Legacy [p,nk]

Kozan had accepted it - the path he would follow. The path of power was the one he had chosen.
After long deliberation, he knew what he had to do. It didn't matter to him whether or not he had the same powers that his aunt or grandfather did. What did matter was that inside, he wasn't like them. He had been raised differently, had trained differently (most likely), and his personality was different. If Kumo was attacked, he would not hesitate to skewer the offenders through with Nightblood, then use their bodies to skewer their friends.
As such, he decided that it was high time he sought the counsel of the Raikage. As the one who had taken over from Misaki, it was obvious that he could be even stronger than she. He gritted his teeth as he entered the office atrium. What kind of person would he be? Hopefully, one after Kozan's heart... after all, he had been the one to output so much power during the invasion. One thing that Kozan thought of that gave him pause was this: what if this new Raikage was able to determine his heritage? What if he was able to tell that Kozan was related to Misaki?
...
What then?

Mortarion as per usual sat in the darkness of his Kage chamber going over the next phase of plans for understanding this world and attempting to change it for his own ends. The paper work had all been taken care of by his stand in while he was away, so right now there wasn't much for him to do but think and ponder on all things. He had thought about sending letters to all the villages offering a meeting between all of the leaders, and maybe he would still do that, having them all in one place would make it easy to remember all of them at once and also get a feel for who was loyal to who and where there was bad blood to use in the future.

During this time he had decided it would be best if he took a walk through his village once more to clear his head. Standing up from his chair he walked to the door of course still dressed in full war armor just without the weapons. As he opened the door he noticed a smaller male in front of him, how long had he been there, why had he not knocked? They were questions he assumed he would get the answer to sooner or later. Pausing for a moment to stare at the boy, he would speak.

"What is it that you need?"

Surprisingly, Kozan was admitted to the Raikage office immediately. It was odd that he had no guards around, making the place more secure... did he have that much confidence in his own abilities? Was he just simply that powerful? If Kozan was able to sense chakra, then maybe he might get some kind of idea, but sadly, he could not. Well, since he was here, and alone with the Raikage, now would be the time to be frank without releasing too much information to everyone else. He knew that he'd have to confront this truth at one point or another, after all.
"My name is Kozan Takami", he began, dropping onto one knee, and forcing his full name out. The stress that it took to do that wouldn't be made apparent to others, but internally, Kozan hated himself for acknowledging his own heritage. Without thinking, really, he blurted out his question, the reason why he had come to this beknighted office in the first place. "How did you become so powerful, outside of your training?" It was something he had said on impulse, and would probably regret it. "I, too, seek strength..."
Kozan had probably made a great tactical mistake here, but then again, his powerlust was greater than his cerebral capacity to understand tact.

Watching the male fall to a knee instictively made his right arm reach out and grasp the males shoulder firmly in his grip. Lifting the male back to his feet was a very easy feat for himself. The act of bowing to Mortarion made him feel uneasy as he was just a human, not a god, yet.

"There's no need to bow Kozan, I know who you are. A simple nod in my direction and acknowledging that I'm here is all I need while we are alone. Save the over the top for when I am admist the civilians."

Sighing through his rebreather he would listen to the males rushed words and try to make sense of what he was being asked. Once the boy stopped he couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the questions and how his shinobi went about asking them.

"Hmmm, it all depends on what you deem to call strength and power. I still see myself as a weak being attempting to perfect myself."

It seemed that Kozan wanted to get a more direct answer or maybe something from the decaying prince, however Mortarion was a man of direct words and actions. If he was asked a question he would give the answer to that question, nothing more, nothing less.

"I'll ask again, what is it that you need?"

Was that really all the was required? He knew that his aunt had sometimes appeared in the form of a goddess to her people... did this Raikage have no such hubris? Was it really possible for a being in power to lack such pride? Well, Kozan didn't know himself... but he'd find out. He'd attain that same power, no matter what. He stood, and listened to the Raikage's words. Oh well, Kozan hadn't expected him to reveal his secrets easily. However, he knew the drill. Endear yourself to him, and learn the secret to his power. Then, when he had given Kozan all that the boy could get from the Raikage, he'd move on. One by one, he'd gain resources and knowledge from everyone until he was the ultimate being.
Gazing at the Raikage's fantastic muscular body (at least, what part of it was visible), he felt that he was a long way from his destination. However, the journey was just as important if not more so than the end result. Hmph, it looked like the Raikage might take a bit of... persuading.
"Firstly, I've come to atone for the sins of my forbears, who were among the previous Raikages. If there is anything I can do to make up for their ineptitude, please tell me. More to the point, however," he continued, now standing, looking at the Raikage and giving him the eye contact he deserved, "there was a specific technique that I was looking for, and you were the only person I could think of who would know about it." He inhaled slightly, then continued.
"Do you know of anyone who knows the Lightning Release Armor technique? It is something that I've sought for a while, being that most of my family members knew it." He would wait for the Raikage's response, not yet aware of the contradiction he had set up. Naturally, he had no idea that he was nowhere close to capable of using that technique, but he had to try anyways.

There it was, that was the direct response he was looking for from people that deemed themselves his ninja. There was no need to be indirect and use misleading questions if you were strong, you simply asked, and took what you wanted. A faint smile warped the raikage's face underneath his rebreather as he stared back into the boys eyes. He could tell this one would prove to be power hungry and they were always some of the best types to have.

"I'm glad you've chosen to speak plainly to me. The past however is in the past, I choose not to dwell on it as it holds no more weight to what my goals are. Yes, I do know the technique, You however are not ready for such an advanced technique and I would only show it to those I trust with the village. You still have much to prove...maybe you would be willing to undergo...a surgery of sorts however and try something of my own creation?"

So... even though his family was one tainted with shame, the Raikage was simply willing to ignore it? Kozan couldn't possibly understand, but at the very least, he was grateful. He had half expected the kage to eat him, or something of the sort. The fact that he was still alive was a surprise to him. Well... this meant that he could press on.
Did the Raikage really think he was so incapable? The statement angered him for a split second, before he considered that the man before him most likely already knew everything about him: his history, his capabilities, maybe even his friendship with Ashur. There must be something that he needed to learn, then, or perhaps something he needed to acquire before even attempting to learn that technique. Greater physical capability? More proficiency with lightning chakra? Only time would tell.
It was then that he was offered something by the Raikage. Some kind of surgical process... an enhancement? ... this would definitely propell him over Ashur in power. He was already able to go faster than the other boy, and having a chance to jump in strength like this, even if it was a gamble, wasn't something he was about to pass up.
"Very well," Kozan would start simply, "I accept."

Kozan waited for what seemed like an eternity. However, it really was a space of several minutes, much longer than a normal dramatic pause could take. It was something like this that really taxed him, having to remain still for so long. As a youth, he could handle less of this than a normal adult could, which bothered him just a little. He wanted to be stronger than this. And.... was he being ignored? He really hoped not, but with each passing second, it seemed more and more like he was. Kozan himself could handle treatment like this, it was what he expected from people. Or could he?
You're better than this, Nightblood whispered to him. You need this... to feed me, to cleanse this place. Do it!
If, after those minutes, the Raikage was still in his inert state, then Nightblood would very subtly do its thing, using its energy to influence the occipital lobes of everyone except for Kozan within the area. Should this have the desired effect of sending them all to dreamland, Kozan would sit upon the chair, succeeding his aunt.
A true casting aside of his morality and standards... oh well, so what? It was all for the sake of that one thing Kozan craved... power.
As it stood, if the Raikage actually did something, none of these actions would happen and Kozan would remain there before his leader.

Mortarion smiled at the boys acceptance to undergo the ceremonial injection of one of the plague princes creations. With a slight nod to show that he accepted the child's willingness he would begin walking through the doors leading out of his office. With a quick and precise hand wave he would motion for the young male to follow him through and down the Kage building. If all was done and he was followed they would take a brief stroll through a secret door recently installed at the ground floor. The path now spiraled deeper into ground underneath the kage building with torches lighting as they walked all reacting to Mortarion's chakra releasing itself in the air.

"This is my...private study, where I come to test new toys and the like. A lot of my experiments you see in the village are a by product of what I have done down here."

Walking over to a glass case he would open one of the doors before reaching in and grabbing a rather large syringe filled with a substance that seemed to have a life of it's own. Flicking the vial the mixed color would react almost violently attacking where the finger had hit.

"Are you sure this is something you want to proceed with, the injection....could prove fatal and is not without it's negative effects."

Following the Raikage, Kozan began to wonder exactly how many secrets the Raikage was keeping from the villagers. Still, private studies were understandable... and even if there was something more significant, Kozan trusted the Raikage to be hiding such things for good reason. It wasn't like he was using his ninja solely for some kind of grand experiment, right? Taking over an entire village solely for that purpose seemed unrealistic to Kozan.

At any rate, it wasn't his role to question the Raikage (that was Nightblood's job), but rather to accept whatever was coming. Even if they were indeed all part of one grand experiment, it would be for the better, right? Anything... ANYTHING for power. Even his own short term comfort and well-being. Yes; he'd sacrifice his own quality of life for the ability to "do unto others".

"Let's do it." He'd say simply, the neutral, harsh look on his face not changing.