Third Eye Open

After his trip to the Land of Hot Springs, Guren had been in a state of deep thought. The Valley of Hell had revealed itself to be so much more than what Guren had previously thought. It was not just a death site of his clan, but it was also a place of life. The Chinoike in hiding were thriving under the blessings of Jashin. In their minds they were happy, hopeful, and sanctified. They were cursed with dealing with the troubles of the world and so they avoided outside influences. Their bodies were pure, belonging only to their clan. It was almost like a revelation to Guren. Had he become a monster? Had he lost sight of the ambitions he proclaimed when setting out from Kumogakure all those years ago? Perhaps. But revisiting the Valley of Hell and learning the truth about his clan gave him a moment of clarity. 

It led him back to Sunagakure’s hospital, seeking an audience with Kenshin once again. There had been quite some time since Guren last interacted with the Kazekage. This was primarily due to Guren’s extensive leave of absence while conducting external missions. But also, the First was hard to keep track of. Nevertheless, Guren supposed he may find Kenshin in his place of passion. As he walked through the hospital, Guren made his way to the exterior of the room that he first met Kenshin in. Raising his dominant hand to the door, he closed his fist and then knocked three times. Hopefully the Ragdoll was here.

WC = 257

Hearing the resounding, “Enter” was a flashback for Guren. All the way to when he had first met Kenshin in this very room. His voice, identical to how Guren remembered. The Vulture couldn’t help but smile at how reminiscent it all was. And it was exciting to be coming back to this place after all this time and all Guren had gone through. Not only on business, but also just to check in on a friend. 

Guren would push the door open firmly, and as it swung open he caught a quick glimpse of the Ragdoll. Guren would slowly walk into the room, slightly taken back by the appearance of the man. With a puzzled expression on his face, Guren would analyze the man’s looks. Was this really Kenshin? How much time had passed since the two last saw each other? There was no chance that Kenshin had aged so significantly in such a short period of time, perhaps this was some sort of disguise or jutsu he was upholding? Regardless of what it was, Guren could understand. He too would look different from the last time Kenshin had seen him. His face was no longer bare, as it bore a light beard. His hair was braided, and shaved on the sides. Quite different from the full head of hair that Guren once had. Still though, the differences were negligible and he still looked like himself. 

His face transition to a smile when he overcame the initial shock of seeing Kenshin. Now he approached the former kazekage’s desk. “Lord Kenshin, it’s a pleasure seeing you again. Your new look fits your personality,” Guren would say in a warm tone. Upon reaching Kenshin’s location, he would extend a closed fist to offer a welcoming fist bump. Whether or not the Ragdoll chose to reciprocate it would be up to him. Following this, Guren would take a seat across from Kenshin and look him in the eyes. “I know you are a busy man, so I want to keep our meeting straightforward. But of course if you want to take some time and catch up, we can. Nevertheless I am here before you today as I wanted to inquire on purchasing some organs from you.” Guren would motion his hand towards his eye which bore the deactivated Seigan. “The first being my old Ketsuryugan, along with my old organs. Additionally I’m curious to hear if you have any other dojutsu such as the Byakugan in your inventory as well. I’m interested in doing some research, as literature can only get me so far…Of course, I’m willing to pay whatever your prices are!”

Guren sought to offer some assurance to Kenshin, as the last time he had come to the kage he was…nicely put, low on funds. Yet since conducting numerous missions as a shinobi of Sunagakure, Guren had accumulated a fair share of ryo. He had no clue of what prices Kenshin would set, nor if the former kazekage would be willing to set Guren more organs, but it was worth a shot. While he waited for Kenshin’s response, he lowered his hands to rest on the arms of the chair he sat within and leaned his back against the body of the chair. His face, determined yet cordial. Interestingly enough, Kenshin partially inspired Guren’s interest in medical research. Since their first meeting, Guren became a student of the iryojutsu arts. So much so that he became quite proficient in the discipline. Perhaps the Ragdoll would be able to discern this just by hearing Guren’s intentions.

WC = 594. TWC = 851

Upon hearing the price from Kenshin, Guren would laugh slightly. Of course he was able and willing to pay, however he didn't expect to empty his entire wallet in one trip! Nevertheless, this was the nature of organ trade. And truthfully these were good deals. Smiling to himself, he'd prop his left arm up and tuck it downward towards his item pouch from which he would retrieve his wallet. He'd direct his attention downward towards the wallet, and visually sift through his ryo. Luckily, Guren would have just more than what Kenshin's price was at. Realizing the position he was, Guren figured he might as well inquire about the other thing that had been piquing his interest. He casually placed his wallet on Kenshin's desk, and would lightly slide it forward. 

"Well! We're talking about quite a bit of Ryo. But your prices are fair, and you're just about the only person I'd be willing to give that much money to!" Guren began with a laugh. "In my wallet I have just over 155,000 ryo. After purchasing the dojutsu, I'll have about 15,000 ryo left. I wouldn't suppose you'd have DNA from the Kaguya Clan? Upon doing some reading, I believe there's strong potential for there to be synergy between my blood release and the Kaguya Clan's bone release. If you do, could you also package that for me and deduct the necessary amount of ryo from the wallet? And don't laugh about how little I have left after!"

Although their time was short, Guren very much appreciated these quick moments with Kenshin. He saw the Ragdoll as not only a mentor and a Kage he would serve til his death, but also a good friend. So even though this was a business transaction, it was also a pleasant catch up with the First. And judging by the twinkle in Kenshin's eye, Guren supposed that he was proud of Guren growing fond of the iryojutsu discipline.

WC = 326. TWC = 1177

Guren pondered who that good friend of Kenshin's could be. Realistically, everyone in Sunagakure was a bit of an abomination so it could have been anyone. Guren smiled though, as he was one too. And a repeat customer officially! He too laughed as Kenshin mentioned that most customers of such a lucrative business spent their fortunes here. But it was to be expected. And Guren amassed his own small fortune so that he could do the same. It would serve well in his own experiments, and for his abilities. 

With a smile on his face, Guren would perk up at the challenge presented by Kenshin. Perform a series of transplants on himself, and in return Guren would be taught something personally developed by the First. It was quite an offer, one Guren couldn't refuse. And besides, it wasn't everyday that he would be presented with an opportunity to impress the former Kazekage. Guren straightened himself in his seat, retrieved precisely 150,000 ryo from it, and sat it firmly on Kenshin's desk. "This is quite an opportunity," he said as he retrieved his wallet and returned it to his possession. It was far less heavy than it had been before. Maybe this was a blessing, as it was less weight for him to carry and another chance to gain more ryo. "One that I cannot refuse. When else will I get the opportunity to perform surgery on myself in the presence of such a well esteemed spectator and dear friend?" 

Guren would let out a light laugh, and stand from his seat. He'd walk over to the draining table and briefly glance at the lineup of organs upon it. With a spin of the spiked ring upon his left hand, and a short series of handseals from that same hand, a blood clone would spawn several feet away from Guren. The clone would already understand its assignment: simple surgery. And so it would prepare itself, and move the organs securely onto a standing surgical tray which also contained all of the surgical tools. Along with Guren, the two should complete the surgery without flaw. And it would begin by Guren performing two sets of hand seals, one on each hand. The left, performing that of the chakra anesthetic. The right, performing that of the mystical palm. With its left hand, the clone would maneuver over to the draining board and grab ahold of a pair of forceps from the surgical tray. 

Guren himself, would lay upon the table then direct his chakra anesthetic hand down and to his midsection, subsequently warming and numbing the area. When this was complete, Guren would nod and the clone would grab ahold of an adjacent clean scalpel from the standing surgery tray and place it along the numbed section. The clone would make a precise incision, no longer or deeper than necessary. Resultantly Guren would direct his right hand within the proximity of the wound, funneling only enough chakra to subside the bleeding. The clone would then proceed to precisely enter Guren's body with the scalpel, and sever only the connecting tissue surrounding Guren's own Chinoike organ. With success, the clone would stick the forceps into the wound and retrieve the Chinoike organ out from Guren's body. He would remove the tools, then place the Chinoike organ next to the Kaguya organ. Within seconds, he would use the forceps to grip the Kaguya organ, then insert it into the place where the Chinoike organ had been removed from. Upon concluding this, Guren would intensify his chakra output to continuously numb the pain and restore the connecting tissues around the organs. Now installed, the Kaguya organ would function properly and this surgery was a success. The clone would remove the forceps from Guren's body, and Guren would instantly heal this wound until all damage was healed and he was stiched up.

"Well, one down. One to go!" Guren said with a gleeful look on his face. It was the first time he had performed surgery on himself, and it had gone swimmingly. The next step, was to extract the Seigan and replace it with a Byakugan. Guren would move his hands away from his midsection, and now towards his eye. Resultantly, his eye would be numbed and the mystical palm would be on standby to heal any wounds. Without losing momentum, the clone would take the forceps and navigate them towards Guren's eye which contained the Seigan. They would lightly grab ahold of Guren's eyelid, and softly pull it out so it was comfortably outstretched. The clone would take take the scalpel, and make a small incision just above the exterior of Guren's eye. Once made, the clone would direct the scalpel deeply and slowly, until it reached the ocular nerve and surrounding tissue. It would start to sever the Seigan from its connection to Guren's body. When almost complete, the clone would softly retreat its hold on Guren's eyelid until it was completely retracted. The clone would remove the forceps from gripping the eyelid, and would now move them to hold the Seigan softly. And in one quick instant, the cut was performed and the Seigan would pop out of Guren's eye. It would immediately be gripped by the forceps, to which the clone would move and direct it back to the standing surgical tray until it was placed securely down. Guren himself would be continuing his chakra expulsion, healing and numbing the wound as the surgery carried on. Throughout this entire process he felt nothing but a small twinge of pressure. Not pressure from a fear of hurting himself. No, he had all the confidence in the world. But more so pressure as to what the Ragdoll thought of Guren's display so far. In any case, the clone would set the scalpel down and with the forceps, he would lightly grab ahold of just one of the Byakugan on the tray. The clone would use one hand to further open Guren's eye socket. Then with excellent accuracy, the clone would maneuver the forceps towards Guren's eye socket, and softly guide the Byakugan to fit within the void. And through the use of the mystical palm, the connection to the Byakugan would be restored and Guren would again be able to see from both eyes. 

He would blink a few times, as the sensation of foreign organs within his body was quite strange. But nevertheless he could see through both eyes, and his body felt to be in tip top shape. He wouldn't even had known surgery was performed on him if he was unconscious. As the mystical palm finished healing the wound and restoring the connection between the Byakugan and Guren's ocular nerve, Guren would cease his chakra expulsion and the mystical palm and the chakra anesthetic would dissolve. The clone would take the time to gather the Seigan, Chinoike organ, and the recently purchased Ketsuryugan all together. He would place the trio of organs into three separate and small glass jars. When secured inside, the clone would perform two hand seals, characteristic of the storage displacement technique, and subsequently suffuse the three glass jars containing organs within its own chakra. With that, Guren would look towards the clone, nod, and dispel him. The clone, along with the stored organs would dissipate and be transferred back within Guren's own chakra network. Guren would sit up from the draining table, stand, and direct his attention to the First Kazekage.

"Well, what do you think? Not too shabby huh?" Guren said with a slight chuckle, extension of his arms, and a complete 360 body twirl. 

WC: 1269. TWC = 2446

In his new and improved state, Guren would proudly stand before Kenshin and receive his compliment. It was a nice feeling to be able to impress one of the higher ups in the village, and truthfully there weren't many other opportunities Guren had on a daily basis to do so. And as promised, Kenshin would now look to teach Guren a jutsu of his own creation. Someone as revered and decorated as Kenshin likely had more jutsu learned and developed than they would have days alive, so truthfully there was no telling just what this jutsu could be. With both of his eyes' dojutsu activated, Guren would keenly watch every little single detail the Ragdoll would execute. From the subtleties of the handseals, to the expulsion and spawning of the red orbs, and finally their leisurely floating around Kenshin's body. It was truly marvelous, especially considering the thorough description of what the technique could actually be used for. With two forms of the Scarlet Spheres, it would appear as if they could be used either offensively or palliatively. Either way there was significant utility that this jutsu provided, and based on the passion for iryojutsu that both Guren and Kenshin displayed, the Chinoike could understand why Kenshin sought to teach him this technique. However not only was the technique damaging to enemies and their equipment, but it could also be harmful to the user. It would be important to avoid any type of friendly fire with this one.

"Such a jutsu's potential need no explanation. Thank you my friend. I appreciate your willingness to teach me something of this caliber. As insignificant as it may be to you, this is truly an important point in my shinobi career." Guren would say with the authentic resolve in his unwavering voice.

He would go on to repeat the handseals he had just watched Kenshin perform, and carefully manifest his chakra to disperse and agglomerate in multiple sections of his body into the shapes of orbs. Upon realization of these orbs formulating within his body, Guren would expect his chakra outward to produce and project 15 spheres outside of his body. They would, like Kenshin's, travel omnidirectionally no more than a couple inches off Guren's body, and levitate. Lackadaisically, they would hover and circumnavigate Guren's body. They were crimson red, a bit darker than Kenshin's own. Perhaps influenced by Guren's blood ridden chakra. Upon successful creation of said spheres, Guren felt pleased with his initial attempt at the technique and would dispel their presence. They would revert back inside his body, and subsequently he would present a smile of satisfaction. 

Upon conclusion of the banishment of said spheres, the lesson was completed. Guren would nod in appreciation of Kenshin's time and would in turn bid him ado. "Thank you for the lesson, I will continue to practice it and refine its precision. Additionally, thank you for your business today. Perhaps when we next meet we can do so when we both have more time." With that, Guren would turn in place and exit from the room, with the intentions of heading off to the training grounds to practice the jutsu in his newly upholstered body. 

-Exit-
WC = 532. TWC = 2978
50% Claims, Learning from Kenshin:
- 2500 towards Scarlet Spheres (2500/2500) - S, Replacing Rhythm Echo

25% Max Stat Claims
- 403 towards Summoning Technique (750/750) - rest learned here

Ryo Claims
- Deducting 150,000 Ryo
- New Total = 5650

Organ Claim
- Removing 1, Level 3 Seigan from Guren's Left Eye
- Removing 1, Left Chinoike Kidney from Guren
- Installing 1, Byakugan into Guren's Left Eye Socket
- Installing 1, Left Kaguya Kidney into Guren

Storage Displacement
- Storing 1, Level 3 Seigan
- Storing 1, Left Chinoike Kidney
- Storing 1, Ketsuryugan
- Total Storage Displacement Slots Occupied: 3/30

Approved