Friends again [Kenshin]

Tue Dec 07, 2021 8:11 pm

"Wonder what this occasion is about," he would say as he walked toward the spire to see a certain old friend of his that did not come out too often. He had heard Mizu was back in the village from a very reliable source, perks of being apart of the ANBU and yet he hadn't seen Kenshin in a while. Probably why he was being summoned to the old faithful hospital. As he walked in, he'd dust off some stray grains off of his cloak and smiled," Its been awhile since i've seen you. Old man in?," he'd smirk as he waited for her to respond. Once she did and he knew the instructions he would head on in and toward Kenshin. On arrival he would push open the door and smile," Well look who decided to finally send a message to their friends. You know...I almost thought you slipped into a coma or something Mr. Ragdoll," the sand brown haired male would say as he chuckled," But it is good to see you...alive? What happened to your hair and face...you an old fart now?," he would say as he pushed his cloak back. They both looked weird in a way that Ibari had sand brown hair and wore only pants and a cloak.

Sat Dec 18, 2021 2:44 pm

Mia would eye Ibari with a mixture of fondness and irritation, simply giving a mixture of a huff and a chuckle as she gestured her head down in the direction of the morgue.

“Of course he’s in, when isn’t he. Go on, best not keep him waiting” She would say with a small smirk.

------------------------

Inside the morgue the rather imposing figure of Kenshin could be seen, and for once the man wasn’t simply writing down notes from his latest experiments, or going over the experiment itself. No, he was lost in his own thoughts at the moment… specifically thoughts on how his plans as a whole had progressed over the last year. All in all… Some of the plans he had set in motion were progressing at a much faster and smoother rate than he had initially planned for, while others were progressing at a much slower and more disappointing rate. Overall though, the main plans that he cared for… along with his one true goal, had been one of the ones to progress a lot faster and smoother than he had initially planned for, and that was a very good thing. There were very few that The Ragdoll actually trusted, and among that small number there were only a couple that he had trusted with everything that he had planned… and one of those most trusted people was very the man that he had summoned to meet with him today.

Ibari… right from the start that man had been his ally, the two of them possessing a remarkably similar mindset, although in all honesty it was to be expected… after-all, they had both been born and raised within Konoha, and had both been little more than disposable leaves to The Great Tree. Yet… they both proved to be some of the rare cases in which the indoctrination of Konoha failed in a rather spectacular fashion, as they had both left their first home behind and defected…However , in spite of this, both of them had turned into shinobi that embodied the ideals of Old Konoha… the Konoha that had been led by Viper Uchiha. The only true difference, and the one thing that made them both more and less dangerous to the world as a whole… was that they had no true loyalty to Konoha itself or even the Fire Nation as a whole. They were simply bitter, broken tools… old and forgotten remnants of a bygone era that had been filled to the brim with monsters amongst men. They both valued strength above all else, and both despised weakness… So seeing the overall decline of the world and shinobi as a whole was enough to make both of them physically sick… and if they hadn’t met each other, likely enough to have made both give up.

The Ragdoll was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his door being opened… without the person knocking beforehand. He recognised the chakra signature immediately, but honestly, even without it he’d known it was Ibari… he was probably the only person in the village, save Lilith, that was ballsy enough to walk into his zone without knocking beforehand. With a light chuckle he would turn around and face his long-time friend and ally.

“If I had been placed in a coma I doubt you wouldn’t have already known… in fact, I’d wager that you’d try to attack my limp body to see whether I was faking it in some way.” The Reaper would say, his darkling eyes staring almost through Ibari with a blank look on his face… one that he could only maintain for a few seconds before a small smirk split his lips.

“It is good to see you again Ibari, believe it or not, but I have missed your company. And… I suppose the answer to your question is both a yes and a no, I used my Advanced Transformation to take on this appearance, but I am not physically this old… so yes and no, I simply LOOK like an ‘old fart’ now.” The Raggedy Man would explain, his smirk growing near the end as he added air quotes to the phrase that The Guardian had so lovingly used to describe him.

WC: 705

Mon Dec 20, 2021 6:04 am

“Well you got me there buddy. A medic nin like you being in a coma? Either you did it to yourself or someone caught you slipping and I would have to test the theory to make sure you weren’t just napping,” a small chuckle would escape his lips as he pulled up a chair and sat down in it looking around the area. When was it last that he had honestly been in here…Months? A year maybe? Time itself had begun to blur as he remembered the timeline of events that brought him to this very room initially. It was honestly baffling that he had retained a friendship this long and it was damn near safe to say he had found a brother in Kenshin though the thought was something he wasn’t going to necessarily voice at the moment.

Hearing what the male had done to give himself the appearance he would only nod and respond,” I see. Well then I guess with wisdom comes the appearance yeah? If you missed my company buddy it would do ya some good to get out a little more. It’s kinda boring just meandering the village and doing ANBU work. Lilith knows how to work a man to the bone and don’t even get me started on being around Han. Man’s a solid person but he can talk your ear off… or stare it off. Either one really,” bringing his eyes back to his old friend he would continue,” seems like an eternity since we were last in this room…. And yet things have progressively gotten better for the both of us huh?”

277 WC

Sat Jan 01, 2022 9:12 am

The Raggedy Man would share a chuckle with Ibari as the man took a seat, the only seat in the office, but the man knew well that Kenshin preferred to stand wherever possible. Perhaps it was his paranoia, or perhaps it was leftover trauma from being strapped to a table for over a year or experimentation, but Kenshin disliked sitting or lying in the same position for an overly long time. He preferred being able to walk freely, to stand… and better yet, his unique physique meant that he could feel no real difference between standing and sitting, so he didn’t get the same back, feet and knee pains that most got by standing for too long. The ‘elderly’ man would lean against the stainless steel desk, and would give a light smirk at Ibari’s suggestion that he get out more… really, he was right, and Kenshin knew it.

“I love Lilith, truly, but the woman is a menace. Even after retiring from the Anbu life she has kept herself busy with her Fuinjutsu, and I know that she has been annoying Junko quite often with her near endless offers to place some seals on her. I enjoy spending time with Han, he is as comfortable with silence as I am, and he is quite intuitive… he can tell when someone has their mind caught on something, and he tends to ramble on in those times to take their minds off of it… heh, the soft old fool.” The Ragdoll would reply, his darkling eyes twinkling fondly as he spoke of Han, Lilith and Junko, all of whom were part of the small handful of people that he would say he truly trusted, despite the knowledge that all of them were more loyal to Sunagakure itself than him at this point. But really… he had expected that from all of them, and he had no intention of leaving or betraying Sunagakure anytime soon… he had far too many plans and investments here for that.

“Yes… it has been quite some time since you last came here. I believe it was the time we exchanged your old eyes with the eyes of that pacifistic fool Zaine. And yes… our plans have progressed very well since then. Our little gamble paid off far better than I could have planned, and I have you to thank for that really… if you hadn’t pushed me, and all but forced me to put my pride aside for the good of our plan, we wouldn’t have come this far this quickly.” The Ragdoll would say, a small and amused smirk splitting his aged lips as his eyes bored into Ibari. He wasn’t one to give baseless praise, and Ibari knew that. Really, it had been the mans insistence that they go through with his biggest gambles in recent history that had put them in this position, and for that Kenshin was grateful. Their plans were progressing at a much faster rate than either had anticipated because of that gamble, and the quicker their plans progressed the better things would be for them and the world as a whole.

“That tiny little spark of chaos did everything we wanted and so much more, and from that spark a flame was born… and just as we planned, we now require not a spark of chaos, but nurturing wings. We cannot simply allow the flame that we have so carefully fanned to burn itself out… we will act soon, but for now we will stay our hands. I have a good feeling that our little problem will end up solving itself.” Kenshin would say in a rather cryptic manner, his small smirk growing just a little and exposing his teeth which had yellowed due to the artificial aging of them. He knew that Ibari would know exactly what he meant by this, and despite knowing nobody was listening he wouldn’t say anything clearly… the walls had ears in Sunagakure, and what they were discussing was not something he wanted anyone hearing… not as it involved a plan years in the making now.

WC: 684

Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:03 pm

"Lilith may be a hardass but she is very much loyal to the cause and her people. You might say if she is not being a hard-ass to you then she doesn't really like you. Lord knows how many times she has tried to put me through a window for saying something not too terribly bad...then again she doesn't really have a sense of humor, but i digress. Junko on the other hand...now that's a woman I wouldn't mind spending som- Actually forget I even mentioned that. No seriously. Forget I mentioned that," he would say in a serious tone as he chuckled and leaned forward in the chair. His eyes that were once their cool amber would slowly form into his three tomoe state as he mentioned Zaine and soon after they would transform into his eternal Mangekyo. It was still so odd with these eyes but they had felt very...normal to him. They were not his true eyes, but after what felt like an eternity with them they were his eyes. Funny how the world came into fruition around their plans and with a soft shake of his head he would respond," Zaine served his purpose well and while he might not be active now, his ideals...weren't bad. In my opinion that is. Look. In all honesty we both gave each other the push to become something greater. I left Konoha a mess, a wreck you might say. If not for you I might have just stayed here for a time, and left only to die to some idiot trying to make a new for themselves. But you convinced me to stay here and in turn i pushed you to become greater. Some people are made cogs to further the wheels of life and time," it was an honest outlook on life as he looked to the male with his sharingan.

When he spoke of the spark of Chaos, Ibari would chuckle as he slapped his knee," There are many things still in play that need to be watched...more like steered to see what would happen if they play out. Whether they benefit the village or a singular person has not been determined but I am interested to see the final chapter of this story. Whatever happens though we will see what we need to do next. What of Kiri though?," he would ask as he scratched the back of his head," Do you think we will be dealing with that or letting things pan out?," he'd ask curious of someone elses thoughts on it. He had asked Guren before hand but another outlook was...nice.

437 WC

Wed Jan 05, 2022 6:18 am

The Ragdoll would release a rather loud chuckle at Ibari’s comment regarding Junko

“Personally, I am rather fond of Junko… I find her to be just the right type of crazy for me, although I will admit that may be due to the fact that I am almost entirely unable to feel pain, and I enjoy seeing the mixture of frustration and arousal in her eyes while she tries, and fails, to break me.”

When Ibari shook his head at the comments he directed towards Zaine, Kenshin’s eyes would narrow slightly in minor annoyance. This was a rather common disagreement between the duo, and while Ibari personally believed that The Pacifistic Uchiha had served his purpose, Kenshin did not. He would meet the Sharingan enhanced gaze of The Black Hand without hesitation, his own eyes inactive even as he began to speak

“We shall continue to agree to disagree on that one my friend. While I will agree that he did indeed manage to serve a purpose before he went inactive, there was so much more that he could have accomplished for us. He had potential, but his flawed ideology and weak will killed any hope that I held towards him… you heard what happened in those Chunin Exams in Hoshi, he embarrassed us and lost to a group of three Genin because he jumped into a damned tree… an Uchiha that cannot even keep track of his surroundings, and not only was he a Jounin of Sunagakure… he was our damned Deputy Kage for awhile. It took everything in my power, every last fibre of willpower I possessed, to not butcher him on the spot in that meeting we had after my attack on the Mizukage. In the end, even as a cog, all he managed to accomplish for us was the evolution of your eyes… and that is simply not enough for me to justify my investment in him. Hell, he didn’t even have the decency to die so I could give his eyes to someone that could actually make use of them, he’s just… faded into obscurity. And you know me Ibari, while I may consider him and everyone else mere pawns… I am not the type to simply eliminate my own people without cause, and failure to live up to my expectations is not enough cause for that.” Kenshin would explain, his eyes grave and his tone dark as he spoke.

He truly had held out hope for Zaine, and at first it seemed like he had good reason to… the man had risen quite quickly through the ranks, and he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. It was shortly after Gurens departure to the borders that Zaine had been promoted to Jounin and made the Deputy Kage to Mizuki… but from there, the man seemed to have both stagnated and deteriorated. It was almost as though his training simply halted, and after he was sent to Hoshigakure Kenshin heard of his pathetically poor display during the exams… The Raggedy Man simply wrote him off as a failure. He had hoped that The Uchiha would take that loss to heart and train, but from what he observed he was content to simply stagnate, and that had been enough for disappointment to turn to disdain.

The Raggedy Man would give a light grin of his own at Ibari’s response to his little coded message regarding their flickering flame, although that grin would be replaced by a minor frown at the mans question regarding Kirigakure

“It depends on how the situation turns out. If need be we will intervene and push the situation towards a more… peaceful solution, at least for the time being. You know as well as I that Kirigakure is central to more than a few of our plans, and on top of that the last thing that we want is the forces of Kirigakure knocking at our door so soon. That isn’t to say we would lose such a confrontation, because we wouldn’t... Between us, Guren, Han, Lilith and Junko, Sunagakure is in no true danger. But… we have far too many smaller plans in motion to risk on something like that, and in the end fighting them serves no purpose to us or Sunagakure as a whole…” He would say, trailing off at the end as he knew Ibari would understand exactly what he meant.

WC: 735

Wed Jan 05, 2022 10:31 am

Agree to disagree indeed. He saw some potential in the young Uchiha and honestly a bit of the old him inside those crimson eyes, but there was...the fact that couldn't be ignored. Slowly wiggling his pinky finger into the recesses of his ear he would give a small yawn as he responded to Kenshin," While we may disagree to agree on the topic of Zaine, I simply think he snuffed his potential at the worst possible time when eyes were on him. Or it could be I saw a glimmer...a small frame of myself in him. He might have been naive but he had the workings to be a great ninja. I did "hear" about his...fumble those exams so I can see where your ire for him is place. I dunno. In a world where enemies are many and friends are small...But no matter. That is a trifle compared to now. Can't keep a finger on a pulse that is no longer around, with that being said though," he would flick the contents that came out of his ear onto his cloak as he continued," We are here now and whether or not they show use in the future is of no consequence to us. We have a fair few new up and comings that are showing the same if not more promise...Like the youngling Sebastian...I'm sure you know of him "Ragdoll."," referring more to his Tau nature, he would leave it at that for now since Kenshin did have a habit of knowing about anyone who stepped into the village.

Noticing the change in demeanor of the other male he would give a small shrug," Having that little lion cub doesn't do us any good for now, but once we get him back we should be in a better position. While it has been many a moon since I have been able to stretch my legs, and my sands are growing restless...I am not one for just running headfirst into a skirmish that won't directly benefit us. But you know more about that than I would considering you fought him. I'd hate to see the place you two fought in, poor earth," it was a poor joke, but knowing how Kenshin fought he knew that the ground below them was far from unscathed. Turning to the rest of the conversation he would nod in agreement that Suna definitely had its share of fighters and defenders which only meant a drawn out war would be in their favor, but what came during and after were his concerns," Start small and work the way up. A phrase that holds far too much weight in the world now than when it was formed. But that is neither here nor there. So long as the plans that are currently moving stay moving we will be ahead of the curve," he said it more so absentmindedly because anything could throw a wrench in their plan...and they would have to snuff that before it started.

500 WC

Thu Jan 06, 2022 6:07 am

The Raggedy Man would allow a sliver of a smirk to return to his face when Ibari mentioned Sebastian, someone that Kenshin would personally label as one of the most promising up and coming shinobi of Sunagakure. He’d met with him a couple of times in the past, the first time being when the ‘young’ Tau had sought him out to become a shinobi of Sunagakure and, in the process, received a transplant for the Natural Berserker bloodline. The second time they had met he had come to learn more about how to control the power granted to him by the Natural Berserker, as well as to better understand the power that their own shared bloodline could afford him. He had left that meeting with hearts of all five elements, some basic knowledge of Sage Mode, and detailed knowledge of the Masked Beast technique. Since those times, the young man had only grown more powerful, and while his growth was not quite as rapid as some others that The Ragdoll had seen in the past it certainly seemed as though Sebastian was actually taking the time to truly learn and understand how to properly use everything in his arsenal.

“Indeed we do my friend, and Sebastian is simply one example of the type of rising stars we have in our ranks. Souji Hyuuga is another that I have my eye on, although Mizuki’s coddling of the boy and refusal to break his arrogance is a problem that I will address when we get him back from Kirigakure’s tender care… that is, of course, assuming it hasn’t taken care of itself during his stay in their prisons. They are not it either, Arantima, Naki Choko and Mitacho Reishin… all of them have caught my attention, and all of them in a rather positive way. From what I have gathered on them, Arantima designs and uses rather unorthodox weapons that are proving to be remarkably effective among those that have used them, and is proving himself to be one of our most powerful Genin. Naki, in much the same vein, is proving to be an up and coming star, and while he is a little eccentric with some… questionable antics, they are nothing problematic, simply amusing things that get him looked at funnily… like his little portrait of Mizuki and I that was painted on The Spire. Mitacho Reishin… a Meijin with an affinity for fire, much like my former pupil Amaterasu, he is also proving to be someone that we should keep a close eye on in the future, if his spar with Mizuki in the Virtual Arena was anything to go by.”

Kenshin’s sliver of a smirk would have, by this point, blossomed into a full blown grin. So much potential within the Genin of Sunagakure… let the other villages have the numbers advantage, in the end pure numbers meant nothing… no, Kenshin had always valued quality over sheer quantity, and it certainly seemed like the up and coming generation of Suna shinobi were embodying exactly what he had wished to see from the village he had formed and shaped.

“Heh… poor earth indeed, by the end of my little skirmish with The Mizukage the maps around Volcano Country needed to be redrawn… apparently I destroyed quite a bit of that island while I was there, more than I had thought anyways.” Upon saying that, The Reaper would give a final chortle of amusement before focussing on Ibari once more.

“I have asked you to meet me here for a reason though my friend… you have been a truly great ally, and I have a gift for you. You know I am not one for pointless sentimentality, so this gift is one that will actually be of great use to you. I will be giving you Senju DNA, and while that in and of itself may not be useful to you due to your inability to use Water Release, and thus Wood Release… it is simply one piece of the puzzle.” He would say with a knowing grin, before channeling chakra into his Left Eye and activating his own Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan… but from there, he would continue to push until the eye itself transformed further, purple overtaking red and spreading across the eye as concentric black rings spread.

“The pinnacle of Dojutsu, and something only attainable with the combined power of the Uchiha and Senju clans, the Rinnegan. This is the power I wish to bestow upon you for your service to our cause… you are the one person I can truly call my ally and friend, and I wish to prove that. So… will you accept?”

With that, The Ragdoll would extend a hand towards Ibari, his fingers long and gnarled, with overgrown and thick nails.

WC: 798

Sat Jan 08, 2022 8:51 pm

So there was some new up and comers for the village which could only mean the shift in power was about to become very...interesting. Taking note of the names he would cross his arms in the chair as he listened closely to what the Ragdoll had to say. So much had been going on, but luckily the villages growth had not stagnated which means he could continue to take on what he needed. When the topic of Souji came up an interesting idea popped up in his head that he would immediately speak on," Once we recover him I think it would be best to put him under my tutelage. Not to be arrogant or anything but I think he could learn a lot from and of me in the process. Plus being in a situation like that means he needs...definitive training, which we can always give him in the sands," he couldn't imagine what he was going through in Kiri but once he had returned home and his mind re-stabilized, Ibari could rebuild him back up to something bigger...something better. Although at the end of that topic, he finally was told what he was truly hear for. At first he blinked, his Eternal gaze looking over the male as he tried to find any sense of falsehood...but there wasn't. A state further than the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and...it was something that needed the bloodline of the Senju. Rinnegan....A name he was not familiar with but he would need to look into it later.

With that he would stand up and take the hand of the male, shaking it firmly as he smiled," I don't know much about this Rinnegan but if its the last stage in the evolutionary line of the Sharingan...then we can do this," releasing his hand he would hop onto one of the beds and huff," Well cmon Doc go ahead and cut me open! I want to see how this is going to go," it was more in a playful tone, but as with all things Ibari was more than curious to see what this power would give him...and what he would have to do to conquer it.

Mon Jan 17, 2022 9:50 pm

Making a mid thread claim - 2922 WC towards Iron Fist Prison, 1078 words remaining (25% max stat discount)

Friends again [Kenshin]

Friends again [Kenshin]

Re: Friends again [Kenshin]

Re: Friends again [Kenshin]

Re: Friends again [Kenshin]

Re: Friends again [Kenshin]

Re: Friends again [Kenshin]

Re: Friends again [Kenshin]

Re: Friends again [Kenshin]

Re: Friends again [Kenshin]

Re: Friends again [Kenshin]