Vultures, Vultures, Vultures

It had been a few weeks since Guren had arrived in the Wind Country and each one of them was uneventful. While he had ventured to the Land of Wind to take steps in beginning to learn of this country’s ideals, practices, and shinobi he truthfully hadn’t discovered much. It was time for him to do some serious recon. One of the true purposes behind Guren coming to the Land of Wind was to learn of an animal race that his grandmother had once written and father had told him about.

~Flashback~
“Have I ever told you what a spirit animal was?” Gozu would begin while leaning back in his chair and folding his arms.  He took a sip of his tea and watched his son shake his head “no” while his eyes simultaneously lit up. A story of a spirit animal must be a memorable one. “Well, let me begin,” he started while setting his tea down. “My mother used to tell me this story to get me to sleep….Long ago, there existed a certain race of people…” he said as he paused reflecting on his late mother. “…These people had a very special power that caused many to fear them and see them as monsters. As a result, they were driven away from the rest of civilization in an attempt to thwart their survival. Let’s just call these people a ‘clan’….Well, this clan originated in Konahagakure, but was pushed so far and around different parts of the world that they ended up suffering in the Valley of Hell. However, along their journey they made stops through numerous countries to scavenge for food, water, and anything else they needed to survive. On one of their earlier trips, the clan took shelter among some dunes in the Land of Wind. Now these dunes were located near what they called, ‘The Cave of Carnage”. It got its name from the boneyard and wasteland that one would have to cross through to get to it. The only reason why it was discovered was because one young member of this clan, a woman by the name of Tiwa, had been separated from the rest of her family. She was singled out and targeted by her pursuers. As a result she fled, running towards anything that could give her even a glimmer of safety and shelter. After some days she had finally made her way to the boneyard before the Cave of Carnage. Here, she fed on the remains of dead animals, as it was her only source of food. As she fed, vultures would appear and eat alongside her. They would show up every day and eat with her, until one day she decided to follow them to their place of dwelling within the Cave of Carnage. They would spend time nurturing each other, growing, and fighting off their future meals. As time went on, she developed a deep bond with these vultures. To the point where it was said she could communicate with them. One loved her so dearly that he would follow and travel with her to track down her clan she had been separated from. It was at this time that the two made a pact, or a contract, to which the vulture allowed Tiwa to summon him in her times of need. After months of traveling, she finally came across the Valley of Hell to which she reunited with her clan. To this day, it was said that that same vulture traveled with her had showed up alongside her at the valley of hell. After some time for the clan to adjust to the vulture, the vulture became akin with the clans people and would fly back to the Land of Wind to tell his family. Although few came to see the clan, those same vulture would migrate to the Valley of Hell seasonally to spend time with some select few. They became known as the spirit animals or the guardians of that clan.” The story that Gozu would tell young Guren was of his great grandmother, but that was a detail that Gozu had not known. His mother never told him the true story, as some tales were better left untold. As the story would end, Guren’s eyes would become heavy and he would fall asleep next to his father. He had always loved the stories he told him when he was young.
~Flashback fades~


Years later upon reflecting on that story, Guren knew it had to have been of the Chinoike Clan. The history of the clan just seemed to line up too significantly with the story that his father told him. Additionally, one of the scrolls that Hebime had left behind detailed a similar, yet condensed story. She must had hoped that her son would go on to tell his child the story she had verbally passed down. And he did. And that story had been one of the driving factors in Guren’s decision to pursue the Land of Wind. Unfortunately time had weathered the scroll, so that the hand drawn map his grandmother had included seemed to be faded and only slightly readable. So Guren had sought after tracking anyone in the Land of Wind down that knew anything about the Cave of Carnage. It had taken the entirety of Guren’s stay in Wind Country just for a single, possibly dead-end, lead on this place.

“The Cave of Carnage…? I haven’t heard that name in years…” the old man said while running his fingers through his scraggly, grey beard. “I had only been there once, after chasing some bandits down that robbed my wife. The bastards led me all the way from Sunagakure to some distance near the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers. When I finally tracked them down, I put a hurting on them! Wind Style. You should have seen it! There were 5, no 10! And I had tracked them down and showed them my incredible jutsu. Hey you should let me mentor you….” What had become a potentially helpful encounter, quickly transitioned in the ramblings of a senile and former shinobi. Out of respect, Guren didn’t want to dismiss the man but truthfully he stopped paying attention once the man started going down the rabbit hole. Guren would stand there and nod as the man talked, while the only thing going through his head was that now he had a lead. As dozens of minutes passed, Guren finally interrupted.

“Excuse me sir, but I must go. Thank you for all of the information.” He politely let out.

“Huh? Who are you?” The old man responded with while looking at Guren as if they had just begun speaking. It was extremely hopeful for Guren to follow the man’s tangent of a story, but it was his only option. Plus, the border between with the Land of River was only some distance east of the tavern he was currently at.

And so he was off. He had taken his leave from the tavern with a full stomach and high hopes. Upon his exit, he immediately began heading east. What started off as a small community, quickly transitioned into a barren environment where the most interaction one would get would come from a mosquito buzzing too close to their ear. Some hours after beginning his journey, Guren would nearly find himself lost. In each direction was a sea of sand, inhabited by cacti and the occasional wild life. Was he on the right path? Thinking back on his earlier interaction, he wished that he had asked the old man for any type of landmarks or geographical references that could have been significant. But who knows what cryptic stories would have fallen upon Guren’s ears if he asked that. In any case, he was still determined. He held his head high and began retelling the stories his father had told him. Attempting to stay vigilant in his endeavor. After some time, night had fallen and the desert was nearly impossible to maneuver. It had to be time for him to take a break and rest. And so he would.

By morning time, Guren was awakened at the sound of an audible “kawing” which he dismissed as a crow. However it was persistent, and grew louder, almost as if this bird had been perched on Guren’s head. His eyes shot open, and nothing was there. Looking around, he saw nothing. It wasn’t until his eyes fixated on the sky above him, where he saw a bird circling him in flight. Must have thought he was dead and ripe for the picking. Upon noticing Guren’s movement, the bird began flying east. And then it hit him,that had to be a vulture. He shot up and immediately followed in the flight path of the vulture. Only after some minutes could Guren see what looked to be a field of bones, carcasses, and dead animals off in the distance. He was making progress. Upon reaching the boneyard, a putrid odor of death would arise. Yet strangely enough, this didn’t upset Guren. Instead, it was oddly reminiscent of the scent he recalled from the Valley of Hell. Even more likely that this was the place he was searching for. Making his way through the dead bodies, he found himself approaching what clearly was a cave. The Cave of Carnage, to which that same vulture that had been circling him could be resting atop. “Kaww” the bird would let out while flapping its wings.
And suddenly reality would escape Guren.  

It was as if he had been staring in a mirage previously, and now he would again find himself in the middle of the earlier sea of sand. What could have happened? Was he suffering from a heat stroke? Dehydration? It truthfully hadn’t been that long since he had set out on his journey, and by now Guren had found himself well acclimated to the harshness of the desert. He would look up, eyes falling upon a band of vultures circling him. They seemed more intense, more aggressive in their flight pattern. Then they would break formation, nearly speed blitzing Guren as if he were there prey. Quickly lunging to his left, he dodged the first vulture. A second flew right at Guren, with Guren barely dodging it without sustaining damage. As the third bombarded him, Guren’s irises would shift from their natural grey to an almost black, yet deep dried blood red. The whites of his eyes however, resembled the blood from a fresh would. His pupils lost their circularity, and now were horizontal dashes boasting the same color as his crimson sclera. Suddenly the vulture would fade, as would the rest. The sea of sand would disappear, and the cave he had previously been staring into would disappear. “Huh…genjutsu, I knew it.” He thought. Guren had deduced he had fallen under a genjutsu upon the moment his reality became an illusion. Truthfully the similarities between the genjutsu and the events of the morning had been too identical, yet this time was slightly altered. Most notably the number of vultures increased, yet the same one he had seen earlier appeared in the genjutsu. Combining this analysis with his dojutsu’s ability to see through genjutsu allowed him to discern reality clearly. Upon the genjutsu retreating, there were no vultures to be found. Instead, just the entrance to the dark cave. Guren entered it.

As soon as he entered, the temperature shift was apparent as the frigid air from the cave brought the hairs on the back of Guren’s neck to stand erect. Erie. Quiet aside from a consistent “drip” which echoed through the cave. Suddenly, another “kaw!” and an audible wing flap. This time, with his Ketsuryugan still active, Guren could see through the genjutsu. Additionally he could make out the silhouette of the user casting it. There stood a vulture, roosting high overtop of Guren’s position. Glaring Guren down with a certain intensity, it took flight from its resting place deeper into the cave. Now visibility within the cave was starting to dwindle. The deeper that Guren descended, the less sun light would reach the cave. So he would need to be more cautious. Eventually, there was no visibility at all. It was impossible to travel further without risking the potential of falling into a hole, or worse being ambushed by whatever dwelled in the cave. So he would stop and sit, with his legs folded. He deactivated his Ketsuryugan, closed his eyes, and began sensing out for any presence of chakra. Immediately, he came across several potent sources which appeared to be in the shape of vultures. This was them.

“Kaw”

Realizing that this same kaw he had heard earlier placed him under a genjutsu, he knew that was the intent this time. But this time he embraced it. As a result, he fell into the illusion. Once he did, a massive vulture appeared before him. About 20 feet taller than him, it stood before him in front of a white planar background. Curious.

“Those eyes….let me see them again…” the vulture would say without opening its mouth. “However, upon awakening them do not dismiss the genjutsu you are currently under.” Clearly the crow was wise enough to recognize that Guren had cut through the genjutsu earlier due to the prowess of his eyes.

So Guren would oblige. His eyes again reactivated, and the vulture’s would widen in response.

“Chinoike…you have returned to us…” the vulture would say eerily with a massive flap of its wings. As it would, the background of the genjutsu would rapidly change as if many different points in time were being broadcasted to Guren. The history of the relationship between the Chinoike and the Bearded Blood Vultures of Wind Country would unveil before his very eyes. It was almost as if the stories his father had told and his grandmother had wrote about were finally getting the visualization they deserved. There he saw his great grandmother, familiarizing herself with the vultures. Learning from them. Growing with them. Fighting alongside each other. The relationship was incredible. And as the memories would develop before Guren’s eyes, they would swiftly come to a halt and the background would shift back to the bright, white plane that they had previously been in. The genjutsu would continue. “You look just like her. Tiwa. You are her descendant. Your walk, your complexion….your eyes. She was the first who would respect the Bearded Blood Vultures. She was the first we would embrace. And now you sit before us, and all we can see is her.” The vulture would speak. And as he spoke, the appearance of multiple vultures would fade into the white plane. “She must have told you about us.”

Guren would sit still, reflecting on the words being spoken to him. It was a lot to take him, but he retained the information to a tee. So the stories he had been told all this time were of one of his ancestors. Whatever could have happened to her? Perhaps these vultures knew. They had to know. If they were partners and the spirit animals of the Chinoike clan, they would more than likely be able to tell Guren of the history of the clan. Alas, the genjutsu was strong. As it naturally attacked the chakra system of the target, Guren was beginning to feel the effects. Nevertheless he persisted on, as this was important to him. He would need to learn from these vultures.
He hung his head down, “I…never met her. I never met any other Chinoike members actually. Aside from my father, but he didn’t know of his ancestry. He only told me tales that were passed down to him from his mother, but dismissed them all as fables. Including the tale of you all. So I came to meet you for myself.” Guren would let out, starting out slow while speaking of his late family members then finishing confidently. He was proud that he had traveled all of this distance and finally came across the beings which he sought.

“I see…Well you embody all that was TIwa. Strong. Confident. Ambitious. Curious. It runs in your blood. But ahhh. You are fading. Growing weary. Rest. We will continue some other time.” The vulture would say as he cancelled the genjutsu. Guren’s resilience had been shown to the vultures, as he lasted minutes within their genjutsu without collapsing. However the tolls were beginning to fall on his stamina, as once the genjutsu was cancelled, Guren fell over and knocked out unconscious. As he rested, his subconscious took over replaying the scenes he had witnessed within the genjutsu. Within his dream, he saw a reflection of himself, almost as if he had been looking at himself from the vulture’s perspective. His appearance would flicker between himself, and what appeared to be a young women who bore a striking resemblance to Guren. Rapidly these flickers would occur. And a pulsating echo of names would alternate in his head. “Guren…Tiwa…Guren…
Tiwa..Guren..Tiwa.Guren.TIwa.GurenTiwaGurenTiw-a-a-a-a-G-G-G-“ and his eyes would shoot open. 

It had been some hours since he had fallen asleep, but now he felt rested. When he would awake, several vultures would be standing before him. All of these vultures were not as large as the one that appeared in the genjutsu, yet still toted massive figures compared to the average vulture. They stood there in silence, until one walked closer to Guren with something clinched in its beak. It leaned over and dropped it in front of the young man. When it did, a scroll would unravel and stretch out across Guren. There were names on each side of it, but few. “Tiwa Chinoike…” Guren read, amongst others which did not stand out to him. In the middle was a circle. The vulture motioned Guren to lift his hand, and so he did. When he did, the vulture would grab hold of Guren’s hand with his talon and squeeze tightly. This pierced the flesh on Guren’s hand, which caused a tolerable amount of pain. As he did, blood would begin to trickle down from Guren’s thumb and leak onto the scroll. Placing his talen back down, he motioned to the circle on the scroll. Guren understood. He had read about summoning contracts during his time in the Kumogakure academy. They were contracts which bore significant meaning to them. 

Essentially they were lifelong partnerships to which each member would come to depend on the other as if their lives depended on it, which in some circumstances they would. Guren recalled one specific lesson, when a student inquired what would happen if someone abandoned or reneged on the summoning contract. The only response to that question was that the summoner would be considered dead to the summoning race. And for good reason. To Guren, it would sound like signs of betrayal. Of course, a contract was a contract for a reason; and Guren accepted this. We was confident that by signing with the Bearded Blood Vultures, he would learn history of both their race and his own. He was confident that the two groups would be able to grow stronger when partnered with each other. And most importantly, he was confident that he would learn more of the shinobi world by studying under these vultures. They could likely even serve as his mentors. Thus Guren would place his thumb upon the circle within the contract and begin to sign his name, one character at a time.

When the signature was complete, he removed his thumb from the scroll and placed his palm upon the signature. As he would, the scroll which laid in front of him would transform his blood into a seal like image, and then roll itself up. It flew over to one of the vultures, and one by one each would disappear with a puff of smoke. However, one remained standing in front of him. To most accurately describe the remaining vulture well, he was a pipsqueak. Cute even. After just seeing all of these powerful vultures towering before him, Guren was confused. Confusion was truly a rare emotion for someone so analytical to be. However, he tried not to show this surprise on his fail. However, he failed.

“Hey! What’s the big idea! Why so sour? Hahaha!” This little vulture would say. It was strange though. The vulture was not speaking. His beak not moving at all. Yet still, he appeared very animated. Almost childlike as he flew all over the place, whizzing and whirling around the head of Guren. “You just gonna stare, or are ya gonna say something? The name’s Hageko!”

Still quite a bit taken back, Guren cleared his throat. “Uh, I’m Guren. But you can call me G.” he said. This was all so new to him. In one minute, he was sure that following through with the contract would result in him being able to discuss with some of the vultures as to what they witnessed, as well as learn some of their abilities and techniques. But this little vulture didn’t seem to be much older than Guren. Shit, he was probably younger to be honest.

“Nice to meet ya G! So why did you summon me? Are we gonna play? Are we gonna hunt! What are we doing today? You know what? Follow me!” Hageko would excitedly say before getting up and flying off. Shocked, Guren would also get up and start to run after the vulture. “Hey…Hageko, wait up!”

As Hageko flew through the dark cave, it was clear that he had been used to his environment. Guren, however, was not. As he tried to keep up he would trip over a rock, or just in general be moving significantly slower. This seemed to amuse Hageko as every now and then he would turn around and laugh. “What’s wrong, you can’t keep up? How are you ever gonna hang out with the older guys if you’re slower than me?”

Guren, hearing the challenge from the summon, suddenly kicked it into overdrive mode. The vulture was right. He knew that commanding and acquiring the respect of each member of a summoning race was hugely instrumental in establish respect within the tribe. There must have been a reason as to why such a powerful vulture would appear before him, then only allow him to summon a lower rank vulture. Judging by his personality, he had to be an E-Rank. But nevertheless, Guren took the challenge. Focusing on sensing the chakra of the Vulture, he targeted him and figured to maneuver through the cave all he would have to do is dart towards him. And he was right. And he was fast. Guren upon taken the vulture seriously raced through the cave, so fast that he ran right past the vulture and awaited for him at the finish line. Minutes later, Hageko would show up. “Geez man, you must be really fast! That was a fun race! You know what? You’re not so bad. As a matter of fact, I know just the guy that would like you. Be right back!” he would say as he vanished in a poof.

Now Guren was very confused. Just as he felt he impressed the vulture, he just…left? What was next? Guren sat in the sand to catch his breath a little and thought about what all went down. He wondered why the vulture appeared to be in such a rush and why he departed from the summoner so abruptly. As he thought to himself, seconds passed, minutes passed, until Guren realized that he was the summoner and the vultures were the summons. Therefore although they may dismiss themselves, that doesn’t mean that they can summon themselves. Feeling like a fool, he just shook his head. Maybe this just meant that Hageko was the fool instead, thinking that he could just reappear. Thinking back to his time in the academy, Guren recalled the handseals required of the summoning jutsu. As he remembered them, he performed them: Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram. Following this, he slammed his hand on the ground similar to how he had done when he initially signed the summoning contract.

Once he had done so, a completely new vulture arose. This time, the vulture appeared quite a bit larger than his predecessor. He possessed a feathery, and elegant coat that seemed more developed than Hageko’s. His dimensions were also a bit larger. Right off the bat it was clearly that his energy level was more managed, or at least he tried to contain it better. It was likely that this vulture was a bit more mature than Hageko, but was probably still an adolescent. “So…judging by Hageko’s excitement you must have left a good impression on him?...But what took you so long? He spent all that time telling me about you and telling me you were going to summon me, and then we just waited!”

“Jeez. It’s only my first day after making this summoning pact and these guys already see me as slow and stupid? What’s going to happen when I try working with the elders?” Guren thought to himself.

“Hey, sorry I got lost in thought.”

“Ohhh the spacey type huh? Well, if you’re training with me, you’ve gotta be more focused than with Hageo. He’s still a kid, but see me? I’m mature.” The vulture confidently toted. And he was probably right, so again Guren would need to embrace his personality.

“Yeah, I can tell. You seem pretty wise.” Guren began while trying to flatter the vulture. It seemed to work a bit judging by the body language the vulture gave off. “So wise, that you probably know a bit about the history of your race huh?”

Visually puzzled, the vulture tilted his head then rustled his feathers a bit. “No…I don’t know too much about our history now that I think about it. I’m pretty young, the guy you’re looking for is probably Kosai. She’s basically the smartest vulture I’ve met. She’s both our scholar and our scribe!”

“Kosai huh? Well I’m sure he and I will meet eventually. And who might you be? Hageko seemed playful, but you appear to be a bit more serious.” Guren inquired. Realizing that it would not be an easy path to meeting all of the more powerful summons, he figured he would embrace the lesser ones for what they were. If Hageko was a child, that would mean he had to be the youngest. It was fair that he was so playful as judging by his reaction, he likely had little to not interaction with a human before. The same was likely true for this other vulture, yet he handled it a bit better.

Eager to tell Guren about him, his feathers puffed up a bit. “Well, I’m Yoji! I have never had a summoning contract with anyone, but the conversations the other guys had about you made you sound promising. For you to travel all the way across the continent is really impressive. And also they say you’re just like Tiwa. Honestly, I’ve only heard stories of here but she also sounded so awesome. Like she changed our opinion of humans. Honestly, I wish I could have met her…But I’m glad I’m meeting you now. With you by my side, we can kick ass. You know I can use genjutsu too?” Yoji’s spiel was truly a mouthful, yet very genuine. And the fact that he, such a low leveled summon could use genjutsu was pretty impressive to Guren. Guren held his own genjutsu prowess in high regards, so he would truly be able to gauge the level at which Yoji could perform. And Yoji would likely do the same.

“Oh yeah? You want to show me your skills?” Guren asked with a smile on his face. He actually seemed to be enjoying this encounter, which was nearly uncharacteristic of Guren.

“Well actually, I already put you under a genjutsu earlier!” Yoji began while laughing a bit. “You broke out of it, remember? That was me that you were chasing after in the desert.”

Now Guren was truly impressed. Although he managed to release himself from the genjutsu rather quickly, he was still impressed with the vulture’s ability to even place him under one. Especially for a D – ranked summon. His eyes widened a bit, “Wow so that was you huh? Very impressive! If not for my ketsuryugan you probably would have torn me to shreds.” Guren chuckled slightly.

“Yeah but you broke free from it! Do you think that if you’re able to train more with me and some of the other vultures, you could help me get better with Genjutsu?” the vulture inquired. It was strange, Guren figured that all this time spent with vultures that seemed to all have the ability to perform genjutsu, that Yoji would have plenty of exposure to it. However maybe Yoji was just being hard on himself, as his feats spoke for themselves. Yet the phrasing of the question caused the opportunistic Guren to seize the opportunity.

“I certainly can do that. But I have to train with them first, so that I can understand how your genjutsus work!” It was a reasonable statement, but Guren knew that if he could convince Yoji to agree that he would like persuade the next summon into presenting him or herself.

“You know what, you’re right! I bet Bushi would want to check you out. Bushi is tough and loves to fight, so just be prepared okay?” Yoji would say before vanishing just like Hageko did.

Bushi. Combative and confrontational huh? That was weird to think about since Guren had just met some of the other summons and neither of them seemed like they wanted to fight. Well, Yoji did. But Yoji and Guren already had a small battle which only consisted of a single genjutsu. And now that he thought about it, Hageko was a bit competitive as well since he instantly wanted to race Guren. Yet still, none seemed too interested in actually fighting. The only way to know how serious Bushi was, was to test his skills. Guren again performed the hand seals necessary for the summoning jutsu. *POOF* a larger bird would shoot out from the smoke.

This vulture was significantly bigger than the other two, and it was evident by his large wings which immediately whipped up a gust of wind point blank at Guren. It caused him to lose his footing and slide back some feet. Definitely powerful enough to respect. As the wind would subside, Guren would look up at this vulture. It was massive, yet not as big as the ones he had seen in the genjutsu. Bird chested, with its breast poked out as if it were the symbol of pride itself. Additionally his color was much more vibrant than the younger vultures. Although they possessed a gold-ish hue to their coat, Bushi’s was bright orange like he was nearing the peak of his life. Yet as intimidating as his size was, his face was rather goofy. Maybe this was because of the bird growing into its beard, or maybe it was its facial expressions, but either way Guren couldn’t underestimate the vulture. It didn’t seem to want to talk at all, instead just spar. So it was time to partake.

[WC: 5238]

Forming the ram seal, a second Guren would immediately spawn to his right. Then it would blitz Bushi, leaping and throwing a wild punch. Guren’s was not truly trained in taijutsu, he only had been familiar with simple hand to hand combat, but he was curious as to how the vulture would react. Swiftly. That was how. Bushi immediately flew towards the clone and angled his wings to the left, narrowly dodging the punch. Now behind Guren’s blood clone, Bushi would shoot out a high pressured beam of what looked like blood ejected from his mouth. It instantly pierced the clone, causing it to wither away into a pool of blood. Guren was both astonished and impressed. So these vultures could use blood release even at such a low level? That was surprised. Nevertheless, he couldn’t take away his focus from the fight at hand, as Bushi continued his pressurized stream of blood now swinging his head and body towards Guren’s direct. Ox → Rabbit → Monkey, Guren formed these handseals with swiftness and an infusion of lightning chakra would form in his hand. He then lifted his right foot from the floor and dashed towards the vulture, holding his hand up in the direction of the stream. The lightning would pierce through the stream of pressurized blood and narrow the distance between Guren and Boshi. Recognizing that he would have to cancel his attack and dodge the chidori, Bushi did just that. He ended the stream, and would attempt to flow down to avoid Guren’s chidori. Yet Guren’s focus wasn’t to hit the bird with the chidori, his plan was to close the distance and cancel it as well. Quickly the chidori vanished and Guren now formed the snake seal, clapped, and extended his left arm downward as he was above the bird. Doing so formulated a sphere of water that encompassed Bushi. As gravity would bring Guren down, he maintained his prison’s grip on the bird. Then he landed. Bushi struggled inside of the prison, attempting to break free but to no avail. The fight was finished.
“Bushi. You can use blood release?” Guren inquired while keeping the vulture captive.

“Of course. Why do you think we are the Bearded Blood Vultures? We don’t get our name for nothing. Now free me from this cage, you have bested me.” Bushi would let out, feeling a bit defeated. Yet the vulture seemed happy he lost, it was clear to him that Guren was deserving of the contract.

“My apologies,” Guren would say as the water prison subsided, freeing the bird which would immediately flap its wings to stretch.

“You only beat me this time. Now that I know what you’re capable of, don’t expect to win again.” Bushi would snarl.

Guren nodded. “You’re right. But I am certain we still both have some tricks up our sleeves. You’re a clever, and fierce vulture. Thank you for sparring with me.” As Guren would finish his sentence, he would bow slightly out of respect towards the vulture. This seemed to please it, as Bushi raised his head above Guren.

“So, you’re a descendent of Tiwa? I knew her, she trained alongside some of the others. I only fought against her once. She was stronger than you.” Bushi would begin. “Yet you appear to be more cunning, and smart. Perhaps you have earned this contract. But what is it that you desire from a partnership with us? Few have sought us out.” 
Guren didn’t take Bushi’s shots to heart, as they didn’t seem to attempt to humiliate the shinobi. Of course, Guren had just won the fight. But instead it seemed he was just comparing Guren with a previous human he had met. 

“Truthfully I did not come to you all seeking power. Just knowledge.”

“Of what?” Bushi would ask.

“I believe you all are very familiar with my clan, more than I am. I have never met any of our members, and all of my family is dead. I figured that I could learn a bit of history from you all. And now that I have seen some of your powers in action, I would like to be a disciple of the Bearded Blood Vultures. I can sense there is a lot that you all can teach me, and perhaps I can teach you some things as well.” Guren proposed. He wasn’t lying. While it was clear that the vultures had experience with genjutsu and ninjutsu, he figured that their synchronization and techniques were a little rusty. He figured that he could potentially aid them in refining their skills. And he had a fair point.

Recognizing the truth that Guren spoke, Bushi kind of rolled his eyes. He wanted to dislike Guren, but Guren had only met him with respect and honesty. It seemed uncharacteristic of a human. Hearing his words, Bushi would understand the loneliness that Guren might have felt for he could recall a time when Tiwa had come to the vultures seeking refuge and companionship. It almost appeared as history had been repeating itself. “Well…I respect your motives. As the situation would have it, I am not all that familiar with your clan. You likely know more. Yet Kosai is our scholar and scribe. While she serves as historian, she has also been responsible for managing the Chinoike – Vulture synergy. I believe that if you study with her, she will be able to enlighten you on some of the answers you seek. I will dismiss myself, and tell her that you are seeking her company.” Bushi would say. Although he couldn’t fulfill Guren’s request, he was nonetheless informative. But Guren already knew that Kosai would be the one he was looking for. He recalled that Yoji had spoken of her name before, and at this point was just waiting. However Guren grew tired at this point. He wasn’t used to this type of training, as he was essentially summoning all day. Ironically enough the sun hadn’t even set yet. Guren would reach into his ninja pouch and pull out a couple rice balls. Although they weren’t very filling, they were enough to hold him over. Regardless, Guren had seen worse. During his trek from Kumogakure to Wind Country, he had gone several days without eating a proper meal; he had only feasted and drank from what nature would provide him. Thus Guren appreciated that nourishment that we would get from such a small meal. Upon finishing eating, he would sit at the entrance of the cave. Feeling a slight breeze while the sun was bearing down on him. It was surprisingly soothing. Maybe it was because he felt as if he was finally beginning to satiate his craving for knowledge, so anything would feel good right now. He was basically riding a high.

After taking his time to recuperate his stamina and self-reflect on the things he had come to know in the last few days of training with the summons, he felt good. He was ready to go on to meet Kosai. Having performed the necessary hand seals, Kosai would appear. She was the one that been speaking to Guren before. She was the one who casted the genjutsu upon him and showed him the history of the Chinoike and Vulture relationship. And she looked mysterious, witchlike even. Unlike the other summons Guren had spent time with, Kosai’s irises were a stunning yellow, like staring into the sun and the feathers on the tip of her head were as fiery as its rays. At this point Guren stopped becoming surprise with the increasing mass of each summon, as he could physically feel the toll of summoning Kosai. Her size was a driving reason as to why so much energy was required to summon her. Yet Guren could fantasize about the immense amount of information she withheld and the tremendous power she would be capable of.

As she towered over Guren, she casted a large shadow which basically covered him. A brief escape from the sun’s scorching grasp. “Guren, it is good to speak with you again. How goes your partnership with Hageko, Yuji, and Bushi?” She would ask. Her voice was alluring, comforting even. Motherly.

“Things have proceeded well, thank you. I am pleased to officially meet with you.”

“Ah young Guren, but we have already met for I can sense the chakra of Tiwa Chinoike surging through your body. So potent. So similar to our own. Close your eyes and sense the resemblance between our chakra natures.” She would command.

Guren did as he instructed without seeking, focusing his efforts on visualizing his own chakra network and comparing its behavior with Kosai’s. She was right. As he would assess his own chakra nature, it was a deep red. Like a merlot burgundy. Yet there were translucent blue, sharp, and crisp striations of chakra which intersected it. This was likely because of his affinity for water and lightning. But as he would view the chakra of Kosai, it was identical without the influence of water and lightning. The blood based chakra seemed to resonate between the Chinoike and the vulture.

“Ah yes, you can sense it now. This is how it was when TIwa first affiliated herself with us. She was the one who compared our chakra natures back then. She was the pioneer of the Vulture - Chinoike relationship. And I was her first companion. She and I would spar, taking turns placing the other under genjutsu and experimenting with ninjutsu together. When we learned how to synch our techniques together, there was no foe that we could not repel. She deepened her relationship with my clan, and when it came time for her to return to her own, I followed and did the same. I learned of the Chinoike, and they seemed to see me as a deity. Little did they know, I was just a friend.”

Guren had truly lived up to Guren’s expectations. Already she was sharing information with him without seeing to put him through any tasks. It was like a free dialogue between the two, almost as if she had understood him as a human. This empathy stemmed from the relationship that Kosai had with Tiwa.

“Can you tell me more of the Chinoike?”

“The Chinoike, a proud clan. Yet they were consumed by violence. They resided in the Valley of Hell, judging by your scent I can tell you have visited this place. And you found nothing.”

Guren nodded his head in agreement.

“This is because the clan had exterminated itself from within. When Tiwa would first return to her clan, she had brought me with her. We traveled across the continent, tracking down signs of the clan until we found them in the Valley of Hell. Here they would be living in rough conditions, unfitting for survival. Yet they managed. Upon reuniting with Tiwa and myself, the clan had begun to flourish. Children were born, shinobi were bred. Yet this was short lived. A lust of power began to consume them. Few were powerful enough to develop mutual contracts with the blood vultures. Those that were, weren’t like Tiwa. They were demanding, reckless, brute. It got to the point where they wanted us to wipe out their enemies, including members of the Chinoike Clan. We refused, and consulted TIwa. This was when Tiwa begged our kind for assistance to quell the members. And so our elder, Kami would cast a genjutsu upon the entire clan which calmed them for a while. But in exchange, Kami demanded that the contract between vultures and humans was to be severed. As a result, we parted ways with the Chinoike, Tiwa included. Occasionally we would check in on the clan, and they were always warring. It wasn’t until one unfaithful day where I would make an appearance, and all I was met with was death. Each and every member had laid dead in the Valley of Hell. Fortunately this was years after Tiwa’s time; she had not survived enough to see this bloodshed. If she did, then things likely would have ended differently. Maybe the Chinoike wouldn’t be extinct….”

It was a lot to take in for Guren. It was a lot to describe for Kosai. Out of the respect, the two would sit in silence for some minutes. Guren had spent the time reflecting on the outcome of his clan. As he had been familiar with some bits and pieces of the details, he had not been told the story to this level of depth. It made it sound like his distant family were monsters that destroyed themselves from within.

“I apologize for the way my clan abused you all. I am glad that you were able to find a glimmer of hope among the blood thirsty.” Guren would let out. He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt upon learning what Kosai had taught him, yet it was certainly meaningful.

“Yes. A glimmer of hope indeed. And you are the second coming of it. I have seen how the others interact with you, they almost look up to you and it’s only been a matter of days. I sense that a partnership between our kinds will develop again, with you being the harbinger of it. But let me not get ahead of myself..” she paused. 

“Truthfully, I have no tests for you. So far I have overseen your training with the lower ranked vultures and I am fully aware of your capabilities and compatibilities. I would advise you to learn how to incorporate them with your own ninjutsu and genjutsu. Avoid utilizing Hageko and Yoji in serious combat, they are too young. But I and Bushi are exceptions. We have seen many years of combat combined, there is no doubt that we will be able to aid you in many situations. But in return of our services, we expect protection. And we will protect you. For now there is nothing left for me to say. Right now, I want you to meditate. Meditate on things you just learned, and the things that will happen. As you work to acquire the chakra control and resilience to summon beings more powerful than me, you will need to have stamina, patience, and determination. Right now you have hope. Now focus.” She said while disappearing. Her voice would boom throughout the cave, and her words with echo throughout Guren’s mind.

Meditate. Focus. They were the only things he could think of now. He picked himself up off the floor and started back inside the dark, chilly cave. After making it some distance inside, he placed himself upon a mound and sat down. Folding his legs, he sat straight up and began clearing his mind. One by one, his worries left him and his ambitions would arrive. He was practicing the chakra sensory exercise he had performed with Kosai. Upon summoning her, he felt a massive portion of chakra leave his reserves. It was draining. There was really no way that he could imagine summoning anything more powerful than her at his current stage. This was why she had demanded that he meditated. And Guren agreed. Realizing that there was not much more he would learn of his clan here, his goal was to develop his abilities within the Vulture ranks. Right now he was focused on controlling his chakra. As he meditated, he could feel his chakra naturally seeping out from his body. Not as if it were being drained, but just as if it were being expelled unnecessarily. Relating this to mechanical power, it could be said that his chakra efficiency was subpar. Now it would make sense as to why he felt so drained after performing the summoning technique. It was a new jutsu to him, and so it would come with inefficiencies until he perfected his usage of it. That must have been the true meaning behind Kosai’s message. If he had attempted to summon a vulture during combat, there was little to no chance that he would be able to sustain the summon while also fighting. He would drain himself dry. And if that were true from just summoning Kosai, what would happen if he tried to take it to the next step? Now deeply focused, the sounds of the external world were beginning to fade. There was no sharpness of wind roaring through the cave. He would experience no coldness. Even his hunger began to subside. As the meditation went on, so would time. Some days had passed, causing Guren to unintentionally fast. The only reason he would break this trance like meditation was because he was parched.
Guren stood up from his mound, and took a hefty swig from his water cantina. Now it was only a third of the way full. Yet he felt as if his chakra reserve was maxed out, yet being retained in his body. He felt refreshed, awakened even. He wasn’t even hungry. The only thing he was hungry for was continuing his training with the vultures. They had shown him a glimpse of potential, now he wanted more. And so he would perform the summoning jutsu again. This time, upon completion he would see a figure he had never seen before. This would being the epitome of majestic. Its coat was a regal, yet autumn like gold which transitioned into a row of black winged feathers. He stood aloft, perched with his massive talons digging into the ground beneath him. They clinched, almost with aggression, but Guren could detect no signs of hostility from the vulture. What else had stood out from this gigantic being and its counterparts? The presence of arms and hands. Something so simple was so extraordinary to Guren, perhaps because up until this point the only vultures he had seen followed the logical anatomy of an aviary species.

“Who are you” the summon would inquire. His voice was deep and matured. When he spoke, it almost shook the cave around it.

“Guren…Guren Chinoike. I have recently entered a contact with the Bearded Blood Vultures.”

“Chinoike? Impossible. Your kind exterminated themselves. Could you be the sole survivor?”

“I..I don’t know. But I know that my ancestry has led me to this place. I came here with intentions of learning of my heritage from you all. But now I feel like there is more to learn then just about those that came before me.”

“Oh? And what is it you wish to learn? How have you been able to summon me? What about my underlings?”

“I have met a few of them. Hageko and I raced against each other, to compete: speed versus speed. Yoji and I faced off in an assessment of whose genjutsu prowess was more advanced. Bushi blitzed me, which resulted in a battle of ninjutsu. And Kosai tested my mental fortitude and stamina. She also taught me more of my heritage and the unfortunate partnership between the Chinoike and the Vultures. Now, I want to learn to blossom that partnership and work towards perfection in synergy. I have a long way to go with those four, but I know that we all see eye to eye right now. I am wondering what I have to do to earn your trust.” Guren was being as straight forward with the vulture as possible. The honesty seemed to be appreciated by the other members and he hoped it would here too.

“Well…I am not interested in being a tool of the shinobi. Long ago I willingly partnered with the Chinoike. They beseeched me. Now I don’t see a benefit in rekindling the flame. Especially if you hold the same philosophies as your late clansmen. Power hungry, greed, and self-fulfillment. That’s all your kind ever seemed to boast about.” The vulture would continue. Clearly the bad blood between the Chinoike and vultures had not been settled on a full scale. It seemed like the younger members were more forgiving of the Chinoike, as they were less impacted. But the older ones seemed to have been the ones that suffered the most. And Guren could understand that. It was true, the Chinoike did exploit the vultures. But now all of them did, Tiwa being the one he could think of.

“I understand. But I do not seek a contract out of power. I believe that while we would both grow stronger after working with each other that does not have to be the primary focus. I intend on being a student of the vultures. I will do anything to prove my worth, value, and intention.” Guren would let out with sincerity clearly resounding in his voice.

Swayed by the words of the boy, the summon would shake his head. “I hope you understand what you have just asked for. The only way I will abide by partnering with you is under one condition: you must face me in combat. And not just me, but another vulture as well. If you overcome the both of us, then you will sway our opinions. Our names are Shodai, and Kami. When you are ready. Leave the cave and enter the boneyard, think of our names, and perform the summoning jutsu.” And then Shodai would vanish.

Guren taken back, wasn’t sure what he just got himself into. None of the other vultures had appeared so serious. Guren knew that this would be no easy task, yet he had to have the fortitude to prepare for it. After summoning Shodai, he again felt tired. This could have also been as a result of meditating for days on end without sleep. Expending such a vast amount of chakra to summon a massive vulture had Guren’s head ringing. Luckily, it didn’t sound as if Shodai was in a rush to face Guren. It sounded like the start of the battle would be on Guren’s terms. And so he would take the time to rest. Before he would sleep, he would eat the remaining bit of food he had packed. And then he would enter into his slumber.

When he would awake, he instantly had a serious demeanor about himself. He was intent on facing these vultures with the intention of besting them, but what type of challenges would they bring? What type of abilities did they have? As Guren arose from his resting place and started to head to the exit of the cave, he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering. Was this anxiety? Or was he just trying to analyze the capabilities of one being he had met a day ago, and another whom he had only heard of. Shodai and Kami. Upon exiting the cave and reaching the boneyard, Guren would await them. He performed the necessary handseals and slammed the ground. Upon doing so, he instantly was brought to his knees. Two, towering vultures would stand menacingly above Guren. This was a huge energy and chakra expenditure.

Impressed by Guren’s ability to summon both vultures, Shodai and Kami exchanged looks at each other. “So, this is the Chinoike you have told me about, Shodai? Guren is it? And you have the chakra reserves to manage to summon us both huh?” Kami would let out. His appearance was clearly aged in comparison to Shodai’s. His coat only retained a small amount of gold, and his feathers were now more of a faded navy blue. Across his neck was a red bandana, which his navy blue beard rested over top of. Like Shodai, Kami also had arms and hands. His stature was larger than that of Shodai’s as well. This was the first time Guren had seen Shodai outside of the confined cave, and comparing the tow it seemed like it was David up against Goliaths.

“Aye, Kami. And he still has the ability to stand.” Shodai would observe as he watched Guren rise from his knees back to his feet.

“I stand before you both, willing and ready to take on your challenge. Don’t be concerned with me kneeling down after summoning you. I wasn’t prepared for the physical toll it would take. I understand now though and respect your powers. I am ready to begin once you are,” Guren said while looking up at the two massive figures. These guys were clearly no joke, however Guren had an idea. Being as large as they were, they likely had massive amounts of stamina compared to Guren. But Guren was smaller, and could likely evade their attacks. He also figured he would be quicker than at least Shodai. But Kami seemed agile and nimble. He may be the one that gives Guren the most problems.

“Hmmm, you hear that Kami? Guren’s ready to die!” Shodai would let out, followed by a hearty laugh.

“Mmmm! Shodai!” Kami would say while nodding and immediately assuming his attacking stance.

Almost simultaneously, Shodai and Kami would perform several handseals in unison. Following this they would take deep breaths. Recognizing that these deep breaths were similar to the ones that Bushi would take prior to expelling his high pressurized stream of blood, Guren figured that they would be doing something similar. And he was right. The two would shoot two, pin thin jets of blood that were extremely pressurized, aimed right at Guren’s direction. If they were to hit, the battle would be over before it began. Instinctively, Guren would form the ram seal activating his body flicker. In an instant, he would transport himself underneath and between the legs of Shodai. It was likely that at such an intense speed, the two vultures would have not seen Guren move so fast. Taking the time to be opportunistic, Guren would form several handseals and generate two of his blood clones which would spawn at the residual pool of blood from Shodai and Kami’s joint attack. Each clone would lunge itself in front of Shodai and Kami respectively. They were serving the purpose of diversion while Guren developed a plan.

“You think we can’t detect a clone made of blood? Blood is a part of our diet! We can smell it, and devour it!” Shodai exclaimed. His beak darted towards the clone, instantly puncturing it and swallowing the blood made of it. It was strange, the blood had the same flavor as the blood he just spat out moments ago.

“Shodai, he can use our blood techniques against us!” Kami would call out. His power of discernment was real, as it took him only an instant to figure it out. With one massive swoop of his right wing, he dispelled the second clone that Guren that posed in front of them. By this time, Guren was already on the move. Sure the two would have figured out Guren’s plan to use their own blood reserves against them, but that didn’t mean that would stop it. In order for Guren to win this battle, he would need a blood reservoir larger than his own. His was limited, and if he expended too much than his stamina would deplete. However, the technique that he figured could beat the two demanded as much blood on the battlefield as possible. That first attack from the two provided an ample amount, but Guren would need to draw out more or use his own.

Nevertheless, it was time to act. Upon forming some hand seals, clouds would appear directly over top of the former boneyard now battlefield. The clouds were heavy, and immediately began to rain down upon Shodai and Kami. As the rain would fall, the two would figure that this was a jutsu of Guren’s and they were right. Yet Guren was nowhere to be found. This was because he was employing his hiding in the rain technique, allowing his chakra signature to blend in with the rain. As he floated throughout the rain, he looked for a weak spot on the vultures. Truth be told, he could not pinpoint one. Each seemed to be quite sturdy and would likely be covering the other’s back. That’s when Guren thought to himself: their legs. Even if he could do a bit of damage to their legs, that may cause them to stumble over and open themselves up for an attack. He had to try it. Upon some more hand seals, the rain just above the ground surrounding the legs of each vulture would shift into needles and begin to hurl themselves at their legs.

“Hmph!” Shodai would let out! At the same time he would flap his massive wings and a huge gust of wind would kick up, dispersing the water needles away and even causing the rain clouds to dissipate and blow off into the distance. This caused Guren’s position to be exposed, as he was standing directly in front of Shodai. He figured that if he were to take one out that he should start with the smaller and potentially weaker one. However this plan was instantly foiled.

“Kaw!” Kami would let out, as his wings flapped powerfully to seemingly clear the air. Yet this was not the case. This was a genjutsu, and it had trapped Guren in it. Upon it beginning, Guren would find himself laying on the ground amongst the dead corpses of the boneyard. He would look done at his torso and it would appear as mangled and dismembered. Disturbed, he couldn’t figure out what had happened. He had just been battling with the vultures and in an instant, he was near death? They intended to kill him? As his body laid there, he looked at his surroundings. There were four vultures, waddling over to his body. One by one they would sink their teeth into his corpse, picking apart flesh and bone alike. They seemed to be eating him alive, and with each peck of a beak the pain was excruciating. After just a few seconds, it was immense. He frantically looked from vulture to vulture and realized that they all looked familiar to him. They were. Hageko, Yoji, Bushi, and Kosai. Why would they turn on him so easily and begin feeding on him? As Guren thought about this, the pain from the pecking of the vultures beaks began to subside. That’s when he realized that he had fallen into a genjutsu. None of the vultures he had met would be that menacing nor ruthless, this couldn’t be reality. And so he would need to release himself to break out of it. He had to activate his Ketsuryugan. Upon doing so, he saw clearly through the genjutsu. Thus he formed the tiger seal and instantly returned to reality.

Upon doing so, he would see that Kami was waving off the effects of casting the genjutsu as well as Shodai in the process of speed blitzing Guren. He quickly shifted his attention to the vulture pressing him, and with his Ketsuryugan active made eye contact with Shodai. Instantaneously, Shodai would freeze in his tracks. Now, he was the one being transported to the illusion of Guren’s genjutsu. In this vision, however, Shodai was roosting with the vultures of his clan. They had just finished a worthy feast and it was time for them to rest together. Comforted by the company of his race, Shodai began to get drowsy. The rest of the vultures within the vision, Kosai and Bushi, started to nestle up underneath Shodai. As his eyes got heavier, Shodai started to doze off. His body growing heavy. He tucked his neck within his shoulders, and the feathers on the back of his crown would begin to puff out in relaxation. As this would happen in the genjutsu, this would also happen in reality. The once speed blitzing Shodai had now fallen asleep due to the alluring and calming genjutsu Guren had placed him under. It was a shock, yet instinct. Guren had no idea that the jutsu would work on Shodai, especially since he was also a genjutsu user. However it had been so subtly and quickly casted, that it likely caught him off guard.

Kami, upon witnessing this, was impressed. To manage to place one of the vultures under a genjutsu in the midst of an attack was gutsy, yet successful. However a genjutsu of that caliber would not suffice against Kami. 

“Ketsuryugan, hmm? If we would have known that you awakened and could use yours, we would have proceeded more carefully. Nevertheless, I will end this here!” Kami declared. As he did, he formed some more handseals and again expelled blood from his mouth. Simultaneously, he would flap his wings aggressively. Doing so, caused a vortex of blood to ascend in place. It was massive and its shear force was enough to kick up bones, bodies, rocks, cacti, just everything. As they became engulfed with the vortex, they rotated around in turbulence. After the vortex was formed, Guren stood in awe, unsure of what he would be able to do to counter it. And then, Kami would hurl the vortex right at Guren. It raced towards the Chinoike. His only option was to try the last technique he had in his arsenal that could work in this situation. With his Ketsuryugan still active, he pulled out two kunai and stabbed the palm of each hand. Blood gushed out and down from the wounds. Although these wounds generated a good amount of blood, they were nothing unusual or dangerous to Guren. He had repeatedly cut himself to use numerous blood release jutsu, he only needed to be mindful of how much blood he lost. As he bled from his hands it poured into the previous pools of blood that Shodai and Kami created, which had been mixed with a bit of water from Guren’s failed rain technique. As the blood merged, Guren’s chakra began to extend out and blend with the blood. Now several heads of dragons would form out of the blood, followed by even more, until a total of 8 materialized. They propelled Guren up as he stood atop of the head in the central. These 8 dragon heads were comparable in height to Kami, yet were much wider. With a swoop of their heads and a bite from their mouths, the combined force would cancel out the vortex created. Additionally it appeared as if they consumed the blood which made up the vortex, which further blended with the dragons. Guren elevated and eye level with Kami, hands bleeding, eyes leaking blood, was clearly pushing himself to his limits. The massive vulture would stare across the battlefield at Guren and his blood dragon avatar.

“So you’re able to ascend the 8 headed blood dragon? Impressive, but it’s not enough!” Kami would shout with intensity. He then blitzed the dragons, wings out and palms out. Utilizing taijutsu he would smack one head to the side, and punch another with a left hook. As the dragons would try to retaliate with a thrust of two heads towards the vulture, Kami would duck underneath them and extend his wings rotating in place. The speed in which he done this sliced through two of the heads of the dragon. Astonished, Guren tried to counter this with two dragon heads attacking Kami from each side. Kami would leap into the air and flap his wings again to fly up, the two dragons would attack each other and pierce themselves then dissolve. Four remained. As Kami would land, he grab ahold of a dragon head’s neck with each of his talon’s, squeezing to the point of severing the dragon heads. Now two left. Guren was at wit’s end. He would have to use the last two heads strategically if he wanted to prove his worth to the vulture. As the last two heads remained, they would charge Kami as Kami would charge them in return. The dragons opened their mouths and sunk their teeth into Kami’s wings. This did not cause pain to Kami, however restricted his wing’s movements. Yet the clever vulture formed several handseals and with great speed expelled a highly pressurized beam of blood across the base of the dragon heads, severing them. As they disintegrated in place, Guren would begin to fall. His chakra level was low at this point. He had used multiple ninjutsu, genjutsu, ascended his blood dragon, and summoned the two vultures which had bested in him in combat. He had nothing left in the tank. As he fell through the sky, Guren began to fade. His consciousness began to escape him. He had failed.

Kami, seeing the Chinoike fall from the sky, extended his hand out and caught Guren. Guren would not remember any of this, as at this point in time he had passed out from over exertion.

“Hmm..seems like this kid has heart. He’s tough in battle, but analytical at the same time. It was impressive what he did today..” Kami would say to himself while gently laying Guren down in a bed of sand.

“Shodai, awaken!” He would command while slapping Shodai upside the head with one of his wings.

Shodai would instantly shoot up, “What’s up boss, did we lose?”

“No. We were victorious, but the lad showed a lot of determination. He put you in a genjutsu successfully, and even pressed me with his blood dragon avatar. I subdued it as I can tell he hasn’t used it often. His skills are a bit rusty, but with some guidance I think he has a lot of potential. I think he can teach some of us a lot as well, such as not falling for a genjutsu.” Kami would add. From his tone it would sound as if he was finally succumbing to the concept of working with a human again. But the purity within Guren as well as his focus and effort within battle proved that he was serious about his intentions.

“I think you’re right Kami….So, we doing this? Are we really going back to living the lives of being summons?” Shodai would inquire.

“Aye. But we will serve more as a mentoring role for him. There is a lot that we will have to teach him.” Kami concluded.

The two nodded in unison, then dismissed themselves. Although Guren was nearly unconscious, he could still hear the interaction between Kami and Shodai. Even though he had failed, the resilience which he demonstrated was more than enough proof that he was serious about becoming one with the Bearded Blood Vultures. Guren smiled softly, then began to doze off. The sand from the desert would flow lightly across his face, and he sun would set. Two days Guren had slept near the entrance of the cave. At this point, he had been training with the summoning race for about a week. It was intense, grueling, and tiresome. But above all else, rewarding. When he would awaken, he would feel fully rested. His hands had healed from puncturing himself, and his body did not feel drained anymore. After consistently expending such a high level of energy, all Guren wanted to do at this point was head somewhere where he could get a hot meal and rest for some time. While walking away from the Cave of Carnage and heading back in the direction of the tavern he had been at earlier, Guren felt good. He had learned of the Chinoike, and learned of The Blood Vultures. Additionally, the company that they would provide him would make him feel a little less lonely in the world. Less of an outcast. He kind of enjoyed this feeling.

It took quite a bit of time at Guren’s pace for him to arrive at the tavern, when he would he would be greeted with a sign on the door stating “CLOSED PERMANENTLY”. Sighing to himself, he sat down on the porch of the tavern. It seemed like he would need to venture elsewhere to get a little tender, love, and care. Perhaps he could be met with hospitality if he made his way to Sunagakure? It had been weeks since Guren arrived in Wind Country and not yet seen the city. But he was unsure if they would meet him with open arms, or drawn kunai. In any case, it was worth a meal at least. And so he would start heading to the village.

~Exit~

[WC:6707, Total: 11945]

Claiming 2000 words to the summoning contract for Bearded Blood Vultures of Wind Country, 250 words towards the E-Rank summon, 500 words towards the D-Rank summon, 1000 words towards the C-Rank summon, 1500 words towards the B-Rank summon, 2500 words towards the A-Rank summon, 4000 words towards the S-Rank summon, and 195 words towards  Water Release: Rain Shark. I am in the process of apping each ranked summon, so I will claim them upon application approval. 

Additionally claiming the stat rewards from the word count and training. I believe this should be 11945/100 = 119 stat points? I am currently sitting at 211/325 stats, so I think there will be 5 stat points left over. Not sure what to do with that. Can it go straight to AP? 

Lastly, please advise on if any of the word count used for this topic doubles up and can be allocated towards jutsu/skill learning as well.

Approved