Into the Lions Den

The anticipation and rigidity of the lad’s muscles as witnessed by the red eye told Noboru that he was trying to hold back his excitement; he understood the feeling all too well. It was deserved, to be sure, but one must learn to temper pride with humility lest the shine of their glory blinds them from the pitfalls ahead. He also knew that all too well.

When answering to the Raikage’s proposed promotion, the orange haired colossus dropped to one knee, accepting the charge. Noboru always felt conflicted with these demonstrations of reverence; he felt he might not deserve it -- after all, the Jugo nearly caught him in a field that could’ve folded Noboru into a briefcase for all he knew -- yet it came with the territory, and it served him well to maintain this semblance of power whether he was the one yielding it or another. He motioned with his right hand twice upwards just as he disabled his techniques and dojutsu. “Glad to hear, now get back on your feet.”

He then halted himself as Satoru asked a question. “Go ahead”, he said, hearing the next question. “You are correct”, he confirmed, squinting his eyes ever so lightly as he listened to Satoru explain his findings regarding the red eye. Six months well spent indeed. He chuckled before explaining how it might be ironic for the hunted to scavenge themselves. Reflected in his words was the entire history of the Kumogakure, as well as speckles of Noboru’s own history. The Jugo asked if one such red eye might be available for sale, and further offered his own organs for the sake of the Kumogakure. Noboru chuckled, his eyebrows raising. “That’s quite generous of you, I’m sure our Hospital will be more than willing to take you up on that offer.” He scratched his hairline, thinking, before pointing it at Satoru momentarily as he spoke. “We recently came across two Sharingan, and both have been offered to two promising ninja from our village. Speak with Ichigo Sato anyway, if either of the candidates refused the eye, you can have it. I’ll write to Ichigo to inform him you’ll be coming. But there’s something else you should know.”

Satoru was definitely different, no longer the same lad that hunched over and wore a raggedy cloak and a gnarled stick. He bore himself proudly, looking over his shoulder only to find more people to drink with or to cover for his allies. ‘Twas near enough to make a grown man cry. But he halted himself. If Satoru was to take in organs and offer them willingly, and especially as a chunnin of the Kumogakure, he should know how Kumogakure operated.

“Every ninja of the Kumogakure is a tool for the village, the Raikage included. Tools of war to be used against the enemies of the Lightning Country, and tools of maintenance for the benefit of the country. As tools, in death, your bloodline will be recycled, so to speak. That is how we came about the Sharingan in Ichigo’s possession, as well as mine. Your willingness to share in life is commendable, still. I just think you deserve to know you are getting equipped with Kumogakure tools, for the benefit of the Kumogakure. It may be cruel, but in this world, we must do all we can to stay alive.”

“Now”, he snapped his fingers and brought back the robe and hat of the Raikage. “You are officially a chunin of the Kumogakure, so I expect you to behave as such. Visit me at my office, I want to learn more about this chakra control you discovered. I will also file your promotion into the system and you should see it reflected on your account. I have one last question though.”

“What was that field? Was it something like Temporary Paralysis?” He started to robe himself and adjust his hat back on his head.

Noboru listened intently to the lad as he rose from the ground and presented his theory on how Nobo might act, and as such, the use of a physical restrainer would’ve spelled trouble for the Raikage. Add to that the Swamp of the Underworld, a technique famous for ending anyone who skips leg day, and you’d have the recipe for disaster. That was a good confirmation that he had made a good decision in elevating this man to the rank of a chunin, he would’ve been wasted as a genin.

Satoru explained there were ways to counter it, and offered to place a seal on Noboru for that purpose. Noboru held up his right hand. “I would rather you teach me how to perform this seal. I am trying to… expand my portfolio, so to speak. I wouldn’t mind learning that body aura that you used, it probably boosts the power of your chakra, doesn’t it?”

Satoru didn’t take the Raikage for an expert in Fuuinjutsu and so the request to be taught both the seal and Satoru prior augmentation caught him off guard. Naturally, he obliged the Kage, “Yes it does augment chakra moulding capabilities.” He responded as he began showing the hand seals while explaining the method in which to mold the chakra relevant to the Seal of Protection while also covering the properties he would have to incorporate into the Seal to ensure that it’s functioning as intended.

If the Raikage was successful, Satoru would move onto the Soul Expulsion technique, mentioning: “This body aura also protects you from similar style weakening chakra to some degree.” He would add as he’d go onto explain the intricacies of forming the aura and how it shaped your soul after performing the seals. Naturally as someone who was more than adept in Ninjutsu, the Raikage would be able to pick this technique up with relative ease.

Once both techniques were taught and in turn learnt, Satoru would await patiently to be dismissed by the Raikage. Should he be dismissed, he would make his way out of the Arena collecting his Legacy Kunai in the process.

The young Jugo seemed to be surprised about the request, whether because Noboru didn’t strike him as a Fuinjutsu expert or because he was startled that the Raikage denied him the opportunity to apply a seal, he couldn’t really tell. But this was one of the rare instances in which Noboru was not driven by the paranoia of allowing someone to touch him, but rather by genuine curiosity of the art the Jugo could teach him.

Noboru paid attention to the man as he spoke, explaining the intricacies of the techniques, going through the hand seals, chakra molding, and application. The redhead was quite surprised by how enhancing his chakra volume differed from enhancing his musculature; he never felt power like this, and wondered what it would be like if he had greater chakra reserves to boost. On the other hand, he had never wondered what someone with greater chakra reserves felt about their own bodies; how could they live if they were so fragile was beyond him, but he had seen great feats from people who were not as physically capable as he was.

Thanking Satoru for his time in explaining the Soul Expulsion and Seal of Protection techniques, the two departed in different directions, the exam now finalized.