid, but this was Lord Osada's domain. Taking too much of it into his body couldn't be good.

Chigetsu would stretch, raising his arms up above his head. How he was acting so casually was a mystery. Perhaps just a good night sleep. For some reason the male was in a cheery mood, even though he had been separated from his squad in this hellish landscape. He wasn't the most familiar with this girl, although she seemed friendly enough to travel with until he found his main squad once again. With how she seemed concerned about his health she didn't seem likely to turn hostile, at the very least. His body jiggled somewhat as he went through his morning stretches, skin jiggling like a setting gelatin mold. A few bubbles would soundlessly pop out from his throat. One of the many kunai that he stored inside his body would slide out from his palm, being held tightly in his left hand in preparation. "Alright... Alright." He would clear his throat. The bottle he had been holding would be handed back to her after this. "You need to keep hydrated too, you know. Drink some and then we'll see about finding some breakfast."

---

[684]

Most of the villagers had retreated to the known parts of the catacombs. Their little shelter for the night. An easy to defend position where they could hide away until morning came. Afraid of the night as it represented the dark thing that had claimed their mortal coils to them. Along with that there was always the things of the woods that seemed more aggressive at night. Venturing into the village and threatening their life. However most of these things could feel to avoid Sero. His steps carrying him along like a grey phantom in the thick hanging mist of the village. He was moving along as he touched one of the signs. Watching it slowly rot away at his touch and turn to dust. It seemed the creation was unstable. When reacting to its own source it didn't respond healthily. Still he was pleasantly surprised with how well constructed it was. His first few visits here had been less than this. However it seemed whole now. Even to the point that newer additions were influencing the ecosystem. A growl to the left of him caught his attention as dull grey eyes would turn to look. His grey eyes met glowing yellow and wild eyes of a large hound. Its pack moving behind it. An alpha with its fur raised against an enemy it could not defeat. A bluff. However Sero would watch and make eye contact a moment. Those eyes knew him. They feared him but they would still stand for its pack. Sero would watch until the pack passed and the hound moved with it. Avoiding him now that they knew he was here. Choosing a different hunting ground for the time being. This area belonged to the alpha predator. None would deny him that this night. Or at least none would knowingly.

Still he would walk. His steps carrying him through this world as the mist cloaked him. This felt like home. It made one wonder though, standing in the world made of what was the truth within you. What did this represent? It was cold, empty, ruined and filled with fear and hunger. It made one reflect. How broken was he? With all of his power was there still fear? A silly thought, He knew what he feared. He had accomplished everything he set out to and yet he still did not wish to share his fathers fate. Dying and failing the village. As if in spite he would drag his fingers along a chain link fence as it turned to dust behind him. That summit was nothing more than a blight. Still some had survived. He had at least taken steps to learn from them. Especially, his eye twitched as he realized why he was thinking of her. He could feel her nearby. That woman he had sworn to draw blood from one day. He could sense her dimly. She was likely already watching him knowing her. His eyes would narrow as he took a breath. To take her on, what an opportunity. He would lower into a crouch and place a hand on the ground. Letting out his sensory for seventy meters as his third eye opened. He could sense them. Two individuals in a building nearby. She wasn't alone...actually when he truly felt her, she was not Gin. Altered, changed in too many ways and much weaker. Still she held her chakra. She was connected in some way. So he would investigate himself. To see what these two had to offer for answers to his questions. He would almost smile if not for the fact that he was already gathering up chakra.

The mist outside the room would slowly seem to shift. Slowly at first it moved as if to slide with the wind before it moved faster and faster. The color of the mist turning slowly into a black mass as it surrounded every window moving out. A swirling mass around the entire building as it threatened what little light they might have within the room. As it did there would be a sensation of a dark and hungry thing waiting just outside in that mist. It was unclear from what direction. As if each window had a mouth with waiting teeth for them. The black mist would swirl before the window she had been in a moment before would seem to bend inwards and crack around the frame. From just above eye level with the two of them three glowing red eyes would appear. Two as usual with a third above and between them. Staring at the two. No other features could be seen. They watched the two of them before a voice would echo through the room. As if around the mist dozens of whispers repeated his words in a whisper one after the other.

"A Kuroka and a Hozuki. Not two clans I would expect to see in the same place. Tell me children, what brings you here? What relation do you have to Kuroka Gin?"

Jun's expression turned into a bit of a grimace at the boy's... jiggling. Really, Hozuki were a bunch of water balloons just waiting to be popped. While he was asleep, she had considered stabbing him, wondering if that would be enough to get a fragment of his soul. She had decided against it, though. She knew that the process of siphoning a soul took more than that. The soul's admittance of defeat was crucial. That, and there was little point to injuring someone while they couldn't react. Besides, what could she even accomplish with a water sword? It seemed useless, barely able to stab through anything. No, her own swords were fine for now.

The young Kuroka looked at the white haired boy - Chigetsu, she reminded herself - one eyebrow raised and a look of distaste one her. "Hah?!" She let out. "What makes you think I need any protecting?" She asked none too gently. She ripped the bottle of cool water from his hand and chugged what was left, probably our of spite. She sighed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand while the empty bottle poofed back into the seal. Recycling was important. "Besides, if I stood behind you, shit would just go through your useless ass and hit me," she pointed out.

Who did this guy think he was? He didn't look like anything remarkable. He was little more than a sentient puddle. What could he ever do in a fight? Run away? Win by attrition because everything went through him? Hell, one raiton jutsu and he'd probably go down. For one morbid second, Jun wondered what a taser would do to this poor man. She dismissed the idea quickly enough. As much as she hated to admit it, there was strength in numbers and this place was too unsettling to venture through on her own. The fact that she needed help - she shuddered at the thought of the word alone - left a sour taste in her mouth.

The young girl sighed. "I'd rather just fight side by side. No need to protect anyone or any of that bullshit," she said, her tone much more calm. It could have even be called friendly, although that was pushing it some.

Before she could say anything else, a violent chill ran down her spine. For a moment, she couldn't breathe. It was as if the air had suddenly escaped her lungs, as if someone's presence were choking her. She saw the tendrils of black mist wrap around the room. She darted backwards so that she now sat next to Chigetsu, her body tense, her mind trying to devise a way to escape. Looking upon the intruder, she noticed how reality seemed to warp around him. He was the very embodiment of fear. Jun only relaxed slightly when she heard the mention of Gin. What did this... man have to do with her grandmother? His hair was white, the same color as her own. Was he a Kuroka? Was he somehow related to Gin? Sweet gods on high, she had done something to piss this man off and now he was going after family members for payback. Great. Figures this was how Jun would meat her end.

Her fear was soon converted to anger, directed at the absent woman. "You mean my bitch of a grandmother? Coincidentally, she's the reason I'm here - sent me as a delivery girl. If you want to know where she is, I'll tell you now I have no idea," she said. The last bit was a lie. The old hag was probably back home with the rest of her family. Still, Jun wasn't about to sell her out. She might have been a brat, but she had standards, lines she wouldn't cross and all that.

[1252]

He couldn't help but laugh. She was right. Any projectiles that were sent to him would just go through and out the other end and end up hitting her if she stood behind him. It wasn't something he had thought of, but now that he was imagining it in his mind it was funny. Even with the attitude directed at him and chugging of the water bottle he couldn't be upset. He had just woken up from the best night's rest in ages, even if he had been kicked awake, and got a mouthful of what was probably clean water. It was a good way to start the day, reminiscent of his normal morning routine. Even though he was separated from his friends in this strange world he couldn't help but smile and be cheery. His journey into this strange mirror world hadn't been all too dangerous yet, and any worry he might have had because of his separation quickly evaporated once he found Jun. Haka and Verdandi were strong after all. He didn't need to worry for them. If anything, Chigetsu was holding them back.  

"Fighting side by side isn't so bad either." His laughter ended slowly, Chigetsu brushing his bangs back as he spoke. He had to resist the urge to yawn now, it still being early in the morning. "I won't protect you then, if you're so bothered by the idea. As long as I can be useful somehow it doesn't matter to me." A glance would be taken to the window. He would look for the position of the sun in the sky but it would be barely visible. Visible enough to tell how early it was but not the exact time. Thoughts of breakfast still echoed in his head. Although the dog meat that he had subsisted on up in this realm wasn't the most appetizing it filled the stomach.  

He froze. Pinpricks of cold ran through his form, and immediately goosebumps popped up over his arms and legs. Wrenching his eyes away from the window he would see Jun's face, caught in the same moment of dread. She had noticed it before him, and in the moment of impending doom that they both felt she would dash to sit beside him. Without thinking a kunai would be prepared to his palm, liquefying out of his wrist smoothly into his fingers. A foul blackness seeped into their room, crawling through the air and radiating an aura of suffocation. Chigetsu noticed that he couldn't breathe. His body lit up with warning signals as the wretched dread advanced on him. The evolutionary urge to run, escape and flee from the danger, welled up inside of him. Even with his prepared kunai clenched in his hand he couldn't move though. Voice in his head urged him on, weaponry that he carried all yelling in fear and torment and begging him to run for his own sake. The sudden noise was overwhelming. There was nowhere to run. It came from every direction. Something wet was touching his skin now. It took Chigetsu too long to see that it was his own sweat.  

Then the eyes would appear. Red. Blood. Piercing through him. Chigetsu felt as though he could see inside of himself, every organ and vein exposed for a moment. The insides of his eyeballs and the neural synapses in his brain. They all became very clear, and then disappeared in a flash of black. He could see again, although he wished he hadn't. A creeping suspicious rose up into his head, bubbling up from the uncertainty and fear in his gut. A hallucination. He didn't typically get these sorts of visual hallucinations, but it made sense now. The fear and smoke and blackness and unearthly dread. None of this was real. Another thing that only he could see and nobody else and couldn't affect the real world. Relief would wash over him. This was fine then. It couldn't hurt him and would pass.

But Jun had seen it too. The way she reacted had been obvious and clear to him, and what caused him to notice in the first place. He couldn't connect the ideas in his mind. If Jun had seen this as well then it had to be real. Unless … Was Jun also just something he was imagining? No, that surely couldn't be true. She was real. He had felt her kicking him just a few moments ago. His head spun, barely able to think as the screaming of his kunai continued in his mind.

"A Kuroka and a Hozuki. Not two clans I would expect to see in the same place. Tell me children, what brings you here? What relation do you have to Kuroka Gin?"

And then it spoke. Whispers and echoes, bouncing around every inch of space and filling his ears and filling his mind. The voices in his head went silent all at once. He would be just as silent, unable to respond at first. Was this real? Jun's voice seemed to confirm it, her attitude ringing through and shattering the silence. That she was able to keep up that tone even now was impressive. Respect for the girl welled up inside of him, which he would communicate to her once this was over assuming they didn't both end up dead. Swallowing his fear Chigetsu would speak up once she had finished. "Is this real? This isn't a hallucination?" He would ask the question unsteady, unsure if he could trust his own perception in the moment. "You can see and hear this too, Jun?" Perhaps this was still all a dream. "I came here... Kuroka, Gin... I got..." He would clear his throat, removing the bubbles of panic that had welled up inside his throat. "She took me and ... as a student. Very recently." Even if what he was facing down was just a specter of his own mind, answering right now seemed like the safest solution. He refrained from mentioning his squadmates though,  Verdandi and Haka. They were still here, in his hellscape. They were strong, but if this monster came for them next it was doubtful that they would survive. "I came here to become sharper. A sharper blade." His attempts to sound determined failed. Clearing his throat had thrown his stuttering aside for now, but it wasn't easy for him to stand so steadily in the face of this... Whatever this was. The only thing that stopped him from resigning himself to an inevitable death was Jun's presence here with him. Even if he was sure to die here he couldn't accept it when there would be another dragged down with him. The sharpness of his kunai would be glance at. Sharp. It would be held forth, as an object between him and the mist that surrounded him. He couldn't protect himself from every direction, but having steel brandished made him feel safer. His kunai whimpered in his mind, begging to be put away.

---

[1193/1877]

Sero would watch the two of them. So young and fresh. He would almost smile at this show of defiance. They could feel it. Feel the impossible odds against them. They knew in their soul they were doomed if he chose to make it so. A wave of his hand and the two would be no more. As amusing as the thought was it was not his intention. The girl had moved slowly and had not recognized him. Gin was clever but very straight forward. The moment he appeared she would have revealed herself in some way. These two however gripped weapons and prepared for whatever it was surrounding them. They wanted to live so they would fight to make it so. Still those eyes would focus on the girl first. She had been quick with her answer. Revealing a great deal to him. Both her relation to the woman and her emotions towards her. Gin had a habit of having that effect on others. Still the item being delivered would draw his attention. Gin wished something delivered here? How vague and at the same time it peeked his interest. Still she was defiant. A small part of him wished to cut her down there. Show the other what respect was to him. That they should bow. However they were both innocent at this point. Neither was a criminal as far as he knew. With no laws having been broken he would not slay them needlessly. Perhaps given time they would reveal darker motives. Then he would have his fun.

Still his red eyes would shift rapidly to the boy as he spoke. Snapping to him as if drawn to him. Watching without blinking. Contemplating him, seeing into him and measuring him. A student of Gin's? How humorous. The old lady was still taking on students. Did she think she could top Nozomi and him? With this? He hadn't begun to understand the world Gin was a part of and what he was quickly being drawn into. The woman had a habit of making more enemies than allies. Still it wasn't enough of a reason to see how difficult it was to scalp a Hozuki. Much as he wanted to simply to spite his once upon a time aunt. She may have been the closest relative he had but...well, he had his own motives for wanting her to bleed. Still as if in laughter to his question Sero would release his sage mode. If Gin wasn't here it wasn't needed. He had no need to be so fully prepared. Slowly one pale foot would step from within the darkness. Touching the cold wooden floor as it sizzled beneath the step. Not enough to burn but certainly a difference between the cold and the heat was palpable. Next the hem of a grey robe and finally Sero stepped forth. Armed with a katana on his hip with his other weapons hidden away for the time being. To Chigetsu it would seem as if the sword was scoffing lightly at the weapon he held. 'as if that could stand up to one such as me wielded in the hand of our lord' As Sero stepped free of the darkness it would appear as if hands were grasping at him made of the dark mist itself. As if begging him to come back before breaking away and back into the mist. When he spoke. The echoes were gone. His dull grey eyes looking to Chigetsu.

"To be sharpened a weapon must first know what is to be cut and what is not. If you must question what is real, already you have found yourself at a disadvantage."

The dark mist would remain even after he revealed himself. A tall, pale figure in pale robes. A chest plate across his chest with the Kiri headband welded into it. A line of white fur running from his right hip, up over his shoulder and down to the small of his back. His white hair the only thing that matched it. Spilling around him down to his waist. What appeared to be a blue crescent moon marked his forehead. Now that he stood before them, even though it still felt like it was everywhere at once the aura was clearly his. Still he would reduce his killing intent. Giving them room to breath. If one was perceptive they would see the osada clan symbol on the hilt of his katana. However they only had a moment as he took a step and suddenly was behind them. Looking over an old book he had noticed on a table in the corner. Worn and beyond reading. He wondered idly what it had been as he turned the page. A corner of it crumbling. He wasn't looking at them and yet it seemed like he was on guard. Waiting to cut the first one to come to close to him.

"One never knows what kind of beast they may find, given time alone with themselves. Our inner demons, once conquered become our strengths. Hesitation is for the dead, mercy, the job of the crypt keeper, and justice, the intention of a drawn sword such as mine. Tell me your names children, and I shall reveal mine."

What was this kid on about? Chigetsu made it sound like hallucinations were a common thing he experienced. Jun looked at him through the corner of her eye. He was terrified. He was ready to fight, to create an opening if need be, but his voice shook with terror and unease. Unlike Jun, he didn't seem to have anything fueling him - not anger, not adrenaline - but a desire to keep living. There was nothing to mask the fear, nothing that Jun could see, anyways. "Stand your ground, idiot," she thought. If this being fed on fear like most of what she had seen in Hansha, Chigetsu was giving him a feast. Not that she wasn't terrified... She had resolved at a young age, though, that she would die standing. If her soul were to part from her body, it would do so with her dignity.

Still, one thing he said peeked her curiosity. He was Gin's student, or at least one of the three. She knew that her grandmother had her arm twisted into taking a team, but she never would have guessed that Chigetsu was a member. Then again, she didn't give much thought to the people that formed her grandmother's squad. To her, they were nameless forms, people without faces, black silhouettes outlining a person. For a moment, she wondered who the other two were.

Her focus once again changed to the man who could apparently warp reality around him. Was he a figment of this world? Another of Sero's creations? Maybe he was a byproduct of this world, something that had unintentionally come to fruition, an amalgamation of raw energy with the appearance of a human.

To learn to fight with a sword you have to be stabbed with a sword? Well this guy - or this thing, whatever he or it was - was a psycho. Jun understood the sentiment behind it, though. Pain was an excellent teacher and certainly added to experience. Unbeknownst to her, however, the man she was speaking to was incapable of feeling pain. At least he hadn't attacked them yet. If anything, he seemed curious about the two white haired teenagers.

Jun's stance relaxed somewhat. She still held her sword, but her eyes stopped darting from one side of the room to the other, searching for an opening to escape. For a brief moment, though, they paused on the tower shield that stood leaning against the far wall. She had yet to deliver the package as she was instructed, but that was a matter for another time. She stood tall, her arms to her sides, her wakizashi resting against the bare skin of her thighs.

"Kuroka, Junichi," the white haired girl said simply. Her chest swelled with pride when she uttered her clan's name. Their blood ran strongly through her, and with it, the same urge to fight and conquer. Her mismatched eyes - a set of crimson red and aqua blue - looked at the shadow of a man. "Though I prefer being called Jun," she clarified. She was well aware that she was given the name of a boy, so she often preferred to shorten it to something she thought fit her better. She didn't ask what the man's name was. That would be given to her soon enough. She would rather not pry or insist when it came to someone like this. Albeit, her short temper was another matter entirely. For now, however, she kept it at bay.

[1839]

Apparently, he wasn't hallucinating. It wouldn't have been a problem if he was. That he wasn't raised a lot of questions and many, many problems. Wide eyes watched the figure as it stepped out from the darkness. The sizzling. He would almost flinch at the display of heat. It made him wonder if touching this thing would be enough to boil him alive. The grey robe. The man responsible for it all. His weapon. All of it would be watched carefully, the image carved into Chigetsu's brain. An image flew into his mind. He saw himself being cut down, sliced in half by the katana that rested on the man's hip. He saw himself being boiled alive, evaporating into steam and smoke. He saw himself on the floor, gasping for air as blood filled his lungs.

The katana mocked him, scoffing at the kunai in his hands. His kunai didn't seem to be in a position to argue. There was only silence from his weaponry now, and he almost wanted to thank the man for that. All of the fearful whimpering removed from his mind made it much easier to think. Still, he held his weapon firmly. Putting it away wouldn't do him any good right now, even if it was clearly inferior. Chigetsu stood on guard still, his kunai held tightly. If he needed to defend himself he would, even if he knew he was going to die.

This thing was from Kirigakure, at least. His eyes immediately saw those symbols. Perhaps he could relax now, knowing that this beast was from their village as well. Although it seemed doubtful that this man would share any kinship with Chigetsu and Jun based on homeland, at least with the intense aura that was being pushed out so far. Chigetsu took a deep breath. Jun being here was a pain. If she hadn't there wouldn't be any problems with him dying like that. That was what he told himself. Someone else being here too gave him a responsibility. If he could die to ensure she could escape that would be fine, but with what she displayed so far it seemed like an unlikely thing to happen. What the monster said would be listened to carefully, but there wasn't much that he could do with those words. To know what is to be cut and what isn't? Of course, that was obvious. It sounded like the sort of advice his kunai would give to him.

The reduction of killing intent allowed him to breath steadily again. The tension in his body relaxed slowly, and there was suddenly a lot less risk of the boy collapsing into a puddle. He would stand straight now and breathe normally. The warping of the man to their backs sent another shiver up the boy's spine. Quickly turning to reposition, Chigetsu would allow himself a closer look at this demon that seemed to be haunting them. He would do his best to commit every detail to memory in those short moments.

"My name is Hōzuki, Chigetsu. I am a chūnin of Kirigakure no Sato." His voice would have the firmness that it lacked before. Apparently all that was needed for the boy to grow a spine was being told that he wasn't hallucinating, and that oppressive aura of dread being dropped. Even if this was a demon standing before them now it was much easier to face it if it had a humanoid form. Something that could be seen, rather than formless mist coming from every direction. A few bubbles would emerge and pop out from his throat, air being silently released from his liquid skin. He would take a step forward, closer to the man. Ideally, Chigetsu would prefer to be between him and Jun, even if only by a few steps. His kunai was held tight still, clenched very carefully in his palm. Until the man revealed his own name he would be silent, although there would be a question caught in Chigetsu's throat. It was odd, although it suddenly flashed to mind as something to say. "We were about to find something for breakfast. Would you like to eat with us?" A careful invitation, mostly sent as a gesture. Perhaps the man would agree? If anything, it would hopefully make him less likely to want to turn them into something to be eaten.

---

[744/2621]

Sero would look over the two of them as they introduced themselves. His head tilting to one side as his snow white hair spilled around him. His right hand gradually raising to absentmindedly stroke the fur settled over his shoulder. How interesting. Interesting indeed. He felt no regret stumbling upon these two treasures. A relative of Gin so technically family and a child soldier of the village. His scent though. Oh it was as familiar as the girls. He knew Gin's scent after all. Had memorized it to hunt her later. It was different but they shared a familiar trait. As for Chigetsu. He had smelled the boy before. A lingering scent around the manor. One of the inhabitants regular guests perhaps? How he had avoided Sero in the past was beyond him. Perhaps it had been on purpose or maybe Sero had simply been so busy preparing. Had his guard been down so much? His eyes settled on the boy. Inviting him to join them to forage. What a simplistic idea. He had already consumed his morning dose of nutrition though. Keeping his body strong. Still he would straighten up and speak. Introducing himself by name and title as the boy had done. It seemed an appropriate response.

"I am Osada Sero. Captain of the seven. A pleasure."

For a moment he would let them stew on that. Pleasure. An odd word to use. He had seen it in several books repeatedly and yet he felt no such thing even saying it. Pleasure came from the hunt and well...He realized he was no longer hunting the two of them. He would let out a breath that seemed to echo across the room as the black mist swirling around the building would begin to fade a little at a time until it was no longer there at all. Just the dim light of day outside. It would light up the room considerably more though as within the light of day Sero appeared as pale as a specter. His eyes staring at them even as grey as they were seemed to deny the ways of the world. Somehow they didn't reflect that light. As if they remained dim and lifeless. He would consider the offer though. His form pausing as if recalling something before both his hands moved into the opposing sleeves. Rummaging around a moment before he would smile. A sick and twisted thing and yet he did so in an attempt to appear comforting. Speaking as he did so while producing two apples from up his sleeves. In his right hand a red one and in his left hand a green. both shining in the dim light and fresh in appearance.

"If you seek to provide nutrients to yourself for strength, perhaps these would do?"

He would offer the apples to the two of them and wait. Like one waits on a bench. Holding seed's in their hand and seeing if the cute little animal would approach. They seemed unsure of what it was they intended to do. Would they attempt to fight him? Would they amuse him with some sense of misplaced pride? Still it would seem an odd thing. This demon stood before them holding what they wished for. Doing so without asking for a price. Was it already paid? Or would he just give them a taste and ask after when they wished for more? The apples appeared normal and yet those pale hands that held them out lacked the color of life. Not a hint that he was more than a corpse. Those dead grey eyes watching an waiting.

The tension remained firmly laced between Jun's muscles, warning her that this wasn't over yet. She had given away her name, even knowing the power that a name could hold over someone. She herself used it as a link between her blade and another's soul. Knowing someone's name bound them to he in one way or another, as had happened with Verdandi only a few weeks prior. She still didn't know how to feel about that. She refused to call it a victory, even if the other girl had admitted defeat. Whether or not Jun would create a blade from her soul remained to be seen. The fact that she could siphon a piece of it - had the option to, at least - left a sour taste in her mouth.

"A Chuunin? How the flying fuck is this idiot a higher rank than I am?" Junichi wondered. Her gaze shifted, now looking at her companion from the corner of her eye. Her look drifted as he decided to place himself in between the man and Jun.  She knew she had said something about using him as bait, but she hadn't meant it, not really. She had told him that she didn't need any protection, any false sympathy, so why? Was he looking down on her? Did she really seem that weak? Or.. was this some misguided sense of responsibility or affection? That couldn't be. They had just met. He didn't owe her a thing.

Jun was spared from thinking further on the issue when she heard the demon name itself. Her reaction was immediate, a chuckle that soon built into an ironic laugh. "So you're my uncle, huh?" Jun said. A smirk spread across her face as her laughter died down. Fate was an odd little thing. She should have known better than to drop her guard in front of such a man. Expecting him to have some sense of immediate respect or even care for a family member was foolish, but she did so anyways. Maybe she was relying on the threat of her grandmother lashing out if something were to happen to her or maybe it was her own assumption. Either way, she didn't put it into words, nor did she want to. She turned her back to him and made her way towards the wall where the shield was resting. A thin film of dust had settled on it, no doubt from the ruinous surroundings. She cleared some of it with her hand, making sure that the carved letters were more visible. Stupid as it was, she got a kick out of it.

Taking it in her hands, Jun moved closer to the man proclaiming himself to be Osada Sero. "The old hag sends this," she said, peaking from behind the ludicrously large shield. "Says it's a present for you since she's retiring or something. She never said what it does, so I guess you'll just have to hit it until something happens," she explained with a shrug. That was something literally off her back now and one less thing to worry about. She had done what she had been sent to do and could now leave at her leisure. The issue, of course, was trying to find a way out of here. Of course, she could have asked Sero, but she refused to swallow her pride to do that. She would figure this out on her own or see herself doomed to live the rest of her days in this god forsaken place.

Leaving the shield for the man to grab, she took an apple from the palm of his hands and bit into it. It was a fair exchange, a small reward for having done as she was told. She knew that Gin would have given her less, that the woman would have mentioned something about this journey being its own reward. Bitch. Jun chewed obnoxiously on the fruit, sitting on the ground with her legs spread, knees slightly bent and forearm resting on one if them. She ate in silence, her gaze still fixed at the irony of having been nearly scared to death by the man she had been looking for since she had gotten here.

[2555]

He bowed his head. It was an instinctual movement, done before the words that had been spoken down to him could be processed within his mind. Lord Osada. Captain of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure no Sato. It was beyond comprehension. Eyes went to the ground. He couldn't dare look up to this man's eyes. His body wouldn't allow such an act of disrespect. How he hadn't recognized this figure sooner was impossibly confounding though. He wasn't thinking straight, that was the obvious answer, although one he knew wasn't satisfactory. It was shameful, especially as he had seen Lord Osada before. Back when they had all been allowed entrance into the Hansa, he had been there to bless them with his presence. With the cowed silence in his mind there wasn't even the voice of his kunai that could be used as a scapegoat.  

And then came a hammer to his skull. Jun's questioning of his rank smashed through any sense of self-pity he might have had in the moment, hitting him unexpectedly. He would be out of breath for a moment, a bit shocked from the sudden change of atmosphere. A thick grimace would spread across his face, and he would turn back to Jun with that ugly expression. It had made him more annoyed than he could remember being in a long time. Given Jun's appearance of confidence, mostly something he had assumed from her attitude, he had thought that she was at least an equal to him in rank if not higher. That he was wrong about that was bad enough, but the prickly personality maintained through even a situation when she was just a genin like this was almost baffling. At least she was consistent? He didn't know what to say.

Then came the laughter. He was nearly ready to speak up and tell her to be more respectful, given the magnitude of who it was they were laughing in front of. Hearing the world uncle stopped him dead in his tracks. His shoulders would droop, and Chigetsu would look awkwardly between the two. Any reason that he had to stand in between the two of them had already evaporated, and so he would reduce into a less defensive position. A quick shuffle to the side, where he wouldn't get in the way of any family business. That was assuming family business would be taking place. The way that Jun gave the shield over to the man seemed to confirm that, but with his head spinning to this extent he couldn’t be sure. Chigetsu would still nervous, still on guard, even though he knew that Lord Osada was a far cry from the demons that inhabited this realm. It was a feeling that was hard to shake.

"Thank you, Lord Osada." It took all of his willpower to avoid stuttering, and let that thank you out in a clear voice. Even with that unease there would be no resistance in his mind to accepting the offered food. The idea that there could possibly be any malicious intent wasn't something that he could comprehend. Right after Jun he would reach out, taking the other apple. There wasn't any way he could refuse. He would take a bite without hesitation. It was rare that he ate actual fruit, much preferring to just get the juice itself when he could, but apples had a special texture that couldn't be passed up. They would both eat in silence, chewing and swallowing as the panic and fear they had experienced earlier evaporated away. As much as he wanted to ask he couldn't just bombard Lord Osada with questioning. Why was he here? Why the terrifying introduction? What was that sword at his waist? Why did he seek the two of them out? Why did he just so happen to have two apples prepared?  The scrambling thoughts that rumbled around in his mind would have to wait, hopefully being revealed to them both in some sort of explanation.

---

[683/3304]

Sero would glance at the girl. Cold grey eyes studying her as she seemed rather relieved they were related in some way. However their family was torn with strife. His connection to her was a one time uncle that had been marked a traitor. He had made children with Gin but even so their family line was perilous at best. Still it was one of his closer relationships. However his relationship was one of turmoil when it came to Gin. He remembered feeling like he was drowning in his loneliness as a child. Nothing came close to him. No creature or man would near him growing up and he had been born to be secluded. For so long he had sat within the manor just living as a being no one loved or wanted. He remembered feeling more back then. A sense of rage when his tears had welled up from within. Years of no one coming to save him only to find out she could have at any point. That she had been out there the whole time and when she called him family it brought back those memories he hated. Why he had pressed down his humanity to prove he was mighty and worth while. Undefeated for the most part. The strongest being alive if he could. Gin had been his mentor for a time but when he found out who she was he wanted nothing more than to prove his strength to her. By placing a blade against her. To prove he didn't need her now just as he hadn't back then.

Both apples would be taken as his eyes never left the girl. Dead eyes reflecting the memory of when they had been more alive. Before he had learned to remove the sensation from himself. Before he had learned to quell what was within. She seemed to ignore his might just as Gin did. A smirk here. A laugh there. As if everything he had accomplished meant nothing to her. As if all the power he had gained was of no importance in her world. He wanted to lash out, to strike her for the lack of respect in her tone. Yet he did not. It was unbecoming of a lord to strike another. Not without intent to kill anyway. The boy was all but forgotten as she said the final bit. Bringing forth the shield as she mentioned something terrible. The woman he had trained so diligently to surpass was no retiring. He would likely never be given the chance to prove himself to her. To show her he had surpassed everyone. Even the mighty Gin. Some cold anger pressed against him as he tried to push it down from within. She would be gone and once more all his effort would be for nothing. He would have proved nothing. No one would care about him all over again. Not Gin, not this girl who called him uncle....It was infuriating to see all of his effort tossed aside.

His eyes shifted to this gift she suggested he hit. A shield with words etched into it to insult. His eyes narrowed as they shifted to glow red once more. She would abandon him again and leave him with an insult? Not even delivering it in person? A growl filled the air as pressure returned. It didn't seem to flow from Sero's mouth but instead echoed around them. His right hand twitched before he would do as she asked. The Katana at his side was a simple B rank one. Yet in his hands it was a masters blade. He would test this blade on this family member behind the shield. To see if it was worth while or just another insult. If it was just an insult the girl would pay a price for her part in it but she would live. If it was not surely she would be fine. Still in a moment he had shifted forward. Drawing his katana wordlessly with so much force in his slash across the shield that when it impacted it everything in front of his swing that wasn't protected by the shield would be blown backwards. The section of wall behind the girl and the shield torn apart and sent scattering across the road like an explosion had gone off. An entire wall reduced to bits simply from the two items interacting with his power. However he paid it no mind. Instead his attention was on the shield which had managed to stop his blow.

Chigetsu would stare. The apple in his hand had gone cold, or perhaps it was his blood. He couldn’t tell the difference. The shield was something he couldn’t help but stare at with incredulity. It was… Interesting. Tacky, and in poor taste. It served as a strong break to the atmosphere and mood that had been seeping through his mind. While he was certainly no expert in craftsmanship, that someone would spend the time to meticulously craft what he could only assume was a high quality item with such a gaudy insult on the front was… Well. He had met Gin before. This, all things considered, didn’t seem too out of character. Then again he was fairly sure she had been intoxicated at that point. Not that any of that mattered now. Gin was just an odd memory to him. He shared none of the same reverence or connections to her that these two did. These two, their histories seemed to intertwine, and Chigetsu was left as an awkward third wheel. Soon though. Destiny was a fickle thing. Now he watched this interaction as a stranger, but there still remained great peaks for him to climb. The whispers drove him forward, filling him with the ambition he lacked. Even now, as fearful as he was, there was a near silent voice in the back of his head. The depths of the ocean are not limitless. Descend deeper.

The vastness of the ocean came with an equally vast pressure. The seafloor had to support the weight of the oceans up above, after all. Those fish that lived within the darkness of the abyss could withstand the force of worlds over their heads, but Chigetsu was still just a boy who collapsed under pressure. A seed of what he could grow into. If he were to survive to age and grow that could be a problem solved, but that would require him to survive, and there was no guarantee of that. Especially here. So fragile and delicate. His story could so easily. Especially here. He would watch, amid the growling of the weapon held tightly in the demon’s right hand. It would happen in slow motion, with each frame being a masterfully crafted painting laid out before his eyes. From the moment the sword was grasped to be drawn to the instant it came in contact with the shield, striking across the flashing insult. Images were perceived faster than his thoughts could keep up. He didn’t know what to expect from the collision. The explosion came as a surprise. The wall behind her was torn, graced by the air pressure of the swing. An entire wall was blown apart from the force. The reaction was immediate, and the flash and force sent the poor boy flinching backwards. Force beyond his wildest imagination. The speed at which it occured faster than his eyes could track. Even after seeing it happen he couldn’t imagine it. His mind couldn’t play it back. The only thing he could do was stare, and allow his eyes to reorient after the blast.

The poor girl had been blown away. While the shield had done its job in protecting her from the blade the sheer force of the blowback had been enough to send her hurtling back. The shield laid unmanned in the place she had been standing, balancing on its lower tip for a moment before bouncing down to the ground. She lay in the cracks of the damaged wall behind it, her upper torso hanging slightly down out the hole in the concrete. Unconscious. He couldn’t tell if she was injured to any extent, but it was a certainty that she was down for the count. That part didn’t surprise him. Every force has an equal and opposite reaction. If the shield could propel back with that much force it would take an incredibly strong wielder to survive the pushback. Chigetsu grimaced upon realizing the cruel irony of the shield. What a silly thing, more trouble than it was worth. Whoever made it had an interesting sense of humor. Jun trying to wield this thing seemed to imply she either didn’t understand what it was capable of or drastically overestimated herself. Chigetsu never exactly pegged her as being very bright, so it easily could have been the later. Either or. But still. Now that she was unconscious he would be left alone with the agitated demon, having just tested his weapon. He would stare at Sero, sinking backwards into the corner of the room he had been standing, as if that would help him escape notice. The apple was still held tightly in his hand, juices dripping down across his knuckles. It seeped into his flesh, being absorbed in without thought from his anxiety. The sugar spread into his blood, crawling up veins and spreading a jittery energy into his heart and mind. He was breathless and restless. The voices in his ear seized upon this fit of nervous energy, and he would be pushed forward. Instead of retreating into the shadows he would approach the unconscious girl. He had an instinct to protect her, although he couldn’t say why. It definitely wasn’t her endearing personality that made him want to make sure she was safe. Still, he would come to the wall where she lay and pull her back inside. Her body would be picked up and brought to the bed, and there she would be set down. He would quickly check her condition, still nervous under the eyes of the predator. Still breathing. Her pulse was still strong. Just a nasty bump to the head. She would be fine, excluding the possibility of brain damage. Jun seemed rather hard headed though, and it wasn’t as if a little brain damage would make her any less charismatic or intelligent. It wasn’t as if you could go into the negatives with those things, after all.

“She’s fine.” He would state, still looking down at her as an excuse to not stare into the man’s eyes. Even if he wanted to protect her it would be impossible now not to leave her here. He had to return to his squad, sooner or later. Staying so long by himself would just turn himself into easy prey. Of course, in this state she would be the easiest prey of all, especially with the supreme predator standing right before them. How much of that was his concern Chigetsu didn’t know. Of course, running and ditching her right at this moment wasn’t an option for him. As tempting as it may be, now that she was out cold he would be the only thing to soak in this man’s attention. It wouldn’t be so easy to escape. He would wait for orders, or a statement, or his death. Whatever Sero decided to give him.

---

[1162/4466]

Sero would have struck with a level of speed and ferocity that was beyond that of the average man by leagues. Yet there was restraint there. He had sensed it himself as a moment of doubt about the quality of the insulting shield. Would Gin really send this little girl with her arrogance to meet him? Unprepared with only a chunk of metal between her and his wrath? Family...how odd a term. Gin had been the closest thing to family he had most of his life and she had only popped into it a few times. An ex lover of his uncle who others assumed to be dead. His aunt perhaps by some stretch. However that was how it was for him. A stretch to name anyone family. To be tied to anyone at all. Before Nozomi he had been a hermit child and now...she had sent her own kin into his den knowing she may not return. Perhaps this was her right of passage as well as a test for him. A gift that insulted and a girl that brought it begrudgingly. That doubt had perhaps spared her any real injury. It had held back his true might in order to ensure her survival.

Still sparks would fly as he felt the resistance of the shield. Even as the wall and floorboards as well as the roof would rip away and the girl would be sent flying the shield would remain. A single letter appearing. A shining D on the front of it. His attention would reign over the unscratched metal of this gift. Its defensive properties still withstanding him. Yet he began to understand there was more to it. A more in depth ability. One he did not care to test on the receiving end. His instincts in the moment of stillness told him hitting the shield and revealing the letters would end poorly for him. Still he would glance down at his blade. It had not even scratched the color and the sword was of good quality. Idly he would look it over before turning it and sliding it back into its sheath. A click echoing in the stillness as he put the weapon away. His hand reaching out and tearing some aged cloth off the wall and tossing it over the shield. The cloth seeming to come to life before wrapping tightly around the front of the shield and concealing the letters. Tying itself off.

His attention would be drawn by movement out of the corner of his eye. His head would snap in a way that was not natural. One moment still as a statue and the next abruptly turning to look at the boy. He was overcoming his fear of death. Some sense of duty or pride as he went to check on the girl laying still on the ground just outside. The boy checked on her before stating she was fine. Just knocked out by the force of it. That was good. He wished for battle with Gin. Not another quest for his head. Still the boy would stand there. Unsure of what to do. Would the beast let him go? What would the beast do with the girl? He could see these useless thoughts playing in the boys head. He would tilt his own before suddenly he was but a blur of movement. One moment far away and then as if in the time of a thought he was in front of the boy. His fingers reaching out to tilt the boys head up by his chin. His touch would be hot on contact. Not painfully but almost there. As he touched the boy his chakra would reach out. Such a fragile boy....So susceptible to outside influences. As were most Hozuki. Still the corruption would rise up the boys face like a black vein until it reached his hair. Dying just a small section of it black with Sero's dark influence. He would speak with the boys chin between his right hands thumb and index finger. Looking into his eyes with grey eyes of his own. Like the eyes of those who had passed on. Glazed over and colorless. The eyes of the grave.

"Would you choose to leave her here boy with me? Or would you struggle and risk yourself? Taking someone back to the village all alone with them unable to fight or even flee, its a risk in this world. You could very well watch her die before you join her."

Chigetsu would freeze, rendered solid but the frigid chill that went down his spine. He was completely unable to move under his own will in those moments, even as he urged his legs to move. Goosebumps rose up from his skin all across his body, the hair on the back of his neck standing up straight as the sense of terror sunk into him. It felt as if his heart dropped in his chest, suddenly being caught by the grip of gravity. Sero’s attention was on him now, and without Jun to divide his attention there wouldn’t be any sort of salvation or rest for him. Sero had moved faster than he could possibly conceive of seeing. The man’s skin against his made him feel as though he had caught a fever and were burning up, his skin turning red where contact was made. As his chin was tilted up he would tense. Exposing his neck to a predator. He was intensely uncomfortable. Every inch of him knew not to do this, that he shouldn’t be letting himself be in such a vulnerable position. Yet here he was, and there was nothing that could be done.

He would stare up into the eyes of the beast caressing him. Emotionless. Glazed off. There was nothing that he could see inside of them. They didn’t belong to a human. A slight tingling feeling rushed down him, and a heat would spread across his face suddenly. He would shiver and twitch in the man’s grip. His legs would go unsteady, and he would nearly lose the ability to stand. There was something rushing its way through his body, an outside influence that throbbed and crawled around inside his veins, and he could feel every moment of it. His nervous anxiety turned into nausea and dizziness, and had it not been for the man he might have fell. He stood, just barely, trying to think through the muddled influence now in his mind. The urge to vomit rose within him, but it would be suppressed with all his will. Not now. That would surely lead to his death. And then he would speak again, and Chigetsu would carefully listen to each word.

“"Would you choose to leave her here boy with me? Or would you struggle and risk yourself? Taking someone back to the village all alone with them unable to fight or even flee, its a risk in this world. You could very well watch her die before you join her."”

Chigetsu would struggle. He wasn’t in the best condition right now. Whatever had just happened to him made him feel deathly ill, and now there was this demon staring him down. But still, Jun was here. He hadn’t forgotten the unconscious girl, laying strewn across the bed. His eyes flickered from the predator over to her form.

“No… I can’t leave her here.” He would struggle to get the words out. “I won’t abandon her. If I let her stay here and die I’d … I’d be worse than useless. There are too many monsters outside for her to be safe alone like this, and if I can’t even protect a single girl what good am I?” The question was rhetorical. It was spoken to himself, questioning his own self worth as he struggled to resist fleeing. It would be a shame he could never come back from. He didn’t have any obligation to this girl, or any duty to protect her, but allowing her to die when he could have been some use to her would go against his nature.  

---

[612/5078]

Sero would stare that blank stare at him. One he had seen himself in the eyes of those who had come for his life before. Those he had been ordered to hunt. There were only a handful of occasions where his hand had been stayed for a purpose. Sparing a life he otherwise may have taken. Here was this boy that showed promise. He held power within him and now, now a piece of Sero deep within it. Something urging it outwards. Something begging to be uncaged, unchained and released from the standards of the common folk. Something that was filled with rage and blood lust. It was just a tiny thing for now though. Something small that would be little more than a pestering thought. He did not have the power to control others or change them. Only the infuse them with his killing instinct. To unlock their basic nature from before man became civilized. It was enough for now that this boy might discover this change. That he might seek Sero out on his own one day and learn to be more like Sero. To be the darkness the village needed to ward itself from the foolish. Power itself was a deterrent but brutality really drove it home.

In due time Sero would have a few good soldiers trained to do as he did. Allowing him time to slumber and be called upon when needed. To prolong himself as a tool that did not age as quickly. If there was but one enemy it was time that he could not conquer entirely. Only prolong. Of course this had all been a test. Seeking out the youth and finding those who could be molded into greatness. Even in the worst case scenario. In the worst place in the world as far as the boy knew he was standing there telling Sero he would not falter here. That he would have the girl spared even if it risked his life to do so. If he could not protect one what use was he? What an interesting question from one he would see protect the entire village. Still He would nod to himself before speaking in turn. His voice was void of emotion but the words did not seem to ring false. If nothing else Sero did not give off the impression of a liar.

"Very well. You have spoken well and I sense your intentions match your words. She will awaken back home and away from this place as if it were but a dream. Of this I assure you. However do not let this memory fade like dreams often do for you. Hold to your pride and let it help you stand your ground. The proud and the foolish are usually one, but I say, better a fool than a coward. Well met Chigetsu."

With that Sero would hold out his right hand. His palm pointed at the girl. Within his palm a seal could be seen now. Turning red with the flames that burned within it before it seemed to shift. Opening to reveal a red eye that would set itself to gaze upon the fallen girl. The earth beneath her would surge before splitting beneath her. Yet for a moment she would seem to hover above a pool of silver liquid like that of the first gate they had all stepped through. Only after a moment would she sink within it and fade before the earth would close around her and she would be gone. The gaze easily drawn to the whole scene. Away from Sero. Where he stood mist swirled around him and blocked him from view and then dispersed revealing he was gone. The pressure he had exerted gone with him. The beast had left and yet a tiny part of him remained.

Exit thread

Chigetsu would stare back. His gaze was just ast blank. Not lifeless as Sero’s was, but rather unthinking. He had acted and spoke on his raw emotional ideals, and clumsily spoke them aloud. They weren’t refined or elegant. He couldn’t exactly describe why he wanted to keep this girl here either. It was just his natural response. More than anything he wanted to be useful to her, this stranger who spoke so rudely to him. Why? Because she was from Kirigakure. Without a family, without a clan, without true friends, Kirigakure was the only thing he had. It was his home, for whatever that meant, and so he clung to it as tightly as possible. If he could be useful to Kirigakure and its inhabitants then he would be satisfied. To do that as a shinobi he needed to become a weapon. He was dull now though, unable to cut when necessary. He was useless. There wasn’t anyway he could have protected this girl's life from this man if there was truly an intent to kill.

There was a contradiction created from this explanation. If he wanted to be useful to his village then why protect this girl from Lord Osada? Lord Osada, the head of the Osada Clan. Lord Osada, the Captain of the Seven Swordsmen. He should know what was best for this village. If he wished to kill this girl wouldn’t that clearly be what was best for Kirigakure? Wasn’t his word synonymous with the village’s desire? Chigetsu couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. He didn’t understand any of it. Why would Lord Osada want to hurt a Kirigakure shinobi? It brought up too many uncomfortable questions. Did he have Kirigakure’s best interests at heart? Did the Mizukage have Kirigakure’s best interests at heart? How would he even know?

He disappeared with the girl, and Chigetsu was alone. He was alone in his mind with only the whispering of his kunai to keep him company. It would take a long time for him to stop staring at the place where she had been. Eventually, he would return to his squad. Verdandi and Haka. Right now, it was beginning to feel like they were the only things he had left to return to.

---

[388/5466]
[EXIT]

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