Walking through the Land of Fire once again brought a quiet warmth to the Hattori’s heart. He was so happy to be home, even though he had left of his own volition to travel to the Land of Water and then eventually on to the Land of Wind to participate in the reclamation effort of what was once Sunagakure no Sato. Both of his trips had not gone at all like he expected. First, he had fought monsters alongside two men that bore the legendary Sharingan on some dark, forgotten island in the Land of Water. The battle had been bloody, but in the end the shinobi allies had been victorious over the beats. He had then move don to the Land of Wind where he participated in a number of battles both against and alongside powerful ninjas. He became closer friends with Maigo, the Uchiha-blooded man, while they fought together multiple times in the desert. He had also become a close ally with Verdandi, a woman from the Land of Wind that bore the same Kekkei Genkai as the Mizukage herself. But perhaps the most interesting experience was his fight against a mysterious man that had fought him as if he was nothing. The powerful nukenin had imparted a few key words before Nayoko managed to leave the scene, and the jounin had not stopped thinking of them since.

It was as he was going through those words once again that Nayoko heard the first sign of something being awry. A small grunt coming form someone around the bend on the road ahead of him reached his ears long before his eyes ever saw the struggle. Even so, he could hear the voice of a woman, scared and defenseless as a male voice whispered threateningly. The jounin’s eyes narrowed as he jumped form the road to a nearby tree and traveled through the tree tops until he was perched above the altercation. Between two trees were a man and a woman. The man held a tanto in his right hand and had the woman pinned against a tree with his other hand. It was not difficult for Nayoko to assess the situation and understand that whatever his intention, it was not a good one. The Sage slowly removed a kunai from his pouch and prepared to throw it and kill the man when a voice entered his mind. The cold words embraced his mind with the warmth of power. Though the chill that accompanied them was overwhelming, the ecstasy of the power he felt had taken control of his senses. It was the power of the Butterfly Sage School, granted to him by Ayakashi. Though it was strong, it came at the cost of facing his inner demon. It was a east of cruelty that now seemed to be making a suggestion; one that Nayoko was inclined to take.

Perhaps he needs to be taught a lesson? Perhaps he should feel pain to ensure that he never does this again…

Nayoko knew that the thoughts were his own in a technical sense, but the urging from an outside source was enough to let a grin spread across his face. The cruelty of his inner demon flooded his mind and body, and so instead of throwing the kunai to kill, the jounin did something far worse. In an instant, the kunai had left his hand and was instead buried into he left should of the stranger. The kunai protruded from his back as well, pinning him to a tree and leaving him helpless. The woman screamed as the Hattori leaped down from his perch and landed between the pair. His dark grin was accented by his narrowed eyes and chilling tone. “You’re safe now. Run while you can.” The woman did not think twice. Within only a  few seconds, the victim had fled the scene, leaving Nayoko and the helpless bandit pinned to a tree. The voice was constantly whispering in his ear as the jounin stepped forward and raised his fist. No words were spoken before Nayoko struck down at the die of the man’s leg, shattering the bone and leaving the man screaming. It was music to the Hattori’s ears. He did not hesitate in tearing the man from the tree at that point, leaving a huge wound in his shoulder before the man hit the ground.

The torture that ensued was thorough and intense, leaving the man crying in pain while the inner cruelty that fueled much of Nayoko’s power pushed the man further and further into he darkness that he now bathed himself in on a regular basis. It was cold, calculated, pointless. There was no end other than the Hattori’s own enjoyment. Nayoko was not sure whether it was the realization of that fact, or a response to outside stimuli, like the screams of pain form his victim or the tears that the ANBU captain saw running down his face. Whatever it was, something shocked Nayoko back into he moment, and when he saw the man that was shriveled up in the ground beneath his fist, his jaw dropped. He jumped back in terror, leaping away from the prostrate man as he stared blankly down at him. “Why do you stop?” The woman that was his inner demon could be heard as if she was standing right behind him. “Doesn’t it feel good to treat him like he would have treated that woman? Does it not give you strength?” There was a pause form the voice and Nayoko’s own tears began to form in his eyes. He could not even believe what he had done. He was losing more control every day, and he was done with it. He would not be his own worst enemy any longer. “Were you not weak without me?”

“NO!” Nayoko screamed as he turned to face the demon. As he spun, he felt himself entering the Butterfly Sage School; the Dream. It was usually only accessed in his sleep, but the connection with his subconscious was so potent in this moment that the Dream had manifested around him. The Land of Fire was gone. Now he was surrounded by a circle of stone homes with an alter standing in the center of the cobblestone road connecting each building. As usual, the demon was there. She looked like his mother, though a twisted version of her with fangs and stringy hair that fell all over her face. It was a scene he had seen every night for years. Any yet it was different today. Today, the buildings and the stone son the ground here cracked and crumbling. The alter was falling apart, and the entire Dream was surrounded by a roaring sea.

There was a moment of silence as Nayoko stared at his mother; her face as bewildered and surprised as he was to have entered the Dream so forcefully. She looked like she was going to speak to break the silence, but with tears streaming down his face, Nayoko stopped her. “NO! I was not weak. I was just young. I chased after power I did not understand. I grabbed at a strength that could only be given to me by a woman who prides herself on never taking prisoners. She gave me her thirst for blood in the form of this power. She showed me the way here, but I accepted it.” He stopped for a moment as his demonic mother seemed to shrink away from him. “I took the hate, and the cruelty. I took it as a price to pay for power that would help me fight a man who has since vanished form my life. I rushed into power that should never be taken lightly. And now I have been at your whim LONG ENOUGH!” As he shouted, it was as if a shockwave was emitted form him. The world around him crumbled further and the water form the surrounding sea began to pour into he cracks. The words of the mysterious man from the desert echoed in his ears as the stream of tears began to dry up.

"Konohagakure rests on the precipice of a great Upheaval. In time, the Leaf will come to understand that its forsaken Will of Fire will not be buried. Run far from here, young butterfly Sage, student of the Demon Ice Witch, and take with you my words. There is no power held by men like that which the Will of Fire allows. Forget whatever foolishness the Mist has taught you, return to your homeland and prepare. When next we meet, it may very well be in the ashes of the Hidden Leaf."

The woman had crumbled to her knees now. His push back against the Dream was coming to a head as the demon of cruelty within him shriveled away with each word. But now the tears were dry, and Nayoko was done shouting. He took a deep breath as the sea began to overtake the land. He was up to his ankles in water before he spoke again. “I do NOT need you anymore. You were a crutch. Now you will drown here along with your false power. I will stand by myself now. The Will of Fire of the the Leaf burns within me, and there is no room for you in that Fire. You were never my mother, you were just a shell. And today, that shell fades away. Today, you are truly nothing.” With those final words, the floodgates opened and the pair were enveloped in the sea. It poured over all of the dream, drowning both of them, and putting them to death.

Nayoko opened his eyes.

He stood on the road, the body of the now dead bandit before him. He blinked once, then a second time as he began to walk forward. Water dripped from his body as he moved along the road, and as he moved deeper into the land of fire, all he left behind him was a puddle of water that contained a single dead butterfly.  

[Exit Thread]

WC: 1689

Travel Complete!

Training endurance from A-1 to A-2 (1150/1150)

Discarding the rest