Jigga What, Jigga Who

As Guren made his way past the village gates his eyes glanced from building to building, rubble to rubble. The village was clearly in some state of restoration. And although there was plenty of destruction, there was beauty within it. There was something about the dismantled apartment structures and fallen infrastructure that reflected a level of potential. Among the ashes, there were glimmers of hope. From the children that played in the streets, to the shinobi that patrolled the village. There just seemed to be an unusual degree of happiness and pride with the fallen village and Guren couldn't understand why. Although relating his observations to his own experiences, he still struggled to grasp this concept. During his time as a shinobi of Kumogakure, he felt as if he were only a tool. He undertook countless missions, yet never gained significant takeaways from them. This lack of connection with the village was part of the reason he had left. Guren had no family, no friends, and no sense of belonging. It wasn't until he had fled the village and sought after his personal goals until he truly started to feel alive and understand how that showed him purpose. Perhaps those same feelings he was just discovering was what some of the villagers had for Sunagakure. And it wouldn't take an illustrious, grand village for them to understand that. 
 
Passing through the city, he proceeded to follow the directions of some civilians on how to get to the hospital. The guard he had met had told him that his best chances of finding work would begin with tracking down the man in the hospital. Kenshin, his name was. From Han's words, he would sound like a resourceful guy. If he truly did have a good idea on where Guren could begin making some ryo, it would only make sense to seek him out. And perhaps this would yield an interesting opportunity for Guren to learn a bit from the man. If he truly was well versed on bloodline transplants, perhaps he would have any type of information on the Chinoike Clan. But even if he did, that would mean that he would have to trust Kenshin enough to reveal his background. It wasn’t necessarily something he was opposed to, but he knew that it would mean potentially adding a target on his back. However he had to remember that he was in a place where missing ninja of all backgrounds were accepted. He was probably safe.
 
Finally he would make it to the hospital. The building was in quality condition in comparison to those around it. Upon entry, Guren would immediately be standing in line at a receptionist desk. It seemed like a long wait, however the efficiency of the single receptionist caused the line to clear out quickly. When Guren would make his way to the front of the line, he would give a soft smile to the receptionist.
 
“Excuse me, the guard at the village gates told me I should come here and ask for Kenshin. Can you assist me?”  

(wc = 511)

After letting the receptionist know of his intentions, she politely responded with two helpful pieces of information. First, that Kenshin could be found in the morgue. A rather grim and dark place, but it kind of made sense. Surely it would be quiet enough to focus without interruption. But still, there had to be other locations within the village that would have suitable office spaces right? Or maybe not. Truthfully Guren wasn’t sure. Whatever was the cause of the destruction in the village could have displaced any previously existing offices. In which case, this would just prove Kenshin’s resourcefulness: able to make something out of nothing. It was admirable. The second noteworthy statement she made, was that Kenshin was waiting for the Kazekage’s mansion to be rebuilt. Now it was clear to Guren. Kenshin was the Kazekage. Thinking back on his discussion with the gate guard Guren figured that the guard’s boss was Kenshin, who probably wouldn’t take the “sleeping on the job” joke as lightly as Guren and the guard did.

Slowly, he was starting to learn more of Sunagakure.

From the little bit of information Guren had acquired since entering the village, he could make out who its leader was and what his interests might have been. Kenshin was the Kazekage, who held his subordinates to high standards and expectations. He also sold bloodlines transplants and worked out of a morgue. Now the selection of the hospital, specifically the morgue, as his temporary base of operation was starting to make more sense.  

Focusing back on the discussion at hand, Guren snapped out of his thoughts. “Thank you. I’m G by the way,” Guren let out to the receptionist. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is your name? As well as the gate guard’s? You both have been very hospitable.” If she chose to provide their names, Guren would exchange a friendly glance, wave goodbye, and before walking off would say, “Thank you again. I will head to the morgue now.” If she chose not to introduce herself, that was fine. Guren would just shrug it off. His intention was only to pay respect and begin formalities. This was a new place to him and making acquaintances could prove beneficial, especially with people who reported to the Kazekage.

As he walked away from the front desk, he glanced at the floor and saw the black line the receptionist mentioned. Coincidentally, it began just underneath his feet and ran forward until making a sharp left down a hallway. Guren followed it. It might have been a 2 to 3 minute walk, truly not far at all from the front desk. Upon reaching the end of the line, Guren would be met with two large double doors. Directly above them, was a bold text sign in all capital letters reading “MORGUE”. This was it.

Just before knocking, Guren would pause for a moment to think on how it might be wise to sense out the person behind the doors. Yet he second guessed this idea. From conversations, Guren already knew that Kenshin was a powerful and serious person. Since he was the village’s leader he was probably already monitoring Guren’s presence anyway. If so he speculated this could have been happening since he entered the village, either through surveillance shinobi or some type of sensory jutsu. If he really meant harm to Guren, Kenshin would have already had plenty of opportunities to see it through. This was probably a safe place, and so chakra sensing was unnecessary. Guren also figured that he would be better received if he let his guard down slightly and treated this meeting as he did with the gate guard and receptionist: respectfully, yet not overly formal. And so he would knock two times onto the door in front of him, *knock, knock*, and wait until he would be told to enter. When he was granted permission, he would pull open the door and walk through the threshold.

Upon entry, Guren’s mature demeanor could be noted. He stood with good posture and was well kept. His red and black hooded trench coat had some signs of wear to it, but was maintained neatly. It was zipped all the way up, and to the normal eye would hide the standard shinobi clothing that he wore underneath. Although he was only 17 years old, his athletic build and bearded face would make him look a bit older. Combine this with his nearly 6’ height, and Guren would fit the bill for a capable shinobi.

As a visitor, Guren would normally feel as if it were his place to initiate the introduction. But seeing as he was in the presence of such a notable figure, he thought it may be more humble for him to wait for Kenshin to speak first. He figured this way, he would not run the risk of interrupting the kage.

(WC: 816, Total = 1327)

When entering the room, Guren immediately noted its atmosphere: surprisingly calming. Initially Guren thought that working out of a morgue would be morbid and depressing. Yet for some reason, the large room had a strange allure to it. He speculated that it stimulated his interest because of the amount of potential the room had. What type of things was Kenshin learning in here? What type of experiments could he perform? Guren was sure that this room wasn’t used for just office work. There had to be some secrets to its selection as Kenshin’s place of work. There was likely plenty to learn from the sheer amount of dead bodies that resided in the room.

As Guren had gazed throughout the room, his eyes fell upon a generously sized office desk which held a distinct figure sitting behind it. His posture clearly displayed how tall he was, as even when sitting he towered above the desk. Yet he seemed like he maintained a relatively light and nimble frame. But what stood out the most was how pale he was. It seemed almost unnatural, as his light complexion even appeared whiter than several of the doctor coats which hung behind him. His face was like a blanket of snow, save for a brutal scar which spanned from his neck to his face. It didn’t appear to be fresh, yet it did seem deep. Potentially from combat? Maybe one of his experiments. Guren wondered, but didn’t dwell on the thought too long. Nevertheless his first impression of Kenshin was that seemed battle hardened and was the embodiment of the word mysterious. One thing that was evident upon standing before Kenshin was his potent and dark chakra signature. It far surpassed Guren’s own and seemed like it possessed a hint of death within it, as if he were the Grim Reaper himself. Perhaps it came from years of battle, or even countless experiments on the human body. Although it was significantly different than anything Guren had ever sensed, he expected this degree of prominence from someone who was mighty enough to bear the name of Kazekage.

Despite his grotesque chakra signature, Guren found it interesting. Surprisingly enough the sensation he felt upon observing it wasn’t so far off from the feeling he got from the iron rich, bloodlike scent which the Valley of Hell emitted. By no means was Guren obsessed with death or gore, but some aspects of it certainly intrigued him. Maybe this was why the Reaper before him seemed to be so compelling.

The first thing that Kenshin would say to him was rather friendly, as he invited Guren to sit with him. So far from what Han, Mia, and now Kenshin showed him, Sunagakure was quite inviting. Guren exchanged a nod with Kenshin and shifted his eyes to the seat before him before looking back at Kenshin. “Thank you” he graciously replied. He walked over to the chair, pulled it out and took a seat. Instead of sitting straight up, he subconsciously leaned forward a little bit. This was a product of how interested he was in how this encounter would proceed.

Upon Kenshin’s brief introduction it was Guren’s queue to speak. He would be clear and concise, as he was sure that Kenshin’s time was limited. “It’s nice to formally meet you Kenshin. Both Han and Mia have shown me exceptional kindness in the short time that I have been here. My name is Guren,” he began. Momentarily he paused after saying his first name, as he was unsure if Kenshin would care for his full identity. Yet something about this conversation would give Guren a sense of comfort. Like he could trust Kenshin. Whether he was right or wrong, he would continue to go a tad more in depth. “Chinoike. I come from Kumogakure, and my stray from the village has led me all the way to the Land of Wind. I am not certain how long it’s been since I’ve taken refuge here, but some people I have met along the way have told me that Sunagakure was a haven for those from all walks of life. And so I decided to come here and see for myself to gain an understanding of what life might look like for me here.” Guren would pause to see what type of response Kenshin would have so far. Guren would replied accordingly.

He would then pick back up to detail his current intentions in the city. “To be frank, I am a bit short on ryo and haven’t been living in the best circumstances…Additionally I am quite curious and have a passion for learning. So I have been hopeful that Sunagakure could offer me some assistance in fulfilling some of my ambitions. But I am not certain if my stay will be temporary or permanent. I was hoping that I could visit here for some time and in return lend my abilities to your village how they might be needed.”


(WC: 830, Total = 2157)

Guren felt at ease as Kenshin confirmed that his interruption was not an issue, and reassured that with a friendly laugh. This ease was reflected in Guren’s body language as his shoulders shrugged low, and he leaned back a little in his chair. Guren smiled with Kenshin before the conversation delved deeper and transition into transplants. Upon asking his questions on the subject matter, Kenshin immediately lightened up and his face and eyes portrayed true joy. This must have been what the Kazekage was really waiting for. The tone in his voice immediately picked up, as he spoke with nothing but splendor. His introduction to the conversation would leave Guren intrigued. Over a dozen of DNA? That must be a lot of people he’s killed or been able to harvest….I wonder what type of DNA might be useful and would work best with my own abilities. He already had laid out his skills to Kenshin, so for him to already have several ideas was encouraging.

Guren leaned forward once again upon the mentioning of Senju DNA. As Kenshin explained, Guren thought of his book on DNA that he recently read as well as the techniques that his short lived accomplice Wan had briefly displayed. Wan clearly bore the Senju bloodline, as he had used it offensively in the short battle they had as well as manipulated it to escape from the battle. To Guren’s surprise, Kenshin would perform a brief demonstration which foreshadowed an enormous amount of potential. However one thing in particular stood out to Guren: Kenshin was a subject of his own experiments. He was only able to discern this from the fact that his surname was Uzumaki yet he wielded abilities of the Senju. Upon this realization, Guren’s eyes widened a bit. It was a sudden realization that when the Kazekage mentioned all of the DNA he possessed, he didn’t only mean externally. It was likely that he also housed a plethora of DNA within him.

As Kenshin spoke, Guren vigilantly watched and would take a casual sip from his glass. “Wow, I can see why you say they won the jackpot. It would seem as if the inherent blessings upon a Senju as well as wood release would prove itself useful in numerous scenarios. And actually…I could see it meshing well with some of my techniques. I imagine that with some practice, I might even be able to blend my techniques so effectively that they could take a bijuu by surprise…”

While Guren finished his thought aloud, his tone slightly drifted off. He did have aspirations to eventually test his abilities against a bijuu caliber enemy, but of course that would come with time and experience. Perhaps acquiring a bloodline benefit would catalyze that process. Nevertheless, Kenshin continued as he moved on to discuss the Jugo and their innate nature of being natural berserkers. Again, as he described their potential he also was able to demonstrate it in person. This confirmed Guren’s deduction of Kenshin being an experiment himself. And quite frankly, this was kind of… cool. Being able to add certain capabilities to one’s arsenal at the cost of a surgery seemed like a modest tradeoff. Clearly it aided even those at Kenshin tier, as he presently sat as the leader of New Sunagakure. Although this performance was also uniquely impressive, Guren was a bit skeptical of how he might use it complementarily. The access to natural chakra would be hugely beneficial, but the tradeoff of losing one’s tranquility seemed a bit too costly. This would be one for Guren to reflect deeper on.

“I see…” he began as he took a second to gather his thoughts, “I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose control, I like to think of myself as strategic…calculated, even…” he finished. Again, he would lift the rim of his glass to his lips and take a cool gulp of the iced Awamori. With each sip, the burn of the aftertaste was reduced and was significantly more tolerable. Thus, the experience was even more enjoyable.

With anticipation of Kenshin’s next opening statement, Guren straightened out his posture one more. As he reflected on the Senju and Jugo DNA, he was excited to hear what else Kenshin thought Guren might gain the most from. And that was it: the Seigan. A water and genjutsu based doujustu, which offered a variety of benefits. Not to any surprise, Kenshin had also wielded it at some point in time but not any longer. And his temporary use of it only revealed a handful of its potential. But the fact that the Seigan was heavily centered around genjutsu, Guren’s preferred mode of attack, and Suiton, Guren’s natural affinity, instilled a significant amount of confidence in the Chinoike. This was evident by the smile upon his face.

Taking a moment to reflect on all of the information that Guren had just learned of, he paused for a moment before commenting. He removed his right hand from the chilled glass and moved it towards the beard upon his chin. His gaze momentarily diverted to looking straight on, almost through Kenshin, as his imagination rapidly pondered multiple outcomes of receiving any of the DNA he learned of today. And with that, he refocused his attention on Kenshin and gave him a nod out of respect.

“Thank you, lord Kazekage. This information is quite vital and provides perspectives and information I never knew existed…” The genuine tone from Guren’s voice could easily be heard. “If I were to be honest, it would sound like the Seigan would complement me the most. Followed by the Senju, and then the Jugo…My biggest reservations would be: what type of costs are associated with these transplants? Both monetarily and…health wise? As you know, I am a bit short on ryo. Also, I have never undergone any type of surgery…”

Again his voice trailed off towards the end of the statement. This was not anxiety induced, but instead was a product of Guren trying to figure out a plan for acquiring what Kenshin was offering.

(WC = 1013. Total: 4111)