Heart to Heart (Kenshin)

Sun Jul 04, 2021 5:23 pm

Not one, but two heartbeats could be heard on the way to Sunagakure's Hospital. For most people it would sound like two people walking close to each other while only a few would be able to pick up on what truly caused the rhytm to be completely in sync. Truth be told, not many had any knowledge about the Tau and their peculiar bloodline so it came as no surprise that they weren't aware of their ability to hold more than just one single heart. Even Sebastian had to admit it sounded rather crazy, a person able of having multiple hearts. If he didn't possess the Earth Grudge Fear and someone told him they had more than one heart, chances were he as well would call them crazy.

Was that part of the reason for making his way to the Hospital? Not quite. Although he always wanted to learn more about his bloodline there was a different purpose for today's visit. Sebastian was sure of it, by now he wasn't the only one who noticed the changes taking place within him. Where the Tau always possessed some form of darkness, he could feel it grow stronger ever since attaining the Natural Berserker. His vile chakra harder to control, the urge to let loose and run wild,.. all things that increased after gaining another bloodline. Something that, in all honesty, Kenshin warned him about.

Considering the similarities between the two of them Sebastian figured Lord 1st might be the one most suited to help him understand and control the difficulties he was dealing with. And since there was no one more skilled at the Medical arts Kenshin was his best bet. So there he stood, waiting to meet the First Kazekage hoping to receive some advice and perhaps even more power depending on how you look at it. For some reason he expected to hear a "The doctor will be seeing you now", but assuming Kenshin was already aware of Sebastian's presence the latter would simply knock on the door waiting to be let in.

(WC: 344)

Nature Stacks: 1/6

Wed Jul 07, 2021 12:30 am

Kenshin, as per usual, could be found within the morgue of Sunagakure, working on his experiments in peace. The Commander of the Medical Corps, and the head of the hospital, was honestly getting rather bored. At this point he simply trained to keep his edge, not even to get any stronger… because that was now next to impossible. He could simply branch outwards with what he knew. His work was, thankfully, enough to keep him busy. He had finished creating all the Anbu rules and regulations for Suna, and he was ready to hand it over to Ibari… he simply needed the man to start taking things a bit more seriously beforehand.

He was brought out of his musings by a knock the door.

“Enter!” He would call, scribbling down a few last notes in his journal before closing the leatherbound book and turning to face the door.

WC: 148

Fri Jul 09, 2021 11:07 am

Upon receiving permission to enter the office Sebastian slowly opened the door before setting foot into the morgue where he'd find Kenshin working on what seemed to be experiments. "I see you've got your hands full, Lord First. I hope I'm not interrupting?". Assuming he didn't get sent away the young Tau would make his way further into the office. It had been quite a while since he found himself in Sunagakure's morgue for the first time, he remembered it happening after officially meeting with the Kazekage and the offer of being accepted as a member of the village. "Last time we met you were still wearing the Kage hat, obviously you've passed the torch to Mizuki now, how come?". It wasn't so much as Sebastian doubting that the Lady in Red would make a great leader, it was more him trying to understand the choice of passing on something you've worked so hard towards.

Whether or not Kenshin decided to share his thoughts on the matter Sebastian would quickly clarify his own reason for visiting. "Well, not that this is why I'm here of course. I'm sure you're wondering about why I came to visit". Finding the right words to express his thoughts or feelings was never the Tau's forte, so it took him a moment before being able to get it out. "As you already know from when you operated on me, I possess the Earth Grudge Fear bloodline. And although I'm more than aware of the abilities it grants me I'm wondering if there is more that I can learn about it". Being able to carry more than one heart as one of those abilities but in case there was more to it than that Sebastian wouldn't miss out on the opportunity.

Now that they were on the topic of bloodlines and whatnot he figured it might be a good time to bring up the other thing that was slightly bothering him. "As you told me the Natural Berserker is quite hard to control. So far nothing bad happened but I fear the moment I give in to the urge to rampage. Is there something I can do to learn how to control it?". Seeing as Sebastian wasn't the only one possessing Jugo DNA it made him wonder how the others were able to remain in control.

(WC: 390, TWC: 734)

Nature Stacks: 2/6

Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:06 am

Kenshin would eye the familiar form of his fellow Tau with a small smirk, he certainly felt more powerful than the last time they met… a very good thing, especially considering the man had chosen to ally himself with Sunagakure. He would question why exactly Kenshin chose to give up the title of Kazekage to Mizuki, something that he would give a small hum in response to, before deciding to actually answer the question.

“Now that is the question isn’t it… and isn’t it sad that you’re one of the first to really ask it. Heh, I chose to give up the title of Kazekage because it was never one that I truly desired… I have never had the desire to lead others, and I only took the title of Kazekage in the first place because Sunagakure needed a strong leader to rally behind, and a name that would scare off any that wanted to screw with us in the early days. I was the perfect First for the village… someone that could create the strong foundation that Suna needed and form the shinobi force into what it needed to be… but I was never going to stay the leader of the village as a whole. Mizuki has a lot of key qualities that I lack, and those qualities are what make her a much better leader for the village as a whole than I... heh, there is far more to being a good Kage than simple power.” The Raggedy Man would explain, not giving any concrete examples of what traits he was missing and Mizuki possessed, or the traits that he had and Mizuki didn’t… because he didn’t need to. His point lost nothing either way.

Sebastian would then reveal why he had come to see him this day, and it was for two reasons, the first was to see what secrets Kenshin knew of the Earth Grudge Fear that he may be unaware of, and the second was to ask how he could truly come to control the urges of the Natural Berserker bloodline. Thankfully, Kenshin could help him in both regards.

“You have come to the right person for answers to both of those questions, so I will start with the simpler of the two. For you to truly master the power of the Natural Berserker… you will need to attain mastery over the energy that you have gained access to, and that will mean you’ll need to study and train with it more. Sage Mode is an invaluable tool, but it isn’t the only such way of Mastering it… I won’t be giving you too much help here, because you’ll need to discover through your own testing which method works best for you.” The Ragdoll would explain to his fellow, although he wouldn’t provide too much information once more. This though, was so that Sebastian could find what method worked best for him… there was no guarantee that he would pick up Sage Mode as naturally as he had, and he knew that Ibari had access to something similar yet vastly different.

“Now… regarding the power of our shared bloodline… Well, allow me to show you one of the greatest feats a wielder of the Earth Grudge Fear can possess.” With that bit of dramatics said, Kenshin would turn away from Sebastian and lift his shirt over his head, revealing the albino skin of his back… adorned with countless stitches, and 5 masks. Without any preamble the mast that sat in the centre of his back, a birdlike mask covered in glowing red runes, would begin to twitch before violently tearing itself from his back, the black threads that made up its body taking the shape of a twisted and deformed bird. Kenshin himself continued to face away from Sebastian as the eyeless mask of the creature stared directly at him.

“This technique is one known as the Masked Beasts, and it is one that you won’t gain access too until you have more hearts… you see, behind each of those masks, is one of my hearts. One of each element… and I maintain a connection to them, their vision is linked to mine… and I am able to perform techniques of that hearts element through them.” He would reveal, a small smirk as he allowed the mask before Sebastian to perform the Fire Stream

“I’m sure you can see the benefits of this technique can’t you? Especially when you consider the fact that the beasts are able to fly… AND the vast majority of your arsenal can be performed by the beasts without the need for handseals. Only extremely complex techniques, S-ranks, will require handseals… but even then, YOU are the one to form them, so you could use your beast to get close and perform a technique without putting yourself in true danger.”

With that explained, Kenshin would recall the beast, and it would seemingly jump at his back… but before impacting it would seem to lose its form and be sucked into his body, the mask on its face clasping to his back before threads quickly stitched it back in position. He would then put his shirt on once more, and turn to face Sebastian… a truly amused smirk on his face as he started at his fellow.

WC: 885

Thu Jul 15, 2021 7:28 pm

For now Sebastian decided to listen and let Kenshin explain his reasoning for stepping down and appointing Mizuki as his successor, leaving the spot of Kazekage to her. "Desire" the young Tau spoke under his breath as The First mentioned how the position of leadership didn't fall under anything he would consider something he ever wanted. In some sense it was the same for Sebastian. He as well never inspired to become a leader, a figure others could look up to. Truth be told, it would be a rather peculiar sight or situation. What did it even mean to desire something in the first place? To long for or crave a certain thing. People desired different things. Some wanted peace, whereas others were looking for love. But most desired one and the same, power. And Sebastian would be no different.

The Tau's wish to grow stronger and become more powerful was one of the main reasons he came to the Land of Wind and joined Sunagakure. Perhaps one could say that his search for power also lead him to meet with Kenshin once more, hoping to find the answer to his questions and a solution for his problems. Fortunately for the Berserker his fellow Tau possessed knowledge far beyond most people and was able to share with him information regarding both his inquiries, starting with the one regarding gaining control over the Natural Energy coursing through his body. "Hm, Sage Mode you say?", repeating one of the options mentioned by Kenshin he made sure to make note of such a tool that could possibly help him master the bloodline. But just like The First said, it would still be up to Sebastian to figure it out for himself.

For the other and first question the former Kazekage decided to take a different approach to explain, revealing his body, back facing Sebastian. What showed then was quite the sight indeed. A total of five masks revealing themselves on Kenshins back with one taking on the appearance of a bird-like creature all the while staring at Sebastian. "Impressive". Whereas most people would find such a scene horrifying the young Tau was in complete awe of what he saw, dumbfounded of what his bloodline was capable of. He continued to listen attentively while being explained how it worked exactly. The First Kazekage went on sharing the information regarding the technique and its name, Masked Beasts.

From what could be made out of, it seemed those possessing the Earth Grudge Fear were able to perform it once they gained access to multiple hearts considering each of them was tied to one of the basic elements. "Amazing". Apparently his vocabulary of the day existed of singular words, only to prove how astounded he was. It seemed not only were they tied to the elements, the Tau were also able to connect with them, able to link with and see through them. Once he was done demonstrating Kenshin covered his body again after putting his shirt back on. "Truly fascinating. But I doubt you're telling me to go out and kill to get my hands on a couple of more hearts" Sebastian would grin, aware his fellow Tau might be able to help with that.

(WC: 539, TWC: 1273)

Nature Stacks: 3/6

Fri Jul 16, 2021 9:05 pm

As Sebastian expressed his belief that Kenshin wasn’t telling him to go out and start ripping hearts out left and right The Ragdoll would give a small smirk.

“You would be correct. You see… not all hearts will be compatible, in my own experience they typically have to come from enemy shinobi or exceptionally powerful martial artists or weaponry experts, although there have certainly been exceptions. However, you will be glad to know that I personally have quite a number of hearts in storage, and I am more than willing to sell you a few of them. I have hearts of all elements, and I am willing to sell you each heart for only 5,000 ryo.” The Raggedy Man would say with an easy grin on his face, more than happy to help out a fellow Earth Grudge Fear user, doubly so since this one was a Sunagakure shinobi.

Hearts themselves, unfortunately, served no purpose to anyone that wasn’t a Tau, as the organ itself was not able to give one access to the bloodlines of its initial carrier.

WC: 180

Tue Jul 20, 2021 9:54 pm

Just as he hoped for and much to his relief Sebastian was informed Kenshin was indeed able to help his fellow Tau with attaining a couple of more hearts needed in order to perform the technique shown to him only moments ago. The young Berserker listened attentively as The First explained and shared his own experiences when it came to collecting those hearts. Apparently most of them came from enemy shinobi or experts in their own field of expertise. Made sense, considering you wouldn't simply go to the closest grocery store nearby asking for a couple of hearts. Well, at least not those kind.

After hearing how much each heart would cost him Sebastian reached in his side pocket before taking out a small bag. "Hm, three times five, should be fifteen thousand ryo". Placing the money on Kenshin's desk the Tau then quickly added the ones he was looking for. "Oh right, I almost forgot. The hearts I'm missing would be Fire, Wind, Lightning". Perhaps it wasn't exactly the right way of putting it, however those were the ones Sebastian needed in order to possess all five basic elements. For now the only thing Sebastian could do was wait and hope Kenshin had those specific three in storage.

(WC: 209, TWC: 1482)

Nature Stacks: 4/6

Sat Jul 24, 2021 9:59 pm

Kenshin would watch as Sebastian withdrew and counted 15,000 ryo, before placing it down on The Ragdoll’s desk and specifying that he was after Fire, Wind and Lightning hearts. Ken would quickly gather the hearts from the bodies he had stored within the morgue's cooling chambers. The Wind heart came from Shichiro Kaguya, the Lightning heart from Nobunaga Hiyu, and the Fire Heart from Mikata Uchiha. All in all the gathering portion would only take roughly two minutes, and Kenshin would place all three hearts down on the table in front of Sebastian before taking the money and simply pocketing it.

“And there you are, three hearts, one Lightning, one Wind and one Fire. With this you’ll have access to all of the elements, and with some training you’ll even be able to use the Masked Beasts I demonstrated for you earlier.”

WC: 143

Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:08 pm

Gladly accepting the three hearts, those being Fire, Wind and Lightning, the young Tau smiled all the while listening to Kenshin explaining how Sebastian would be able to get access to all five basic elements. With the right amount of training even the Masked Beasts technique would no longer be out of his grasp. "Thank you Lord First. With this I can take another step in the right direction". Even though the way on the road was still long, he got closer to his search for power yet again. It would only be a matter of time before the Berserker could be considered one of the strongest forces in the Land of Wind. Of that he was certain.

Still impressed with one of the techniques belonging to the Earth Grudge Fear bloodline Sebastian couldn't help but wonder if there were more like that out in the world. "If you don't mind, are there similar jutsu like the one you showed me? And if so, how likely is it for me to obtain them?". Although chances were it would take him quite some time before he was able to come in possession of those powerful techniques it didn't mean he'd pass on at least gaining some knowledge.

(WC: 206, TWC: 1688)

Sun Aug 01, 2021 6:27 am

When Sebastian asked about similar techniques The Legendary Ragdoll would give a light hum.

“I truly don’t know if there are other Tau techniques of similar power that exist, because truthfully I haven’t focussed all that heavily on using our shared bloodline anymore than simply using the threads and the Beasts. Something that I can inform you of, however, is the existence of some very powerful techniques that exist within Sunagakure. These techniques are… unique to our village, and are techniques that may only be learned by those that truly prove their worth to those of us that sit at the top of the village's ladder. Prove yourself worthy of them, prove your loyalty to Sunagakure… and I will be more than happy to personally teach you some of them.” The Raggedy Man would declare with a light challenging smirk.

Assuming that was all, and Sebastian left, Kenshin would turn back to his journal and begin making some more notes

WC: 160

[Exit]

TWC: Discarding

Claiming 15,000 ryo, giving Sebastian the hearts of Nobunaga, Shiichiro and Mikata

619k + 15k = 634k

Heart to Heart (Kenshin)

Heart to Heart (Kenshin)

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Re: Heart to Heart (Kenshin)