Stranger in a Strange Land [Open]

It had been a little over 24 hours since Reizo had started his journey from the Hot Springs, yet Reizo couldn't be more awake. He was incredibly nervous yet also couldn’t contain his excitement. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time when meeting new people. Usually he was one to shy away from interacting with others and keep to himself, but now that he was a stranger in a strange land he felt poised to tackle change. There was a dense fog and daybreak had only just started to warm the air as Reizo approached the gates of Kirigakure at a leisurely canter, stopping 20 meters before the gates.

The gloomy and melancholy atmosphere felt eerie and unfamiliar to the cloaked blonde shinobi. Since arriving in the new land that night, Reizo reversed his inside out cloak back to normal. Once again, his cloak was emphatically displaying the red clouds of the Akatsuki to the outside, boldly proclaiming his ties to the group that once terrorized much of the shinobi world years ago. He was never told much about the original Akatsuki aside from Maku, Youka, and Akihana all being members, but he did recall that the original Mizukage of this land, Xyxer, was a close ally of them as well. To Reizo, this meant it was quite likely that Xyxer would be member of it too, and perhaps the villagers were aware of the organization to some degree. That said, Reizo knew he was taking a risk by displaying a potential sign of loyalties this deep in foreign territory and so he remained vigilant, activating his Mind’s Eye with the appropriate hand signs as a precaution, including the seal of confrontation.

It was quite possible that the people of the land weren’t even aware of the Akatsuki formed under the former Raikage given how isolated the region was; however that’d be extremely unlikely given the group’s past reputation as conquerors and destroyers of the old villages. Additionally, Reizo wasn’t sure how all of the regime changes had affected the village’s outlook on their old founder to begin with. All the Taijutsu Specialist was certain of was that it was best to declare his loyalties and past candidly from the get go, lest it make the whole immigration process significantly more difficult.

The haze from the surrounding gulf made it difficult for anyone to see Reizo beyond a silhouette, should they be standing atop the gates,. The reverse, of course, was equally true with Reizo being unable to make out little more than shapes along the top of the gates. When nobody appeared to take note of the C-rank Missing Nin’s sudden appearance in the early morning, Reizo would call out to any shinobi who could possibly hear him atop or near the gates.

”HELLO? IF SOMEBODY IS UP THERE, I AM SEEKING LEGAL ASYLUM INTO THE VILLAGE,” he would belt out. It was certainly not the most tactful nor creative entrance Reizo could’ve thought up, but he knew this was a surefire way to draw attention to himself and project his innocent and candid intentions to those within the village. Mulling over his words, Reizo decided to add some more details so they wouldn’t assume him to be a murder hobo lying to be let in. ”MY INTENTION IS TO IMMIGRATE AND BECOME OF SERVICE TO THIS GREAT VILLAGE,” he would add, coughing once and clearing his throat after announcing his presence. He hadn’t used his voice like that in a very VERY long time, so it was only natural his throat and diaphragm were having a difficult time with that task.

Nevertheless, Reizo would gracefully collapse to the ground into  a traditional cross-legged position with his left hand resting on his left knee and his right hand continuing to hold the seal of confrontation. The sensory nin closed  his eyes and maintained the extended effective zone of his Mind’s Eye, being mindful to keep both hands visible.

Now he would simply await a village shinobi to acknowledge his presence. He chose his course of action to be the most open and inviting method he could think of, while still remaining vigilant of his surroundings. With both hands visible, there shouldn’t be any doubt that he had no plans to initiate another takeover or attack.

—----------------
TL;DR - Hi, 20 meters from the gates and channeling Mind’s Eye until somebody stops by to escort me into the village.

-43 AP Mind’s Eye A-rank with additional range; 60 power, 35 m radius total

277 / 320 AP remaining

WC = 734 words

He was getting used to the new eye in his socket, one that was not his own, one that couldn’t even use the Byakugan if he tried to channel it. His own thoughts were displaced, all over the place. On one hand he had been informed he was given the rank of Jonin by the person who had come into the village and taken over. The people didn’t seem all that affected by the takeover, besides the small reconstruction that had been done while he was recovering most of his strength and gathering his thoughts. He was adamant of getting back his eye, by almost any means necessary. Yet losing in front of the entire village placed him right back into square one. Most of the people found him disgraceful, not only that but risked both of the strongest jonin that were currently inside of the village at that point in time. It only made the once Kage clench his teeth in anger. He had wasted his grand opportunity, and instead had lost both Romp and Youai. The only thing that remained was part of their bodies before they were seemingly harvested. Yet of course not even he could escape this world and reunite with his mother. Instead he had to stay alive, no medical ninjutsu could bring back the dead, at least from what he knew about Medical ninjutsu. His march led him back towards the front gate of the village. Completely unaware of the person who was in front of the village due to his one remaining Byakugan being inactive. Yet that didn’t stop his ears from suddenly hearing the shouts of someone nearby.

His Byakugan immediately turned on to see who this person was, and what he found wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary. A Blonde haired gentleman who had purple eyes, an interesting combination that Shiro was unlikely to stand out too much. Yet his request of legal asylum into the village… This could prove interesting!

Immediately Shiro walked up right towards the gates, announcing back towards the supposed individual who could supposedly provide assistance to the village. Shiro being only 20 Meters away from the man himself, Stark white hair and a lean build were visible from the 20 meter distance that Reizo could see. His hand resting on the handle of his sword at his side. Shiro’s Byakugan kept a lock on the man's position while he thought of a reason for how to go about this. He couldn’t just accept any kind of ninja into the lands of Kirigakure.

“What do you have that could prove useful to this village!? I can’t just let anyone inside of here!”

Shiro's tone was sharp, not wanting to necessarily challenge the man's loyalties, Shiro wanted to protect the village just in case someone else wanted to try and attack it… He would not have a repeat of last time.

WC:484

The instant Shiro entered the 35 m range of the focused Mind’s Eye, Reizo’s eyes bolted open and focused on the area of the gates where the man would emerge. The blonde shinobi would then adjust his seated position so that he was sitting with his left leg folded underneath him, leaning forward to shift his weight onto his right foot. This posture would allow him to stand quickly should he need to move.  Reizo noticed the fluctuations in the man’s chakra as the Byakugan was activated, and could tell a doujutsu was active in one of his eyes, though he couldn’t discern it was a Byakugan immediately. When Shiro stopped 20 meters in front of Reizo, the missing nin would forgo the seal of confrontation entirely, no longer seeing the need to focus the Mind’s Eye any longer.

It was just the two of them: the lean snow-haired Jounin in front of the gates and the strong  ex-Kumo Jounin 20 meters before him. Reizo was able to get a much better look at the Jounin now and smiled upon seeing the Byakugan. He had forgotten that the twins, Komon and Komori, had ancestry that hailed from Kiri at some point. After all, Komori was a Hozuki so it was only natural for Komon’s bloodline of the Byakugan to also be present here. Reizo briefly mused that this young man could be their cousin, though they looked absolutely nothing alike.

What perplexed Reizo was that the man had only one Byakugan. Was that a transplant, or did he lose his other eye and it was replaced with an artificial one, the cloaked man wondered. From this distance he couldn’t see any signs of scarring, so he couldn’t form a solid thesis either way.

Aside from the singular Byakugan, Reizo of course had to notice the man’s katana sheathed at his side. It was to be expected that Kiri would house many weaponry users; it’s what they were famous for even before the cataclysm. The two locked eyes for a moment and Reizo continued to read the man’s chakra for any signs of hostility or manipulation. He sensed none. The man seemed to be upright and honest as he spoke.

Yet something in the young man’s wording felt odd. ‘I can’t just let anyone inside of here,’ he says. What does he mean by 'I'? He has the authority to let people in? Does that make him the Kage…? But what Kage is out patrolling the gates instead of in their mansion getting debriefed for the day's activities at this hour? Were they really so short on manpower? Reizo mused, trying to Sherlock his way to a conclusion.

The cloaked man finally arose from his seated position, still 20 meters from the gates and Shiro. He chose to be a bit sarcastic in his response, moreso as a test. ”You need me to prove myself? Fine, I’m game. But it hardly seems like we can be so picky given these recent events, no?” Reizo gestured to some of the traces of rubble and debris from the takeover. Reizo was THIS close to asking where the Kage was, almost as a taunt, but he bit his tongue not wanting to offend his potential new comrades. If he was going to be fighting alongside them, it’d be best to not piss them off on his first impression.

”Hmm,” Reizo pondered, raising his right hand to his mouth with his index and thumb forming an L in a “thinking” position. How do I go about this? I don’t exactly have the flashiest jutsu since so much of my training consists of close range, he thought for a few seconds. His initial instinct was to open the inner gates, but perhaps that was a bit overkill. Not to mention he might still need to be cautious. Although he could tell from Shiro’s chakra that he was an honest man, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of getting jumped should he activate and then deactivate the inner gates.

Reizo glanced up and down, judging the distance between himself and Shiro. Nodding quietly to himself, Reizo decided it was the perfect distance for something like this. ”Ok, how about this?” Reizo would calmly say, almost in an inquisitive manner as if he didn’t know his own strength.

First, Reizo increased the chakra output to his whole body, enhancing his chakra and speed (+50) by flooding his chakra circulatory system. Next, Reizo would hinge forward and rotate at the hips, winding his right arm far behind his head, the chakra focused into his hand now visible even to the Hyuuga’s inert eye. During this time, Reizo had still not broken eye contact until his next action where he would whip his right arm violently downwards to the earth with such great force that he even betrayed his own footing (165 speed). The instant his right fist made contact with the ground, a shockwave would erupt (105 speed, 105 power) that would shatter the earth in a 20 meter radius like an earthquake. A thunderous bang like cannon fire rang out as the earth churned in on itself, trying to create space that didn't exist to cushion the impact. The ground spiderwebbed and then blossomed in a flurry of rock and debris, retching under the force of the sudden crash.

The shockwave would open the ground and dissipate right at Shiro’s feet, showcasing the precision of Reizo’s chakra control while simultaneously displaying his strength. Although he wasn’t quite as strong as he was back when he was a Kumo Jounin, he still managed to derust a bit in his time since leaving Tanbo.

When the dust settled, Reizo would be standing slightly off center in his own 20 m deep crater, his toes wet by a small pool that had begun to form as water trickled in from the deep impact. Despite all of his considerations, he had forgotten he was on an island and thus the ground would be considerably shallower. He was lucky that the small, .5 m deep/wide pool was all that came out of it, for he might’ve even gone too far and split the island.

After patting off some of the dirt, grime, and dust from his cloak, Reizo would look up directly at Shiro. ”I trust this will suffice, Mr. Hyuuga?” Whether he was or wasn’t a Hyuuga, Reizo still wasn’t entirely sure himself, but he figured he’d find out rather quickly if this man was as pureblood as his spirit.


—-------------------
1120 words + 734 = 1854 TWC thus far

Stats: 30/90/165/25

Speed-Based Fighting Style: Storm Talon
-21 AP mind’s eye (75 power), 25 m radius, not focused
-38 AP Chakra Enhanced Strength A-rank
-38 AP Cherry Blossom Impact A-rank (105 power, 105 speed for shockwave; scaling with Speed, 20 m radius)

180 AP remaining

The man arose from his seated position, he had not moved from that 20 meter distance from Shiro himself. Shiro’s only byakugan keeping a lookout for how the man would move. His objective was to make sure that the village was safe should Akabayashi return. Yet that meant he was still technically in charge of the village. He could have a good ally on his hands if he allowed the man inside of the village. But he needed to make sure that the man would prove himself. The small slip of his tongue about how he could not allow someone to enter would not go unnoticed. However Shiro would not make note of it, as the thought was gone with the wind with the missing ninja’s cheeky response. A small smile rested on Shiro’s face for a moment before answering.

“The village can’t have any kind of deadweight. I’m sure you can appreciate that at least given our current situation. The last person I had to defend this place was deadweight, and they’re lucky to be alive.”

He made it a point to shift his body to full face forwards. His black shinobi vest swayed slightly in the wind. His eyes focused intently, one was a bright blue eye, the other was the milky white of his own Byakugan. Curious now how the man would show his own usefulness for this village, from a combat, knowledge, or even just elemental perspective. He needed people, strong people for the safety of his village. His fingers still danced along the handle of his blade in anticipation for what the man would do. Shiro could read the man's lips, almost as though the man was unsure of his own strength. Shiro was half hoping that he’d show something much less destructive. Something that wouldn’t make him have to act as he would, the sudden influx from Reizo’s own chakra, causing a sudden enhancement of his strength and speed would make shiro confused for a moment, he could tell, from the rapid flowing of his chakra throughout his chakra network that he was amplifying himself with something. Yet the sudden rotation of his entire body, followed by his fist making contact with the floor. A massive shockwave erupted from the epicenter of the man's collision with the ground. His hand immediately clasped around the handle of his sword. Beginning to draw it out as the shockwave continued to expand. His Byakugan would try and track how big the actual shockwave was. Waiting for the collision to come too, as he was just about to activate his own enhancer. However, just before he unsheathed his sword and swung out, the shockwave stopped just before he would swing out his weapon in an attempt to dispel the blast. However the damage to the front of their village did not make Shiro all too happy. Yet he could use this, this was someone who had potential in the field of taijutsu.

He saw the small bits of water that were leaking into the five meter deep crater that the man before him made. Shiro’s sword clicking back into its sheath before addressing his showing and just how well he had done. His thought at being called Mr. Hyuuga gave him a small smile, responding in kind towards the fellow ninja.

“It’s impressive enough, your chakra control is very impressive, almost as good as mine, that’s something I’d like to learn more about in the future. You’re free to come in, I’m sure the Mizukage wouldn’t mind if someone else joined the village, seeing as how you and the newest Mizukage have that in common.”

He’d motion for the man to enter into the village. Keeping his Byakugan on as he’d walk away from the gate. Hopeful that he had a new potential ally that could help him with the village's own problems. His hand is still slightly dancing on the handle of his blade. His fingers tapped a slight tune as he walked back into the village.

WC:671
TWC:1155

Allowing Reizo entrance into a safe haven inside of Kirigakure.

The dust settled and once Reizo could establish eye contact with the Hyuuga once more, he noticed the faint smile briefly dance across Shiro’s face. Pleased with his own performance, Reizo straightened up and tidied himself and his clothes. Not bad for a rusty gent, Reizo thought to himself, deactivating his enhancer. Shiro’s praise was pleasant to hear, but the blonde never really cared for the approval of others. He could tell he still had a long way to go before he could reach the levels he had achieved as a mere teenager. Much like his original face claim of teen Gohan, Reizo was quite underwhelming as a young adult, at least for the moment.

Upon hearing Shiro’s approval to follow him into the village, Reizo couldn’t help but feel relieved and excited. He quickly climbed out of the hole he had dug himself into and caught up to the leisurely pace of the Mist Jounin. Reizo noted his wording as well.   The newest Mizukage. So the rumors of a takeover were true after all, and this man isn’t the Mizukage. Yet he has the authority to take me into the village without consulting the kage, so does that mean he’s the deputy? What fortune- the first person I meet on this island is actually someone of importance, Reizo thought to himself. ”You don’t even know my name, and yet you’re letting me in? Hmm, either I’m just that good or you’re that desperate,” Reizo laughed at his own sarcasm. ”Relax, it’s only a joke. My name’s Reizo. Reizo Shoyu,” he would introduce himself.

He noticed Shiro’s byakugan was still active; clearly the man had every right to be on-guard around a missing-nin, especially if he was turning his back. Still, the Hyuuga’s chakra had hardly changed since they first met, so it was obvious he wasn’t itching for a fight either. ”You have every right to be cautious, but I assure you I’m not going to try anything. I’m way too tired now,” Reizo sighed and yawned, the exhaustion of his travels finally catching up to him. ”Besides, I don’t think I could take you on as I am now anyway, you’re clearly a cut above the current me. But if I may, perhaps this will help alleviate any of your concerns,” Reizo would finish, extending his right hand out to activate his special Ninshu technique.

He didn’t expect Shiro to allow him to make contact out of caution, but if the Kiri Jounin did allow him to, the two would be able to communicate mentally once Reizo put his right hand on Shiro’s left shoulder. The first memory shared would be a quick flash of the 2-tailed beast, Matatabi, roaring in the rain during Reizo and Komori’s legendary encounter with it in the now forgotten Tornado Country. This memory was not one Reizo communed, but rather was the passive instance of Ninshu just for merely making contact. Once that had been communicated, and presumably whatever memory Shiro shared, Reizo would enter the shared mental space with Shiro, should he allow.

In the mental space, Reizo would begin to explain this new dimension to the Hyuuga. ”We’re now in a private shared space linking our minds. Here we can communicate in an instant any of our memories, techniques, and even memorized chakra signatures… though it seems neither of us have anything relevant to share with regards to that,” Reizo would tease. After all, all of his friends were dead or missing, though as to why Shiro had no signatures memorized would be a mystery to him.

Reizo would share much of his background, including his promotion to Genin in the Kumogakure Academy in front of Akihana, his promotion to Chuunin as well as all of his trials and exams, including a fight alongside Senshi vs Youka, and his first Jounin Exam trial that involved his 3 students vs another team. Reizo would also share his promotion to Jounin and the celebration that followed in Hoshigakure, as well as his involvement in the Kumo subjugation of Sunagakure and the defeat of Koroshi by Maku and Takeo, though Reizo himself was not a direct witness. A scene of Reizo crying at Kobayashi Senshi’s funeral with all of his friends present would also be communicated.

The scenes would then blur into a mix of darkness, loneliness, and depression, culminating in Reizo's attempted suicide by releasing the 2-tails in the rice fields of Tanbo. The scene of Reizo burying Arashi Senshi's body and leaving at sunrise would be his only memory in Tanbo until the downfall of the village. The memories of the downfall included the mysterious men Reizo could only barely make the faces and bodies of from the distance he was escaping- Satoru Jugo and his bodyguard- neither of whom Reizo knew the names of. He secretly hoped they would look familiar to Shiro, though he didn’t care all that much as he had minimal ties to Tanbo.

In addition to these memories, Reizo would also share knowledge of his full range of jutsu, skills, and elements, minus the 8-gates and related jutsu and the S-rank version of Laser Circus (though the A-rank and below versions he shared). He didn’t quite feel comfortable sharing his trump cards with a stranger, even though he had no reason to distrust his new comrade. It was simply good business to hold your cards close to your chest. This would allow Shiro to learn any of these jutsu far more easily than he would normally. Perhaps the most interesting of these techniques shared would be Storm Talon and his knowledge of sensory and medical jutsu, which he had hardly showcased earlier.

Reizo would wait for Shiro to communicate whatever it was that he wanted to communicate in the mental space, and would then close the link shortly thereafter as he could not keep it active for any longer.


—-----------------------------
1008 words, 2862 total

-30 AP for Ninshu: Commune
-22 AP for Mind’s Eye (post 3/5)

128 / 320 AP remaining

Shared knowledge of all jutsu, skills, and elements minus 8-gates and S-rank Laser Circus. Also shared some select memories from Reizo's time as a ninja in Kumo and Tanbo.

Shiro was indeed impressed with the physical performance of the missing ninja who had shown himself in front of the entire village. The small crater that the man before him had made certainly would be a bit of a pain to clean up, however he’d issue some of the remaining Chunin to clean up with the mess. Reizo quickly getting out of the small crater that he made for himself allowed the Hyuga some time to relax, at least knowing that the man wasn’t trying to immediately come after him. He needed allies, someone who he could trust with information, someone that at least also knew of the Kage not being from this realm of the world, instead all the way across it. His leisurely pace continued into the gates of Kirigakure, in which Shiro's cool demeanor continued to show itself at Reizo’s small comment about them being desperate for people.

“I’d say I’m slightly desperate, however I simply want people I know, people that don’t come from all the way west from Hoshigakure. Besides, I wouldn’t make the same mistakes as last time if you had come in search of a fight. However I’m sure you’ll do well Mr. Shoyu. The name is Shiro, Shiro Hyuga.”

A small underlying threat weaved in Shiro’s wordings while the two walked along the small street of Kiri with its own rebuilding coming through. The wall still needed to be rebuilt, however the Mizukage making a trip towards his homeland certainly wasn’t a good look. The small glares towards the former Mizukage when he walked along the city streets with the newest foreign ninja certainly made some even more angered then before. His byakugan was still active, even as Reizo started to explain that he had every right to be cautious of him. Shiro continued to have his Byakugan on just in case. However he made sure not to change his chakra, controlling it the best he could with his focus still on Reizo. The offer of his hand with the ommission that Shiro was stronger then the current version of him allowed the previous kage to drop his guard for a single moment. Allowing for the missing ninja’s hand to make contact with his own body. It made Shiro’s vision black out for a moment, before his eyes widened, the roar of a massive flaming tiger could be seen inside of his vision. The blue flames almost spreading out towards him. The knowledge of the two tailed beast surprised the Hyuga greatly. Shiro witnessing Reizo and Komori’s legendary battle with the now destroyed tornado country. His hand almost went straight for his blade. However he noticed that his weapons were gone in this realm, the only thing on his person was his own clothing. The mixing of the two’s chakra would be a surprise to be sure.

Yet it allowed for Shiro to be pulled back somewhere else, a place where he and Reizo could communicate without worry or without the judgement of the others around them. It was only their memories that Shiro was allowed to share, as Reizo was also stricken with the image of Shiro charging directly into battle against their current kage and the man who was simply known as Satoru Jugo. The red spin of the mans sharingan seen for a moment before Shiro’s own memory had faded out entirely. Both of them left inside of the landscape that Reizo had created for them.

Both of them would share their memories, however Shiro’s mind had slipped, showing the scene of a women with white hair, Shiro’s lowered vision showing his memories as a child. Holding onto his mothers hand by her bedside. It shifted immediately towards Shiro’s rise to the rank of Genin and eventually his waltzing into the Mizukage’s office in order to take the mantle for himself. The confrentation that had resulted from the taking of the mantle, and the defeat by the hands of Akabayashi, and the shared man that both Reizo and Shiro had come into Contact with.

Satoru Jugo.

However, Shiro did not actually know who the man was. There for the only thing both of them would know was that they both shared the same enemy of that man. Of someone who both of these men had crossed paths with once in their lives.

Shiro did not have much to share, only the techniques regarding Shimi Daikon that he was able to learn. The knowledge of how Akabayashi’s RInnegan and their abilities, along with his ability to revive people was something that Shiro would also add onto.

“We have similar enemies. I think we’re done here however.”

Exiting out of the mental space with a sudden blink of his eyes. He’d turn his head around towards the man who was a meter behind him.

“Go register your name into our files, tell them that Shiro sent you.”

With that, the young jonin would leave back towards his home, hopeful that the man who he had just met would follow his directions, the knowledge of storm release was interesting for the young man. Wondering how the information had not come to them sooner as a result.

WC:864
TWC:2019

Sharing knowledge of all that Shiro besides Ten Thousand Cold Nights.

The two would exit the mental space just as quickly as they had entered. Although the sharing of memories had felt like an eternity as they had relived each other's experiences, only a few seconds had passed in the real world. Shiro had pulled slightly ahead of Reizo and guided the foreigner through the village. Reizo couldn't help but notice the reactions of the commonfolk as Shiro passed them by. At first, Reizo thought they were staring at him, as it was certainly rare for a foreigner to be present in Kirigakure. As they made their way through the narrow streets, however, the ex-Jinchuriki caught onto the fact that these glares were  actually intended for Shiro. Everybody seemed to know him, and the vast majority had a distasteful snarl or grimace on their faces.

Reizo harkened back to the memories the Hyuga had shared with him, contemplating the most recent ones. So this is what it's like in this village when you fail to defend your homeland from invaders. Rather than reassuring him, they look on with disdain for his failures. I guess in that sense, I'll feel right at home, since Lord Youka's Kumogakure was quite similar, Reizo thought to himself. Though he had never been the recipient of the people's scorn, Reizo had certainly seen it on more than one occasion during the public executions Mortarion would conduct to instill fear.

Reizo listened to the Hyuga’s instructions and nodded to affirm. ”Yeah, you’re right. I guess that man has made an enemy of both of us,” he would say, pausing to let the mystery of the Jugo sink in. When Shiro began to depart, Reizo felt the need to inquire further. ”You’re not going to escort me to the immigration office, Lord Mizukage? Well alright then, guess I’ll be seeing you,” Reizo would say, shrugging his shoulders as he turned to head in the other direction.

”Oh! Before you go, I want to give you something. Up to you if you want it, but this is tradition where I’m from. It’s quite easy to undo if you’re concerned, but you should already know what this is,” Reizo would say, spinning back to face Shiro and performing the one handsign for the Mark Seal. Shiro would be able to recall this jutsu as it was one that Reizo had transferred over in the Ninshu space. He would then poke Shiro’s collarbone, just above his heart where his skin was exposed. The mark seal would slowly take the shape of a 1 inch squiggle outline of a flame symbol where Reizo had made contact and then disappear into Shiro’s skin should he allow this to happen.

”Now if I run into trouble, I’ll know where to find you. Don’t worry, I won’t peep. I know you’d catch me with your mystical eye,” Reizo would explain. ”Well then, I guess this is goodbye. Be seein’ you,” he would say, simultaneously gesturing in sign language by pointing to his eye and then Shiro. In a way, it was inadvertently a jab at Shiro’s one good eye, though Reizo hadn’t intended for it to be like that.

—----------------------------------

Once the two had gone their separate ways, Reizo followed the man’s instructions and navigated towards the immigration and customs building. As he walked by, some people murmured amongst themselves about Xyxer and the blonde’s cloak. Some of the adults correctly pointed out that the red clouds were familiar because Xyxer himself had once belonged to this organization and its members had stopped by Neo-Kirigakure and Shimagakure in the past. Despite the fanfare, nobody dared approach Reizo, even as he entered the immigration building.

The Storm practitioner checked in with the lady at the desk, who appeared startled that she actually had to do her job for once as nobody ever visited or immigrated to Kiri. She scrambled through her files for the citizenship application and had Reizo submit a background check. He took note of each of the fields as he filled them out.

Let’s see here. Name, Date of Birth, Country of Birth. Most Recent Residency. Have you been convicted of any criminal activity? What is your stated purpose in Kirigakure? List your previous occupations… it was a lot of boring paperwork, but 7 pages later the immigrant had filled it out and handed it back to the lady at the front desk. She then passed it off to a gruff middle-aged man clad in a Kiri Jounin vest who took a few minutes to look through it. Once he had finished, he beckoned Reizo to join him in a backroom alone for follow-up questions.

The room was small and completely soundproof. There was an executive chair and a desk, where the jounin now took his seat, and a dinky metal chair that Reizo was encouraged to sit on. The man looked down at the papers and then back at Reizo before beginning in his gruff voice, ”We don’t get too many visitors out here, let alone people seeking to immigrate. I’ve seen people from your organization here before.You wouldn’t happen to be a personal friend of Lord Xyxer’s, would you?” The man would pause to light a cigar, taking a single puff before turning his attention back to Reizo. ”No, you’re a bit young for that I suppose. But it says here that you were recommended by Lord Shiro, do you have anything to back up that claim? I can’t just take you at your word here,” the man dubiously inquired.

Reizo thought for a moment- he really didn’t have a way to verify Shiro’s referral, not without using Ninshu anyway, and that wasn’t something he could just do with such frequency. Reizo thought back to the memories the Hyuuga had shared with him- perhaps there was something he could bring up that would verify something that only Shiro would know.

”Well, I don’t have a seal or anything, but I do know his mother was a Yuki who died when he was quite young. I’m sure that’s public knowledge to Kiri nin, but surely that’s something that hasn’t been told elsewhere? Is that enough to at least verify his reference?” Reizo would offer. He really wasn’t sure how this would go. What if that wasn’t even knowledge to the village and he just divulged some inner secret of his new friend? Reizo winced at even just the thought of betraying someone’s trust.

”Well it’s not exactly public knowledge, but I did work on that case a few years back so I am quite familiar with the details.Very well then, if Lord Mizukage gave his blessing, we’re glad to have you aboard, Reizo Shoyu. It’s not every day we have an immigrant, especially not one with connections to the Great Lord Xyxer. Welcome to Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist. We’ll have your living arrangements sorted out by tonight. Feel free to use the barracks or other facilities open to shinobi of your rank. Starting today, you are now a Chunin of Kirigakure. Here is your new temporary ID while we get one made for you,” the man would say, handing Reizo his ID that verified his official capacity as a Chunin of Kirigakure. The man would take another drag from his cigar before setting it in a mug on his desk that seemed to be host to a number of burnt out cigars.

The man would then get up and escort Reizo out of the room, handing him a Kirigakure Flak Jacket to replace his old one along with a branded headband, before showing him out of the building. With that, Reizo was officially a C-rank Chunin of the Village Hidden in the Mist. Relieved, Reizo headed towards downtown to explore the parts of the village that hadn’t been ravaged by the takeover.

[EXIT]

—---------------------------------------------

That was a long one…
1343 + 2862 = 4205 total words

Used:
-5 AP Mark Seal
123 / 320 AP

Claims:
Now a Citizen of Kirigakure (new ID included)
Rank of Chunin Acquired (new Kiri flak vest to replace whatever the other one was)
Memorized Shiro Hyuga’s chakra signature 2000/2000
+42 stats; 25 towards Speed, 17 towards chakra for a new total of 30/57/140/25

Learning:
Split Second 1250/1250 (taught via Ninshu: Commune]
Perfect Body (B-rank) 875/875 (taught via Ninshu: Commune]
Furious Design 750/750 [taught via Ninshu: Commune]

1330 words towards Heavenly Body Skill; now totaled at 1629/2000

My jutsu slots are capped, but I’ll figure out how I’m going to rearrange them on my Stat Page and get another approval for that.

That was a long one…
1343 + 2862 = 4205 total words

Used:
-5 AP Mark Seal
123 / 320 AP

Claims:
Now a Citizen of Kirigakure (new ID included)
Rank of Chunin Acquired (new Kiri flak vest to replace whatever the other one was)
Memorized Shiro Hyuga’s chakra signature 2000/2000
+42 stats; 25 towards Speed, 17 towards chakra for a new total of 30/57/140/25

Learning:
Split Second 1250/1250 (taught via Ninshu: Commune]
Perfect Body (B-rank) 875/875 (taught via Ninshu: Commune]
Furious Design 750/750 [taught via Ninshu: Commune]

1330 words towards Heavenly Body Skill; now totaled at 1629/2000

My jutsu slots are capped, but I’ll figure out how to rearrange them on my Stat Page and get another approval for that.

Approved!

Shiro’s face grimaced at the thoughts that had left his mind. A sign of weakness once again. That entire battlefield was going to be a reminder of his once failure to protect the lands of Kirigakure from a Foreign invader. The people's reactions whenever he showed his face was all that needed to be said. He wouldn’t gain the people’s respect until he was able to seemingly drive out Akabayashi from the lands of Kirigakure. If the position was passed on to someone else in order to watch over Kirigakure, then there was no way he could recover his own standings within the village. He’d forever be known as the failure of Kirigakure, the Kage that never was able to do anything before being invaded by the ninja out west.

However it was something that he and Reizo had in common, the people hated them, distrusted them, wished that they had instead died on that battlefield. Shiro’s fists only tightened at the thought of his own teacher having died during the fighting, the memory kept on hitting him over and over and over again whenever he came back to the field of battle. He would not ever make the same mistakes again, he was lucky that the fight had not cost him his life. Perhaps he could remain somewhat happy that Akabayashi had taken some minor pity on his life. In return for stealing one of his eyes from him when he was unconscious. The person who had seemingly helped with that procedure would pay dearly for it if he could be given a chance. The thought almost scared him for a moment, yet the presence of his current ally and newest friend brought him out of it.

“He certainly has made an enemy out of both of us Reizo, however I don’t have a name for him, something we both wish that the other had. We’ll find him soon, I promise you that.”

His hand rose up, before giving a small pat on Reizo’s upper back. Hopeful that the man before him had enough trust in him to allow that gesture. The question that had suddenly rose regarding Shiro’s refusal to take Reizo towards the immigration office made the Hyuga only wave his hand towards his elder shinobi.

“I’m sure you can take yourself there, it’s a form of trust, your first mission if that works better for ya?” The previous Mizukage said, sure that the man beside him would complete a somewhat simple task of registering himself for Kirigakure and getting all the paperwork handed out. Reizo had seemingly shrugged. The other Shinobi shrugged back with only a small smirk plastered on his face.

The question raised by Reizo made Shiro certainly curious about what the other ninja had in mind. Reizo’s hand would slowly reach up towards Shiro’s own collarbone, the Hyuga would realize what it was immediately, his mind acting fast for a few seconds, thinking if this was the right idea. However he’d allow his fellow shinobi the ability to place his finger onto the spot right below his own collarbone. Allowing for the small, squiggly flame like symbol to appear right on Shiro’s chest. Fading away into his skin and chakra, allowing for Reizo to know that Shiro was still somewhere out there. The white haired Hyuga only giving his first real smile at the thought that Reizo would do something like that for him.

“Thanks friend, I hope everything goes well for you involving registering inside Kirigakure.”
Shiro heard the words from Reizo’s mouth that reassured him somewhat of the man's trust. Allowing him to relax for a moment before shifting his eye to his remaining Byakugan.

“I’ll be watching ya if you need me, I’ll know where to find you as well friend.”

With that, Shiro darted off in a puff of smoke, dashing away back to his house in order to gain some rest… And hopefully find some kind of food.

WC:660
TWC:2679

Memorizing Reizo’s Chakra Signature: 2000/2000

Max stat discount on the following jutsu
Heavenly Body:1500/1500
Lightning Jab(B-Rank):1125/1125

Shiro Hyuga wrote:

WC:660
TWC:2679

Memorizing Reizo’s Chakra Signature: 2000/2000

Max stat discount on the following jutsu
Heavenly Body:1500/1500
Lightning Jab(B-Rank):1125/1125

Approved