The Lord of Light and The Ragdoll

Wed Mar 27, 2019 2:44 am

The Lord of Light, moved toward what remained of Sunagakure no Sato. The old major village was nothing more than a sovereign state of Kumogakure now, taken in the final hours of the militant nations initial push into the world. He figured the conquering nation would’ve left at least some shinobi guardians to protect the civilians of the place. Given the deserts general attraction to raiders, and bandits. Who were always able to use the sandstorms as cover and find various hidey holes for their operations. Being the largest country on the world did have the drawback of drawing an inordinate amount of crime to its borders after all. However Valen had seen absolutely no one when coming in. No patrols, no guards, no nothing. It made the previous Hogokage on edge as he got closer and closer to the village itself. ‘Kokuo, something’s wrong.’ The shinobi would say to his tenant, concern in his thoughts as he kept an eye out for any ambushes. ‘Clearly’ the beast in his mind would say as it too tried to discern what was happening. Could they have gotten complacent?’ The beast would ask, prompting Valen to mentally shrug. ‘Foolish, but not impossible. They would seem to be the major power in the world now, so it could be that they got confident.’ He would think back as they moved closer and closer to the village that had not long ago been much farther in the distance. At this range Valen could clearly see something on top of the walls, spikes of some kind? Was it an improvised village defense? A way to try to keep people from going over the walls? If so it was fairly wasted. The walls of the village were massive and anyone who could get up them without being caught would surely have the means to avoid such primitive defenses without any issue.

As he got closer he began to see exactly what those spikes were however. The man’s blood ran cold as he saw that each and every one of them were corpses, put on display for the world to see should they wish it. A ball of lead seemed to form in the bottom of Valen’s stomach as he realized what had happened to any shinobi that might have been from Kumogakure. Or was it something worse? Could it be that those of Sunagakure took their home back from those that conquered them? Were they putting the corpses of their shinobi overlords on display to show everyone that they had won back their village and their freedom? Or had Kumogakure decided to clean house? He hadn’t heard of any large troop movements through the continent. That was no guarantee he would. However he felt something would’ve leaked somewhere if such a massive number of shinobi had moved across the continent. Were there that many Kumogakure shinobi within the village? Did Sunagakure have that many either? ‘I have a bad feeling about this Kokuo’ The man would say to his inner beast within his mind before speaking aloud to his companion. “Evelynn, something is wrong here. Keep your guard up and senses open.” He would say, ordering his follower to be prepared. “Yes my lord.” She would simply say. He had no true idea if she would do so. She carried her lance always, but they hadn’t been together for very long so that ‘trust’ that was always within a team wasn’t there quite yet. Which wasn’t her fault, or his for that matter. They simply didn’t know each other well yet.

At this point he’d reach the base of the village walls. They were impressively tall, easily well over one hundred meters high. He’d begin to suppress his chakra, feeling Evelynn do the same immediately after he did. He wanted to get up there and see what was going on with those corpses before he really tried to enter the village. It was imperative that he have some idea of what was going on here before he could act or try to find Kenshin. For all Valen knew, this could very well be the man’s work. The top of the wall was near now, his speed making it quick work for him to reach the top. Evelynn wasn’t as fast as he was so she was still about halfway down when he reached the edge of the wall and got onto the top of it. As he reached the top Evelynn would stop halfway down the wall and begin moving much more slowly, along the vertical surface of the wall, moving upward and to the right as Valen himself began to move down the wall slowly. She would be moving below up and coming up toward the edge, very slowly. Ready to cover her master should she need to. But staying carefully out of sight of anyone that might be on top of the walls. Valen didn’t bat an eyelash as he came on top of the wall to immediately be met with the sight of a dead body, crucified with absolutely no dignity. Next to it was a corpse on a stake, little more than a charred corpse in a vaguely human shape. The faint smell of burnt flesh could still be noted in the air around it. Prompting that it hadn’t been done that long ago. Although that particular smell could last for a few days. He moved down the wall, slowly looking at each and every corpse he came across. It was as he feared, both Sunagakure, and Kumogakure corpses were there. All put on display for the world to see. This meant that the person who had done this was an enemy of both of them. Or at the very least, an enemy of one, while not exactly being a friend to the other.

Valen only knew of one shinobi strong enough to handle an entire villages worth of shinobi. Although he didn’t realize the man could be so cruel as to display the corpses of the victims in such a sickening manner. Was Kenshin behind this? Had he always been so twisted? Was Valen simply blind to the man’s faults? Holding the stitched and scarred man to a high pedestal because he has forced Valen to realize that monster’s existed in the world of shinobi? Valen found himself wondering what would happen if Kenshin and him were to meet. Would they fight? Valen wasn’t positive he could kill the medico. However that didn’t mean that he couldn’t. Both were incredibly powerful, but Valen was sure of how powerful he himself was, but not sure how powerful Kenshin was. Such a lack of information left one feeling woefully unprepared. He’d have to be careful with how he handled this meeting, if indeed his old ally was the one behind such a gruesome scene. If they met on the walls he’d have to try to get the fight to the ground below. There simply wasn’t much area for him to use his speed on such a surface and he would need it against the man. If it came down to battle at all. Even if it didn’t, could Valen afford to walk away from the man after seeing such a gruesome display? Could he allow himself to trust him anymore? As he seemed to be so foolish to do in the past? Only time would tell.

WC: 1234

Sat Mar 30, 2019 2:48 pm

As had become the norm lately, the stitched and scarred form of The Ragdoll could be seen standing on the rooftop of the Kazekage’s mansion, overlooking the village that he had for all intents and purposes conquered. It was quite the change of pace, he had spent the last month or so doing little more than stalking through the desert, slaughtering each and every shinobi from either Sunagakure or Kumogakure that he could find… and now here he was, at the helm of one of the five remaining great villages. Well, it was still four he supposed, as neither he nor anyone else would consider his new trophy to be anything more than an empty shell until he started to train more shinobi to replace the cowards that he had slaughtered. He had actually been visited by a representative of the villages civilian population shortly after sending his final missive to the Raikage, and he had to admit, he had enjoyed watching the way the man seemed to squirm under his gaze. But in said meeting he had come to understand exactly why a vast majority of the civilian population didn’t hold any form of anger or resentment towards him for his bloody conquest.

As it turned out the civilians of Sunagakure held a great deal of disdain towards their conquerors, but that was nothing compared to their disdain that they felt towards their former protectors. At first he had been confused by this information, but as the spokesman continued his eyes were opened to a few truths that he had not actually known, and those small pieces of missing information were more than enough to make him understand the true situation. The God of Shinobi, a book that he had borrowed from Valen and read, detailed the exploits of one Takeo Tadashi, the self titled God of Shinobi and Forgotten S-rank. In said book he had claim to have killed the Kazekage of Sunagakure when the man attacked him in a blind rage… yet, that was not the tale spoken by the people of Sunagakure. According to them the former Kazekage had simply vanished when the forces of Kumogakure arrived at the village, never to be seen again. It wasn’t known what happened to the man, if he met an untimely end at the hands of some unseen assassin or if he fled like a coward… but the civilians of the village firmly believed it to be the latter. Even Kenshin was inclined to believe that was the case when he heard that the man's second in command had effectively surrendered the village without a fight.

It was no wonder that most of the common folk held a great deal of scorn towards their former defenders, they had simply allowed the forces of Kumogakure to walk into the village unopposed and allowed them to do as they pleased. He was more than a little amused by how flustered the spokesman got when they referred to this second in command. The half-blood had actually chuckled when the man had referred to what this foolish former leader had done as ‘all but removing his breeches off and bending himself over his new desk’. He found the statement to be oddly fitting when he discovered that Kumogakure had taken the entirety of the villages ryo, and half of their existing shinobi force… the more skilled and higher ranked half. In Kenshin’s mind the contempt that these people felt towards their former protectors had been well earned, even moreso than the hatred that they felt towards their conquerors. That wasn’t to say that the civilians liked or trusted him in any way, as he had essentially just walked into the village, slaughtered those who had claimed it before, and took it for himself. They were wary of what was to come, and they had every right to be.

But they were willing to work with him, a notion that he found more amusing than anything else when the spokesman spoke. He didn’t need to work with them, he could rule the village with an iron fist if he so wished and there was absolutely nothing that these unfortunate people could do about it… but that sort of thing really wasn’t his style. He truly had no interest in leading a village, he never had, yet with his conquest that was exactly the role that he found himself in… and so far it wasn’t quite as bad as he had imagined it to be. Perhaps it was something that he would try, not right now of course, but in the future. It wasn’t as if the village was going anywhere, and once he was finished with Kumogakure he had every intention of turning his sights towards the rest of the nations. Having some skilled pawns would definitely help with his future goals… and being at the helm of one of the shinobi villages gave him access to a great many more pawns than he would have as a simple criminal. The silver haired figure would definitely give the idea more thought, but he knew that even if he did decide to try his hand at this game of conquest it would be after he had finished with Kumogakure.

But his thoughts on the matter were put on halt when he spotted something in the distance… or rather, someone. The distance between the two was immense, so much so that the figure was little more than a spec in the horizon… but considering that he was standing at the top of the walls of Sunagakure, which were bare save a couple of corpses that he had placed up there, it was easy to spot them. Hmm, could he have missed someone in his purge? Were they spies sent by the Raikage to see if he had indeed stayed in the village? He would find out soon. The albino would create two Shadow Clones, and without a word the two shades would simply sit down on the roof, legs crossed and sitting almost unnaturally still. As they did this the true Kenshin would leap off the roof and allow one of his masks to tear themselves free from his back, the twisted writhing mass of pitch black threads taking the shape of a deformed and frankly nightmarish bird. He would land on safely on the creatures back, and as per usual he would feel the threads fasten his feet to the back of the abomination to ensure that he couldn’t be knocked off.

His approach would be rather easy for the figures to see, as he was riding on the back of a 5m large, nightmarish black birdlike creature. He wasn’t approaching at his full speed however, both in an effort to ensure that he wasn’t simply attacked on sight by whoever these people were… and to give his clones a little time to gather some Nature Energy just incase a fight broke out. Whether or not the figure had dropped off the wall yet mattered little, as regardless of whether they were at the top or base of the wall Kenshin would direct his Masked Beast to land 10m away from them.

Kenshin had each of his eyes in their active forms as he stared at the familiar figure, his face completely emotionless as he gazed at the man that had once called him friend.

“Valen… why have you come here? Are you here to kill me?” Kenshin would ask, his voice as bland as his expression as gazed at the ashen haired man, completely ignoring the presence of the spare at his side. It was the only reason he could see for the man having tracked him down like this, after-all, why would the Hogokage infiltrate a village that was still believed to be held by the forces of Kumogakure?

If that was indeed the man's intention then he would be in for a nasty surprise, as he had never so much as glimpsed at the true power held by the albino that stood before him… while he had seen everything that Valen had to offer against the Yonbi, and found the man severely lacking.

WC: 1362

Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:10 am

As he was looking at each of the corpses that decorated the wall that he now stood on top of, he’d see something off in the village. It wouldn’t be hard for such a thing to draw his eye, given that he was facing the direction the thing was in. However whatever it was would be too far away for the previous Hogokage to make out what was happening. It would look as if something was moving around in place far away before taking flight toward his location. He had been discovered then, that had it’s pro’s and con’s of course. On one hand, he might be about to get some answers. On the other, he might also about to be in a fight to the death. He’d keep on eye on the approaching thing and decide to hold his ground on top of the walls. If he was forced into a fight, it’d be easier for him to bring the fight into the village proper. Potentially causing an opponent to have a care of what techniques they used. While Valen himself, would be free to act as he pleased. A cold blooded thought to be sure, but one he needed to consider nonetheless. “Evelynn, stay down, keep your chakra suppressed. If I attack, then you engage too, alright?” He’d say, while the figure was still too far away for him to make out or for anyone to hear him. “Yes sir.” His companion would say in response as Valen kept his now golden eyes on the approaching figure, hand on the hilt of his sword. He could feel the nature chakra swirling within him, the fruits of the Gobi’s efforts. ‘Keep it coming Kokuo, I might really need the juice soon.’ He would say to his companion. ‘Right!’ his ally would say as he gathered and balanced the nature chakra inside of Valen’s body, giving the teen access to jutsu of a more primal power than they normally would be.

At this point the incoming shape was easy to make out. Or at least, the rider on top of it. It was none other than Kenshin himself. Valen had been correct in his feelings that it was indeed Kenshin that had performed this massacre, or did it really count as one? Every non-charred corpse on the wall had a headband on it. It was a detail Valen had not ignored when he was looking at them, and it made sense that the corpses that were burned black and barely the shape of a human had them on when they died. Kenshin wouldn’t have been one to care if someone saw he if he murdered civilians. So it would not make sense for any of the corpses that could not be readily identified as shinobi to be anything but. However did the killing of shinobi count as a ‘massacre’? The mass killing of a hostile enemy force all of which were trained to kill others since soon after they could walk? Was that truly against nature? Or was it simply ruthless? The thought caused Valen to pause, although his eyes would not leave the form of his old friend on the back of some kind of bird. ‘Is that thing made out of his threads?’ He’d think to himself as the strange masked bird landed, Kenshin still on his back as the former medico stared at Valen with his eyes active, one red, the other blue. A greeting would be made, or what counted as one when it came to missing nin in all reality, and the serious tone of the situation would cause Valen to give a small smirk before answering. “I have not come to start a fight or to attempt murder.” He would say, hinting that while he wasn’t here to start one, he wouldn’t be afraid to finish one. His hand would remain on the hilt of his blade, his golden eyes still watching his old friend carefully. “And I don’t think you want to kill me either, if I may be so bold as to say. Else you would have when we last spoke. When I only had one arm, yet instead you bartered for an unmolested departure from our old home. Healing me in the process. It isn’t like you to be sloppy. Especially since I know at least a little of your bloodline. No, if you wanted to kill me, one of us would already be dead.” He would continue, his voice confident, his posture, a little relaxed, although anyone looking at him would still get the sense of a coiled viper, ready to strike. ‘I wonder if he’ll catch that word and ask..’ Kokuo would say within his mind, prompting a mental shrug from Valen. ‘He isn’t stupid, but even the best can miss small details, we’ll see.’ He would respond.

“To be honest, I intended to come find you eventually, however I met someone who also wanted to look for you. I had your last known location, so I decided to push up the time table and bring her along. She’s around here somewhere, petite, black hair, and an eye patch. Her name's Alice, she may or may not have a few friends with her. From what I could tell when I first saw them, they aren't really relevant. Although that is just a first impression.” He would say, giving a brief description of Alice and her companions, allowing Kenshin to know that if he found the woman then she was with him, whether that meant he attacked her or merely spoke to her had yet to be seen however. “What do you say to us relaxing a bit? I have no intention of attacking you, however I have no intention of letting my guard down when you have your eyes active and you’re on the back of that...thing? Are those your threads? Another part of the Earth Grudge Fear that I’ll learn in time?” He would ask, a raised eyebrow emphasizing the question. ‘One or another now, we’re about to find out. He could have easily forgotten that I knew anything about his bloodline the last time we spoke. However now he won’t, and he’s not the type to walk away twice.’ He’d think, for a moment his body getting more tense as he waited to see if Kenshin would stand down and talk civilly. Unless course Kenshin had chosen to do so prior to this, in which case Valen would have his eyes activated and his hand off his sword. Although his gray eyes would still be incredibly sharp in watching for any danger from the man.

WC: 1070
TWC: 2304

Thu Apr 04, 2019 3:34 am

The scarred face of the albino wouldn’t change in the slightest as Valen spoke, the mans assurance that he hadn’t come here to start a fight or attempt to kill him meaning very little to the albino. The fact that the man still had his hand on his blade all but ensured that Kenshin wasn’t about to trust him on his word alone. As Valen continued to speak it became obvious to the half-blood that the situation had changed dramatically, his careful choice of wording revealing more than enough for the former commander of the Nova Corps to understand that. It amused him that Valen seemed to believe that he knew what went on in his head, almost as much as it amused him that his formed friend actually believed that he would have been able to survive a murderous Kenshin whilst missing an arm. Thankfully for him Kenshin was more amused than insulted that Valen seemed to be deluding himself into thinking he may have stood a chance against the Uzumaki after losing an arm to the Shinogami boy.

He would continue to stay silent as the Hogokage… or perhaps, former Hogokage, spoke. He would inform Kenshin that he had been sought out by a woman named Alice, and even go so far as to provide a general description of both the woman and her followers, along with a note that none of them seemed to be anyone special. The Ragdoll was curious as to why this woman was looking for him, but he supposed that he would find out when it was time for him to meet with her. When Valen finished speaking a small smirk would be fixed on Kenshin face. Did the man truly expect him to answer any questions about his abilities? Especially seeing as it wasn’t a guarantee that things weren’t about to turn hostile? Yes, he had asked if the two of them could relax, but he had done very little in the way of making Kenshin actually wish to accept the deal. He had said that he would let his guard down only if the stitched and scarred man stepped off the back of his beast AND deactivated his eyes… did he truly expect the Uzumaki to essentially let down his guard and defenses first? When he was the one that was suggesting that they do such a thing?

“You must have taken a blow to the head recently.” Kenshin would simply state, his still active eyes staring down at the form of Valen.

“Do you truly expect me to spill the secrets of my bloodline to you? To let my guard down in front of you? I didn’t do that when I served under you in Hoshi and I certainly won’t do it now.” The taller man would then say, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the ‘Hogokage’

“You come here… into MY village armed and with backup… and you expect me to simply believe you when you say that you won’t attack me? You really don’t seem to understand the situation here Valen, your time as Hogokage has obviously left your mind addled if you can’t see that you are the aggressor in this scenario. If you truly don’t want this situation to escalate you will remove your hand from your blade.” Kenshin would then say, his narrowed eyes still locked onto the form of his former friend. The man had obviously gotten to used to getting his own way, and seeing as the man had at one point been the supreme leader of a totalitarian autocracy that was to be expected… but he had another thing coming if he expected Kenshin to bow to him whims.

It was now that an unfamiliar and unnaturally powerful chakra signature would appear in the area, quite near to all of them but on the other side of the great divide that served as the entrance to the village itself. From his vantage point he could see that it was a woman that matched the description Valen had provided.

“I am going to create a Shadow Clone to go speak with your friend.” He would say, doing exactly that once he had finished speaking. This of course was provided that Valen hadn’t attempted to attack him at any point until now. The clone would waste no time in making its way over to the woman that he assumed was Alice.

WC: 736

Sat Apr 06, 2019 10:19 pm

The golden eyed warrior would ignore the jabs and taunts from the man, letting them get under his skin would quite possibly spell the death of him in this situation. However his eyes would widen in surprise when Kenshin referred to Sunagakure as ‘his’ village. That made things a bit more interesting, and required a certain amount of tact. The man was a village leader now, shinobi or no he led people in some way or form. If he really did claim this village as his own then it very well could be that Kenshin Uzumaki was wanting him to take his hand off of his sword so that he could ensure the best possible chances for his people to live should the two of them decide to fight after all. Kenshin didn’t know about Valen’s mid to long range combat anymore, and so he couldn’t be certain. However Valen knew enough to know that Kenshin could kill him from quite a distance away, it was a matter of if they would come to blows and he would need to try that was being decided. Personally, Valen still thought the entire desire was Kenshin’s own desire to be in control at all times. However if they were in a village he had cleared out of shinobi and claimed then he could give the man the benefit of the doubt. “I had no idea this was your village. I thought you merely killed the shinobi and looting it before leaving. I thought I’d gotten lucky and stumbled upon you here before you moved on to another village. In that case of course I’ll take my hand from my sword, however, I won’t deactivate my eyes until you give me some sort of promise to not attack us unless we do first. I meant it when I said I didn’t come here for a fight, however I’m not going to willingly throw away every possible advantage without something from your end old friend.” He would say, removing his hand from the hilt of his sword as a show of good faith and seeing Evelynn, in his peripheral vision, stow away her lance at his example. At this point Kenshin would have made a shadow clone, to send it to go to Alice. The ex Hogokage wouldn’t do anything to stop the doppelganger, however he’d keep a careful eye on both Kenshin and the clone.

Valen was not however stupid, he knew Kenshin’s word was as good as the man was willing to let it be, as it was for any shinobi. However they had to get the conversation going toward something more beneficial and arguing over who was right and wrong wasn’t doing anyone any favours. Besides, Valen had no leg to stand on in such an argument. If this was Kenshin’s village, then he was in fact the aggressor, as the gray haired man himself had said. Golden eyes would still watch Kenshin carefully, ready to act at a moments notice. If Kenshin chose to attack, he knew he could get himself out. However could he do the same for Evelynn? He wasn’t certain, and he would rather not find out the answer if at all possible. Should Kenshin give his word to not attack first then Valen would deactivate his Golden Eye, causing his eyes to turn back to their usual steel gray. “Despite the greetings, it is still good to see you again Kenshin. I’d figured we’d have to run into each eventually if we’re both running around without a village. However I didn’t expect you to go out and just take one. Although, do you have any shinobi forces? Or does the entire force of the shinobi corps here decorate the tops of the ramparts?” He would ask, simple curiosity in his expression. “I won’t beat around the bush any longer though. I came to see if we could work together, and to ask a question of you. However I at the very least wanted to establish that I was not an enemy in case we ran into each other out there in the world.” He would continue on, clarifying that even if Kenshin didn’t want to work together, Valen didn’t want to fight the man should they stumble upon one another by happenstance.

“What are the chances of us continuing our conversation somewhere not surrounded by dead bodies?” He’d ask, a light tone to his voice as he briefly glanced at the crucified form nearest to Kenshin’s bird like creature. If the man was the leader of the village than there had to have been some kind of office, or even down on the ground at the base of the wall would do quite nicely if the stitched and scarred man didn’t want Valen inside of his village. It made little difference to the ashen haired man as long as they could speak without the fear of attack being more prominent. ‘How far do you intend to take your partnership?’ His tenant would ask, curiosity in it’s tone as it spoke. ‘I’m unsure at this moment, Kenshin sees things differently than I do. Which is something I need to see for myself. Everyone seems to think my decision regarding Kotetsu’s life, and my reasons for taking it, were wrong, I want to know why. Kenshin was the one who acted the most in response to my decision. Leaving the village, bartering his way out. I want to know what was so weak about my response. My decision to cut my student down. Is the rule of law no longer respected by the powers of the world? Is it truly merely a matter of taking what you want? Out of everyone I know, Kenshin was the one who never lied to me, so it’s his words I’ll trust.’ The man would reply to the Gobi. ‘After this meeting with him, I’ll try to contact Hikari again. I’m hoping she isn’t dead, even if she simply hates me for what I’ve done. Do you think it was wrong to leave without telling her beforehand?’ He would ask the beast, a morose tone to his thoughts as they momentarily flashed toward the blonde he loved.

The beast, quiet for a moment as it considered it’s options. None of which were good, but some were better than others. The Gobi had found an interesting interaction with the seal containing it and the telepathy seal that Hikari had placed on Valen so long ago. It was a simply interaction, but one that would cause pain for Valen when the Gobi told him. For the beast was able to redirect messages to the seal, directly to itself through the chakra network. Since both the telepathy seal and the one keeping him in place were both strongly attached to it. One, as an anchor to power itself, the other as a source of power to feed the network. The beast had intercepted the messages Hikari had sent Valen. Both the one contacting him from Konoha that she and Masashi were ready to return home. As well as her immediate response to his message a few days ago. He intended to tell his tenant about them, and soon. He’d probably do so when this meeting was over in fact, when the ashen haired warrior wasn’t trying to keep from being attacked. He knew the consequences for the man would be painful. However the beast felt it had been best for Valen to leave Hoshigakure. It was the best chance to make his container stronger as an individual. However Valen never would’ve left Hoshigakure if Hikari were there. Kokuo couldn’t kill her, had no way to. However he knew that Valen would want to leave if there truly seemed to be nothing there for him anymore. With her silence and seeming absence due to the duration of the Konoha chunin exams. Coupled with his confirmation from Kyson Hozuki, that the exams had indeed ended. His host felt more alone than he ever had. It made the perfect storm of emotions necessary for Valen to consider leaving the village. If he found out what was happening to the woman he had fallen in love with, the beast didn’t know what he’d do. ‘I feel like you didn’t have many options, the place was holding you back and yet she seemingly disappeared on you. With nothing left to keep you there, it was only a matter of time before you simply went mad. So no, I don’t think you were wrong to not wait. I feel like waiting would’ve cost you more than you wanted to pay.’ The beast would say, lying easily to its partner. The truth would come out soon enough. Valen would give a simple mental nod, making sure to listen to any responses from Kenshin.

WC: 1470
TWC: 3774

Sun Apr 14, 2019 2:28 pm

If the widening of his eyes was any indication it seemed that Valen had been unaware that he had claimed Sunagakure for himself, which he supposed was to be expected… Kumogakure would lose a lot of respect if it was known that a single man had been able to slaughter droves of their forces and steal an entire village from them. The former Hogokage ended up confirming this with his following statement, and while he refused to deactivate his eyes he did end up removing his hand from his blade. The rat that was doing a poor job of hiding to his left also stowed her weapon, but he didn’t really care about her as he figured that if she couldn’t even hide correctly then they would be more of hindrance to his former ‘friend’ if this did indeed turn into a fight. He released a light chuckle when Valen gave his reason for not deactivating his eyes, yes… if this did turn into a fight then his former friend would need every advantage that he could get. Kenshin didn’t mind that the other man refused to deactivate his eyes, because if he had been caught in the same position there was no way that he would’ve done the same… but he had taken note of the fact that Valen didn’t even seem to have realised that he had been the one to ask for him to drop his defenses first.

The stitched and scarred man would take a couple of steps forward, eventually stepping over the head of his creation and allowing him to drop onto the sandstone beneath, which due to the size of his beast was 3m beneath him. When the tall form of the Ragdoll landed he would put himself in a crouch, and the beast would shoot forward seemingly to attack his back, but as it slammed into his pale flesh it would seemingly begin to shrink, eventually fading away entirely. If someone were to see this from behind they would’ve seen the threads in his back open and allow the threads that formed the abomination back into his body, the only evidence left behind being the mask that now sat proudly on the pale flesh of his back once more. Throughout this entire process, which had only taken a few seconds, Kenshin wouldn’t have flinched or made a single move. His still active eyes were watching Valen carefully, and he was listening to make sure that the man's little pet didn’t try to use this opportunity to get any closer… he still wasn’t sure that this wasn’t a ruse, as he wouldn’t trust his former leaders word anymore than he knew Valen would trust his.

The new leader of Sunagakure still hadn’t given the former Hogokage any indication that he wasn’t about to attack, but he figured that the act of recalling his beast would at least make it seem like he was of the same mindset as the other man. He had only really done so because he knew the abomination wouldn’t have been much use to him in a fight with the man that stood before him, naive as he… and apparently this Alice believed him to be, he knew that he had likely become stronger since his failure against the Yonbi AND his ‘crippling’ injury at the hands of Kotetsu. Quite honestly he didn’t care whether this little reunion turned into combat or not, but he would admit that he was curious as to why Valen had sought him out… and he doubted that he would learn the reason if this did turn into a fight. Provided of course that Valen continued to speak even with his eyes active Kenshin would listen to what the man had to say, again confirming the Uzumaki’s suspicions that Valen had also abandoned Hoshi. As he expected though, the man had given next to no details about why he had discarded his position and abandoned the place that he had called home for so long… a place that Kenshin knew the man would’ve once given his life to protect. Whatever had happened since his departure had obviously changed the Hogokage… but he had yet to see whether it was a change for the better.

The pale figure would release a light chuckle when Valen said that he hadn’t expected Kenshin to take a village for his own, and that chuckle would grow colder as Valen questioned whether he actually possessed any forces.

“Each and every shinobi that once called this village home now serves a new purpose.” The silver haired young man would state simply, the rather cryptic words being spoken in a dark and suggestive tone that immediately revealed the answer that he hadn’t truly given. He knew the moment that the words left his mouth that he had revealed the truth… but it wasn’t a mistake, he wanted Valen to know what happened to those that dared to cross him.

“They were truly pathetic, weaker than most common bandits and more spineless than a chakra fearing peasant from Haven Country when our patrols went past their villages. I faced a child, alone and with no hope of winning… and he showed more backbone than the hundreds strong army that stood against me when I stood at the very gates of this village. I allowed him to live solely due I admired his indomitable spirit and I wanted to see what he would with himself in the future… and I made sure hat each and every one of them suffered for their pathetic performance.” Kenshin would then explain, his tale not exactly true as Kutari had been the one to slay a good portion of the defenders but for the most part revealing the truth of the matter to his former friend.

“I had originally planned to butcher every living being within this village, shinobi or civilian, man or woman, young or old… human or animal, everything was going to die, and when I was finished I had planned to crucify and flay the corpses along the walls and the surrounding desert. It was to be a message to Kumogakure, a message to let them know that I was coming for them and that should they fail to defeat me they will share the fate of those unfortunate souls… but in the end I didn’t, not because I didn’t have the stomach to commit genocide on a village, but because something happened that I had not expected. The civilians of the village actually welcomed my rule, and while I am many things I am not senseless… I can see a good opportunity when it lands in my lap, so I simply did what I thought was right and took control of the village.” the deranged man would explain, a satisfied smirk upon his face as he took his active eyes off of Valen and allowed them to look over the crucified form that sat closest to him, the extremely light rise and fall of their chests letting Kenshin know that some of those that tried to flee were still alive. This particular one was a teenager, no older than 15, and had been nailed to this cross almost a week ago. He was obviously close to death if the lightness of his breaths were any indication, and he was most certainly not conscious… but in Kenshin’s mind the coward deserved every moment of his suffering.

“Some of them are still alive you know, but even if you killed me and got help they would die… they are simply too far gone and there is only so much that Medical Ninjutsu can go. My clones made sure that they were all conscious when I nailed them to these crosses, and I made sure to place a few extra nails through some arteries just in case anybody tried to remove them. This is the fate of those that dare to flee from me, those that turn tail and dare to abandon their friends, family and village because they were scared. And do you want to know something… I didn’t make these crosses, they were made by the very people that these men and women once claimed to protect… and I didn’t force the people to make them.” Kenshin would then say, his satisfied smirk having turned into a rather deranged grin as he lightly caressed the face of the unconscious teen. The grin would become darker as he allowed his hand to slip into the boys hair and gripped tightly, slamming his sagged head back harshly and into the wood behind him, causing him to release little more than a groan of pain and open his unfocused eyes.

“I can’t even remember the faces of most of the cowards… and while some still do they know what these people tried to do, and for that reason they are more despised by the people here than I am. They shall all die nameless and unloved, their very memories nothing more than an insult to those that had once known and loved them due to their cowardice.” He would state with a vicious smile, all the while staring into the unfocused and bleary eyes of the crucified teen. With that he would release the boys hair and allow his head to slump forth again, before simply turning his attention back to Valen.

“This is what I am old friend, and now that I have had a taste of this life I don’t think that I could ever go back. I never truly hid from what I was, even while I was in Hoshi… but I never fully embraced it until I left either. You claim that you didn’t come here to fight, and if that is indeed the case then I will assume that you had intended to, at the very least, make peace with me so that we didn’t face each other as enemies in the future… and I am fine with such a deal. I am also fine with us becoming allies again… but are you fine with making such a deal now that you know what I truly am?” Kenshin would then explain, letting the only man that he had ever called friend know the truth of what he was. He hadn’t mentioned that he was also fine with the idea of the two becoming enemies, nor did he mention that killing the man that stood before him wouldn’t even make him bat an eye… but he didn’t feel that he needed to explain that after his previous actions.

Now only one question remained, had the man dubbed ‘The Lord of Light’ by the peons of Hoshigakure fallen so far that he would make a deal with a true monster?

WC: 1795

Mon Apr 15, 2019 5:14 am

His old friend, could he still call him that? Responded, and in a way that gave little to the imagination of what happened to the shinobi that once called this village home. Their corpses littered the wall of the village. Apparently, at least some, still alive, their suffering prolonged by the cruel man who stood before the dying teen strapped to a cross, breathing shallow, body malnourished and covered in sweat as he was forced to endure the cruel heat of the sun from above. As well as the harsh colds of the desert nights. The scarred man would continue his monologue, explaining that the civilians had built these crosses out of their desire to punish their shinobi for cowardice. Did they truly only hate these shinobi? Or was it another village like that of Hoshigakure? Where the people with no power, despised those that had it? He didn’t know, but he didn’t think Kenshin was stupid enough to take over a village that might be the same as Hoshigakure was, was he? The blue and red eyes would turn back to Valen, meeting golden eyes of their own before explaining all that he thought about Valen’s intentions to not come to blows. He’d proceed to ask the ashen haired ex-kage if he could deal with the person that he was now. That he didn’t care one way or another if they killed each other, went each other’s ways, or became allies. The golden eye’d shinobi would meet the gaze of the man unblinking, before simply turning off his own eyes. Golden orbs fading to steel gray before the man’s eyes.

“Shinobi aren’t expected to have a long life expectancy. Hell, we’ve already surpassed the average in that regard if I’m not mistaken.” He would say, beginning with a simple fact of life, being a shinobi was hard, ruthless, and deadly. “Every single man and woman on these walls knew what they signed up for when they decided they wanted to take the headband. I’ve given those exams Kenshin, I’ve tutored classes. They have plenty of chances to walk away. To drop out and live a normal life. However they chose not to. They chose to make their lives second and the village first. The fact that these men and women made the choice to prolong their own lives over those of the civilians they were sworn to protect absolutely sickens me. However, are you sure this isn’t some shinobi hating village like Hoshigakure? Can you be sure of their loyalty? Or will you have to put them down in job lots in order to keep them in line? It’s something to consider old friend, speaking as the one who’s been on the path of that possible future before.” He would say, his eyes turning back to the teen who was strapped to a cross, the same fifteen year old Kenshin had been using as an example. “So young, younger than us I’d wager, by at least a couple of years. Yet he lay here spread out on a cross waiting, no, praying for death to come for him. I’m tempted to be the granter of that wish old friend. However his life isn’t mine to take. However even he knew the risks, and he made his choice. Now he lives with it.” He would continue, turning back to Kenshin after speaking.

“I left Hoshigakure after deciding that if the civilians didn’t care or want us that much then why should I bother? I had no one left there. Not after you left, not after Hikari disappeared after the Chuunin Exams in Konoha.” He would say, his voice taking on a distinctive edge as the man remembered Hoshigakure once more. “I spoke to the current Raikage of Kumogakure, Kyson Hozuki, it turns out that Komori, the fool that was at the Summit? Wasn’t truly the Raikage, however Kyson was at the Chuunin Exams in Konoha, and had returned when my letter reached him about a certain young blonde haired, blue eyed, Kumogakure Shinobi. Maximillian if I recall, ring any bells?” He’d ask, a small smirk playing on his lips before continuing on. “If he had managed to return, then Hikari should’ve been home by then. Add on to the fact that I can’t reach her via Telepathy, or she can’t reach me, and I’m left with few thoughts other than her own abandonment or death. So with no one left in the village, why should I even bother? I left the woman I loved a letter explaining in case I was wrong somehow and she was alive, and left. Then I decided to find you eventually, and ask you some questions. Questions I dearly want you to answer Kenshin Uzumaki.” He would continue his own words, not making any threatening moves but still ready to move if necessary. “Why? Why did you actually leave the village? Was it truly because I cut down Kotetsu Shinogami? A man that had been found out to be a shinobi from another village? Someone whose death had to be paid by you or I in order to protect countless lives? Was it truly the wrong thing to do? To kill one to absolve us of guilt for harboring a fugitive and potentially save thousands? I do not understand what was wrong with such a decision, but I want to.” He would say simply, finishing his explanation as he awaited for Kenshin’s response to his words. Valen hadn’t given Kenshin a definite answer to his question, however the deactivation of his eyes should tell his old friend something. No matter what was said, they wouldn’t come to blows today at least unless Kenshin started it. If that turned into allies later on, then that was simply what happened. However Valen wasn’t ready to be a part of a village of any kind again yet. Did his old friend want him to join him in Sunagakure if he had decided to become allies? He’d let time answer this one.

WC: 1003
TWC: 4777

Fri Apr 19, 2019 3:50 am

At the very least Valen wasn’t trying to delude himself to the true nature of their world like Hikari had in the past… but it was clear to The Immortal that the former Hogokage was still rather naive to the ways of the world. The Akari was making the mistake of assuming that Sunagakure operated in the same way that Hoshigakure had, that each of the men and women that adorned his walls had actually chosen this life and hadn’t simply been pressed into service during the occupation of the village. When Valen made note of how these men and women sickened him Kenshin would simply nod, as each and every one of them sickened him just as much… but for an entirely different reason. Where the tanned man was sickened by their willingness to betray the oaths that they had sworn the pale one was instead sickened by the cowardice that they had displayed when they had turned tail and fled, so while the reasons were quite similar they were also different.

As the former leader of Hoshigakure began to question whether he was certain that Sunagakure was different to Hoshigakure he would simply chuckle, and that chuckle would grow a little when Valen asked how he could be sure of the loyalty of his new subjects. Of course the man would ask that, he had been the leader of a village that had always teetering on the precipice of a civil war due to the tensions between the civilians and shinobi populations… but it seemed that such a backwards village had tainted his view of the rest of the world. The Ragdoll would be a fool of the highest order if he expected the common folk of Sunagakure to accept him as their leader without question… they had been loyal so far but both he knew that was only because he had slaughtered their previous overlords. That was why he had spent so long within the walls of the village building up his rapport with the civilians and trying to salvage the economy that had been left in ruins when Kumogakure had absconded with all of the ryo that the village possessed. He was not as foolish as any of Hoshigakure’s , as he knew that if he wanted Sunagakure to truly flourish he would need the support of the civilians… but at the same time he knew that he couldn’t give them any true power.

He would take note of the rather harsh shift that his one time ‘friends’ voice took as he recalled the village that they once called home, explaining just why he had abandoned that cesspool of degenerates. Apparently his departure from the village had played quite the part in that… but apparently his little friend and potential relative Hikari Namikaze simply vanishing during the Chunin exams had played an equal part. He was relatively surprised to hear that she had simply vanished without a trace… because while he personally despised the insipid woman he knew that she was a powerful fighter in her own right. When he mentioned that Komori wasn’t even the Raikage Kenshin was barely able to contain his laughter, as he knew that his last letter to the true Raikage, this Kyson Hozuki, would have all but outed the fool if the current Raikage didn’t already know. But that wasn’t all, the name Kyson Hozuki was actually quite familiar to the young Uzumaki, not because he had ever met the man personally but because he possessed the former Kazekage’s file on him… and because he was the one of two shinobi that were almost universally despised by the civilians of the village. Kyson Hozuki and Royalty Yuka, two former Missing-Nin of Kumogakure that joined Sunagakure and rose through the ranks… and two of the men seen walking into the Kazekage tower alongside Maku shortly before the village surrendered.

Kenshin would simply smirk when Valen gave a familiar description, but if Valen expected him to know the boys name when he mentioned it and asked if it rang any bells then he was mistaken, so he would simply keep silent until the man finished speaking. He resisted the urge to chuckle when Valen expanded on his initial reasons for leaving Hoshigakure… again similar yet different to his own reasons for leaving the village… but yet again his reasons just seemed to naive and childish compared to The Ragdolls. Kenshin had severed his ties with Hoshigakure and all those within its walls when he found out about the death of the one person that he could truly say he loved, the pain of her loss being so great that he simply had to escape from the village that she had helped create before he destroyed it in his rage. Valen on the other hand abandoned the very village that he led because the woman that he loved hadn’t return home fast enough… how pathetic. He was curious as to what Valen had sought him out to ask though… and when the man actually asked his question Kenshin would simply laugh, not a mere chuckle either, but a deep laughter that he simply couldn’t hold back. It wouldn’t take him too long to regain control of himself, but he definitely laughed for close to 5 full seconds.

“My apologies… I just find it extremely amusing that you went so far as to track me down just to ask me a question with such a simple answer.” The Uzumaki would say through his laughter, wiping a non-existent tear from his Seigan as he gazed at the form of the man that stood across from him.

“Of course I didn’t leave the village because you cut down Kotetsu, the boy meant nothing to me when he was alive and he meant even less the moment that your sword bisected him… but that doesn’t mean that you made the correct decision.” Kenshin would say, starting off just as amused as he had before but ending with a rather cold glare directed solely at the former Hogokage.

“I should have killed you the moment that you drew your blade on the boy… the moment that you allowed fear to control your blade… the moment that you decided to shit on the memories of both Akihana and Denkiteki. You gave me your reasons when we returned to the village, but allow me to explain something to you Valen… a leader… a TRUE leader, does not allow fear to control him… no matter whether that be fear for his own life or fear for the safety of his village. You betrayed one of your own shinobi, your own student no less… out of fear. You feared the wrath of the Mizukage, you feared that Kumogakure and Konohagakure would join with them, and you feared the destruction of Hoshigakure. Now allow me to explain something… that fear that you gave into? That fear destroyed Hoshigakure more completely than anything they could have done. You pissed on the legacy and memories of every shinobi that has lived and died for the village since it was created, you shat on the graves of its founders… and you spat on both the pride and name of those that still live there.” Kenshin would explain, his tone colder than anything Valen would have heard from him in the past and the words themselves laced with venom.

“Any respect that the other nations held for Hoshigakure before that summit? Any respect that they may have held for the shinobi within or those that founded it? All of that is now gone, and you are the sole person responsible for that.” The Immortal would then say, trying to get ensure that his words stuck in the mind of the naive fool.

“Now allow me to ask you some questions Valen. Would you hold any respect for the man that cut down his own student out of fear? Would you hold any respect for the village that answers to that man?” He would ask, his gaze and tone as cold as ever but missing most of the venom

“Now… my final question for you. Would you be willing to place your life in the hands of that man? I know what my answer is” The Ragdoll would then ask, his voice more chilling than ever as he asked the question… but still managing to sound a mixture of tired and disappointed when he gave his answer.

WC: 1408

Sat Apr 20, 2019 11:23 am

Laughter and amusement was in the air today it would seem. Or Kenshin simply found him a truly noteworthy joke. He would wait patiently for the man to get to answering his questions. Having no particular need to be anywhere at the moment. However when the man finished expressing his amusement of the situation his demeanor would turn cold, almost, venomous. Valen’s hand would instinctively twitch toward his sword hilt at the turn in Kenshin’s voice. The sudden assurance of an attack screaming through Valen’s head. However he held the instinct back. Kenshin wouldn’t attack him for this question, if he hadn’t attacked him in his office, or when he first arrived, he wouldn’t attack him after asking why what he had done was wrong. So he didn’t move a muscle. Instead, he simply listened. His eyes growing distant as Kenshin’s words washed over him. Was the desire to protect those in your charge truly akin to fear? Had he spat on the pride and legacy that Lady Akihana and his master Denkiteki had left behind? Had it all been his fault to the very end? Respect from the nations before the summit? Ignoring the fact that if any of the other nations ever learned that they couldn’t even get along with their civilians then they’d lose that respect wholesale as well. The medico was correct in every single point. Now however, it was time for him to answer some questions from the gray haired man.

He shivered slightly at the frigid tone still lacing the words of the leader of what remained of Suna’s forces. “I.. had never looked upon it from that perspective.. Is the desire to protect those in your care truly a form of fear?.. To answer your question, no, I wouldn’t hold any respect for such a man, nor would I expect anyone else to.” He would say, his mind constantly going over Kenshin’s words again and again. ‘Master Den, did I truly do such a thing to your legacy? Have I doomed it, and it’s people completely? Does the fact that the civilian’s never did come around to accepting the shinobi matter at all in the grand scheme of things?’ He’d think to himself, his stomach and heart lurching as he knew instinctively the answer to the question. Why hadn’t he thought of it before though? He wasn’t stupid, but he hadn’t of even considered that angle. Was the Gobi involved? He didn’t know, but he had to be prepared for that to be the case. He also had to be prepared to accept that it was all his thoughts with no coercion. He had to lay in the bed he made here.

“To answer you’re other question. No. I would not be willing to do such a thing. I won’t lie to you Kenshin. I wanted to be the Leader of Hoshigakure, I wanted to be the Hogokage, but I wasn’t ready when Kyousuke made me Deputy, and I damn sure wasn’t ready to lead when he committed suicide. Especially since I was still getting used to my own personal changes. The events of those days have spiraled things erroneously in my opinion. However I cannot and will not hide behind such things. You explanation, and counter questions have helped me more than you could know. I don’t understand how I didn’t see any of this before, I have suspicions, but not any cold logical facts. Even if I did, I’d still have to find a way to deal with them. There’s a village full of a people that I’ve wronged on an immense level. I need to try to set that right, and now I’m going to ask you my own questions in return. Will you help me? I don’t want you to travel back to Hoshigakure with me, I don’t want you to support me as leader again. I just want to know, if I can bring those willing to follow a leader who knows more about such things than I. I want to know if I can bring those of Hoshigakure, willing to, here, Shinobi and civilians alike. To a new home that won’t be assaulted and destroyed in the near future because of my own foolish decisions. I won’t stay if you do not wish, either way I wouldn’t want to lead again. I’m clearly not suited to the role. However I can’t just leave all of those people there, facing a fate that I brought them on, when I can fix it, but I need a place to bring those willing.. I can’t just take them on as nomads. They need a home that they can call their own. Will you provide it?” He’d ask him simply. His eyes were thoughtful, expression neutral.

Within the Gobi would stir once more, it’s expression a bit more troubled. If Valen was returning to Hoshigakure, and everything was discovered, his interference with the Telepathy Seal included, then Valen could potentially make the Gobi’s life more difficult than it already was. The beast didn’t know what kind of things Valen could do to torture it, if anything at all. However he figured he might as well tell Valen the truth, and quickly. He had already planned to after his containers discussion with Kenshin. Now however, there didn’t seem to be many alternatives open. He’d have to tell him now, and he wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.

Outside, Valen would be considering something else, how he could help the village that Kenshin intended to make. As well as thank his old friend for the honesty, he had an idea already. However he’d consider it for a few moments, particularly during Kenshin’s response. He still held the corpse of Kyousuke Snow the man had given him after all. As well as a large sum of ryo on his person. A donation to Sunagakure perhaps? It seemed like the best option. Either way, he’d have to be ready to leave soon, and Evelynn had clearly been listening, for she moved closer, her weapon stowed away, and waited. Knowing that Valen would reach for her to teleport them away toward Hoshigakure when it was time to leave.

WC: 1032
TWC: 5809

Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:23 pm

Kenshin noted the small twitch of Valen’s hand when his tone turned venomous and he resisted the urge to snarl at the fool and attack, if only because he had stopped himself before his hand could actually move to grip his sword like it had obviously been trying to do. As The Ragdoll continued to talk he took note of just how vacant the golden orbs seemed to become, and he found himself wondering whether this revelation was so shocking to the former Hogokage that he had been rendered catatonic. Eventually he seemed to shake himself from his stupor, and with a small shiver he would simply confirm that he had never bothered to look at it from any perspective other than his own… something that only confirmed Kenshin’s suspicions of the man's mindset. He supposed that the man's honesty was something to commend, as when he answered the questions posed to him he admitted that he would hold absolutely no respect for someone that did exactly what he had done during the Kage Summit. But in the end his honesty meant very little, it didn’t change what happened in the Land of Iron and it certainly didn’t earn back any of the respect that Hoshigakure had lost on that sad day.

As Valen continued to speak The Immortal felt his teeth begin to clench, his scarred face twisting into a fierce scowl as his former friend continued with what seemed to be an excuse for his actions, stating that he simply wasn’t ready for the position of Hogokage despite holding an immense desire for said position. Kenshin couldn’t lay the blame solely in the hands of Valen as a great deal of the blame lay with his suicidal predecessor… but the man was already dead and had likely already been forgotten by the people that he once ruled. The half-bloods scowl would lessen as the man stated that he wouldn’t hide behind his excuses, but it would still remain as he admitted to not knowing why he hadn’t considered things from that viewpoint. To Kenshin it seemed that he was trying to shift the blame onto some unseen force, almost as if he were trying to imply that someone or something else were responsible for his naive actions. He wasn’t surprised when the man decided to change the subject, as all this one was doing was highlighting the man's failures and shortcomings, but he was a little surprised by what he had decided to shift the subject towards.

It seemed as though the fool actually intended to return to the village that he had so easily cast aside in an attempt to earn the forgiveness of the people that he had abandoned… a very naive notion, and one that Kenshin found to be both confusing and hypocritical. He had accepted that The Ragdoll had crucified those that attempted to flee rather than dying for their charges, all the while preaching of how their actions sickened him… but was that not what the man had done when he cast aside his loyalty to Hoshigakure? The fact that the man had done so for a reason as childish as his lover not returning within what he deemed to be a reasonable time frame only making him look worse in the eyes of the Uzumaki. He actually found himself rather grateful for this meeting with the man that he had once called a friend, as it only served to prove how right he was to cast aside the small amount of loyalty that he held towards him after that disaster of a summit. The man both naive and foolish… childish, yet powerful… he supposed that it was only fitting that he had ended up being the one to teach young Kotetsu, the child that had obviously gotten his little hands on some aging pills. In the end it seemed that the two were very similar, as it seemed that neither of them realized that their actions could have long lasting consequences for both themselves and others.

The silver haired man was surprised when Valen began questioning whether he would accept shinobi and civilians from Hoshigakure if the former Hogokage brought them… and even more surprised that the man believed that Sunagakure was any less likely to be assaulted in the future. Yes, it wouldn’t be because of Valen’s decisions… but surely he realized that Kenshin had made a powerful enemy out of Kumogakure… and surely he realized that Kirigakure wasn’t going to remain idle forever. They would be no safer here than they would in the village that they currently resided… in fact, they may very well be in more danger if they were being led by him as he had every intention of joining the Mizukage in his little game of conquest. The only way that he could see them being safer here was if Valen expected him to simply sit idle within the walls of Sunagakure, waiting for an attack that may very well never come and expecting that his strength would be enough to repel any invaders. If that was indeed what the man believed than it seemed Valen was an even bigger fool than he gave him credit for.

“If you truly expect them to be any safer here than in Hoshigakure you are sorely mistaken. I have made an enemy out of Kumogakure and I fully intend to finish what started with them… and they are simply my first target. If you bring them to me I will expect them to fight for me and for this village, I will expect them to fight in the wars that I start and potentially die to fulfill my goals. If they try to flee they may very well meet the same fate as the men, women and children that you see up here, left to die and suffering to their last breath, likely cursing you and I with every fibre of their being. By all means send them to me… but do not expect me to be charitable without expecting anything in return. I suggest that you inform them of this reality before sending them to me… I would hate to have to leave them to die in the desert because they were not made aware of the price they would be paying for my help.” The Immortal would explain coldly, informing Valen of the reality of the situation that he found himself in.

“I would be a fool to turn away a shinobi of your calibre so this offer also extends to you… but make no mistakes Valen, I am in charge here and I will be nothing like the leaders you have followed in the past. Snow was a fool who changed nothing during his time in power…. Akihana was kind...too kind, too soft hearted to do what needed to be done. Denkiteki was perhaps the worst of the lot due to his long periods of absence… and because he founded a village that simply couldn’t survive due to the sheer animosity that the civilians held towards the shinobi. I am a far colder person than you may ever realise, I am ruthless to the extreme and I fully intend to carve a bloody swath through the elemental nations… but you know me well enough to know that I am no fool. I do not kill simply for the sake of it and I am not violent without cause… I do not believe myself to be a tyrant as I do not rule with cruelty or injustice but there are likely many that would say otherwise.” The stitched and scarred leader of Sunagakure would then say, trying to ensure that Valen understood the full gravity of the situation that he found himself in.

All of what he had said was true, but perhaps stating that he didn’t kill simply for the sake of it was stretching the truth a little… he really didn’t kill without reason, but his reasons for actually going through with the deed could be extremely minor. He didn’t particularly care whether Valen believed his words or not… he was more interested in whether the man was actually willing to join with him once again, whether he would be willing to follow the monster that seemed so intent on making an enemy of the world. Perhaps the two of them would end up creating something truly great, or perhaps their creation would be destroyed before it could ever reach greatness… or perhaps one of them would end up killing the other. He didn’t know, and frankly he didn’t care… as no matter what ended up happening it would be anything but boring… but that was only if he accepted his offer.

WC: 1458

The Lord of Light and The Ragdoll

The Lord of Light and The Ragdoll

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