Where the Wild Things Are [P]

Xyxer stood inside of his office with the comatose body of Kenshi laid out on his aquatic desk. He wasn't entirely sure on what to do as despite his effort to break the male out from the genjutsu he had been under, he still did not show any signs of being conscious. It was as if he was a ticking time bomb, and during the genjutsu, perhaps the wild thing inside had been able to take over and poison is mind to such a degree that he was no longer human at all.. but that was all just speculation, all that remained clear as day was that this Jinchuriki was not responding like they should have done in the same situation.. that meant there was a potential escaping of a bijuu from his still body, and that would cause so much destruction.. a copious amount of death. All because he did not act. No, no.. shaking his head of that thought, he had an idea, a plan if you will. He spoke to Wraith & Jester individually before he sent them off towards their separate destinations, each planning to return with one person in mind by tracking their chakra signatures. Naoki would be informed in the urgency of the situation and the potential bijuu invasion as Xyxer knew his ANBU could not overwhelm him, but the other boy, he'd simply be manhandled if he refused to come to the Mizukage chambers immediately.

The only thing preventing him from gaining this cultivation base now was the presence of that missing third piece. So, the first style, the meteor style, made his chakra grains like those extremely fast and powerful astral bodies, and his own body followed suit. His attacks gained more penetrative power, and the aura that it generated was close to his body. Then, there was that origin style, which seemed to hide even more mysteries. Its drain on his energy was so small he barely noticed it, but the effects weren't to impressive. It seemed that the faster he moved, the more powerful the aura became, but he clearly wasn't moving fast enough. Either way, he needed to find out more about these.

He had devised two different sets of movements, one for each style. Each one was different in its own right, reflecting the particular strengths and weaknesses of each. It was strange, though, how he hadn't yet been able to extrapolate the remaining set from these two. It was all part of a single martial art, so he should be able to... he must be missing something, a new way that he could tune his chakra. It would come to him eventually... once someone had gone this far down the path of cultivation, there was no turning back. He could only march forward.

Deciding to take a quick break, he headed out to the training grounds to do a bit of normal workout. Not much, actually... it was more of an excuse to get some fresh air. He'd been cooped up in his room for quite some time now, and needed to just... get out and around.

At the start of his walk, however, he was interrupted by the presence of an ANBU, the one that he hadn't fought before. It was a bit of a relief, but after receiving his instructions, he headed toward his new destination immediately. His kage was not a man to be kept waiting.

As soon as he was shown into the chambers, he kneeled before his leader (having learned from last time, of course), and awaited the order to rise. He would have already taken note of the body on the table, but didn't outwardly acknowledge or talk about it. ... Yet.

[378]

For the last couple weeks the former leader of Shimagakure was spending most of his time in study of several different things, but his main focus was to learn as much as possible on various Bijuu sealing methods and Jinchuuriki. Of course, being credited for two Bijuus sealed into people Naoki was not a complete stranger to the subject, if anything he already knew at least half of what he had found. However, his approach was not the only one nor were all the Jinchuuriki out there made by him. As such, before proceeding with the assignment Xyxer had given him, the Uchiha wanted to learn everything he needed about seals and methods used to contain the beasts in order to examine the host of Bijuu that the village currently had.

Having now spent a few weeks in the village as well as being repeatedly exposed in social environments Naoki could not help but notice his chakra alerting the people around him, especially the shinobi. Anyone formerly from Shimagakure would probably had known him, but those who came here from Tengakure seemed to have a slightly harder time with someone probably on par with their Kage walking about. So, Naoki after gathering enough research material tended to retreat from public eye. He also for a few days now had used the special properties of his manipulated fabric to make his chakra seems significantly weaker, on par with an average Chuunin. And given Xyxer's policies and the way ninjutsu and personal strength was viewed in Kirigakure, he probably seemed about the same level as a Genin in the village. At the very least it spared him the unwanted attention and did not bother the sentries.

And so, Naoki was sitting on the very top of the recently completed Great Academy, where the rooftop pierced the mist and allowed him to clear sight of the islands and the sky above. Reading in such retreat is when he would have been found by an agent sent by the Mizukage. Because it was not the most usual spot and because Naoki's chakra albeit detectable, was hardly any more notable than the many students in the halls below him, it would probably had taken the ANBU somewhat longer to find him and the other one. There would be little delay after that though. Naoki's expression would clearly tense up as he heard the man out. If there was a threat of a Bijuu invasion, then reading some books was the last thing he should be doing. He let the ANBU lead him to Xyxer at full speed, but still he most likely would have arrived second.

Kozurou was the first to enter the room, which was peculiar given how he believed Naoki could teleport into the room as soon as any hint was given. Perhaps the urgency of the situation had not been properly explained by the male, or the pressure of the event had just made him forget about that ability. Regardless, he'd nod his head down towards the male that dropped into a kneel, allowing him to stand once more. He didn't bother to explain until Naoki entered the room, not bothering at this point to force him to kneel due to the lives of his citizens meaning more than the submission of an S-Rank, at the moment that is. As soon as both of them were in the room, Xyxer would start to explain, "This boy, Kenshi Yurasame, appears to be comatose because of an S-Ranked Genjutsu." Xyxer simply stated, sparing a second to glare at Naoki.. if he had just checked in on him when he had asked him to, this would have been prevented. It made him worry that Mitako was on the verge of the same event happening, "As it stands, I'm not sure what happens when a tailed beast is inside a comatose host, but I can not believe it's content with simply biding it's time while the host is powerless. That's why you're here, Naoki, we need to see what we can do to prevent the beast from unleashing it's wrath on the village. You're here, Kozurou, because we may need your vitality later on." Xyxer took a second to appraise the boy that was still in front of him, his own sharingan paired with tsukuyomi had been incapable in decyphering the genjutsu itself, so it appeared to be something.. more. Something greater, which continued to suggest the imminent threat. "Check his seal, Naoki, and if you will, I need you to teleport all of us a fair distance away from the village. A tailed beast's distance, if you will."

After hearing Xyxer out the Uchiha made a nod and stepped forward, stopping at the unresponsive body. He gestured for others to come closer and once everyone was within range, the former leader would make a single handed seal causing his chakra to envelop the four of them before forming into a sphere and with a sudden tuck pulling them through spacetime to a small remote tropical isle on the edge of the island country. Their scenery would shimmer and almost instantly change. As the vibrant colors and shapes of the location around them came to their forms, the bubble of chakra would collapse and disperse. The Jinchuuriki was transported along with the table he was on. Putting his hand that held the handseal down and turning to the Mizukage, Naoki would explain "This isle is some few miles from the village, which should put us out of range should the beast break loose here. Should you wish to return by yourself, the island formation that houses the village is there and the mainland's a couple miles in that direction." He would gesture to the east for the village and then offhandedly towards the north for the mainland.

At this point Naoki would approach the younger host of a chakra beast and stretch out his hands, putting one on the boy's forehead and one on his chest, where the heart would be. Underneath the veil of trickery that shrouded the man's true eyes the Uchiha's sharingan would intensely stare down, taking in all the details and looking for the clues the man needed. The hand from the forehead would move down to meet the other one and then his fingers would snap in tandem with a weak pulse of fire chakra. The front part of clothes covering the boy's torso would turn to ash, revealing his unharmed bare chest. As Naoki's hands slowly drifted apart, a strange collection of symbols would appear on the exposed area. Putting his hands down the herald of the mist stood still for about a minute gazing down at the seal in front of him. It was a different kind from the ones he was able to craft, but the fact that he studied the art for decades and his sharingan's ability to see chakra provided him with the needed insight. "Strange. It would seem that both the beast's and the host's chakras are failing and weakening rather rapidly, to the point the genjutsu he is under is completely overwhelming him. This is something I have not seen nor read or heard about. As it stands, the beast will cease to be in a matter of weeks, days even, taking the host's life with it. And I doubt any attempt to extract or release it would save any of them at this point." He would report after a bit.

From what his herald was saying, the boy's death was practically guaranteed. At best, he would be in a coma for a few more weeks, but the beast that dwelt inside was dying itself. It was.. unprecedented. Hachibi itself stirred within Xyxer as it struggled to view the ill host of it's unfortunate brethren. The death of a Bijuu was unfamiliar to both of them, and they were both going to experience the loss of their own kin soon, whether it be their choice or not. 

The thought of incarceration drifted through his mind, allowing the boy to live out the rest of his short period of life.. perhaps Naoki would be wrong in his assumption of the beast's death.. but that idea could not stay for long. Naoki was an S-Ranked Ninja, and the Hachibi itself seemed to confirm his suspicions.. this couldn't be a mistake, nor a slight on his part. Xyxer's eyes lifted from the child momentarily so that he could look towards his deputy, his tongue rolling over his teeth as he tried to figure out what to say.

He gestured towards the boy on the table with a flick of his hand, a legendary, fanged blade coming into being inside the grip of his hand shortly afterwards. Tidebreaker was here, and it was going to claim another, "Can you hold him out, Naoki. It's inhumane to allow the bijuu and the boy to suffer when we know there will be no respite." Xyxer's voice was stoic, and his lack of usage of Samehada suggested that he'd take no pleasure in what could be best described as a mercy kill.

 He truly believed this was what was best for the dying creature, and it's ill-fated host.

The Uchiha's eyes immediately darted towards Xyxer in response to him summoning a blade, despite his face hardly moving a muscle. Hearing what the man was saying Naoki turned to the side and his face at Mizukage. It appears the man had decided on the fate for the two. For a moment the herald debated ending the boy with an explosion of a sunfly, as it would likely be faster and less painful than a sword.. possibly. But even without going into words Naoki gathered that Xyxer was rather resolute on doing this himself and so that thought was retracted. "Very well." Naoki would say, putting his hand on the back of the host's neck. It was unfortunate, the fate that had befallen this youngster, but it was neither his fault nor was there anything that could be done on his part to save this life. As such, what the blade wielding demon suggested was actually the most reasonable here. Tugging with his right hand the Uchiha would pull the boy's body to the edge of the table, stopping so just his head and neck were over the side. With the head kind of hanging limp and the neck exposed Naoki would pull his hand back and slowly step away.

The wind itself seemed to whistle momentarily while Naoki adjusted the boy's sleeping posture. His body hung off from his desk partially, limply.. it was as if he was already dead, if truth be told. The wind's whistle continued to flow through the canopies of the various trees that littered the island, providing an assortment of howls to add to the atmosphere of the dreary event. In fact, a leaf itself had been carried by a gentle gust, moving along it's path towards it's fate, which would entwine with anothers.

Swinging through the air, the hulking mass of fanged metal was set in motion imminently; he wanted this to be quick, and to avoid any pain that either the boy or the beast may face. This was not like the two would have likely seen within the village. This was not an execution to strike fear in the hearts of those who followed him to sway them from the wrong path.. this wasn't an event he could delight in when punishing a criminal shinobi. This was the case of an unfortunate boy, cursed with an unsavory end. Perhaps it was around this time that Xyxer started to understand the true potency of the bijuu.. if Hachibi was to die, he'd die with it.

A rare, almost ceremonial howl was heard from the blade as the fangs seemed to slice through the air itself, adding to the atmosphere of the whistling wind. One prominent tooth of the blade struck the nape of the boy, severing his spinal cord immediately so that no pain would be felt before the rest of the metal carved through his throat. It would be all over in less than a second from start to finish due to Xyxer's natural speed and strength making the feat so natural to him. While the boy's decapitated head dropped towards the ground, so did two halves of the very same leaf at the start.. parted in the same motion that separated the bijuu from the boy. He had to wonder.. would they meet again in the afterlife?

While the boy's head fell weightlessly, it was almost as if a weight had been dropped from the boy's shoulders. A strange explosion of chakra frothed from the stump of his neck in a fiery, dark blue. It seemed to almost incinerate the stump as it expulsed violently from the corpse, a bestial howl emanating from it's colourful departure as it dispersed into the air around them, quickly becoming but a thing of memory as all trace of the chakra disappeared. Xyxer could almost feel the beast inside himself weeping for the departure of it's brethren.. yet.. it was grateful that Xyxer did not allow either of them to suffer. Perhaps this was the beginning of the understanding between the beast and the beast incarnate.

Xyxer paused momentarily after this whole display to take it all in, to feel the mood of the environment. It was sorrowful, yet inevitable. No blood had touched Xyxer due to the scorching nature of the bijuu that had departed this world, but there was the matter of the body.. The boy had not been a traitor.. nor had he been a foreign ninja.. he deserved a proper burial, and this area seemed to be the only fitting place to do it. The very same place he died.  Allowing Tidebreaker to disappear from his hand, he moved towards a spot near a tree where he knelt down on the ground, beginning to dig with his hands for the boy. It was the ultimate sign of humility from the Mizukage, yet it beared some weight; he was willing to pain himself in order to provide the boy a proper burial, as he was a leader and not a monster.. not at this point in time, at least.

Naoki would stand a few steps away from the table, watching as Xyxer unceremoniously ended a young one's life. Not that there was any ceremony to make here, the point was to reduce pointless suffering and delaying would only let the boy suffer more. Noting the departure of both the boy and the chakra beast the Uchiha would wish them a better next life. Once it was done, both he and the Mizukage stood there for a moment in silence before Xyxer desummoned his weapon and talking up to a tree started to dig with his bare hands. Remaining in the same spot a bit more Naoki observed the man as if debating joining or not. The fact that Xyxer was using his bare hands to dig what the Uchiha presumed was a grave for the kid, instead of easily creating a hole through ninjutsu meant that he wanted to show appreciation and sacrifice, honor the life by taking his time rather than just doing it in the most convenient way. It was something that Naoki himself understood, after all he himself had to bury a couple of people somewhat recently... for him.

Somehow, knowing Xyxer as much as he did, seeing the man do this did not surprise Naoki too much. The Mizukage was a man that embodied both cruelty and honor. And digging the hole for the grave of a youngster with his bare hands was something that Naoki wouldn't do normally. You could say, he felt Xyxer was one up in this regard. But there were other ways he could help in this task and honor the boy. Stepping forward a bit Naoki would mentally command the manipulated fabric that took shape of most of his attire. A lengthy, majestic pitch black cloak with various floral themed silver markings would appear to adorn his shoulders before being torn off and laid on the ground. Picking up the detached head with both hands he would put it on the cloak, then similarly move the body from the table onto the cloak. While Xyxer was digging Naoki would wrap the remains in the fabric and once he was done he would start to gather stones and rocks for the grave.

Earth and gravel shifted when the will of Xyxer was imposed upon it. His hands dug into the dirt, feeling the accumulating pressure gathering underneath his trimmed fingernails.. for any lesser person or civilian, this job would likely be damaging to their health.. yet this wasn't about the damage it would cause to him. This was all about the symbolism of the piece; the ornate patterns that decorate a fine suit of armour. A stray thought crossed through his mind while he continued to personally dig the grave.. what was his deputy doing? 

Glancing over his shoulder towards the male who appeared to be providing a protection from the dirt for the corpse, he felt a slight pang of rage.. a sense of fury that roared deep through his core and he almost struck the male on the spot, but it was thankful that he was digging.. it meant he wasn't close enough to act on this bijuu driven impulse, and his hands were already preoccupied.. No, no.. what Naoki was doing was good. This was a show of teamwork as they both focused on their particular talents. It was a smart move, one that should be expected of the male.. it was why they fit so well together: Xyxer was capable of doing dirty deeds dirt cheap, and Naoki was able to tell him whether smacking a Kage would be a wise decision. Truly, a modern day Kisame and Itachi.. minus the genjutsu and fishy tendencies.

Turning back around, the creature continued to dig the plot for the boy. It wouldn't take him an exorbitant amount of time due to his natural strength and speed, but he certainly wasn't pushing himself to dig the grave as if his life depended on it.. no.. this was all about the poor boy that was forced to die, and the bijuu that had caused it. A perfect display of duality until the very end, albeit morbid. The longer the grave took to dig, the more they could reflect on the moment.. but nothing lasts forever.

Not too long after, the grave would be completely dug out with a mound of earth covering the ground on the left side of Xyxer, ready to be filled back in again. He stood back up from the ground, panting a little before he dragged his forearm across his forehead to catch a few beads of sweat, coincidentally brushing some of the boy's grave on himself. Perhaps it was another symbol, I do love symbolism, even repetitive usage of the word. Xyxer looked over towards his partner in crime and nodded his head, "The grave's ready."