Step into the Light (Kozai, Makussu)

Oh, these oblivious boys. However, their ignorance was useful to Kozai indeed. The very fact that they were ignorant of his use of ice release meant that Youka had not told them about his abilities. But... why not? If they were indeed to go to Iwa to communicate with him, they should at least have some scope and knowledge of what Kozai was capable of. Although this revelation did not perturb Kozai by any means, this led to a different question. Looking at the two boys, he took a quick glance over them again. They didn't seem too awfully skilled... so far, it seemed that the two of them could barely keep up. However...
What did Youka intend by sending these two to Iwa, to him specifically? If he intended to just backstab Kozai and destroy the village, couldn't he have done so already? No... there was something else here. Kozai had almost forgotten... human action and motivation. No, it was clear that Youka wanted something from Kozai specifically. However, Kozai would merely have to watch and wait to figure out exactly what it was. Now, it was time to evaluate his situation. It seemed that Makussu had made a mistake, and was not particularly concious of his body width or of the angle of the ice spears behind him. Being that these spears were tilted upwards and into the building, and that their bases were a mere few inches behind the doorframe, they would not provide enough room for Makussu to back up. Being that Makussu had inconveniently (for him) placed himself only just behind the doorframe, he would find that, even though he was only moving at 81 speed, the ice spears were moving at 80 speed. As such, they were moving at almost the exact same speed.
This would mean that as Makussu backed up, he would discover that the three ice spears growing behind him were now piercing his chest through his upper lumbar vertebrae. Hmm... such poor environmental awareness. Or was it just because Kozai had been somewhat sneaky, using attacks from behind? Regardless, it seemed that the certain-kill ice spears really had not been "certainly killing" after all. Kozai was disappointed, not in himself, but in his clan. Such a weak technique... he would have to make improvements to it. He had a few things in mind, considering that he was progressively getting better with using the ice release.
Now... that paper jutsu. It make Kozai wonder as to what else Makussu had up his sleeve. Youka might very well have hidden something from Kozai concerning his abilities, but Kozai doubted that he would do such a thing. Regardless, it was a possibility he could not ignore. He needed to take this boy's DNA soon. The implications of doing so would prove fruitful in time, given the proper treatment and effort.
As far as Kozai could tell, the third team member was not yet in Iwa. What was his name again...? Tatsuya. An earth user, from what Kozai could see from Makussu's memories. Well, Kozai certainly did not want to deal with three boys.
Now, what about Kasai? Kozai took an interest in artistically inclined people, mainly because he did not really understand them. In this case, it seemed that Kasai was: a poet, one who did not particularly understand life in general. But then again, were those not good poets as well? Naivety, innocence... expressed in art... still, something Kozai could not quite relate with. Regardless, it seemed that he would have to speak with these boys. For the moment, he would ignore Makussu, creating his final two ice spears as 1.5 inch base wide spears originating from the two sides of the doorway, tilting inwards until they reached a mere half an inch from each of Makussu's eyes.
At this point, he would also release the transformation technique, returning to his original form, lab coat and all. His flare of power would result in a flickering white aura dancing around him.
"I see... 'any who wants'? Kasai, people are not born equal. Neither do they choose to be born with power. Some humans are born into clans, and this gives them unique abilities." At this he would gesture toward Makussu. "Like your friend here. What a fascinating power...! Nevertheless, elements are not what make a shinobi." Standing straight, he would gaze over the scene. "Now then, paper child... does your current body have the mobility to escape these ice spears? Or perhaps, must your paper body keep a concentrated form?"
At this point, a grin would come over his face. This was certainly not the "fun" that more sadistic people had, but regardless, this was a surefire cure for his boredom. At this point, he would address the boys directly, as he wanted to get this over with.
"In a few moments, the ice here will sublime, and I will heal the two of you, if you require it. So, since you two are hanging around the village, and happen to be coming to see me, Youka must have had given you some other mission. Now, I don't want to have to read your minds to figure it out, so you should tell me."
He would raise his hand, palm towards him, up to about chest level, and use his thumb to pop his index finger knuckle. The quiet "pop" sound would resonate around the room, a poignant neutral note that commanded authority. Of course, if the boys chose to be rude, he could always just kill or capture them. He certainly wasn't afraid of Kasai's katon at all, and Makussu didn't seem able to pose much of a threat. He would poinetedly avoid Makussu's question, seeing as it should be obvious that he was testing them. If it wasn't, well, it would seem to the boys that he was just another crazy man with too much time on his hands. To be fair, he did seem to be lazy lately.
[TWC 3000, 615 AP left.]

Kasai watched as it seemed that a few more ice spears formed, and then stopped. Was the man done? Did this one actually have sense, unlike so many others? It seemed as if perhaps he did. That would be good. Kasai would enjoy talking with someone reasonable for a change. 
Kasai listened to him talk about the clans, and dearly hoped he was not an Uchiha sympathizer.
"Healing would be appreciated, ice one. Though I do suppose you are the Kozai I was forced into finding," Kasai would say, remaining sitting, as standing would hurt.
"Though, for a message, I have not to say but what you have already heard. A demon is coming, and will be here soon. I do assume this is meant as a meanings of preparation, though the wind must have spoken such already," Kasai said, from his seat outside the house. 
"You seem more reasonable though. More so than the others. It is strange how you are connected. I will ask not, but know that you have my appreciation and thanks."
Kasai liked him more than the countless death threats and testicle mutilation he witnessed. He hoped this man had sense within him. It certainly seemed so.
(short, I know. Just a bit tired of it all, and might take a break)

Oh shit, the horrible length of his fellow posters posts. It was so horrible that he literally had felt more appeal to finish an alt until now that he had nothing to do. So after sifting through the word dump he eventually thought up a reply. So yeah Makussu didn't have eyes in the back of his head, so he sadly got stabbed through the chest and his wings got smacked. Well, wasn't that rude? It hurt like hell of course, but the thoughts at hand were just how to escape the rather uncomfortable ice prison, he wasn't the type to think about vanilla pudding while unshanking yourself. So After going through shikigami no mai for a while he found a way to easily remove himself, deforming his chest and reforming it as he stepped a few feet closer to the newly revealed Kozai while doing so. He was rather annoyed with the man anyway. Who stabs a mailman? Oh but of course he had reformed his head as well, seeing as Kozai had pulled some more ice out of his anus to hurt him. Oh the joys of the friendly Iwa people. Now that he was out of danger seemingly he would answer Kozai while twirling his spear absentmindedly in his left hand. "Well, I don't know what you mean by reading my mind, but I honestly have nothing to do here but sit and hope that he hauls ass over here and get me soon. It has been slightly boring lately." Ah Kozai, if he really did read minds did he not know that he had the balls to call out Youka for fondling and tell him to shut up in less than a day? Oh, the joys of being a paper boy.

(240/390)

So it seemed that Makussu's body, at least with some effort, was able to unform and reform. It was just too bad that Makussu did not have the foresight to sense the ice spears behind him. Nevertheless, it was an interesting discovery. How was it that the boy's body was not confined to one general form? He would have expected the chakra in his body to at least be focused around the hara. This could, of course, mean one or more of several possibilities. Obviously, the boy lacked actual organs, or at least in the split form he did, leading Kozai to believe that he lacked them while using this form in general.
Of course, without further analysis of the actual DNA and bloodline physiology itself, Kozai had little chance of finding out exactly how it worked. Nevertheless, the spear that the boy currently held (at least, according to Kozai's calculations) would not be of much use to the boy. Now, from what he could observe, using suiton against the paper boy would not have any added effect. How unfortunate it was. But... boring? Hmm, Kozai was having the exact same problem in his life. Nothing was happening in Iwa, other than the movement of his own plans.
Plans that, at the moment, did not mean anything to anyone outside of the village. Sure, he had sent Mitsui out to who knows where, but that mattered little. He doubted that the kid really had any chance of surviving in the wild, although who knew what went on in those villages these days. Thinking back on it, wasn't that why he had sent the genin out there in the first place? Oh well, that didn't matter. He noted that at this point, the ice spears that he had created were beginning to steam. Well, those would disappear soon.
Well, he had told them that he would heal them... but it seemed that Makussu did not really need any help. Turning first to Kasai he would nod. "I am indeed Kozai. As for reason, well..." Here, he chuckled slightly. "It seems that Youka has been acting irrationally lately. I am indeed a man of reason... but not in the way most expect. Academic reasoning, you'll understand." Turning to Makussu, he would tilt his head slightly. "So you managed to escape. Your body truly is semi-fluid. Tell me, boy, how much chakra does it take to maintain such a form? I imagine that you're somewhat exhausted right now." Before the boy could answer, he would turn back to Kasai. "In a few seconds now, these ice spears will melt, but I can imagine you don't want to lose too much blood... very well." Turning to the wall on the left side of wall, he would tear a metal panel off, then punched through the panel on the other side, opening a makeshift door. They really needed to improve the quality of the walls here, he thought. These things used to be solid marble, until Echo had carted that stuff away for more economic materials.
Iwa was beginning to fall apart. Kozai was far too selfish and greedy to really care much for the infrastructure of the place anymore. Even though the village itself was bustling with people and activity, anyone who studied economics for a living knew what was really going on. Kozai was leaving the village to run itself. While this had a long-term benefit, it had a risk: the village could very well crash within the next couple of decades. If Iwa survived beyond that, well, the system would be a success.
However, there was not much chance of that happening. At this point, he would speak to Kasai. "I suppose there's nothing wrong in giving you a little bit of edification while I'm here." He would make two handseals, the ox, then the tiger. These would be slightly different than the conventional ones, these being the handseals for a medical technique, but they were similar enough. The cool form of the medical chakra surged through his system, and into his hands, which at this point would begin to glow a blue color, this being the sign that the technique activation was a success. Kozai had really only used this technique once before, on that strange blind child in Kumo. He wondered how that kid was holding up. Well, it was not that boy, but Kasai that needed to occupy his attention now.
"This is the 'mystical palm technique'. It speeds the body's healing, whether for yourself or for another, like I'm about to do." With that, he would squat down in front of the boy, and place each hand on the cuts that the boy had received. Ah, looks like the spears had actually done something after all. Still, the fact that the boy had been able to escape the spears without having his feet impaled was pretty impressive. At the very least, the boy had some speed and pretty good reaction time. As he watched, the cuts would seal up and heal, and the bleeding would stop.
Standing up, Kozai would place on hand on his chest, healing the bruises from the rasengan. How unfortunate that that specific attack had managed to hit him. He was also thankful that he had solved his lung problem... it would be bad if that sickness returned. Cryo sleep was peaceful, but could be annoying, considering how much he could be missing out on.
At this point, he would end the mystical palm jutsu, and assuming everything went well, he would address both of the boys.
"I guess you two need a break from Youka's antics. If you would like to rest here before continuing on your way, be my guest. However..." At this point, an authoritative glint would seem to appear in his eye. "If you cause trouble, I'll have to get rid of you. Oh, by the way, Makussu..." he would say, producing the Seed, "Mind putting your hand on this?"
[TWC 4000, 575 AP remaining from Mystical Palm Technique (-40 AP).]

(the amount of determination to write 1k words per post astounds me)
Kasai listened to the man, and watched him heal his feet. Perhaps there was a leader in him. Not a dictator, but someone stronger. A true leader, strong yet understanding. 
"There is more than hatred and a vision of the self within you, strong one. You are greater than that, and I thank you," Kasai said, watching the man heal his feet. He paid close attention to the hand signs and their differences. He planned to use this knowledge someday in order to learn the jutsu himself. 
"I thank you as well, for your hospitality and reasonable actions. It seems my original presumption was wrong, and perhaps there is no fault in your will, strong." 
Kasai stood up and bowed to Kozai. 
"If we meet again, I do hope it is with understanding and respect, as it is now," bowing one more time. 
Kasai then glanced to Makussu, nodding his head, and began to walk off into the city.
[possible exit. If so, then 1451 word count, requesting 7 stats, and 1.4k towards genjutsu binding (2.2k/3k)]

Ah, so the shikigami no mai, at least that was what Kozai knew the form to be called from Makussu's memories, seemed to be a temporary form. He took that information and filed it away in his mind for later. All he actually needed was a copy of the boy's genome, and the abilities would be then free for him to exploit as he pleased. With that kind of malleability at his fingertips, and the current other blood lines he had stored, his scientific mind was already calculating the best ways to apply this property. As a matter of fact, he had just come up with something...
Malleability implied ductility. At least, that was how it was with the large majority of substances. With paper, he thought, it would most certainly be the case. It was dependably pliant, and apparently, through the use of chakra, a user could make it hard and particularly sharp, to the point where the "paper cuts" could becomefatal. The boy had proven this with the spear that he had created, and was just now beginning to de-form. Stabbing with paper was something Kozai could not have imagined would exist, but here it was, before his very eyes. Kozai was not a man to argue fact itself when it revealed its face to him.
As for what Kasai had said, Kozai found his own mind hesitating. More than... a vision of the self? Was that what Kasai had seen in him? For the longest time, people had seen Kozai as a purely selfish man, having no empathy (outside of what would be self advantageous) and no concern with matters that had nothing to do with him. He had been willing to sacrifice dear friends and fellow villagers in the pursuit of knowledge... and yet... it seemed that within him still existed the faintest traces of a human heart.
It would be, of course, up to him to decide: should he cast it out, and remain true to the pereson he had been thus far, or keep it, and succumb to the cognitive dissonance that had suddenly set upon him. The exigency that had possessed him for the past few months had once again come into his mind. He felt that he had very little time left to make food on his plans, and even less time, if Youka was to do anything upsetting himself, an outcome not to be desired.
Tick... tock... his time was running out. He could feel it, even though he had no clue that at that very moment, a man whom he had met before was coming... coming to destroy all in his path. Once such a proud man, but now... what was he? From dust to dust... but again, Kozai had no idea of these things. All he knew at that time was that he needed to move even faster than he had been. Too lazy... yes, that was what his behavior had been. Industry and activity were now vital to him.
It was at this point that he noticed Makussu's attempt to catch Kasai. Hmm? So it looked like the shikigami no mai jutsu also enhanced speed as well. But... in that body type, neither nerves nor muscles seemed to exist at all. In that case, was it just pure chakra enhancement? Or perhaps the shikigami no mai partially converted the body to paper, then used small amounts of chakra to manipulate it. That would explain why other paper techniques were able to be performed more efficiently. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him, the latter explanation for it, that is.
In the distance now... something screamed? It seemed louder than a person, but could it be... multiple people? The hubbub was coming from... the direction of the front gates! Oh dear, it seemed that Youka, or whoever it was, had arrived. Considering how powerful the man had been before, when he and Kozai had sparred, it seemed now to Kozai that he himself would be far out matched. If Youka came here to truly destroy, without any kind of ulterior motive, then they would all certainly be crushed and would die absolutely. There was no debating that.
Turning to the two boys, he would speak in a more serious tone, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. "It appears that our visitor has arrived. As leader of the village, I suppose I will have to go and play the part of 'host' to our new friend here. You may go on ahead of me, if you wish, but if there is a fight, I would advise you to either be useful or clear out. In a fight, neither side needs deadweight." He sighed, and focused his chakra senses on the commotion... but he could not sense any unusually large chakra signatures.
"I'd be careful, you two... it seems that our 'visitor' is hiding his chakra signature intentionally. It would be wise to ascertain his actual identity before making any rash or irrational actions." Kozai would breathe in, inwardly smiling as the familiar mountain breeze filled his nostrils. If this was indeed to be his last night in Iwa... then this cool wind would be the memory he would take with him. Before he had awoken at the age of five, he had had nothing to hold on to. Even though he was reluctant to call this village a true "home", he believed that this place was of some value to him... oddly enough. He
ad rarely proven himself to be a man of sentiment. On that note, Kozai would step away from the leader building and the two boys, his white aura flickering around him. The devilish grin flashed over his face once more, as he quickly formed the ram hand seal. Chakra would rush through his body, in an all too familiar pulse as he would use the body flicker technique to speed off toward the distant gates. He was going forth now.
(Twc 5000, exit
2500 ryo,
5000/5000 for White Walker)

approved

Kasai already having said what he wanted to, and being very pressured for time due to finals, simply looked at Makussu. 
Then, hearing that Kozai was leaving, bowed again.
"I believe that this spirit of fire will vanish for a month, returning when the sun shines again. Until then, keep the fire in your heart. It is strong in you, though you may not see it. Once touched by the light, the darkness will never truly reign," he bowed again, and turned to leave once more.
"I must go, friend," he said to Makussu. "To hide, to run, to fall, to fail, it matters not. I may be gone, and my life may seem lost, but fear not, I will return. You have my word."
With that, Kasai stood, and walked. He did not know where, but he would continue, until the real life him was done with finals and painful school.
(exit. Requesting same as last exit.)