[Cha 1 Location] Lucky Tiger Casino

[Oni Archives]

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Kirinji was no longer resisting Kami no Shi’s influence, but Kasami’s as well—even with the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan coursing through his veins and into his eyes he couldn’t fight them off. Kasami aimed to make it easier for him or rather trying, but no matter what it wouldn’t be any easier. It wouldn’t be easy explaining to Ko and Eiji, even Izanagi, that he had to kill someone—kill a teammate in order to get to their destination. It wouldn’t be easy living with that. He tried not to give into her words, but when she spoke about it being bigger than us and that she is just one girl, he was forced to tune her out. Not wanting to listen to anymore of what she had to say. He wasn’t going to kill her. He will not kill her. His attention shifted, focusing only on Kami no Shi and trying to break the illusions. A shocking sensation coursed throughout his body, his focus waivered, Kasami had grabbed his wrist, the one he had been trying so hard to control. But when she grabbed it. It distracted him. His crimson eyes snapped upwards in fear of the consequences that were about to occur, all he saw was a sad smile. Kirinji grit his teeth closing his eyes as he didn’t want to see what would occur. And then..

Crack!

The sound of impact echoed throughout the room, his eyes snapped open, and all he saw was Kasami being flung across the room to land upon her back and when he looked back—all he saw was Genichiro standing there with one leg up. His eyes followed him up his leg and onto his indigo radiated particle body until he made eye contact with his stabilizing body—synaptic dash, Kirinji recognized it immediately. Sweat was rolling down the side of his temple profusely and that snide confidence—oh how he hated him. No, hate was too weak of a word. Kirinji abhorred him. And as his leg went down that was the only thing that echoed throughout his mind. That was until the little music box came into play. Closing the box as the effects of the illusion faded away. He spoke, and the man listened. Senju sympathizer? No, that wasn’t it. He glanced over at Kasami, no that wasn’t it. He didn’t care if she was Senju or not. He thought of her as a peer. A colleague. A teammate.

The music box faded and their control Genichiro had over their bodies would be relinquished back to them. He saw Genichiro still in front of Kirinji with a smirk on his face while his expression lacked amusement. Kirinji meanwhile looked around the room, glancing at the statues as they were no longer mocking him and, much to his bewilderment, the room was absent of the women. It was just the three of them. Kami no Shi turned toward him, his facial expression serious, and Kirinji’s crimson eyes locked onto him.

He spoke of hatred and essentially relishing in it—Kami no Shi would be proud if he could peer into Kirinji’s mind right now as coursing through Kirinji’s very veins right now was hatred. Maybe he could see it in his eyes—the contempt. Kirinji’s fist down by his side, but tight with frustration. It was hatred for Kami no Shi and the helplessness he had just experienced. Trite, tragic, and pathetic. Kami no Shi didn’t have to tell him that earlier because he already knew. That held onto the hatred tight, but that exact hatred wouldn’t cause him to become irrational. He headed the advice of the man and noticed as the man spoke, he spoke from a place of concern? Perhaps. But it felt as if he were guiding him. In whatever sick way that may be. For the time being, his crimson eyes subsided into the honey pool hue they typically are.

When a man learns to love, he must too bear the risk of hatred.

The words stayed in his mind and echoed throughout like it was being burned into memory with a branding iron. Powerful words they were. When Kami no Shi had turned around and began walking toward the piano, Kirinji glanced over at the couch and noticed a pair of red gloves. Many things went through his mind, mostly along the lines of this person being a version of Izanagi, but he quickly turned around and made his way toward Kasami if she was okay. Had she been on the ground still, he’d crouch down and ask if she was okay. Only when confirmed she was okay, he’d help her up by her arm. If not, he’d remain in that crouched position with his chest facing her, but easily able to turn his head toward Kami no Shi. Regardless of how he was positioned, when he heard the snap it prompted him to turn his head toward Kami. And when he saw his eyes widened with surprise.

”Hitoko?!”

He grit his teeth as he blurted out without restraint. The gentle touch on Kasami’s shoulder would become a bit tighter, but not enough to cause any pain. His eyes glared at Kami no Shi and then back at Hitoko as he rushed over immediately to her. His attention focussed solely on her as he tried to compose himself. She was in rough shape, he could tell. Merely an empty shell from what it looked like with defeat in her eyes. What could’ve possibly happened for her to lose her light like this? When was the last time Kirinji had seen her? His heart dropped at the thought of it. He’d been gone for so long. He whispered to her gentle, choked up tone. Voice full of worry. ”What-what are you doing here? His palm pushed up on the cage that held her as he tried to make eye contact with her. It was clear from his face she meant a lot to him.

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[Oni Archives]

It was strange being attacked like this in a moment where she was so wrapped up in it. It blinded people to reality, sometimes more than a simple genjutsu. When Kirinji looked at her as she grabbed his wrist she had seen it there in his eyes- the reluctance, but his fight against it had wavered. In those few seconds she thought was the last of her life, she chose to just... feel. Every ounce of pressure in this air and all of the heaviness that the intensity of the situation added to it, and it just felt right. It felt like the right thing to do, because she did believe if she didn’t die right here that their mission would fail, and Naraka would burn under the Salesman. A single tear had slipped down her cheek as she closed her eyes, but that smile never faltered-

And before she knew it she was sent flying across the room. Truthfully the impact hurt less than landing on the ground, laying there on her side for a moment as she placed a hand reflexively over her sore ribs. He held back on that kick, he had to have. Nothing was even broken, she found as she started to shift cautiously, and that just didn’t mount up to this man’s mystery. Legendary. A legendary person wouldn’t have a weak kick. She’d gotten worse wounds from a hunk of ice.

As Genichiro was speaking to Kirinji, Kasami shifted to her feet, wincing and coughing slightly from having the wind knocked out of her. It hurt her throat to breathe again normally, but she was relatively unharmed. She ignored his ridicule, choosing to believe he just didn’t understand what their mission was, and ignored the part about Ko- because if she hadn’t... she had a nasty temper sometimes. By the time he was walking away from Kirinji she opened one eye and glared at his back, wrinkling her nose at him though there was slight amusement on her face. She was a brat sometimes, she just couldn’t help it. ”You kick like a bitch.” The words were preceded by a pained sound as she had stood up straight, one arm crossed over her ribs inside her haori to hold the side that had received the impact. He damn near could have broken something if he’d applied just a little more force to it. Kirinji was joining her now, asking her if she was okay, and she just nodded quietly as both eyes opened to look up at him. Her gaze searched his to see if he was okay, and even if he had been- that was all about to take a drastic turn.

Kami snapping drew both of their attentions, but what she saw hadn’t meant anything to her. Or at least it wouldn’t have, if it wasn’t obvious that it did to her teammate. Whatever it was, she was there for him for it, but needless to say she was a bit confused. Her expression creased with worry as his grip on her shoulder tightened, looking at his hand and then up at him. As she opened her mouth to say something, he was leaving and moving over to the woman. He’d said her name. Hitoko. So he knew who she was, but that didn’t answer some other questions she had. His teammate approached quietly behind him, frowning at the state the woman was in before looking over at Kami. She stayed near Kirinji but her attention had turned to him, and it was clear from her body language that she was being extremely cautious. Her haori was open so that she could nurse her tender side and her body was partially turned to hide the full view of it. Her voice was soft and not accusatory. So many emotions bounced off one another in her tone. There were two most notable ones. Concern. Caution. ”What happened to her?” She wanted answers as quickly as possibly, praying Kami hadn’t been the one to do this, so that Kirinji didn’t completely freak out on him. She probably wouldn’t be able to hold him back, and that scared her. Genichiro would kill him- without even a second thought. He just seemed like the type.​

 

[Oni Archives]

"I have achieved a high art. I hurt with great cruelty - those that would damage me."

"What in the living hell?"

=Genichiro's expression as he saw Hitoko was very obviously confused - maybe more so then anyone in the room understood at all. When he spoke in shock - it was in a hushed tone and almost as if he was seriously asking himself, however the way that he took a step back made it apparent that this was not his doing and he was just as shocked as they were. Genichiro's eyes fixated upon her - and as he started to step forward before his toe could fully settle on the ground his foot recoiled like touching hot concrete with bare feet and his hand snapped up to his head grabbing a fist full of hair as he winced against his hand in what could only be perceived as immense pain. His mind flashed back to it - all that time ago:

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"Nooo what have you done - why!? She was all I had she was never supposed to be dragged into this - why!?"

**In his mind he was back there again...after all those years. Darkness of his home and the pale moonlight creeping its way through the burst window to illuminate the radiating azure hue in the room standing over a limp, broken dead body. What stepped out of the shadow was Izanagi - no...it was Shi'No Ningen. The Death of Humanity - The Azure Death!...Seiryu of the burning dawn. He was clad in a black plate armor that seemed to absorb light itself and upon his face was the blue mask of Seiryu. It reminded him of a time...that he'd pushed Izanagi too far...and he took everything from him. He was too deep in his memories - these memories had stayed repressed for a reason. His heart thumped over and over and over - unrelenting, at this point the frantic fibrillation and rapid beating of his heart was pounding the inside of his chest hard enough to shake his very soul. Suddenly - as the figure stepped forward soon brandished a flash of jade green, Benimaru - drawn from its sheath.**

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=Kami's free hand snapped up to his head as well, pulling at his hair as he grit his teeth and pushed those memories back down into his head - then soon he swallowed his past and shook his head recovering on his path as he pulled his comms from his waist - yelling into it:

"I need med-rec to my location right now!"

=As he said that he dropped the comms mic - letting the wire it was connected to pull it back to the zipline on his waist as he stepped forward. One thing that was known about Genichiro in Kagetsuchi - was the issue of his brides had become a cultural attraction, somewhat of a contest and there was great reason for that. Genichiro had been the most eligible bachelor in Kagetsuchi. This wasnt a trafficking ring...or at least not at the core of how it operated. Genichiro may have been a murderer but he was a tasteful murderer and in most cases was chivalrous to women. All of the women in his charge with few exceptions were willful entries into his contest and he always made sure they lived lavishly. The only reason that Hitoko was even here in the room in the first place - was because the green haired man had informed Genichiro that the woman entering on camera - was a duplicate of the woman that he had brought for contest, so he had brought her here to expose the disguise once he had played around enough. "Takeyama" he said almost in adjudication...it was a powerful word - one of the essential mantra that Izanagi had taught him...one of the mantra that if you listened closely - you could hear in The Tengu's recital. Like that the Hadou of compassion in his body fluxed - and all of those that heard the word would have genjutsu purged from their system and be pushed back into reality - this being because the Hadou that left him would be absorbed and purged through any body - with a brain that was processing the stimuli that registering the word in the conscious part of the brain would come with. He stood there before the couch, upset - but not as taken as Kirinji, of course he wouldnt be the woman after all was not his wife. However if it wasnt just the distaste at the fact that she had been hurt in such a way and even more unforgivably what seems to be a birth complication, then it was certain that one thing above all else annoyed Genichiro the most about this. Principle. He had trusted the green haired man and had bothered with business dealings with him. Not only that but he had given him passage through the gated regions of Naraka. By now the medical team would be flooding into the room - moving to retrieve Hitoko, putting trauma blanket over her body first before they transported her from couch to emergency stretcher. It would be implied that Kirinji would not resist them taking her for treatment, but if his emotions were in a high and he lashed out at the medical professionals then Genichiro at his standing posture aside the bed - would simply lift his lanky leg up and push kick him in the shoulder away from the medical team - continuing with the same statement after whether or not it went either way or different entirely:

"Certainly you must know - this is not my doing. Birth mutilation is not in my tastes at all. On top of that I prefer all women here be treated fairly...less of course they say I kick like a bitch - those are just punching bags with legs. But all my wives are treated like royalty and want for nothing. Tch...I shouldnt have trusted that green haired snake. I should've known anyone sketchier then me was not going to be a reasonable deal."

=He would've looked at Kirinji in this moment to gauge how he was taking things. He knew by the way that he went over to her and the way that he reacted when he saw her condition that he had to be something of intimance. A husband - close boyfriend, fiance something of that nature. The look on his face was familiar - it was a look that both Kami and Izanagi knew well. That look when someone that you love - when your world gets dragged into all of this mess and you feel helpless to be there for the one you swore to protect. That deep - empty stare and expression on the face that flushes across before the rage - that echo through the emptiness bottomed out inside of you when you know your life just changed somehow. Truth be told although Kami was sympathetic to this position from personal experience it was really the part of him that was Izanagi that made him more kind and open towards it. He was looking at Kirinji calmly - but the back of his mind was brimming with dark thoughts, wild - hungering smiles of protracted teeth grit tight against one another dripping with tangible, animalistic, ferocity at the rainbow of torments that he could inflict upon Kirinji and the many different ways he could do it. they say that ones life can be effected by one pivotal moment, one decision made or one incident happening that effects it all, just one bad day - is all that it takes to turn a saint to a sinner, a wife to a widow, a sane man to a psychopath, a Kirinji - to a Kami. His face fought with expressions seemingly involuntarily of its own accord - but subtly, you'd have to be paying hard attention to his features to catch it. The quick, almost non existent way that the corners of his lips jumped from serious downwards upwards, the way he was touching his face excessively - rubbing his hand over his face to hide the way his features gasped slight silent laughter over his face, the way he rubbed his chin to hide the way his teeth grit and grimaced in pain as he fought his own apparent - and irrevocable insanity. He could make it look like an accident? Something horribly goes wrong in the medical room while hey tried to stop the hemorrhaging, perhaps there was a major clot? Genjutsu? He could induce her in one and make her kill herself - paint the picture that she couldnt bare the gravity of a miscarriage and killed herself. Or - he could put Kirinji under a gen, have him do it - rewrite the entire way that he thinks and his mind operates. Tell him in his grief - he couldnt cope with the loss of a child and that he wasnt there for her - he snapped, his brain went haywire and before he knew it he was on her, strangling the life from the body that rejected his first born; now he's the killer - he'd doubt it, sure. Anyone would in that moment - but the memories he would have. The recollection of face to face account with his wife as he watched her face turn blue, her eyes bloodshot and her chest....cease to draw breath - you cant fight memory, and eventually evidence of what he knows and saw will outweigh what he thinks...he'll spiral. Or . . .

. . . he could do it himself. . .

=A smile spread wide across his face in that moment. "Allow me to reprimand this. I will make sure she gets the best treatment possible." and with that being said he started to walk off towards the door as if neither of the two of them were even there. Before he got to the door however, just as he was just a foot away from the door he would stop and turn towards them, mainly at Kasami - and with that he would extend his hand and point towards her:

"Nothing in this world is free. And Im most curious to see. You want passage to go see Izanagi well the fact remains that you still owe me. I've got the perfect idea - Ms.Kicks like a bitch. You fight in my pitt - and I'll give you passage not only to see Izanagi. But through every gated checkpoint in Naraka. This green haired fellow came here - he's the one that gave me Hitoko in the condition that you see. For passage as well. You have that kind of passage - you'll be able to pursue him anywhere he plans on being. Heh - it'll be revenge for you, and for me since he fucked me over on a business deal. Think about it."

=And as he said that, he opened the door, and stepped through closing it behind him. At this point the only thing that would be left in the room would be Kirinji and Kasami so rudely left in the lounge by themselves to think on the proposition that had been presented to them. A lot had happened - and only one thing was for certain in the moment. There was only one way out of this room. And it was through that door.=

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[sub]((Addressing Sentou))

((listen while reading: Lucky Tiger Casino Standard Theme))[/sub]



=Sentou did not know the face of any of the burning dawn members besides the one of Daikokuten, their ring leader himself for he had not been there when they had been confronted by them at the medical ward....but Ai knew all of their faces - even the ones that were not there at the time of the strike on Tatsumi's ward. The hustle and bustle of the casino brought crowds swimming back and forth through the casino floors - wave after wave of people passing to and fro enjoying their drinks and gambling. When Sentou turned up his nose to the smell of all the alcoholic beverages he would find that there would be an insatiable feeling of dread, panic, and absolute horror that would come upon him as a very calm - uncharacteristically calm voice would seem to break through all the music and sounds of the casino at the moment:

"Not one for alchohol huh? Wouldnt have guessed that by just looking at you - such a robust figure."

=When this was said it would seem like the crowd that by this point had moved in front of Sentou would peel away and leave standing there before him a stoic faced blue haired woman. She was quite lovely - and her attire was sensual and yet...nonchalant in an odd kind of way. It was like watching a demon walk around in the body of a siren - her physical features and visual countenance immaculate and attractive, but her face and demeanor was strong, cold, and solid - you could tell just by looking at her that not only could she handle her own but she was a high level threat. But it would have been unlike Sentou to have this wave of emotions fluster over him so quickly - for fuck sake he didnt even have time to register the fact of the matter that anyone was even there in the first place much less be petrified with all of these feelings experiencing something as if his heart were going to burst out his chest. What was the meaning of this!? As she stepped from the crowd and up to him the bright blue earrings she wore sway with the motion of her body as her pale skin was exposed through the open shirt - dainty, looking ever so delicate as if her body were made from snow itself as she closed the gap between them and then stopped a hair short looking up at the tall male with an almost audible *thud* of her foot on the floor as if proclaiming this was her line of confrontation before the male with not so much as a word. . . there were . . . fireflies in the room? No those werent fireflies. When looking upon them anyone with any sense of sensory ability at all could tell that this was some form of chakra. But it didnt feel like chakra - it felt more lively, more personalized - was this Hadou? And if so what kind of Hadou? Apparent now that the reason he was feeling these things and this feeling was because he was under the guise of some kind of radial Sanzou Art - the first of which he would have encountered where as the only other person in their group that had encountered such would be Kasami in the case of The Tengu. She'd lift her hand - carefully - even so much as looking at her own hand and twiddling her fingers like she was about to pluck something; before she reached her hand over to him and let her fingertips simply tap at his chest. From there - she would have tapped his chest twice - and then looked back over her shoulder and pointed to a door in the very back behind the slots and whisper to Sentou: "Your friends - are through that door. Go - they need you." and with that she would move around the man and begin to walk off and away - the moment that she would have gotten ten feet away from the male he would find that the feeling of this Sanzou art that effected and hyper-actively focused hadou to the Amygdala of the brain of anyone standing within the range of the aura, had suddenly diminished and he would be relieved of the feeling and grasp of panic once she'd moved far enough away - less he had found a manner before then. Once she was that far away between the two of them patrons of the casino floor would pass between them and once they'd moved on - she would be gone, having completely disappeared. Sentou's first time meeting Ai Yuki - of the Fujimori clan.=​

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[Oni Archives]

--Hitoko Okami-Uchiha--

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For a moment, it seemed at though Hitoko felt a small sliver of relief, despite still being in utter darkness and silence. She felt as though she could sense a precious and familiar presence near her and wanted so badly to reach for it, but when the thought of lifting her arm to grab it crossed her mind, her vision was cleared. The light rushed her eyes and caused her dull eyes to wince as they painfully adjusted to the brightness though she still hadn’t moved an inch. Perhaps it was at this time that she knew she couldn’t move an inch. She tried and tried to no avail, but upon seeing her loving husbands face after her blurry eyes had somewhat cleared, her pinky twitched. She wanted to hug him and cry, but all she could do was stare and even that didn’t last long before she was smothered by a medical team and taken away. All the while, as she was being moved through the room to get to the exit, she tried her best to keep her eyes on Kirinji.

Once she was through the only exit, her eyes were pointed toward the ceiling and were back to being lifeless pools of green and blue. Though no one had given her anything for the pain, the team had concluded that Hitoko simply couldn’t feel the pain – And they were right. Her entire body was numb. The Okami were popular for their natural regeneration abilities but it was like her mental state was hindering her abilities and stopped them from working, all of which was being written into notes by a medic, so this whole time Hito had been sat bleeding with no medical attention until now and this is probably what made her numb; the constant pain she had been feeling with no break.

If she could speak, Hitoko would tell them her heart hurts – Not because her heart had taken any damage at all, but because it felt as though someone had carefully carved out a part of her heart and taken it away. She felt empty, even if she just saw her husbands face. Hitoko looked at the medic that was jotting notes down and somehow, Hito pointed at a cup that was on a countertop. Any smart enough person with the qualifications to become a medic would know she was asking for a drink, but the medics were unsure as to if it would be alright to give her the drink, seeing as she hadn’t spoken a word. They hadn’t yet made the effort to check her throat or mouth because she had more pressing injuries on her torso. Her lack of speaking could have been due to a direct blow to her throat or it could have been entirely psychological or perhaps Hitoko just didn’t want to speak, but they continued to work on her injuries while discussing if letting her drink right now was a good idea.

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[Oni Archives]

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Rage coursed through his veins intently as he fell to his knees with what seemed to be an absence of hope. It coursed through him like a raging stream of water, making his body warm, and causing his blood to boil. His hands were shaking uncontrollably as he grit his teeth tightly and his mind—it felt like it went dark for a second as he could see nothing momentary when he had gotten over to Hitoko. It was like he had blacked out. They made eye contact, but it was not long before the medical team had reached them and taken her and not long after had the team taken her out the room. He didn’t fight them, he almost had no will to. He only stayed there on his knees with his head down staring at his hands, water from his eyes slowly dripped down onto him as his vision became blurry. It wouldn’t take a genius to see that he was fuming. But what was he mad at? Was he mad at the green haired man for doing this to Hitoko or was he mad at Kami no Shi for doing business with such a scum? Perhaps—perhaps he was mad at himself. For not being there for her when she needed him most. Had he been there maybe, just maybe, it would’ve gone differently and not resulted in this.

He stayed there in thought and shock, but the Kami no Shi quickly caught his attention when he said birth mutilation, confusing Kirinji even more than he had already been. Kirinji wasn’t someone that cared for many things. He had no affiliation to the regular shinobi world, he never had teammates up until now, and even in the regular shinobi world he was a loner—preferring to stick to the shadows than being in the limelight in comparison to others who loved the attention. He’d need only one hand to count everything he cared about: Hitoko. She was the light in his darkness. The yang to his yin. The thing that kept him afloat and balanced when he was at his darkest. And look how he had treated her. Leaving for months at a time, never sending word back, and now—getting her caught up in Narakan affairs. In his short time here, he had gone through so much—he couldn’t, or rather, didn’t want to fathom what she had gone through, especially given the shape she was in. Kirinji remained there on his knees, so quiet you could hear a pin drop near him and that’d make more sound than him. His eyes flickered left to right as he sat there contemplating everything that had occurred and he could’ve done to prevent it. It was futile thinking about the past. He knew that, but for some odd reason it aided his hurting heart. But one thing was for certain, that hate Kami no Shi had just talked about, it was vividly coursing through him. The only question was who for.

Kirinji believed Kami no Shi when he said that he’d get her the best treatment possible. It more than likely had to do with his body language and tone of voice where the unveiling occurred, but nonetheless, Kirinji allowed for the medic team to take her. In reality, he didn’t have much choice in it. He was in a foreign land, in a city where Kami no Shi’s word holds the most weight. He’d be foolish to go against it. Soon after Kami no Shi attention turned toward Kasami and Kirinji remained in the same position in the same spot, and even though it may not appear as it, he was listening. The green haired man, he thought to himself as flashes of his last encounter against him momentarily took over his mind. He was helpless against him. Ninjutsu didn’t work nor did taijutsu. Maybe he had to think of another method of combat or maybe at his current stage he was too weak. Regardless of what it was, he needed to improve. He needed to become even stronger than he was so he could tear the green haired man to shreds. He wanted to tear off each of his limbs and use them against him. He wanted to cut out his intestines and feed it to him as he slowly choked on blood. He wanted to kill him and stare him directly in the eyes so he could hear the air leave his body. He could see it so clearly now. The death of the green haired man—he could see it so clearly.

Kami no Shi left them behind in the room, closing the door behind him. It was beyond quiet. Quiet enough for you to hear Kirinji take a soft breath in before exhaling, attempting to regain his composure as he hunched forward and put his right hand down onto the ground. Simultaneously, he moved his right knee forward so he could put his right foot down onto the ground pushing himself up with both his bandaged hand and leg. For a moment he just stood there, staring at the wall that was in front of him. Lost in thought. But without hesitation he turned and walked toward the door. Not making any eye contact with Kasami, but rather stopping next to her shoulder to shoulder. Had she turned and tried to make eye contact, she’d be met with the side of his face and his newly found crimson eyes, no longer filled with some light but rather a darkness. It was like looking into a void. Sadness clearly occupied his eyes. He gently spoke to Kasami, not about what had just occurred with the woman, but what had occurred with Kami no Shi. And after he finished, he’d walk through those doors, regardless of whether or not Kasami tried to talk to him.

”Seems we have no choice. Let’s get it over with.”

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[Oni Archives]

Kasami was quiet, watching everything unfold in the awkward position of having no reason to care about it besides being associated with Kirinji. It was like being present when someone was dealing with the initial shock of grief. She felt for him, cause damn it was a really messed up situation, but it wasn’t someone that she knew. She didn’t actually feel the gravity of it herself, and it was what made it weird. Standing on the moon and everyone else can’t get a footing, they’re floating away, but your feet are on solid ground and you’re just watching the struggle. There’s nothing you can do but watch, try to say something or just be there. With Kirinji she already knew that words would fall on deaf ears. She could see it in his face, his body language. Right now the anger was gripping him hard, and it’d take damnation for it to release. So she just chose the latter of her options. Out of the way and quiet, but understanding the circumstances of the situation faster than Kiri did judging by the expression upon his face at the mention of birth mutilation.

She never wanted to believe that people were truly evil, and had to wonder if the intentions of the green haired man had been birth mutilation or if it was just a misfortune that happened along the way. She hadn’t met him, and part of her mind argued that they murdered the children at the village easily he could do it again, but- did he? Was the Burning Dawn even there by the time it started to happen? As cold as Ai was, it didn’t feel like she knew what had happened to the village after she left. Because yes- why not just cut the cancer out. But what good does cutting out the cancer do, if you take the entire beating heart of the survivor out with it? Either way- the person dies. Did she know the cost of their methods?

By the time she was snapped out of her thoughts, Kirinji’s person of importance had already been removed from the vicinity and placed under the care of Genichiro’s medical team. She did believe him when he said that she’d get the best care as well. He didn’t seem like a man that would bother lying. He had no reason to.

Kirinji stood to leave and as he turned around toward what would have been facing her, she turned as well and faced the door. She wouldn’t force him to make eye contact with her- not so he could see the sympathy, or what could be consider pity, that was held in her eyes. When he stopped next to her, shoulder to shoulder, she just stared straight ahead. She hoped by some miracle he would feel it in his heart. She was there for him til the end, and if he needed her all he had to do was say so. An unspoken commitment to him as a teammate, but also as a friend. And for this very reason, she didn’t hesitate even a millisecond as he started to walk toward the door. She was right by his side every step of the way, unquestionably ready to follow him into the Pitt to fight for their mission- and more importantly, help him fight for this person’s freedom. So they left Genichiro’s lair together, shoulder to shoulder, as it would always be from that day forward.​

 

[Oni Archives]

It seemed just as he would begin to move forward, the voice of another would catch his ear; judging by the delicate way in which they spoke it sounded female, but once he turned to face the random stranger he would find his deduction to be correct. Upon witnessing her, aside from her natural beauty, Sentou couldn’t help but feel as if was being preyed upon by an assailant of dangerous proportions. It was a sensation he was all too familiar with as his previous encounters with the likes of Hayato, Eien, and Izanagi alike made him feel this exact way. This woman? She couldn’t have been the individual the shop merchant warned him about right? He said it was a man, a starving wolf. No matter how he spun it, Sentou knew it wouldn’t be wise to run, he’d most likely only die tired if she were to seriously hunt him down, however he also knew he would be biting more than he could chew should he decide to fight her here and now. He would have to remain as calm as he possibly could.

Her approach wasn’t what would draw him back reality, no it was when she tapped him on the chest and told him that his teammates were just beyond the door behind her. This couldn’t have been a trick could it? Someone of this calibur was exuding such vibes of a high level threat, just why would they be telling the truth? There was no way around it, he thought, he wouldn’t dare question her word and risk having a fight on his hands or worse. Before he even had a chance to muster up a response and at least thank her for her help, she was already walking around him to depart from the casino. As much as he wanted to look back to get one last look of this wild card of a lady, his body wouldn’t allow it -- not until she was far enough he was no longer affected by her area of effect. ”J-just who the fuck was that?” he stammered before shaking himself free from the sensation of such dread. Focus Sentou, he thought as he begrudgingly approached the door in which had been pointed out to him. Once walking through the door, Sentou would enter the pitt unbeknownst. The vast amount of people it could hold blew his mind considering how big the place seemed to be in the first place, it was as if the deeper he entered this facility the bigger it was. With so many people around it would take forever for him to find any of his group, Sentou would have to blend in until the time to announce himself was ready.

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[Oni Archives]

((Addressing: Kasami, Kirinji, Sentou))

=They made sure to give him a wide berth. His eyes went left, right, left again and then finally all around at the crowd of spectators that had come here tonight to watch the toil and troubles of others all for their superficial amusement. His scowl widened as he pushed his fist across his bottom lip and huffed: "Fine. Lets go then." and with that Ko adjusted his jacket upon his shoulders and stood tall and confident in the arena. At this point they had put him into it - he tried tp leave before but they forced his hand...and there was a lot more of them then there were of him, he knew that was bad odds no matter how strong he was and the fact that not only did he not know what the security force here could muster - but when money changed hands everyone wanted a slice of the pie...there were a lot of hungry fighters here who would jump at the price they'd put on him on the spot just for resisting..and that Kazekuto guy...yeah there wasnt any way he'd be able to fight off all of them PLUS that guy - and he seemed to like his pockets heavy. The crowd roared....then slowed to a murmur as they waited and seemed to be watching the all too "enthused" Ko in the ring.....the sarcasm of that about as thick as the blood on the arena floor. Finally he grew sick of the prying eyes and silence and pat his chest hard - roaring forth a loud: "WELL!? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?" as the crowd jumped with excitement at the burst of vigor that came from him as he spit aside of him and sunk down into a ready stance - preparing to prime his reflexes for whatever may come next...though there was nothing that would ready him for that. Suddenly bump - bump, crash - a shoulder on his left, another on his right - a chest flung into his back: "Hey - whats the fucking ide- huh? How?!" he demanded answers - as he pointed an almost accusatory finger between the party of Sentou, Kirinji, and Kasami - but mainly at Sentou looking as if he had seen a ghost as his finger lingered on him. The crowd went crazy - so much so that you would almost think that they knew each and every one of them...or something very familiar was happening in this arena that they simply could not wait for. The anticipation was....to die for. Quickly, Ko turned his back around so that he was shoulder to shoulder with the rest of them anyway and facing the door across from them ready for whatever was to come out. So he had team mates - big deal...it didnt change the crucialness of the situation, though he was confident between the four of them there was nothing this arena could throw out that they couldnt overcome. So what he had been suddenly united with his group again....if he got caught off guard they would be seperated again just as quickly as they were reuinited - and where was Sakuya? No best to keep his head in the game before it got knocked off his shoulders. So what Sentou suddenly had just reappeared with them...though that in itself was miraculous - last time that they had met he was under the influence of the miasma of Daikokuten - here this whole time he had been harboring some small guilt thinking that whatever had happened to Sentou may have been his doing while under its influence - that maybe he had killed him. His burden lifted, he wanted to apologize - he had quite a bit to say honestly but now was not the time: "Look - here's the brief. Casino has an underground fighting pitt - I apparently got put up as tribute to the oh so gracious masses and whatever comes out of that door in front of us we need to subdue as quickly and mercilessly as possible and get the hell out of here. Theres some crazy characters here, and a guy in particular you dont want to mess with. Play our cards - keep together. And we'll make it. But DONT let your guard down." As he said that he started to remove his jacket - casting it aside from his body as he revealed a blank tank top and several straps of throwing knives laced along both his sides and summoning seals under his forearms. Ko had been doing some...prep work - in their time in Takatane. He had gotten a pretty good clue at what they would be dealing with when they had fought Zaku - and for the life of him...he would not have it ever be that his ability and skill were not enough to protect Kasami - his newly found team, or himself ever again. His eyes narrowed - raw focus in them - no longer a man, but the pure embodiment of his purpose burned through. He would ready himself for what to come - though admittedly, he was quite ignorant of any of the situation, condition, and information that had changed hands during the time that he and the group were seperated.=

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((Addressing: Hitoko))

=There in the medical room there was a team of medical shinobi testing her vitals. Blood pressure, an odd shinobi in the back looking as if he was in a senjutsu meditative trance keeping track of her brainwave functions, and nurses ensuring that an IV be swapped out on schedule making sure she received fluids and would stay properly hydrated. They all were trying to figure out things as best as they could when suddenly from aside of them - she would appear. A pink haired woman of fair skin, wearing a surgical mask looking the girl over as she did. She could see the blood and evidence of its source and severity simply from the way that it had stained her clothes. She requested that the medical team - help her change her out. She would need her as exposed as possible for the healing process that she was about to enact upon her body, but she couldnt help but think to herself - her eyes full of remorse and sympathy as she muttered: "She told me the truth....oh no...you...you poor thing." =The importance or severity of the issue that she was thinking a'loud about was yet unknown however soon the meditating shinobi behind them would start to emit a bright green aura that would fill the room in an almost ominous and yet cosmic light....Bitoku - an element used by the medicine men of old in Naraka for the purpose of pacifying medical patients to a treatable level. It would ensure that the chakra and chakra based physical properties of those in the room would stay utterly suppressed for the procedure....no fancy tricks here - just pure ability....or was that completely true. They would begin removing the stained clothes from her body - as carefully as possible and hopefully with as much compliance as there could be - given that Sakuya would even be talking her down as well while they worked: "I'm going to help you. I'm going to heal you - better then you have been in quite some time, and though....with your condition I know that I can not again make you whole...I hope that this - is enough to give you at least...a platform to work from. If you can hear me...just trust me." = Trust....maybe that was what got here in this place from the begining anyway. Who knows how it happened or what that green haired man did or said to get her off guard enough to be here right now. Sakuya felt for her, this was the kind of feeling that she always feared would come to her someday and being here like this...it almost felt like some form of foreshadowing. Had they removed her clothes properly - Sakuya would do her the respect of not overanalying her. Now was not the time for eye candy - she wasn't like him. Instead she coordinated with the medical personel there as it were...they would need to work together to remove the damaged fetus from the placenta as painlessly and cleanly as possible - by this point now depending on what they were working with as far as timeline they could have either been right on time - or bordering an infection at this rate. They would lay her back, and from aside Hitoko would be Sakuya...holding an odd bottle in her hand. The liquid inside was as clear as anyone would ever believe possible...radiant blue - and yet when she held it up and poured it over Hitoko's body it was like the water itself sparkled like it had lights in it of its own creation. The waters shimmered as if you could see the cosmos through them and over her body they would flow - seeping inside of her and giving off a periwinkle gas over her body - a reaction caused by the merging of the sediment in the water with the genetic structure of the host. These - were evidently the Nirvana Fountainhead Waters of legend - which would mean that Hitoko...was on a fast track for some of the best healing she would experience in quite some time. Though - it was important that Sakuya not give her too much at all for two reasons. One being if she healed "too" fast - then removal of the placenta and fetus could become....problematic to a high degree. And the second...was something far more sinister that only the Sanzou, Tengu, and Izanagi would know of. She watched carefully as she screened her body liberally with the water and corked the bottle back. From that point she would stand there at her side, monitoring her and their works and waiting to ensure that not only was she healed and cared for - but that she gets out of here without Genichiro's intervention. She'd been given....a new lease on things here lately - and now, she found herself bolstered with more confidence and determination then she had seen in the past month combined. Meanwhile down below....

...The Pitt Stirs...​

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[Oni Archives]

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Kirinji felt an odd sensation as he stood there beside Kasami. His emotion was full of hate and anger coursed through his veins, but when he stood there beside Kasami he felt a connection he could not fully understand. Ironic how even the silence spoke volume, something he appreciated. It was like the air was heavy, not from the chakra latent air, but because the situation they were in was just that tense. But in all the darkness there was some light—like a lighter flickering on. He only felt it in his heart, a warmth specifically, when Kasami turned and stood there shoulder to shoulder. They were in it together, through thick and thin, and that was the light. The bond that Kasami and Kirinji now shared. And with that. They walked through the door. Together.

It was all so sudden. One moment they were walking through the door and then the next they were bumping into Ko. He stumbled and almost fell, but quickly gained his balance only after falling to his knee and stopping himself with his hand on the ground. He looked over at Ko, his Mangekyō Sharingan glistening brightly beneath some of his steel blue hair. He glanced over toward Kasami and then over toward the new face, analyzing the man with his newfound clarity. It was much different than the previous stage of the Sharingan. He saw everything so much clearer and with greater analysis and deduction. He even felt the power coursing through his body to his eyes. It was amazing.

It only took a moment and soon after he was glancing all over the place. He looked over to his left and then over to his right. Not at the shinobi surrounding them, but the audience members, the arena itself, and anything else he found interesting. Kirinji noticed the blood that was painted all over the floor, the smell of booze that infiltrated the air, and the raging crowd ready to see a fight.

Ko quickly turned and joined them shoulder to shoulder. Kirinji stood there with his arms resting by his sides. His crimson optics filled with contempt as they focussed on the door, but his passive sensory ability focussed on the area around them. Symbolic of that, his hatred did not cloud his judgement and rationale. The emotion that was raging through his body. It was merely a tool. It did not control him. He controlled it. Many Uchiha allowed themselves to be consumed by the darkness. Kirinji refused to become consumed like them. Emotion was a tool, one which he would govern to his advantage. Kirinji listened to what Ko had to say, listening clearly and heading his advice as he readied himself mentally. His eyes closed slowly as he honed in on his mind, body, and spirit. The Uchiha inhaled deeply through his nostrils and held the breath for a moment before exhaling the air through his mouth. While he did this he remained in constant thought as he repeated the same words over and over to himself.

Breathe. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Stay numb. Stay focussed. Be free.
Feel. And then, see.
Breathe. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Stay numb. Stay focussed.
Be free. Feel. Then, see.
Breathe.

The more he repeated it, the more and more everything faded away into darkness. The arena saturated in blood and booze faded away along with the sound of the roaring crowd and even the arena itself. For all intent and purposes, it was only Kirinji and the other three awaiting what was going to come.

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[Oni Archives]

--Hitoko Okami-Uchiha--

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Hitoko lay still as she was prodded with an IV drip right on schedule every time. Her vitals were being monitored and she was continually being checked out. It felt like this repetitive scene would go on forever until it was broken by the arrival of a woman with hair that actually brought the slightest smile to Hito's face. The hair reminded her of cotton candy strands, but the smile that was brought by the joy only lasted a mere three seconds at most before it faded like it was never there but Hitoko's eyes remained pinned to the woman. There was sympathy behind those eyes of hers though Hito was confused as to why. This was no fault of the woman's, so there was no need for her to feel any kind of way towards Hitoko, she knew the reason she was in this state was her own fault and the guilt would hang heavy over her for the rest of her life.

Hitoko, with what very little movement she had within her numb body, cooperated with the removal of her clothes. Her bare body covered from head to toe in blood and would still look like a beautiful, fragile sculpture covered in tattooed seals and her clan's symbol in huge black ink on her back. It was no surprise that Hitoko had such a curvy and sought after body being as she was extremely athletic and loved sports of all kinds, even if she were a medical expert herself. Hitoko often took up many sports like football and martial arts just for fun after meeting Kirinji- Wait...Kirinji. How was he doing? Did anyone mention the child to him? They didn't, right? He's okay, surely- By this time, her panicked thoughts would cause her adrenaline to rush a little and her vitals would slightly spike but there was still nothing of an expression shown on her face or in her eyes. Her body was simply too numb right now.


Hitoko's vision was engulfed with green light and her thoughts were drawn away from Kirinji. The pink-haired woman's words slightly softened Hito's heart and for a moment, her lips parted and her voice leaked ever so quietly "I trust you." the first words she'd said since she started this journey to find Kirinji but Hitoko's eyes did not lie - She trusted this woman to take care of her, from one doctor to another. Hitoko knew Sakuya would take the utmost care with her treatment and be diligent, so Hitoko tried her best to feel something - anything. With that, her finger twitched again. Just like it did when she saw her husband, so she focused on wriggling that same finger for a while. It was a good start and Hito was more than satisfied.

As Sakuya stood over Hito with a bottle in hand, she found her eyes drawn to the brilliance of the clear liquid, only to be shocked when it seemed as though Hitoko was quite literally sparkling as a gem basked in sunlight. Hitoko could already tell from the first sparkle that her body was healing very quickly and the scent that trailed her nasal passage was delightful. Hitoko took this opportunity to try and lift an arm. It took a few tries at first but the more this liquid seeped into her body, the lighter she limps felt - yes, felt! Feeling! Her body wasn't as numb as before. Hito reached up for Sakuya with teary eyes and a sour expression, a human expression finally given after being so blank this entire time. "...Gone right?" her voice was cracked and the first part came out as less than a whisper, but she repeated herself as her face twisted even more and tears rolled down her face. She knew the answer to this question, but she wanted to hear it herself. "My baby is gone, right?" for a minute, it seemed as though Hitoko's eyes were pleading for Sakuya to lie to her, but a human being with a heart knew that lying to this distraught woman would bring nothing more than extreme pain - both mentally and physically and...Hitoko had been through enough of that. She needed to hear the facts and Sakuya could deliver them.

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[Oni Archives]

It was like when Tengu had struck her with that light and she was in that Heavenly place. She had taken one step toward the corridor, and it had transformed into something else, propelling her forward. Her journey had been before her eyes, but it felt the same to her body. Kasami and Kirinji walked out of Genichiro’s land together, shoulder to shoulder, and found themselves stumbling into a brightened arena. Kasami ended up face first into something warm, which very quickly blocked out the sun, and she recognized him instantly by something familiar- his smell. She was no dog, but she knew her lover when she smelled him, because she was always taking his hoodies and wearing them too. It was one of the few things he left her with when he was away. She didn’t move for a moment, sighing softly with relief. He finally pulled away to exclaim about the bumps, and then realized that it was them- but he seemed particularly focused on somebody standing with them. Just before he had pulled away she had closed the rinnegan to keep it out of the public view for now, and started to tie the ribbon around her head again.

The young woman turned her head slightly to look and what she saw caused her to open her eyes. Her mouth parted in surprise, though she covered it with a dainty hand. She had to be seeing things, right? ... Right?

Honestly, you couldn’t ask her why, and she’d just shrug if you did, but for whatever reason her reflex kicked in. Her fist shot out, nailing Sentou in the left shoulder if he didn’t block it. Either way- making contact would confirm it. It was really him. As soon as her fist made contact with his body, whether it be his shoulder or a hand blocking her way, Kasami’s eyes lit up and a beaming smile spread across her face. ”Sentou! You’re really here! I thought we’d never see you again!” She bounced slightly, and excitedly, on her toes as she took ahold of his shoulders and shook him. ”I’ve been wondering about you this whole time!” Ko captured her attention and her gaze shot over to him with her smile never wavering. Sentou was here. She took it as a good omen- fight or not. She nodded at his briefing of their situation and then looked around at the crowd for a moment. There was a lot of people, and she wondered where Genichiro was. There was no way he wouldn’t be watching.

If he wasn’t, it was kind of odd. But she couldn’t worry about that right now. She looked at her team. Ko was prepared, Kirinji was meditating from the looks of it, and now they had Sentou. She rolled her shoulders turned them slightly, and then shook her head. It just wouldn’t do. The haori was an amazing thing to wear leisurely but Kasami was not used to fighting with distractions on her person like that. If they needed to do this quickly- she’d have to lose it. There was a sigh that came from her before she shrugged the haori off and sat it, hopefully, out of the way, deciding if she ignored how exposed she was to these people it wouldn’t phase her. Why was it any different ? She walked around like this every day. Plus if she showed Ko it didn’t bother her, he wouldn’t worry about it either. Curves and flawless alabaster now free to move- she was ready. She returned shoulder to shoulder with them and faced the door.... prepared to protect them at all costs. She’d use the wood if she had to, but the Rinnegan was a last resort.​

 

[Oni Archives]

The rambunctious roaring of the crowd was deafening to Sentou, it had been quite some time since he had heard such an excited bunch, so long in fact it reminded him of his time traveling through the Land of Lightning and participating in one of their many festivals. He hadn’t a clue what made today of all days so special here in Naraka, but he for damn sure knew it wouldn’t be a spectacle he’d want to miss. During his moment of being disoriented from such loud sounds, he could feel the physical resistance of bumping into another, and a voice that accompanied said person. The eyes of Sentou would snap wide as he realized it was Ko, the voice and attitude definitely fit the bill. Before the young male would even have a moment to address Ko let alone display how he felt to finally be within the presence of familiar faces, he could hear his name being shouted out and as he began to turn there wasn’t any time to react to the emotional punch he’d receive to the shoulder by Kasami.

Ha- It really is you guys! W-wait...how’d you find me out so easily though?” Sentou asked in a disappointed manner, he was sure he had his notable features concealed by the cloth bestowed to him by the merchant at the tea shop. Was it his clothes or maybe even the posture he took when he stood? Nonetheless none of that would be important as the Lotus warrior felt the eyes of a stranger drawn upon him. Just who was he? Sentou took a moment to look the male over, noticing his blue hair but most importantly were those eyes...Eyes Sentou were all too familiar with. ”Who’s this guy? Eiji’s replacement? Don’t tell me he ran home or died on us..” Sentou spoke bitterly, upset to see Eiji wasn’t around. The time he had to bond with Kasami and Eiji both was short lived, however there was a non-verbal pact Sentou made when he woke up in the cellar with Hayato; he wasn’t going to allow anymore senseless deaths like Totsuka. However hoping to catch up on the need to know, Sentou would be brushed off as Ko gave what little synopsis he could about the matter at hand, none explained what happened to Eiji or why they were even at the Casino to begin with and in spite of that he would have to make due with what he was told. A disgruntled sigh left his lips, at least they were all together again, and despite what may have happened at the temple, Sentou was glad to see Ko was alive and well.

Taking a step forward to stand at the side of his comrades of old and new, Sentou would smirk from underneath his makeshift turban. Their goal was to quickly eliminate their opposition? No sweat, he’d been itching for a chance to punch someone or something since escaping into Kagetsuchi. Readying his mind for combat, Sentou would attempt to clear his mind of any negative or stressful thought. It was a new day, and there was something to strive for. Whether he knew it or not, this very fight was his best shot at getting to the king of Naraka itself, Izanagi.

​

 

[Oni Archives]

The Fight Begins!

It was a drug. Something that he had become addicted to, and without it he felt at loss of purpose. The excitement that rushed throughout his body felt like lightning zipping and vibrating against his synapses. Indeed not in tandem, for he resisted the urge to show his suffering of withdrawal. The very thing that kept him trapped and enslaved to a lifestyle of self-endangerment, only to be glorified momentarily for self benefit. It was a lesser drug taken in higher dosages in order to sustain, maintain, and wane him from what he considered a higher substance; war. These shorthand battles in which people volunteered or are thrown into were his hits to ease his tension. The rewards were meaningless. There was no sense of satisfaction when taking someone’s life. He had done it plenty times over, and since the very first time, that sense of accomplishment had been stolen. Almost as if the expectation of succession was ever lingering over him like a personal storm without the strike of lightning. There was just darkness. What brought the light, were the chants. The momentary acknowledgement from lowlifes with meaningless titles to fulfill their irrelevant egos. In a sense it was a partnership of a two-way give and take. For as they supplied the acknowledgement, he gave them happiness. These are the thoughts of a man who walked toward, while staring down a vertical line of illumination. The chants of the viewers now enhancing themselves over the arrival of the new contestants. This was minimal. For in actuality, it wasn’t anything that made him feel more at ease than the destination. The Pit, in which they call it was nothing more than a reenactment of how his predecessor came to be….how he came back to be. Nonetheless, if these opponents were demons, and this pit was a hole filled with malice; in context he was right at home. This was the true reason he was here. It came to realization at the face of the vertical illumination, in which with clarity had revealed itself to be the light that broke free between the separation of the doors that blocked him.

”And now for the- thei- thei-…”

Then it came. The flare of a massive presence to what seemed to be an indomitable presence. The presence of such ill intent in which would cause the weak willed to drop down. Overwhelming fear would subdue all who weren’t ready to face death. Of course, this was at its minimal. For even the announcer was interrupted, as fear was the source of the perspiration coming from his forehead and brow. As the same was it for many others. There was no more chatter unless coming from the four in which stood against him. The entire arena had been bound by suspense. What evil were kids supposed to face and overcome. Kids in their own right, for in the sense of Naraka, he himself was no more than a teenager..if that of a young adult. Three sounds made their way forward in a rhythmic pattern. Two of feet, and one of a wooden substance. The suspense only grew as a silhouette had formed out of the darkness, before revealing………..a bokken? A wooden sword followed by that of a demon. Those were the rumors. And, if those rumors were true, in which they were; the demon followed directly behind. That demon, had emerged to be nothing more than an old man using a bokken as a walking stick. In which the jaws of the crowd had dropped. Not in disappointment, for most knew, gods would never reveal their true forms amongst men. Is that what he considered himself to be a god? The answer was no. However, the likes of the human race are simple minded. For what they do not understand, they tie it to deities or that of religion. That rhythmic pattern continued as the eyes of the old man squinted from the light. He took visual of the four, even from what seemed to be so far away for him. He analyzed them. At this point with all the quiet, it was easy for them to analyze each other….to concentrate. ”Out of all my years of life, I have had many battles. Most of them have been very disappointing. I believe you four would show me otherwise. If not………..” Such an unexpectedly soothing tone from an old man with such a presence. But in a quick transition, almost as if the voice or mindset of the man himself was bipolar; a deep cold tone traversed the arena area, carrying the feeling of frost throughout the backs and body of all whom could hear and witness. ”I will kill you.”. He stopped moving on about 2 meters from the opposite edge of the arena. It was still very quiet, but even if he did not appear ready, he surely was.

 

[Oni Archives]

[sub]((Addressing: Sentou, Kirinji, Kasami))[/sub]

=When he was in ANBU...there was always this list of unspoken rules that they talked about all the time, joked about them - but life was funny. It was the kind of joke where you know...everyone's mouthing the laughs and playing the role as if its funny, but you understand if that situation were to happen...you're in it. Its expected of you. If someone's mask fell off and civilians or otherwise saw...they had to go. Period. No evidence left behind. Never lose your Bingo Book. Escort detail? You nominate a speaker - everyone else shuts up. Most of all - use the bathroom before we head out. Though among all of those one stood out the most to him, especially in this moment whence it came racing back like a bad ex that just got dumped last week. "First step protocol." It was the concept that there were actions and gestures that indicated intention or the begining of engagement. Most common being the first step. You can tell a lot about an encounter just within the first 3 seconds of its start. Any time that you were observing a target, or trying to deescalate a conflict. When the target makes that first step theres two things you should account. The first being was that step towards you - or away from. You can tell a lot about who you're dealing with from that. The second being - where did your first step go as a reaction. Seems simple right? No...no it never is really. Microaggressions. Details hidden underneath every little whimsicle nuance of an encounter. Ya think - whats so complex about two options? Either you step away, which means you arent prepared for this - though in ANBU it means a few things when someone isent prepared for something. You see an ally step back...well they just lost all their reliability. Thats someone waiting to leave you high and dry - at that point you might as well make plans for handling the fight with one man down already cause when shit hits the fan? They'll leave you...and if thats you? Well now you have an entirely different set of problems on your hand. Especially with those masked allies around you. Then there's forward - that was the most typical. It was what they try to enforce and tell everyone "No matter what - if we're contested at all, we all engage. Its a commitment. If one link in the chain is weak - its a risk for the entire chain, targets spot that out. Never step back - even if you werent sure. Step forward - everyone as one. We'll make sure you get back home alive when we cross that bridge.

...But then theres a third. And thats when it gets complicated...

Its that type of feeling that every shinobi that had an ounce of experience thought would never happen to them. Like most things - being a ninja has a honeymoon phase as well. That period where ya living the high life, you found your pace and cadence and now missions are just routine. You know how to do it, you know what you're doing and you know the stakes and at this point you've come home safe enough times that even if you say otherwise, that spot in your chest just assumes - it knows thats gonna be the result this time too. Not making it? Freezing up? No - thats something people talk about to scare rookies - and its something only the rookies do. Heh, thats never really the case at all is it? No no - rookies were lucky, the options are much more clear when you're a rookie. You dont have a gigantic block of "self-affirmation" press firm to your back to block your way when you want to retreat - no. Rookies were far more predictable. It was either run away, or stand and fight. No inbetween. But when you're seasoned - and you're in the honeymoon phase, and everything in your life has been going right? You try to run away when faced with a threat or feeling that puts you at unease - that takes you to a place in all your experience you never knew existed, and suddenly all of that self-affirmation that'd been keeping you rolling forward all this time, becomes the anchor keeping you tight in the ground when you want to step back for the first time. Its that third option on the inbetween. Freezing up. Ko couldnt explain it - but for some reason with the first step of this old man thats exactly what he did. It was like as his body came forward and his foot went down so with it did a heavy weight - a realization. There was something in the back of his mind firing off - making his brain burn like an overheating radiator. His ankle clenched - and for a minute he grit his teeth as if he was expecting something from the first foot step, but then nothing came. Ko's teeth clinched as he grit them in anger - not with the opponent but the realization of his own hesitance. Soon - the air around Ko started to get hotter and hotter as he stood there and suddenly he could feel it, this blaringly hot stare that he was giving the man before them - focusing his anger not at him, but through him; his body - his countenance, his existance, it was just the scapegoat that he was filtering it through at this point. There was that brief silence and then suddenly Ko held his hand out and to it seemed to burn some object. It was odd - watching what looked like something burning away into ash but it was the opposite effect, it was burning into physical personification not away - and soon in his hand he held his skateboard.=

"Fuck it. Dive in."

=He said as he huffed and in typical Ko fashion - shook the uncertainty and hesitation off of himself and jumped straight into the fray. His body was crackling - no literally, there was heat and vermillion sparks running off his body as he dashed forward - then soon he took into the sky with skateboard being placed under his feet, holding it there as he started to lean forward into a frontflip while high up in the air. He flipped and flipped and seemed to spin in a manner faster and wilder then the momentum that he picked up till soon he became a gigantic spiraling fireball. RABODAAN!, one of Ko's signature techniques called out as the fireball now came plummeting down towards Oda's crown, threatening to smash him a'top of the head with great velocity and and explosion of fire chakra. Had he struck the man not only would there be mass impact and burns but the fireball would explode up into the air on impact like a grenade. Leaving Ko - on his skateboard there a'top of the man's head=

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((Addressing: Hitoko))

=After a while of letting things heal away and time passing. The procedure would have been done. Removing the remains of the child from the womb and placenta were...not an easy feat and by far not the most pleasant thing to undergo - but with the help of Sakuya and the medical team, as well as the healing waters they would have been able to pull through for her. The medical team did typical probing, tests and checks - making sure that she was physically sound. But they werent checking the things that they needed to - no. In their mind, they worked for Genichiro, and even they didnt know Genichiro to a very good extent - so they went with what was on the surface - and as far as they were concerned on the surface Genichiro wanted his wife in tip top condition. Sakuya got them out of the room, she was sick of seeing how they acted as if she was nothing but a tool, an item, maintenance done on her just so she can be put back into production. She knew that the thing they needed to be checking and working on healing was not her body, but her heart and soul. Sakuya set her legs around the surgical table, which was now lowered enough that her feet could touch the ground and she cupped both the woman's cheeks in her hands looking straight in her eyes: "I need you to tell me. Are you okay? Can you move your legs? I-....*she stumbled on words, she knew none were good enough, and this girl...she wanted to hear all the painful ones.** I-...I'm truly sorry... for your loss, truly. And I bless your heart, so that it may heal and sooth the fragment of your soul. But - I need to get you away from this place. Much pain has befallen you here, much pain befalls those who linger here, and if we do not leave - much pain could very well still befall you. I'am a friend of your lover. A comrade rather. And as long as you live - you both still have each other. With this loss, thats what you both need, each other. Getting away from here is the best thing for both of you.". =That being said, she kept the woman's face gently cupped there between both her warm palms. She nodded her head - and maintained strong eye contact as she broke the news to her, trying to make sure that she at least tethered her world to her eyes..such uprooting news could send one reeling - so Sakuya kept their eyes tied almost as if they themselves were lovers and made sure she kept looking at her to drown out the horror - give something to focus on. But soon, she would start to try and stand up - get away from the place. She wouldnt move any faster then Hitoko could - and if she informed her that she could not move? She would not move her and remain with her. But if she could, Sakuya would start to stand slowly - keeping eye contact the whole time and only releasing her cheeks once she was moving and coming along with her and she felt she could let her move on her own. Once they got to that point - she would turn to the door and begin to step out into the hallway. Motioning and making way down the erie pathway that she'd not too long ago been snatched while walking through herself. But as it had before - the hallway wound around in a slight curve...and as they would have been moving down the hall she could make out a foot....then hand - then half the image slowly peeling into a more discerning one in the red tinged light. She could see the image of a man - standing there, head tilted as he watched from a bit down the hall:



=There he stood...a man of silver hair - simply standing, watching and waiting. The moment that Sakuya came around the corner his eyes scanned her - moving from her over to the woman that would have been with her. Her appearance...yeah - she had to have been the one that the visions lead him to. How did he get here though? How did he know? How did he find them and so quick. Before - he had been talking to the Sozo who'd slipped the veil and ended up here in Naraka but now, he was here all a sudden? Something had been calling to him - drawing him near...he could see images of a gigantic bird. It had flown here - bringing with it tides of salvation, another much like him that had seen it....felt it:

"You too - know great loss. Its a pain that sickens you. To your very soul. Rotting the foundations of your heart with the type of dark necrosis that'll leave your heart tumbling through your body into that black abyss we call despair.

It's a sickening poison - for those like me and you. But I have a solution. You - I've seen you in the visions. Come with me. This is unfair to you...it should have never happened. Come with me - and we can get your baby back. We can make it so that it never happened."

=He beckoned her to come down the hall to him, talking straight to Hitoko as if the candy haired Amazonian between them was a non-existent thing of the past. He was playing off grief...that was sick...but a powerful tool none the less - and in many cases before this one it had been enough to work on many a man and woman before. In fact - that was what the cycle of pain was all about. Pain is inflicted and grief perpetuates that pain. It was a cycle that all were prone to till one day the only thing you can do is cause more pain to numb your own down - and so the cycle begins anew. The question stood to answer - was he honestly playing at grief or maybe...just maybe. He actually believed it. Obviously whatever happened back in that village had lead him to believe this masked boy that had spoken honeyed words into his ear. Promises were made...and where as no one truly knew what was shown to the man or what had been done to him...something had happened that had convinced him to have faith in his power. It was a very real possibility that he was following him because he truly believed that the words he spoke to the woman in her time of need...but was it also a very real possibility...that this could happen? Crazier things had transpired in Naraka - was it a possibility worth forsaking? Sakuya strolled around staring at the man in a matter of fact "How dare you" kind of way - causing the man to lower his hand and tilt his head back looking to her in silence, yet his body language was not at all threatened. In fact it was the kind of stance that someone took when they did not at all - see someone as even a remote threat. Could his be a fight that Sakuya did not want to get into? Was this a fight that she had no right to? The decision after all was Hitoko's and what if she wanted to make it? Would Sakuya stand between her chance to have their child back? All for the sake of her own dogma and the disbelief that such a thing was possible? This was the kind of thing that Ai had spoken off long before. Self-assured leaders. To one that thought that knew everything, they could say that this golden ticket was impossible and an obvious trap. But - could you imagine the magnitude of the upset if...it wasn't? Abd the opportunity for her to hold her darling little baby in their arms was passed up...because someone was too afraid to take a leap of faith. As he stood in the hallway he not only stood as a possible threat, an ominous aberration of the human thought pattern, but stood as an antithesis to all that they held certain. The statute of possibilities. If it wasn't one thing it was another - but this man...was certainly unnerving for reasons that as hard to place as they were...definitely prompted attention.=​

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[Oni Archives]

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It always found a way back to him, one way or another, whether it was in this life or the next, it always came back. It didn’t matter where he was, who he was with, or even what state he was in. Absolutely no consideration whatsoever. It was going to show up like clockwork and he was long overdue for it. Years had passed and he had escaped it for the most part, but nonetheless, it arrived all the same. And this time it was at his footsteps. Conflict, combat—war. It was all he knew. He was born in it, molded by it, and even indulged in it before he tried to break up with it. Perhaps it was destiny to forever be a part of a war or some conflict. Destined to be haunted by the ghost he had killed and even the ghost that hid in the shadows. Never being able to not look over his shoulder to just settle down and relax. The life of a shinobi. His hands balled up into fist as he stood there next to the others with his eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed, and his eyelids slightly twitching. It was clear whatever he was trying to do wasn't happening. His meditation had become infected, whether it be his emotions being all out of whack due to what he had just experienced or the reality of the situation he was in settling in. Every time he whispered his little mantra to himself, another voice echoed back in response. The more he tried to ignore it the louder it became. It was as if a virus had been uploaded to a code and sent the whole code spiraling down. The voice that responded—it wasn’t his. ”Feel it course through you...hatred.” his eyelids twitched as he pictured the green-haired man. He tried to ignore it, but it remained futile. He didn’t want to give in to the hate. He didn’t want to be that person anymore. He took a deep breath in and held the air in his lungs as more words whispered back to him. ”Your power - is in hate.” Those were the last set of words he’d hear as they faded away into the abyss of his consciousness. Meanwhile, his eyes slowly opened as Oda stepped out of the darkness—quick to notice the bokken. A swordsman he thought to himself. Simultaneously he let go of the breath he held and from it originating the sound of a blade unsheathing, piercing the silence. While the opponent revealed himself, Kirinji revealed his newly found crimson optics, the Mangekyō. Perhaps it was truly time he gave in. Gave in to the hate that Kami no Shi spoke of.

As the opponent stepped onto the polished marble floor along came the presence of an indomitable shinobi. No, calling him a shinobi would do the man injustice. This was the presence of a warrior who had been tried and tested. A man who had been broken only to be built up again. However, Kirinji was not one that would fall subject to such fear just as the spectators had and he made sure to not let his teammates either. ”Do not let his presence invoke fear in you,” he whispered to the others surrounding him. ”Stay strong and know that you are not alone, but have the support of three others with you who are watching your back. Acknowledge that and let it bring you to ease.” The unexpectedly soothing tone of the old man contradicted his presence and his appearance, as Kirinji could pick up on the physique of the man. The latter part of his sentence along with the tone change made much more sense. Nonetheless, Kirinji adamantly stood his ground unphased by the opponent. He too had seen many battles. He too had seen much death. It was the cyclical life of the Shinobi. Death didn’t bother Kirinji.

Ko was the first to spring into action, Kirinji meanwhile observed him lunge forward as he was deciding what he could do to assist him. Perception granted by his crimson optics allowed him to predict the man’s movement and predict where and what he was going to do. Not only that, but he could even see the chakra within his body changing to a frequency that resonated most with fire chakra. From this, he was able to formulate a plan that would begin what would serve as an initiation to combat. As Ko took off into the sky, Kirinji spread out his feet so he was in a lower based and he placed his hands onto the cobblestone. ”Spread out. Kasami get ready to add wood and Sentou prepare some wind for the aftermath.” He spoke quickly and by the time Ko in the air spinning into a fireball Kirinji’s hands had been stuck into the ground. The very earth beneath the opponent, about a twenty feet radius, would upheave and come loose as a column of earth would climb upwards toward the fireball. The initial crack setting the Old Man off balance if he was not prepared. The spectators roared in amusement as the fight had begun. They were anxious to see a great fight in the Pit. And a great fight is what they’ll get.

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[Oni Archives]

~Hitoko Okami-Uchiha~

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Mismatched, dull eyes watched the medical team pile out of the room, leaving only the beauty with candyfloss coloured hair. For a minute, Hitoko observed her moving, curving her legs around the table - She wasn't watching because she didn't trust her, it's just that she didn't know what else to do. Since she started crying, she couldn't focus on movement and hadn't even tried. She just wanted to bawl her eyes out, but where was she supposed to look if not at Sakuya? However, unexpectedly, Sakuya cupped Hito's cheeks. It was such a small action but the warmth and care of those hands had made this messy ball melt and her heart fluttered. But no, this wasn't the lovey-dovey kind of heart flutter, this was Hitoko's heart opening to Sakuya, a woman she had known for a short period of time. But Hitoko didn't want this woman to leave. Ever.

Before she knew it, the warmth on her cheeks had distracted her from the tears and they'd already begun to dry on her cheeks while she was fixated on Sakuya's eyes. "I need you to tell me" The words from the woman made Hito flinch for a moment. 'Tell her? Tell her what? What does she want to know?' but all Sakuya wanted to know wasn't something complex, it was if Hitoko was okay and this just made the white-haired woman cry. She hadn't thought about if she was okay this entire time. Instead, the only things on her mind were her husband and their now, dead child. She thought about what would happen if Kirinji had known. Would he leave her? Divorce her and pack his bags, never to return because she couldn't protect their child? Would he stay on purpose and just blatantly show his hatred for her every day of their lives and make her miserable...? Of course not...Kirinji, though he could be bathed in the blood of strangers he had just killed for whatever reason, he would always return to Hitoko. That's how it had always been, even if it was 'just a job' in the beginning. The two always found each other on purpose or...by complete accident. Hitoko had indeed made a mistake and the cost was their unborns life, but Kiri wasn't the kind of person to make Hito suffer for that, he'd more than likely tell her that it wasn't her fault. So when Sakuya asked her if she was okay...the tears streamed but she gave the woman a goofy smile "I'm not sure if I'm perfectly okay, but I can be, right? Maybe not right away but as you said...I still have the love of my life and I know that staying with him...I'll be okay. Besides, I have you too, don't I?" Hitoko's goofy grin didn't disappear as she lifted her arms with only a slight tremble and rested her hands over Sakuya's "I can wriggle my toes really well and my ankles can roll as usual too so it shouldn't be too hard to stand and walk, you just might have to give me a hand for a few but - Let's get the hell outta here."


It took a few minutes for Hitoko to be able to stand and move on her own, but as they drew closer to the door Hitoko let out a small giggle for a second at a thought that she had. "You know, this would be a great time for a cigarette. I started when I was about 18, something to keep me busy and take my mind off of my husband that would leave for long periods of time, come back to me for short periods and then leave again. When he found out, he'd pop up out of nowhere the moment I lit a cigarette - almost as if he could sense it and he'd say; "You know these are bad for your health, right?" and stare me out until I'd put the cigarette out, but between us, his constant popping up from thin air and making me jump was worse for my health." She laughed as they walked through the corridor as a slow and steady pace that Hito could manage for now, but continued her little story of the fantastic memories she had "However, it got a lot worse. By the time I was almost 20 he stopped telling me they were bad for me and instead took matters into his own hands. It started with snatching the cigarette from my mouth and throwing it away, then it escalated to pouring buckets of water over my head the moment I lit one and at one point he even grabbed a fire extinguisher and covered me in the foam...I'd reached my breaking point and finally just stopped but he secretly seemed pretty proud of himself while I was just super angry for the longest time and now...looking back on our little games like that, they're hilarious. I'd like to have more times like that." Hitoko's lips bore a half-smile, but her eyes slightly drooped as if she was expecting everything to drastically change now because of this event.

Unlike usual, while Sakuya noticed a figure, Hito's instincts didn't warn her about the man. She only noticed him when she lifted her head to see him and by that point, the man was looking at her, opening his mouth to speak to her. Hitoko didn't back away, she just stopped in her tracks with a slightly tilted head. It was obvious her senses and usual abilities weren't working just yet, but this would be down to Hitoko, not lack of medical care. The words the man spoke made Hitoko flinch and her body screamed at her to step back but she couldn't. His words were spot on and it was as if this man was compelling Hitoko. Seeing his hand outstretched, hearing his words...Hitoko was so taken with wanting her child back that she walked forward, very slowly, her own arm lifting to reach out to that hand. Oh, how this woman yearned for her child. She knew it was gone, but she wanted it back. She wanted to hold her child and love it. But something inside of her just clicked in place and she gave this stranger a soft smile, her hand lowering back to her side and her legs pinning her in place "It would be fantastic...beyond fantastic to have my child back. But my baby is dead. Gone. How would you grant me the life of that same child? How could you? You lost something that you want back too, right? I hope you get it back...But even if I believed wholeheartedly that you could return my baby to me, I couldn't accept that hand. Heavens knows what my husband would think of me." Hitoko slid back slightly, rejoining Sakuya. If allowed to, Hitoko would grab Sakuya's hand gently and smile "I belong in the medical field. There's a lot that I've seen and a lot that I've done, things that could be impossible are possible, but there's no saying that if my child was given life and handed back to me that they would be the same. Would they grow up to be a normal child or will they be filled with something dark and twisted because of a selfish decision that I, their mother, had made? Both options are as equally selfish to the child and to their father, such a literal life or death decision is unorthodox to make for me. Does that make sense? So even if you can bring my child back, I don't want you to. However, that offer means the world to me. The hatred and darkness in my heart even feel a little lighter thanks to you. Thanks to you giving me the choice." It was obvious by the slightly returning light behind her dull, mismatched eyes that Hitoko wasn't lying to the man. Her heart felt lighter because this man just opened up a path for her to make a decision that Kirinji, Sakuya, her clansmen...none of them could give her that choice and she was grateful. But the white-haired woman with ever so slightly messy hair and a small tremble in her legs from standing for so long when she had only recovered a little while ago had decided to stay with Sakuya. The one who not only saved her life but had the nerve to stay with Hitoko and answer the painful questions she had been asked with the utmost truth. Sakuya didn't have to do any of this for Hitoko, she could have done what the other medics did and just healed her on the outside, perhaps she could have even neglected her, lie to her, made her help herself...but she didn't. Hitoko was attached to this pink-haired beauty in such a short, but meaningful time together and so...they both waited to see what this man did next even though Hito just wanted to sit down and see her husband as quickly as possible.



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[Oni Archives]

Kasami was ready. She had already prepped herself mentally to be on display to all these people, in what she thought to be a fight for her life. She was unsure of these kinds of things. In fact- among the four of them standing there, she was the most inexperienced. Book smarts could only get her so far, and if she had felt out of her element before when they’d come into the casino and met Genichiro, she might as well be drowning now. The irony of that...

Kasami stayed as close to her teammates as she could without outright rubbing up against them, her eyes darting all over the place around the crowd to see if he was there. Surely Kami wouldn’t put them into the Pitt and not intend to watch? That would be rather odd... or maybe he didn’t care. He saw fights all the time. There was nothing special about them compared to most of what could be found here. Or maybe... Her gaze swept across to Kirinji to watch him quietly. After what had happened, she’d been concerned about him listening to Kami’s words. That there was power in hate. It was true- there was, but there was power in love and happiness too. There was power in hope and desire. How much more powerful could hate be than all of those things combined? She wished could tell him it wasn’t. Hate made people lonely. It made them resentful and careless. When there’s everything to lose it makes people careful, and when there’s everyone to protect it makes them motivated. Their drive is stronger than anything hate could ever do for them. At least that’s what she’d like to believe, so she could save him if he lost sight of that, but she knew that there was so much power in hate too.

After a moment’s thought she realized that she was staring at him, and he hadn’t yet opened his eyes, so it was a moment she’d gladly keep to herself. When she looked away the announcer was beginning to, go figure, announce the arrival of their opponent. His reaction though, and the silence that swept across the arena spectator’s, turned her stomach before she even saw him. An opponent so fearsome, with such a commanding presence that even the onlookers felt the fear. It reminded her of someone she tried to forget. Often times when she thought of him, or felt fear, she could feel a chill in the air around her and a heat spreading in the very core of her chest. It was the most uncomfortable feeling she’d ever experienced. An indescribable foreign energy coursing through her, all branching out from the center of her being like liquid lightning. She saw his face every time. It haunted her. So as what stood before her may have been the Oda lord- what she saw was her one and only nightmare of Naraka. Mikaboshi.

It took several blinks and her companion’s words to pull her from the stricken stupor she was in, and when she was she realized that she was breathing rather quickly. Panic had started to settle into her bones, and her gaze was practically pleading as she looked at Kirinji. Part of her wanted to back out, and then she remembered Hitoko. How despaired and shocked Kiri had seemed when he’d seen her. His words registered, and in the same tick of a second she remembered what this fight meant for them. Her freedom, their passage. There was no time for fear. There was no time to indulge the throbbing reminder of her eye of who she feared the most.

With clarity now, she looked at the Oda lord as he regarded them and shifted to prepare for the attack. Kirinji had given her instructions and she intended to execute them perfectly. But she had to think- all he said was wood, which she hadn’t necessarily wanted to use but in this instant it’d be advantageous to keep their opponent from avoiding Ko’s attack. Even Kiri was trying to force him into its direction. A split second decision was made, as three hand seals were formed and she crouched down to strike the ground.

Wood Style: Sun Sector Entrapment

A ring of plank style wood on the outside radius of the moving earth rose from the ground, and etched into the wood was a seal. This seal was functionally what may keep their opponent still to receive the attack. It drew chakra from the target in in order to immobilize them. There were five of these seals on the inside panels of this ring, each spaced out evenly like the points of a perfectly drawn star. This ring of wood and the earth were timed in unison, just as Ko’s attack was coming down, and made for the most synergy they’d had as a team since they’d all banded together. It actually gave Kasami a bit of pride that they could so easily work together with so little communication, but whether their results would be what they hoped for remained to be seen.​

 

[Oni Archives]

Sentou hadn’t the slightest clue as to what they were fighting for, but had anyone felt the need to tell him he probably wouldn’t have listened anyway. The young Kenzai enjoyed a fight and it just so happened to be that the nineteen year old was looking for some payback from all the hell he had endured since arriving in Naraka; from the time back in the forest with the ugly oni, to the temple where Daikouten thought it’d be cute to pit Ko against them all, last but not least, how could he forest his experience being pursued by Hayato? He refused to sit idly and allow the jaws of Naraka to chew him up and swallow him in its peril, hell no, he was going to bury his heels and stick his ground through the end! He didn’t fear death not because he was a fool, no, death just wasn’t an option to him. He had endured the brutal tutelage of Totsuka and survived a crushing defeat from the likes of Eien, and beyond all that had a promise to uphold once he returned home. By any means necessary he would survive, even if he had to go far as to resort to pulling hair, gouging eyes, or deliberately killing to ensure it so be it -- death was not in the equation. Strengthening his resolve invigorated him, eyes burning passionately as he closed his heart to the task at hand.

It was the abrupt silence of the crowd that would alert Sentou that something akin to a beast was making its approach; the announcer visibly shook as he stammered among his words speaking as an average individual coming face to face with a bear. Not allowing himself to allow the fear written upon the announcer’s face to throw him off, Sentou couldn’t help but feel the hairs on the back of his neck slowly rise to such a tremendous amount of killing intent drawn in their direction; his teeth grit to the sound of their opponent’s approach, he was beginning to regret the thought of jumping on ship without context. One would argue or even laugh at the idea of being scared of an old man let alone wielding a stick, but there was no denying the fact that someone of a high calibur, that could only be comparable of that of legendary, had made their grand entry, such malicious intent made his head fuzzy when he tried to detect the chakra of their foe - it was unfathomable to say the least, he was surely in the same league as Hayato or perhaps that Ai chick from before. The whispers of his new ally, Kirinji, encouraging the group as a whole to not falter to fear was enlightening, after all, there were four of them and only one of him right? As safe as it was to assume such, he’d be a fool to rush in dependent on numbers alone. He vaguely remembered Totsuka telling him about the advantages and disadvantages numbers posed as a whole, besides the obvious advantage of outnumbering a target, one disadvantage would be the lack of coordination; one mistimed jutsu or sequence of attacks could backfire entirely against your favor, or something along the lines. All that meant was to give it his all and solely put his faith in the others, he did it before with Kasami and Eiji, what made now different?

As Ko extended his arm out to summon his skateboard, Kiriniji would ask Sentou to prepare some wind for the aftermath, did he have a plan? And how did he know he was a wind user? Neither thoughts were important as Ko declared they dive in, erupting into a torrent of flames as he sped towards their enemy. With no time to talk there was no hesitation in the unification of the three in the back, as Kirinji and Kasami proceeded to act with their use of jutsu, Sentou would promptly add in as well. He wasn’t the fastest weaver in the world, however Sentou’s knowledge of each seal and the muscle memory of performing one after the other with efficiency would prove best in his favor. The moment that Sentou would form the Bird seal and begin molding his chakra to correspond with the attribute of Wind would be the moment that Ko took the skies in a blaze of glory and once he began to spin rapidly in the air the lotus warrior would finish with Hare, Horse, and Ram respectively and fulfill the requirements necessary to cast his ninjutsu. Had the unison raid of Kirinji upheaving the floor beneath the Oda lord and Kasami’s sealing jutsu succeed in forcing their adversary directly into the path of Ko’s impending fireball, Sentou would expel his chakra from his body in the form of a massive torrent of wind.

”Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!”

A massive force of concentrated wind discharged from Sentou’s body using the exerted chakra as a means to manipulate the flux of air within the Pit. Initially trained as a member of the Lotus Society, Sentou was primarily a Taijutsu fighter through and through, however having trained with the likes of Totsuka the Lotus warrior in training picked up a small arsenal of Ninjutsu from the late Uchiha; an arsenal so small in fact he could count them on one hand. Totsuka always told Sentou not to fear the man with 1,000 techniques, but to fear a man who practiced a few 1,000 times. The resulting explosion of air was comparable to that of a fierce hurricane as the wind whipped violently, not only did it’s forceful travel blow through the audience and the arena, but also created a wind tunnel effect that would increase the lethality of Ko’s Rabodaan; by feeding the already impressive sphere of flames with more oxygen, the wind would add with the projectile amplifying its size and increasing the speed of its trajectory giving its impact more momentum before ultimately exploding on contact with the added effects of the rapid expulsion of wind carrying the blaze and combining into that of an epic tornado of flames. Whether or not the collision was successful or not in incapacitating their target, Sentou would remain alert, not only for his own sake, but for those around him as well as he released the Ram seal and slowly lowered his arms back to his side; the gentle sound of the fabric covering his face fluttering back into place was all he heard as the wind starting to die down.

​

 

[Oni Archives]

We are all gauged by a capacity determined by visuals that showcase our skills. In other words, we all have potential. From their first impression, their caution was the cause of the limiter set for them to not reach near the cap of that potential. In actuality, the shelf should never be met, but the small dosage of fear had already been successful. For in the sense of making a choice for succession, the choice that was made was not bad, but below average. To think, the downfall of the collaboration started with the very thing that made it up; the instruction. The irony is that all that was needed was just that, they needed to think. Without any prior information, it was the logical move to have a plan in which utilized techniques in tandem to gain information on your opponent. How would they react? What elements do they have? Are they durable? What is their speed? What weapons do they utilize? These things and more were probably what they were going for. Instead, they gave him all those answers and more. He took visual on personality, elemental usage, and the most important thing….movement. They barely moved at all. His response to the onslaught? Well in a similar fashion to the assaulting team, he had choices. He could’ve manipulated the propulsion from the raising rock. He could’ve flicked a seal and reduces the ninjutsu to nothingness. Hell, he could’ve rushed them, but there was something about about his decision that intrigued himself more than anything. Hierarchy. The sister word to “power”. Just where did they stand? Where did he stand? Far higher on the spectrum than that of what seemed to be infants to this thing we call battle. Oda showed it with his comfortability, as an eerie feeling in which brought an astonishing gloom within the area. That feeling radiating from a source carried by familiar rhythm….the sound of the bokken tapping against the ground. It was clear their efforts resulted in brief failure, but only for them to be rewarded by the harshness of his voice in which went in tandem with the rhythmic taps. There he stood walking from behind the stone column as the crowd cheered. They were now an annoyance, as how easily pleased they were by whatever was thrown out. The rhythm was in tandem with his words, and the words were in tandem with an unexplainable force that came in layers.

”Your first impressions were not impressive.”

The first wave, came from above. As if a shape of exponential weight had dropped on all of them. It would force them to squat in reaction to crushing weight that would be brought upon the cranium. The wave strong enough to completely crush through the wood and break down the column, after slamming the airborne boy onto it. But in a similar sense, the second wave would double the existing weight, causing the opponents bodies to fold inwards before being crushed like cans under a foot. The entire arena was not excluded. Everything under the giant lights would fall prey. The arena would break and crack, and even the crowd would suffer the same fate had they not held enough strength to withstand such an attack. The only exception, was a 5ft radius around the creator himself. As if a giant foot fell upon ants, Oda utilized the Giant Buddha Foot Technique. Out of all questions the only one to fit the situation was “how”. As the fire spirited kid began his attack, Oda was ready for confrontation. In his mind, fighting against such spirited kids could become tiresome for him. Especially since his hinderance. There were many ways of exploiting the technique, but the most efficient would be subtle. That’s when it happened, the key to his escape was presented to him by creation of the collaboration. The column that was to be raised, was predicted by the motion of the body. A person seasoned by battle would easily be able to recognize and point out the most basic of earth style ninjutsu. In which would also hinder their perception by the aid of the wooden prison to keep him in. Before the complete creation, Oda has slipped into the column, and out of it by means of the Release of Impure World Restrictions Technique. In a similar way to how souls within a spiritual realm do not abide by the physical restraints of our world, by surrounding himself with such chakra he is able to mimic ghostly attributes. This could have easily been seen by the sharingan user, but mistakenly his attention and gifted sight was wasted analyzing a peer. Thus, the subtle change in chakra could’ve gone overlooked, unless the boy was cross-eyed. Even if he wasn’t, such eyes were useless here. There was nothing perception or genjutsu could do. As Oda is capable of achieving all things if he will it.

But that feeling of pressure had come quick. Almost as he re-materialized from the column. It was true….Oda was terrible at controlling his chakra at long ranges. This had made him a close-combat fighter, but it did not hinder his creativity to long range techniques. He was not capable of making large follow their target. But…..in an enclosed space, with a medium to help spread his energy, he could rule. He could utilize the sound that came from the bokken as it tapped against the floor to spread his energy amongst the arena. Thus, utilizing the crowd roar in which they created to blanket such a small sound. What would be taken visual by the doujutsu user would be waves of chakra before feeling the force after the first one. Everyone fell prey, but for only two seconds. As in a similar manner to a step, it would not last long. He could not sustain it, but still waited eager to see the outcome, as smoke and debris filled the arena. Would the team be crushed, or would they overcome this obstacle.

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[Oni Archives]

((Addressing: Hitoko))

"The world only makes sense."
"When you force it to."

=There in the moment that he looked there upon the woman, he saw the way that she started to approach him and in that moment passed gaze to Sakuya whom only looked back with concern for her - and contempt for him. There was something about the man that she just felt entirely wrong about but she couldnt quite place it at all. Though there was something to be observed here in the middle of this as it was happening and that was understanding the fact that even if Sakuya felt off about the man and the decision he was posing to her - she still only watched, allowing her (in this moment moving forward seeming to approve) make her own decision either way...it was something that she could not do for her especially in light of all that had happened...she understood why she would chose such a thing if she had - she probably would too, and here in Naraka...you never know what is possible. But then there was the moment that the woman lowered her hand and declined his offer, giving several different reasons as to her decision on the matter. Hatake's head tilted to the side in question at this. She went down her entire talk about her reasoning for it - but the pure shock of seeing a mother that would decline such a thing almost had him shellshocked, garbled semblances of words and speech patterned as if underwater encapsulated in a tank made of confusion glass. Then there came the words - well, the set of words that really took him there. "What would my husband think?" "Even if you can bring my child back. I dont want you to." "Thank you for giving me a decision." his mind spiraled and it was apparent why he even bothered to offer her such a thing in the first place. He felt a semblance of himself with the woman in question and her situation. She'd lost her child, and he - had lost his as well as his wife. But then the fact that she said these words made it blatantly clear to him what the difference in the two were. She'd not given birth yet. She'd not held her child in her arms, felt the warmth of their skin, let the echo of their smile as they look up to you preserve and hold you through the day. The sun to her day had not yet risen....she'd not yet been truly left in darkness. When having a child and watching them you always think a few things. One of them was: "I dont know what I would do if I ever had to see them in pain." and that was one thing....see them murdered...thats leagues above. She'd not suffered the way that he had just yet - thats what he rationalized about the scenario and decision. His neck rolled, a psychological tick when the synapses in the back of his brain were firing off at a thousand miles per hour. What he saw in front of him..was still a semblance of perhaps another instance of himself...or similarity of the thing that he had gone through - but for him? This wasnt just a parallel to his own issues...this was a version of himself in his life's trial that was not willing to do anything and everything to right the wrong that had happened. She wasnt willing to dig her hands into old world ash and drag out the why of it. Her reasons.....excuses....her logic - pestilence...or maybe he just wasnt able to let go of the past. Maybe it hurt him far too bad. She still had her husband. He had no one. The circumstance of her loss was one that she could right, one that they could stand together and fight against. Everyone stood against him in his. Maybe he just was not able to accept that anyone could look deep into that abyss....and come out with themselves intact. He would not consider that...he couldnt - he was too deep in it now. The next words from his lips were spoken in a hushed tone of pain and resentment, as if scolding the girl:

"Your husband. You mean Kirinji Uchiha? A man from a clan thats been killing their way to every solution they could ever think of since the invention of the wheel? You think he wouldnt have what it takes to do everything in his power to save his child? Damn the morals and sanctimony. . . . so be it."



=With that being said the man pulled a pill from the cloak that he had been wearing - and as she did so he looked over at the two of them before popping it in his mouth and subsequently chewing and swallowing the small thing. The way that he looked at them was as if this was going to mean something for them - not in a manner as if he looked for them to understand what it would mean but in the manner that he would know...that there was a particular intention behind it. As he did this he would inhale deeply - almost as if to release stress or something of the sort and the moment that he did such with his eyes closed almost as if in meditative state - and the moment that he opened his eyes the hall way became illuminated. There was bright lights leaving his eyes...no - leaving his body. The right side was bright red and the left side was a ghostly blue - anyone with or without sensory ability could see that there was great power leaving his body - resembling to that of a Jinchuriki. In fact - by the time that he had started to inhale, Sakuya had sensed something. Something very familiar to her and it caused her to immediately grab Hitoko and lift her up into her arms. The woman was strong - naturally so from her fit physique and stature so lifting her up into her arms was no consequence what so ever. As she did such a deep blue lightning started to spark off her body as she started to activate a gift from Kiyoshi that she had made her own; action potential.: "Hold on!" and as she said this the woman bolted off in a sound kin to a gunshot. As she did such Hatake formed a handseal at his chest and muttered a phrase: "Chi Hadou: Rampart" and as he said this a gigantic spiral of Hadou Of Life and Black Hadou emitted from his being much like a blast fired from a Bijuu's mouth - however this consisted of spiraling colors and mass amounts of destruction. Even the pocket dimension that the branching hallway that linked all the rooms of the casino couldnt completely hold the power - it buckled and warped as the blast chased the two down the hallway. Sakuya was fast, but this blast seemed to be almost sentient in itself. Chasing them of its own accord as if it desired something from them. Sakuya raced away at blinding speeds - gritting her teeth as she tried to outrun the blast with all she had but it seemed like the gap between them both just remained the same. Her eyes started to dart about looking for a door or some escape, at this rate...they'd just have to pick one and hgo with it - hoping it lead them to safety, although as it stands - anywhere but here right now would more then likely be more safe.=

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((Addressing: Kirinji, Kasami, Sentou, Oda.))



=He was spiraling through the air at immense speed. But as he did such suddenly there was something that for the first time during this attack stopped Ko completely. The pressure that struck him from above. Before he knew it - he was knocked from the spiraling ball with a harsh blow to the back that immediately took the momentum he was spinning out of him - which arguably hurt his body more then the impact itself actually did. Before he knew it he was passing Sentou's azure scarf as he jackknifed down into the pillar and started to cover his head with his forearms as he did such. However the impact that he was preparing for was not what he was met with - as he was struck with another that further propelled him and drove him to the unforgiving ground below with a loud crash. The debris and dust from the pillar's destruction at the hands of the now human projectile blanketed the area.Silence befell the arena at that point - save for of course the pained reactions from those of his team that would have fallen victim to just such a thing as well. There was a moment of brief pause as this happened in which Ko would have been seemingly getting his bearings back. Getting struck by such an attack in the middle of such momentum took some shaking off. . . or did it? Ko didnt get how the man managed to move in the way that he did. Perhaps if he had taken the time to observe before attacking then he could - however luckily for Ko he wasnt just a one man team when he was in combat. What he did not understand, there was a much older, much wiser entity with him that would understand clearly. Suddenly from behind Oda - like a book to be slammed shut hands came from both sides with the intention of boxing his ear drums. At first - not a sense of physical matter disturbing the air, no cut of the wind from motion, not even chakra or a life force till the very moments before the would be impact. Visually the boy was not even fully visible, translucent as he was as if he was coming into materialization there in the moment. Could this be "Ikkigai?" All that time at Takatane village had this been what he was training to do? Use Ikkigaki on a level that he could initiate it mid combat? Or was it perhaps something else....the something else that was upon his face.

((Listen while reading: Mad Dance Of The Burning Dawn, Shuzaku))


=Upon his face was a vermillion red mask - and had the strike to box the ears of the elderly looking man gone according to plan Ko or in this case....Shuzaku would initiate a stream of one inch punched based around the central column of the spin - each landing in a manner that would make it seem as if only two quick strikes had landed there in the same spot. This would include three over the top hemisphere and three in the bottom in a circle - leaving the spine itself unstruck but surrounded by these. After that the finesse would have gone out the window - and Shuzaku would lift his foot in an attempt to push kick the man straight forward. Crude, unrefined, but immensely strong for a boy of his size. The real kicker here would be what the one inch punch would have done. Each strike had a payload attached to it, one of dense black chakra that was intended to manifest in the form of deep black bruises on the skin of the man - doing little damage to the exterior of the body but the interior? Each of these chakra patches on the inside would manifest as poison blocks - clotting and hardening the arteries and blood vessels in each spot. Too much motion and strenuous movement and a block would be broken up by the motion - letting the spot spread and flow into the blood of the target. This was a technique known as "Hollow Point Taijutsu" and it was a technique not known to Ko...but to Shuzaku - a technique that was shared between the Bird, and his previous host....Kiyoshi Uzumaki. It was a murder monk technique that he had learned from his time in Nassau. Had this landed then perhaps it would be enough to give his team an opportunity to recover and get under way a new plan, looking up and over to Kirinji from behind the mask - seeming like a man processed by a demon in the way that he was breathing so heavily, condensation leaving his lips as it was as if he was waiting to see if Kirinji would recover and formulate another plan of attack, Ko crouched low and almost in a savage, animal like stance as he waited.=

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((meanwhile))

=In a large room with a large dome of glass over the top of it stood Genichiro. Inside there were riches and gold, items and artifacts that one could only ever dream of. He looked around with his twisted sharingan scanning the room and the dark corners that lurk around as if he was looking for someone. To be exact - he was, but that person was not here. With that being said he sighed almost in relief as he brought his gloved hand to his lips and started to think out loud: "Got my passport. Traded me wounded goods - crudely wounded at that, and he didnt come for my riches? What does he intend to do? Certainly he didnt just want passage - a man like that I dont guess follows the rules very often in the first place. So what was it....what could it be? That green haired man. He's up to something.....hm....Hazama." the man had absconded from telling him his name...but that was no matter - he knew it anyway. He was The Pitt Lord after all, things in the streets on the roads and in the darkest corners of Naraka he knew - word traveled and information was something that was of great value to him. But he was however relieved. Nothing had been stolen and that was always a good thing. He chuckled and started to turn back to the door - he did have an arena fight to oversee and give commentary for after all. But soon he was stopped - a gigantic shadow cast over him and passing as he spun and looked up to the glass - only to be caught off by a mass crashing that bulleted down from the dome and through the floor:

"Tch - what in the damn!"

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