Spoils of Victory [P]

Mon Mar 19, 2018 2:03 pm

Jounin of Hoshigakure.

Yurei often found himself saying that phrase. It was a strange thing, to say it in his head. Even more so aloud. He had worked so hard for so long to achieve this rank, and, overcoming each of his challenges, he had. Somehow, though, Yurei’s dissatisfaction was potent within himself, shielded from the view of outside eyes. This was ultimately just another stepping stone - a rather large one, but a stepping stone nonetheless. Positivity was hard to maintain, but he clung onto hope. It was his life blood, one of the few pieces of light in his life.

The Uchiha opened the door, stepping out of the Shinobi Offices. His prize ryo and jounin jacket in hand, Yurei walked into the beating sun, stuffing the money into his new vest. The Uchiha shifted in place as he wrapped the jacket around his body, zipping it up. It was terribly snug, but it fit. The alabaster skinned young man continued walking, stopping at a nearby mirror. The jacket was sleeveless of course, allowing for freer movement, but its main purpose was definitely symbolic, signifying the rank of Jounin in the village.

Jounin of Hoshigakure…

Yurei paused, sighing. “One step closer,” he said, fading back into his walk. He’d come so far since being a mere academy student. The pale young man reminisced of his first days in the academy, the promotion to genin. It had been a long time since then. That was a happier time, a time of rejoice. But it was also a time of lies and secrecy. His parents could not know what he had been doing - practicing chakra manipulation into jutsu, becoming a shinobi. It was a difficult thing to keep hidden, and, eventually of course, it was discovered.

Years had passed since then, the death of his father - Roshi Uchiha. His mother’s dearest husband. Her forgiveness fluctuated with the passing of the day, but lately she had been incredibly generous and kind, much like how she was before Roshi had died.

Mom… I’m sure she’ll want to know. Yurei thought, shifting his lips to the corner of his mouth. Takia was encouraging despite what becoming a shinobi had wrought for her family. Pain and suffering was the norm, as was loss, but the alabster Uchiha knew that as well. Roshi’s passing still pained him today, but the man deserved what he had gotten. Yurei had accepted that now and forgiven himself. No man should ever strike their son for following their dreams, especially to help others, but, despite this lack of sympathy, Takia had often managed to make Yurei feel - at least for her. Losing a husband to your own son was a tragedy.

Yurei’s feet continued across the baking pavement, its haze bending the air just above it from the generating heat of the sun. It swirled like soup, heating the Uchiha’s pale feet in the bright glow. I guess I need a plan. From here on out, what am I going to change about myself? Yurei’s fingers swept through his long and spiked hair, brushing it over his shoulder if only temporarily. It had grown extensively in the past few months. The pale Jounin mirrored something of a porcupine, now.
What am I going to change about this village? About this world?

Yurei sighed, closing his eyes briefly. Extensive use in the tournament had ached them, giving the pale young man a headache in their sockets. It was excruciating, but he pushed through it, determined to put his mind on things and sort out his future, and, as he saw it, the future of the world.

But what about Damon’s future? Part of Yurei regretted beating his brother in blood. He wasn’t selfish, he wanted Damon to forge his own path and complete his own dreams as well. However, Yurei placed much more value on his own dream. It was too important, and no amount of desire for fame could stop him - it hadn’t stopped him. His will was stronger.

Yurei qucikly drove his regret from his conscious. There was no place for such a thing. Not for anyone, and its mere existence within his mind angered him. He was not selfish. This was not for glory. It was his goal, but his mission was to save everyone. What could be more selfless than that? What could be more deserving?

This was his path, and it was to be whatever he made it. Yurei would not allow the will of the world to override his own. Destiny? Fate? These concepts did not exist. There was only his decisions - his direction.

The Uchiha’s introspection was soon shifted away, turning to the sounds of screams. Yurei’s eyes darted forward. His irises glowed with white intensity, and he sprang into action, three void-like tomoe swirling around each of his pupils. Buildings flew past the Uchiha as he treked the sidewalk, appearing in a blur. He soon came to an alleyway, dark and cold, where he heard another scream.

“Give me that!” a grave voice hissed.

“No! Please!” another voice responded, shrill and panicked.

Yurei stepped forward, shrouded in shadow. The light of the sun called from behind him, silhouetting his tall and lanky physique. All that could be seen in his shroud were his two glowing eyes - his Sharingan.

The man before Yurei paused, giving the woman a chance to escape. He was marked by fear, stunned in its wake. Yurei Uchiha stepped forward, keeping his eyes on the man.

“Y-you..!” the man whimpered, withdrawing a kunai from his side. His body emanated with trace amounts of chakra, affording Yurei all he needed to see the man and his movements. When he rushed forward, the confrontation was short. The sounds of shattering bones echoed, reverberating off of the narrow walls.

When Yurei took hold of the man and drove him into the light of the rode, he instantly recognized him. Those eyes. He had seen them before. He was one of Yurei’s first tests. A man whom he had used his genjutsu on. It was a genjutsu that showed that man and several others what it was like to live as a shinobi. To be spat on. Hissed at. To face death and violence, hatred on such a large scale. And to, even with all of their power, feel nothing but fear.

But this man, even after experiencing the genjutsu, had turned to crime. And the use of ninjutsu with it at that.

“Look at me,” Yurei said. His voice was chilled, as if ice. He carried no malice. However, when the man replied, the Uchiha simply repeated. “Look. At. Me.” His tone was darker now, more commanding. The frightened man looked to the jounin, swallowing. “You do remember me, don’t you?”

“Ye-yes.”

“I remember you very well. You tried to stop a wedding, didn’t you?”

The man offered no verbal reply, only a quivering nod.

“Yes. And I used my genjutsu on you. The Ephemeral technique, I think it was. And yet here you are. A thief. And what else?”

“I’m.. I’m not afraid of-”

Yurei stepped forward, shutting the man up. “I thought that was foolproof. I used to, rather. The genjutsu. Now you’ve confirmed my suspicions. Some people never learn. You cause pain wherever you go.”

The man sat in silence, watching the young man’s eyes intently. “Wh-what are you going to do to me?”

“Me? Nothing. Justice here can’t be taken into my own hands. But you will confess your crimes.” The Uchiha’s eyes widened, activating his Sharingan Genjutsu. The man slowly stood and began to walk off, entering the shinobi offices as Yurei had programmed into his brain, or deceived him to, rather.

The Uchiha sighed, watching the man disappear. Genjutsu was useful, but the conclusion was as he had made it out to be before. After meeting Kenshin. Some people cannot be changed. He knew that first hand, now. At least not by mere illusions. And not permanently.

In order to influence the world in the way Yurei wanted, he had to shift his approach. His specialization. Genjutsu was no longer as efficient as he had hoped. He need something more real. Something tangible. The power to truly exert his will into the real world.

Yurei looked down at his hands. His talents, dreams, ambitions, they hadn’t been swept away. They’d need only change. Shift.

Space Time Ninjutsu. That’s what I need. It was no illusion. It was bending time and space, reality itself. It was truth, not some deception of the heart and mind. And Yurei desired more than anything to show the truth.

When the buildings faded into homes, and the light of day began to fade, Yurei found himself arriving at his house. Damon was likely being tended to, and Yurei did not wish to bother him. Perhaps in the morning if he was not already home by then. Damon was tough, and the extent of the injuries that Yurei gave him would not keep him anywhere for long.

Yurei took a deep breath, knocking tenderly on his front door. He slowly opened the door, peering inside. Awaiting was the smell of tea and mint, and the site of his mother. “Yurei!” she shouted, rushing toward him.

The Uchiha closed the door behind him then swiftly embraced his mother’s arms, joining her in a hug. He smiled, swinging her about as he laughed. “I’ve heard the news! Jounin!”

The alabaster-skinned Uchiha smiled, nodding. “Yeah.” His voice was not enthusiastic, but reserved. The word was still unnatural to his ears.

“Aren’t you excited?” she asked, bringing him over to the kitchen. “You’ve been working so hard for this…”

“Yeah, Mom. Definitely. It’s just that…”

“What?”

“It’s not enough. I don’t think. I can’t stop here,” he said, nodding, as if convincing himself.

“Oh, Yurei,” Takia said, shaking her head. She placed her tender hand on his face, smiling brightly. “Come on. Let’s celebrate. You deserve it. And you can think about your plans later.”

Yurei sat in silence for a moment, then nodded, deciding in her favor. “Alright, let’s do it.”

Takia laughed, smiling once more. “Oh, my little ghost growing all up. Ah…” Her eyes drifted, almost as if she had zoned out, but her focus was entirely on Yurei. “You look so much like your father..” she said, smiling. “Minus the skin. And the white hair.” She gave a thin smile, then looked down, departing from Yurei. The pair briefly chuckled as she maneuvered to the tea, pouring two cups of it and adding sugar.

Yurei felt the need to say that he missed his father, but he did not want to extend that conversation. Right now, he wanted to forget about it, if only briefly. This was a happy moment, and focusing on the negative would soil it. “Now that I’m a jounin, I think I’ll be able to have more influence. Hopefully make some real changes around here. Everywhere, really.”

“Oh, that’s lovely. Could you start by making my garden grow quicker?”

The pair laughed for a moment before their chortles dissipated. Yurei struck up the topic once more, shifting away from jokes. “I think I can finally start to make a difference.”

“You already have, Yurei. I see little changes everyday, now. People aren’t out to get shinobi as much as they were.”

“It’s not enough. It all has to stop. They haven’t gone away, they’re just… they’re hiding. But that’s not the only problem.”

Yurei’s mother nodded, bringing the tea to the table as the brown liquid swirled around in the cup. “What’s the problem, then?”

“Everything, really. There’s so much that needs to change,” Yurei said, nodding mostly to himself. He sat upon his knees at the table, taking his tea from his mother’s gentle hands. “There’s so much wrong in this world. Evil. Hate.”

“That’s just how things are, Yurei. People will always hate. That’s just how the world is.”

“Well, I want to change that. One way or the other.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. Not yet.”

There was a moment of silence in the pause between the exchange of words. Yurei took a deep breath, raising and lowered his tea from his lips. He sat the cup upon the table, nodding in pleasure. “It’s good.”

“Good,” Takia said with a smile. He tilted her head and looked at her son with a bright grin. “I’m glad you like it.”

Yurei smiled, lowering his head. He sighed, tightening his fists.

Takia sighed, speaking up once more. “Do what you think is right. Keep others in your thoughts, and you’ll succeed. Ok?”

Yurei briefly smiled, “Ok.”

“I’m proud of you, Yurei. Your father would be proud of you,” Takia said, placing her hand tenderly on her son’s knee. She gave a faint smile, but one that carried endearment.

Yurei paused, not saying anything. His hair fell in front of his face, shielding his eyes from his mother’s gaze. He swallowed, giving an uncertain bob of the head, as if briefly considering the idea.. “Are you sure?” he finally said, raising and lowering his tea from his mouth.

The boy stood, giving a slight bow. “It’s been a long day. I’ll be going to bed, now. Thanks, Mom,” Yurei said, placing his tea onto the table and walking down the hall to his bedroom.

Takia said nothing, instead watching as her son continued to his room. When his door shut, the dark-haired woman sighed, losing her posture. Tears swelled in her eyes, but they soon faded with the wipe of her kimono’s sleeves.

WC: 2268

[EXIT]

Claiming: Space-Time Ninjutsu Main Spec change, 2250/2250 with max stat discount

Mon Mar 19, 2018 2:30 pm

Approved

Spoils of Victory [P]

Spoils of Victory [P]

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