Insert Anakin Quote Here

The eyes of the beast gazed down upon the city below him. He quite liked this country. It seemed like a nice enough place to lay claim to. Unfortunately, with a new home came dealing with the new neighbours. Which is why he was here. Far too many of the fleas. Shukaku could see them scurrying about like ants. The beast sat on a hilltop, about a mile or so away from the village. Already in his head he was planning on how to redecorate the place. For starters the buildings would have to go. Also the people. Can't forget the people now can we? Shukaku's maw opened wide, an ear splitting roar escaping. It began to build up it's chakra, a small purple ball beginning to build up in front of it. The ball continued to build up until it was ten meters in size, give or take a few. Shukaku grinned, preparing to unleash the attack that would wipe out the city below him.

"Hi again."

Shukaku paused, it's gaze moving down to a few feet in front of him. A white haired man stood before him. His clothing in tatters, with various cuts lining his skin. Alive though. How annoying. Shukaku narrowed it's eyes. "So you lived."

"I lived."

"How?"

"I'm the strongest human in the world." Takeo repeated lightly. He looked from the bijuu to the bomb that was gathering. Then he turned his head, looking back toward Hoshigakure. "So you're going to destroy that place?"

"That's right."

"Can't let you do that."

"You don't have a choice in the matter boy."

Takeo smiled slightly. "Quite true. I can't just walk away from this sadly." A sigh escaped his lips. Takeo raised his hands up toward the bijuu bomb. Chakra pooled through his arm and up through his palm. Takeo's palm pressed against the bijuu bomb. He could feel the power radiating from it. It would likely kill him outright if he got hit plainly by it. The power of bijuu was real then. A moment passed.

The sound of shattering echoed across the land. The bijuu bomb cracked, the chakra being disrupted and fizzling out of existence. Takeo dropped his arm back to his side. "Now then. Let's try this again." The man ran a hand across his face wiping the blood from his eyes. A black mark appeared on Takeo's cheek. Lightning chakra coursed throughout his body, his chakra levels rapidly increasing as Redan was activated. "Let's have some fun Shukaku."

Just as the condensed mass of chakra shattered, so did the mercy of the Bijuu, or at least as close as the Bijuu could get. This was the same pompous arrogance that Ichibi had experienced it's entire life, ranging all the way from merchants who were brazen enough to traverse the sand country to the furry rat of a Bijuu. Yet this.. this was different.. a mere human standing before a cascade of sand that could bury entire nations in the blink of an eye, and he spoke to him as if this was the time for play. The Ichibi was no child, nor was it a fool, it was the strongest, most devastating of the entirety of Bijuu, and he would demonstrate his power on both the village and the jester; a message to be sent to his tailed brethren once more, 'I am untethered'. Another glance downwards with the beast's precise vision showed him the male's smiling features.. his lack of care in the situation.. he didn't believe Ichibi to be powerful.. nor strong.. He thought he was weak.. The narcissism of the male's body language caused an innate reaction that caused the very earth to shake. This arrogance..

It reminded him of the Kyuubi.

A growl started to emanate from the beast's thick throat which could rival Mike Tython himself, building up until the very earth beneath the pair started to vibrate from the raw intensity of the beast's accumulating rage.. it's murderous intent. The village itself was, unfortunately for the Bijuu, too far away as of yet to be affected by destruction of the land, yet the violent tremors would still be felt by all who were closest to the Bijuu in Hoshigakure. 'Let them come..', the Bijuu thought, 'I need to slaughter them all! I've lost so many bodies from imprisonment! My toll should be higher!'

The beast towered over both the ant and the ant mound with it's 100 meters tall body blotting out a large part of the sky, as well as it's girth being 80 meters in thickness, so it could not be ignored. Rampant vibrations pounded through the earth, shattering the rocks and minerals in it's wake until they became fine grains, the finest, really.. A true battlefield to represent the Spirit of the Sand. Yet, of course, this was not the anime and so it'd launch a diversionary assault on the male with no true intent behind it while the vibrations continued to make the ground unstable, yet not impossible to stand stably on.. not yet, at least.

One sandy claw dug into the weakened earth before it launched the 10 cubic meters of softened earth towards the manifestation of arrogance. He'd been imprisoned for what felt like a millenia, and now not only would he kill every single denizen of this thriving village.. but he'd kill the fool who had the audacity to walk near him, let alone intervene in his delightful genocide.


"You're going to die like the rest of these pathetic villagers! Let them watch! Tremble! My grand abilities will kill you all!"


[We've agreed on no stats/jutsu needing to be linked, if someone is stupid enough to join I'll be more than glad to use the provided Ichibi stat page and murk them like Nocturne]

The ground shuddered. All around rock crumbled to bits. For a moment Takeo had assumed it was a jutsu of some sort. Alas it wasn't so easy as that. No, this was raw power. The man balanced himself on the ground, chakra pooling around his feet to keep himself more steady. A lesser human would fall. Takeo couldn't afford to. A real threat for the first time in awhile. Takeo tilted his head back, eyes running along the body of the beast. 'Was it always this tall?' He thought to himself. The distance between the two had been much larger in their previous encounter. Stood here now, face to face with the beast, showed how large it truly was.

This was going to be a lot more difficult than he had first thought. Takeo's gaze darted left and right. The byakugan in his left eye socket scanned for weak points. He tutted in annoyance. Movement from the beast finally drew his attention back to the present however. With nimble movement the man took several steps backward. The blanket of earth sailed by in front of him. Now was the time to move. The man began to move. Redan enhanced speed making his form appear as nothing but a flicker to the naked eye. Takeo ran along the side of the dirt using it as a blanket cover to mask his movement's. Unlikely given the beast's size. However one must take advantage of any opportunity in fights like these.

Two blades, each slightly larger than the average kunai, slipped into his grasp. As the man continued in his movement forward the blades would be flung ahead of him. Attached to wires, both the blades lit up with lightning chakra. Guided through the air Bararaq Sei would move in order to wrap around the claw that had been moved by the larger beast.

Takeo had realised it a few moments ago. In order to strike the beast a defeating blow he would have to get closer to it's head. One strike to the dome should put down any beast, regardless of it's power. Nimble movement up the beast would allow for this. This brought us to present day, with the blades of Bararaq Sei embedding themselves in the earthy claw of Shukaku. If that succeeded, the man would use this in order to swing his way on up to the hand of the beast. He would take a moment, eyes one more scanning the towering body of the beast. His feet stuck themselves onto the claw of the beast.

It would be foolish of a man to assume his climb would go unanswered. Several constructs of chakra would begin to form into existence around Takeo. They would begin to solidify, shaping themselves into ten almost thorn like pieces of chakra. Speed and precision. They used to be the speciality of Takeo long ago. It had been awhile since the man had had to rely on such things however. He doubted he would have to rely on them for long though. Should his climb go successfully then the man would be able to rely on his strength in order to down this beast.

It had fallen to him once before. This time would be no different.

There was something peculiar to note about this individual that stood in his shade.. he possessed a single white eye. A milky, ghastly eye.. it was very fitting, given how he would soon be one of many bodies scattered around the ruins of Hoshigakure. The eyes of the Bijuu's victims always turned milky after a while of soaking in the sun. He'd noted that about his slow kills; Yet, slow or quick, they were all pleasurable.

This minuscule blot thought it was outsmarting the one tailed Bijuu when it started to run past the evicted earth, yet he didn't seem to contemplate the usage of such a weak attack. That was the mistake of prey.. it never understood why it did things and simply acted on it's fearful instinct.. but the predator knew why it did, and it prepared for the meal. The maw of the beast twisted upwards into a jagged grin.. this was going to be an easy kill if he was attacking with such little care for himself! If he loved that one ghostly eye so much, then Ichibi would give him another to complete the set!

Weaker beings would use a display of power to achieve what Ichibi was doing right now, but he WAS the display of power. His sheer presence caused the death of many once they glanced upon his monstrous, overwhelming visage. Incarnation of Sand was one of many names they called the hulking creature, and that was going to become indisputable to the white haired Tadashi that believed himself superior to caution. He'd thrown his caution to the wind, and now, he would be joining it.

Thin, shiny objects were being thrown towards the dominating paw of the beast, and that was trivial at best. While Takeo bothered with his theatrics to a crowd that couldn't see him, Ichibi would give the crowd something to die for! Small mounds of sand emerged form the ground like miniature pillars in the path of the silver haired speed demon, impacting against his shins should he not change his path or divert his attention to this singular disturbance in the earth among many others. If the male was to be touched by these two minor plinths, merely a foot in width and height at the moment, they'd soon clamp around the entirety of both of the male's legs beneath the knee before slowly ascending, seeking to snare the male into an early burial tomb.

The esteemed Ichibi's grin grew wider as the kill came closer, and no longer was a simple kill enough for him.. he wanted to feel it. It'd be so.. so long.. so long since he'd killed anyone.. since he'd had the enjoyment of feeling their terror.. their fleeting breath.. their blood. He'd feel all of that with this morsel as he crushed them beyond repair.. beyond recognition. Lifting it's sandy mass that could be a paw on a lesser creature, the monstrosity shifted it slightly forwards and then down onto the ensnared individual. 

Bones cracking under his immense weight, the final scream of his trapped quarry.. these were such precious moments.. and Ichibi could not wait to hear the first of many after his incarceration.

He had slowed ever so slightly in order to control his lightning. It was likely why it had been easier for his legs to become ensnared. This was quite the predicament. Takeo didn't glance downward. His byakugan confirmed what was preventing his movement. Such minor things didn't warrant his attention. No, his eyes were still on the prize. The paw like structure of the beast was moving toward him. It took but a moment to confirm there was little time for something fancy. Best keep it simple then. His left palm pointed downward. It was a trivial thing sending a blast of chakra out from his palm and into the earth that was ensnaring his lower legs. Blasting it away from his form he found himself free once more.

Now came the larger problem. Takeo began to run once more. He ran with the determination of a leather jacket wearing blonde who wanted to kick someone's chest in. The shadow looming over him continued to increase in size. No need to panic of course. Takeo knew his own speed. Which..wasn't fast enough. Well, quite a problem then. His right hand pointed upward. Once more he found himself relying on this. This did not bode well for him in the future. Takeo slowed down to a jog, once more controlling the wires. The would embed themselves in between two of the bear sized claws of the beast's paw.

The paw would finally connect with something with a loud crash. However it was not the ground. The powerful blast of chakra sent from Takeo's right hand serving as a means to grind it's movement to a halt. He only had a few moments however. With the wires in the beast's paw he swung himself up and onto the paw of the beast. The chakra faded, and then the paw would finally crash down to the earth. The ground shuddered under the impact, dust and rocks being kicked up as the ground cracked under the weight.

The location of the man would be revealed a second later. He emerged from the cloud of dust, beginning his run along the arm of the beast. His blades had been reeled back in, now laying dormant wrapped against his gauntlets. A quick scan of the beast's arm gave him the information he needed. It would take him about six seconds to get to the top. If left to his own devices. That wouldn't happen though. Which is why some sort of distraction was needed.

Above the man's head chakra began to build up. Crackling lightning, taking on the form of a halberd shaped itself into existence. It had been the technique which had momentarily dealt with the beast the first time. Using it so early now was a risk, but it was one he could afford to take. The problem would be if the attack didn't work. Takeo would cross that bridge when he came to it however. Takeo motioned forward with his arm, the halberd following his orders like a loyal soldier. Charging forward through the air the weapon of nature was set to pierce through the lower jaw of the beast. A beast such as this being struck from a being beneath him, fitting in a way.

The climb continued.

Takeo knew stamina was also a problem. The man hadn't truly rested since the first encounter. How long had it been, two days? Perhaps more. The wounds on his body would soon take a toll also. The man had to end the fight quickly. Defeating this beast when it went all out would be difficult now. So why let it.

End the beast while it's arrogance blinds it.

While the behemoth sized paw of the beast descended towards the fragile bag of bones, Shukaku could feel his delight amplifying. If it felt this good just to be in such proximity to another murder, a single one.. then imagine how it would feel when he reaped the lives of many. Soon after this thought, his paw appeared to have come into contact with something that it couldn't quite place.. it didn't feel like usual terrain to it's pores.. nor did he even feel the crushing of bones.. it'd been anticlimactic to say the least, and he started to think that murdering may not be it's true vocation.. perhaps he'd retire from being a monstrous beast and simply join the plethora of sandcastle competitions around Sunag- oh, right.

The twinkling of the metallic objects caught the attention of the beast almost immediately due to the sun that stood high in the sky, the area around them now turning largely into sand due to the deconstruction of the minerals around them. The claws of the sand tanuki started to close instinctively to trap the weapon, and it was at that time that Takeo burst through the slight opening in order to begin his journey.

In most cases, the demon would simply scoff at such a futile attempt, running into the jaws of the beast was always such a foolish thing to do.. but this mortal was fast. Bringing his other paw up to swipe him off would prove to be too much of a hassle, and too slow in comparison to the trajectories they'd both be on.. no, this required something else. It wasn't until the axe of some nameless god appeared in the sky as a static phenomenon that the mind of Shukaku was set.

Ichibi's face contorted into a hideous grin as it gazed down on the male with the electricity closing in.. he thought he was close to subduing the beast. Such a clown, these mortals were. The arm that Takeo run across would soon begin to give way to his feet, and he'd notice that he was now kicking up a trail of dust behind himself while leaving imprints where ever he tread. The air around them started to become dusty itself and the vision between them both would seem to become obscured as sand whirled around them. Then, the feet of Takeo would start to reach deeper into the body of Shukaku as he broke apart, crumbling. The Spirit of the Sand was about to live up to it's name.

The halberd crashed through the sand, and although it stung the beast, it was nothing more than a mere distraction while he was in this form. It may singe his skin, but it wouldn't do as much damage as it potentially could have due to his dispersion. Takeo would likely be dropping through the sky from approximately 75 meters, hurtling through the whirlwind of sand that Shukaku had become. He'd kill the male this way.. he'd force the white haired male to drown from his brilliance. The halberd, of course, if left to it's own devices would continue to swing while missing the jaw, potentially falling down towards where Takeo would be freefalling.

It was time for Takeo to feel the weight of the situation he found himself in.

Blinded by arrogance. Takeo had assumed the beast had been this. It seemed he had made a mistake. It was not the beast that had been blinded. It was the man who could see everything. How ironic was it that Takeo had almost laughed at the beast being defeated from below. Now he found his feet falling out from underneath him. The man didn't spare a glance downward. It didn't matter that the arm of the beast was crumbling beneath him. Nor did the sand that began to get kicked up.

Takeo's descent began. His body was dragged down through the sand. The man simply smirked. His fight ending weapon had already begun it's flight. Soon it would all be over. His body sank, his movement slowing as he became bogged down by the sinking arm of the beast. The man stopped moving after a few seconds. Instead he allowed himself to be pulled downward. The white haired man plummeted downward, the sand whipping against his clothing and body. He had been close to the shoulder of the beast due to his speed, so the fall was a long one. The man would die upon impact with the ground, if the harsh sand didn't kill him sooner. The ground was to his back, death would be sudden for him once he landed. It would be an unpleasant surprise in the end.

Takeo grinned. He saw it from the corner of his vision. The weapon that would end the fight here. Streaking through the sky, it would pierce the heavens and strike the beast down from below. The grin on his face widened. A feral grin, one of a beast that was about to slay it's prey. Lightning struck, hard. A brilliant explosion of lightning chakra enveloped the face of the Shukaku. The young man watched, waiting for a sign of the victory that had been his.

A second passed, the sand continued to swirl around his body. More cuts began to appear on his form. Breathing was beginning to become difficult. His eyes narrowed in on the beast, or where it's body had once been. Now just a mass of moving sand, that was all he could see. Takeo's fall continued. The lightning hadn't worked. Why? Why had it not worked? It should've worked. Why hadn't it worked?! The sand stung his eyes now. The grin faded from his feature. The victorious expression left his features. Slowly his eyes began to close. His body became limp in the air.

Was it over? It couldn't just end this way, could it?

It was all going according to plan, it was an air tight solution to this conundrum.. but it wasn't satisfying. He was falling too fast.. how could Ichibi enjoy squeezing every breath of air from this toy if it died from splattering all over the ground? A funny sight it would be.. but the Bijuu had not been imprisoned in that foul Uchiha's world for so long to be content with such an insult to his abilities. No, Takeo Tadashi.. death won't be that quick for you. He wouldn't be granted the death of an adrenaline junkie.. he'd die in fear, cowering.. broken. A shadow of his former egotistical self. That was the sensation the murderous one craved. 

Unyielding, indomitable power. 

That was the ability to kill whomever whenever.. and this was going to be the truest demonstration that the fool had ever witnessed. Not only was Ichibi the strongest of the Bijuu.. not only was he the most dominant apex predator.. he was able to kill S-Ranks on a whim and spare them like a leaf on the wind. He chose when and how they died.. and Takeo would not die like a turtle being dropped by a predatory bird.

The sand pushed against him as he was roughly 20 meters off the ground, pushing him towards the rim of the sand storm before he'd get carried around within it.. his strength far too inferior to the power of the storm to force his way out of it unaided. Ichibi was going to tenderize this morsel first before he gave him the sweet, messy mercy of death. 

Sand would begin accumulating on the male as he was thrown through the storm as if he was a ferret in a disgustingly dry washing machine, cuts of varying shapes and sizes lacerating his body from the fury that was a Bijuu's rage.

Towards that end of that washing cycle, Takeo would start to feel a weight on his body.. a drowsy, choking sensation. It was if something was beginning to squeeze the air out of him, and if he was to peer down towards his torso he'd notice the sand was now staying on him like a mound despite the increasing turbulence. It was the will of the strongest, and it was going to make him a personally tailored sandy coffin that'd allow no modesty. Heaps of sand would continue to add to the coffin so he could feel trapped.. desperate for air.

He wanted to relish in the fear of the strongest in this foolish world of shinobi.

There comes a time in someone's life in which they sit down and question their future. The regrets of the past weighing heavily on their minds. They wonder if their path is the right one. Perhaps now was not the best time for such things. Then again, one's deathbed was a suitable enough place. The man could feel the weight on his body. The build up of sand adding to the pressure ever so slowly. His life was being squeezed away. A slow and painful death. What a shitty way to go. Takeo had always been one to assume he would go out quickly. Given his explosive nature and such. The closest the man had come previously to his own demise had also been a slow, painful experience. There was some irony there Takeo thought. Though now was not really time to dwell on such things.

Takeo's senses had dulled. He wasn't quite sure how long this had been going on for. The pain of the cuts from the sand was barely noticeable now. The deafening sound of the whirlwind echoed dully through his head. Takeo had to admit. As far as bad ways to go, this probably topped a lot of them on the list.

Looking back on things now. Takeo could say that his life had been decent. Right? Well not exactly. It had been rather shit honestly. Nothing good had happened to him. At a young age he had to look after his family. As a young adult with only a years experience as a shinobi he had taken over his home village. Why had he done so? Because he was the only person right for the job of course. Guiding his nation to a bright future, it was what Takeo had been destined to do. Without him the village would've surely crumbled. He had been proven right of course. Xyxer's leadership brought the village to ruin, in more ways than one. Now his last few years hadn't been too bad he guessed. The eternal wanderer had met some interesting people. Fun people. Takeo would've liked to spend more time with them. Too late for that though.

There were many regrets. Takeo had wasted too much time as a lost soul trying to find his place. He hadn't spent enough time simply enjoying his life. Friends, family, barely anytime spent with them. A shame. What a boring life he had led. An equally boring way of death was now being forced upon him. His mind ran back to the letter he had sent. The world was changing. For better or worse, Takeo wasn't sure. Unfortunately he would miss out of the changes. The most interesting era was about to be thrust upon the world. He wished he could witness it. There were a lot of things Takeo wanted to do. Drink, party, meet new people. Travel to different places. Experience a wide range of different things. He was only twenty. Takeo had forgotten. With all that had happened he would've thought he should be much older than that. So much left to live for.

The tightening of the sand around his body snapped him back to reality. His mind had wandered, caught up in a whirlpool of thoughts. Now he could think clearly..somewhat. It was difficult to breath. The sand was pressing hard against his body. He didn't have long before it crushed the rest life force away. Trying to breath through his mouth, his situation finally became more clear for him. The man had to act now, or he would die. It would be the end. Everything that had happened up till now, that would be his legacy. All the memories would disappear. All the people he loved would move on without him.

Dying like this without anything good in his life happening. That just wouldn't fly now would it?

His eye's shot open. A dark crimson right eye and a milky white left. The two sharply contrasted with each other. It suited him. A black mark appeared on his cheek once more. Chakra began to build up in his center, flowing through his pathways at an accelerated rate. Lightning crackled within his body, his reflexes becoming enhanced. His chakra reached it's apex and exploded outward.

Takeo's path was clear to him. A One Way Road to victory, the ability forming itself around his body and pushing outward. The sand that had slowly encompassed him was violently expelled away scattering back into the winds. Takeo's ultimate defence cushioned him from the sands as he descended to the ground. It was a harsh landing, but a landing none the less. The man dropped to his knees on the ground. Blood soaked through the tattered clothing he wore. Adrenaline was pumping through his body. The agony he would be in later on would be excruciating, but that was later.

The beast had called itself death. So it believed itself to be god. Takeo pushed himself upward. He stood tall staring directly into the eye of the storm. He only had one thing to say to the beast.

"Not today."

The declaration threw the beast off guard. That was the only way Takeo could describe it. Perhaps that coupled with the fact he was still alive had un-nerved the creature. It was hard to keep standing. The knowledge that the duel was reaching it's climax drove him forward.

Takeo wondered. How many speeches had the beast heard? How many declarations of power, how many prideful boasts. Hundreds? Thousands? Was there anything that monstrous beast of sand hadn't heard uttered by a foe? Words would not effect the beast. Only action. Displays of power that rivalled, or even surpassed, the beast's itself. The barrier that surrounded Takeo meant more than words to Shukaku. An unspoken challenge rippled through the air. The man's ultimate defence. Did it rival that of the beast's?

Which was the world's strongest. That was the challenge that had been set.

The pride of the two beings would cause the end of the conflict. The arrogance of man and bijuu, which would come crumbling down? It was time to find out.

Takeo watched as the sandstorm began to die down. The beast began to reform itself partially. It's face became visible once more, forming into a glare that pierced through the man. Takeo grinned. His hands were shaking. Why? He wasn't sure, maybe he had doubt in One Way Road. The fear of death was real. It was staring him right in the eyes.

No more words, only action.

The beast made it's move. One Way Road meant nothing to the beast, it sensed the fear in the man. It's victory would be swift. It's entire body mass shifted forward, it's entire form being manipulated into a torrent of sand that would come crashing down onto the man. It intended to brute force it's way through the barrier. The man would become crushed under the tons of sand, and the fight would end in it's victory.

Takeo watched as what was a mountain of sand came tumbling down toward him. The face of the beast was present at the forefront. The man would have laughed at the display if he could afford to. What a truly vain creature.

The white haired man close his eyes. He took in a deep breath as the face of the beast loomed ever closer. The sun had long since been blocked out. Darkness had enveloped the landscape. Takeo didn't like the sun that much anyway he thought to himself. The beast was about to crash into him. Honestly, he doubted One Way Road would survive. His next actions would decide his fate.

Takeo exhaled, his eyes opening to see the beast crash into One Way Road. The power of the sand was immense. It was invisible to the naked eye the effects on his barrier. However, Takeo saw it through his own eye. One Way Road was breaking. Cracks were beginning to form. The repelling effect of the road was being overwhelmed. Sand had begun to pour in through the cracks. The gap shrunk ever so slowly. The man watched, his expression dull, as his ultimate defence began to collapse. Shukaku's face twisted into a hideous grin. The beast could sense it, as he inched closer and closer to the man. Nightmarish to be sure. That face would likely haunt Takeo for months to come.

The battered left arm of Takeo rose upward. His palm faced outward pointing toward the face of the beast. His chakra was running low. However he judged that he would still be able to use the technique. His arm went into position right as an earsplitting shatter sounded. One Way Road collapsed and the sand surged forward. The maw of the beast opened wide, enveloping the arm of Takeo as it advanced. The bone broke, the skin being torn to pieces as the sand shredded it. The beast grinned at it's victory.

Then it's head exploded. Sundered into a billion particles of sand. The body of the beast shuddered, crumbling down to the ground as the consciousness of the beast faded. Minutes passed by, the only movement being that of the slight breeze in the air.

The white haired man turned his gaze away from the fallen foe, and over toward the city that lay in the distance. The city was not his. It wasn't even his home. It meant very little to him in all honesty. Still, it felt gratifying to know that he had prevented deaths. Though now his face twisted into one of agony. The pain was hitting him in full force. It was a long walk back. The man wasn't even sure if he could make it back. His own foolishness had perhaps cost him his life, but one thing was certain now.

The only one who could defeat him was himself.

[Topic Closed]