A New Idea for Peace [P]

Breathe.
Yurei’s pale, silvery eyes opened to the world. Air rushed around him, whipping his komon in the wind. He extended his arms, opening them out to his sides. The pale Uchiha cut through the air, unsheathing Shinigami. The sword, too, sliced through the air with a hiss. The air around it chilled, the dark blade shifting from its void-like color to a piercing, glowing blue – as if fire emanated from the blade.
The alabaster Uchiha slid the remaining blade from its cover, rotating it in his hand. The blade acted as an extension of himself, now.
Now.
Yurei tilted his body, gliding to the side rapidly. In the cold, blue night sky came flame. Bursts of fire erupted into the air below Yurei, seemingly ascending due to his rapid speed. In and out he weaved, evading the explosions. They became more and more frequent, illuminating the dark clouds of night in blazing red light. The Uchiha closed his eyes, channeling his chakra into them. Sharingan… Activate!
Yurei’s vision returned to him, as did the world around him. His dim, silvery eyes now cut through the night in a brilliant white, his three tomoe Sharingan!
The chuunin flourished his blade, now positioning his body into a dive. Kunai launched from the ground, flying sharply past Yurei. With a swing of his blade, Yurei carved the metal in half, slicing them as he fell in a dance of sparks. The Uchiha eyes widened, darting around the sky. He rotated his blade once more, reversing it. With a sharp swipe, Yurei continued, now deflecting the kunai as the met him.
The pale young man’s eyes darted to the sky as a kunai passed him. His eyes shifted to it, but there was something different about this kunai…
Yurei’s eyes widened further. An explosive tag!
The Uchiha shifted his body, twirling it like a torpedo as he launched himself away from the weapon. It twinkled with light, then exploded, sending it’s white and yellow light outward in a massive, devastating explosion. Yurei just missed it. The Uchiha’s eyes narrowed. He was getting closer to the ground.
Kunai appeared from the dark once more, now each with an explosive tag. He shifted his body, deflecting most with Shinigami in his left hand and evading others. The sky lit up with light, as if lightning from a dark storm. Yurei concentrated his chakra into his hand, feeling the numbness rise into it. His piercing eyes, expanded outward, and he could see each kunai – each with an explosive tag. Yurei reached out, releasing his chakra from his hand.
Lightning arced from his hand in a torrent of electric power. It’s pale blue light cut through the darkness of the night sky, launching forward and connecting to each of the kunai.  As it had before, the sky lit up with blazing light. Yurei’s chakra ignited the tags, plunging him into a fiery pit below.
But he was unscathed.
Yurei smiled, erupting from the fiery clouds. Tears fell from eyes, running up his temples. His teeth showed in the dead of night. For the first time, in a long time, he felt alive. He felt Damon and Akio guiding him. This was his future. It had to be. The Uchiha closed his eyes, ending the chakra flow to them. He relaxed himself, surrendering his body to the air. As the ground neared, Kogarashi flew underneath Yurei, catching him. The Uchiha siphoned his chakra to his hands, latching onto the massive owl.
“I’m impressed, Yurei,” the owl remarked, giving a flap of his wings. They were expansive, stretching across Hoshigakure in a shadow.
Yurei smiled in response. The tournament was coming up, and he needed to be at his best. This was the perfect exercise for such a thing. Reflexes were key, and he didn’t want to unveil his new abilities to anyone prior to the tournament. He’d not even introduced Kogarashi to Damon.
Secrecy was key. Surprise was a fantastic ally in combat. Yurei knew that from experience. While Akemi provided no challenge, Tenma seemed to have possessed a unique kekkei genkai, ice release. It was ultimately very fear-inducing to face something such as that. Merely guessing specialization was an experience in of itself. There was, however, always adaptability. Yurei prided himself of his ability to shape to his surroundings. It was a good quality to have, especially with the frequent tournaments Hoshigakure seemed to be having. Besting an ally was one thing, however. An enemy? That was something else. Something far more serious.
So it was decided. Yurei couldn’t go easy on anyone. The only likely rule he could think of was no killing. No village needed a shortage of shinobi, but there were always exceptions, were there not?
Yurei wiped his eyes as Kogarashi flew over the village. “Can you make a loop to the training grounds?!” the Uchiha yelled, amplifying his voice through the howling wind.
The owl’s wings adjusted, tilting him. “Yes, Yurei,” he said somewhat late. When does this tournament start?”
“A few days, not long. So we both have to be preparing for what is to come.”
“Don’t worry about me, Yurei. I won’t disappoint.”
“I hope so, Kogarashi. These shinobi are competitive, though, so be on your guard. You’re my secret weapon.”
The owl nodded, passing over the housing district. “Don’t rely on me, Yurei. I said I’d assist you, but I won’t be your crutch.”
“I know, I know. I’ve trained several ninjutsu since we’ve met. Don’t worry. All that matters is that I get Jounin. Then, you and I can help change this world.
The owl chuckled, now ascending. The pair quickly passed over the crowds of people in the market, flying silently. Yurei took a deep breath, thinking of the future. His hands began to sweat if only a little. This tournament was nerve-wrecking, but he needed to succeed. He had to.
Yurei was convinced that he would.
All that was left was practice. Developing his new techniques was one thing, but applying them… Yurei had to train harder.
Soon, the training grounds came into view. Yurei took a deep breath, holding on as Kogarashi began to fan his wings in order to slow down. The owl came to the ground, placing its feet down into the sandy terrain below. Yurei shook for a moment, securing himself before he slid down the owl’s back.
“I want to go over some combat scenarios with you,” Yurei said, his voice shifting to that of upmost seriousness. The Uchiha boy gave numerous handseals, and prepped the chakra within his lungs. The Uchiha closed his eyes and released, generating numerous balls of fire – the phoenix fire jutsu.
The fireballs plunged into the sandy ground ahead, creating numerous spires of hardened sand and glass. “These will serve as targets,” the Uchiha said, shifting his gaze to them. His eyes narrowed, as if in thought. Soon after, the Uchiha gave a nod. “But first, I want to see what you can do.”
Kogarashi nodded. “I see,” the owl replied. “Climb on. I want to show you something.”
Yurei nodded, walking back to the owl. He climbed onto it, channeling his chakra to his hands. The owl expanded his wings and launched backwards, placing a rather large distance between he and the spires. “Hang on,” the owl replied. Yurei climbed higher, looking out to the spired. Suddenly, the chakra beneath him began to grow – Kogarashi’s chakra. Yurei narrowed his eyes at the owl, then looked up with curiosity. The owl extended his wings and, releasing his chakra, closed them swiftly.
The air began to spin around them, as if many invisible blades had been summoned in a circular vortex. The wind expanded, reaching outward in a massive sphere. Yurei opened his eyes widely, observing the event with upmost intrigue. Once the wind reached the spires, they began to hiss violently. The closest spire ruptured, slices of the hardened structure flying outward. The other spires were carved to bits and flung by the sheer power of the jutsu. The sand around Kogarashi had shifted, spreading outward and creating a brow circle of dirt just outside of his wingspan. Yurei and Kogarashi, however, were unscathed.
“Wow,” Yurei said, taking it all in.
“Wind Style: Repulse Barrage,” the owl replied.
“Defensive Technique?” Yurei asked, observing the aftermath of the jutsu.
“For stronger opponents, yes. Its main purpose is to counter a rushing opponent, but the jutsu will shred most of anything in its path.”
“I’m impressed,” Yurei said, nodding.
“Seems we feel the same about one another,” the owl replied, chuckling.
Yurei smiled if only briefly, before asking another question. “What else can you do? I want to weigh our options.”
“I specialize in wind ninjutsu as you’ve seen and genjutsu. But I possess skill in defense as well.”
“Such as?” Yurei asked, leaning forward.
“I can use my chakra to amplify the hardness of my feathers. Essentially, I can become impervious to jutsu for a brief period of time.”
“Good. I’ll need a shield if it comes to it. You can be that shield.”
The owl nodded with an assertive, “Hm.”
“If need be, I’ll have to climb onto you to get some distance between myself and an opponent.”
“Retreating?”
“Strategically,” Yurei smiled, climbing off of the owl. He planted his feet into the sand below and circled the owl, marching through the soft and loose ground below. Yurei turned to face Kogarashi once he stood in front of the owl. “I don’t know how durable my opponent will be. You’re essentially my safe zone where I can clearly think. I know I won’t always be able to do that, but for this case I think it will work. We’ll have to see.”
The owl nodded sharply, ruffling his feathers and standing up straight. “What do you intend to do if you win?” the Kogarashi asked, now hunching over. The black owl bent down to Yurei’s level, staring at him with his heart-shaped face.
“If I win? Then I’ll become Jounin. The only thing after that is the future. A real future with my brother.”
“What is that future? Have you decided?”
“I’ve decided that I can’t save this village as I had originally thought. No, it requires something else. Something more real than genjutsu. Something integrated into their lives – something that can shape this world even after I’m gone.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t know, yet. But I do know one thing – chakra is too powerful a weapon for the unworthy.” Yurei looked directly into Kogarashi’s dark eyes, staring into their void. “It killed Akio. He was reckless. It tortured Kenshin, made him what he is today. And it is a tool abused by our very Hogokage and all others in power. Chakra is just a gift, isn’t it? There is no challenge, no test to prove if a person should have it. No. I’ll make a world where that is reality – where only the most responsible shinobi may use chakra. Where only good people may use it. It should be a tool to help the helpness, give to the needy. These conflicts, they disgust me. This hatred disgusts me. Too many people have too much power. And I’ll be the one to either take it away or gift it. I’ll be the judge of this world, Kogarashi. For Father. For Akio. For everyone. That way no one can ever use their powers for hatred.”
The owl nodded. “I see.” He raised his head, standing up straight. “So, that is what you’ve decided?”
Yurei paused for a moment, in thought. He let out a sigh, nodding. “Yes.”
“Very well, Yurei.” How…

Interesting.


WC: 1945


[Exit]


Claiming: 
Mastery of Shackling Stakes, continued from this
19 Additional AP