Verdandi found herself once again waking up under the shadow of the elder tree. Many days had passed since she had gone for meditation into the forest. Many lessons she had endured from her teacher of nature. Many hours per day she would spend in meditation while her own new student would be busy carrying out the various tasks Verdandi came up with. Soon it’d be time to go back home. Soon Verdandi would have unlocked the very last riddle to keep her own dragon form stable. Soon they could go and visit Verdandi’s residence where a lot of her other students were probably doing their own sort of training right now in her absence. The Kiri Jōnin yawned on this particular morning as her sleep had been disturbed with visions. Of herself fighting as a dragon and utterly failing to keep her form. It was up to her own determination and endurance to keep training in order to prevent such a thing from ever coming true. Xiao had made his own advances and was clearly showing promise in the process of finding his own skills within hand to hand combat. But it was about time that the two of them would properly go into ninjutsu training and commit to the practices that actually sets a shinobi far apart from a powerful martial artist. While Genin had little more than the skills of a rather strong human, he’d someday learn how to even put chakra into his own hands and feet and use that very skill to descend above human possibilities.

But Verdandi was a patient teacher. Many had become promising students under her care and she was very aware that only a slowly and carefully crafted weapon was a good one. Rushing into one direction or another without having completed the masteries in other fields was suicide in the world of ninja. Every shinobi needed defense, offense, techniques, gear and a clear mind. Without the balance of these things they would eventually be sent on mission that fit their rank but not their skill. And eventually those unprepared ninjas were the ones that would die in the field of battle. Verdandi still received an occasional ANBU report from her messenger bird. It was encrypted and simple. But it kept her up to date as to what was going on in Kiri and whom of the criminals were finally caught and being processed and which ones still eluded the ANBU from catching them in their tracks. Eventually she’d have to go back to work and commit herself to a few of the harder cases. But for now. She was on her non-work time and was not going to let her job pull her from her peaceful moments of training and meditation away. Constantly being on work only clouded one’s mind with stress and worry. Such things will sicken then mind over time and poison ones will to achieve good things, eventually leading to a depressing life in darkness and exhaustion.

Avalanche would return from his haul in the forest. In his powerful teeth he had the corpse of a rather unusually large salamander. Verd would get up to move in and pet her beloved bear for being a good boy and producing food. As usual, Verdandi would fully commit herself to processing the creature. The good flesh was extracted and put aside for cooking some now and some later. The skin was removed in a rather careful and graceful process, while for someone without a stomach for things like that it might appear gruesome. But salamander skin was valuable and the tanners would pay good money for turning it into clothing or gear. The bones were broken down, the smaller ones put on the discard pile. The large ones would probably be used by Verdandi herself to make her own bolts and arrows for her crossbow weapons. The organs and other toxic parts of the animal placed on the discard pile, which Verdandi would soon bring once again back into the depths of the forest. Together with the lesser meat as it would serve a few starving animals this night and give them food to relish on. Never wasting even, the smallest piece on any creature she intended to hunt over the purpose of finding food. Verd let Xiao lit up the fire this time. Providing him with the branches and wood blocks required. Flint and firestone. Crafting the stone-bed around the pile to keep the fire properly contained once lit.

In time the meat would be pierced by a sharp stick and left to cook on the fire the fat would drop juicy smell onto the flames that occasionally made a funny swooshing noise whenever the fluid contracted upon the surface of the burning wood blocks. Verdandi’s eyes eventually would find a gaze upon Xiao’s face. Not many words had been spoken and only actions had shown progress in their training these last few days. “Well then. It seems that you are progressing quite fine young student. As promised, we’ll come to the topic of ninjutsu today. Tell me what you know of ninjutsu. Which techniques you remember from the academy and maybe tell me about some techniques you have seen or heard of. I want to know your understanding of the ninja arts before I will teach you how to go more in-depth with using them in combat. Using a weapon without understanding all it’s pieces and functions can often and quickly mean your own end as it might be used against you by someone that obviously shows a deeper knowledge in the fine arts of ninjutsu. So, it is important for you to see and feel the mechanics of your own techniques as well as seeing how they actually take shape into reality. We all form these things from chakra but whenever we do so we can always make mistakes and end up harming ourselves over actually crafting benefits for our situation. Be aware of this… now… What do you know?”

1000

The world tree had been the place where he had met the ice princess, where he had discovered Sero's own corrupting chakra in his blood and of course found the truth of Kirigakure that strength was held above all things. When it came to the unraveling threads of Xiao's past, his nindo, his identity it was all becoming abundantly clear that he was tied to Kirigakure in the same way his sensei Verdandi was tied to Yukigakure. The two may have been different, quite different in personality but there was an unspoken care between the two much like that of Madara and Obito in the days of old. He had promised himself that he would become someone who could rival both halfs, the ying and yang of his teaching, the way of ice and the way of venom from that of Haka and that of Verdandi and to find a perfect blend between the two. To become a frost born spider of sorts. The winter spider that guarded the misted homeland born from love and not merely pure survival. He was true to his nature, true to a nature atleast, whilst other spiders wished to be their darker selves but when Xiao truly felt at home was in bringing prosperity and aid to others. Though his chakra was lacking as of right now, he felt that perhaps within himself he was emerging into something new.


He had come to Verdandi once more to ensure that he was on the right path, a path that was not born of violence but born from compassion and understanding of the world of nature. He was granted permission to stoke the fire this time, an honor he felt deeply when it came down to it, feeling something of accomplishment as he did so. The web of fate was something that followed and bound all unmei and in his moments of Verdandi he felt close to this connecting web. This web that united all shinobi spider or not. The web of narrative, the web of fate, the web of chakra. Although he was a vegetarian he often made note to always eat meat with Verdandi and Haka, to ensure that he would show them the manners that they in turn showed he. It was, in a way, like having two mothers that were both raising him in their own way and helping shape who he was out of their own way of love.

As Verdandi spoke Xiao looked down, he had been hiding the truth for long enough and he needed to confide in someone and who else but his 'other' mother could it be that could bring him guidance in this troubling time "That's where I worry...See...Ever since I changed, ever since I became a spider...I can't" he stated somewhat vaguely trying to fully explain the hard subject matter "Sero's Black Chakra they call it right? that's what my friends who've seen it say, but it's done something to me. I used to be able to heal others but now? Now I can't...Now I can't rightly muster a basic jutsu...I can't control whatever this is" Xiao admitted, lowering his head and looking into the flame "Am I....Did I lose my ability to be a shinobi? Have I lost the ability to use chakra? What....what is this 'black chakra' thing anyway...what happened to me?"

Verdandi feasted on her lunch and used her time to chit chat with her little pupil. He had grown quite attached and Verd was yet unsure what to think of him. He had clearly faced the first stage of the very fate he had foreseen at this very location not all too long ago. She worried about the fact, that the vision was one of pain and suffering. That the second act of his very own prophecy would leave him hurt. But then again. Verdandi had endured many painful hardships in her rise to power. She didn’t hold a grudge against these memories in hindsight. Maybe, it was just a part of him. Like the act of birth is connected with intense pain, while yet women all over the world keep sacrificing this moment of pain in the very knowledge that it’s going to happen, for the price they oh so crave that lies beneath, the miracle of creation. The ability to give life. Maybe the pain that fate held in store for the young spider, was going to leave him with a similar price to behold of once he had endured his trials. The meat they fed of was delicious, Verdandi knew it was not necessarily fitting to the boy’s diet. But Verdandi was a creature that, aside from her origins of luxury, had spent months if not years in the wild. It was her second home and it was everywhere, uncaring if she was in the land of mist or snow.

Her tiny little spiderling had advanced in his process of growth. But as usual. The process had it’s own trials. Once they finished their meal, Xiao exhaled his worries of failure and the chance that he would never bend the elements and chakra once again. Verd almost found it cute. But she could feel his worries. If she ever was to be cut off from her own elements and chakra. She would certainly dwell into a mental state of panic and displeasure. Verdandi nodded. She would investigate. She would find out the truth behind his worries. Even if the answers he was looking for were to be unpleasing. She told her student to sit still, to shut up and concentrate. Meditation. Just like she had been meditating all these weeks underneath the elder tree. Verdandi concentrated. A deep inhale followed by a confident and direct stare onto Xiao’s form. The body seal that rested over her left eye was unfolded. Invisible to the naked eye yet it’s symbols would shortly blink alive around her iris once she lifted the fuin seal that was holding it in stasis. Once the body seal was lifted. Verdandi’s eye would show the proper outlines of the Sharingan’s tomoe. The three whirlwind marks starting to form and rotate in her eye. The color of her eye slowly changing into a much deeper glowing red. Chakra would surge from her eye into her nerve system. Information’s would be sent to the brain that she now had to interpret.

The Sharingan was limited in its powers of observation. It did not show the complete chakra network like her auntie’s Byakugan. But it would show one thing for sure. The very core of his chakra and her body seal would enhance the Sharingan’s ability to read it. Normally, Verdandi would be able to see a color assigned to a chakra signature. Given by the target’s primary chakra nature and element. She smiled. He certainly had not lost his ability to be a ninja. But there were no elements to his chakra. It was dark and isolated. Corrupted and tarnished. Sero had done his job to start the process of claiming this body. It escaped Verd why this all had happened. She would have to ask Haka about this another day. But Dandi could see the faint flame of the boys will and intent still glowing strong within his core. Observing the strings and exhaled powers of his chakra. She would yet fail to fully identify the idea and purpose of the darkness clouding his core. Verdandi had to go deeper. She inhaled once more. Doing, what she had obtained here under ‘mothers’ teachings whilst spider boy was out and about. Her body slowly covering in a frosty, cold aura of intense power. He very ground beneath Verdandi would slowly freeze. The grass and stones around her covered in subtle ice. The temperatures around the two of them would slowly drop to the freezing point, potentially scaring Xiao for a minute.

But Verdandi quickly grabbed hold of her ability. She raised the temperature again. Removing the potentially harmful probabilities to her sage mode for her little student. Her body would slowly change in form. A tail, horns and even wings would sprout from her. Eyes, both the normal and the Sharingan glowing rather vividly as the pupils turned into slit lines that more reminded of a lizard than a human being. Verdandi’s quest to obtain her dragon sage form had long since find its climax. She had obtained the very powers she had been longing and training for all these weeks with ‘mothers’ help. Now that she could tap into the depths of the nature chakra. She could use sensory that was far above a normal ninja’s scale. While her Sharingan already gave her deep insight over the workings within Xiao. The Senjutsu aura could penetrate his body and feel the very cells within his very existence. The Sharingan stopped. It’s body seal closing over it once more. She had no need for it anymore right now. She closed her eyes and reached out. Placing her palm onto Xiao’s head. Feeling within. Searching for the core of his very nature. Exploring the depths of the dark chakra that clouded and corrupted his core. Slowly she exhaled and eventually her draconic additions to her physique would disappear again. Her sage mode once more returning to slumber. The frost beneath her slowly starting to melt once again under Kiri’s dim sunlight.

“Do not be afraid child, you have not lost what was you. But you are being transformed. Completely. The result of this, might change you so much that you could potentially not recognize your old self anymore. I fear it will bring great confusion, uncertainty and displeasure to you for a while. But you should not stray from the path you have chosen for yourself. Your desire for power is not unlike the very desire any of us crave for. Your chakra is still there. Woven like a web. Slowly reshaping. Connections that once were, are now severed. But new connections are being formed. Connections that will fit your new self and make you able to fully use your future form, whatever this form might look like. It will take time to explore it. But I fear that now, while your transformation is yet still incomplete and Sero’s will has but just begun to weave its strings within you, there is not much we can do to unlock your complete potential. You will have to give it time. You will have patience. Power will rise from your change. But the cost for such will be great. As always. I cannot guide you through your transformation. Haka might. Sero could, if he cared enough. But beware, your potential new father has little of what we call empathy. It took me many years to teach Haka how to feel and think like a human. She still chooses often not to do so. But she was born Unmei. She will always be Unmei.”


1250 / 2250

It was a hard transition to go from a crow to a spider especially without one to guide you. He hadn't a clear indication of what it meant to be an unmei, of what it meant to be a spider in any form of the word nor had he any desire to strip away his bearings of being a human. He was a human, by all sense of the word and if biologically he was altered in some manner he certainly had not noticed such things about himself. When it came to humanity the actual identification was somewhat subjective as humans themselves did lack a knack for categorizing things to their niche details, the ancients had even debated whether a human was technically a bipedal wingless bird or a furless wolf at some points during the worlds history. Between those estimations and Kaguya's own revelation of alien life forms so many hundreds of years ago the prospect of humanity and life itself was loosely held especially when it came to summoned animals and the sentience they held. Was it no more than a form of cannibalization in the moral sense when devouring a thinking, feeling, cultured creature or did it fall in the domain of a case by case basis? In which case where did one stop? If trees lived, then were they off limits? Surely Zetsu counted within this realm and thus were they fine for Xiao, a vegetarian most of the time, to devour due to their nature? It was hard to fully comprehend by any measure of the word.

All at once the aura surrounded Verdandi eased allowing Xiao more comfort from the dragon goddesses senjutsu form, an amazing fete but definitely further confusing issues with Xiao and his views of humanity, one as maiden like could grow horns and wings quite easily and thus it rendered Xiao in the realms of confusion when it came to what exactly constituted as 'normal' in this world.
"Like a web...yeah..That helps actually." Xiao remarked pressing his hand to his stomach, the well of chakra for many shinobi "I guess it's like riding a bike, right? I just gotta get back up..." he muttered almost drawling as he spoke in part due to his nervousness and in part due to the ill feeling that such revelations brought about. The name Sero was another, Sero was something that kept popping up. "I guess I'm the opposite...uhh, Haka, right? If she had to learn to be a human...then I guess I've got to learn to be a spider." Xiao ran his spindly and thin hands through his dark brown hair as he swept it back thinking over all things said to him. The name Sero was appearing more and more in his life and the name with it held a great deal of ominous weight, like a bad omen on the horizen that made Xiao's heart beat when the name was uttered "Sero's will...? Like, uh, like his wants right? But...Wait, so am I like his pet now? I...uhh...I didn't sign up for that...Do I have to like, be all stoic and moustache twirling now? I dunno if I can...I mean I can barely scare bugs away..."

Xiao paused for a moment, he was talking a lot, it was natural for him but there was no bravado in his words, no theatrics, he was being himself and being plainly open with Verdandi - An aspect that would forever ring true. He wished to be honest with her, she afterall had lead him to this ease in his transitional period and for that he felt somewhat indebted to her "What...or rather, who is Sero anyway? Is...Haka his pet too?"

Verdandi would listen to her students’ words while she tried to further assess her own control over the dragon chakra within her. She was trying to mold chakra and continuously realized further anger and rage in her core. Something that was clearly too animalistic for her tastes. Something that would have to be tamed in time in order to have the same amount of control in her draconic form then she would have in her human form. Eventually the rage within her predatory self was something that could, maybe, be used for a positive effect. To properly channel her powers maybe even give this whole chakra beast bomb Ayakashi had spoken of a try. It sounded intriguing to have the power to destroy a whole village. But scary too. She was certainly not ready to have the responsibility over the strength of gods and legends in this world. The young princess had her own little… troubles and personal weaknesses. She would move her hand and form a mirror made of crystal ice in front of her. Turning left and right. Trying to assess if the whole dragon bone armor wasn’t a bit too much on the naughty side. Flapping her wings together and pretty sure that they would become useful once she would learn how to put them into action. Her horns were large and their spiky form gave away a certain usefulness she would yet have to further indulge. Verd wiggled the odd dragon tail as well and was positively amused over the existence of the additional appendage.

Eventually she let the mirror melt away again. She was certain Xiao would get the feeling that she was too busy to listen to him, but in fact, she had heard every last word her spoke and felt every last emotion that had been exhaled from his body.

“More like, forgetting about the bike and learning how to drive a wagon instead… You are not definable by simply saying that you are Haka’s opposite. But yeah, I guess in a way you two have the opposite paths within your clans. But maybe that means you can benefit from each other in a way that no one else could help you. Sero isn’t the monster he wants you to believe he is. His reputation is as follows, to be the lord of terror. He does however have his soft spots. But you don’t get to be Kiri’s most famous monster by letting the people see about your weaknesses, now right? He’s more of a father for you now. Don’t expect any hugs or words of free affirmation from him though. He will praise you if you work hard and actually achieve something. It is but to his very joy to see his own spawn… or how he’d call you find their way to greatness. So yeah. Try to find your own means of interacting with your mentor-dad figure. As for your own path. It seems to have been your fate. I don’t think the mother tree would have shown me what she did if it wasn’t.”

Verd would twirl a bit of frost flames in her palm. Playing with dragon breath was certainly a fun thing to do considering that a yuki clan never had the ability to manipulate fire before. Cold flames were a tricky thing. She had to be careful with them. But the flickering way of how it moved in her palm was as hypnotic as it was to stare into the depths of a campfire.

“You know. I could probably remove the taint of his dark chakra in your soul. It is a seal. His sealing powers are not far ahead of my own anymore. If you want me to. I can reach inside your depths and pull the very core of what slowly turns you off you, remove it. Give you back your old… bike. If that is what you want.”


650 / 2900

It was a choice that taxed on his mind. To be free was all that Xiao aspired to be, he had no ambition of power or of some dark twisted future. Instead the little crow turned spider had only one ambition to protect Kirigakure for the city had done no harm but helped him through his life.
Was it a decision that could be made so easily? To throw away the chance of creating a bond between him and this 'Sero' enable to save himself? There was no reason to keep a dark curse, not that he would need it but this...thing within him was something the little spider needed to explore. He was the last of his class, the pathetic joke of a shinobi that noone not even himself could even fathom doing much more than dying prematurely and though a selfish cause he knew perhaps this was the only way to keep some semblence of edge over his competition. It wasn't a lust for power or dominance, nor a wish to rule with an iron fist but rather this 'dark curse' of 'Sero's gave him some link to another being and perhaps that was what Xiao wanted deep down. "I mean...I feel like me, right?" Xiao stated, stammering almost as he thought over his decision. Was it selfish? Perhaps. But this had to be the right choice "Maybe...Maybe I should see what happens." Xiao stated looking over his hands in the fire, the ambient glow giving them something of a shining aura as he thought over what this link could mean. Perhaps, in a way, it made him feel like he belonged somewhere. There were so many in Kirigakure that looked the same with their white hair, beautiful looks and pale flesh and yet Xiao himself was an auburn mess as if someone had spilled tanning fluid all over a person save for his blue eyes. "I mean, what's the worse that could happen?"

---
[1 Year Later]
---
"You are the worst thing that could have happened." Xiao stated as the freshly burned shinobi weaved his webs slinging through the forest as his head went to the constant drumming in his head that sounded as if a rather noisy overgrown child was throwing empty trash cans about "WE are not anything but what we need!" the grizzled elder voice sounded deep inside his mind much to the irritation of the masked shinobi who continued to sling his webbing as he traversed through the frozen forest "You! Me! Two people. When are you dropping the 'We' stuff?" Xiao said aloud as he spied the large tree upon the horizen. It had been roughly one week since Verdandi, Haka and a man known as Nayako had saved him - along with Verdandi's elite squadron and almost the anniversary of Xiao's first lessons as a shinobi, for him anyway, time was a strange thing in the world of the shinobi and so as he swung from webbing to webbing the little spider knew that the grand tree would be exactly where he might find his mentor, the princess herself, the woman he had just seen transform into a literal dragon and destroy an entire cult whilst he himself struggled with a single member.

"We are approaching the tree where we met Lady Verdandi."
"Where I did, yeah, you weren't even born...created...manifested...Implanted?"
We like to think of ourselves as arriving ex nihilo
"And I like to think of you as you are, a hungry toddler with a smoker's voice."
...This is slightly correct...
"Hey! You agreed with me"
Indeed coward who runs using comedy.
"I'll let it slide because that was almost a joke."

As the spider got closer still to the mother tree he launched himself skyward, flying through the air soaring as the wind ruffled his spandex mask and red flak jacket causing them to shift and shake in the wind as he broke speeds that were 'usual' for him. Admiring the scenery as he soared through the sky like a mighty hawk and simply enjoying the moment of inertia, it was an odd feeling that was difficult to explain as if everything stood still for just a moment, even your organs and especially your stomach, all weightless for but a moment before all of a sudden crashing down and causing you to fall all at once. It may sound unpleasant but for an odd reason Xiao did quite enjoy it and as he descended began to twist his body until his hand shot outward allowing his webbing to zip-line towards mother, soaring down at a high velocity as chakra formed about his limbs enabling him to land clinging to the grand tree on all fours.

"Please be here..." he muttered to himself looking about, hoping somewhere in his heart, that Verdandi would be somewhere about the area. She was who he needed. Someone who could bring him comfort in this confusing time. Someone that could bring him what he needed - a path. A plan. Anything to give him comfort.

Verdandi was at home, snoring softly away in bed. Probably having kicked Chigetsu off the bed again, causing him to puddle around before slithering his liquid-self back into the comfy queen-sized bed. The princess was enjoying her time off. Relaxing and just being herself for a while. However, despite the fact that she wasn’t quite in the place that Xiao expected. She was technically not all too far away from it. Once you can move at certain speeds, passing through a village and off into the nearby forest is not much of an achievement or distance anymore. But Xiao wouldn’t arrive at his old training spot without finding anything. It’d have been interesting to see where he’d have gone to search for the princess if she wasn’t here. Considering that he had no clue where she lived. But as he descended from the tree branches and ‘mothers’ gentle energy would flow through the ground and welcome him in a soft whisper of gentle wind brushing past Xiao, he would also find a rather large number of bears crawling around the tree. The native bears of the mist were rather light-skinned and of somewhat chestnut brown color. Something must have attracted the bunch of them around here. It wouldn’t take Xiao much time to figure out what. As in the center of the normal sized, large and scary fur beasts, there was one particularly huge and white specimen, resting near the very pond and pool Xi had but met him the first time.

Avalanche would sniff the human coming. His buddies here were also quickly aware of it. But their concerned growls and potentially even their angry hisses against the unknown, Ava recognized the smell rather quickly. He inhaled it once deeply and slowly curled himself away from his favorite spot. Since he was almost a whole head larger than any other male around here, they were all rather quick to be subservient to him and moved out of the way. It might appear like some sort of children’s tale to Xiao, once he would find himself under a huge magic tree, surrounded by badass bears and staring into the void, cyan glowing eyes of the giant polar bear. As Ava would come closer, he would sniff his snout over the seemingly unusual clothing that Xiao had packed himself up with. But an animal’s nose could not be fooled like this either. Confirming that this was indeed the boy from the leaf mission and from their previous meetings here, he lapped his fat huge tongue over the masked face and grunted once happily. Slowly coiling his giant body around the weirdly dressed man and eventually inviting him to sink against Ava’s large and furry frame. It was not clear if Xiao was aware that Avalanche clearly understood every last word spoken in human language. He had simply chosen out of a more primal pride to not speak the human tongue by himself. His ears would flap a bit and as he relaxed the other bears would scatter back and return to their own duties.


500 / 3400

I like here. Nice. Natural.
You can say that again. I actually dig- Hey! We got something in common.
We are the same person. Spider and man.
Yeah...but...like, what is a person?
We dread the teenage philosophical years...

As Xiao peered about, feeling the warmth and love of mother, an entity - or tree rather, that had lead him on the path he followed. That had shown him devoured by the spider and in a sense here he was, a fufilled prophecy, one who was man devoured by spiders and yet reborn clinging to her jagged bark as he gazed about the dazzling area. Below him stood a horde of bear, not snow white like the much beloved Avalanche he truly had a care and tender spot for but instead they huddled around much to Xiao's confusion but also in confirmation that landing on the side of the grand tree was a wise idea as he stood somewhat hidden slowly crawling down the side of the sprawling ancient. "Mother, right? Hey...I'm back...You got it right...Wait...any relation to momma that Haka keeps talking about?" he whispered as he placed his hand lightly to the trunk slowly descending "Sorry...Does this hurt? Is this okay? I just want to avoid the bears..." but as Xiao stated just this he spotted something among the brown furred bears huddled together...a shot of white. Avalanche. The beautiful white polar bear that Xiao had seen all those years ago "Avalanche? Wow...He's always bigger than I remember..." he stated to himself quietely as the bear began to shift his head sniffing Kyutai as he approached.

He is the same size. The bias lays in recent memories. Human memories tend to be bias towards their last exchange. In the last exchange we were afraid, timid, small. Different now. Different eyes to see.
I kinda agree with that, y'know...

Xiao slowly descended standing amidst the parted bears gazing up at the large Polar bear as he hopped down from the tree trunk. The bear would run it's nose over Xiao who proceeded to extend his hand rubbing his maw gently, "Avalanche, what have you been eating? You're so big! You're like the king of the forest!" Xiao exclaimed gently caressing the animal as it sniffed him, hoping that his voice would be enough to lead Avalanche to the conclusion that he was friend not foe. It was then the large tongue would slowly envelop Xiao's body, covering him in thin slime all across his body much to Xiao's dismissal not even entirely noticing it though noting for a large beast of living flesh there was always something cold, as if his breathe were filled with mint. As the bear lay down Xiao proceeded to gently make his way to Ava's head and pet behind the ears, a technique known to the little spider to calm animals due to their sensitive nature as well as the nerve ending protruding around the ear releasing a calming agent when touched or rubbed. Rubbing gently Xiao as the bears returned to their duty "I'm looking for Lady Yuki. We have been...I have been needing to speak to her for a little while, y'know...Do you know where she is my friend?"

Mother was gently gazing with her non-existent eyes upon the little spider boy. She was mother. She was the tree. Her roots were the ground. Her children were the forest and her own mother was the very earth itself. Some would claim that she is intended to become the next avatar of her mother all by herself. But for now, there was but one truth, that there was nothing in Kiri as magically close to the deepest purity of nature chakra as this tree. She attracted life when she wanted to and let them flee from her when she desired privacy. Avalanche had become a rather wonderful companion of hers. So, mother had made him a gift. The bears surrounding him were a company he wasn’t very used to, but over the months Xiao had missed out on this place, the polar one had grown fond of this tribe and made it his own. If Xiao had the eyes for it, he could see that there were plenty of females as well. Giving the seemingly adult bear a rather new shade of what fun in life could be about. The large furball curled against his old young friend and let the ear scratches happen. Ava loves them ear scratches. Yiss that was good stuff. He breathed loudly and joyfully growled about. The bears were moving off. Probably because mother knew that their presence wasn’t needed anymore. So, she expressed to them in her own way that it was time to go hunting or swimming or such.

Avalanche perked his ears up as he wondered what Xiao would want from Lady Yuki. But he eventually wrapped himself back up despite the joyful scratches and places his forehead against the mother tree’s bark. He then stared at Xiao and wouldn’t budge until Xi would do the same. If the spider’s palm would return to the mother’s bark, there would be no words. As usual, there were images. Feelings. Visions of pleasures and visions of potential harm. But he would feel mother’s warmth in his chest. He had become what the prophecy had foretold. It was time to accept what or whom he was now. The part of the tree’s bark that he touched, slowly broke away on its own and while he would be surprised by it, he could see the same spot regrow its bark in an instant. The small piece of the tree was a gift to the young spider. Maybe he’d find a certain use in it over time. Avalanche was certain that the ‘conversation’ between mom and the boy was finished. He gently moved forward and would brush his head in a way to basically lift Xiao from the floor planting him on his back where he could slither into position. The bear would start to move slowly. He’d return soon. A few steps outside the mother tree’s valley within the forest, he’d see a few of his bear buddy’s and growl at them while they returned the favor.

Eventually, he’d take off. Rushing with his large body through the tree’s and out off the swamp. Heading home, towards Kiri. Through the gates. Through the streets. Past a large number of surprised and scared civilians. Perfectly dodging any impact or collision with any of them despite his size and speed. Eventually they reached the market district and beyond that the rich and luxurious corner of the Yuki Clan compound. Xiao would find himself quickly surrounded by people with pale skin and white hair. On many of them, clothes would give away the Yuki Clan symbol of a snowflake and a variety of family symbols that would be unrecognizable in pattern for the spider boy. The Yuki Clan had many distinctions from its different gene strings. Main family, sub family, branches and unique. Many of the feudal and traditional shaped buildings had similar insignia on them. The snowflake sign particularly on every building somewhere. Some of the Yuki knew Avalanche well and would pat the big bear as they passed by them with a smile. Slowed down to normal movement speed, the bear would wag his butt towards the outer corner of this seemingly haunted place filled with white haired people. Arriving at what seemed to be a residence with a bit more space to it than most others. The guards at the entrance opening the door at the sight of the bear. Ava slowly trotting through the gates before coming to a rather abrupt halt. Starting to lay low. Offering Xiao to move off, probably arrived at his desired location.


770 / 4170

As time had gone on and he had grown, whether little or a lot depending on which mentor of Xiao's you talked with, Xiao had found that life when it was examined through the lense of the lessons of the Princess of Snow and Princess of Web became far more clear. Though Avalance was a hulking beast of fur, meat and muscle, Xiao understood his nature and with that information came the ability to accept. It wasn't to say all negative emotions came from misunderstanding, that was a naive and rather arrogant assumption, but rather it was how Xiao was able to make amends with so many of the shinobi he would in another life most likely seen as more enemy than ally. Avalanche was the perfect example, when Xiao had first met him the intimidating beast kept Xiao in his place, kept him frozen with fear but now when he gazed upon the beast he no longer saw his physical attributes he saw the thread of firendship that connected them on the grand web of life. Sure he was naive, perhaps even a little foolish, but seeing that growing web was Xiao's true passion and as the great snow bear now to Xiao was a beacon of peace and hope. A sign that he was 'home' in a way.
"You're so big now...Man you must be king of this castle...Sometime we need to get you some fish, y'know? I'm guessing you got enough girls and others with the looks of all these chickas you're swirling with." Xiao commented to Avalanche as he made his way to the familiar tree closing his eyes gently as he gave a deep breathe. He had already been 'reborn' through the spider

This tree caused us much fear last time. Must we?
Of course my dear growing insanity. Between the constant sadness, angst and growing feelings of resentment against the world what's the worst that could happen?
You could realise these are not signs of insanity, rather signs of a changing hormonal teenage body.
True, but I doubt many would also have a crazy spidery side.
If we touch the tree I doubt we will find much more than more horror and anxiety. It is best to move forward. We have jutsu to train. We have objectives to maintain. We are a clan of two. This is not acceptable.
Groovy. Ima touch the tree
Wait!

And thus Xiao's hand connected once more with the great mother of nature, the tree of visions, the gift of visions of self that had helped him once in the past come to terms with his own duality without the need to push his fingers into his eyes as the only thing that could stop the ache as the pain went on. Instead, the tree had 'healed' him by destroying him, the spider absorbed his flesh...but within that spider he was born free and energetic, open and humbled to the world and all it's majesty. Verdandi was his heart, Haka was his mind and Chigetsu his...uh...Uncle who spoiled him and that triforce made up a safety for Xiao that enabled him to face even the greater horrors of the world. As he placed his hand on the mother's sloped bark he closed his eyes like once before, focusing his chakra now to the center 'forge' of his chakra 'furnace' within the solar plexus to allow a more direct from his wrist to the tree allowing the grand mother to 'accept' his chakra as tribute and he her visions. The visions began, weaving their haunting visages into the mind of the young boy.

Six Crowns,
A whirlpool of stars,
A seventh hidden throne,
Lightning and Stone,
Churning Waves and Mirrors,
Masks and hidden beasts,
The death of God
The Age of Man
The breaking of the world.

The vision meant nothing to Xiao, images that perhaps would make sense in time but as it stood for now there was no such reasoning for such visions. Xiao's mind had grown quiet causing him to mentally 'nudge' Kaine, his other side, "You good?" he genuinely asked looking straight forward and yet still speaking aloud "Hasn't been this quiet in a few weeks."

Silence.
An oddity but all at once perhaps a welcome one.
Xiao glanced about for a moment as he looked around the area for an entity he all at once was not visible, nor tangible, but all the same he searched "Huh...well...would you look at that..." Xiao murmured to himself surprised at how easily it was to rid himself of Kaine's own influence.

The tree has brought disturbing revelations. I need a moment.

"Holy Hashirama!" Xiao stated almost jumping in the air in fright at the sound of his other side before being gently nudged by Avalanche who he instinctively began to scratch and groom as a show of affection without really trying to do so but all the same found his hand always extending to the hulk in a loving way as he did with all animals. His heart was always was for them anyway and thus he followed one of the older allies he had who had begun to manuever away from the tree. Opting to to stick close to the fleecey body of the hulking ursa of snow as they raised across the forests with an amazing brutal dexterity that could only be described as 'stumbling with luck' which Xiao found utterly marvelous "Avalanche you never cease to amaze me...You're like lightning!" Xiao stated with a laugh as he rode towards the grand Yuki Clan compound far different from Xiao's own spider-island in which hollowed trees cursed your name this was instead a beauty, like a painting, that showed the true beauty of the Yuki Clan as opposed to simply scaring others off. Xiao could admire it, and so too the architecture, and what it stood for as an artist himself. He adored it. "So this is where all the albinos are coming from..." Xiao murmured to himself as they walked through the city which frankly in terms of population wasn't much of a change from the locals of the already pale and white haired kirigakure nin that populated the cities.

As Xiao leaped from Avalanche he looked about, hands on his hips with a nod "Well...It's better than Spider-Island...Now let's see who we can find"