The Mind is a terrible thing to waste

It was cold, the could mountain air welcomed Katsuragi with unended attention. He was from a much warmer climate, dressing in layers wasn’t exactly practical. From his wooden wooden picnic table, he sat in top, glaring out intobthe sea of unless clouds. He could see his breath, he could see the heavens, and from behind, he could see the black gates that led into the prison.

It was built into the mountain, which was made accessible by a thick and sturdy stone bridge that connected both the prison and the platform Katsuragi was currently placed. That’s basically what the cloud village was. Platforms and structures built into mountains. He’d seen pictures of the cloud, be nrver actually visited the place. It was must more surreal in person. But, none of that matter. Katsuragi, his face long with heavy baggage, continued to stare out into the clouds. Perhaps maybe he hoped for a miracle for his old cellmate.

Earlier in the day, before the present.

Katsuragi is seen chatting to an immate, the two were seperated by a desk with a thick glass window. The two were surrounded by steel walls lined with earth, proximity voice seals, and guards. The two were communicating through the small circular vent in the glass window. No physical contact was allowed.

Katsuragi's attire consisted of a Yakuta black leather jacket, which underneath he wears a hanley blood red hoodie. His belt is black leather, designer's choice, with an overlapping LV emblem as a buckle. The pants he wears is a fresh pair of black stretch jeans with ankle zippers located on the lower inside section of the pants. His boots on his feet also being solid black of a leather material with an emblem labeled "EU", it's made of metal stitched to the tongue of the boots. His hair, still vivid, was a solid dark purple. His hair in contrast with his pale skin, however, his arms torso and hands bore a mural of mostly assorted prison tattoos; all black ink in color. He himself stood at a height of 6'2 feet with a thin frame. His tools and such were all left behind as no weapons were allowed at the time.

“Park-insons?…”, Katsuragi stuttered. He disconnects his eye contact from the inmate. He wasn’t sure what it was, much less what i can do to the body.

“Yeeap, that’s what I told…”, he takes a moment. The inmate playing the doctors words within his head as if he was trying to convince himself that perhaos he was misremembering the verdict. But he knew, he knew. “Two months, before I star- before I start  experiencing shit”, he continues focus on Katsuragi who wasn’t doing the same. “Hey! boy! Look at me when I’m talking to you…”

Katsuragi fixed his posture, he leans in a bit while establishing eye contact. “What’s gonna happen? How long till you get the cur-“

“Boy you are s-, listen to me kid. They can’t fix what I got. Now pay attention”, he looks around at the guards before speaking again.

“You remember what I taught you about respect? About one’s name? That’s all a man has in the streets. His name, and fists. Now, from what I hear, a lot of people are getting the wrong impression of you. Wind Country, Snow Country, RICE…”, Katsuragi sat back while trying go figure out what he could have done to cause the inmate, who was basically the only father figure in his life, to become irritated. The places mentioned were indeed places he’d visited, what was the big deal. But then, then came the dishonorable truth. Working with the same people who were working to bust folk like Hui and Katsuragi wasn’t really a good look. All it took was one word whispered into the wrong shotcaller’s ear would spell the end for the MAdKat.

“I’d…, assume that you were taught better than to work with the dog catchers…”

“STRIKE, last warning Hui Moto”, one of the guards penciled in the violation on his clipboard.

“I was just trying to make, make a living. It was easy, I earned. I didnt have to worry, about getting my shit tooked. But the PArkins tho, are you dying…”

Hui jolts his head back in frustration. Katsuragi wasn’t well educated in the school of medicine. “Boy if you wasnt so stupid I’d… Cut the shit. This new path you are taking, or you thinking about taking, It aint for you”, Hui was then seen scratching his forearms and neck. Needle marks were seen laced around his arms. “My son…, listen. The doctors can’t help me, but I know you can. Be a good boy, and help your father. Give me the medicine I need…”

“STRIKE! Get him out of here!”, two guards were now seen grabbing Hui and taking him back to lock up for violating the visiting terms.

“Get your fucking hands of me you COCK SUCKERS! PIGS! Do you know who THE FUCK  I am mutherFUCKER!!!”, the inmate struggled to get free but couldn’t due to his frail body. He was hauled off, leaving Katsuragi speechless.

“You just lost your visiting rights asshole! Hope it was worth it!”, one of the guards said as they haul Mr. Moto away.

Back to the present.

He sighs deeply, wondering what he should do. His only lead to finding out what he could learn about his family was a dwindling light.

"You never told me you were such good friends with your father." Saturn offered a cigarette to Katsuragi from his box with his left hand. Whether or not E.U. accepted his offer, he would spark one in his own mouth using a lighter with the same hand shortly afterwards. He was in a bright orange shirt, the number '666' engraved on his back. It was a number that warned the superstitious shinobi of terrible luck. His right arm was wrapped in bandages, and he wore a sling that helped him keep it close to his chest. His hand was missing.

Earlier in the day, before the present.

We see a fly buzzing past two men having a conversation across a thick glass pane with holes on it. It hovered over their heads, landing on the nearest wall. On the old inmate's side of the compound, behind a thick wall was a room where a young man with scruffy blonde hair and icy blue eyes was being detained. When he heard the guards chit chatting about his old cellmate receiving a visitor, he was bored enough to go out of his way to eavesdrop on their conversation. Everything lined up for him perfectly when he saw a fat fly rubbing its hands together on the slice of bread on his metal plate. His eyes rolled back into his skull, and the fly had ceased its clapping. It followed the man along with the guards and watched Katsuragi with its round red eyes. It roamed close enough to hear the entire exchange. However, one did not have to listen in on every word to see the story playing out. The body language was far too telling.

Saturn buzzed from the body of the fly to get the attention of the guards as Hui Moto began to whisper. Then he returned to his body as the old man was dragged away from his son. The Genin was being held for the crime of failing his duty as gate guard. Though the circumstances around his failure were unfortunate, he was honorable to admit his own shortcoming, and check himself into the prison to wait for his sentence. His sentence would be a trial by combat to prove his worth as Genin, in Warmonger's Arena, with his handicap. The prison guards saw him as a lowly shinobi who posed no threat whatsoever, and placed him in the block where those who were deemed physically incapable of escaping were being held. It was mostly senior citizens and disabled criminals, and mostly prisoners who were being held for minor crimes. They had access to a common washroom, and were subjected to do their business while exposed. Their food was shitty too.

Saturn sat alone in the corner of his prison cell, his thoughts consumed with the weight of his impending fight to the death. As he awaited his turn, he found himself questioning the morality of taking the life of another. He pondered the meaning of life and death, the fragility and beauty of existence. Was it really worth it, to kill another human being in order to prove his own worth? Was the value of his own life really greater than that of his opponent's?

As he delved deeper into his own thoughts, he began to see death not as a curse, but as a gift. It was the one thing that all living things shared, the Great Equalizer. Death was the end of pain and suffering, the release from the constraints of the mortal world. He arrived at the conclusion that death was not something to be feared, but rather something to be embraced. It was a natural part of the cycle of life, and one that he could not escape. In a way, he almost looked forward to it. That's deep, he thought, I need to smoke some reefer!

He waited for his inmate and the guards to carelessly turn their backs, and then as he did his business he pulled out his octopus from his boxers. It was Mimas, who had snuck into the facility with him. He quickly swapped with his octopus, allowing it to take his form while he first turned completely invisible with Chakra Nullification and Hiding with Camouflage. He snagged the box of cigarettes on the guard's table and then slowly he teleported out twenty meters at a time until he reached the top of a hill. In his cell, Mimas' eyes were pointed to the sides, it was drooling. "Tch. Kusoyaro." The guards scowled at his familiar, not suspecting a thing while his inmates rubbed their eyes trying to guess what was wrong with him.

Back to the present.

"Mine killed my mother, and I ran when he turned his gaze towards me. I never looked back. Not even as she was bleeding out." He confessed, remembering the time he strode off on his Buddhist horse as he looked towards the horizon. His horse had since forsaken him. It was a sacred secret that he had kept close to his heart for years, and now at least one other living person would know it. He took a long drag from his cigarette, and exhaled the smoke before he looked at Katsuragi. "That's how I ended up in the Hidden Cloud, Katsuragi Yamanaka. How about your father?" 

---

WC: 888

“Mhmm, if you call it that…”, he takes cig from Lucky. His own preroll was just about finished and he himself already felt the effects. It was good, he thought. His face and feet were numb. He takes the cig and lights it with his silver zippo like lighter. After taking a drag, he looks down at his feet, enjoying the fun numbing sensation. The more he focusd on his feet, the more the sensation grew. “We were real tight…, in Pelican island”.

Pelican Island was a super max prison, a place located on one of the many islands in Kirigakure. If you were unfortunate of getting caught conmiting a crime in the bloody mist’s territory, that was the place they sent you. Hell on earth, and there was no escaping; Katsuragi tried once, and failed. He was never going back, they were going to have to kill him before ever setting foot back in that god forsaken place.

“…, I ain’t going back though”, he smiles ever so slighly, his arms dangling loosely in front of him. The memories of the horrors, the jack booted murders and sociopaths dressed in guard uniforms, the cells, and the devil who played warden were all still fresh. Thinking about it almost blew his current state of mind.

From the corner of his eyes the cast adorned by the village shinobi was noticed. It was most certainly new, since he remembered Lucky being whole when they first met. What happened? And the uniform too, did he just break out.

Before he could even say anything about it, Lucky responds with a bit of history about his own parents. It was actually a bit of bloody history really. His old man killed his mother, and he leaves her to die. He clicks his tongue while shaking his head. Perhaps he may be lucky in gambling, but was unlucky to be born to an asshole like that. “Damn, Lucky. How the fuck…”, his mind spaces a bit. He forgets what he was about to say. He tried to remember, he really tried, but failed to remember. It was a good thing he switch to a cig, the high altitude enhanced the prerolls qualities it seems.

‘Whah? He never tried… to find him. Get some pay back… Naw, I couldn’t let that go’

he spaces out his thoughts, as the preroll continues to consume his thought process. He smiles, when asked about his own father. But he wasn’t certain if he should dive into his fratured history. Despite the fact that he could incriminate himself, he just simply didn’t know Lucky that well to do all that. The shit he’s done, to stay alive… especially in prison. But time was not on his side, and he was the only Yamanaka he knew besides Hui.

“I…, only know what Hui has told me, when he’s not… acting weird. I don’t know who he is, but all I know is thst he didn’t want anything to do with me.

He did know alot about the Yamanaka though…, weird shit man. Hell, If I am one, where do our people come from? Is there a clan district here? Who runs it all, Lucky?”, he takes the cig from his mouth, and finally turns to Lucky, taking in the attire. “Yo, my man… did you… break out?”, he looks around to check his surroundings.

Lucky wasn’t wrong, about death freeing those from day to day suffering. There had been times where Katsuragi himself wished for it. Growing up in prison, cut off from society, he never got used to having his freedom restricted. He’d get a taste of it here and then whenever he got released from prison, but as soon as he went back in he would give a small prayer to whomever or whatever was listening to him during those dark times. But not this time, Katsuragi swore he would never get sent back to prison. Pelican Island was the last prison he’d serve time in, they’d have to kill him in order to bring him back.

“You aint wrong about that, maaaaan…”, he shook his head side to side while thinking about his troubled stricken past. What he had to do to put food in his belly, what he did to families. Sure, some of the crimes he did deserved the prison time he got; Quite possibly, most of the crimes he did awarded him the punishment he deserved. He couldn’t finish his sentence, he knew what he did was wrong. But the gold at the end of the tunnel was worth it, sometimes. It was just who he was, the scorpion who stings all.

He then listened to Lucky’s backstory, which was very interesting. Well, the part about him reading his own mind. Katsuragi’s perked up upon hearing this. If he had this ability, he wouldn’t need to listen to his strung out mentor in prison. He could finally find some real clues about his past, and it all started with Lucky. He narrows his eyes at yhe thought of it all. He looks off to the side, wondering about how he would approach this.

Looking back towards Lucky, he see’s the shinobi form a strange hand sign, but sensed no irregularities in his chakra signature. His eyes dilated, the madkat locked eyes with Lucky too.

“Well what do you know, the mind is a map”, he said with a cheshire smile.

Katsuragi will remember what you said about your ability to read minds.

“And nah, I won’t need the medicine…”

‘Not when I have you ki- wait! How does he know about… oH! The mind reading…‘, his facial expression turned from intense to confused, to very interested.

“I, wanna do what you can do. I don’t care how long it takes. As for old man, he can wait. I came here for information about my roots. Im tired of not knowing about my…”, he sighs a bit. Interupted by the thoughts and images of Hui suffering in prison because he couldn’t get his fix. But it was a prison, there were always drugs being passed around in prison. So him surviving wasn’t a problem. He swallows the memories of Hui, deep down to te point where he just simply forgot… for now.

“Teach me, Lucky. Is there, a ritual or something I gotta go through?”

As his strange company continued to run on about the power of the mind, Katsuragi wondered if Lucky belonged to some sort of cult. His right eyebrow raised just a tad bit, trying to piece together everything what was told to him. He wasn't the smartest guy alive, so it took time for him to put two and two together.

"Wait, you were there?!", he said with his gaze focused on him with shock. He certainly didn't sense anyone else aside from the guards. Regardless of the Yamanaka being a cult, their abilities were insane. Katsuragi started to fantasize about what he could do with such powers. The possibilities were limitless. He started to wonder how his old man ended up in prison if he could do stuff like that. But with all the drugs and many other fast lane vices, it wasn't that hard to imagine why he ended up the way he did. It was sad really, all that ability reduced by his old habits. Katsuragi wasn't too far away from the tree when it came to vices too, one of the many bad habits he picked up from, Hui.

His jaw then drops slightly, watching the dragonfly talk to him, telepathically. The cig falls from his mouth, but he picks it up immediately. He certainly could have used this trick back home in quarter town( Tanzaku Town), when he caused a scene at the strip club. 'That's neat...', he pauses for a moment, realizing that he spoke with his mind instead of his lips. It was a weird sensation; he could feel the outside chakra seep slowly into his brain. IT was his first time dealing with something like this. after watching the dragonfly die, he picks it up and crushes it. It sure was a tool alright, it even reminded him of how much of a tool he was when he was running around taking on all the risk on jobs just to get paid. Meanwhile, his bosses sat back in their high-rise luxury apartments, just enjoying life, living the true dream every man on this planet wanted.

"You rite, it's just a tool. But I aint here to become a tool again, I'm done with that shit... I wanna run shit. I wanna become a mastermind like you", he said with a crooked smile. He didn't really mean it, he just said to suck up to Lucky. Right now, the cloud shinobi held all the keys. In order to get what he wanted; he would have to play the game to get what he wanted. He hated it, the feeling of having to play bitch just get to the next level. So much for not being a tool.

But of course, Katsuragi's luck would run short. Like always, the sudden twist in life took hold of Katsuragi's fate and toyed with his life.., well, someone very close to him.

"The medicine my father needs is death?", he gets up from the bench, and takes a few steps to the side only to turn towards the orange boy. He wanted to hit him, out of frustration not only because of the deed given to him, but to with himself too. He really wanted to learn the ways of the Yamanaka, learn about his biological parents who abandoned him, and most of all to take back what was his. It was his time, so he thought. Of all the people he could have mentioned to ice, it had to be his own father. The only man that ever gave a damn about him, and he wasn't even related to him. Katsuragi didn't care about Hui's drug habits, his current mind state, or the fact that he was serving multiple life sentences. He couldn't do that; it just didn't sit well with the MadKat. Lucky had to have known how close he was to Hui, he even said it himself. He was the fly on the wall, that watched the whole visit.

"You ah fucked up person, Lucky. Hui aint no gawd damn dragonfly..."
---
Nice Music btw

As he kept his glare, he began to think more and more about his offer. He wasn't going to leave this village empty handed. There was no way he ventured all the way up to the mountains to simply bow out now. He was at a loss at what to do next, which path he would. Whatever he chose would lock him in on a single path. There was no going back.

"...I'll be in touch", he said bluntly while looking down towards the valley. It was as if he could see his goal in sight, as if he had already completed his task. His heart and soul were at opposite ends. The love he held for his father, against his soul desiring more than just what he was now. He wanted to know what he was, where he came from... what he was owed.

He saunters away, his face heavy with thought and planning. Whether he knew it or not, his silence echoed throughout his surroundings. A tacit yes for Lucky, and a no towards going back empty handed.
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Exit, WC/ 2815. Using 2,500 words towards Counter Strike V7.2 for A rank.

Approved for Katsurai

Exit;

341 words towards Counter-Strike previously trained here [1125/1125]
1312 words towards Iron Leg Dragon (B) [1312/1312]

187 words towards You're next line is previously trained here [375+/375]

Im aware that I've trained You're next line is for more words than required. This is just to avoid doing the math and I'm discarding the excess words!