Questions Without Answers

Max stepped into the Raikage's building, his determination to get answers blocking any other thoughts he might have about this trip. Lord Mortarion was surprisingly absent since their forces returned to Kumogakure, and while he wasn't the most active in the day to day affairs of the village, he at least made a point to show himself around the village. That way he would be able to show those under him that he was watching, always capable of squashing any who stand against him. 
 
Was his death grip on the village weakening?
 
The newly promoted Chuunin would step up to the clerk’s desk, a look of unease on his face. It wasn't because of not wanting to speak to Lord Mortarion, but instead wondering what it meant for the village that their Lord had been absent. Uprisings might occur, the civilians using what seems like a moment of weakness to try something they will regret.
 
“I am here to speak to the Raikage,” Max would say, finishing the thought with, “May I have audience with him?” Max might have been a Chuunin now, and he might not have had any love for Lord Mortarion, but he still respected the power wielded by the man.
 

“If he is busy, I have time. I’ll wait if need be.”




WC: 216

The Raikage chambers represented two very different styles presently, made all the more clear by the large piece of red tape that Maku had moved down the middle of the room. Well almost middle, he made sure his side was one quarter inch larger than the other. He had completed this by not only doing the floor, but up through the door, following down the ceiling, over the desk, including cutting two separate books in half (almost half) and reconnecting to the line in the floor.

As for his side, well it looked more like a lounge than an office. His chair on his side of the desk was tall backed with purple plush. Several cutesy ceramic foxes lay scattered across the table in scenes of mock battles over a rainbow battlefield. Near the wall was an oaken bar that had been placed with bottles of every color and alcoholic delight variety. His carpet was a deep orange plush that promised to sink in the feet of any who stepped on it while almost completely blinding in with the 9 tailed fox that lay stretched out on it, it’s ears currently draped to cover his eyes.

As for Maku, he was currently sitting half naked on a been bag chair at the bar drinking a purple drink. The young lady behind the bar seemed to have a mixture of emotions from embarrassment, to confusion, to just clearly not knowing what she should be doing. Currently Maku wore his Raikage hat draped over his face, his long blonde air spilling out from the back. Shirtless, with a black kilt on it was an interesting fashion choice. As for Kurama, his eyes covered, he also had a Raikage hat on, though it was made much smaller and was totally adorable.

“You see there were scorpions flying everywhere.........and an intense training montage, with masculinity and bandages, and damn was it sexy!” Maku would say as he jumped up and recreated many an exaggerated fight scene movie as if it was out of some bad anime. He had been recalling the time Youka had performed eye surgery and they passed the recovery time hidden away. His kilt which was loose as it was, moved a little to freely in the wind and gave a little to much of a view, hints the ears of Kurama, the embarrassment of the girl, and the chagrin of the poor clerk that picked this moment to knock and open the door.

“M....my lord........someone is here to see the Raikage.” The clerk would say looking down after he got an eye full.

“Him or me or him?” Maku would say first pointing to Kurama, then to himself, then to a door that led to a back room on Youka’s side of the room.

“H....he just sa.....said the raik......Raikage.” The clerk stuttered it clearly upset he had not clarified, and a little confused about the fox.

“Well, send him in and we will have to ask.” He would say taking. Drink of his Bourbon delight. “Needs more egg whites bartender number 5.” He’d promptly place the empty class on the bar and wait. One leg on the plus carpet one propped up on the been bag chair, and a little to much air flow through his nethers.

Max would find himself already heading up to the Raikage chambers, the look on the clerks face confusing the young man. She had the oddest look on her face, a mixture of confusion and terror which only made Max ponder the situation. Why would she be confused? Max figured such a meeting with the Kage had been fairly standard procedure. 
 
He approached a large door which the clerk quickly opened for the boy. Inside was… well, not what he had been expecting. The room looked to have been divided into two separate sides, with one looking rather official and the other looking like a lounge of sorts. What exactly was going on here?
 
A blonde, half-dressed man sat shirtless at the oaken bar with only a kilt (and the Raikage hat) barely keeping him from being exposed. A small fox could be seen laying in the carpet, nearly camouflaged in it other than the Raikage hat’s contrast with the orange floor. Despite seeing the 9-Tailed Fox before, the young Chuunin did not recognize the creature in its current (much more adorable) state. On the other side he could see the man that he expected to be here, the Plague Lord Mortarion himself.
 
Max was nearly without words. This encounter had been much more than he anticipated. Not only did he see who he had expected to be Raikage, but he also saw Maku here. Without his mask Max was certain it was their military commander, though he didn’t seem to have expected company. A phantom pain would shoot through the metallic right arm of the boy, the one that he had lost during his first encounter with… Kumo’s honored military leader.
 
The boy was clad in what was now his normal attire, a white shirt with baggy grey pants. His headband was worn as more of a necklace draped around his neck, and he wore his Chuunin Flak Jacket. It was more to always be prepared than for any expected encounters. Senshi had helped instill this value in him.
 
Senshi….
 
Max wasn’t entirely sure who to address, but the man that had been wearing the Raikage hat alone would bring more questions to the boys mind. Nevertheless, he came here with the goal of getting answers. Maku had been in charge of military commands as far as Max had known, and so that would be the person he would address first. If Lord Mortarion had anything to add, Max was sure that he would step in for his subordinate if you could really call Maku such.
 
The Chuunin would kneel on one knee, head down to show respect for his superiors. He might not have liked them, but such personal things didn’t matter right now. He would wait to be addressed by his superiors before saying anything. 

If asked why he was here, he would continue with the following.

 “With permission to speak, I have questions. The first being about my brother, Senshi.” Max wanted to know why his brother had been sent on a mission that could only result in his death.
 
Max would bring out the note Senshi had left him and present it, allowing Maku or Lord Mortarion to either grab the note or send an attendant to do so.
 

“I seek clarification and closure regarding the subject of Senshi’s… demise.”

OoC: Here is the thread where the note regarding Senshi's mission can be found.

The clerk didn't even have time to truly overcome their embarrassment, though Maku wasn't clear on what the source of this was. As he contemplated over this a young blonde boy that he didn't immediately recognize meandered into the room taking a knee like this was some sporting event. His voice was quick and easy in the room of monsters, and one bartender. Making a shooing motion as he finished speaking the clerk that had opened the door quickly vacated the area.

As for the bartender, she had one job, and that was to not ask questions, and to make drinks. Which she wasn't bad at, better than the previous four. "Thanks bartender number five." He would say taking the purple bourbon delight. Taking a sip, an uncomfortable couple minutes would follow. In fact, it would most likely cause Max to begin to question what was going on.

At about the awkward pause where Max might speak up wondering if he had been heard Maku would answer. "You didn't really wait for permission did you? Instead you asked your question anyway, but thats ok I forgive you." He would say taking another drink. As the glass left his lips Max would find the note plucked from his hands, by a Maku behind him. If he did a double take, he would notice the Maku at the bar would vanish as part of his trail of the trickster. Walking back around to be in front of Max, he would snap his fingers and give the thumbs up clearly indicating the shinobi should stand.

His blue eyes quickly scanned over the note reading and searching. He was left found wanting however, to him the note meant almost nothing. It would have very little meaning to any but the one it was intended for, but its voice of a solider was lacking in his opinion.

"He died, because he lost........I'm a little confused on the closure you need?" Maku would say his voice sing song, moving between tones and pitches quickly. As for his posture, he sauntered towards the desk before jumping up to land and sit on the desk staring back at Max. The hat cocked over his left eye hiding it from view, his legs crossed. "We are all soldiers, all warriors, we live, we kill, we die. It's inevitable blondie. So what is it you are really looking for?" Maku would say looking serious for only an infinitesimal amount of time before a smile and jovial look broke across his face.

What did the boy want, what was it he was really looking for, and how did he know him. It was driving him crazy.

The difference between the two titans that stood before Max at this moment was abundantly clear. Maku didn’t seem to take this meeting seriously, but the boy recalled their last meeting. Even in the heat of battle the Commander merely looked as if he was playing, as if the whole world around him was merely his plaything. To him, it seemed this world was just a toy for a child that never seemed to grow up. While this might have not been the most pressing of matters in the village, it was everything to Max. This day he would find out the truth about what happened, set along a path to seek said information… or die trying.
 
Max would show no signs of being startled by Maku’s technique, for he had seen that the man was capable of such before. He moved with such fluidity and seemingly without a care in the world, taking the note from the kneeling boy and motioning for Max to stand with a simple gesture of his hand.
 
Max would do as asked, standing tall in the presence of Maku as he addressed the boy.
 
Senshi…. Lost? Of course Senshi lost! When placed in a position where success is not possible, what else can one expect! The rage just beneath the surface almost managed to boil over. The boy wanted to scream this at the man standing before him, nearly letting his emotions control him. It seems as though Akihana had rubbed off on him more than even he had noticed to this point. He would calm down, allowing his reason to take back control. An outburst is not only childish and beneath him, but it would only harm his purpose here.
 
When Maku walked over and sat down on his desk, the man almost looking serious for a moment as he spoke again. Max knew that they were soldiers first and foremost. That was something drilled into his head since day one at the Academy. Senshi died in the line of duty, that much Max could understand. He could accept that fate, but Senshi knew the mission was destined to kill him.
 
“I understand my place as a tool of the Raikage and this village, as do all other Kumo shinobi known to me. My concern is with the fact that Senshi was given a mission that he knew he would not come back from… a mission he was doomed to fail. I’ve seen that sword of yours firsthand, Maku. Would you use it to stitch fabric? Or would you try to use it as a boat? No, I couldn’t imagine you doing such a thing. A tool is only as great as the person using it… If Senshi could not succeed on this mission, and he himself had known…” the boy would shift his gaze from the ground to directly into the eyes of Maku, his blue grey eyes showing almost a fierceness to them, his passion bubbling again to the surface as he speaks, “Then how come our honored and skilled Warlord Maku was not able to see it? From my understanding, you threw a rock into the water and asked it to swim. Is my understanding of the situation incorrect? If so, please inform me that it is and bring clarity to this maelstrom of thoughts within my head.”
 
Max knew that he might have been treading on thin ice at the moment, the gaunt figures words slowly replaying in the back of his mind as he looked at the person before him. Maybe it had been a test for Senshi, one that he had failed. Max couldn’t imagine Senshi failing at anything, let alone a test from his superiors. Senshi was skilled in all aspects of being a shinobi, right down to willingly dying to orders from above. Max would immediately start to try and gather himself. He needed to keep calm, else he may speak his last words in this room.
 
“I am sorry if my words were out of line. It will not happen again. If you want me to be completely honest with you…” The boy would pause, thinking about how he should word this next statement, “I seek to bring great suffering to the souls that took my brother away from me. I want my hurt to become another’s, so that I can feel at ease.” Max would gaze over at Lord Mortarion, the man that was willing to crush any that stood against him. Part of Max thought such a thing was vile, the willingness to harm others without a second thought. The other part of him, the part that wanted vengeance on those who have wronged him… that part of the boy respected and admired such strength. No hesitation, no weakness… only power. He stood as the only thing keeping the wolves from the rest of the shinobi lands from preying upon this land for the majority of Max's life, and all of his shinobi career. To be able to stand next to such a man as an equal was a worthy goal, an aspiration worth attaining. 
 
“I request information on those that have taken my brother’s life, or permission to find said information myself. I understand that Senshi was a Jounin level shinobi and that I am merely a Chuunin, but if you find my ability lacking… then hone this weapon of Kumo to a razors edge before sending it. If I am still lacking after that… then you have lost nothing, as only weakness has been weeded from your ranks.” The boys look was cold and lifeless by this point, no emotion showing through now on his face. This was something that Max was willing to lay his life down for, and as such he would face whatever his actions would bring. The boy could had changed so much in such a small amount of time. Would his mother approve of such a desire? Probably not, but her opinions were no longer a concern of his. This was made very clear during his trip to Hoshi.

Max’s gaze would await a response, the boy unsure of how such a request would be taken by his superiors.

Maku would sit and begin to hum softly as Max talked. He wouldn't even bat an eye at the rudeness that crossed through his tone, and he allowed the questions to remain rhetorical. As so many in this life it would seem that Max was merely looking for purpose, for drive, for the next mission. It was funny how all shinobi deep down required the same thing. If he sent Max on a mission to avenge Senshi's death despite it having a very low chance of success, would the boy do it.....most likely. In the end the irony of the conversation was not lost on the kage.

Tipping his hat up the Mangekyo Sharingan shone red in the room. It would meet Max's gaze and in that moment the boy was caught and whisked away. The Tsukyomi genjutsu captured his mind, ripping it from reality. The pain he would feel......well it was going to be like nothing he had ever felt. His arm being lost would be nothing but a dull ache in comparison. The pain though, would only last around 3 seconds in his mind, it would be as though a spectral claw reached through his naval and ripped his soul through and away.

During the pain he would be cast away in the darkness of the void, only to wake on a beach. The sun shone down warming his skin. If Max looked down he would see a flesh arm instead of metal. His clothes were gone, replaced with swim trunks decorated with pineapples. A small breeze blew across moving his air, and the sound of lapping waves would fill his ears. Should he begin to look around, he would start to notice the very things he had described.

Several towels down a woman was using a sword to stitch a robe, on the waves several young men where seen surfing on large blades. A rock that had grown arms was doing the back stroke out deeper.

"This .......Is much more comfortable." Maku's voice would tinkle out. He hadn't been there originally, though now he had appeared on a blanket next to max. Laying on his back, his arms up under his head, tanning. His towel had little foxs covering it in various positions. Some serving tea, some eating cake, some tap dancing. As for Maku, he was in a black speedo soaking in the sun.

"The world is built around compensation, give and take. You are requesting for what is technically classified information. Your "relationship" with the shinobi involved grants you no rights to this. No special treatment. Your rank as a shinobi guarantees you get none, and requires you to technically shut your mouth and accept it.." He would say. His eyes were hidden behind bright orange glasses with black lens. "But.........I'm not a big fan of the rules."

"So I will give you the information.........but you have to compensate me in exchange." He would say sitting up, and moving the glasses to rest on his head. "Firstly you aren't a tool you are a shinobi. Those are tools.." He would say gesturing behind them where Max's puppets were sitting around a table all holding ice cream cones in bizarre social positions. "Learn the difference."

Stretching a bit, he would look at Max again, thinking. "The real question is, what can you give me that qualifies as adequate payment. Any ideas?" He would say reaching over and rubbing Max's leg as he spoke.

In a mere instant, Maku would reveal his Mangekyo Sharingan, the eyes of the devils themselves. Such eyes only brought pain and misery into the world, as Max had only known them to belong to the monsters of the shinobi lands that were willing to destroy all before them. Of course Max only knew of two users of the devils eyes, Maku and Lord Mortarion himself. Upon seeing the eyes, Max anticipated pain, possibly even death itself. He was only correct with half of that prediction.
 
Searing pain would nearly floor the boy, and internal feeling of his essence being torn away from him at the seams. A spectral claw could be seen inserting itself into his abdomen and pulling out something that would only be able to be described as kicking and screaming, fighting against the inevitable conclusion that was it being whisked away by Maku. Then the darkness would fill in all of his senses, everything going black. Was this death? Was it all finally coming to an end? The pain was intense, likely more so than anything felt by the boy prior, but it quickly subsided.
 
Max would wake up, finding himself blinded by the suns piercing light. Covering his eyes with his hand, he would note that it had not been the image that he expected, but instead was an arm of flesh rather than metal. Such a sight would startle the boy, Max now scrambling to a sitting position from his back. Where was he? There weren’t any beaches around Kumogakure so immediately the blonde would assume that Maku had used some sort of Jutsu to shift their location, but that was quickly scratched from the realm of possibilities as the boy pieces it all together. He would look about, noticing that the people that occupied this strange place all seemed to be doing things that Max said earlier. An entertaining sight, albeit unbelievable.
 
This place was rather strange, but Max quickly assessed that this must be some sort of illusion, some Genjutsu that Maku had placed him under. This place was all within the heads of Max… and possibly Maku. He had managed to craft a nearly believable landscape within the mind of the boy, down to the little things that really would have sold it had he not seen such things as a rock with arms swimming and his lost prosthetic.
 
Before the boy could even think about trying to remove himself from this illusion, Maku’s voice would be heard next to him, appearing from where Max knew that he had not just been. Maku seemed to be enjoying himself in this land as he would look to be tanning beside young Max. Imagery of that little fox could be seen all over the blanket he had been lying on, making Max sure that the military commander had a deep fondness for the little creature.
 
Maku’s next words would hit the boy hard, feeling like a weight on his chest. This was because Max knew it to be true. He, as a shinobi, had no right to classified information regarding Senshi’s mission and would merely have to accept what had happened without a second thought. Despite his shinobi training and understanding of this, he still came here hoping to find out something… anything.

That was when Maku made him an offer for what he sought, though it was a deal the boy wasn’t sure how he could pay for. Max would listen as Maku spoke of the difference between a shinobi and a tool and pointed behind them. All of Max’s puppets looked to be enjoying various flavors of ice cream, and seemed to be enjoying the trip Maku took them all on. Max would hope that he would wind up enjoying this trip as much as they looked to be. A smile would befall young Max's face, knowing that his friends were having a delightful time. 
 
Max would simply shake his head as his commander rubbed his leg. Despite his reputation the commander seemed to want to make physical contact with the boy, likely in an attempt to reassure him that despite the craziness of this situation everything would turn out fine. The newly promoted Chuunin would think for a moment, but not be able to think of much to offer the man that would be seen as adequate.
 
“As military commander, you already have the power to deploy me on any mission you think needs done, so I doubt I would be able to give you use of my services. You have a strange little fox that despite its appearance has chakra stronger than my own. You have the full backing of Lord Mortarion, a powerful military at your disposal, the ability to use Kumo’s funds as you see fit, and an ever expanding border as the lands you have conquered fall into line and accept their fate as vassals of our village. What could one such as I ever hope to offer someone like you?” Max would say, a twinge of confusion upon his face.
 

“I figure you to be an intelligent man, so I doubt that you would offer me this without any ideas on what you sought in return. Without such knowledge, what would you weigh my offer against? What is it that you seek, commander?”

As he considered, the boy was younger than he had originally weighed him. Removing his hand and plopping back on his back he would stare up at the sky. Everyone always thought he had more of a plan than he actually did. Thinking he already knew what he was looking for. In fact he had no idea what it was he wanted from the boy, it just seemed like a logical course of action.

"Resources come and go. Loyalty, that stays." He would say, which sounded like a very Kage thing to say. Looking up at the sky he would hear a soft squelch sound. Tipping his head back he would see the puppets in various poses, one of their ice cream cones having fallen and hit the pavement. Suddenly an idea would strike him.

"Sooooo, you built them right? Pretty good with your hands I would imagine......." He hadn't fully fleshed the thought out yet. However, the beginning of one was coming. His army was spread thin, there had been many casualties in the war, and with such a thinned out group it wouldn't hurt to have some reusable soldiers. He would wait and allow Max to respond before going forward with his thought, taking into mind what he said.

"Beach vacation is over......I think it's time to go back........" He would say and Max would feel that same ripping pain throughout his body. Tearing him from this peaceful location and slamming him back in the office. The smell of the surf would vanish replaced by the smell of decay that always lingered within the office. Every detail of climate screaming against his senses as they changed so rapidly. "Kurama come here please..." Maku would say, to which the little fox would run and jump up the desk climbing over him to rest long ways around his shoulders, the 9 tails flowing in front of his bare torso. "Show him.."

With that before Max had a chance to fully regain his composure the 9 tails demon would release a display of power. It's eyes glowing piercing red staring into Max's own. A visage of the fox demon in its full form would come into view, its demonic chakra oozing to fill the room making the air thick, and then it was gone. "This is kurama, he has 8 siblings. I think I know what I want you to do for me, then we can talk about Senshi....."

Loyalty. The word was something that Max had thought about before. Where did his loyalties lie? Max would simply ponder the statement for a moment. Loyalty was something he knew that he had, and despite his thoughts, his loyalties would always lie with the land of Kumogakure. Leaders come and go, but the village stands tall through it all. That was why Kumo still stands despite Mortarions taking of it from the previous kage.

Max would nod, “Yes, I built those puppets. For some of them I used a great deal of existing biological material as the base, but they are all modified with various mechanical adaptations and improvements. I am able to blend flesh and steel with a high level of proficiency. I was even able to build myself new limbs to replace those lost in our last encounter, though for the moment I seem to be all flesh.” The boy would look down at his arm as he says this, a look of pride in his eyes.
 
It wouldn’t be long before Maku decided to end this trip to the beach, Max not having time to think before his senses were overloaded again. The searing pain would wrack the boy again, but it wasn’t as unexpected this time. It seemed to dull the pain, if only by a sliver. Max’s sense of smell would be the first thing to return, the stench of death and decay replacing the pleasant scent of the ocean breeze. Next would be his sight that returned, the Kage’s office focusing into view from its blurry state. Max would see Maku, sitting there with those evil red eyes of the Uchiha clan.
 
Max didn’t even get a chance to regain his motor functions before the little fox creature perched up around Maku and released a display of its true form and power. A shiver of terror would shoot down the spine of Max not merely because of the beasts intimidation and aura, but because this image was the one from his memories. The creature that caused so much destruction in its wake.
 
“That… that thing! It was there. It was there that day the two of you came to Kumo. It was there when the two of you thought it best to have a showdown with Echo Uchiha in the middle of my village!” Memories flooded the boy, a tearing feeling in his own mind as part of him wanted nothing more than to see the end of all that stood in this room. This room contained each person that had wronged him in the past, each who had taken his family away from him. Napa would want to spit on the boy, disappointed with him for not taking action, not doing… something. Napa of course knew that the boy was still far too weak.
 
Max understood the reality of the situation. He was not likely able to best either of these titans in single combat, let alone together and with that Demon Fox Kurama standing beside them. The boy’s fist would clench again, his control over his body returning. Max knew that he had to prioritize other things first. If he were foolish enough to attack these men he would likely die and lose a valuable protector, or worse, and he would never know what happened to Senshi. He had to think of the greater good for Kumo and for himself. These two would pay for their past crimes in due time, but that time was not now.
 

“You seek some sort of family reunion between them?” Max would ask, as calmly as presently able.

"He was there, after I killed Echo Uchiha. How quickly the world seems to forget." Maku would coo as he scratched the fox beneath its chin. He would note the boys wide eyes and terror. It comforted him, as it was a true reaction. His smile grew wide, and his left eye which still was red swirled bright blue. "Not exactly though I can see how you would jump to such a conclusion....." Maku would say still cooing as he scratched the under chin of the beast of legend.

Hopping off the desk he would walk over leaning out an arm. Kurama would quickly scamper across to run over Max's shoulders, its tails entwining his neck and brushing his left ear while its muzzle got uncomfortable close to his right ear. A low growl could be heard, and a moistness felt from its breath. "Collecting all the animals is so cliche. Its been tried and failed. So many are after that pointless goal, when in reality.........whats the point." He would say cryptically as his tone was accentuated by the growls of the 9 tails. "You see, whats it matter if I have all the beasts. Its just....pointless. The idea of having all of them......that is.............commendable." he would accentuate his tone with pauses to build dramatic affect. After all, it was all nothing but a show when one really got down to it.

"What I want you to do, is to build me the other 8..........What do you think of that." He would say with a tinkling laugh. Walking back to his desk he would open a drawer and grab something. "Here, take this for inspiration, even if they won't work anymore." Handing the boy a set of diagrams of 10 puppets he would look at Max and wait or a reaction.

(Obviously since it was refunded you aren't able to use any of the puppets. It is merely for CD and interaction. Maku's puppets)