A Bitter Pill [P, Goto]

Lachesis woke up from the nightmare with a pounding heart, a dead figure at her feet, and a rapidly cooling organ clenched in her fingers.

The cloaked stranger was slowly dissipating- leaving nothing but a robe behind- but the organ remained.

What the fuck?

She looked down. Her arms and torso were littered with scrapes and bruises, but her left hand was dyed bright red. The kidney- it WAS a kidney, right?- was resting innocuously on her palm. What the fuck? The Yuki swallowed heavily, yet she felt as if a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders. Whatever the source of these nightmares- it was gone now. And apparently she killed it.

…

Fucking hell. She sealed the organ in a scroll with little thought- she would likely need to provide it as evidence of some sort later on- and made her way directly to the training ground. She needed to punch something. Several somethings, preferably.

The jounin stormed into the room with little thought for who or what she passed along the way, finding a familiar mildew scented corner, and punched the nearest training dummy with enough force to send it toppling.

Fucking. DAMN it.

She coated her fist with bitter cold and slammed it down again, and again, and again, until her arms were nearly purple with bruises, frostnip, and potential fractured bones alike. They throbbed distantly, as if far away.

Shit was never simple, because of COURSE it couldn’t be, but sometimes, she really and truly wished it was.

[WC: 252]
[Total WC: 252]

Vague memories of a fight between mysterious creatures and Konohagakure forces kept him awake all night, a fuzzy feeling messing with his thoughts almost as if they wanted to tell him something. "That same dream again" Goto muttered as he splashed some water on his face while looking in the mirror. Those nightmares prevented the silver haired from being able to deal with another mess he created, well not quite. Although the young Senju was the one taking the life of a foolish individual he could hardly be held responsible and would be without blame. If he didn't act that day then it would have been his corpse sealed inside a scroll instead of the one who dared attacking him.

Trying to move on before deciding what to do with said body the Deputy soon made his way to the training grounds hoping some fresh air allowed the youngster to take his mind off certain things. Casually walking around, dressed in the usual black outfit with the same colored boots it didn't take him all that long to arrive at the location he had in mind. It appeared not many found their way to the training grounds, a couple of people were training here and there but nothing too seriously or so it seemed. In the distance Goto could notice the punches made out of frustration, a slightly angered kunoichi taking her emotions out on one of the many training dummies present.

Walking over while getting a familiar feeling almost as if he met her somewhere before, keeping a distance as not to startle the woman considering she appeared to be completely absorbed in giving the dummy a beating of a lifetime. "Should I have this one replaced after you're done with it?". Assuming the kunoichi had calmed down by then perhaps they could have a conversation to find out what exactly was bothering her. 

(WC: 315)

Lachesis nearly snarled at the arrival of the stranger. She whipped around and-

It was another Konoha ninja. Not… anyone else.

She exhaled slowly, clenching her purpling fists just hard enough to hurt. “Sure, go nuts.” she muttered to herself, rubbing the offending appendages slowly enough to try and stimulate bloodflow. Her body never rose above room temperature, even in blistering heat, but she could pretend, at least.

Still, something about the stranger seemed familiar. Perhaps they had met in passing, or otherwise been on a mission once long ago. Normally, she’d keep such thoughts to herself- it wasn’t anyone’s business what happened to her but HER, after all, but…

Perhaps her exhaustion and stress alike had weakened her filter. “You been having weird dreams recently?” if he knew, he knew. If not… She’d probably just look like a lunatic. Hopefully she wouldt have to go through a psych eval for this.

Inhale. One, two, three. And… Breath out. Her pulse thundered frantically, but at a lesser pace than it had been a few minutes ago. Why had she said all of that, anyway? “Just forget about it, I guess.” she added after a few moments of near unbearable quiet. “Bein’ paranoid.” She flexed her fingertips, oddly tense despite the relative calm of the situation currently at hand.

[WC: 218]
[Total WC: 470]

It appeared her frustration had yet to disappear, the woman still filled with certain emotions caused by something unkown. Or was it? Whereas the first sentence was one muttered to herself, the second would be one directed towards Goto, one that confirmed his earlier feeling of looking familiar to each other. "Dreams, nightmares, you name it". The Senju briefly explained the fuzzy feelings, memory loss and vague thoughts of things happening to him in a mysterious village. Perhaps they were similar to what the kunoichi was referring to. "But now I'm back here, doing my best to fix the current state of Konohagakure". Not exactly a one man's job but he had to start somewhere.

Assuming she wasn't done with the training dummy yet Goto would create some distance between the two of them, allowing her to take out whatever needed to get out of the woman's system. Forming three specific hand seals, Hare - Ram - Snake, the silver haired infused chakra into the ground, raising the surrounding terrain as he created a new platform for him to sit on. Sure, he could easily lean against a tree nearby but where would be the fun in that? Just as the kunoichi was about to flex her fingertips the Senju figured introductions were in order. "Goto Senju, Deputy Kage. And who might you be?". Adjusting his position on the newly made chair Goto would be awaiting an answer. 

(WC: 236, tWC: 551)

“...” The deputy was young.

She- well. Wasn’t sure what to say. The state of Konohagakure was rough; and honestly, if he stepped up, good for him. Sage knew she’d be infinitely worse than other options in a position of authority. “...Lachesis Onomori.” she introduced after a moment, eyeing the wooden chair that had sprouted from solid earth. She wouldn’t elaborate on rank, though it was less out of an expectation of him to know her, and more… It just didn’t occur to say it aloud. Rank hadn’t meant that much since the Kirigakure assimilation and the gradual desertion and dissolution of much of Konohagakure’s forces.

She’d scratch her nose after a moment, not caring much for the sting of her fingers or the grime that wiped off onto her face. Her body temperature was almost certainly subzero at the moment- but it’d warm up to room temperature soon enough. Although…

…

She did have that kidney from earlier. She’d need evidence, or proof, or whatever, of the cultist’s (it was a cultist, right? Why was she so certain of it…?) infiltration. After a moment, she pulled out the scroll from earlier, running her finger over the near illegible kanji until she formed the four appropriate handseals- dog, snake, ram, and ox.

The offending organ appeared innocuously in her hand, and she near thrust it forward.

“Woke up with this in my hand and a body in my bedroom. The rest turned to ash quickly enough. Dunno if there’s an official procedure for this, but figure you’d at least like it recorded for evidence purposes or whatever.” it dripped concerningly onto the floor. She probably wasn’t winning any points with sanitation…

[WC: 280]
[Total WC: 750]

A name, finally. Whereas his last encounter refused to give one and instead went for Goto's life the kunoichi went for a more normal approach. Well, until she decided to pull out a scroll only to reveal an organ. "Waking up with an organ and a dead body in your room? Talk about first dates gone wrong" the Senju softly spoke upon witnessing the whole event. Summoning a cooler of his own, cause no way in hell would he make this any more awkward than it already was, the silver haired carefully placed it inside for further inspection. For a second it got him all worried someone found the corpse inside his office but for as far as he could remember that one would be safely sealed away as well.

Using his medical knowledge to figure out what they were dealing with the Deputy did some tests before making sure to be correct. "Alright, let's see what we have here shall we?". A body turning to ash, it sounded more like a vampire than anything but that would be a story for another time. "It looks like this organ belongs to the Kaguya clan" he started his explanation, thinking how ironically it was the same his attacker possesssed. "It's called Shikotsumyaku, those with this bloodline have a different body structure than others". Goto continued to explain how those of the clan were said to be quite savage, having a thirst for battle.

Of course Lachesis didn't ask for the private medical lesson but now that he had started the Senju might as well see it through. "To put it shortly, the Kaguya are able to weaponize their bones with most of their members being proficient in Taijutsu and Weaponry". He then placed the cooler next to him, ready to answer any questions the kunoichi might have. "Trust me, I'm a doctor". Sitting back in his chair made out of earth he then simply waited in case she wanted to know more.

(WC: 331, TWC: 882)

Lachesis was by no means a medic. Her understanding of the human body extended exclusively to how it could be taken apart. “Wouldn’t be the first,” she muttered in response to the Senju’s comment about dates gone wrong. She wouldn’t lie and say she wasn’t on edge around the stranger, but he could likely tell that it wasn’t personal. The Yuki clan member was distant at the best of times, and the fact that he apparently just carried around a cooler full of organs didn’t make it easier. She wasn’t sure if she should be amused and worried, or worried and amused.

The Kaguya clan was something she was somewhat familiar with, but moreso in passing than anything else. They, like the Yuki, Hozuki, and Hoshigaki, made up for one of the founding clans of old Kirigakure. But she couldn’t say with confidence she’d ever met one- until now, anyway. Weaponizing bones… Hm.

“Is that some kinda medical thing? The bone shit.” she hummed the question out after a moment. The taijutsu part was… Unfortunate. But…

Weapons of bones.

She didn’t like the idea of taking out bits of herself, only to slowly replace the parts with patchwork pieces of others. The concept itself was- sickening. She didn’t mind if others did so- what they did in their own time was their business and not hers. The Onomori’s phobia wasn’t quite irrational, she’d argue, but…

She twiddled her fingers at her sides. How much of Konoha’s downfall would she have been able to prevent had she just-

Tried harder?

Personal reservations had no room to exist in ninja life. Not when they impacted more people than herself, anyway.

“Can you-” a pause, as she swallowed the words “-put that in me?” the phrasing was questionable, but the question was genuine.

[WC: 300]
[Total WC: 1,050]

It appeared the kunoichi had only two questions, maintaining her ice cold demeanor, pun intended. "Depends how you look at it, I suppose". From the looks of things it seemed the woman would be rather interested in the Shikotsumyaku bloodline, not that he could blame her. Those who know its abilities and use it right would find a great tool in them. Her willingness to find out more about the topic at hand only got confirmed with her next inquiry, albeit worded rather strange. "It's pick up lines like these that make you end up with a dead body in your room" the silver haired joked as he suddenly stood up.

Could Goto put the Kaguya bloodline inside someone else's body? Perhaps. Would it be smart? Maybe not. But would it turn out helpful in the long run? Most likely. The deputy had to think back to when both Ishi and himself underwent a transplant of their own, talking about how their village would have fared better if they had those powers from the beginning. "If you're certain this is what you want, but I suggest following me to the hospital. I would hate giving people the wrong idea of Konoha's training routine". Assuming Lachesis was in agreement he led her to one of the surgery rooms.

In case both of them made it there safe and sound the young Senju guided the kunoichi, suggesting to take place on the operating table so he could start the procedure soon. "This won't take long" he voiced, activating the Chakra Anesthetic in order to lessen the pain before a sharp, blue blade formed off his fingers. Making a cut deep enough Goto took out the woman's lung, replacing it with the Kaguya organ that funnily enough would be, a kidney. The boy then proceeded by forming the hand seals for the Mystical Palm technique, his hands glowing a gentle shade of green.

Letting the healing jutsu do its thing he put her Yuki organ in the cooler, not knowing when it could come in handy. "Once the effect of the anesthetic has worn off we can go back to the training grounds and you can check out the result". That is if she was up for it of course.

(WC: 377, TWC: 1259)

You know, I don't think this man's ever gone to medical school, she thought to herself, watching in muted shock as he slid out a lung from under her ribcage and replaced it with a kidney. Was this the power of medical ninjutsu? What the fuck? She didn't- she didn't give him permission to take her lung, but she'd let it happen; perhaps the shock of 'kidneys aren't supposed to go there' won out from her annoyance of participating in non consensual organ arbitrage.

She-

...

Is, is this what medics did in Konoha? Was there like, a manual? What was the procedure for a medical malpractice suit?... Not that it'd work against a deputy kage. Dammit. The anesthesia wore off relatively quickly, but her confusion certainly didn't. Would the lung affect her breath capacity? Would the transplant take? Why was there no antiseptic? Did the Senju even wash his hands?

She'd flex her shoulders and torso when done, moving this way and that as if to try and understand what had happened inside her body. There- was a big empty part, where her left lung used to be, and she was covered in blood and other fluids. The kidney sat painlessly, but part of her body was screaming that something was very much not right.

Lachesis blinked slowly at the deputy's request, considering her options. On the one hand- yes, he did technically give her the transplant she asked for, innuendos aside (she was nearly four years older? was he- into that?), and it WOULD be nice to have someone on hand should things go wrong, but on another hypothetical hand, would she really trust the medical advice of someone who put a kidney into her empty lung socket? She wanted to be optimistic, but she didn't get to jounin rank on faith alone.

"In theory, yeah," she answered carefully as if navigating a minefield, "but putting strain on the kidney immediately after surgery seems like a recipe for disaster. I'd rather wait a few days to see if there are any complications, if it's all the same to you."

[WC: 350]
[Total WC: 1,400]

Another successful surgery, he was getting the hang of it. Perhaps there would be a future as a doctor for him after all. It made sense that the kunoichi would rather wait a couple of days before putting things to practice, allowing herself some time to fully recover from the procedure. "Ah yes, of course". It wouldn't hurt to take it easy for the foreseeable time, letting everything heal accordingly. The Senju wasn't exactly an expert when it came to the Kaguya clan and their bloodline but he figured he might as well share some information on how Lachesis could make it her own.

Grabbing pen and paper Goto started writing things down. "Your body is still the same, but it underwent a change nonetheless" the deputy started his explanation. Once her body became adjusted to the Shikotsumyaku bloodline the woman could begin practicing and attempt to master it until the power truly felt her own. "I suppose in some way you can compare it to learning how to control your natural elements. Earth, for example". Goto formed a couple of hand seals, manipulating some of the surrounding area, using the earthen surface as a means to create constructs made out of earthen chakra.

It would be the first time the silver haired tried to teach someone, however he still tried his hardest to make everything clear. "Just how I used a pre-existing source to create something, you'll be able to use your bones as some sort of medium as well, using them as a medium for all different kind of techniques". The deputy continued explaining more, instructing Lachesis and using Earth release chakra as an example she could use in order to master the knowledge those of the Kaguya clan possessed. "I'll write down a couple of Water techniques that I think will be beneficial to you as well". A total of three, more than enough to start out with.

First, he wrote down the hand seals for the Water Dragon Whip technique, Tiger - Ram - Hare - Monkey - Tiger. This jutsu would create a sphere of water from an existing source from which many sharp whips of water emerge that can be directed towards and impale a target or multiple targets. Next up was Rain Tiger at Will with Bird - Rat - Ox - Monkey - Rat - Dragon - Ox - Snake as its handseals. Once those were complete it would allow the user to create dark rainclouds, effectively letting rain pour down from above. It could be used as a source for other water techniques as well as a means to increase your senses.

Last but not least Goto would write down the Water Shark Bullet technique. Bird - Rat - Dragon - Ram and from there the user could manipulate a volume of water with their hand thrusting in a direction and sending the shark forward. Once he was finished writing everything down the Senju would give the piece of paper to Lachesis, hoping the kunoichi would be able to learn whatever she wanted. "Was there anything else?". In case the woman had anymore questions Goto would answer them to the best of his abilities.

(WC: 519, TWC: 1778)