Ringing [Ashur, p, nk]

Yeah, yeah, so it would probably be easy for Ashur to get this technique down, but Kozan didn't care much. What he did worry about was how long it would be until he got what he wanted. Maybe he was being a little too impatient, he thought to himself. He needed to learn to wait, instead of constantly grabbing at power. Still, that was all he wanted in life. This world... it was a martial one indeed, where the strong stood above the weak. Power to Kozan seemed to be the peak of virtues, and things like friendship (except in some circumstances) were secondary.

Speaking of which, he would have to bite Ashur again at some point. Maybe later, after he visited the hokage. He knew that Ashur had some other techniques that he could take, after getting a bit more focus into it. What was most interesting, though, was the trick he had learned using Nejonin's body. Who knew that the kid could do something like that? Well, to be fair, he didn't have enough time to live in order to use the technique. He'd died so quickly, it was embarrassing. What was most interesting, though was that time was once again slowing around him as he saw Ashur's sword fly out of his hand. Ah, the vision time again! He couldn't wait to find this Vortigern and take his sword.

What was interesting about this vision was that it had fast forwarded in time. He found himself in a bunch of red robes, which he took to mean that whoever he was had already joined the army. Fine, then, all he needed to do was get close to the commander. As it so happened, his chance came sooner than he thought. As the wagon he was in stopped, he got out and found himself in front of a palace. Some douche next to him who smelled like apricots gaped in wonder.

"Wow, so this is the temporary headquarters? I can't believe I'm finally here! They say the commander's earth style experts erected this thing in seconds! Out Rebud army really is strong..." And so on and so forth. Some people really couldn't shut their mouths, could they? Then again, some of those people were rather nice, like Ashur.... blegh, whatever. What he knew was that he could sense a powerful black, purple, red ish presence within the bounds of those walls. Vortigern! The name of that commander sent chills all up and down his spine. Soon, he'd get his hands on that sword. 

He listened more to the men around him. 

"They say that Vortigern name is actually a nickname! A nickname from his own sword! It's really strange, isn't it? I heard that before he joined up with the Redbud army and its Sovereign, he was called the 'Bloodviolet Fiend', and was the brother of the 'Steelwind Fiend'!" From what he had heard before, a "fiend" was like a roaming ninja. Huh, well this was kind of cool to hear about, he had to get going. Standing here was making him feel a tad uncomfortable. 

Moving with some of the others inside, he knew that he had felt a similar chill when he had heard the name "Steelwind Fiend". Maybe another armor or weapon for another time? That was something to keep in the back of his mind for later. 

The earth structure within was cool, and Kozan felt relaxed as he stepped into a chamber that he had been ordered to enter some time before. Hey, what was this? It was almost like.... a dimensional training room? Within, he could see a wiry man with white hair, just like he had. When he saw him, he knew that this... was Vortigern. 

The general turned around and dropped a rather weighty dumbell on the floor. 

"Oh, hey, you look kind of like me. Why don't you accompany me on our next sortie? It will be good battle experience!" Wow, he was more like Ashur than himself or his aunt. Kozan wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. This guy... would be hard to deal with! The cheerful idiot sort, who didn't have a care in the world... they could be the hardest kind of person to persuade!

Kozan dropped to one knee.

"Of course."

With that, he was shunted back to the normal world, where a full second had passed. Wow, that was the longest that it had taken so far. He noticed that Ashur was getting the hang of weaponry techniques. Not bad, it had taken him much longer to get this stuff down, but that was because he had been without guidance. Had he actually had a teacher, he'd probably be stronger, but more restricted in how he fought. In some ways, this was the best of all possible outcomes. 

Although, the flight thing made Kozan happy. It also, however, made him burn a little with jealousy. Such freedom of movement... imagine how powerful it would be in an actual combat situation! No longer would he be caught in mid air, victim to the forces of gravity. Huh, he'd have to work on that. Little did he know that in the future, he'd see a lightning technique in the mind of a dead man that would inspire him quite greatly. The power of lightning was not to be underestimated. 

"So, this means that no one can chop off your wings now? Sounds cool to me." He'd sit down on a rock and give Ashur a long, hard look.

"I wanna show you something, actually." Standing up again, a scroll-like pattern would form around him as a barrier manifested there. In an instant, Kozan would have changed bodies, switching to his fire and wind one.

"This body has the techniques that I got off of you last time, but it also has one of Nejonin's. Uh, would you want to take a look at it and tell me what you think?" It was a pretty weird technique, after all.

[TWC 5557]

Ashur thought for a second and his eyes widened while Kozan spoke.
"I never thought about that, I guess I can never worry about my wings getting cut off."
So much to learn so little time, he thought. Not worrying about the hard look from Kozan he drifted through the air peacefully for a second while Kozan got up and spoke. Ashur looked over to see some kind of fuinjutsu barrier created out of nowhere. To his amusement it seemed Kozan did absolutely nothing. Ashur smiled and started chuckling. Hearing Kozan talk about his techniques being taken as well as Nejonin, Ashur started to take things more seriously.
"Y-you stole my techniques and Nejonins? How are you going to use my techniques without the torikami?"
Ashur was afraid that Kozan just beat him in every way imaginable in terms of power. He imagined Kozan somehow fusing with the Garuda and found it somewhat amusing to think about. Some edgy kid like this, taking on the respects of the Garuda, how comical, Ashur thought. Deep down, Ashur was madly jealous and began to question his usefulness. If Kozan could do every he could, but better, what does that mean for him?
"That's a... uh... interesting technique though. Why don't you try using the disperse technique, since you stole my line of techniques?"
The boy drifted around feeling weak as a ninja if someone can give him a gay kiss and take everything he had. He asked the Garuda if he was bound to Kozan now and the bird began to laugh.
(Ashur, he doesn't show the slightest hints of our clan and I would never follow around this demonic looking child. But then again it could be better than following around you in some ways.)
Ashur smirked to himself while he heard this then dismissed any possibility of Kozan knowing his techniques.
"Can you give a demonstration of what you know? I am dying to see what kind of power you have and what powers that weak spy had."
He lifted his sword and pointed it to Kozan, requesting a spar. Ashur wasn't going to even consider wasting any divine energy on this fight, but he felt like it might be fun to get ready for the real fight ahead. The Raikage, someone who could watch his village fall corrupt and do very little about it. I need to dispel the evil that lies over this village, Ashur and the Garuda thought at once. Merging with the Garuda would be fun practice, but who knows how long it would take to get back is divine energy. He was going to do this the old fashioned way with a bit of raw power and luck. The entire idea could be immensely stupid considering the fight with the Raikage was fast approaching, but Ashur was really itching to see what Kozan could do.

[480/3,399]

"I only have your wind and fire techniques, I didn't want to mess around with feathers. That's YOUR thing, remember?" With that, Kozan performed two handseals, and channeled his chakra. This was, he knew the shadow sewing technique, and from what he had seen of the raikage already, it might be one of their best shots at defeating him. After all, it wasn't a technique that a person could dodge easily. From Ashur's shadow, a couple of tendrils shot out, and would bind themselves around a couple of nearby convenient squirrels. They would be unable to move as two more came out of the shadow of a nearby rock, piercing the two animals in the heart. With that, Kozan would end the jutsu.

"Easy, see?"

The next parts of the vision passed in fits and blurs. First, he was there with the general readying himself for war. He kept noting that the general never seemed to have his sword around him. This was because, someone had whispered, he kept it sealed away in a ring on his finger. Cursing himself for his ignorance, Kozan realized that he would have to wait a bit longer to see this blade for himself. His patience was wearing thin, and he felt like he might blow up at any second. At last, however, they were ready.

In this world, walking casually out to the battlefield was rather normal, so Kozan found himself walking by Vortigern's side out to some great cracked grey plain. So this was their battlefield? The place where they would fight with the Jadefloat army. That was fine, Kozan thought. He would soon get what he wanted. Soon enough, the battle had started, but Kozan found that he was somehow able to move in and out more easily between attacks. Was this.... did this mean the vision was ending soon?

Through the chaos, he saw the general raise a glowing black sword high and slash it down, and a massive gouge was created in the enemy army. The moment he saw it, Kozan stretched out his hand.

I claim this sword by truth, in testament, and against all odds.

With that, Kozan was returned to the real world, where only a fraction of a second had actually passed.

"Anyway Ashur", Kozan said, before going any farther, "I've got something to show you. I just had a sort of a.... uh, breakthrough, and I think I've managed to retrieve another weapon from my ancestors. Here, let me show you." With that, Kozan drew forth a dark sword from nothingness, with the red designs on its body. So, this blade was Vortigern? It seemed unusually sharp.

[TWC 6000
requesting mid-thread approval
6000/6000 for http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t29814-vortigern-dark-victory-blade?highlight=vortigern]

The emo looking kid weaved two hand signs before turning the shadow beneath Ashur to some kind of mess of tentacles that constricted two squirrels. He stood in amazement wondering if Nejonin had been suppressing himself in the spar the two had. His eyes grew wider as the shadows from a couple of rocks rushed over and went through the squirrels. A perfect blow right through the heart, horrifying as ever. It seemed to Ashur that Kozan had become able to weave shadows as well as his abilities to steal bodies and teleport items. The question he had to ask himself was how much more Kozan was capable of? Were they both hiding their best abilities in case the other was a spy, he wondered. Quickly dismissing the idea as Kozan talked about a new weapon, Ashur began to feel content with the situation. Eyes on a glow, he watched the sword of Kozan's ancestors appear and felt a chill up his spine from sharp it looked.
"That's amazing, right from thin air too. Our target will have no hope if even the tip of that blade touches him, it's so incredibly sharp."
Maybe he was stupid for not thinking Kozan had a wide array of tricks up his sleeves, but this was something amazing to him. With everything shown before him, he wondered what kind of foe they are going up against. Who could handle a speedy terrorist and a edgy kid with a blade obsession? Kumogakure sure was filled with weirdos, but Kozan really took the cake for Ashur. If Kozan could create weapons from nothing, does that mean the Raikage could create life from nothing? He laughed at the idea. It was silly to think anyone could make human beings, even for a second. With every rule of science being broken, as well as the line between fiction and non-fiction, how can you really say what is or isn't possible? Could there be eyes that see all? Could there be people who own entire dimensions at their whim? What is the edge of possibility? Questions raced through his head as he wanted to just explode everything he could see. Leave nothing but ashes and craters and just keep things simple. Simplicity was the best possibility, right?
He looked at Kozan once more itching for a fight, but not wanting to exhaust them for the larger fight ahead. Maybe it was time to show Kozan something he could do, but the only thing Ashur had was going to take his divine energy. What lies behind those eyes, he could only wonder as he looked at Kozan for a second.
"Should we practice working together? For the fight, we will probably need careful teamwork and I see no limits to what we are capable of yet. I'm sure we could work some kind of game plan or even plans. We can't just rush into this fight without any idea of how we can compliment each others weaknesses with another strengths. At least, that's what Brandon always used to obsess over."
He spoke thinking of some kind of nuclear explosion alongside a uh... weapons from nowhere kiss? To be perfectly honest, he had literally no idea what Kozan's true specialty was. He assumed it was using weapons, but yet this emo kid was just full of surprises. Ashur loved his speed, but he also loved his explosions. Clan techniques were in short supply for him since nobody really tried as hard as he had. Is this some kind of wall he hit? Had he finally ran out of jutsu to learn?
(Ashur, I have plenty of jutsu to bother you with. I got around, trust me. Kenshi, as similar as the name was to your son, actually developed many techniques that died with him. You weren't the first one to be stuck with me, trust me. I can help you learn more techniques and ask for a few minor favors in return.)
Whelp, that solved that. Who ever Kenshi was, he must have been someone great. Maybe this one focused on the sharp aspect of feathers instead of the small explosive power in each feather? Ashur asked the Garuda if any of the clan leaders before him specialized in explosives, hoping to learn a thing or two.
(Nope, sorry. Here let me brush you up on what the others did, maybe you can learn a thing or two. Chomaru Shiroi, the first I bounded to, was a massive believer in the concentrated sharpness of feathers and the infusion of them; Idate Shiroi, the second clan leader, was all over the gusts of wind he can generate from the feathers and used them to cause tornadoes and the sort; Barrio Shiroi, the third bird brain, was the weakest with his techniques to create millions of feathers at a time; now to the good part, Kenshi Shiroi, the fourth great clan leader and the greatest I have ever been with, actually found a way to make light from his feather for attacks. These clan leaders were all in varying strengths, but they have loads of techniques you may have never heard of. I can teach you all, but I am sure you wish to just use explosions instead.)
Ashur nodded in his head to the Garuda as he became inspired by how much raw talent died off without a word. He was carrying a torch for the clan, and he was going to put this clan back on the map. He wanted to inspire all the Shiroi hiding in their houses to step up to the challenge and innovate. With the power shown before him, and the slight touch of the previous clan leaders memories, he knew his clan's legacy wasn't going to be taken down do easily. He was going to innovate the explosive powers of his feathers and combine all the knowledge of the previous clan leaders. In his tangent, he felt obsessively thought of his step into a new array of feather abilities. Thinking about it, Kaboom was his doing. He added to the clan's rich choice of jutsu for the rest of time. Something felt inspiring about it, a whole new realm of progression for the clan underestimated. He was going to bring the clan from it's ashes and renovate what people thought of it. He looked at Kozan wondering his thoughts on the proposal to learn teamwork while feeling every inch of his body crave knowledge.

[1,079/4,478]

Hmph. As much as he hated to admit it, Ashur was probably right. They needed to develop some kind of.... stronger friendship? Maybe that was the way to put it. Looking down at his sword, though, he realized that it was at the peak of most weapons. While it didn't have the same ability to incapcitate people like Nightblood did, this sword was the most wonderfully made weapon he had ever seen. Also, it was nice and silent. Hah, so it would make for quiet times, unlike Nightblood, which whined and groveled all the time for attention. This could only go well, now.

"That's actually a really good idea, Ashur. We should probably sit down at some point and compare notes, but I think that can wait until after I meet with the Raikage. After all, if I can get this eye implanted, things should be much better. Also, I should be able to get some really important information on him, too. How does that sound?" 

As he spoke, Kozan whimsically and casually raised the sword over his head, pointing it toward the sky. How would it be if he infused his chakra into it? he wondered to himself. With a single thought, he channeled his energy into the blade, and it lit up with a dark aura that surrounded the entirety of the sword, not just the blade, making it look like a dark upside-down cross from some kind of cult. 

"Wow, that makes it so much sharper. I think if I took a swing with this thing, I would actually be able to slice through my own armor." By this, he meant Corpse Collector, which was also a peak armor. This meant that with a couple of swings, he actually might be able to overcome any defenses that the raikage might have.

[304]

Ashur smiled feeling like he did something great. Kozan was going to get information from the inside and even come up with some sort of way for the two of them to work together. Ashur felt deeply inclined to spend every second running over everything he knew about the Raikage in the library and then predict every what if. He couldn't possibly accept any sort of failure for the fight ahead. Yet he was still left with too many options in his slowly decreasing time span. He had to either study and plan, go for his clan's power, or try to take it easy and rest for the fight ahead. Each option left him with almost a headache for the pros and cons. Study too much and exhaust himself, train too hard and risk being sore for the fight, rest and he would be without preparation. A happy medium needed to be met as he nodded to Kozan.
The racing thoughts got quickly shut down with Kozan's sword glowing a dark aura and made it all look like some cultist weapon. He stared in amazement as the sword seemed to cut the wind touching it for being so sharp. Ashur could almost see this sword being swung, causing any possibility of blocking to be futile. What kind of armor or metal could handle something sharp enough to maybe cut through most armors like skinny little twigs. Hearing Kozan say it could cut his own armor, he remembered his Aunt taking over his body and wearing that armor. What kind of armor and weapons does this kid have, he wondered.
"That sounds a little bit dangerous, but incredible. Hey if the Raikage ever possesses your body or if your Aunt takes over your body again, what exactly would be the best way to make sure I don't get killed? I am assuming the Raikage can do anything and knows everything."
He realized this not only sounded weak, but sounded a little bit malicious. Ashur had really just asked for Kozan's weakness... not the best choice he made. Quickly recovering, the boy spoke again before any wrong ideas could be made.
"It actually might not be the best if you told me in case the Raikage can take over my body. You probably know most of my powers from the kiss you gave me anyway."

[393/4,871]

Wait, was he asking for his weaknesses? Fuck, well then... uh, he'd have to answer truthfully, he knew. It wasn't like Ashur would never find out on his own anyway. However, just how much should he tell him? No, wait, there was something to be gained here. If he told Ashur his weaknesses, could he not ask for something in return? After all, they were friends. Or was that not the way to do things? Kozan made the sword he was carrying return to the requip dimension, then turned to Ashur. 

"As I said, I don't think my aunt's coming back. Anyways, there's not much that could get through my armor or my sword. Something really sharp, maybe? Uh... genjutsu, I guess, and poison. I really don't like dealing with poison, and it's uncomfortable to wear a mask under my armor, so I've never really put out the effort to get one. Maybe I should, huh?" 

Yeah, to date, Kozan had never had an encounter with poison. But when he thought about it... the rot fields and other things that surrounded the village were set up by the raikage. Did this mean that he should prepare for poison during the fight with the raikage that was probably coming up soon? Probably. He realized just how behind he was when it came to battle preparations. Ugh, another inadequacy. He really needed to fix his life and get things under control. 

"Say, what about YOUR weaknesses, Ashur? You're fast enough to avoid most attacks, so I'd imagine you'd be vulnerable to genjutsu as well, right?" Kozan thought that this might be the case, but he knew very well that Ashur could have some secrets up his sleeve. Also, Kozan didn't know ALL of Ashur's capabilities yet, but he most likely would soon. 

[TWC 604]