Meeting between the Red Sun and Black Suns

He felt empty.

His eyes felt dry, probably from the news kicking into him like a sucker punch straight to his chest. One of his own team members… Someone that he knew was strong, someone who he thought would be able to take care of themselves. His hands shook with the thought, Hotaru’s body covered in a white cloth over it as they were going to begin an autopsy report on the situation. The assassin… They had been unidentified… Such a disappointment, how could they not find the killer… Their kage had a Byakugan, something that allowed them to gain so much more sight then the rest of the village. Why wasn’t she protected? Where were her guards? Who was the bastard that had killed her?!

Toran didn’t think much after the news hit him, only the thoughts lingering in his mind of his team, how they all had supported each other and went on to do great things. He had heard the Typhon had healed an up and coming Genin who had been scarred by the traumatic past of this very village that had been plunged into turmoil. How she had been scarred in such a way that she didn’t even know if she could heal herself properly. Yet Typhon was able to work his magic and help her out when no one else she knew could. Typhon had already done so much for someone, and would continue to do so as a medical ninja.

Then there was Morio… The prodigy of the Hoshimura clan alongside Tsunayoshi Hoshimura. Both of them were dazzling to watch within the Chunin exams. Yet Morio, even in his narrow defeat by the hands of Enishi Kurosawa, had shown just how strong he truly was. How he had even surpassed that of their own Jonin-Sensei Yamato. His fist clenched at the sight of what he continued to remember, of Yamato being effortlessly defeated by Tsunayoshi, and losing his chance to become a part of the elite group known as the Nova Corps.

Then there was Hotaru… Someone who was the second oldest of the group, her father was a Kage of the village, and her mother was a well respected member of the Hoshigakure council… So why… WHY did she have to die so quickly?! Why couldn’t his team just stick together?! Toran couldn’t wrap his hand around it, his hands curling up into fists. Shaking in pure disbelief at his current predicament, he wanted to burn something, he wished to burn the whole world in search of who killed his teammate, why Isemori had seemingly vanished from sight… Why he was left in this world with a father who was scared of him even using his sharingan, and his mother who was worried about the both of them.

It’s why, when he thought of no other option, he thought about the only person who he could talk to with his new eye. His father was of no use to him, the old man was too scared that Toran would go blind in his efforts to make sure that the village was safe and sound. Yet Toran wasn’t worried about blindness, about what happened to him, as of now… He’s never felt more resolve to push himself to his fullest. That there was nothing left for him, only the cinders of a long forgotten place that he once wished to call his life. Things were changing, his life was changing before him.

So, he wished to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind since he had acquired the Mangekyo Sharingan. Something that he knew the person he was going to meet had to have some answers for due to them themselves having one.

“What are the purposes of these eyes? And… How do I avoid blindness such as yourself? Lord Akaboshi.”

WC:639

Emotions, quite the peculiar thing. For some a blessing, for others a curse. And yet they were something people used to be driven by, sometimes even to the point of letting them get the better of you. Losing sight of reality, blinded by their overwhelming feelings. However, they could also be used as a source of strength, a way to tap deeper inside one's hidden potential and draw everything out at once. Such would especially be the case for those of the Uchiha, the clan not only famous for their tremendous power, but the so-called Curse of Hatred as well. Feared and admired at the same time, not many could claim such feats. 

A love for a friend or family member that then became overpowering hatred when the object of that love is lost, an event many of his clan had experienced. An obstacle some were able to overcome, while others crumbled and succumbed to the curse. And this would be no different for the young man standing in front of him. Akaboshi had received news of Toran wanting to reach out to him, the Nova Captain aware of the hardships he recently had been through. Which is why the Commander decided to invite his fellow Uchiha to the Unseen University. "Have a seat" the man voiced, aware the two of them were going to have quite the conversation.

The Red Nova sat there comfortably, taking a sip of his coffee as he listened to the young boy's questions. "The purpose of our eyes, is to see" Akaboshi replied almost sarcastically, yet what he said held the truth. If Toran took those words too literal he would fail to understand the true meaning behind them, however, if he was able to look past that the moment where he would come to realize the true interpretation would show itself. "They are the heavenly eyes that see the truth of all of creation without obstruction". A powerful tool if used right. Many envied them, able to wield such devastating power.

He took another sip before placing the cup of coffee back on the table next to him, paying close attention and listening attentively to Toran's second question regarding their renowned dojutsu. "Simple, by attaining the perfected stage of your Sharingan" the Nova Captain answered rather straightforward. Many of his clan suffered from the blindness while only a few possessed the knowledge required to reach another phase. "We call it the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, some even call it proof an Uchiha has continued to push forward despite experiencing great losses". However, it didn't just stop there, but perhaps that would be a conversation for another time. 

It would be a lot of information to take in at once, finding out things he might not even expect to have existed in the first place. "My question, Toran, is why you believe yourself to be ready?". Was it simply a thirst for power, or were the young boy's reasons far more complex? In the end only time would tell.

(WC: 504)

Toran followed the commands of the Nova’s very own commander, Akaboshi Uchiha. Someone who was a part of his clan, and someone who would have had the information that he needed to better understand what the eyes planted inside of his head were even for. He had already known of the information regarding the Mangekyo sharingan. What he had heard was something that was rather blunt, that their eyes had the purpose of sight. Most would have found the answer to be disappointing, and even Toran for a moment was partially caught unaware of the statement. He understood what the statement had meant, keeping his face emotionless while sitting there. Watching as Akaboshi had already downed a sip of his coffee in the morning. To which Toran was able to finally get the answer that had been bugging him. He too was equipped with a drink, a small glass of water… Something that he had barely been able to see out of his vision. Akaboshi could see that Toran had already used the eyes once beforehand. From how his hand paced forwards slowly to grab the drink of water, to him quickly hoisting it up to his lips in order to take a sip.

“Perfected stage?” Was Torans response to Akaboshi’s first answer, before the man had simply continued, as if he knew that Toran would have asked a question. He was able to obtain the name of the evolution that he had been searching for. Something that made him wonder if there was anyone else in his memory that had eyes that were similar to his. He remembered Isaribi, she and him had left things on a… less than pleasant note when he had walked away. He didn’t even wanna bring her up, just in case she in fact did not even have the Mangekyo sharingan.

Yet Toran was unsure if he wanted to push forwards, past the fact that his father was scared of him when he had heard the news, past the fact that he had brutally cremated a child in cold blood without so much as a hint of remorse because she had tried to kill him. Yet Akaboshi asked why exactly he was ready. To which the boy could only raise his head up, staring at his fellow clansmen.

“I would do anything for this village, for my home.” His words were simple, his face said it all as he stared back at the Nova Commanders face. He had continued with the same expression as before. He was stern, overly calm even. Yet the sheer malice in how he felt about what had happened to one of his teammates made him want to burn everything away. He wanted to find the bastard who had killed her… He wanted to make sure that they died at his hands.

“I want to be able to hunt down the one that had assassinated Hotaru Shinkou.”

WC:487
TWC:1126

Funny how close together justice and revenge could be, a thought he was reminded of upon hearing Toran's answers. Whereas the first one could be considered the diplomatic response, the boy's second reply would be the one Akaboshi hoped to hear. "Everyone wants to protect, until the moment comes where they are no longer able to", something the child in front of him knew all too well. He too wanted to be there for Hotaru, have her back and show he was capable of taking care of another person's safety. However, in the end it didn't matter. "And how will you hunt someone down when you can barely hold a glass of water?" the Nova Captain referred to the almost blind state of the young shinobi.

He could feel a sense of guilt and rage, on one hand Toran blamed himself for the loss of his teammate while on the other he wanted to find the one responsible for taking her from him. "I'm sure you didn't come to visit me just to let me know how much anger resides in you" Akaboshi voiced, aware his fellow clansman hoped the Commander would be able to help and rid him of his blindness. He allowed another silence to fall over their conversation, placing his cup of coffee back on the table before returning to the subject at hand. "Tell me, what do we do when something doesn't work the way it's supposed to? We replace it, right? So therefor you have to ..?" the Nova Captain didn't finish his sentence, expecting the boy to fill in the gap and figure it out on his own. 

(WC: 274, TWC: 778)

Toran sat there, his eyes focused on Akaboshi for the moment while he had taken another slow grab for his own water. The small glass was already half empty when he went for it. Yet his eyes were already partially damaged. Too much exposure and use of his own eyes made him concerned that he would not be able to find that person, the one track mind of hatred residing in him was something he could only hope to use as motivation for the future. Akaboshi’s words only added more fuel to the fire, along with pointing out that his own eyes were failing him.

His own feelings on the matter would already be known to the head of the Nova clan. Toran was angered at the thought of another person being taken away, taken away from him when he had barely known anyone beforehand. Toran eyes back towards his glass when being called out by Akaboshi for wanting to visit besides knowing how much anger resided in him. He needed to have known how to get towards this perfected state of the sharingan. He was begging to know, dying to know at this point how he could make sure that his eyes never were to go blind, “I needed to know if there was a way. And you being the resident Uchiha of the Nova Corps made it way easier to know. Besides I didn’t know if it would be classified information or not.”

Yet the answer was given to him, even if it wasn’t entirely clear. He knew just what Akaboshi had meant when he said it. That meant that he had to find someone who had a Mangekyo Sharingan… Along with someone that could help in the surgical process.

“I need to replace them with someone else’s sharingan…”

He didn’t even know how that would fix his situation, yet he’d need to find someone else with the Mangekyo sharingan, and not only that, someone who would perform surgery.

Toran immediately got up from his seat, knowing fully well that he’d be back here soon enough. He could only thank Akaboshi for giving him this information regarding his eyesight and what he could do in order to restore his eyesight. These Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, something that almost everyone would kill to get their hands on. Isaribi was someone who didn’t know if he could trust, yet they were the only person who Toran knew was a holder of their own eyes, Mangekyo Sharingan.

“Thank you Akaboshi.”

WC:419
TWC:1545

Exit(Will make claims later)

A little push in the right direction was all the boy needed to figure out what he had to do next, look for someone in the same predicament as himself and convince them to perform the exchange. "Simple enough, isn't it". Once you thought about it you would come to the realization that it seemed quite easy in the end, especially considering the kind of knowledge you gained in return. A direct upgrade, an enormous boost in power, information most people could only dream of. Just the idea of being able to attain the next stage in evolution was enough for Toran to get up and find someone willing to go through the process together. "Good luck, I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other soon". The Nova Captain hoped the young Uchiha would be able to find that person he could trust. And with that Akaboshi filled his cup once more, reaching for his book to take notes.

(Exit)

(TWC: 938)
Claims, using max stat discount:
- 937/937 Manipulating Attack Blades

Approved

Water Element:2300/4000

Bonus AP: 30 AP

Previous WC: Here