[Episode Ikki Pt1] Mebu Castle

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

In the time of all of this going on, new information coming to them from the Lord of Naraka himself, Kasami was listening quietly. She was paying attention, though not as much as usual, as she started to think on things involving herself as well. Her temperament and principles were all over the place, varying depending on the day, and she felt it was time to finally solidify them. The easiest person to manipulate was always the one that questioned everything, even themselves. As she covered her currently crusty eye with the ribbon she had once used to cover her rinnegan, she stood near the back of everyone closest to the elevator in thought.

Since they’d come to Naraka, they’d experienced so much hardship and out of the ordinary. It was hard to determine what the line of reality was for this world. It defied all of what was thought to be possible, and she’d grown to care about people. That was something she’d never really imagined. Given her last squad, and her history with people, she’d always thought the only one she’d ever care about would be Ko. She had wanted to care for her last team, and maybe she would have if they’d stuck together. Facing so much adversity together no doubt contributed to the current state of things between herself and the team she had now, but there was so much more to it than that.

A decision had been made after Kagane to fight til her last breath to Naraka, and she’d stick with that. Reflexively her hands tightened on the haori she wore that bore the crest of the oni. She had questioned it, questioned herself- and in that very moment she’d been given a gift. Memories had come back to her and the life that she thought she knew was not the life she had lived. It was all the same at the beginning, but these memories that had come back had shown her that she was relieved of the torment early on. In fact- much of her life had by herself. She had friends, and while she was deaf she had not been the social outcast that she had thought she was. People loved her, and she had loved them too.

It hadn’t so much been that she realized now that she was capable of loving someone, but more that she had realized that she could be loved. Most of the time she questioned if Ko felt that way for her. They didn’t have the poster board relationship she’d dreamed of as a young girl, and he didn’t often show it outwardly. In fact, she’d seen it now more than she had since she met him. Then again... the circumstances that they had met, and how long ago it had been, had never completely afforded them the time to get close like that. Perhaps all they needed was time. She now realized how much of a love drink puppy she looked when it came to him. When was the transplant...? Only a few months ago. That was when she met him.

Things were starting to align for her, so now the only obstacle in her way was fear. And she’d realized just how easy that obstacle was to overcome very soon. Everyone had loaded back onto the elevator at this time, and she did so quietly. She was standing next to Ko and noticed him bopping about in his place a little bit, glancing at him with a smirk. It was unusual to say the least and she hadn’t thought much of it, thinking that it was merely infectious as Izanagi did it next to him. Despite herself, she controlled her thoughts and focused on the task at hand. It was time for them to see what they were up against.

But, unfortunately for her, she was probably one of the most affected on their team by the events of Kagane besides Eiji. Sentou would likely be confused by the reactions to this sensation, but Kasami felt it all the way back at the elevator, and for a moment with fearful eyes she completely refused to move forward any further than a few feet from it. She stopped walking with the group and stared at the door, and looked as pale as a ghost. The color completely drained from her face, if not turning a little green.

This was the moment where she had to make her final decision. It wasn’t that she was questioning whether or not she was fully committed to the cause. It was... that she was afraid of what they were supposed to be facing. It’d only been talked about in bits and pieces, but it was an otherworldly force that seemed like a mountain much too high for them to climb right now. She was only a few months into having wood release and the Rinnegan, and she had only been trained so much as a shinobi when she was still deaf. She did what she could but in comparison to the rest of her teammates she was way over her head. If she was going to overcome this- she’d need them.

A hand moved to rest on her stomach and rubbed it slightly, breathing her nausea away. She couldn’t let that happen again, and now was not the time to turn back. She had that option and she told Kiyoshi she’d made her decision. That reminded her of the message that Kiyoshi wanted her to give Izanagi. Making it a note to tell him when she got the chance to, she reoriented herself and walked to join the group, standing closest to Sentou.

”This was what it felt like when Kagane was attacked. Is it him then? The Mask Salesman?”

She was ready.

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

As Sentou shifted his gaze from Ko back onto Izanagi, the young man couldn’t help but notice that the latter too stared at Ko as if questioning who he is. He didn’t want to feel like a skeptic, but something just wasn’t sitting right with it at the moment, however, instead of questioning Ko about the situation while the Lord still talked - Sentou held his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to the explanation Izanagi provided about some special scrolls that Kirinji had in his possession and once more about this Bladed Thesis. He was the first true Oni? He pondered upon that, despite having ran into an Oni in the forest, he was still unsure what truly made someone an Oni. With the lack of information given to him by Totsuka, was he even safe to assume his late teacher was an Oni as well? Nonetheless, it was a subject he had not heard of and was quite intrigued to see where it was all going. Cautiously, Sentou followed the others back onto the elevator, but not before he tried to devise a plan of action or even a thought process to understand what had happened before; that mysterious ice created not long ago was evident enough that maybe the Lord wasn’t in a stable condition given all the questions and being shotgunned back to back.

As they descended to the next floor, Sentou felt that same inner flame burning within his gut but remained silent as he listened to the entirety of the conversation, even so much to hear Kirinji question if this Bladed Thesis was dead or alive. Good question, how long ago did all this happen and could he possibly still be alive? Having not spent a lot of time with Shinobi legends or even know the full backstory of Kirinji and Izanagi, he’d never believe they were hundreds of years old. Then it happened. As the door opened wide and The Lord of Naraka led them to a door with a demonic face upon its build, Sentou could feel an ominous sensation that was unlike anything he had ever felt before. However where it enticed the fear in others, making them remember back to Kagane, something about it felt vaguely familiar but why was that? Nearing the door, that inner flame in the boy’s gut started to wrench and turn like someone who had a bad reaction to dairy as he clutched his gut. Just what the hell was going on, and how was this door going to ‘show them their enemies’. As they were all asked whether or not they wanted to see the truth or not, Sentou immediately looked around at everyone; it seemed Kirinji was ready and so was Kasami as a look of determination filled her eyes, but as he looked upon Eiji - he saw that the latter was scratching at his hand like a maniac, perhaps he was nervous as hell, but why the flame? He shook his head free of the thoughts, he didn’t want to seem distracted. Staring at Izanagi, then to the door, and back to Izanagi, Sentou gave the man a worried look, “I’ll be honest, I doubt I’m ready. But if you put the truth right in my face, what do you expect me to do, run? I’m not scared of anything, but I deserve a better explanation about what Totsuka was hiding from me.” He said with resolve, looking to those he was traveling with, Sentou would give them all a nod as he was ready to move forward with all of them.

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

[Sub](Listen While Reading: We Saw It's Face)[/sub]

=Izanagi had a lot of questions to contend with, one of the first ones being those of his own origination. He was thinking something over but it wouldnt be certain precisely what it was. How could it be? There was so little known about the man to tghis point and one could only guess at how many things were going on that no one knew about that he had to think over as well. Despite the situation at hand there could be something vastly important happening elsewhere - maybe his train of thought wasn't even here. Or maybe it was closer at hand then they think and dealing with one of their very own? Only time would tell, but from the moment they started going down the elevator and approaching the door he would have started off with what he could as to their questions:

"Alive or dead hm? Thats a good question, one you'd think I could answer. But I suppose the best answer I could give you is that he is somewhere inbetween. It's hard to explain honestly. -He'd turn to Eiji, pinching the bridge of his nose- First Kiyoshi, now you - I swear I'm gonna blow a gasket if I have to explain this again. Maaaaask, Salesman. He's a Salesman, of Masks. Not the "Masked" Salesman. But he does wear masks...but he's the mask sal- Just call it The Salesman. Jeez. But no, you have not encountered him before - otherwise you surely would have died. Though to answer both you and our Senju here's question - still havent gotten all of your names by the by, rude. Yes - that would be whats behind this door, yes his influence is what caused the destruction at Kagane, and isn't that obvious? It wants to kill us. Eat us to be more precise, feeding its power off consuming otherwise powerful enemies. Our understanding so far is that he wants you to become as powerful as you can, so he can consume you at the prime of your potential. All of us really. A ravenous beast of dark influence and primordial hunger. Thesis, must be older then Hogomoro himself. So I suspect that this creature is just about as old. Since before the age of Bijuu."

=Then with that being said he looked to Sentou as he started to speak. The man was brash, and Izanagi's patience was low. He respected the tendacy but he had to remind himself. This man, was not shinobi - warrior true, but there was a certain kind of understanding and discretion that came from the world of shinobi that someone without that kind of training wouldnt have. The moment that he had said: "What do you expect me to do, run?" there was a somber, delicate, and kind of cynical smile upon Izanagi's lips that implied the kind of message that he was thinking: "Well yes, that is a viable option after all." Sometimes it bewildered Izanagi to the idea of some people's perspectives on certain things. The utmost objective of all living things was to survive in some way or form, its one of the reasons humans reproduce - to hope to solidify one's existence in some form even beyond their own death. Pride, Wealth, Glory - none of it made a difference and turning the other cheek to live another day, or rather, not wing yourself with scars of the mind that may inhibit your survival later - was always a more preferable option. Then came the point where Sentou said "but I deserve a better explanation about what Totsuka was hiding from me." many things about that statement made Izanagi's demeanor flush - leaving him as if he was now simply a stone mannequin upon which any mood, demeanor, or countenance could appear. He took a deep breath as he thought about it. First of all the idea that he was having something hidden from him. Words were important to Izanagi, they meant things - and meaning was very important. It was what separated us from the animals crawling on the floor upon their belly. It was what kept us. . . upright. Certainly the man could have been simply referring to - he needed to know what was out there waiting for him now that Totsuka had introduced him to this world. But thats not the words Izanagi heard, and so - that was not the feeling that was prompted in him. Instead, the idea that he was having something hidden from him - instead of Totsuka had wished to protect him swelled in his mind and almost with it was as if his brain had swelled inside his skull as well - wringing aggression from his gray matter like a well soaked towel. It'd drip from his very aura subsequently so as he turned to Sentou, trying to maintain his cool while he also thought about the idea of what one...deserved. Where were they? Who sat upon the throne here? He was lord of Naraka and you know what came with that? Never watching people get what they deserve. Having to keep in balance a delicate eco-system that prompted corruption exist, and sometimes criminals get away. Fighting a war that things like Kagane village happen, where thousands of innocent villagers that relied upon him for protection, that rested at ease - oblivious because they had in their heart: "Im fine, Izanagi will save us" - were ripped from the ground they walk so happily upon and drifted in a sea of blood, death, and despair as they watch their families be consumed before their eyes; helpless and ever drifting knowing in mind they were dead and there was nothing they could do...but wait. And the children - by god the children! Kasami was as scarred as she was, possibly the most of the group of them - and she'd only seen it once! Once! Izanagi thought about that at least thirty times just between the elevator going down. How many times had he seen it?. . .

. . . He lost count at Twenty. . .

Izanagi brought both his hands up to his face and pushed them across his flesh, running his snow white hair upwards before it fell delicately as he brought his hands down to his side with an audible *pat* before he took one large step towards Sentou and now stood directly before him trying his best to maintain his cool as he couldnt help but chuckle...it was one of those: "I almost did something very out of character for me" chuckles that left you with a weird smirk of reflection afterwards as he looked up at Sentou now with the facial countenance of someone meant to give presentation before an audience:

"There is no shame in running. Always a viable option. Sometimes - not seeing something, can keep conviction in our hearts enough to defeat it when the time comes. Totsuka may have "hid" things from you. But it was not for sake of secrecy. It was for your own protection. He wanted to prepare you to handle what need be done, while also keeping you as distant from it as possible. Otherwise - had he let you in completely you might have been there with him that day we butt heads. Always know that. He wanted to protect you. -he sighed- You aren't afraid. Thats good. . . I'am deeply sorry for taking that from you."

=He said this as he walked away, and he did not say it in arrogance, conviction, or any kind of assumption - no, there was far more then that in his voice as he turned away and walked towards the door. He said it - as a proclamation. With great confidence in the fact that for those that were not afraid, that would certainly change once they got a glimpse of what was behind the door. Izanagi approached - and as he did he placed his hand upon the door. It was radiant with chakra and as his hand went flat against the embossed door a green flash would shoot across it. Needless to say this was apparently another use of Bitoku, and when he did such the door would crack - and Izanagi would take a deep breath, closing his eyes and turning his head down at the ground. The door slowly creaked open - seeming to rattle the ground a bit the more and more that the doors parted way from each other and the gap grew larger till finally the gap was about five feet wide and that same rumbling from before started to happen again. A hot air breached through the doorway - and with it the very power of the air blew Izanagi's hair and labcoat back and would push loose garments and hair back in its wake. Ko raised his arms and crossed them in an X before his face as he attempted to keep his eyes on what was going on. He could barely keep his eyes open beyond the air and as his pupils spiraled into a sharingan - he just as quickly snapped his eyes shut and binded his arm against his eyes, covering them in pain as he grit his teeth and staggered. Pivoting his feet the opposite direction he turned his upper body to face away from the door as he covered his eyes and rubbed them vigerously. Izanagi - or rather the Jigoku clone of him remained with eyes closed and lowered unphased by the way his finery blew backwards. . . and soon

They would see it.

As it would see them too.

[sub]((Listen While Reading: Horrible Truth))[/sub]

The doors started to widen, and the more and more that they widened they could see that there seemed to be. . . clouds? No cotton? No...it was more then that. It was gigantic - filling the entire back half of the room spanning from some gigantic breach - an aperture in time and space itself as a swirling green mass spawned a creature who's flesh was like that of a whale, wet -hairless and gigantic. The room was shaking, not in such a simple way that the ground was rumbling anymore but there was a sound like steel constantly knocking off one another and for each -Shing_ sound that threatened to pierce their ears with its high pitch screetch there came a feeling as if their chest was being shaken. The air and very light in the room skipping, breaking, hallucinations? No images of. . . times past, and times yet to happen slipping between the reality they called him every time it happened. The creature - no monster, was massive; an amalgamation of nightmares spawned to life towering high above what appeared to be. . . Izanagi? This man wore a suit - and stood below the creature's gigantic claws as it held its mouth open with a giant maw of human like teeth, keeping it at bay with two Vajra held high and a gigantic golden shield of golden chakra upon each, expanded to not only block the creature's assault but bind his attacking claws to each shield and keep him suctioned to him - sapping his chakra with each moment they remain interlocked as the creature roar in protest causing the gusts of hot air to blow from him across the room. One of the creature's eyes moved independently of the other - casting over to look straight at the opening in the door and at the Jigoku clone that stood there, then at the group - in which they would all feel its pull when it cast glance over them...this must be what they felt in Kagane - almost as if they could float off the ground, it would absolutely feel as if you would -have- to grab something and tether yourself to the ground; despite not floating at all and being completely safe - the feeling would still be there. Truth be told, he had put them at risk by letting the creature see them directly - the creature looked down at the Izanagi it was bound in struggle against and the Jigoku clone spoke: "It matters not. They are strong enough to contest their nightmares and you - have me to contend with. You should focus more." The Jigoku clone retorted as the true Izanagi started to gain more ground - the creature wailing in protest as it bound back and pushed more upon Izanagi, causing the crater that was already forming beneath his feet to expand a bit more. The creature was as big as a Bijuu itself, and this was a "weakened" form? And for anyone that had dealt with Bijuu before, they'd be able to see that its raw destructive power, and chakra potency was on an entirely different level. Then the clone at the doorway would address the group:

"There you have it, feast your eyes upon the Mask salesman in his truest form. Weakened - and fragmented from its absolute power but still. . . regardless of what you may see in the future know that this - is your enemy, what you all stand to face. I've been here with it, keeping it at bay and operating with the one Jigoku clone I can spare. I had to annul all my others to consolidate my power to one place. This is why I can't address the New Burning Dawn myself, nor save the people of Kagane...nor help you all. If I leave here - or even focus my power for a moment in considerable amount elsewhere, it could tip the scales of this powerstruggle in a manner that would prove, most problematic for Naraka. "

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

He had a lot of more questions. So many questions that they could be here all day and for that reason he refrained from asking anymore, despite one of his questions being ignored about the Takamagahara. Kirinji didn’t know whether or not it was intentional, but regardless of which it was, it didn’t sit well with him that it was ignored. In spite of that, he stopped asking questions and allowed for others to get a chance. Izanagi first responded to Eiji where he explained the correct name of the Mask Salesman. How did that quote go by that famous military strategist? ”Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated.” Granted they didn’t know much outside of a name, but that was all going to change soon, wasn’t it?

”That’s Kasami” Kirinji spoke out as he pointed toward the woman so he could tell Izanagi all their names. ”The Senju. A fiery one. She had the honor of meeting Kami no Shi with me, I’m sure he’ll tell you the story of what she said later.” He then pointed toward the feminine looking man and then the rest, ”That’s Eiji Sarutobi. That is Sentou—don’t really know his last name just met him to be honest. And that is Ko.”

Izanagi then took a moment to respond to Sentou. The method and mannerism it was in was peculiar though. Kirinji wasn’t blind. He could see the facial expressions and the subtle nuances of someone trying to hold in their anger. Their wrath. Kirinji could also feel the tense aura and ambiance. So when Izanagi stepped up to Sentou for a moment there he assumed that Izanagi was about to strike him down. A subtle smirk appeared on Kirinji’s face. The others wouldn’t notice, it was that subtle. It had been a while since he’d seen Izanagi kill someone. Or even fight someone. Their last encounter was the Nirvana Fountainhead Spring Waters so it had been some time. He could only imagine the repertoire that had been added, the fine-tuning in mechanics. Everyone had room for growth.

The wisdom that Izanagi bestowed upon Sentou was something Kirinji hoped the young man would never forget. Running is always a viable option. Many forget that. He didn’t know how things were conducted in Naraka, but in the Waking World shinobi make that mistake often. Not running when they should. They bite off more than they can chew or they boast of their abilities only to be another body in a brown bag. It was unfortunate. Kirinji had killed so many that had potential only because they could not hold their tongue. So he held it for them. Cutting off some of their tongues while decapitating the others. Izanagi would understand that as well. He had killed many as well.

That radiant green chakra was a recurring theme since his time in Naraka. He had seen it many times and for a variety of different purposes. Before it was used to create an environment of warmth and comfort, calmness. It was also the reason that they felt their organs shifted ever so lightly. Clearly, it was something that would seep through their bodies and interact with their bodily functions. However, now it was being used to unlock a door. Was it a sealing chakra or was it medical? Was it both? More questions. It was only natural to question something one doesn’t understand and Kirinji had always been a curious soul. The chakra connected with the door and a green flash shot across, unlocking the door as it ominously cracked open. The ground shook violently and then suddenly a pocket of hot air breached through the door and forcefully fluttered all of their clothing and pushed his hair back. Kirinji put his right hand up in front of his face as he tried to keep one of his eyes open, but just the burst of air caused his eyes to shut. He couldn’t keep his eyes open thus he just closed them and held his head down with his hand extended out in front of his face to break the incoming wind.

The air eventually settled and when his eyes opened he saw all of it. The monster they were up against. Massive in size as he observed the hairless flesh with eyes wide open. He was in shock because he had seen nothing like it before—and he had seen a lot. The sound of steel constantly knocking off each other was heard in the beginning, but the more he focussed on the beast the more and more it became drowned out. Most would step back from fear, but Kirinji stepped forward with intrigue plastered upon his face. It seemed he was like one of those civilians that thought: "Im fine, Izanagi will save us." He was so amazed by it that he would almost be face to face to the door like he was looking through a window (unless stopped beforehand). It wasn’t until one of the eyes of the beast glanced onto them that he stopped himself. It was aware of their presence just as they were aware of hi—its? When he encountered this feeling in Kagane Village, he felt fear. Now, he felt the need to understand and you cannot understand from afar.

Had Izanagi, or rather the clone, not said the words ”you - have me to contend with” and the beast wailing as it was being pushed back, he wouldn’t have noticed the real Izanagi holding the beast down in his suit and two vajra in hand. Golden chakra radiating from the tools in hand as they stuck to the claws and absorbed the beast chakra. Kirinji had encountered many of the tailed beast. Even fought against them and lived. This beast had the power to devour them all. Its presence demanded your attention and just the sight of it held a weight upon one’s chest. Naraka was unlike anything he had experienced before.

Kirinji listened to the words of the clone as he observed the real Izanagi combat against the beast. His eyes shimmering under the lights as he watched in awe. It seemed that Izanagi had been holding back in every encounter they’ve had. Not only against him either. Kirinji chuckled lightly at the sudden realization. One of those laughs when you finally know the truth and all you can do is laugh and nod your head in shock. Kirinji then glanced over toward the clone once he had finished speaking. ”So what do you need us to do?” His tone full of confidence ready to carry out any mission that the Black Throne requires. He hoped that this confidence would be felt by his team in hopes of slightly helping their emotions after seeing the beast. Kirinji was never the one to speak outwardly and was always someone that tried to lead by action rather than words, but he felt that they would need it now. They were young. A lot younger than him. He tried the best he could do with the expectation that it wouldn’t work, especially after being introduced to such a powerful enemy.

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

Curiosity... This was the main word that would describe Kirinji's actions and Eiji's actions through the next set of events that would transpire. Starting with Izanagi responding to the group's questions one by one while Eiji taking in the answers one by one noting anything that seemed of deep importance to the group rather than just a single individual. His response to Kasami was noted down but something that quickly caught Eiji's attention was Izanagi's response to himself. It was his first real show of displeasure and annoyance at something said to him that was not directed at him or meant to harm him but the majority of his response detailed the truth behind the Salesman and a partial understanding of his origin. The annoying thing for Eiji was this drew out his curious mind more than before. He had been in fear so long that the only emotions he felt here were confusion, fear, disgust, sadness, and anger, but now he was returning to his origin, his true self. This Eiji was considered a genius but was someone who only followed their curiosity to learn, understand, adapt to the world and grow above the norm. Now here in Naraka Izanagi piqued that insatiable curiosity to learn and grow. So many questions popped into Eiji's head, so many thoughts rushing like that of the internet when a large group of people begin to type at once.

Eiji's curiosity and the number of questions would increase exponentially when Izanagi worked around to responding to Sentou. The movements of Izanagi's body were one thing that caught his attention but something deeper was there that possibly or more plausibly only Eiji would notice due to the axon embedded in him. The axon would alert Eiji to a quick spike of mass aggression from Izanagi, he could feel it, almost see it and it would be pointed directly at Sentou but what triggered this was the thing Eiji was curious about. Was it something to do with the person known as Totsuka? Something Sentou said? Sentou's demeanor? There was no way for Eiji to assess this without causing a possible issue at least in his mind. After Izanagi's verbal response to Sentou was cast and he had calmed enough to continue his explanation on The Salesman and Thesis before he decided to just show them what they were up against.

As the green chakra poured into the door, Eiji would begin to feel a mass of different emotions from not only himself but those around him as well. The door opening would as Eiji would attempt to keep his eyes open before being forced to close them for a moment due to the massive gust of air being released he would take note of Ko's response. The first thing he noticed would be the pain Ko experienced followed by what he assumed was slight fear though Eiji could not truly tell as his axon could only read so much with the swirling amount of emotions that poured out from everyone including himself. Ko closing his eyes and turning around was the thing Eiji noted most about him before noticing Kirinji's curiosity, no that wasn't the word was intrigue, that was a better word for it. Like Kirinji was being drawn in simply for the fact he had to know, not that he wanted to know, or at least that was how it seemed from Eiji's perspective. After Kirinji moving forward Eiji would be next to follow him though, Eiji's response would be far different from what anyone would have expected from him,

Eiji would move right in front of where the gigantic door was one blocking their view and began to stare at the beast in awe. No not awe, is curiosity, intrigue, interest, and a myriad of other similar emotions. He wondered if this beast could be used to power things like the tailed beast, or maybe could become part of himself. Could this beast be turned like the nine tails by Lord Naruto? could it be used to protect the village, the world, Naraka? These questions swirled in his head as his curiosity was overwhelming his fear. His fear was almost fully caged as he examined Izanagi and the beast with so many things flowing through his head before he noticed Imperious in the back of his mind smirking and giggling at him, *...You, what are you hide you piece of annoying scrap? What do you know that you aren't telling me?* Eiji spoke to Imperious within the confines of his mind similarly to how someone with a tailed beast would talk to the beast. His mind slightly wandered from his mass ton of questions to the single one which was focused on Imperious as he continued to stare at the Salesman and the true Izanagi. Keeping the list of questions in his head as he listened to Izanagi stating that he'd stop the Salesman before he could hurt them.

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

No sooner did Sentou state he wasn’t afraid of what was being asked of them would he feel a sudden disturbance within the room emanating from Izanagi himself as the latter slowly approached him. The wandering Lotus Warrior dared not to waver in the slightest as his defiant emerald orbs stared intently at the King, whatever he said definitely stirred something but he stood by what he said. Straightening his posture, shoulders straight and head held high, Sentou would maintain his ground as he listened to the short lecture, running was a suitable option? Was it really? He wanted to scoff at the implications retreating was a proper strategy, he wanted to blurt out and ask angrily, ‘Why didn’t Totsuka run then!?, however deep down, no matter how you sliced it, Totsuka died fighting for something. He just wanted to know what. Sentou would be lying if he said he had a genuine bond with Totsuka, the damn Uchiha tried to kill him when they first met and from what he could only assume was the reason he hadn’t been killed was out of curiosity. Despite all his training and mentoring, Sentou was faced with adversary after adversary only to be broken by the likes of his own teacher, Eien, Amon, and Hayato - it was frustrating, no humiliating to think he was trying desperately to protect others when he couldn’t even defend himself. All he could remember was getting into a heated conflict with Totsuka before taking his leave and disregarding his training; he called it a pilgrimage, but it was nothing more than a tantrum and an excuse to use what he learned for himself. Sentou sadly wouldn’t receive a reality check until he ventured back to the Lotus Society, he learned his training wasn’t complete in the slightest and as much as he hated to accept being wrong - he had to. Fast forward to the present, after making it into the world of Naraka on his own and learning Totsuka had fallen it hit him hard. It wasn’t sadness or grief as he may have called it, it was guilt. There were so many things he wished he hadn’t sad, or should’ve questioned but it was all too late now. Maybe that’s all he was doing now, fighting out of guilt and for revenge? Just when he thought it was over though, Izanagi not only explained what could have occurred had Totsuka not hidden anything from him, but most of all apologized; an actual apology instead of the rather sarcastic answer he had given earlier. That cold look of defiance in his eyes started to melt away like winter’s snow, but nonetheless the child did his best to keep his demeanor and not show any signs of weakness. The only form of confirmation he was able to give would be a firm nod as he motioned his eyes towards the door in question as Izanagi walked away to use Bitoku to open the door until finally he would see it.

Even before the door was opened, Sentou felt a sickening sensation. It felt repulsive. The eyes of the young boy shot open as he started to remember venturing to Naraka in the first place, he never expected anything of this caliber to be revealed. As the door grew ajar the sudden breach of air almost caused Sentou to lose his balance and possibly be swept away had he not reacted as Ko and Izanagi’s clone had. As the room started to settle Sentou would raise his gaze towards the door once more, what he could only describe as being some strange abomination inhabiting nightmares was locked in combat with what appeared to be yet another Izanagi. It was completely unreal and if it wasn’t for his own experience with the unnatural his head was sure to burst trying to process what it was he saw. Did he open his mouth too soon? Taking a small step back to find a small sense of security in distance, Sentou would question what he was and wasn’t afraid of on the spot. It was needless to say something as huge as this beast was a huge responsibility, did Izanagi trust them that much to get the job done? Obviously this wasn’t a one man job.. He would surely need the help of everyone else to overcome an enemy like this. It seemed too complicated, but Izanagi would tell them the scale of the situation. Due to his constant battle with the beast, he was incapable of dealing with everything. He was already spreading himself thin. An uneasy sigh left Sentou’s lips as he tried to wrap his head around it all, “You expect the five of us...to take that thing out? he asked, visibly pointing towards the door as he looked Izanagi over, “Oh I guess we’re just skipping dinner and going right into the seduction, huh? Heheheh..” he joked nervously, he wanted to break the ice somehow but it was probably a poor time to make a joke. Almost as if the giant beast heard him or just a bad chance of coincidence it would get a glance of them all staring into the door and just as it saw them, Sentou could feel an intoxicating presence trying to coax him nearing closer. He had to will everything he had to shake the feeling, this was their enemy and they needed to focus on preparing. Raising both hands to his face, Sentou would pat himself thoroughly to psyche himself up; he had to remember there was nothing that scared him, but he would be mindful about running away should something be too much for them collectively to handle.

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

”Fiery? Me? No, never.” Her tone was playful given the circumstances but there was a bit of truth to what she had spoken as well, giving Izanagi a little bow at her introduction so she didn’t completely ignore it before her thoughts started to wander. Kasami, before she met Ko, had been a docile and malleable creature of habit. Easily influenced and easily abused, because there was no fight in her spirit. She hadn’t always been that way, a piece of her she had lost to unknown means, but that was all she had been for a time. Granted, it made sense for Kirinji to have this impression of her to a degree. Their first meeting resulted in a fight where either of them very well could have killed each other if it had been allowed to escalate to that point. Had Kasami not decided it wasn’t worth the bother, they’d have fought longer if her last attack didn’t work on him. Who knows- he’s an old man. He probably could have killed her right there. She’d have never seen Naraka, so for that she was thankful that fate had decided she was worthy. There were few instances where she showed true fire since they’d come here, but perhaps those times stuck with him. Fond memories, maybe? Hopefully. They were to her as well, even if it seemed odd. Her attitude to him when they ran into each other in Tatsumi’s ward- it was the beginning for them. Their friendship. Their team. When she slammed Eiji into the shop in Takatane for lying and joking- it showed him how much that meant to her. She cared. Her defiance in the presence of Kami no Shi. Ah yes, there was the fire. Rebellious defiance, and the joyful, fulfilling sensation that came along with it.

Swimming against the tide.

As she gathered with the rest of them, she took Ko’s right side and watched the exchange between Izanagi and Sentou. It made her entirely uncomfortable to watch the way he was acting, and in a way reminded her of Genichiro, but she knew they were not the same. For a brief moment if made her realize Kirinji had made mention of their meeting to Izanagi, but she pushed it out of her mind for the time being. If he wanted to know, he’d ask. There was more detrimental matters at hand. Her gaze swept across the lot of them to look at the large doors. As she stared at them, she heard Izanagi’s words, and took them into consideration even if not directed at her. Kiyoshi had also told them that running and leaving was an option, and it was no different now than it had been then. Not even as they stood on the doorstep of their enemy. Not even if what was beyond this door was a grotesque and horrific beast with ninety eyes and teeth the size of skyscrapers. She’d promised- not only to herself, but to Naraka as well. She was going to fight.

There wasn’t a single moment of doubt to this in her heart or mind any longer. She would be an unwavering obstacle blocking the Salesman’s path until her last breath, however fast or slow that took. The bitoku aura covered the door and with it came the horrendous moment of truth. the doors began to part- all she could see was white at first. Her legs were shaking from the tremors the parting door were causing to the point they were growing numb, pins and needles scattering across the soles of her feet and her calves.

With the breech of hot air into the room, rather than attempt to stare through it she simply covered her eyes with the left side of her haori. She noted how much pain Ko was in and rest her hand on his back in the meantime to try and be helpful, though she wasn’t sure how that did anything for anyone. If she could take it away from him she would, but she didn’t know how. Not without being invasive at least. When her clothes were done fluttering about in the air, she mentally prepared herself for what they were about to witness. Slowly she lowered it from covering her face and at first, she had no idea what she was looking at. It just looked like a mass of flesh and clouds. Her gaze swept from right to left across the expanse of the beast and then she stopped. Her throat tightened immediately and the Salesman’s face was found. The nightmarish eyes of something she had never seen before staring wide. Not even in her lifetime had she seen a Bijuu or a large summon. This was… a colossal and monumental moment for her. And also the most terrifying thing in her whole life.

She wasn’t really sure how to feel in this moment. While it didn’t scare her away, it did still scare her, which she supposed was a normal feeling. This was the power that threatened not only Naraka but the waking world as well. The Mask Salesman- the end of everything. It was like staring something in the eyes knowing that at any moment, within a second, if it could- all of creation would be gone. No, that’s exactly what it was like. Now more than ever she was grateful for the powers that stood against it- and the majority of which came from Izanagi.

After a moment of the floaty feeling not actually carrying her away, she felt more secure with her feet on the ground, but reflexively at the feeling’s first appearance her hand did wrap around Ko’s bicep and she stepped a little closer to him. As if they could tether each other down, and she just hadn’t let go. Just like Kirinji, she hadn’t noticed the man in the suit until the Izanagi with them had made mention of contending forces and told the Salesman to focus. She winced at the wailing that followed and as her focus shifted downward, she saw him there.

It was an incredible thing to witness, but it also strangled her with realization. Izanagi was trapped here, holding the Salesman at bay for his people, alone. She didn’t realize and couldn’t help the misting of tears that came to her eyes as she thought of the sacrifices the lord of Naraka must be making to do this- and it concerned her in the same breath. Was he the only one that could? So if Izanagi falls, they have no hope. Or if they remaining idols… if they give the Salesman more power by being removed, he could overpower Izanagi? His struggle would be for nothing. She couldn’t allow that to happen. She had to help him.

Kasami finally realized she was crying when her cheek felt wet, wiping it away on her sleeve and clearing her throat. She recollected herself, trying not to look like such an idiot, crying for Izanagi- but truly her heart broke for him. It was such a sad thing to see. Kirinji asked what he needed them to do- and she was prepared to do it.

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

-She hadn't need to worry of drying her eyes. Ko was already doing it for her before her hand could so much as get to them. He had been watching her as soon as he could after the pain had subsided, knowing that this was the creature. This was the creature that not even a fraction of its power was capable of causing the tragedy of Kagane village to transpire...and that was only inflicted by the -presence- of the beast's influence. That was horrifying in itself. He remembers it vividly, the way that she was when they were back at Kiyoshi's manor - mulling over, digesting the trauma that she had gorged herself on in witnessing the events that had happened back there and he couldnt shake how similar she had looked to ANBU that had come back from missions they could never speak of. Mentally and emotionally scarred - marked by the horrors of what they had witnessed. The moment that the stressed, being Kasami - was being introduced to the stressor in the mask salesman, he knew that he should keep an eye on her just in case her reaction to being face to face with the causative point of the slaughter would bring up any kind of hysteria. He was already at the ready to support her. Her hand on his back did not in truth do much to subside the pain, but he knew her intention in it. She was not the best at showing it in subtle ways like this, nor was she the best at determining when was the time to do something or rush to aide without being expressly told. She'd hadn't much the time to grow on her own before she met him, never having been fostered for growth - and then when she did she was tortured, forced to look growth in the eye and swallow it whole whether she could fit the whole thing or not. He couldnt expect the most from her in these cases. Up ahead, Ko couldnt help but think over what he was seeing before him. His mind was more claritive now - less fogged and he wasnt stuck in that weird, kiddish like stupor that he had been upon meeting the Lord Of Naraka, I mean....what was with that swaying back and forth they were doing? Ko couldnt help but feel violated in a way - his eyes darting over to Izanagi's back, or at least the proxy of him. His eyes split - first to Kirinji and then to Eiji. Ko was curious in a way yes...but how could intrigue push them to such an...odd state - it was alien to him, unreal. The only thing that Ko could think was:

"Burn it to the ground....yeah - you'd like that huh? Burn that sadistic, death worshipping piece of garbage to the ground."

=Ko's eyes widened and for a moment so not to raise suspicion his eyes darted around in his head without turning as he looked for the source of the voice. This however proved to be to no avail - it was inside him...Shuzaku. This was the first time that it had spoken to him so clearly, he couldnt help but wonder why; however either way he couldnt help but agree. That was precisely what he wanted to do - no matter what knowledge, what secrets and possibilities about the shinobi world and the world of Naraka this thing's very existence could have held...Ko wanted nothing more to burn it to ash, it was an abomination and needed to be ended so. Its very presence here just didnt even feel right to him - and a latent part of his subconcious mind was going through something similar to Aphasia - it was as if his brain couldnt comprehend the very existence of what he was seeing. Him and Shuzaku passed mental words for a moment - then Ko started to look at Kirinji as he started to move up past the Izanagi proxy and seemed confused. Then his confusion started to grow into more of an expressed concern as he started to mutter with growing tone: "Wha-...what is he doin, you see that right? Why is he....why is he - he's gonna hit it, Kirinji - hold o-!" But by the time that he said it if he had continued moving forward he would make it only about two and a half feet past the Izanagi proxy before he would hit - what to him and the others, would have been an invisible wall. Like a bird straight out of a windex commercial, his face would have been met with a dull "bonk" leaving him to recoil back had he walked into the invisible barrier. It would have left Ko speechless either way, standing in silence at Kirinji and the wall as he comprehended the idea that perhaps....everyone else could not see it. Shortly, there would have come the moment that Kirinji would inquire - what was it that he needed of them and the Izanagi proxy would then raise his head, and between each of them he would silently gest with his hand that they follow him, so he could exit the room and close the door again. Once they had all done that - the door would shut and a darker energy opposed to the green one that had flown through it before would surge, sealing the door shut once more. Izanagi would then inhale deeply, and exhale slowly. What was that back there? The wall? It was something that had not been seen before from Izanagi and perhaps, was one of his true abilities that he had always kept hidden from the world, after all...his proxy was only capable of his exact nature at the moment due to reciprocating so much energy. All it had at its disposal was its physical and biological facilities and. . . other benefits. Once they were all sorted again, Izanagi would fold his arms over one another and look off to the side corridor where there seemed to be an extremely powerful chakra approaching: "Humor me. Were you a teacher would you be late for every presentation - or just the ones I ask you to attend? Curious." The weight this chakra held seemed to almost push the hallway out of its way - the being closed closer and closer and soon a rough chuckle would be heard from the shadows: "Welllll I reckon you have a point huh? I mean what do you pay me for anyway righ- oh wait, thats right! You dont, cause yer a cheapskate, so plug your hole I get there and I get there." Soon that voice, in all its stubborn repugnance emerged from the shadows to touch the presence of the others with the visage of. . . a rather small cat, wearing a rather small hoodie and katana upon his back.

This cat was none other then Kotsei Yagyu, the very same warrior that trained Izanagi in the use of 5 elements senjutsu, much in similarity to how Shi'Chi Rou Uchiha himself had been the five elements sage. This feline was a long time companion of Izanagi and had even fought along side him in the Uchiha/Senju wars as well as the subsequent wars to follow even including the Soragakure and Kumogakure vs Konoha war. The cat had quite a body count, and all the wisdom to boot and with him in paw he carried along a map of Naraka, jumping and flipping with exceptional ease and elegance onto the table the secretary had left from before where he would fan the map out and speak to the group, Izanagi on the other hand - turned his back to them and looked at the door, seeming to be contemplating something and muttering to himself as he did.
"...How....did he see it.....does the connection go both ways?"
"Listen up! Hopefully - I'll only have to say this once. I'am Kotsei Yagyu, also known as Ryu-Kotsei, and to some - Grandmaster Fluffy-Shake Down. (Izanagi mumbled in retort: "No one calls you that." to which Kotsei hopped up and smacked him a'back of his head.) Ahem. Let me be the first to say - regardless of what anyone tells ya. Its an honor to make your acquaintance. Anyone first stepping foot in Naraka and willing to spill blood for it. To take part in such a battle, that could decide so much. Well, plain and shittin simple it takes a stack to gather up that kind of courage. And to survive an encounter with Zaku's rogue body? Eesh. But none the less, now the work begins. You've already been to the Northern most temple, it was in Kagane where Tatsumi had placed his medical ward. The idol you saw there acts as a cap - on a gigantic sealing ritual that encompasses a great mass of Naraka. Once the cap is removed, whats held inside - can spill out again. Or at least, thats the basis of the issue. But its more complex then that. The seal was designed originally by The Tengu and brought to Naraka to contain this beast that escaped whats known as Nirvana, where the Tengu originally hails from - or so the legend says. Though from what we seen so far lets just take the best bet and saw legend may not be too far from the truth. The idols, can only be destroyed by another idol - but there in lies a problem. Being to destroy one idol, you'll need another. Which means you can only do this in either pairs, or all in one swoop - which means even in having one, the Burning Dawn are far from ahead of you guys; they need one more to have a pair, then will need the other two. Thats where you guys come in. Each of these idols are housed in - you guessed it, another temple much similar...yet much...much different then the one you saw in Tatsumi's possession. You'll be going to the South, West, and East temples to retrieve these - but the kicker is. Each temple is protected by extreme defensive measures taken by Naraka...meaning in some cases the people of Naraka and others - almost as if the very soul of Naraka itself has taken its say in defending itself from this threat. They are as follows:

The East Temple - Located in Ouka Monastery, rested in a great mountain valley just above Ouka Village, one of our biggest agricultural marvels of our time. Where as Ouka village itself is pretty safe and non-militant. The Monastery itself is home to the Senpu Monks thats you see here around the Castle. Its shouldnt be much of a problem though - The Monks have held protection over that land for quite some time, and are no slouches when it comes to combat. I reckon if any of the members of the Burning Dawn get there before you do - they're gonna be in for a rude awakening when a legion of pissed off Monks meet them at the gate ready to give them their best "blessings.". However once inside, the Monks only guard the opening to the valley the idol is held in. You'll be on your own beyond the wall and have to fight through the monstrous wildlife to get the idol. The Monks will not help you or cross the threshold, as they hold the valley to be sacred and should be untouched by their feet.

Then, theres the West Temple - Located in Amahara Island inside Myokenguchi Prison. The Prison is known as an impenetrable hellzone, and an even more inescapable one at that. But lucky for you - every three months to thin down the population inside the prison, there is a combat tournament held between teams of inmates. Each set of inmates fight till they can no longer carry on, or more so everyones favorite - to the death. Nobody in their right mind passes up an opportunity to escape that place, so prisoners fight to the bitter bone for a chance. Home of Naraka's most hated and most dangerous rogues, whoever wins the tournament gets a pardon of all crimes committed on the face of Naraka and are released from captivity. Your only problem? Finding a way in. Bit of cops and robbers might be in order.

Finally, theres the Southern most temple - Located in Kinnu No Nebashi, a fishing hamlet village long since abandoned and forgotten. This village is home to the spiritbloom flowers that induce hellacious illusions and blur the lines between the spiritual world and Naraka. Straight to the point on this one ladies and gentlemen, the shrine is in no fancy place at all, no big grand catch or anything. But getting to it? Is gonna be hell for ya. A long time ago a horrible tragedy happened in the village and corrupted the spiritbloom on the coastline. After that, spirits and beings of all different sorts of shapes and sizes arouse to the surface and destroyed anyone who did not flee the village - and it was abandoned. Its been labeled forbidden to travel to the village due to the imminent threat of death being nigh unavoidable to any and all that find themselves foolish enough to venture there. I reckon the Burning Dawn, will either avoid this one completely, or wait it out till you get here and try to ride the coat tails of any success you may find. Pool your resources - I advise going here last. Its gonna take some planning for this one.

-An audible sigh left Izanagi's chest with his back turned and Kotsei turned to look at him, this time his expression seeming serious and almost regretful. He knew that Izanagi did not like the idea of sending them out into these places. The inside of him burned - knowing that if he was stronger, if he had obtained more power, casted aside his humanity in exchange for more strength. Sold his soul to the devil to come back with the pot of gold...then he wouldnt need to have them go out and risk their lives doing something like this. Kotsei knew that Izanagi would eat himself up about it, he'd tried before about so many things and knew that this would be up there in the upper echelon of things that would eat at him. So he'd save him an exercise in futility and not try to coax him from it - knowing that he would sort that in his own way and own time, however he would not sit idly by and watch in silence as he ate himself up. Falling into a front-flip off the table and landing on his hind paws he sprung up and dusted his paws off together: "Well if you'll excuse me. Its still breakfast out here and these kids usually skip around the fish. Clean ups a rough job, but as they say - somebody's got to do- It's not rough, I ain't gonna lie to ya." -he cut himself off before finishing the awkwardly strummed up vindication for his abrupt desertion in favor of his stomach. The tiny cat waddled away with sleeves that cartoonishly dwarfed his paws - making its way back to the corridor only to disappear around the corner. With that he was gone, and Izanagi stood there hands cupped behind his back as he looked over his shoulder at the group and commented:

"There is a lot I'm asking of you in this. Though I get the feeling that no one is going to back down now. If you'd like, please - feel free to rest a day or two here. I've very good reason to believe that you have quite some time before immediate action is needed on this mission. Heh, first mission in Naraka and its already a double S rank. Man...got your work cut out for you all."

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

Just like there weren’t words powerful enough to accurately illustrate his fascination with the Mask Salesman, there weren’t words powerful enough to depict how foolish he felt running into an invisible wall. It completely took him by surprise, especially since he stepped into the wall head first. ”Guah! What the fuc-” Kirinji completely ricocheted off the wall and was taken aback a few steps before recollecting himself. A puzzled expression completely plastered upon his face as he was clearly confused by what had occurred. Naturally, as the curious individual he is, he reached out with his bandaged arm until he made contact with the wall. Each of his fingers glued themselves onto the invisible wall before he stepped into it and allowed for the palm of his hand to touch it as well. His eyes reverted back to the creature and Izanagi, the confusion replaced with fascination again as he watched the two continue to fight against each other. It was poetic. The two locked in combat for what could potentially be an eternal battle. Both are struggling to gain their freedom for their own reasons. His eyes narrowed in, not on the two, but at the realization that the clone had let him run into a wall instead of stopping him. His head turned slowly toward the clone with a glare of betrayal.

The clone waved them over after Kirinji asked his question and promptly followed behind with the rest of them. The door began to shut and in contrast to the green energy that had coursed in the beginning, this type was much darker and potent. Perhaps as potent as the one approaching them from the hallway. Upon inspection it was almost as the hallway itself was being pushed out due to the sheer potency of it. Before the individual even stepped into the limelight Izanagi had begun conversation with them which seemed to exude friendly banter. Much to his surprise, he was expecting someone bigger. Or rather, more human. Instead he found that it was a feline with a hoodie and a katana. He didn’t discriminate. It just wasn’t something he was expecting. The cat gracefully and elegantly maneuvered onto the desk of the secretary and fanned out what appeared to be a map of Naraka, which Kirinji methodically began to look over and try to remember with his exceptional memory. As the cat introduced himself, Kirinji responded in a respectful tone. ”Nice to meet you Kotsei Yag—” He was cut off by the Kotsei Yagyu jumping up and smacking Izanagi before continuing what he had planned.

That answered one of his questions. ”Was this beast from here?” It was not, but was from somewhere called Nirvana, a place where the Tengu also come from. This was the second time that something was considered a myth or a legend, but was actually real or close. It also seemed that Naraka kept a consistent and recurring theme of the number three. The Sacred Oni Alliance was made up of three clans. There were the three of them for a while before Sentou made his way back. And before him there were the three of them. Now, just like before with the merchant, there were given three routes. Well, not exactly routes, but you get the point. As Kotise explained where the idols were located, the wheels inside Kirinji’s mind began to turn. The East Temple located in the Ouka monastery houses the Senpu Monks who are not foreign to combat as Kotsei explains. If the Burning Dawn members decide to go there, they could use the opportunity of the monks distracted by them to make their way through the wildlife to get to the idol. On the opposite end, if the monks are defeated then they’d have to deal with the wildlife and the Burning Dawn members. Then there was the West Temple, located inside Myokenguchi Prison, an odd spot for a temple and a tricky one. Prisons are typically held to keep individuals in so infiltration, or a heist, would be the ideal. And lastly, Kinnu No Nebashi, which Kosei best thought to save for last. Directions he’d gladly follow. This world was foreign to him and so he’d take all the advice he could get.

It wasn’t a lot to process, but it would require great strength and focus for them to pull this off. There was also the fact that the Burning Dawn members would need other idols to destroy the rest. It would be best if they could retrieve all of them and it’s a safe assumption that the one in Kagane Village was lifted by the Burning Dawn members which released the Mask Salesman presence. That leaves only a few more and would save potentially countless lives and maintain the sealing ritual. Kirinji stroked his chin as he hummed in thought at the words of the cat. By this time, he had remembered the significant location and general outline of the map, but still requested it from the cat. ”Is it okay if we take this map?” He glanced over at the cat waiting for his response. Shortly after, Izanagi let out an audible sigh prompting Kirinji to glance over.

Kirinji had known Izanagi for some time now. Years of ongoing interactions so he was in the capacity to assume some of the thoughts that could be going on inside his head. In the moment, he remembered an instance between the two where Izanagi had explained why he hated killing talented, young shinobi. It was unfortunate because they had much potential and was only wasted by them being victims of the wars. Kirinji couldn’t help but consider that—that was exactly what Izanagi was thinking now. Was it the idea of them potentially becoming casualties of this war? Or was it that he had already considered them to be casualties and was only preparing himself? No, it couldn’t be the latter. That wasn’t his style.

Shortly after, Kotsei began to announce that he was leaving and Kirinji took the opportunity to thank him with a smile before reverting his eyes back onto the Izanagi. ”Thank you for this information. We’ll try our best to retrieve them all.” His tone confident in the team’s ability, even though he didn’t know all of their abilities completely. ”I think that would be best. A few days to rest and plan would do us well.” As he spoke he glanced at the rest of the team nodding his head up and down just in case anyone was hesitant. The last time they truly rested was back at Kiyoshi’s manner and since then, Kasami and Kirinji had both been influenced by a high-level genjutsu and participated in combat against Giglamesh Oda. Not to mention he had no idea what the other’s had endured. In the meantime, he’d patiently wait for the others to express their input and opinions if they had any. If not he’d wait for Izanagi to point them in the direction toward an area they could rest.

While he couldn’t speak for the others, Kirinji wasn’t someone that was going to take this opportunity to rest. While yes, there would be some resting, the level of risk and threat here in Naraka had him at an unease. He needed to sharpen his abilities, his skills, and absorb information and adapt at an incredibly high level, especially if they were going to continue fighting against members of the new Burning Dawn. ”In the meantime,” Kirinji approached Izanagi from the side, standing near his shoulder, and spoke in a hushed tone. ”I know you’re pre-occupied with the Mask Salesman, but a training session would be quite helpful, even if it is only verbal. I’d also like to pick your mind about strategies in retrieving the idols.”

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

Just like there weren’t words powerful enough to accurately illustrate his fascination with the Mask Salesman, there weren’t words powerful enough to depict how foolish he felt running into an invisible wall. It completely took him by surprise, especially since he stepped into the wall head first. ”Guah! What the fuc-” Kirinji completely ricocheted off the wall and was taken aback a few steps before recollecting himself. A puzzled expression completely plastered upon his face as he was clearly confused by what had occurred. Naturally, as the curious individual he is, he reached out with his bandaged arm until he made contact with the wall. Each of his fingers glued themselves onto the invisible wall before he stepped into it and allowed for the palm of his hand to touch it as well. His eyes reverted back to the creature and Izanagi, the confusion replaced with fascination again as he watched the two continue to fight against each other. It was poetic. The two locked in combat for what could potentially be an eternal battle. Both are struggling to gain their freedom for their own reasons. His eyes narrowed in, not on the two, but at the realization that the clone had let him run into a wall instead of stopping him. His head turned slowly toward the clone with a glare of betrayal.

The clone waved them over after Kirinji asked his question and promptly followed behind with the rest of them. The door began to shut and in contrast to the green energy that had coursed in the beginning, this type was much darker and potent. Perhaps as potent as the one approaching them from the hallway. Upon inspection it was almost as the hallway itself was being pushed out due to the sheer potency of it. Before the individual even stepped into the limelight Izanagi had begun conversation with them which seemed to exude friendly banter. Much to his surprise, he was expecting someone bigger. Or rather, more human. Instead he found that it was a feline with a hoodie and a katana. He didn’t discriminate. It just wasn’t something he was expecting. The cat gracefully and elegantly maneuvered onto the desk of the secretary and fanned out what appeared to be a map of Naraka, which Kirinji methodically began to look over and try to remember with his exceptional memory. As the cat introduced himself, Kirinji responded in a respectful tone. ”Nice to meet you Kotsei Yag—” He was cut off by the Kotsei Yagyu jumping up and smacking Izanagi before continuing what he had planned.

That answered one of his questions. ”Was this beast from here?” It was not, but was from somewhere called Nirvana, a place where the Tengu also come from. This was the second time that something was considered a myth or a legend, but was actually real or close. It also seemed that Naraka kept a consistent and recurring theme of the number three. The Sacred Oni Alliance was made up of three clans. There were the three of them for a while before Sentou made his way back. And before him there were the three of them. Now, just like before with the merchant, there were given three routes. Well, not exactly routes, but you get the point. As Kotise explained where the idols were located, the wheels inside Kirinji’s mind began to turn. The East Temple located in the Ouka monastery houses the Senpu Monks who are not foreign to combat as Kotsei explains. If the Burning Dawn members decide to go there, they could use the opportunity of the monks distracted by them to make their way through the wildlife to get to the idol. On the opposite end, if the monks are defeated then they’d have to deal with the wildlife and the Burning Dawn members. Then there was the West Temple, located inside Myokenguchi Prison, an odd spot for a temple and a tricky one. Prisons are typically held to keep individuals in so infiltration, or a heist, would be the ideal. And lastly, Kinnu No Nebashi, which Kosei best thought to save for last. Directions he’d gladly follow. This world was foreign to him and so he’d take all the advice he could get.

It wasn’t a lot to process, but it would require great strength and focus for them to pull this off. There was also the fact that the Burning Dawn members would need other idols to destroy the rest. It would be best if they could retrieve all of them and it’s a safe assumption that the one in Kagane Village was lifted by the Burning Dawn members which released the Mask Salesman presence. That leaves only a few more and would save potentially countless lives and maintain the sealing ritual. Kirinji stroked his chin as he hummed in thought at the words of the cat. By this time, he had remembered the significant location and general outline of the map, but still requested it from the cat. ”Is it okay if we take this map?” He glanced over at the cat waiting for his response. Shortly after, Izanagi let out an audible sigh prompting Kirinji to glance over.

Kirinji had known Izanagi for some time now. Years of ongoing interactions so he was in the capacity to assume some of the thoughts that could be going on inside his head. In the moment, he remembered an instance between the two where Izanagi had explained why he hated killing talented, young shinobi. It was unfortunate because they had much potential and was only wasted by them being victims of the wars. Kirinji couldn’t help but consider that—that was exactly what Izanagi was thinking now. Was it the idea of them potentially becoming casualties of this war? Or was it that he had already considered them to be casualties and was only preparing himself? No, it couldn’t be the latter. That wasn’t his style.

Shortly after, Kotsei began to announce that he was leaving and Kirinji took the opportunity to thank him with a smile before reverting his eyes back onto the Izanagi. ”Thank you for this information. We’ll try our best to retrieve them all.” His tone confident in the team’s ability, even though he didn’t know all of their abilities completely. ”I think that would be best. A few days to rest and plan would do us well.” As he spoke he glanced at the rest of the team nodding his head up and down just in case anyone was hesitant. The last time they truly rested was back at Kiyoshi’s manner and since then, Kasami and Kirinji had both been influenced by a high-level genjutsu and participated in combat against Giglamesh Oda. Not to mention he had no idea what the other’s had endured. In the meantime, he’d patiently wait for the others to express their input and opinions if they had any. If not he’d wait for Izanagi to point them in the direction toward an area they could rest.

While he couldn’t speak for the others, Kirinji wasn’t someone that was going to take this opportunity to rest. While yes, there would be some resting, the level of risk and threat here in Naraka had him at an unease. He needed to sharpen his abilities, his skills, and absorb information and adapt at an incredibly high level, especially if they were going to continue fighting against members of the new Burning Dawn. ”In the meantime,” Kirinji approached Izanagi from the side, standing near his shoulder, and spoke in a hushed tone. ”I know you’re pre-occupied with the Mask Salesman, but a training session would be quite helpful, even if it is only verbal. I’d also like to pick your mind about strategies in retrieving the idols.”

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

As Eiji watched Kirinji walking directly into nothing or what seemed like nothing and bouncing off of it in a cartoonish way, he would hear Imperious in the back of his mind snickering louder than before. This snickering Imperious was more eerie than normal, *Ok Imperious, no more diversions, no sly talking, no more jokes, what do you know?* He said as he continued examining the massive beast from in front of the invisible boundary listening closely to everything and taking in all he could to understand not only the salesman but Izanagi as well. Even the smallest bit of information could help and if Izanagi could harness the beast's power why had he not? If he could hold the beast like this how strong was Izanagi? So many questions ran through his head as he continued examining not even noticing Kasami had begun crying nor anything happening with Ko thereafter.

By the time the proxy of Izanagi told them to move back, Eiji sighed a bit seemingly unwilling but doing so out of respect for their protector. Had anyone noticed that Eiji truly was acting differently they would have noticed this change was happening slowly but quickly at the same time. The change started long ago when he was bit by the snake but was accelerated after he had vanished and was returned by the Burning Dawn puppeteer. Something in their confrontation changed Eiji greatly releasing this new almost dormant personality.

The fight allowed Eiji to show his true self rather than the manly rough figure his father always wished for that he hid behind using a transformation technique that could almost seem permanent. Now he turned towards Izanagi as Kirinji asked his question to the man while he closed the door behind them. It was curious, what could this weak party do that Izanagi, Kiyoshi, Tatsumi, and the Tengu couldn't? Why them over all the powerful figures here within Naraka? More so, what tied them to the Burning Dawn? He knew something did but not what? Like the strange and eerie connection or reverberation between him the puppeteer of the dawn. These questions would come later as the powerful chakra began to approach them.

Eiji would look at Izanagi as he began to talk to whoever was hidden in the shadows before they revealed themselves much to Eiji's complete surprise, the chakra that they felt that seemed so overbearing and strong was from this small kitten who called himself, "Kotsei Yagyu" although one of his other supposed nicknames made Eiji chuckle before they got down to business when the cat pulled out a map of Naraka explaining the different temples, their locations, ordeals, and known traps. Eiji looked at the cat and Izanagi as Kotsei was getting ready to leave Eiji spoke up after Kirinji asked for the map, "Excuse me, Mr.Izanagi and Grandmaster Fluffy-Shake Down, I have quite a few questions for you both if you don't mind responding to them." Eiji said but before either could say yes or no he continued with his questions starting with his questions about why it was their team, why people like Kiyoshi and Tatsumi couldn't, the connection to the burning dawn, how they could get strong enough to survive their mission cause they or at least he could only speak for himself was not now. After stating these he would stop giving them a chance to retort while looking at his teammates with a grimace upon his face as he thought about the dangers and how poorly they might fair upon this mission.

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

As she reached to dry her tears, she was quite shocked to find the hands of another there to do so. The expression of surprise was quite obvious on her face, washing away the despair that had filled the pit of her stomach when she’d learned of Izanagi’s struggle- it was him. She knew it before she had even looked. It was obvious that no other in their company wouldn’t do such a thing for her, but what wasn’t obvious to others was that these moments with Kogaiji for her were few and far between. Now that she was realizing just how little they knew- well, just how little she knew about him, she had started to understand more and more that the love she felt for him was a desperate attraction. That didn’t necessarily mean that she didn’t truly love him, just that they hadn’t had much time for that love to grow healthily. It was born of torture and agony, but also release and empowerment. Where would she be without Ko? A deaf girl still walking around Konoha with her nose in a book.

She smiled at him appreciatively, but he could see it clearly in her eyes. The uncertainty. These moments were growing for frequent for them since his treatment in Tatsumi’s ward- since he’d changed. Was he doing it now because he cared to, because he wanted to? Or was it still weird for him to do? In the past she thought it was because he felt obligated to give her the affections she wanted- he’d created her after all. In her eyes though there was also hope. Hope that this meant something for them. They could get to know one another finally and she could actually believe that he loved her.

She didn’t dwell too long on his actions, not wanting to make a scene or make the others uncomfortable- or even him. That uncertainty again. ”Thank you.”

Kasami stood close to his side, watching the doors close in silence as the face of their enemy slowly left their view. She’d completely missed the previous events of Kirinji bumping into the invisible wall, or Ko calling out to him, or even Ko’s confused and alarmed expression. Her mind had started to wander a bit, as it usually did- asking herself questions she may never verbalize. Did the New Burning Dawn know what the Mask Salesman looked like, how strong he was? Was this a threat they intended to face blindly or had they met this monster before and knew what to expect? Ai’s words drifted through her mind like a lullaby. She still agreed with them, to some degree at least, but now that she’d seen even a fraction of the Salesman’s power and form she couldn’t allow them to release him upon Naraka in full force. Kagane was a massacre. On a larger scale she could only imagine that the death of this world and whatever was within it would be like erasing it from existence entirely.

Naraka? Never heard of it.

An overwhelming presence was soon to join them, and she had mostly watched Izanagi’s behavior before his arrival. This was a confusing man, to say the least. He was hands down the strongest person she had ever met- and he had a sense of humor. He probably could have beat her father with a pinky toe in less than a minute, and her dad was the most bitter person in the world. Maybe that’s why he was- he was weak. At his remark to whomever approached being late, following their own retort, Kasami tilted her head in that direction and peered down the hall. She wasn’t really sure what to expect, this was Naraka, but she didn’t really expect... a cat. A cat with clothing, and a sword. Was she hallucinating? Someone spiked the punch- that was it. She looked at him in awe, mouth slightly open, watching this cat walk toward them, carrying a map. Her big round eyes were focused in on him and she was sure this was some kind of joke until she witnessed him speak herself. No one else seemed as surprised as she was. Maybe that was due to them being more explored than she- she’d never been that far outside of the village in the first place, but talking cats?! Not even a cat-like person. A literal cat. This was one of the most surprising things to her, for some reason, even though she just saw a behemoth of a monster moments before.

Now that she was remembering the entirety of the situation, she came back to reality a bit and blinked a few times. She shook her head, moving to the table where the map was splayed out, and crossed her arms, balancing on one foot as she hooked the other around the back of her ankle. She listened attentively, but he’d triggered her as soon as she heard his name, so her mind was only half present.

Tatsumi...

A wave of things came back to her, almost like a silent movie playing in her mind. A tribute maybe- assuming the worst. He was dead. His awkwardness about her crying, his assurances. Arriving to stop Eien from doing any serious damage. When he had taken care of her when her bones had been broken. The peace they felt around him- the respect she’d had for him in such a small amount of time. One of Izanagi’s trusted, guarding an idol. And then his face that night came back to her. The look of fear and pain. The helplessness and maybe even regret, knowing he’d failed. But remembering him, quickly turned into remembering him.

The mess of darkness that threatened to consume her. The way that he had called to her. Beckoned for her. For his power. Kiyoshi told her that this is her eye now, but sometimes she didn’t believe it. She wanted to know more about him- and who better to ask than Izanagi himself. But first she had some other questions that took priority.

By the time she was back to full capacity, she’d listened to Kotsei absently but still retained the information, and now she was looking around at the others. It was going to be a decision that they made together, but ultimately there was one absolute. She’d follow his advice about going to the abandoned fishing village til last. He knew better than they did. The Valley sounded like the best first option, but the one located at the prison was a close contender as well.

Kirinji vouched that resting for a few days sounded like a good option, and Kasami would nod in agreement should he cast a glance in her direction. He often times wasn’t wrong, and she did want to have a conversation with them later. She wanted some one on one time with her team- get to know them better. There was no harm in that at all. Her attention drifted to Sentou, and then to Eiji as he announced that he had a few questions for them. She decided to chime in as well, while she had the time, and mentioned the most prominent thing on her mind.

”I would also like to ask- in our travels we have come across many people and they’ve mysteriously disappeared. Sentou had vanished and recently re-emerged, so I have hope for one of the others at least. He was there one minute and gone the next. His name is Ikki- he said you’re his father. Do you know if he’s safe? And then...” The question she was dreading the answer of every time she asked. ”Tatsumi and the Tengu that I met. He used this jutsu- I would swear it’d taken me to heaven. I haven’t seen either of them since our encounter with the Burning Dawn, and everyone I ask has no answers for me. The last thing I want to personally know about, and it can be discussed later on after you talk to everyone else if you’re even up for it... I want to know everything you can tell me about Mikaboshi.”

That was all from her. If Izanagi insisted they speak about it later or declined her questions, or even if he answered some, she’d only linger as long as she needed to. Respectfully, she’d excuse herself, and wait by the lift to go wash her face so she could see completely and go eat something. She was famished.

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

Having shaken off the sickening sensation he had felt from the beast’s gaze, Sentou would look up attentively to the voice of Ko only to catch a small glimpse of Kirinji walking into what appeared to be an invisible barrier that was protecting the group - or perhaps it acted as another layer that kept the true Izanagi and the Salesman where they were. Regardless he was relieved some kind of precautionary measures were made...had his willpower succumbed to the corrupting influence and there was no barrier, who knew what would have happened had he or rather Kirinji approached the door. “Hey, are you holding up alright?” he asked Kirinji, he wanted to follow up further to see if he felt anything remotely similar to how he previously felt - but instead of words, his head swiveled to the sign at the immediate detection of an enormous chakra signature making its way down the hall. He took a moment to try and register what it was he felt, as well as to catch any sudden changes in the mood of the room to identify the new arrival as a threat. Instead, a question that seemed rhetorical was asked by Izanagi prior to the appearance of a small cat standing upright and dressed like a human wielding a blade.

A look of tense confusion enveloped the face of Sentou as he stared at animal holding conversation with Izanagi - it wasn’t until he declared himself at Kotsei Yagyu, a few other names, Izanagi’s rebuttal, and then the whack to his head that Sentou felt like he could properly relax; if he could smack Izanagi and he not lift a finger it meant they were close, right? He had heard of animal summonings and met ferocious beasts like the Ogre in the forest, but a walking talking cat was completely new to him. He heard only bits and pieces of Kotsei’s explanation -despite him trying to listen carefully to Kotsei’s instructions, the fascination factor was immensely blinding.- The main focal point was retrieving a set of idols, one would be sufficient enough to put a wedge in the Burning Dawn’s plan since they needed another to be destroyed. Of all the locations he mentioned the most interesting was the Ouka Monastery, he had asked Sakuya before about the Senpu Monks; the fact they came up again so soon only intrigued him further, just what were they like? Lost in a small world of his own in la-la land about what was in store for them, his attention didn’t come back until he heard the voices of his allies. From Kirinji’s suggesting training session, Eiji asking why exactly it had to be their group among a few other questions, and Kasami questioning about the well-being of another named Ikki along with his own unexplained disappearance, he was surely lost - swept up in the currents of fate he felt no bigger than a tadpole in the vast depths of the ocean. He envied Kotsei, with so much on his mind he hadn’t thought about the last time he ate. Perhaps a little downtime to think things over would be more efficient than standing around unsure what to do. “...I know there’s a lot going on, but is anyone else hungry? All this talk about acquiring idols and battling not just the Burning Dawn but the Salesman kinda has me thinking a lot. Maybe talking out a plan while we eat could prove helpful?” He spoke with an unsettling calmness to his voice, but no sooner did he finish his sentence he would hear his stomach retaliating with hunger. His face breaking down nervously as he chuckled, he really gave it some thought. The last he could remember eating was shortly before running into Ko..that led to the fight at the temple and his second meeting of..stopping in his tracks, a look of curiosity but uncertainty graced his face as he looked to Izanagi, “I doubt this means anything, but before coming to Naraka I met someone by the name of Hayato, he held me captive before Totsuka finally arrived to rescue me, apparently, the two knew each other. I ran into that same man here underneath Kagutsuchi village before I reunited with everyone. I’m still unsure how I ended up underneath an entire village, but the reason I’m bringing this up is...Do you know who Hayato is, or even what part he plays? He vowed to kill me the next we met, only letting me go to get stronger. He isn’t involved with the Burning Dawn, is he?”

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

=Kirinji had asked if they could keep the map for reference, which was entirely fine by Kotsei as indicated by the way that he nodded his head in retort and gest with a sleeve covered paw to the map in offering to the team. While they had started going in about things he had begun walking away - only to be addressed by Eiji whom caused a symmetry of reactions between both he and Izanagi as the cat victoriously cheered out a "Yeeeeeeaaaaah boy." while Izanagi sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose at the triumph of his companion being called such a thing. Though he did not stop, at this moment - breakfast was more important to the feline and he would not miss it this morning. So he continued off. Though the litany of questions would still be addressed her by Izanagi, starting with the most simple to explain being Eiji's, something that he had heard before however would be enunciated in better detail by Izanagi. He would then roll through the questions in order only to end on Sentou, quietly nodding to Kirinji in compliance to his request at training. There were still some things that even this proxy could do that they could stand to learn from. He was a glossary of defenses.

"There's no wayh that we can honestly say for sure but given the beasts goals of consumption, we can only assume that if you were brought to Naraka by his machination - it is because you have the potential in you to amass a legendary strength. So we do with it what we can, try to force his hand and catch him underestimating that potential. If he is so confident that he can consume strong opponent's, then we will try and make you stronger then what he bargained for. As far as tactics go - in that regard the only thing that we can do is take the enemies' predictions - and try to bolster them astronomically higher then he could be prepared for. As for the rest of Naraka well, to put it lightly I'll say this. For all intents and purposes this is a full fledged war against the Salesman. And like any war - this one is being fought on multiple fronts. Tengu and Kiyoshi have their directives and missions to carry out. The legions of the salesman are being fought back by them on a constant. Its one of the reasons that the roads of Naraka stay so safe despite everything going on. Sakuya is using her resources in Nirvana and her connections with the Monks and other holy sanctums in Naraka to do as much research as possible to uncover whatever we can about the salesman and any possible openings and advantages we can use. Genichiro - guards and maintains the biggest village in Naraka and makes sure that its functioning effectively, maintains a strong bulkhead against opposition here at our Capitol, and ensures that the civilian population remain calm, entertained, and for all purposes distracted while all of this goes on. Stabilizing public relation. So forth so on, the rest is really a need to know basis.

=Then, in that time there came the questions that Kasami had asked. Izanagi's lip upturned at the thought of all of it, and when she got to the question about Mikaboshi his eyes narrowed as his gaze averted off to the side a bit. This must not register on an emotional level. Though at the same time, body language was a method of communication that sometimes expressed more information then even words could. Glancing off to the side, and upwards - where as not guaranteed tells all the time, mostly told that a person was remembering something or recollecting an event, legitimately and not just making up a story. Facial cringing or tensing during this time could be a sign that the memory is either so strong or so painful that simply recalling it can cause the person to feel the events of it even in the moment of recollection - and Izanagi's face at the bridge and brow most certainly became ever slightly more tense just before retorting:

"They're fine. Actually Ikki left here a day or two before you all arrived. Tengu is, most certainly fine as he always is and I can guarantee you that if Tatsumi was with him at all during the time that he disappeared, then he too is certainly okay. Perhaps also in consulting with the elders of the Sanzou order to seek guidance on what it is that he is supposed to do next." -he paused a moment- "As for Mikaboshi. He is the father of Daikokuten, the leader of the Burning Dawn that you met back at the temple. He is also the man who first started this war with the Salesman, and single handedly ruined my life to consign me into this war on his side. . . Suppose I see why now. He is responsible for the existence of many Oni clans here, and was the first Shinobi to come from the Waking world, into Naraka - dating back since the infancy of the shinobi world. Though, we were two completely different sides of the same waring coin - and he is the reason that the Burning Dawn hold the philosophy that they do as of now. They believe that Mikaboshi was a stronger leader, and that his philosophy was correct. That with enough strong numbers and pure strength alone they can kill the salesman. That Naraka is ready for all out uncontained war with it and that casualties are something that are unavoidable and will only result in boosting the strength of those in Naraka. That through cleansing of war - only the strong will thrive and make Naraka even stronger. But you've seen it. Kagane. All those people that died. They didnt stand a chance. We dont even understand how it happens. Or what it does. And that wasnt even the beast itself. That was just what it can do with its willpower alone. You've seen what war does to the waking world. The cycle never ends. War brings pain, and pain transforms the youth and remnants of war into the monsters of tomorrow and in the name of revenge or vindication of one's own way of life they will move on to start wars. Then the cycle continues. When I left the waking world not only was it to fight the battle Naraka needs here but it was also because it had become so ugly, so unrecognizable from the world I grew up in and loved - that I fear my resentment of it and people's ways would cause me to destroy it. Become a Mask Salesman of my own creation. I can't abide that kind of belief. Even if maybe they're right. I can not and will not abide it - and if they're so right then I guess they're just gonna have to come and pluck me off the throne their own way then. -he took repose a moment- That...well thats all there is to know about Mikaboshi as it is. If he has returned then doubtless he and his son have come to cause insurrection and do things their way. Claim what they would call their rightful seat at Naraka's head."

=Then, there would come Sentou, whom first started off with the inquiry about food. Unbeknownst to the team at hand, Izanagi had been watching them for quite some time, and it had just occurred to him that Sentou - did not get to partake in all of the lovely foods and wonders of the festival before the antics of the Casino. He must be famished. He was light hearted at first but then came the mention of Hayato to which Izanagi's expression flushed and grimmaced even more, not even an attempt to hide the tone shift at this point as he grew silent, and then lead into speaking with a hushed, stern, and almost completely upset nature:

"My my. Your group has been around the block havent you? Had I known mistakes of my past would come back to roost all in one sitting I might have made a scrapbook....heh...forgive me. My irritation is not with you - just, mistakes of my youth tend to cause me to, at times chastise myself for not doing something different back then. Hayato. (he tasted the name on his lips a moment). Been a while since I have heard him referred to as that. Hayato Hyuga. Known here as Hayato Hingashi. But reborn as Oshirama Hiragana. He was an ally for quite some time, and a close friend to Totsuka. During a more simple time when this was just starting off we were all here together. When things first started getting nasty - there was a mission to investigate the abnormal spirit world activity in Kinnu No'Nebashi. Three went, Hayato, Totsuka, and Osei Orochi. We...(there was pause. . . there was pain) aren't really certain what happened on that mission. But only Hayato and Totsuka came back. And they just werent the same. Hayato - didnt speak for almost four days. And Totsuka screamed horribly in the middle of the night. Plagued with dreams, visions, voices in his head. It drove him insane. After a couple of weeks, they couldnt live as normal people anymore. Something in them had changed irrefutably and they left. Hayato - attempted at the life of Kotsei, myself and another one of our own. His words were: "The world that we live in is a garden that is overrun with weeds. Weeds with a pestilent hunger to grow and spread. Our garden will never see the bloom of flowers again if someone does not cut out the weeds at their root. Hayato Hingashi was weak. I have started the uprooting with him. And now there will be no more room for weakness in my garden." from then on the Prison Warden of Naraka became known as Oshirama a man with a desire to destroy all sentient life in the world with an insane view that it will grow anew after we're all wiped from the face of the globe. He values strength in purity. Power. And if he let you live then it was either because he saw shame, or weakness in himself if he were to obliterate you then and there, or perhaps he holds a soft spot towards you as a student of his brother in arms - Totsuka. Either way. He is a man of his word. If he said he would intend to kill you next time. Then believe it to be truth. -he took a deep breath, composing himself.- ANYWAY. You all must be pretty hungry. Judging by the rumbling in your belly I know that you are Sentou. I - unfortunately am only a proxy and feed only on the suffering of my enemies. Ha, kidding. But anyway - you all should make yourself at home. Explore the facilities. Breakfast is still being served in the mess, so make yourself comfortable. You have full access to the medical bay, shops, and the archives - oop, except of course the restricted section~. I'll check back in with you here and there and see that you are all well prepped when ready to begin your journey!"

=As he said this he clapped his hands together. Smiling between each of them as he had explained. Ko on the side of Kasami looked at the man as if he was a weirdo, mainly because - he was! Ko wasn't sure how to feel about the man at all but taking in his own power and ability, as well as the power of the feline that just left here, he could only be thankful that they had actual allies on their side that were able to contest the enemies they had against them. Ko was always in a kind of ANBU mindset all his life. One thing that he was always thinking about was the odds and the roster. And for a while he could only think about the fact that the enemy seemed to have good numbers over them - and that was just the ones that they knew about, and on top of that almost all of them were immensely strong. The odds had not been in their favor. But now with the introduction of Izanagi and everything here at the castle. It was like being stranded behind enemy lines and finally returning back to base. No longer a straining battle for survival and back to a conjoined - well strategized combined push to the line of combat. He kept his hand at Kasami's lower back, having been rubbing her back a bit when she asked about Mikaboshi - knowing that the thought messed with her strongly. He was worried about her, and couldnt help but think that when he implanted the rinnegan in her had he really done her a service or unknowingly made her a target for circumstance they couldnt have possibly predicted. She was still very naive - even though she didnt like to think such and would be even less receptive to considering such. She didnt know much about him or the way that he loved. He had always cared about her - it was the only reason he did what he had. He himself? He knew that he was a force to be reckoned with. There wasnt many in the waking world that he didnt think he could handle and the ones that he questioned that with he knew he could out-think already. So he had kept hard on Kasami, and distant from emotion because he didnt want to spoil her on the sugars of life. He could have been caring all the time, compassionate - he knew that she was a girl that had an idealistic fairy-tale environment of what affection should be. As much as it pained him to not feed into that for her, he knew that it would hurt him even more to see her get hurt because he humored the delusion and kept so easy on her. He'd show some affection here and there - few and far between kept the value of those small moments high. But first and foremost he wanted her strong. Independent. He remembered watching the blind, aimless girl in Konoha wandering just as blind in her mind as she was in her sight - and he saw someone who would become a victim to horrors she couldnt imagine walking in that blindness. The torture, the hard training, the emotional distance? It was because he prioritized her development, protection, and self efficiency more then giving her the temporary pleasures that come and go with acts of compassion. He thought he had all the time in the world before, so why not save the romantics and push her to grow in the meantime? But that was becoming less and less of a reality the longer they were here in Naraka; and now his life was on the line. He couldnt guarantee protection nor his own survival anymore and this made him feel like now - there was a clock ticking on his life. Doubtless in that mind set he would be more open with his feelings and more expressed towards her now...it could be the last time he get the chance, which explained why she was seeing more frequented of certain interactions here. Ko sighed, and reached up to brush his crimson red hair back as he tried to get his thoughts in order again. Composing himself for calmness so he could actually be productive with the time they had - and not just spend it an antsy, tense mess.=

[/color]

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

She soaked up all of the information that he had to give her, but she couldn’t help feel a little disappointed. It was just a suspicion, but Kasami couldn’t shake the feeling that there were some things he wasn’t telling her. If he knew Mikaboshi personally, surely there was more to it right? She decided not to pry, and just listened intently. Her attention was fully on him, except for the brief moment she looked at Ko and smiled when he offered her comfort with his hand on her lower back. She certainly wasn’t going to complain that he was offering her more affections than usual, but she was still curious as to what changed. Maybe they would get a moment to themselves to talk about everything. She hadn’t realized it til now, but they hadn’t actually been able to sit down and talk one on one since before she came to Naraka.

When Izanagi was finished answering her question, he turned his attention toward Sentou to answer his, and then mentioned food when he was finished. Her stomach bubbled up a little at the thought of food, and not in the good way, but she knew that she needed to eat. It was the last thing on her agenda, so perhaps skipping breakfast wasn’t that bad, and she’d just catch the next meal. The idea of sitting with her team and eating, talking to them or even the people here at the castle, did intrigue her enough to reconsider though. She’d see what everyone else was going to do before making her decision. Sentou would most likely be going, and possibly Ko as much as he seemed to enjoy food, but what were Kirinji and Eiji planning to do? Eiji had mentioned his interest in getting his hands on some books. Maybe that was where he was headed, and she could talk to him without everyone else around. She wanted to understand him, as much as it seemed like that would be a difficult task. They were on the same team, so they’d need to form a better relationship to be able to survive together.

She was standing there in deep thought as everyone started to clear out, and if Izanagi started to leave or had stayed there, she’d remember something else that was important to ask. Something that Tengu had said when he came to clash with Mikaboshi.

“Izana- I’m sorry. Lord Mebu? There was something else.” She looked at him, turning toward him if he’d moved, and her expression was somewhat serious from before. ”When Tengu showed up he had said something that I just remembered. You said that Mikaboshi was a stronger leader. Even you allude to his passing or lack of involvement, you know he was gone... so who did I run into in Kagane? Tengu said that he wears his visage well... it wasn’t really Mikaboshi.”

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

“Oshirama, huh?” Sentou muttered to himself, he repeated the name over and over in his head to make a mental note of the man’s new name. He didn’t know a lot about Totsuka, nor Hayato, so to learn of their tragic backstory with both losing a friend kinda struck him hard. He could relate to losing people close to him, however, if Oshirama truly wanted to purge the world of weak people, Sentou would be damned to sit around and wait for death’s embrace. It would definitely give that bastard a good beating, but in order to do so, he would have to get stronger, hone his skills, and most of all rid himself of the insecurities that held him back. There was a complete 180 turn in Sentou’s demeanor, no longer staring at the Izanagi mite with defiance, but acceptance. He gave a rather cheesy grin at the mention of food, the young Kenzai nodding with excitement. He was rearing and ready to go right then and there, his eyes darting to the door from which Kotsei departed. Just before Sentou would depart on his own accord and explore the facilities, he heard the voice of Kasami calling out to Izanagi in the manner of wishing to ask another question. At the mention of Tengu, Sentou focused his mind once more as he listened in on the conversation, surely food could wait just a little longer. Besides, it’d probably be better to leave as a group if they were all heading to the same location. Kasami’s question continued and she mentioned Mikaboshi again, he wondered what connection she may have with the aforementioned individual that drove her to ask such a thing. But there it was, once again mentioned was Kagane. There was someone who wore Mikaboshi’s visage? Things were starting to get confusing for Sentou; the mask salesman was an enormous entity, a walking talking cat, the revelation of Totsuka and Hayato, and now someone impersonating someone as old as Mikaboshi? He reached his face to pinch the flesh of his cheek just to make sure he was indeed awake - the unpleasant sensation of nerves being pinched caused him to wince and suck at his teeth in retort. There was a chance he looked like a fool to anyone who might’ve been paying attention to him, but he didn’t care. At least he was still breathing, for now.

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

Information, something they desperately needed for the future of their journey, the survival of Naraka, and most importantly to Eiji, his own teams survival especially his own. He listened to every piece of information as Izanagi went over it from himself to Sentou. Each word seemed to have weight when he spoke although Eiji had heard the information before he thought their would be greater details or something hidden that only Izanagi knew but it wasn't Izanagi simply gave a more concise and clear idea of what the Salesman seeks from them but there was something that bothered Eiji within Izanagi's words, Potential that word cause Eiji look at Izanagi in confusion.

His moment of confusion would be quickly shafted as he listened to Kasami's question and the answers given to her by Izanagi, Eiji also wondered about a few people but hearing that Kiyoshi, Tengu, and Tatsumi were fine was a relief. He heard about Ikki and how he had been here before them and was utterly surprised. They must have just missed him, it would have been nice to see him again and work together with him once more, he seemed quite powerful wand would be a great addition to help them through their trials but sadly this would not happen.

Finally he spoke to Sentou which was rather detailed and extreme to Eiji, Izanagi talked about his past and how this past was colliding with their present and possibly their future. Oshirama this man seemed like he would be a massive obstacle for them to overcome, especially for Sentou who seemed to have a deep and rich history with them. Eiji wished they would have an easier time but he would no longer shy away from a fight or a struggle. After listening to his response to Sentou before he could speak up Kasami would question Izanagi one more time about someone named Mikaboshi. This brought forth a question that had been bothering Eiji for a long time, "Actually Lord Mebu I also have a question, well possibly a few. The first is, I was attacked by a snake man thing at the beginning of our journey... I'd like to ask what it did to me if you know and why I still feel pain from where I was bitten every once in a while. The second is the pain got extremely and exponentially worst when I was lost and ended up fighting against the Burning Dawn's puppeteer. When I came back I was half dead, I don't know who fixed me or how or what was wrong with me... I want to know what they found, thank them, and know why I felt such extreme pain just being near him?" He questioned Izanagi in a more timid voice than before due to him feeling embarrassed about not knowing anything that was involving himself.

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

[sub]((Listen While reading))[/sub]

=There were still questions to be answered. By the time that they had gotten to this point Izanagi had not bothered leaving at all. Still standing there in place tucking his hands in his pockets as the time came that both Kasami and Eiji had more questions to ask. First came Kasami's, to which Izanagi stood there for a moment contemplating that very issue - leaving Eiji to bring the addition of his own questions which only forestalled the contemplative nibbling of his bottom lip as his eyes were once averted to the ground - then cast upwards past and beyond them as he continued to sit on the premise in his mind. A chuckle broke his expression, one that wasn't comical at all but was very obviously a pacifying behavior. Pacifying behaviors were something that everyone had - even the greatest of shinobi in some form. There was really no way around it, you could teach yourself to have only certain pacifying behaviors - but the brain's response to dealing with feelings and thoughts reflexively populated by the presence of a stressor, in this case the question about Mikaboshi - was something that could not simply be neutralized completely in the mind. At the current, he chuckled because he was irritated that he had nothing to tell either one of them, more so nothing to give Kasami in the moment and more ambiguous things to tell Eiji. . . a fetch quest rather. "I don't know. Unfortunately, in this situation that is the only accurate answer for either of your questions. If not Mikaboshi - then who is it that can wear his visage so well? Its a question with strong ramifications. As for you Eiji, it was Sakuya that healed you. I believe she did extract something from your body in that time - however the origin of this snake thta bit you or whatever it may be is a mystery to me. Naraka is home to a great many beast and creature and it could have been anyof them. Though - I believe Sakuya is taking her sample to the medical wing now. If you make it in time you can catch the Physician before he goes into the lab on it. If anyone is going to know it'll be him." =His eyes never left the upwards and deep position that they were in. At this point it was apparent that he was looking behind the group, but at what? For any of those that turned around - they would find the physical being of two individuals. One of which was very familiar to them and the other minorly so and perhaps not for the best reasons. They were met by the presence of none other than Kiyoshi and Eien. The lift set shut as they reached the floor everyone was on and Kiyoshi looked between everyone with a raised brow. Eien, arms folded and glancing between them in complete silence and stoicism as he followed quietly behind Kiyoshi - whom sauntered in with the stride of a model clapping his hands in rhythme with his words: "One. Big. Happy. Family. The gang is all here. Good to see Genichiro left everyone here with all their fingers and toes. Heh. . . Sir. . . We need to talk." =his tone at the end was serious and when he looked at Izzy his eyes narrowed and his gaze remained locked on him, silent communication transpiring between them right there on the spot. As Eien trailed behind with arms folded, his luminescent golden eyes seemed to be locked onto Izanagi, wide and unblinking. This was something that people did in reflex as well. A "deer in the headlights" kind of response. This happened when a person was face to face with something that they perceive to be some form of a threat, and people do this as a means to make their eyes as wide as possible to get as much light as they can - this way the eyes see everything going on and can get as much information as possible in order to respond or defend against the threat appropriately. Funny enough, this is done even in the face of psychological and emotional threats and that was exactly what the presence of Izanagi was to Eien, an emotional hardship - having been so very long since he was face to face with his father: "Hello, father." he broke his frozen haze to comment in an almost pained voice, yet expressionless still as Izanagi looked between the two with calm yet intrigued eyes. At this point, now Kiyoshi and Eien stood at either side of Izanagi, Kiyoshi and Eien both fixated on Izanagi without glancing aside at anyone else more then need be before they walked past them. There was obviously something going on that needed to be discussed and Izanagi would soon look to the group and nod his head: "I will catch up with you all shortly and make sure you're settling in."

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

A lot was asked, a lot was said, and a lot was noted. There were good questions and he was sure everyone had a ton. Hell, even he had a lot to ask still, but he was sure there would be a time and place for that later on. When he first arrived here and had traveled with the rest, it was like they were alone. It was just them fighting this war. But now that they have been shown what they are up against and who is doing what in help with the overall mission, it gives Kirinji a sense of relief. They had allies. They had allies in the beginning as well, but it’s different when you see them and know what they are doing.

Soon they were joined by two more individuals, Kiyoshi and Eien. Upon observation it seemed that the man had come to his senses and so Kirinji did not feel any ill will toward him. Even when the group had fought against him, they weren’t trying to kill him—well, not everybody. They were only trying to subdue him. The shocking revelation though, Kirinji hadn’t known Izanagi had children. It raised an eyebrow from him and curiosity, but he read the room pretty well. They needed privacy to talk and Izanagi’s words only solidified that. In response Kirinji nodded his head before turning toward the elevators, waiting for the others to get in if they did. Had they got in, he’d talk once the doors had closed.

”I’m going to go look around Izanagi’s library and the castle in general. Feel free to join if any of you want.”

Wherever the elevator stopped, he stepped off onto the floor and looked side to side before deciding to go a random way. He had no idea where he was going, but he was sure he’d find something.

(Location: Kirinji → Randomly exploring Mebu Castle, Library.)

Oni Archives · Mar 4, 2022

(Location: Mebu Castle→ Mebu Medical Wing)
Emotion... A word that Eiji has a hard time understanding, actually more than that; Eiji lacks understanding of what emotions are outside of depression, regret, fear, and anxiety. Right now he was experiencing new emotions on the regular and he was having a hard time grasping what the current emotion he was feeling is. He knew it had something to do with his team even slightly accepting him for who he really is, he wanted to do something nice for Sakuya who saved his life, he wanted to help Izanagi who was providing them both protection and information on their new goals, and he wanted Imperious to see his growth, his mental strength and his slowly growing passion for life. What was this strange unusual emotion welling up within Eiji, it was gratitude.

Eiji heard Izanagi telling him where to find Sakuya and find out more about what she found that almost killed him. He looked at Kasami and Sentou who were still there for a moment as he thought about starting a convo with them but Eiji did not know much after they left the village as he got separated from them and wasn't returned till the end of their journey and was unconscious for it as well. So instead of trying to talk to them about stuff he had no idea about at the moment, he would rush off to see Sakuya and learn more about what happened to him before telling his team about it and being able to give them better more reliable information.

As he thought this he looked at everyone with a very thankful expression that was out of the normal and his feminine face made it more apparent to everyone else except himself. After showing such an expression he nodded at Izanagi and his group before bolting out to go find Sakuya and then go to explore the area and see if he could learn anything useful.

[Episode Ikki Pt1] Mebu Castle

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator

Administrator