An encounter with the darkness [IO][NK][Altar]

Ren listened to the man's words, in truth it sounded like rhetoric to Ren, something he said more to himself than to Ren, a way to justify the risk he had taken to create this place. All the same Ren couldn't talk, he had no Idea what Altar's reasons were for taking this risk, and Ren couldn't deny that he would take the same risk if backed into a corner... 'Creating a space in reality would confine it... but what about if I brought a section of reality into a space like this?' Ren thought to himself as Altar spoke, an idea forming in his own mind as the conversation continued, only for him to find himself forced to the ground as he tried to exert control over the void. "oomph, Well I suppose I should have expected that hey?" Ren said, trying to keep a jovial tone as the weight of gravity made it hard to breathe. Once the force ended Ren took a deep breath before taking altars hand and standing back up, dusting himself off as he did so before walking with Altar to the edge of the platform, only to look down and see that there was nothing supporting them in this void. "Gee, bit off a fall there" Ren whistled as he fought down a sense of vertigo.

Ren allowed himself a smile at the woman's playful giggle, it sounded pleasant on his ears, and reminded him of happy times... that was until the void was illuminated for him. "What the fuck Altar!" Ren would shout out almost as soon as he looked into the void, drowning out Altar's question as he tried to dart back from altar and pull out a kunai, prepared to try and kill altar if he made any unexpected moves. Out in the now illuminated void stood an image of the village, the accademy students fighting and killing themselves as Xyxer Gyojin stat atop a mound made from the bodies of the villagers, his masked anbu, altar included, killing any who approached. The scene took up the immediate view of those who looked out into the void, and it was all that Ren had seen before he'd turned to confront altar, however if he had've kept looking, out in the distance were other events, events from the past that terrified him almost as much as the one that he had already saw. The fall of old kiri, and the horrors that occurred that day as the village sank beneath the waves, the villagers trapped within, and even further out, right on the corners of the blackness that even the light struggled to illuminate, a faint outline of a hollowed out tree, covered in red snow as a number of figures lay dead at its base...

As Ren jumped back, Kalamity would let out a low growl from his place beside the now abandoned chairs. Altar was half tempted to fling the kunai from the boy's hand, force him to look further and see what Kirigakure had become. But that would be unnecessary. That would be overtly cruel.

Instead, Altar would let the boy jump back and palm a weapon, content knowing he could mutilate and murder the boy at any given time. There was no threat. Looking into the expanse, Altar would take in the sights of Ren's fears, the objects of his hatred and sorrow. He felt a pang of sorrow to know he was there, but he couldn't blame the boy. As he looked out, Altar would place his own hand against the barrier, the images twisting and forming into something new. Instead of Ren's personal images, there would be Altars.

Out among the demons were images of himself wearing the Kage's hat, ordering the murder of handfuls of villagers, hosting the Blood Games. Altar saw himself torturing his closest friends and making them suffer for his own amusement. He saw himself becoming a monster. Further out would be images of his parents, faded and filled with sorrow, followed by the face of his sister with a look of absolute terror, blood seeping from her mouth. Further still were images of Haru, his mentor and friend, turning tail and running from Kirigakure, skyscrapers collapsing in the distance. And beside that, an image of a girl with snow white hair and a bright smile, hand interlocked with Altar's, allowing brief respite before the image seemed to burst into flames.

Closing his hand and turning to the boy behind him, Altar would speak in a quiet voice, a sad, solemn smile on his face. "You see it too, don't you?"

The ANBU would slam his closed fist against the barrier, both Nekoda and Kalamity flinching heavily, Kalamity even taking a few shuffling strides back to hide, cowering behind the throne. "That is what I can operate independently of. That man, that tyrant. He parades himself like a beloved and gracious monarch while he treats us like playthings and subjects. It's disgusting. I should've taken his damned life when I had the choice." Altar would say, letting his hand return to his side.

"Ren, I know what you saw in there. And let me clarify. I'm an ANBU. We do what we're told. For all intents and purposes, i'm a tool. A weapon. But I am not a mindless slave, and i'd sooner turn my blade against the one above me than the ones below." The boy would say. In the back of his mind, he kept the possibility that Ren would take this as an act of defiance against the kage. Should he make any move or respond in an unkind fashion, steps would need to be taken, as much as Altar hated the thought.

Ren's eyes darted from Altar, to the woman, and then back in the direction of Kalamity, the Creature's growl making the hairs on his neck stand on end. Altar held up his hand to the void, the image there shifting and changing, yet in many ways staying the same; only now Altar was the Kage, the demon of the mist... Ren glanced at the shadow's a little confused as to why Altar would change the world to depict him as the architect of this madness, did he idolize Xyxer, seek too become him? Did he wish to take Xyxer's place? These thoughts and many more rushed through his head as he glanced at the images in the void, however these thoughts were thankfully put to rest at Altar's next words. Ren jumped a little at Altar's outburst, but Ren came to realise that this man in front of him did not Idolize Xyxer, he despised him... "Th-this isn't what you want.. is it?" Ren said, his mind ticking away as he spoke "I-" Ren stopped for a moment, a thought occurring to him 'What if this is some elaborate trick? What if this was a test of his loyalty, what if- No... No that line of thought would only lead him in circles, this could be the best chance they had too change things, even if this was a trap it was worth the risk...' Ren took a deep breath steeling himself for his inevitable death if this did not go his way. Dropping his blade Ren walked towards the man "Altar, I can't even begin to imagine the things you've done, but this has gone on long enough, every day that monster remains in power people- Innocent people die" Ren said, Clenching his own fist in anger as his voice faltered with the last few words. Ren surprised himself with how much emotion came out with those words; now that he had found a place where he did not have to watch himself constantly. 

Once Ren reached Altar he forced himself to turn and look at the images in the void, to stare into the face of these horrors... finally after a long pause Ren spoke, in almost a whisper. "Something needs to change, and even if it would endanger my life I would be a part of it... I will not watch anymore people die for that man's perverted amusement."

Altar would let the boy speak, Ren walking over to the edge of the void before saying the words that Altar had long since figured he'd hear.

"Aye. Something must change. But for change there must be a driving force, and there is no one man strong enough in the village to fight the tyrant." The ANBU would say, moving away from the void to retake his seat. "But for the sake of the village's people, I must try. Needless to say, i'd rather not try alone, and if you're willing to give your life for a greater cause...then ally yourself with me, Ren. But be warned, I have a sneaking suspicion the two of us alone will still have troubles."

Altar would extend his hand, awaiting the youngling to shake it in a mutual and now formal agreement. Assuming the boy shook his hand, Altar would continue.

"As an ANBU I can't very well make my disposition known. Thus, you come into play, Ren. You can scour the village for those willing to join our cause against the tyrant. Any you believe fit can be brought here, talked to and hopefully convinced to aid us in whatever way they can." the boy would say, once again taking up his glass and drinking deeply from it.

"And allow me to make one thing clear, Ren. I have seen too many men fall prey to the power being Kage brings. My own friend Haru was easily corrupted by the position. The hat of the Mizukage corrupts, and I won't allow it to bring another demon to power. I very well intend to take the hat myself, or Kirigakure falls. I alone can resist the temptations the hat may bring. I pray you understand."

Ren breathed a sigh of relief internally when he wasn't killed for his words, he'd made the right choice it would seem. Ren listened too the man's words and needless to say he was right two of them alone, against the tyrant would still likely result in their deaths... All the same Ren took Altar's hand. "Your right of course, even if it means our deaths someone has too make a stand" Ren said solemnly before listening too the boy's plans. The boy was smart, and his plan would work well, but Ren felt a sudden chill of fear run through his body at those last few words, It sounded very much like Altar simply wished to hold the title of kage for himself.

"Your right of course, as the head of the accademy I have far more freedom too move unseen than you. I will make arrangements too gather those sympathetic to our plans and send them too you I see fit, but let me make something clear..." Ren said pausing as he looked the boy in the eye, "Altar you are strong, and powerful, but If I have too I will stand against you; I will not see this village simply shift from one tyrant too another." Ren said turning back too the vision before them. "Once we have dealt with the tyrant, once I have a better understanding of the things you've done and feel that this..." Ren said gesturing too Altar's version of the void, "will not come too pass. Then we shall discuss whether you can resist the temptations of that station." Ren said quite seriously.

Hearing Ren finish talking, Altar would stop in his tracks, his mind split. The Nekoda side wanted to agree with Ren, saying that no one could be sure if they could handle the pressure, the stress of the Kage position.

The Kalamity side said to pop the boy's head like a bubble for daring to speak to him like that, in HIS world.

Of course, Altar would take neither action, choosing the middle path he always had. "I understand your concern, but it's one that's shared. I will not stand to see another tyrant rise. That is why I don't believe I can stand by while someone else takes that hat. It runs the risk of letting another Xyxer come to power. I know what I can and can't resist. I've resisted the temptations to kill in cold blood and slaughter everyone in Kirigakure since i've lived here." the boy would say, motioning to Kalamity, the demon grinning wickedly, his face upside down.

"Void shows images of a person's worst nightmares. Their greatest fears, sorrows and hatreds. Ren, i've never known a good leader. I've been lead by criminals, uncaring sociopaths, and now a psychopath. I've seen the hat take one of the most balanced men I knew down a dark road, filled him with nothing but thoughts of revenge. I can be different, Ren. I know I can. I can be the first good leader." the boy would say, placing a hand on Ren's shoulder. His face was stern, but knowing.

"Putting anyone other than myself in that place is taking a risk that I won't allow. I know myself better than anyone, and i'm being transparent so you know me as well. Not only is no one else as physically capable, but no one else is as mentally capable or sure. And you know i'm right."

"Now, to make this easier i'm going to place a mark seal on you. I'm sure you're familiar with them. This will make it easier to communicate and meet without making collusion obvious. And it would be a good idea to always meet here, so we're not speaking in the open where we run the risk of outside interference or surveillance. Any questions?" the ANBU would say, moving his hand to place the seal on the back of Ren's neck.

Ren listened too the man's words, it seemed genuine, it all did... Ren could only hope that it was, Void showing a person's worst fears made sense with everything that had just happened, but even so... even so when he spoke his words were cautious  "Very well, I have said my peace, just know that my words are true, I won't watch my students slaughter themselves in a blood games ever again; I will back you as the next leader of the mist, but only so long as you remain a good leader." Ren said, meeting the boy's gaze.

When Altar moved too place a mark seal Ren nodded his head, "A mark seal makes sense, I'll place one on you as well so that we can keep track of each other..." A thought occurred to ren as he said this "A telepathy seal seems like a safer way too communicate though; less questions if someone comes looking for us." Ren would say as he turned and lifted up the back of his shirt, Mark seals weren't easy too identify but it would still be best too keep the seal hidden.

As Ren lifted his shirt, Altar went to place the marks between the trap's shoulder blades, mildly confused by the show of a back strap of a bra


The boy lifted his shirt and Altar placed a mark seal on his right shoulder blade. Hearing Ren out, Altar was reminded of the telepathy seal and made the decision to place one on Ren's left shoulder, mirroring the mark. Unless closely examined by a fuin user, they'd look just like atypical birthmarks on the boy. Altar would tap Ren on the shoulder, signaling he could drop his shirt back down.

Turning, Altar would do the same, lifting his shirt so Ren could place the marks. After that business was done, Altar would drop his shirt and turn to face Ren. "Now, if there's no more business to attend to, I believe we've been here for a tad too long. Void has a habit of draining those unaffiliated with it, a tendency of my Yuumei thriving here with my chakra. The first two for targeting are my fellow ANBU, Xyxer's personal guard Wraith and Jester. They shouldn't be too hard to get alone and take out if necessary. I'll inform you when that step is ready to take. In the meantime, keep an eye out for any who'd be willing to join us in this." Altar would say, before awaiting a reply and placing a hand on Ren's forehead, the world once again disappearing around them.

Ren felt a subtle shift as the man's foreign chakra brand itself onto his back, it was unfamiliar but being a fuinjutsu expert himself Ren had known what too expect; When Altar turned and offered his back Ren did the same, applying both a mark seal and telepathy seal on his left and right shoulders, much like altar did Ren disguised them as birthmarks before a thought occurred too him. Ren placed another pair of seals on the boy's back in the same manner, and just below the two other seals before speaking "I've added a pair of seals to help strengthen you incase you get into trouble." He said as he lowered the boy's shirt. Ren simply nodded his head as altar explained who their next targets would be before the two of them faded back into the real world, fortunately reappearing in the mist that Ren had conjured just before they disappeared. With a single nod to altar Ren turned off too leave, his mind whirling with the magnitude of what had just happened... As an after thought Ren placed the same defensive seals he'd placed upon altar on himself as well; after all he was part of something incredibly dangerous now and it would not do to be caught unprepared, thus Ren placed the two seals on his body, one on his upper left arm and the other one sitting parallel too that on the underside of his arm. 

Taking out Xyxer's two body guards would certainly make defeating him easier, but it could be even more effective to convert them to their cause... It was unethical but Ren had an idea; rushing off too his apartment Ren spent the night pouring over his scrolls until he found what he was looking for, a technique that could rewrite a person's personality. It took him a solid night of practicing on animals, mainly rats and mice, although Ren found himself eventually progressing too a few stray cats that wandered the area. Someone would undoubtedly find their cat acting strangely for a while, but eventually Ren felt comfortable advancing to human subjects. It began with a few prisoners, criminals and captured missing ninja. Ren didn't go so far as to do any permanent damage too them, after all leaving a trace of his experiments wouldn't be the best since it would be far more beneficial if no one knew that he could do this... well no one but Altar. 

A few nights later Ren would flow some of his chakra into the seal, conveying a telepathic message too Altar, the great thing about telepathy of course was its ability to transmit more than just words, and so the message Ren sent Altar conveyed not just this new ability of Ren's, but also how they could potentially use it in the coming battle. Once Ren had conveyed the message to altar he shut off the connection and went back too work, beginning work on finding a seal capable of confining their targets in order to subject them too Ren's seal without too much noise risk or trouble for him or Altar. Getting caught was not an option.


TWC: 5004
Claiming 25 Stat points; 883 words towards Fuinjutsu Barrier; Memory Rewriten; 121 words towards Confining Technique


Placing on Altar
Chakra Storage Seal (Base power 30 + 35 from scaling (100 chakra) = 65 power) Storing 130AP in the seal for Altar
Fuin Barrier (Base Power 50 +25 = 75)
Telepathy Seal "" Power 75
Mark Seal

Placing on Self
Chakra Storage Seal (Base power 30 + 35 from scaling (100 chakra) = 65 power) Storing 130AP in the seal
Fuin Barrier (Base Power 50 +25 = 75)
Telepathy Seal "" Power 75

Receiving from altar
Telepathy Seal
Mark Seal

As the two reappeared in the mist left by Ren when they had originally departed, Ren simply nodded his head and turned to leave. Altar would stand, hands in his pockets, watching the youngling leave. He had just recruited this boy in a cause that could easily be the death of them both if they weren't careful. He hoped he had placed his trust correctly.

With that in mind, the ANBU turned on his heel to return to the market, taking up his second face again, acting notably cautious. After buying a few knick knacks for his home, Altar would return and stay at home, drawing up designs for various traps he could lay in Void. It was an interesting study. He had absolute control, but found delight in the interesting things he could put people through there, designing elaborate traps for no reason.

A few nights later, Altar received word from Ren. Images of a seal flashed in his mind, along with a brief explanation of what it did. It seemed to be able to completely brainwash someone and reprogram them with a different personality. That was...very useful for their current situation. A sick smirk on his face, Altar would set to work thinking up topics of discussion for the 'ANBU meeting' that was soon to come.

~Exit, TWC: 6020~
~Putting all words towards Void, at 6020/8000~
~Claiming 60 AP~
~Memorizing Ren Tsubasa's Chakra Signature~