The Eternal Sight {IO, NK}

His body felt… Different. It was a thought that he had first borne when first meeting with Morio Hoshimura when he had taken his own aging pills after the Nova Exams. His Chakra had felt much more potent, his body now strong and fit for helping with the village and being its own noble protector. Toran’s height had grown considerably, from being a measly 5 '4 to now a solid 5' 9 in height. Not the tallest, not even taller than Enishi, however it was serviceable enough. He wore almost all of his equipment, a simple Kunai rested in his back pocket as he was on the lookout for that familiar soul that he had helped with delivering something. What the contents of those items were he had no idea. Nor did he care at this point. She was the only person he knew that also possessed a Mangekyou Sharingan. Black charcoal eyes peered through the narrow empty streets of the once bustling downtown. Some people were out for an early evening stroll. Yet he was out searching for someone that most likely did not want to be found, someone who he had a feeling would attack at first sight. He had sent word for Akaboshi to potentially accompany him in order to act as a potential deterrent for aggression.

Yet Toran was sure that she wouldn’t attack, at least not unprovoked. His eyes scanned along the empty streets, as this was the last place he had seen her. Her cursed his younger selves foolishness. He should have known her chakra signature, memorized it so that way this could have been easier. The light crunch of his feet beneath the small amount of leaves left in the springtime made him only give a small sigh. Toran was wearing casual clothing, a red T-Shirt and Black pants with black sandals. The Uchiha Crest emblazoned upon his Shoulder. It was one of the first things that he had purchased in preparation of his new look and aging effects.

He remembered the look his mother had given him, how she could see that he had suddenly grown so fast. Those years of his life were suddenly taken away. His eyes creased, scowling at the memory. He only wished he would have informed his Mother and Father. Yet he had been impulsive to get some amount of growth from these pills. His walk through his memories had led him near a bench beside an abandoned park. Toran took a small seat as he kept on the lookout for her. He knew he wasn’t being subtle about it either. He just wanted her to know that he was looking for her.

He hoped this meeting went better than last time.

WC:455

Isaribi had no earthly idea that anybody was looking for her, at least, not until she sensed his chakra signature, retracing the area in which they had last met. What had his name been, again? Toran. Toran Uchiha. Details snapped into place in her memory. She wasn't aware of his motives, but she certainly had a use for him. If she moved first, she could gain a foothold in this interaction. The alternative, of course, was to wait. Leave him to stew in whatever he was thinking, but there were two problems with that. The first was that it simply wasn't her style, it required her to play outside of her comfort zone. The other was that it would give Toran time to set up, if he was looking to make a move.

It would reveal a bit of her hand, but she figured the benefits would outweigh the risks. The idea that she could demonstrate her ability to surveil anyone, no matter where they were in the world, was appetizing enough. This wasn't a matter of ego, of flexing to show off, it was a counterattack of sorts. If Toran wanted to hunt for her, she would have to show him clearly that this was a quarry that could turn the tables with ease. It was something of a strong forcing move.

With naught a gesture, Isaribi would teleport, moving from her position in Kamui to a spot six meters away from Toran, standing in a safe spot on a sidewalk. Her chakra would remain unsuppressed, and she figured that she should be in his field of vision. The teleport was not as fast as she would have liked, but fast enough that any civilians who were looking right at her would blink and wonder where she'd come from, but no more than that.

If all went well, she would eye the kid on the bench. Was he confident? Comfortable? Or just faking it? If the former, it meant he had backup. If the latter, it meant that he had some plan, but wasn't sure of her capabilities. Maybe she was just misreading the situation entirely, even through her sharingan.

"Alright. What do you want?" She resisted the urge to be more aggressive and confrontational, and just stuck to a brusque, straightforward entry.

Isaribi was wearing her standard gear and flak jacket, with her flute tucked into her belt. Of note, of course, was her left arm, which had been healed since the two of them had last met.

[WC 420
+2 blindness counters, if it matters]

Toran was stewing in his own thoughts, his feelings on what had transpired beforehand to make this situation so difficult for him on a technical matter. He’d have a feeling that she’d know that she’d be followed. Any good ninja worth their scars would be able to tell that he was trying to find them. Yet of course, the situation led to him simply sitting on the wooden bench in contemplation of where he could find her. The sounds of footsteps of people walking along the street made him know that they were not hers, as he had a feeling if she did see him, she’d try and avoid being nearby or try to confront him directly.

At least, that’s what he assumed would happen. Yet not even his sharingan was active, he was trying to be as non-threatening as possible. Yet Toran saw something in his field of vision, his sharingan spinning to life for a moment as he was able to recognize the individual who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere? Some kind of jutsu perhaps? The thought was surprising to say the least, nevermind that she was wearing a flak jacket, the sign that the women before him had achieved the rank of chunin already. Yet his expression remained the same, no longer holding that slight warmth it had as a child, instead, the young man only stared back at her in solemn contempt almost. His sharingan stared right back at her before she had asked him what he wanted.

He rose from the bench, the soft winds flowing through both of them, yet he felt nervous, his thumb gently cracking his fingers to relieve himself of any stress as he spoke. The light pops of his knuckles relaxing with each pop was a build up to something.

“I was informed by our Nova Commander that there is a way for us to achieve Eternal Sight."

He had a feeling she'd be smart enough to understand what he meant. His eyes still the blood red Sharingan, focusing on her before continuing.

"It requires us to exchange our eyes, Akaboshi has someone that can do the surgery under his supervision. He's ready and waiting for us at the hospital nearby."

His eyes slanted to the side, clearly uncomfortable with asking for this information. However he still held that slight discontent. That unamused expression still plastered on his face. Yet he looked back at her almost immediately. She was the one who was his only chance to gain eternal sight with his Mangekyou sharingan. There would be no reason to come and find her unless that was the case. Yet he hated having to rely on this surgery, that there was no rhyme or reason as to why they had to exchange eyes. Only that it would help both of them in the future.

Yet he still wanted to avenge his teammate who had been assassinated.

"Please."

His eyes went back to black, almost pleading with her now to consider this option.

WC:504
TWC:949

Now THIS was a move she could respect. Building mutual trust was a good part of the criminal's mindset. Trust nobody, but when someone scratches your back, you'd better scratch theirs. She was never the kind of person to reach out to other people when in need, but having someone take the initiative? That was rare. Something was up with this kid, though. Inviting a third party? Under normal circumstances, that would have been her queue to attack or get the fuck out of there; that was the kind of thing that fouled up a deal. Luckily, however, she knew this Akaboshi.

"Yeah, I'm familiar with the procedure", Isaribi lied. She knew of it, of course, but Isaribi didn't know shit about medical procedures. Hell, it wasn't until a few months ago that she had found out that medical nin could literally restore missing limbs. However, she wasn't dealing with any normal kid, here. This was a shinobi, and in front of shinobi, someone like her had to project strength. She didn't like it, but it was just kind of the way things worked. The ninja were like fucking bloodhounds or sharks, if they sensed weakness, they moved in on you.

"I know this Akaboshi guy, too, so no introductions needed." She figured that if he was going to show, it would be either in a few seconds, or at some rendezvous point. Honestly, she didn't care whether this information surprised him or not. She wasn't as well connected as she would like to be, and didn't really want to reveal that at this point. Right, speaking of projecting strength...

"I want details, kid. Where, when, how and who." With each of those, Isaribi would imply a sort of pseudo threat. If Toran brought in any unexpected elements, most of all, any additional third party, she'd gut him like a fucking fish. "And most importantly, why?" Why now? Was there something going on in the outside world that she was unaware of, something that he needed the extra power for? What did he know that she didn't? Isaribi crossed her arms and adopted a more matter-of-fact stance.

It was difficult for her to really relate to Toran. When she was his age, she had kind of been in a high security prison, with the full belief that she would spend the rest of her days, there. Trying to understand his mindset without the benefit of dialogue was pointless.  

[WC 408]

Toran’s eyes continued to stare at Isaribi, her knowledge of Akaboshi did not surprise him, after all he was the Nova Commander. Hell there must have been a reason why for her to seemingly be promoted over him. He felt this pang of jealousy as his eyes could see the jacket, yet his eyes didn’t move, only taking in the full form of Isaribi. Yet what surprised him was her knowledge of the procedure. If she had met with Akaboshi beforehand, why wouldn’t she ask for information like this? Or better yet, why didn’t she ask him when she knew that he also had the Mangekyo sharingan. That wasn’t something that added up to him, but he ignored it for right now.

“It’s good that you know the procedure,” He was still slightly confused, his eyes slightly widened from their almost slanted appearance a few moments ago. Now fully giving her the attention that she deserved as someone who was of a higher rank then he was. Someone who earned it through their trials and tribulations of being a ninja. He knew that he should have asked Akaboshi for the rank of chunin when he had come back, or that he could be considered for a promotion. But he wanted to get this done and over with before ever asking for the rank up. It made him wonder what Isaribi must have done to obtain the rank up in the first place.

Yet the sudden questions came to him rapid fire. Bombarding him on where they would be heading, who would be the one who would be operating on them, where they would be going, and how this operation was going to go. It gave Isaribi the first look at Toran without the disinterested look. As now he only stared back with a slight amount of annoyance. Yet this was to build trust with her, it was best to have allies then to have enemies.

“Akaboshi will be there along with a Doctor to do the procedure. However the doctor is someone who Akaboshi trusts. Now would be whenever we get there today, however in an hour would be for the best. You already know how the procedure works, and the place the surgery is taking place in is the Unseen University, it’s so that way the surgery has clearance by the Nova commander itself,” He stated without pausing like he used to. His expression remained firm, his hands resting towards his sides before the question of why. Why did he want this? It was too make sure he didn’t go blind from his Mangekyo Sharingan. The reason for wanting this procedure was quite simple in fact.

“It’s because-” The young Uchiha took a deep breath. He wanted her to know that this meant something to him.

“I want to avenge a friend, and my eyes going blind wouldn’t help that now would it?”

He cracked a small smile, the sarcasm oozed from his tone. The sad small smirk on his face for responding in such a way.

WC:490
TWC:1441

On one hand, the plan made sense. Of course, Akaboshi would want this done in his area of the village, though Isaribi doubted very much that it was for a good reason. The news that there would be yet another person at this meet settled the matter for her, though. Did they really think she was that stupid? Fucking how? Well, she could either play along and see what kind of trap they were going to spring, or she could put her foot down, and it was a pretty obvious choice for her. She didn't know them well enough yet to try and predict what they might pull on her.

"No", she began, "we're gonna do this where I want to do it. If you're going to bring a third from your side, then we're gonna do this on my turf." And with my rules, she thought. Toran might have been just a kid, but he was dealing with serious matters, here. She didn't feel like she was being too aggressive with him, in spite of his age. "How does the warehouse near the Cathedral sound?" There was only one of note, of course. It was supposedly a long-abandoned building, but anyone who'd lived there for a while knew someone kept it clean for use by rotating parties. It would do just as well as any place for what Toran wanted to get done.

As for his reasons for wanting power, it really seemed personal for him. She didn't really get it, nor did she give a shit. If he was telling the truth, it was insignificant either way, she didn't feel obligated to help him in whatever revenge he had planned. If he was lying, and there really was more going on here, she'd find out soon enough. Nothing stayed hidden from her for long. And what the fuck was that smile for? God, people who grinned in her face like that pissed her off. No, that was an overstatement. Better to say that they gave her an extra layer of vague irritation on top of what she felt on a daily basis.

[WC 354]

He had thought things would go by smoothly, with Isaribi coming to the unseen university to get the surgery done and to get this over with. Toran thought that this would be a pretty easy operation, you go in, you get your Eternal mangekyou sharingan, he would have to talk with isaribi about things and both of them would have the EMS. Yet instead, there had to be conflict in this matter involving him supposedly bringing in a third party. His eyes staring back at the Chunin while she suggested her own place for them to get the surgery done. Toran lost his smirk instantly, instead returning back to his stone faced disposition.

“A Warehouse that you know of, that’s not near a hospital of any kind and instead near the religious cathedral. That is where you want this to be done?” He asked. He wondered how she thought that this didn’t make her sound suspicious. An Abandoned warehouse of all things, an abandoned warehouse? Toran only shrugged, taking a deep breath before going on with his explanation on why this now wouldn’t be happening.

“This is over then, I can’t trust you, and you obviously cannot trust me or Akaboshi if you think going to an abandoned warehouse that is near a cathedral instead of a hospital is a better idea. If you wanna go blind, that’s fine. I'm sorry for wasting your time.”

Toran continued to keep his gaze on Isaribi. He knew that him calling this off would be a bad thing, and that it would only mean his eyesight might get worse over time. However it was better to simply not trust Isaribi, seeing as how she was distrustful of both him, a genin, and Akaboshi offering to do this surgery. It made him wonder why? Why did she have such a distrustful attitude? She was promoted to Chunin after all? The village had some trust within them to approve of her rise in the ranks. Yet Toran stood there, his gaze still lingering on Isaribi.

WC:334
TWC:1775

Isaribi groaned internally. Did the kid think he was leveraging some kind of need, here? Instead of coming off as shrewd, he was just making things worse for both of them. In the heat of the moment, she tried to work through the situation mentally. To begin with, he had sought her out in the first place. Clearly, he had had a location in mind as well, probably something he had set up with Akaboshi. A NOVA member... well, it could be on his orders that he was doing this. He could very well have commanded Toran to seek her out and get her into a location where she was unfamiliar with. However, something about that didn't quite add up. How did Akaboshi know that Toran had met her, and had the capacity to contact her in the first place? No, the shinobi were smart, but she doubted they were THAT smart.

On the other hand, there was the difference in rank to consider. Maybe Toran really, really didn't want to look bad in front of a high ranking member of the shinobi. Now, that was something Isaribi could understand. Needing to project strength, even in front of people who were obviously stronger than you... it was just kind of how things were run, at least in her world. Using that facade to establish a presence, an identity in the village was paramount to survival in the first place. It allowed people to distinguish themselves. She remembered listening in on some of the civilian government's strategists at one point, and hearing them talk about name recognition had been illuminating. Yes, the more she thought about it, the more this made sense. In the end, it had to be one of two things: either Toran wanted to prove himself to his seniors and betters, or he was just the kind of guy who truly believed that she would be safe if she went with his plan. Hell, maybe it was both. Maybe he was just THAT naive. A part of her envied him, but she understood that he would come to understand in time.

"You're really trying to play hardball, kid?" She wouldn't quite smile, but it came close. An expression that designated disappointment; not in how this had played out, but in him. "Think about this for a second. You came to me, remember? Now you're throwing it all out because of the location? What do you think that reveals about you?" It came to her, suddenly, that she was walking him through this, the process of negotiation. It was like playing chess, something that she had picked up in prison. Every time you opened your mouth, you had the opportunity to influence how the conversation would go to your favor, but you also revealed something about yourself. This, of course, was why Isa wasn't a particularly talkative person. In this instance, it was more about how it reflected on Toran. His unwillingness to budge on this could have come off to a less discerning person as a major red flag, and motivate them down a less cooperative course of action.

This went doubly for her, though. She was the senior in this conversation, after all. If she tried to influence him too much, she might come off as desperate, or reveal a need for power that he or his NOVA superiors could exploit. It was why she hadn't gone to any of the village's medical shinobi in the first place. Normally, if she was dealing with people she knew, people she had grown up with, she would have no problem reaching out. The shinobi, though? That was a different matter entirely.

[WC 612]

Toran continued to stare back at the other Uchiha before him. His gaze staring blankly at her while she seemed to also be staring back. Her comments about him playing hard ball was met with no reaction. He didn’t think he was playing hard ball, as the location was not his to choose, it was not his to make. It was Akaboshi who seemingly had requested he be in a place that could allow for his supervision and protection. It was meant as a way for Isaribi to be considered possibly trusted enough as a member of Hoshigakure that she would be allowed into the unseen university unopposed. Yet Toran’s eyes only continued to stare back at her while she droned on about how him coming out to find her made him look, how it made him seem to be insane, or that he would throw it all away based on location. He could feel the condescending tone ooze off of her voice. He hated it, he hated feeling as though he was being talked down to for the request of going to a trusted official of the village in order to simply do a surgery that would help both of them.

“That I can’t budge because it was not my choice to choose the location. Why would you change the location? People trust you don’t they? You’re a chunin from this village are you not? Yet why change the location? You suggest a warehouse of all things in the religious section of the village near a cathedral? That I should bring one of the highest ranking individuals, second only to the Hogokage to the religious section in an abandoned warehouse? Near a cathedral?"

He gave a small shrug, her words were strange, instead of addressing why she had chosen or might have been the reason for why the Unseen university was chosen. She instead immediately tries to flip the situation, instead making him have to focus on what he’s doing that could be considered wrong or that he’s in the wrong for simply asking why or not budging on the negotiations. He was showing that he had, or would have trusted her more if she had simply gone with him to the unseen university. He still was naive in his thoughts about her, about the village's loyalty. Yet he felt as though that she wasn’t budging either. Nevermind how she was trying to gaslight him into believing that he was wrong. Yet he wouldn’t budge on the offer. He was still confused about why she seemed hesitant to go to a library of all places. He didn't understand that she perhaps did not turst them, that he was still naive enough to believe, or that he desperately hoped to believe that she trusted them, and considered herself a shinobi of Hoshigakure.

WC:401
TWC:2176

She suspected that this was why her talents tended toward genjutsu. Getting people, especially people from completely different backgrounds to just fucking work together and understand each other for once was a titanic feat. Genjutsu wasn't a solution at all, but rather a shortcut to getting what she needed to done. Trickery, trauma and head games were her specialty. Unfortunately, attacking Toran was a fucking ludicrous suggestion, and she put it out of her mind. Well, if he was going to show his inexperience so openly, there wasn't really much she could do but be upfront. The fact that the NOVA might have influenced him to contact her at all in full knowledge of her record was also vaguely disturbing, and something she would have to think about later.

As for the kid, though, her words would probably have no effect on him. How could he possibly relate to what she was saying? Well, there was only one way that she could figure out that would work here, and that was just to act. Not to attack, but to demonstrate, in one swift motion, why she believed what she did, why she behaved in the way she did, and why she was so wary of Toran's plan.

Without hesitation, Isaribi gripped her left sleeve with her right hand, and silently tugged it up, revealing the veritable mural of tattoos underneath. It was a tapestry of ink, each piece, each symbol a signifier of service to or a tie to the Jaws of Grima. The other person she'd explained this to had taken it fairly well, but she had been a friend. Toran didn't seem like the kind of guy who would take it as well, but who could say? She didn't know him as well, and that was the problem with this whole conversation to begin with.    

[WC 301]