[RP Location] Kagane Village

[Oni Archives]

Ikki didn’t quite by a word the young man that stood in front of kasami was saying. It was possible that he had gotten here by other means but those odds were slim. Tatsumi mentioned both Oshirama and Eien but it was likely that the latter had been careless enough to simply let someone follow him around. He could only think if Eien let him pursue him without dispatching of him that meant there was something bigger at play than just a he said, she said argument. Ikki still grimaced in this gentlemans direction his eyes still radiating that classic uchiha glow at this point. His body was in a state of agitation. However he was still very much aware of his surroundings as he raked his brain for possibilities of what Tatsumi informed him of. When Kasami found herself asking Ikki if there was any other way he could get here he simply shook his head because if there was his father hadn’t shown him. His posture shifted causing him to cross his arms over his chest like a disapproving parent. It soon became apparent that Kasami had it under control meaning that Ikki didn’t need to speak to this young man at all but he would anyway the moment he mentioned his father’s name and Kasami dismissed him from her presence. Ikki almost laughed at how easily she merely cast him aside like a dirty sock.

“It’s not often people come here looking for him or anyone else that isn’t already from around here. So clearly you haven’t been minding yourself nor your business judging by the way she talks to you.” His gaze was nearly piercing as he looked upon his form without much care at all. He was standing in front of men that could very well end his existence without much hesitation at all. Unbeknownst to him at the very least, he wouldn’t know much about Ikki for that matter if he knew very little of his father. His lips parted to speak again with that same deep tone from before of course this would only come after this young man had finished explaining himself to a further degree. If he had chosen too at all for that matter. “I’ll be seeing you around than if you really are looking for Izanagi.” He soon after walked pass this young man without much hesitation at all trailing behind Kasami by quite some distance before his taller image slipped into the crowd of Oni folk his presence not unlike their own in that moment. He sooner rather than later slipped off to take a moment of time to himself. He was still within a visual distance of Kasami but there were some things he needed to tend to even more so he needed to convene with himself so to speak. He in turn took to a rooftop to within eyeshot of the medical ward just in case he needed to be reached but he was still keeping a relative eye out for the young woman he’d joined.

In passing any onlooker could find that Ikki conjured up his mask its blue sheen meeting his gaze as he soon came to place it upon his face. His form could be seen resembling something akin to a monk meditating with his legs crossed over one another and his hands clasped together in his lap. His breathing had become slow to the point that he seemed as if he weren’t doing at all in a matter of seconds he achieved a sense of perfect calm to steel himself from agitation that came about before at the mention of Eien and Oshirama. He need this confrontation with himself and while this was less of a confrontation and more of a conversation he knew it was a necessary thing. In turn his mind jolted fading to black as if someone had pulled the curtain on a play and the room lost illumination. When the light returned he would be within a dojo illuminated with dozens of candles their flames blue like the very flames he called his own. Their wax forms decorated every corner of the room just about excluding the doors. He was sure his effective doppelganger was around but he needed to calm himself, collect the questions and thoughts he had. These flames he called his own were more than just a weapon for subduing a target. He need to know more but more importantly this individual that resided within had the knowledge of others as well as the knowledge Ikki himself held. Perhaps they would be capable of shedding some light on the on goings of previous mask owners or even what Ikki was missing.

 

[Oni Archives]

あ な た の 心 は 痛 む が 、笑 顔 壊 れ て も 笑 顔

Kirinji slightly chuckled as he tilted his head nodding while he glazed at her with glassy eyes; captivated by not only her arrogance but the man's as well. They brushed him off and went about their business. Not even thinking that perhaps he held vital information that needed to be relayed to Izanagi. Or perhaps an old acquittance of the aforementioned individual needed help and required assistance only he could provide. No, no — they did not consider any of that instead responded with subtle hostility. It is interesting though if you acknowledge how one interacts with others. Their tells, their body language, their tone, the way they react it can tell a lot about their characters. While Kirinji attempted to withhold judgements about their characters, they made it excruciating painful not to do so. More so the woman; while it is true that you can't judge a book by its cover. But you can by its first few chapters, and certainly by its last. From the current interaction he was slightly unconfused, yet did not provide any clues from his visage. She states that she would not tell him then proceeds to tell them. Kirinji was intrigued — as this woman only gets more and more interesting the more their paths cross. For the agitated male though it was more difficult other than his anger seemingly radiated off him, but it was clear from the interaction he had previously. Perhaps the reasoning would be explained another time.

Kirinji nor responded to their question nor attempted to stop them as he had ascertained the answer to his primary question. The dialogue between them and the dialogue directed toward them deduced that they in fact did know Izanagi and knew where he was. They had also stated that they would be going nowhere until the unconscious man was healed. For now all he had to do was be patient. Kirinji simply reamined at his spot and spectated them walking into the crowd.

​

 

[Oni Archives]

As Eiji was beginning to head back towards the rest of the group he would suddenly hear something loud approaching him from a distance. He could only assume that it was approaching him as it was coming in his direction where he had noticed no one else around him. With such being the case Eiji prepared for the worse getting his guard ready as he looked in the direction of the approaching footsteps which sounded almost lazy. Within Eiji's eyes, this was someone who either thought very little of him due to him not being an Oni or someone who was just too strong to care about anyone or anything. Either way he needed to be prepared for two things and the first was self-defense while the second was to run with all his might.

After a moment the footsteps stopped as the image of the Masked Merchant from the first village they had visited reappeared before him. This time the Masked Merchant was wearing a different mask upon his face, an eerie one with an odd smile. Eiji's face went from alarmed and defensives to a quick startled face full of surprise from seeing the man approaching him once more. The man pulled out a large box filled with a large number of smaller boxes with boxes inside of them until one of the boxes had the pill he refused to take last time. This time this merchant seemed much more aggressive in the fact that he wanted Eiji to take it.

It was almost like he was telling Eiji this would be someone of dire need to him within Naraka. Eiji had no clue why this man was so pushy but he had no reason to be rude and possibly create another enemy he could not track. As such with this man being so kind and forward towards Eiji about taking the pill he grasped it within his palm, "I see thank you again, I suppose this will be useful in the future though I don't know what it does. I will take good care of it." He said in a kind voice thanking the man and turning back towards the Medical district, he did not think the mute man could tell him what type of food pill it was nor its purpose but he would thank him once more before heading off. This was one of the few instances of Eiji showing humility towards another person, genuine senerity towards another who was seemingly kind towards him. Now Eiji would walk off towards the Medical district after putting the pill into his storage pouch, the whole time he would wonder what it did.

 

[Oni Archives]

She ignored the look that the stranger had given her and decided that here was definitely not the place to react any kind of way. That smile on her face never wavered, nor did the disappointment in his response to her effort of kindness show through. Instead- she just continued on. It gave her thought though, to be so rudely and coldly regarded not even moments after she had dismissed that man in the medical facility like a pest.

In my defense, he and a pest are one in the same. He’s given me no reason to be nice to him... I could have killed him in that desert if it was in me.

Kasami paused as she entered the mass of moving people for a moment, almost forgetting where she was. Her thoughts caused her to sigh heavily and shake her head, almost a little angry with herself. That man could very well be just a very... awkward or misunderstood person. She had to remind herself, humble herself. Not too many months ago, she came off unapproachable and awkward. She didn’t speak, she was deaf, and was undoubtedly the most useless shinobi in Konoha. Her chicken shit teammate from her last squad was more useful than she was. Pressing a few tips of her fingers to the space between her brow she grimaced and closed her eyes, teeth clenched for a few seconds until she shook off the feeling. Another sigh left her lips, this time giving some relief to her muscles.

Damn you.

Cursing herself for forgiving him so easily, she looked around at the vendors nearby until she spotted something that would be easy to carry back. Setting her eyes on a small little food stand, she weaved her way through the moving bodies- of course apologizing if she bumped into anyone. Putting on her charm and a beautiful, serene smile, she managed to get enough pork dumplings for four people- planning on giving some to the stranger that insisted on bumping into her business as a peace offering. All she ended up parting ways with was a beautiful little trinket that hung on her neck. It had belonged to her mother, but that wasn’t really her mother and she’d died when she was young during childbirth. It hardly even held any sentiment to her anymore.

Thanking the vendor, after having a surprisingly pleasant conversation, she headed for the temple feeling lighter. The calmness in her body practically bled from her pores, and it showed in the way she walked. There was a fluidity to her gate, hips swaying lightly as she carried the food back. The smile never left her lips. Ko would be okay. If she was good to the people around her, Karma would be good to her. She believed that....

She had to.

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[Oni Archives]

[[Addressing: Ikki]]

=Violence...confrontation....it was always about the confrontation that came to him when he put the mask on. It was a very odd relationship to say the least but it was one regardless and that was more then could be said about any of the others that have pursued the mask only to be declined and deemed unworthy by it...this one had not. So perhaps - his treatment would be different this time as was his circumstance with being bestowed the mask. The landing of feet before him was present now - was this reality or some twisted reflection of such that he had slipped into at this moment who knew? Had he opened his eyes he would see the lower body portion of what was before him, knees and a hand from resting on its thigh - identical to his own finery where as were he to adjust his gaze upwards he would find the same hoodie he was wearing but hood up and the same blue mask looking down upon him. It was himself...or at least the mask's representation, here to commune once again. "Shuzaku....he is here. I had never thought within this span of time we'd be reunited under a single sky. That Izanagi sure is something...cunning - ah yes nothing if not cunning. But enough about that." = The mirror image tilted his head looking back off at the medical ward and then to his corporeal counter part as he huffed and made a motion as if swiping his thumb across his nose before inquiring: "You can sense it can't you? Certainly you didnt miss it - tell me you did not miss it. The girl walked right past it. That stench...that feeling, that uneasy tense sensation. The shinigami ninpo can hide a great many things but what it can not hide. . . is a first hand relation. And you are well acquainted with that Hadou Of Cruelty...he reeks of it. Something isn't right - something happened here...right here upon this soil in this very village. Thats not the usual force of it oh no - that?....I reckon that there is power...the type that only comes from losing someone close....its different....he's different - you know his name...say it, let it caress your tongue and know the moment of reuniting is upon you.....Eien.....Eien Jigoku Satsujin - of the black spirit....Yes. Before - he much like one other cast a great lesson upon you - he still to this day cast a great gift upon you...but now? Now you have me....now you are ready." =He referred to the presence that Kasami had walked past, the presence that still sits in eye shot of the man known as Kirinji that had followed this very same presence here quite a time ago. Perhaps he did not notice it at first. But this is what the mask - what Seiryu was here for, fully at access of his subconscious mind the mask could bring information that before had only been at the far reaches of his consciousness back down front and center to be addressed. The mask had spoken its peace - had it answered the man's questions? Perhaps - but if not he still was there, squatted down directly before the man casting his gaze dead upon him with the same crimson optics that reside in his own eye sockets from behind the mask. He awaited further commune.=

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[[Addressing: Eiji]]

=He was excited, so very excited that after all this time waiting for them to finally get here, all of that travel from the last village to this one. All of that following them, skulking in the shadows - wanting, desiring, lusting to sell this young lad something finally here at his roads end he had given him the item that he just knew that this boy needed to have, it was meant to be - a salesman's purpose - yes...here at his roads end....here at his roads end.....

Here
at his roads end
Here
At his roads end..
At his roads end..

He stood there staring as Eiji took it from his hand with an intensity that could almost be felt even from behind the mask and finally once he took it away he jumped with joy as if relieved of a heavy burden, only to come to stance to pat Eiji upon the top of the head and nod his head rapidly as if to say yes there you go. Like that, Eiji was off - leaving behind the salesman to stand there in grand bravado at his newly achieved mercantile triumph..or at least that would have been in the case in most normal scenarios....but this was not a normal scenario at all was it. Had the boy looked back he would find that the sound before like footsteps shuffling and clacking down behind him would be following him and had he cast his eye upon it - there it was, the source. The merchant would still be following him with that same smiling mask trained upon him, this time he was upon his heels and it was quite apparent that he was still here with the male, walking in this odd manner and yet as awkward as his walk was he seemed to be keeping up perfectly fine with the boy, A noise coming from behind his mask as he followed and had the boy decided to run he would find that the salesman would be directly behind him - keeping up the same pace and making the same noise if not only more frantic and quick paced behind him..seeming to still make the same motions as if walking awkwardly in a shamble but keeping up perfectly fine not creating a gap in distance at all till finally with a sickly *pop* his head would have crushed and shred apart, cast to the wind in some material that dissipated and dissolved off into the air rather quickly. But the body would still follow, leading with its chest as if the head was never dependent in the first place as limbs started to fall and yet his body made the same motion and kept the same pace despite this. Eventually all of the limbs would have cast off and the body would only be a wispy shamble dissipating away in the wind till finally only that noise that had been coming from behind the mask would be left lingering in the air until it finally whispered away.=

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[[Addressing: Kirinji & Kasami]]

=They were...making themselves at home? The way that the woman went off she obviously didnt know too much about the situation, where she was, who he was or anything of the like - oblivious. They were complete outsiders and he did not like that, nothing good ever came of it. He spent years lugging around a dead clan lord on his shoulders constantly being pursued by people from the outside that wanted his corpse or his blade and here they were letting outsiders in their front doors? It was like for every wound and step back he took due to an outsider or for the sake of an outsider that never returned that energy in kind - Naraka let another one in to keep the spite and ill intent in good supply. He grit his teeth and lightly struck his fist upon the tree he had been standing behind...or so he thought it was light enough until suddenly wood buckled and gave way to the weight and power behind his fist and the mid-section of the tree was obliterated enough to the point that it couldnt help but collapse in on its side. He was even more frustrated by that point, he was so agitated that he couldnt even keep himself well enough hidden and the first thought that came to mind when he did such was - that guy was by himself...the one that had followed him from the impure world...he had let him follow him before without a care, he figured he would drown and die but the moment that he was proven right about that he couldnt let it go and got him medical assistance...something in him wouldnt just let a man die in cold blood like that; especially if he had never wronged him...maybe that was some part of the Izanagi in him...he was a genetic clone after all; explaining why Kirinji had thought he was following the man himself. He couldnt be more wrong unfortunately - about the only thing that they shared was a face and even now the face that sat upon that cranium of Izanagi's was probably far shifted by now. He was alone...and he could right his wrong right now if he wanted....the shun goku satsu....it would be quick - decisive and there was no way that he could be prepared for it without having encountered it before...he needed to want to do it..really know in his heart that he wanted to kill him otherwise if he had not fully committed to the murder then the technique could turn upon his own heart and kill him. His hate was intense - rage seething as his eyes narrowed upon him and focused upon his jugular...he could not do it. In that quick a moment as the tree fell he opted not to resort to murder to keep his cover but instead turned on his heels and walked off no quicker then it took the tree to fall. He knew the consequence of not only mis-using the technique but attempting to resort to violence on Tatsumi's grounds. As he walked off it was apparent that he was taking a path from the medical center that lead to a wide open flat temple ground, his stride was leisurely and there were almost no people here at all - he started to traverse the wide grounds and soon had no one acted in his stead - he would be off and away to who knows where...cast to the wind as Eien did so often, always the wanderer.=​

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[Oni Archives]

He could remember the last time he came here. His mirror image was here to conduct a less violent training but prior to that instance alone they had gone blow for blow. His counterpart was quick to display what potential he had even going so far as to better use his technique than him. These were things that resonated with him as an individual and more importantly as a shinobi being sure to keep bettering himself or applying his scientific method. His echo called out to him like a wolves seeking out one another in the middle of the night. His own voice met his ears almost snide by design but truthful in every word it spoke. His own subconscious so to speak wanted him to embrace the fact that someone who even set him on this path to begin was resting just outside his purview. its different....he's different - you know his name...say it, let it caress your tongue and know the moment of reuniting is upon you.....Eien.....Eien Jigoku Satsujin - of the black spirit....Yes. His voice called out to him and Ikki’s teeth grit at the thought but he was right. That mirror image spoke such truth in those moments he could feel Eien not meters if not simply feet away from them. He needed to accept it in those moments however that it was only a matter of time before those two came face to face with one another. His posture adjusted before he simply came to a stand rolling his shoulders in hopes of releasing the tension in his body and with that came a tone to match his own mirror images.

“I know he’s there, I can feel him if what you just said is any indication. Ikki exhaled and with that the candles that lit had their flames dance for only a moment. A shift in tone, he had to admit his other half was right Eien had embraced something far darker than himself. He soon spoke again in that same tone as before “I suppose that means you know, the question I’ve got to say than. Shuzaku’s the least of my worries Tatsumi’s assured me of that for now. However if there’s someone like that boy out there who else is there.” His crimson gaze soon moved to make eye contact as if staring face to face with a mirror albeit the only difference being that mask. Ikki’s form standing before his counterpart with a hand on the back of his neck as he continued to roll it side to side. Had his counterpart in fact answered this last question his own image would disappear the ebb and flow of this inner peace disturbed simply because his counterpart was right. Of all the things he needed to set things straight with Eien whether or not that ended in a confrontation was something he was more than prepared to deal with. Even with the reassurance of Tatsumi. Who in passing told him something had gone awry with the aforementioned his center was lost. The very thing that tied the pair together was among the few things they had in common, but those things aside Ikki wanted to clear the air between the two of them. Eien having effectively toyed with his life at one point or another especially back than in the forest. Had his done as intended his form rattled, his skin crawled at the thought, except this wasn’t fear this was unfiltered emotion from the boy that often buried in the stead of the mission. Just the same as Eien was beginning to slip away Ikki was going to exit his rooftop and slip into his surroundings amongst the other oni in search of the man who bore such a close relation as his counterpart put it.

 

[Oni Archives]

あ な た の 心 は 痛 む が 、笑 顔 壊 れ て も 笑 顔

"Why are you here?"

Kirinji thought to himself. It seems as if it was ages ago, but there was a time where order existed. Respect and honor were something that actually existed — a code per say. It is so different now .. now the shinobi world is in shambles, led by sheep who believe themselves to be lions. The Uchiha used to be a den of lions lead by the one of the most petrifying man in the shinobi world. He commanded power in its purity — order actually existed in the Uchiha Clan and his reign was lawful and prideful. The Uchiha Police were in their prominence and held majority of the power in Konoha. Others trembled at the name of the Uchiha. How we have lost our way. How they have lost their way; overestimated their capacity and underestimating the other. See, Kirinji comes from an older era. An era that only knew war. An era that only understood war. There was a special pride in one's lineage and that now all seems to be forgotten. It is sickening. Suddenly, Kirinji jerked his head in 'shock' as his optics widened which quickly transitioned into squinting eyes and a deep furrow in his brows. He swiftly reached into both his pockets and took out a pencil and a book and started jotting down like a madman. If one was to look over his shoulder they would see a bunch of scribbles and drawings in the book that would make absolutely zero sense to another. The only words they could possibly be able to make out would be written on the top "Interrogation Tactics".

 

[Oni Archives]

As Eiji took the pill from the Merchant who had found him again after traveling such a long-distance or was for some reason stalking him all this way with no action during the fight they had along the way. He was undetectable by Ko who seemed to be leap and bounds ahead of the rest of the group. Even Ikki was unable to detect this man who seemed to follow them all the way to this location and track Eiji to this somewhat remote region of the village. The thought itself was terrifying as he already felt that by being around Ko and Ikki he was traveling alongside some for of Bijuu or demon that could destroy villages even whole countries with the mere wave of their hands.

And these two monstrosities hadn't detected this man following behind him or he somehow magically tracked Eiji's chakra signature all the way to this village. What a horrendous and ominous thought but the idea that followed was, even more, thought-provoking and startling. This was the fact that this meant there were more monsters out there far more powerful than the two he'd set as a bar among the Oni and as goals he needed to achieve to protect himself and or get away from Naraka. If that was the case, what was the Masked Salesman that the Tengu masked person had told them about? What was Izanagi? and in the grand scheme of things, what was Eiji. Could he become more? Or was it simply fate to be cast into this maelstrom of chaos known as Naraka to die as a toy to one of these beings beyond his comprehension.

As the thought finished while he was already walking away from the merchant behind him he turned his head to look back once more thinking nothing of the merchant any longer only to notice the horrifying and god awful event that was occurring behind him. The merchant had begun chasing after him in a startling fashion and as Eiji noticed this he began to run, and as he ran the merchant would keep up with him, never falling too far behind but also not close enough to do anything. He would use the body flicker technique to exceed the normal speed as he noticed the merchant following behind, but something more startling would begin to happen as he was tracking Kasami's chakra signature and presence through several means, he noticed the thing behind him falling apart and somehow still chasing and keep pace with him.

Eiji would rush off towards Kasami knowing that Ikki would not be far behind and able to explain this terrifying event to him, he'd hope to catch up to them soon as he rushed off and away at full speed now too afraid to look back. He felt like if he looked back at the dismembered and headless thing chasing him he would be caught and something much more horrific would happen to him. Suddenly after a minute of moving at full speed, he would notice Kasami immediately stopping about five feet behind her as he screamed her name as he came out of the body flicker technique, "KASAMI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He said as he kept running at a normal pace now too afraid to look back but hoping she would see the thing behind him and help him do something about it.​

 

[Oni Archives]

Kasami’s walk had been peaceful, enjoying the bustle of people from this village as they went about their festivities. The thought that had invaded her mind before about her place here returned. What would truly keep her from staying here, were she to take the necessary steps to belong in a place such as this. She’d read about the Oni in the library many times. Of course, most of the writings were speculation, but she did read once upon a time that Oni could be made out of normal people. Did she have what it took if she trained hard enough... could she find somewhere to belong for once? She loved Ko and felt she was at home by his side, but he was just one person. Kasami grew up with a family that wasn’t truly here- a real one was something that she craved. One where kin actually meant something. Though she couldn’t assume that that was something that the Oni valued either.

Sighing softly, she rubbed the back of her neck as she walked before resting her hand there. It felt hotter than usual for some reason- she’d definitely figure out why eventually. Perhaps it was just the stress. Ending up in Naraka, still searching for answers on her clan, worrying about all. Her complete lack of skill as a Shinobi was on her mind fairly often as well.

She stopped when she heard someone running up behind her, hearing Eiji scream for her help. Alarmed, she had whipped around to look and was completely ready to tale action even if she was holding a bag of food- but she couldn’t figure out what he needed help with. Her posture straightened from the defensive position she’d taken as her head tilted, looking confused. “Help with...?

Once he explained to her that he’d been chased by a merchant from the last village, she poked a glance behind him and shook her head. “Well, it’s not chasing you anymore. We’ll keep an eye out, but relax. You’re not doing yourself or anyone else any favors running around here screaming bloody murder.” Weird things happen in Naraka, there was no sense making a huge fuss about it. Giving him a pat on the arm, she nodded toward the temple and turned around to leave. Without another word or turning around she lifted the bag at her side and shook it ever so slightly so he’d get the point- she brought food for everyone.

Coming back inside she spotted the guy from before still there, like she had hoped he’d be. She walked over to him, digging out a container of dumplings with chopsticks and sitting it down beside him silently before she smiled at Eiji and motioned for him to sit with her next to the door that Ko was taken through. After she did sit down she pulled out their own boxes, handing him his. There was one left, for Ikki. She’d have brought some for Ko but she figured with what was going on in his throat even after treatment he’d have to eat specific things.

She didn’t ask the boy what he was writing, it wasn’t her business. She hadn’t even tried to sneak a peak. She did however, notice the broken tree outside. It was the same spot where that person she had smiled at was standing. As she ate there was something on her mind, it was easy to tell the way she pushed a dumpling around a bit before she even picked it up to eat it. And she was thinking about that person. Were they another threat set out to harm them again?​

 

[Oni Archives]

=The moment that Ikki started to understand it a bit more, accept that this confrontation was part of the path he needed to travel in his life it would seem that in kind the mirror image would begin to accept him much in the same way. In regard to what there was to be said about the other masks and potential ones out there the mirror image simply chuckled. There was an odd feeling, something that pinged in the back of the head of the young male that was there while he had the mask on. This would have been the first time that he experienced it - but...it wasn't new...it was familiar. Its almost as if it had been there every time that he had put the mask on but in this particular moment it was noticeable...apparent to his perception. It was like a humming, something whirring and buzzing in the background in an annoying kind of way that couldnt be tuned out. It was the type of sound that drones on and you know its going to continue to do so and out loud you reassure yourself that its not going to be a problem...but on the inside you know that too much of it is going to drive you insane. During this time the image of himself was still crouched in leisure and gest to him with a lazy point as he started to come back to the world of the living:

"It is your destiny to find that out for yourself. You have met one of them...four saint beasts, four masks for the deities...

Seiryu - The Blue dragon...yourself.
Shuzaku - The Vermillion Bird, you've had the pleasure.
Genbu - The black tortoise
And Byakko - the white tiger...their presences are still...clouded to me. But they're out there.

You'll meet them - its your destiny...and then there are the higher three that govern the inner circle that dictates their movements and action. But one thing is for certain - that man. Eien. He will play a higher part in your life then you know. All of this going on? Naraka - these clueless fools popping up here. Its not random or by any kind of coincidence...this is the big one. You're gonna need him. Heh - hell. You're gonna need each other I'd wager."

=The moment that he went into this conversation point his voice would begin to trail off more and more by the moment. Eventually, it waned off into nothing but a drifting whisper that would eventually dissipate into nothing until finally Ikki was completely cognitive of the reality around him. It was with this that the mask subsided...and off in the grounds that Eien had been walking he came to an abrupt stop, never turning around or faltering in his posture he simply stood there with his right hand in his pocket=

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Meanwhile


=There was only darkness here....a cold black room that was void of any decorations or anything otherwise. Here there was only the red aura in the room that illuminated surroundings with a blood red light and an obsidian black bath...there in lie a feminine back - naked as water...or perhaps blood...hard to tell in the light - dripped down delicate flesh. Soon a voice came from the shadow and a man stepped forward...he was clad in a suit - wearing a hat and seemed to be very proper in appearance and demeanor, his hair a bright green hue=

"You're up....did you hear it? Feel it? You dont need to answer - its all over your body, so tense. Lets get the show on the road then. Yours has been a performance The Blood of the Demon has been wanting to observe for quite some time. Will he want an encore? I wonder~"

=His voice was light and polite yet there was a specific condescending tone in the way that he spoke and the thikngs that he spoke of in that moment. As he finished the person in the bath raised their hands and lifted their head from the waters - a curtain of wet, bright blonde hair pooling down only to be peeled back from over a very young - astonishingly beautiful face....eyes fierce red..almost even more so then that of the infamous sharingan and the expression? Cold...lifeless as eloquent hands branded with a mark of particular origin on the back and clad in an odd contraption that linked fingers to wrist with what seemed to be very fine strands of hair. This person simply stared off into the darkness....apparent that their mind was...leaden with a heavy burden...one that perhaps they sought to rectify in due time.=

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[Oni Archives]

Destiny, huh? Such a thing haunted him at every turn, with every encounter, and more importantly every bout he had ever been in with a compatriot of his father. His inner self explained exactly what he needed to know merely resulting in their departure from one another. When he came back from the inner plain that graced the confines of his mask it would dissipate without much thought. A puff of smoke to accompany it before he popped to his feet only to have his eyes begin scanning the crowd to no avail. They were looking for Eien, a man tied to him by a means not many knew about. In this case it was as if these two knew enough about the secrets they held to never need to speak a word to one another. However Tatsumi planted a seed of intrigue within him the moment they finished speaking in the infirmary. His mirror image had done no different ensuring him that he was bound to need the aforementioned gentleman. Within moments Ikki was on the move again but with that came the trailing voice of Eiji and then it stopped. He’d caught up with the girl he’d been calling for but in those moments he had officially learned one of their names considering he never actually asked. It was the little details that mattered even for those that weren’t a shinobi. His mirror pointed him in the right direction as with time Eien would soon find Ikki standing before him hood over his head but his crimson hue’s peering through almost locking onto his form. Eien stood with his right hand in his pocket and ikki stood with both of his tucked in the front pouch of his hoodie as if keeping them warm. Ikki was maybe a good five feet away from Eien at this point. However the mere personable energy that was bound to radiate between the pair was likely to be less favorable, but if his venture into the mask was any indication he wasn’t that foolhardy kid that the man standing before him put through several trees all those years ago. In the end it didn’t matter if Ikki could see him it was no different than with daikokuten, he was drawn to Eien to a degree. Ikki was apart of the whole that Eien carried with him.

In turn maybe all of five minutes into his search Ikki would have found him standing there all alone. He couldn’t help but to be the first one to say anything “It’s been quite some time… Tatsumi told me you were…” He thought about it before he even finished speaking. He wasn’t exactly sure how to describe what Tatsumi told him. He described as Eien being in a dark place, but he knew what that was like to lose your footing, to be put in a position that anything or anyone could be an enemy. It was the kind of thing that could send a shinobi over the edge he nor Eien were any different. All it took was a slip. One thing that was certain Daikokuten left his mark on the place just the same as he had Ikki or Ko. A feeling to make someones stomach coil into a knot without much hesitation at all. However Ikki need to center himself in these moments. Had Eien not interjected during his momentary pause he’d continue. “Somethings different about you, about this whole place. It’s almost like I can feel him at times but you.. You know what you’ve given and what I've managed to make of it im sure.” His eyes still locked on his form yet his body was poised. Had Eien not been in the mood for discussion Ikki was happy to oblige yet in this instance alone combat wasn’t his intention nor his purpose. His trip to the mask was no different he was coming to the realization that not every lesson needed to be taught with fist or jutsu, words could solve his curiosity far quicker than any drawn out bout between these two.

 

[Oni Archives]

あ な た の 心 は 痛 む が 、笑 顔 壊 れ て も 笑 顔

Kirinji was lost with the task at hand scribbling furiously and occasionally rubbing his temple in thought. From an outside perspective the writing would be ineligible however it made complete sense to him. He eventually stopped writing to take a step back and analyzed what he had written. Then there was a scream. Kirinji followed the screaming voice in curiosity and found that it originated from the individual from earlier that had walked out. He had gone to the woman and it seemed she had settled the situation and he went back to reading his notes. Eventually, the woman returned and as she set something down near him it prompted him to close the book and stare at her. He glanced at her with a straight face then towards the object — food? Kirinji’s visage transitioned into a confused look

”Oh uh, thank you” he spoke in a genuine voice.

Kirinji had also noticed the other individual coming back which prompted him to introduce himself. ”Hey, welcome back, I didn't get a chance to meet you I’m Kirinji”. He moved the book and pen back into pocket and stood up moving his right hand outwards to shake his hand. He noticed a few things about him, the look of a deer in headlights, he had seen many. Only a few things cause that level of fear. Had the other man extended his arm to return the shake Kirinji would speak again and ”Are you okay?” after releasing his hand and sitting back down.

​

 

[Oni Archives]

As Eiji caught up with Kasami, she told him that nothing was following behind him after he had explained why he was running. In response to her telling him this Eiji's head almost spun around as he noticed there was truly nothing chasing him anymore. Sadly even without that thing chasing him the horrific image still lingered in his mind almost like a disease which was attempting to ravage his mind. He sighed a bit as he rubbed the back of his head while walking with Kasami back to where she was headed, "Well if you saw that freaky Thing chasing behind you, you'd be running and screaming bloody murder too." He said to Kasami his normally stern and emotionless voice was filled with growing kindness and a friendly tone towards Kasami.

As they reached their location Eiji took close notice of Kirinji who seemed to approach him rather quickly and was almost too friendly for someone who he had never met, seen, or even heard of from Sentou, Kasami, Ko, or Ikki. It was weird especially within Naraka along with Eiji being able to sense his chakra it made it more disturbing as he was either similar to them or something set to cause them harm. He stood out very much compared to the villagers which meant he wasn't one of them and his chakra being senseable meant that he wasn't like Ikki or the other Oni he's met so far. What was he and why was he being so friendly, "Hm... Meet me? I don't remember seeing you as I left, are you a friend of Kasami?" He questioned him with his normal cold and calculative tone as he was extremely cautious of those within Naraka especially those he could sense.​

 

[Oni Archives]

Kasami was minding her own business as they had their brief exchange up until Eiji had asked if Kirinji, who had finally put a name to his face, was a friend of hers. She was holding a dumpling between her chopsticks, and was so thrown by the question that she ended up squeezing a bit too hard and sent its contents flying into her cheek. For a moment she just sat there, a little stunned, before clearing her throat and wiping her face off. “No, not a friend. I’ve only met him once before. I didn’t even know his name until now.” Looking up at him from the floor where she was sitting, she offered him a smile. It seemed strained, but at least she was trying. “Kasami, this is Eiji.” She motioned to herself when saying her name, and then to her companion as she said his.

Kasami knew from their last encounter that Kirinji was an Uchiha, judging from the Sharingan that he had whipped out when he attacked her. There wasn’t much she knew about the Senju clan besides what she could find in history books, which included the rivalry between the two clans. Considering how long ago it was, she doubted that this guy knew anything either. She wasn’t going to bother asking, but she thought of maybe asking Kiyoshi the next time she saw him- or even asking Izanagi. They were older and had years of wisdom and experience. She doubted they were around during that time, but maybe they’d know more than she could research from a library in a land where Senju hadn’t even lived.

All assumptions though. She didn’t know who to ask about any of that kind of stuff. Whoever decided to be her mentor, if anyone, would be one of the first. Ikki was older but he didn’t seem like someone who would know either. It was just a hunch.

After her introduction she had eaten her squished dumpling and looked back toward the door. Kasami wasn’t an impatient person, but waiting to see Ko again after that happened to him and knowing that he was hurt made it hard to wait. She wished Tatsumi would let her see him. She wanted to be there for him. Even if he didn’t know she was there. When he opened his eyes she wanted him to know she was there and she’d never left his side. The thought of him waking without her there suddenly made her sick to her stomach.

With her dumplings half eaten, she sighed and sat them down beside her. Her knees tucked against her chest again as she rest her chin on them. “So, why are you looking for Izanagi?” She asked with a light hearted and gentle tone, making conversation to try and occupy her mind. She continued to look at the door though.​

 

[Oni Archives]

[[Addressing: Ikki]]

=During the moment that the young man came within the vicinity of Eien it could be felt...it was there thick in the very air around his presence - that Hadou Of Cruelty...he was steeped so deeply within it. While the young man talked it would seem as if Eien were simply looking off at the way the embers from the fireworks and celebration cast off into the sky and danced around...he couldnt help the flashes. It made him contemplate burning it all to the ground - he was sick with it you see, this killing intent. It followed him like a shadow - no matter how far he tried to run and it was almost like a mental infirmity the way that it would bring murderous thoughts to mind even about those that he should know and does know very well are his ally. In a way it was kin to a form of schizophrenia, the way that it played with his perception of what was real and what was not, at this very moment he could see it clear as day, feel it - this village burning to the ground, all of its people, children, dead - scattered among the ash. The blood-charred air of it all danced upon his flesh, kissed his face and filled his nostrils...it was euphoric. At least it was for the moment that he felt it, he quickly had to pull his mind out of that thought process and tune back in to what the other male was saying. His forth coming reaction was almost more so inspired by the frustration of feeling such a good sensation as he did in his murderous mindset there for a second, like being woken up by an alarm clock from a really good dream to have to go to work. But it would come off more so simply at the presence of Ikki; perhaps this was always why he was so abrasive most the time...there was no telling how often those murderous thoughts plagued his mind. When the male spoke about this place being different, him being different he couldnt help but smirk but it was almost indisputably in a coy kind of manner as he spoke back unto the male:

"Different? Yeah - its definitely different. Its gotten softer, much softer...letting outsiders in so trustfully.
You know...I carried that corpse around on my back....for years...several years. In the impure world it was always a fight. Always someone asking the question. "Whats in the box buddy?" they could smell it...taste it...an opportunity to ice skate up hill. To snatch some power that doesnt belong to them - that they didnt earn..and for what? Bragging rights? A fancy hat and a village full of sheep? They don't even understand what strength is - what power is. Any power not attained yourself, or snatched from the clutching hand of your dying opponent is not strength at all. They don't get that. . . . They took the casket....
**He furiously pounded his fist against a nearby statue, crumbling it without a problem and shooting its fragments off aside of them** They...TOOK the CASKET. Years - of carrying that thing, protecting it in the impure world. I could always come here, come back home and rest my head...you see no one here wants power they did not earn. Power that doesnt belong to them or come from them. And no one here wants power for the sake of supporting someone elses vision....you make your own. This place was truly free....this place was my solace. **That last part, spoken almost as if grieving.**...outsiders, four of them. All serving Daikokuten's cause...they were outsiders let into our walls too - and look what they did?...They caught me with my guard down...they changed everything, jeopardized everything. And now here we are...you've come to the village - and with what?....Outsiders....more OUTSIDERS!"

=At this point he turned around to face Ikki completely, apparent that his eyes were resonate with the hadou of cruelty...he was not please. In a way he had found an odd kinship to the man before him even though their interactions before had all been purely confrontational. He was the son of Izanagi...and as well - so was Eien...it was almost like an odd brotherhood and he could see things in Ikki, experiences that he had with Izanagi that he himself had never gotten and in a way, there was envy....food for the Hadou. But now in this moment he was angry - and only got angrier as the Hadou fed off this feeling inside of him and boosted it, desiring more from him. As he looked upon the uchiha he would grit his teeth a bit:

"The Subarashiii, he gave you the strand from me...why you I wonder...what say you about the outsiders you bring then? What reasoning do you have for them? Certainly you too don't believe in our father's new way...his peaceful Naraka. You think that kind of thing can work - truly?"

=As he said this he balled his fists tight, by this point it wasnt so much tension between them that spurned him on but the tension in his own chest as he knew that the Hadou was taking him. There was not only the potential battle - perhaps imminent battle to transpire between them but the battle that Eien waged internally with himself. But the rage to either blinded him all the same. He stood there with looks brazen with the intensity of the sun directed at the male as he clenched his fists and in particular the space underneath his right fist down at his waist - burst a crater into the tile he stood upon. He would then speak in a low grimace as if he needed to force it out beyond the tension in his jaw:

"No...words are no longer conviction enough for me. Speak with your fists."​

 

[Oni Archives]

Eien was right he stood before Ikki radiating that same hatred that he felt for his biological father. They two peas in a pod for lack of better words. When his fist impacted the nearby statue Ikki’s own eyes filled with a sense of emotion all too familiar to him. His heart pounded at the thought of those very words. Eien had been robbed of a thing he held dear his rage was well placed to fail at something one had been striving for so long to perfect or in his case safeguard. These people robbed him of that, in turn when Eien mentioned Daikokuten’s name Ikki’s own form trembled with the sensation of stress and anger. His form no more than Eien’s began to boil over with something that the two of them could very well call distaste. That same heat that radiated in the presence of the unknown gentleman from before began to well up now in response to such emotion. Even to someone like Eien his literal counterpart in every aspect down to quite possibly being the mirror of the life he lived. His retort was true in every aspect, except the people he was traveling with. Their father obviously trusted them to some degree or they wouldn’t be here. However, he had a point sometimes people sought out power and didn’t understand the ramifications that came with it. Whatever they had stolen from and whatever this temple stood to represent was haunting him, that much became apparent as he came to face Ikki. These two were likely at this point staring each other eye to eye. Eien’s form radiating a sinister energy filled with hatred and Ikki’s own mirroring it with flames of blue welling inside along with the burden of those crimson eyes dialing in on him. Ikki let him finish speaking before chiming in himself as the ground splintered beneath this young man’s feet.

“You’re right. His machinations may not be the best road to pave the way to hell, but what that boy… Daikokuten has in store as you very well know is far more dangerous than any amount of peace.”

When he responded to Eien’s query his form began to steam almost his blood was boiling at the thought. These two had been wronged by the same man no less they seemingly had the same desires to show Izanagi their worth. Whatever found itself rooted in Eien’s mind was far more potent than any flame the kiln within Ikki. In turn Ikki clenched his own fist for only the briefest of moments as his counterpart came to say “Speak with your fist..” Something that Ikki had done the majority of his life, even when these two first met that was what they did. His chest expanded and steamy breath escaped his lips despite the current temperature of Naraka. A testament to the primal nature that existed within every man. It was only a matter of time before one of the made the first move and that meant Ikki was ready for the inevitable.

 

[Oni Archives]

あ な た の 心 は 痛 む が 、笑 顔 壊 れ て も 笑 顔

Kirinji awkwardly laughed while he retracted his unshaken hand back and began to answer his question. He was beginning to say that they were, which would be interrupted by Kasami stating that no, they are not friends. He’d note her smiling at him, returning it in kind while nodding to acknowledge both their of names. Kirinji’s smile instantly faded as he sat back down to get comfortable. He’d look down at the food and pull it over his lap. “Well, anyone that offers me food is without a doubt my friend”. He’d look back up at both of them, observing their expressions and body language. He smiled, and began eating the meal she’d brought him. Kirinji would continue to monitor them while eating and even made a mental note of her looking over at the door.

Kirinji was a fast eater and was often yelled at for this. His ‘parents’ stated that he ate too fast and never really enjoyed his food. By the time Kasami had asked why he was looking for Izanagi, he had already finished eating and leaned back into his seat kicking his left leg over his right. She had asked a very important question and he could have very well lied, but he chose not to. Instead he decided to go the honest route- in hopes that she would assist him. It was already clear to him that they knew Izanagi so they were basically his one hope of getting to him as of now. Kirinji looked at her while she asked and then looked up at the ceiling squinting as if he was thinking to himself.

“I seek his guidance...” after a few seconds Kirinji looked back at her and responded, “The worlds .. changed. Things aren’t the same anymore and it keeps getting .. crazier and .. crazier out there.” Kirinji seemed to struggle getting some of the words out and one could tell this deeply effected him. “I aim to restore that.” Kirinji looked down temporarily closing his eyes and sighing deeply before glancing up at them.

​

 

[Oni Archives]

As Kasami responded to Eiji in kind while also introducing him to Kirinji, he would sigh slightly as she said he was not a friend which to Eiji meant he was an unneeded memory. Someone who should be forgotten after they finished their business within the village and Ko recovered, but he would tell Kasami this later when they parted ways with this eyesore. For now, he simply gave a two-faced smile hiding his annoyance at having to talk to and get along with someone who would be dead weight. He thought the same of Sentou but at least he pulled his own weight and didn't blindly act as if anyone was a friend without knowing them within this chaotic world which seemed to hold no rules known as Naraka.

Afterwhich he heard Kasami question Kirinji about why he was looking for Izanagi and for the first time since meeting Kirinji, Eiji's curiosity piqued. Why was Kirinji searching for one of the freaks of nature that had put Kasami, Sentou, Ko and himself into this dangerous place? It was akin to searching for this Masked Salesman which the Oni are apparently afraid of. It was ridiculous within Eiji's mind and Kirinji's explanation just made him seem like more of a nuisance to them. A crazed fanatic seeking to reform the world by finding some all-powerful and most likely corrupt thing that had no interest in the lower life forms known as Shinobi. Really smart, might as well release the tailed beast on the world and hope you are the only one to survive. Kirinji was now on Eiji's watch list and someone he saw as a major threat to their safety but he would not say anything about it. Fanatics like Kirinji were dangerous when cornered or confronted and he knew nothing of Kirinji as a shinobi, for all Eiji knew he could be a secret one or a failed one. He would play it safe and watch from a safe distance while keeping Kasami informed.

While on the subject of Oni, Eiji began to look around before noticing that Ikki was nowhere to be found, "Kasami, where's that guy who helped with saving Ko?" He hadn't bothered to truly remember Ikki's name nor did he trust him either. Actually Ikki was just slightly below this Kirinji on Eiji's watch list due to the fact that he did save them though it could've been for any number of dark reasons. Only time would tell and for now, he made a good shield against the freaks... or Oni which for some reason keep confronting them.​

 

[Oni Archives]

Her head rolled to the side as she tilted it and looked at Eiji, chin still resting on her knees. She had been quiet ever since Kirinji had responded to her, considering his answer and how to feel about it. It was ambitious, but she felt it was misplaced as well. One person alone couldn’t change the entire world. Not unless people wanted the change, and she knew a lot of stubborn people that didn’t like that. Her Nara father was one of them- so against change that the slightest one would send him on a rampage. Routines were lifesavers to some people. Now Eiji was asking her where Ikki was and to that question she had no honest answer.

With a shrug she sighed and looked at the door again, before her attention moved down to the leftover food and the food she had grabbed for Ikki. “He seems to know people here, maybe he’s catching up with acquaintances. Judging from how Tatsumi reacted when they saw each other, he hadn’t seen him in awhile.” She looked at Eiji again for a moment. “Might be safe to assume that he hasn’t seen others here in awhile either.

Her gaze shot over to Kirinji abruptly from Eiji as her eyes narrowed. After mulling it over, she finally settled on how she felt about his answer. “As much as I’d like to say I admire your goal because I would love the world to change- I don’t.” Her brows furrowed almost as if she was concerned, it was really hard to tell how she was feeling just off her expression. It partially seemed like concern, partially seemed like disappointment- maybe even a little anger. Maybe sadness too. “I think it’s stupid. Even if Izanagi did give you his guidance, you’re going to save the world? Alone? Kasami frowned and shook her head, looking back at the door again with another sigh. From that point on she wouldn’t look at them again.

“You were an idiot to come here willingly. It’s beautiful here, but...” Her voice trailed, but she didn’t need to continue for either of them to probably guess what she was thinking. It was beautiful, but it was dangerous. As she stared longingly at the door Ko was on the other side of, worry in her eyes- she started to question whether this place was somewhere she would like to stay. If Ko couldn’t even manage here, she definitely couldn’t, but she also didn’t want to be in a place where he was going to get hurt. Not again-never again.​

 

[Oni Archives]

”I know that chakra. Celestial - and by the looks Seiryu. That’s ironic; lets just hope it isn’t repetitive.”

And with that being said Eien clenched his knuckles even harder and the moment that he did such the ground would begin to let the fragments of tile that he had only just scattered - carry up into the air around his arm. It seemed that they were a reaction to an odd gravitational or in this case magnetic reaction occuring in the area; soon to be answered by an explosion of golden lightning around the body of the male. It pulsed and surged through his being - looking almost as if a bolt of lightning had struck down on him but in actuality it was he - that was the conduit for this cataclysm of electricity. Eien was a genetic clone of Izanagi, spliced with that of many others genetic coding but one of the biggest advantages that he had was the fact that through the Subarashii he could access a particular tool...being the progenitor of this chakra mutagen. He could siff through the genetic coding of those within him and recall the fighting styles, encounters, and overall history of those that made up his genes - in this case he was inspired more so by Izanagi...or would it be better to say Kogaijii Uchiha during the time that he was Raikage. As he surged with lightning and utilized the Raiton No Yoroi he tilted his head back up to look at the male but this time with something much more sinister. He had revealed unto the young man the ocular prowess of what could only be known as “The Supreme Sharingan”, showing a deep genetic kinship to that of Indra Otsusuki - this evidently from the part of him that was Kami no Shi; but when did this manifest? Certainly this was not his ocular prowess during their last encounter. However when the unfortunate time came that the casket was forcefully relinquished from his possession he underwent an emotional stress a’kin to what most Uchiha tried to forcefully simulate to ascertain the power of the mangekyou sharingan; this was his bounty in its place. Eien started to focus on the area behind the man, most that were familiar with the Naraka based Uchiha’s fighting style would think that this was indeed the ploy for a chakra paint maneuver behind him - burning a kanji into the air to act as a transit point for space time technique, but it was much different. During the time of average shinobi it was debatable if a skilled user or Raiton no Yoroi was as fast or faster than the legendary Hiraishin jutsu, Eien blurred those lines even more and left no need for debate. He soon started to burn a kanji into place behind the male and then suddenly his imagery would flicker away in a silent almost vacuum like wave. Then he would appear directly in front of the male so quickly that the ground along the path between the two would mesh into the ground beneath the tile, as if burned and molded into the floor by lava. What would happen would be the kanji’s work in conjunction with Raiton No Yoroi for what he was doing was burning a kanji into the air that would project a space/time tunnel effect in the space in front of it - and this space time tunneling would drastically amplify the speed of events before it. The tunnel projected in the shape of a cone - so the closer one was the less benefit they would receive from the effect for it not capturing their fully body for the motion. However being behind Ikki - Eien would be the furthest back from it and the tunneling would amplify the speed of an already lethal (in terms of speed) Eien. The meshing of the tile was from being burned and molecularly destabilized simply from the heat of him moving from one place to the next and when he stopped - he had been moving so fast that for a split second there was only a black blur where the visible refraction of light was disturbed and cut out by the motion. Once here - his arm was already raised like a chop, but at the range he was - being so close to Ikki it was apparent that the body part utilized in attack would be his forearm striking down across the area between neck and tip of the shoulder. If one looked at the way his hand was formed at the end of this they would see a golden hued handle in his hand - or at least that was all that it could be described as, looking almost as if a vajra but not quite. This was what he referred to as “the mortar” because it was exactly like that which it looked like a small mortar composed of subarashii. While he was bringing his hand down this mortar channeled lightning chakra from his body to that point in his hand and webbed together to turn his arm into a type of channeling fence, ensuring that when or if Ikki was struck he would be hit with the brute force of Eien’s strength as well as be rung across a grid of lightning but that was not the central focus of this technique. The focus was what would happen once Eien brought his hand down, and that would be he would strike the mortar against the ground so that the part on the bottom that was rounded - would be struck flat against the floor. In doing this - an explosion of lightning chakra would burst throughout the spot on the ground that he ended his blow, and sweep everything in a seven foot radius around Eien up into a cyclone of lightning chakra that could be seen like a beacon all the way back to the main shrine up the mountain. He Ikki been hit by the initial blow he would find that he would possibly suffer some fractured bone structure across his shoulder, neck, or shoulder blade - and be bounced up into the air from across the floor tile only to be swept into the cyclone which would electrocute and paralyzed him till he was left lingering in the air once it dispersed. There was a reason that Eien had done this, be it as malicious as he was but that was simply what he was feeling at this moment. He could see all through Izanagi’s history and life, and every time he reviewed it he saw weakness in how he held back...how he never gave more than five percent. Here he was - losing the casket, and why? Because he held back...because he wanted to live in a way that he couldn’t - tell himself that he wasnt that beast...he would lie to himself no longer. This technique - was one of the ones he had hit the last Seiryu with...it was one of the ones that he had used when he killed the last Seiryu. This is what he meant by hoping that it wasn’t repetitious. Had he landed this - then Ikki would be left in the air for the second part of this onslaught, this was only the set up ...or at least it didn't start that way, but landing this would spur the Hadou of cruelty and get Eien thirsting for more. However if this did not land, Eien would slap his hand upon the tile after striking it and snap back up into a defensive posture, the veins in his right arm seeming to pulse with a golden light as he stood in wait and would observe with those (literally) spiraling optics that he called eyes...it was funny...it was as if those swirling eyes of Indra Otsusuki so perfectly fit him...the spiral of his life...was it a downward spiral or perhaps upwards...there was no telling who could determine that at this point? Perhaps that person was Seiryu ...perhaps Eien, just needed a voice to tell him all the same that Tatsumi had spoken to him before. There was a lot here today - riding on that possibility.=​