A New Path [Missions]

Mission Info:

Jupiter stood in the rubble that was the aftermath of the scuffle that took place upon his arrival in Yugakure. Violence was to be expected in the House of Jashin, his ancestral home. More accurately, it was the home of his consciousness ever since he was first taken in for the first time as a child. The words of a samurai with a winter bat on his shoulder began to sound distorted and distant while his eyes gazed into the horizon. The samurai had merely directed him towards the direction of the Temple, and this was enough to trigger within the man's psyche a deep and profound cascade of memories and prophecies. His mind's eye would be transported through the crown of his skull, all the way into the depths of the source material that was the canvas in and around him. Then, there was nothing.

 Amidst the blackness of the void, noises echoed in the distance. His own silhouette appeared in a tinge of dark cyan in a vantablack canvas and his footsteps caused ripples beneath them as though he was walking on water. He followed the origin point of the faint sounds in the distance, and then heard the laughters of playing children. He could see their silhouettes as they circled around him. The same frequencies of light and sound distorted into the sights and sounds of buzzing bees and flies, and he would be shrouded with a foul stench of rot as they fizzled into smoke. Unfazed, he walked through the cloud towards the depths of darkness, in search of enlightenment. 

In yon shadowed depths of Jashin's grace,
'Midst chaos and twisted space,

Children's laughter, like distant bells doth chime,
Yet darkness cloaks this path of time,
Bees and flies, a dance in this rhyme,
In the foul stench of rot, his purpose doth climb.

Through the cloud of smoke, he strideth with might,
For Jashin's truth, he'll endure this dark night,
In the House of Jashin, where faith takes flight,
He seeketh sacred wisdom, eternal darkness, eternal light



He heard chanting in the distance in the voice of a young boy. "Saturn?" He called out and as he did a young light haired boy appeared before him holding a little straw puppet. Jupiter let out a gasp, uncharacteristic for the stoic young man, and then extended his arm towards the boy but he could not reach him. The space between them expanded even further as the dark haired shinobi began to walk more briskly, and then jog, and then sprint. "Hey. It's me! Your elder brother. I'm here now. You have nothing to worry about." His usually monotonous voice was lit up and animated, but as he ran to no avail it began to shake and tremble, sounding desperate and remorseful,"Don't you remember me? We promised." He stopped in his tracks, his rapid footsteps decelerating to a slow, careful walk. The dull lack of glimmer in his black eyes returned once again as they scanned his environment cautiously.

Is this Genjutsu? He wondered, and a voice immediately answered his own question in his mind, No, this is an invitation. The second voice had an evil undertone. Jupiter could sense a new perverse malevolence in the subtle enunciations  of the voice he had always heard in his mind, and for once it disgusted him. Very well. Jupiter extended his arm in front of him and with the flick of a finger caused a massive tunnelling shockwave to expand towards the image of the child before him, causing the void around him to quake and shatter along with the visions of the boy he thought to be his younger brother. When the vantablack dust settled, Jupiter was holding a young boy by his throat, and he was unable to stop choking him. What is this? He cursed, trying with all of his might to unclasp his vice grip on the larynx of the boy in his fist while the child choked and fluttered his bare feet. Jupiter gritted his teeth and begged his arm to stop until the boy looked up and their eyes met. He had blue eyes, but behind them was a familiar visage with thick eyebrows, high cheekbones and a sharp jawline. It was unmistakably the face of Jupiter himself, but only about 17 winters younger. Jupiter's arm with a mind of its own slammed his younger counterpart into a wall of concrete with brutal force, and all either of them could see was another empty, dense, infinite void with no substance.

The elusive void vacuum spun and assembled into another scene. Jupiter was looking up at a boy whose ribs and cheekbones showed signs of malnourishment. Their eyes met only for a second before a wrinkled man in a black robe kicked the boy in the ribs with enough force to send him tumbling several feet across the mud. Jupiter grimaced and pressed his hands against the transparent liquid barrier that separated him from the world before him, but he could not break through. Upon running in the opposite direction, he was immediately faced with another transparent wall, but this time it would be a solid barrier attached to a concrete wall. He could only watch while the older man trodded slowly towards the child he had kicked. "Run! He's coming!" Jupiter tried to warn the skinny boy but his pleas would fall on deaf ears.

The child by then had sat up straight and had begun to chant manically. The Pacifist could hear every word being uttered, and he made out that it was a prayer reflecting a deep and earnest longing for spiritual insight and enlightenment, as well as a profound connection to an otherworldly entity that he was very familiar with named Jashin. The child was clearly to be on a quest to understand and navigate complex and mystical forces that surround him. It slowly dawned upon him that they were not so different after all. In fact, this was nothing more than a long forgotten memory. "Father.." His rapid heart rate began to slow, and he watched as the man began to stomp the child. With every stomp, the child cursed in valiant defiance.

"Jashin's Curse!"

"Dark Benediction!"

"Jaa'Damn!"

"May you live forever!"

When he came to, the frail tan skinned boy was sitting on the ground hugging his knees. His dirty unwashed body shivered in the cold as he rocked back and forth with his black eyes void of expression staring at themselves through the reflection on a puddle that had formed in the rain. Were they always black? It was the last thought he was able to formulate before a vicious kick from a paranormal force struck him in his ribs, sending him rolling several feet across the dirt.

"Oh, mighty Jashin! In reverence, I stand before your enigmatic presence. Your nature mirrors the mysteries of the divine. I, a mere vessel, come seeking understanding of the otherworldly forces that exert their influence upon my existence. These forces, concealed from ordinary perception, guide my journey with an ethereal touch and cryptic whispers.

During the hushed hours of night, I perceive the intangible embrace of Jashin, a paranormal entity whose essence intertwines with my very being. In this sacred solitude, I beseech clarity. Grant me the strength to fathom the elusive ways of these supernatural currents. I, a child in the realm of the mystical, yearn to decipher the invisible hands that shape my destiny.

With humility, I acknowledge that I am but a novice, a wanderer in the maze of Jashin's design. The unseen energies that envelop me, the unspoken truths that resonate within, all find their origin in the cryptic realm I tread. I offer my prayers to Jashin, finding refuge in the shadowy embrace of this enigmatic force.

As I endeavor to comprehend the profound aspects of the paranormal, I entreat Jashin for guidance. Through this mysterious journey, may I discover the wisdom concealed in the veiled dimensions of existence. I stand as a witness to the supernatural, venturing where spirits and phantoms unveil their secrets.

Jashin, in your name, I seek solace and enlightenment. Let your presence illuminate my path as I navigate the intricate web of forces that dwell within and around me. I am but a boy, humbly reaching out to the celestial rarity that is you, a force beyond comprehension."

 The boy's spine shot upright as he began to speak in tongues, incessantly spitting out his prayer without stopping to catch his breath. "Aaaa meeeyyyn!" The second half of his amen would be stretched out as another paranormal strike would send him flying in the opposite direction. He cowered and covered his head as paranormal feet stomped him with paranormal boots, but the pain in his bones was real an objective, until even that became numb to deprive him entirely. In his mind, he wandered deep into his memories.

"No longer...... drink water exclusively, but use......... a little wine.............for the sake of your stomach................ and your frequent ailments." A tall young handsome man muttered oddly in a deep, coarse voice under his breath as he slowly made his way through the scorching desert in his wooden sandals. He was carrying on his shoulder a white cloth sack on a long wooden stick, about one meter in length. On his oval head, he wore a brown decorative crown of thorns that cleanly banded his thick, flowing dark brown hair. On his face, he wore a thick and long dark brown beard, matching in color to the hair on his head, which made him look plenty older than his young ripe age of 22. His bronzed body was shirtless, the many cuts on his lean bronzed body on display. A white robe was wrapped around his waist, and wooden sandals dragged beneath his feet as he dragged them, kicking up sandy dust along the way. Abruptly, he stopped in his tracks and turned around to whence he came. He was far from the comforts of the air conditioning facilities available in the main streets and hub of Sunagakure. The mid day heat in the arid desert was disorienting. The large dome that oversaw the bustling village was no longer in sight. Around him in every direction, stretched miles and miles of sand and dust. Directly overhead, the Sun looked over the young man and the barren desert, casting down its endless love, light and heat on the peculiar shinobi. Basked in his own sweat, his muscular body reflected the light from the Sun, shining brightly in the shimmering light. Clutching the wooden stick on his back with his left hand, he raised his right one up towards the Sun, so as to shield his eyes from some of its blinding rays. On his palm, the insignia of Jashin was imprinted in white ink - an upside down triangle inscribed within a perfect circle. The beam of light from the Star penetrated right through a gaping hole on the young man's disfigured hand, and shone on his light brown eyes, causing them to glisten and glow. He let out a deep, heavy disgruntled sigh and set the sack on the stick on his back on the sandy desert ground in front of him. From within the sack, he took out an unopened glass bottle of red wine and cracked it open with his teeth. He placed its mouth on his bottom lip and tipping the bottle over, he started to chug uninhibitedly straight from the bottle. And he chugged. And chugged. And chugged. Ditching what was now dead weight to him, he left the empty glass bottle behind in his wake, in the desert sand. Yet in his sack, the sound of glass rung with his every step. Clink. Clink. Clink.

It was early in the morning, only a few hours prior, when Jupiter Yamanaka was in a local bar in Sunagakure no Sato, overhearing the conversation of two old talkative shinobi who were chattering behind him about the fabled way of the Drunken Fist. According to what was said at the bar on that particular morning, there exists seasoned masters of Taijutsu who, before fighting, would get intoxicated with alcohol and fight with a ferocious vigor, much more effectively than when they were sober. The drunken masters would be unpredictable in their movements, and uninhibited in their expression of the art that was Taijutsu. They were more agile in their steps and found impossible angles through which they struck their opponents with a fierce invigorated strength. Until then, Jupiter had never heard of such a thing as the way of the Drunken Fist. The Chuunin Exams were coming up and the young shinobi was keen to participate, to test his own strength. He was actively on the hunt for ways to get stronger in time for his trials ahead. As an avid drinker of red wine, a man keen on seeking adventures and testing novel methods, and a dabbler of Taijutsu, the brown haired shinobi was compelled to find out for himself, what exactly he might be able to achieve if he were to try his own hand at the art of the Drunken Fist. Ever the pacifist, his plan was simple. He would go out far into the desert on foot, and venture out as far as possible, while the Sun was still up in the desert sky. He would carry with him an ample amount of wine, but no water whatsoever. When the Sun eventually sets and the sky turns dark, he would turn around and walk back to the village. If he reaches the same bar he was at earlier before the Sun rises halfway to directly overhead for the second time, he had passed. Perceiving this plan as a profound and God given thought, he had stood up behind the counter, towering over the bartender and the two youth behind him who were discussing the Drunken Fist. Buying as much wine as he could buy, and possibly a little more than he could afford, "I will go East!" he had declared, baffling the others in the bar with him as no one had asked. "I know you're in there. Witness me. Witness me. Witness me!" He muttered shortly after under his breath as he began his journey from the bar and started his trek going slowly East, towards the rising Sun. 

[justify]Fast forward to the present, Jupiter treaded slowly on the soft desert sand. From a distance far reaching into the outskirts of the desert, the sound of a newborn baby wailing would grow louder and louder, and higher in pitch from all directions with every step. The unbearable cry would grow louder and louder, until the sound of desert winds was no longer audible over it. The shrill, sharp screeching sound would cause Jupiter to pause for a moment and look around - to find nothing but miles of sand in all directions around him. "A baby? No, I must be hallucinating.... Are you there?" He spoke under his breath in a dry, raspy voice to himself as he kept walking forward, maintaining the same pace though his bronzed face showed all the signs of exhaustion. The sweat on his brow dripped as he walked, his plump purple lips were cracked like fissures in the sand and his breath was loud, uncontrolled and heavy. As he walked, pebbles around his feet seemed to morph into countless little dark cockroaches. The ones with the long legs. Jupiter winced and rubbed his eyes as he kept treading, kicking away his visions of cockroaches with his feet and waving his hand in front of him as some of them took flight. One of them seemed to pass through the wound on his hand. And another. And another. and another. Trying to smack another, his forearm went right through the envisioned insect. "I knew it, they're not real.. It's all in my head. The heat, it's messing with me." He assured himself as he cracked a grin, feeling as though his perception allowed him to flawlessly see right through the mirage in front of him. As he walked, from specks of dust around him in the air formed a massive swarm of mosquitoes, buzzing all around him, and they seemed to sting him, this time he could vividly feel the pain from every sting, but there was not a speck of blood that spilled from his body, yet. Walking onward, the shinobi broke into a loud, erratic and manic laughter, and cracked open another bottle of red wine, diabolically chugging half of it in one go as he carried on unfazed - his visions of mosquitoes, cockroaches and the wailing baby all having failed to cease at all. "I can do all things.." He declared as he walked in a straight line, relentless in his strife.

The dry incessant heat had greatly disoriented Jupiter's sense of the passing of time. The Sun seemed to fill the entirety of the sky, and the horizon in every direction, making it impossible to decipher what stage of the day it was. The vivid hallucinations of mosquitoes, cockroaches and shrill screeching babies had now dulled down. The same horrific hallucinations recurred in the shinobi's mind with the same intensity, but he was now less sensitive to their effects. In his conscious mind, the dust was once again dust alone. The persistent shinobi wore a solemn, unfazed expression on his face, looking visibly numb. Right then, his face would be stroked by a cool gentle breeze. And another. And another. And another. Soon, he was in an oasis. Patches of vegetation lay scattered in front of him, around a large pond. Within it, floated a bouquet of lotuses big enough to step on.  The barrage of cool winds would continue while he peered inside to find a school of vividly colored fish swimming back and forth in a figure eight pattern. His pupils were dilated as he reached into the pond with his right hand - as though his limb was moving on its own. In a swift swipe, the shinobi snatched one of the colorful specimen right from the water, gripping it tight in his balled fist. He stared intensely at the prey in his grip and wiped the sweat off of his brow. Leaning in, he stuck his tongue out and licked the fish from its snout to its tail. The tip of his tongue slithered over its gills - which he would find out were actually quite sharp. He winced as they cut his tongue, and the fish slipped out from his grip and hopped out back into the pond. Jupiter reached out to grab it again, but found that there was no pond there at all. He was now staring at a pit of sand. None of the other fish were to be found. A few feet away, he heard a loud, distinct croak. There it was, a large toad with the very same colors of jade, cyan and turquoise as the specimen he had cleaned with his tongue just moments prior. "What the fuck..." Jupiter croaked, wiping his tongue with his hands getting sand on it before spitting out and coughing. He gagged but he could not puke. The fresh breeze that he had felt earlier was now pelting him with sharp grains of sand from all sides. He turned his sore eyes upwards at a forty five degree angle, and there it was. Several dust storms converging together at an odd fixed point in the sky, coming together from impossible angles. The grains formed the shape of an enormous skull with two long horns protruding from above its ears. He could hear it. It was laughing down in a deep loud thundering voice at the slipping shinobi. He could hear the laughter ringing in his bones. "So you've come." Jupiter looked up at the horned skull of sand in the sky, but there was no response. Jupiter exhaled sharply from his nose and poured what was left of his second bottle of red wine down his throat, regurgitating to chew and swallow it twice, making sure he got all of it. "Get out of my way. I must go East till sundown."


Jupiter locked eyes with the horned sand devil, whom he believed to be a manifestation of Jashin in the third dimension. The God of Death and Destruction had been haunting Jupiter for most of his life, which did not help him eliminate his drinking problem. Within his short lifespan, Jupiter had witnessed the various powers of Jashin firsthand. The God of Death had appeared to him in many forms and tormented him, held him captive, and he had even once banished him to hell. Ever the realist, Jupiter was a believer in what he could see, hear, and experience. The skull opened its mouth to reveal an endless pit of darkness, and from within, stuck out a thick tongue of sand with a silhouette of a lean muscular man, about the same height as Jupiter, who was stood on the tongue, being showered in endless sand. From the open mouth, an endless scream would ring without cessation. All the shinobi could do was stare in awe. As the sand spilled onto and from the silhouette's head from the roof of the skull's mouth, to the silhoutte's feet, his face was revealed. He had the very same face as the shinobi that was facing him - except, half of his face was torn off, exposing his skull. As the rest of his body unsheathed from behind the sand, half of his ribs would be revealed - his bones sticking out. His skin melted into a gross, gooey mould and washed away into the piling sand. One of his arms was concealed by the teeth of the sand skull. He lifted the other arm up towards the shinobi - his arm was ripped up, bones showing on his fingers and forearm. Jupiter was unfazed for almost every step of the spectacle, but for a brief moment as he locked eyes with himself, a thought about the feeling of fear escaped his mind, and it showed on his face for but a split second. Almost immediately, the massive skull of sand crashed down on the disfigured version of Jupiter - who would turn into a devilish apparition of a black silhouette with white tribal paintings marking his bones for a brief moment, just long enough for the shinobi to catch a subtle glimpse - pelting his skin making him bleed before the massive weight of the sand would borrow a hole in the ground and take the massive sandy horned skull along with it. A deep haunting howl would follow as the sand swallowed the massive spectacle back into the ground. Watching on, Jupiter's scars opened up with identical cuts, his skin seemingly pierced by sand but physically, visibly untouched by any physical object except for the blood that spilled out from his own body and spewed. And spewed. And spewed. He groaned and looked at his hands - to find blood, all over them both. The smell and sight of blood heightened his senses - he could even taste it - before the crushing weight of the sand that crushed his voodoo doll would translate into the same force coming down from above on Jupiter, and with the enormous weight, he was forced to get down on his knees. Around him, the edges of a pit of sand began to form as his feet sunk into the ground below. His vision blurred as he fixed his gaze on the blood all over his immobilized body, looking at his hands and the 'red' that filled his vision until he blacked out, losing his awareness of both his thoughts and his body. 

A tall young man with blood on his ripped bronzed body dragged a large beast by its jaw through the sand in the deserts of Sunagakure. His eyes were fixed straight ahead and into the horizon, his pace was constant without any signs of slowing down. His face and body were bruised and cut. The Sun was still ever shining in the sky - its bright luminosity disguised its position making it impossible to decipher the time of day just by looking. With his free hand, he carried bottles of red wine in a white cloth sack on a wooden stick. Upon looking down at the frothing mouth of the beast, the man stopped in his tracks. "A polar bear? In the desert? That is polarizing.." Jupiter was talking to himself to remain sane during his long journey through the scorching heat. He leaned down on one knee and placed two fingers on the bear's neck to check its pulse. "Oh, it's dead, it's dead, it's dead.." Just as he uttered these words, he would see the animal blood on the beast's neck, and he was startled.  There were three holes in its skull, one going right through the roof of its mouth. The very next moment, Jupiter would be laying on his back, looking up at a familiar apparition. It was himself. Not just any version of himself, but the very same version he once saw in the mouth of a skull of sand in the desert - fractured and in places without skin or flesh. "Good job." The apparition spoke down at him, "You're dead." It spoke once but he heard its voice thrice - "You're dead, you're dead, you're dead." - and as soon as he sat up, the apparition was no longer present in the pit with him. He looked around but it had left no visible trace of it ever being there at all. He shuddered, and looked up to see that he was now underground. There was no sign of the sky, and sand fell down into the pit like waterfalls. Next to him, his wine was safe in the glass bottles he packed in his white cloth sack - the sand had broken the fall. Cautiously, he took a bottle from the stash and stood up, and stepped forward, wandering into the abyss carrying the rest of his wine on the stick over his back. He chugged as he kept walking towards a light emanating from a tunnel ahead. As he marched, innumerous voices around him chanted in unison but he could not quite make out where the voices were coming from, or who was chanting, "You have arrived, you have arrived, you have arrived."


As Jupiter approached the tunnel and passed through, icy winds would blow in his direction, until their frigidity would freeze droplets of ice on the stick that he carried on his back. Alarmed, he would appear baffled as he checked his hands once again, to see blood rushing to his palms. His cuts from earlier had already clotted, but now he was in danger of catching a frostbite. "Is this.. Genjutsu..?" He gritted his teeth, augmenting the robe around his waist to cover his upper body as well to adapt to the cold. Looking down below, his wooden sandals were now planted on a thin block of ice in a body of water. As soon as he noticed, the block would slightly tilt, causing him to instinctively leap laterally to land on a thicker block of ice, to find that he was now on the thickest block in the vicinity, his sandals dug deep into thick slippery white snow. Above, there was no sign of the Sun, but it looked as though it was daytime and the sky was light blue, pristine and clear. His jaw dropped when he looked further ahead to find an imposing, 3 meter tall polar bear about ten meters ahead, its eyes fixed in his direction. On its furry white back were three steel arrows, lodged deep into its flesh. It roared loudly at the baffled shinobi, causing him to tense up and clutch onto his waving robe. The bear stepped gracefully with its heavy paws, moving slightly to the side as it approached Jupiter, sizing him up. The shinobi would instinctively back off at first, but then move laterally in the opposite direction, carefully watching the beast's movements. It was aggressive - he could tell. "I don't want to hurt you." He spoke slowly, with a calm but cautious demeanor. The base of his wooden sandals slipped against the ice as he waved his arms by his sides to regain his balance. The bear was not amused. With an unbridled, impressive leap forward to close the distance, the massive furry beast swiped its right claw down at the shinobi's face.

In his attempt to dodge the lethal blow, Jupiter stepped laterally, but his sandal would slip once again on the ice below him, exposing one side of his face to the massive, sharp claw of the swiping bear as it came down and ripped the skin and flesh of half of his face right off of his skull. Blood spewed from the side of his face as he made his leap sideways, carrying his sack on his back, looking at the bear from his good eye as his other had been badly compromised with the wicked blow that he had endured. He touched his face as he leapt, looking at the fragments of his own face that had been torn off as they scattered into the ice. Landing a few feet away from the bear, he set his sack of wine on the ice below. Blood dripped freely into the ice from his skull as he held his face, looking down. "Good grief.." He exhaled and let out a deep disgruntled sigh before he picked up and downed the rest of the bottle that he had cracked open before he passed through the tunnel. "Come on then, motherfucker." He slurred at the bear, taking his stance. At this point, he was sufficiently drunk. The world around him spun, and so did his perception of his own body's configuration within the third dimensional space around it. He struggled to trace the position of his own limbs as he placed his left forearm in front of his stomach, and clenched his right fist, raising it up and forward in the direction of the beast. Yet, when he took his stance, his struggle seemed careful and deliberate. The man uncharacteristically smiled from ear to ear, wearing a look of insatiable bloodlust on his scarred, disfigured face.

The bear launched its massive muscular body forward, charging at the shinobi in its attempt to overwhelm him with brute force. Jupiter turned his body to evade its swiping claw before striking its snout with his sharp right elbow and even followed up with a quick swift uppercut with his clenched left fist to strike its snout a second time. As the beast threw its weight downwards to pin Jupiter to the ice, he skipped to the side to evade its slam. Before it could get back up, the drunken shinobi was now quick enough to launch his body feet first at the bear's skull, striking its snout again with the heels of both his feet to deliver a brutal double kick - the rest of his body grazing against the bear as he took flight away into the ice, sliding on it, creating distance between himself and the bear after his kick. He landed on the floor on his stomach. There, he waited on his stomach,  looking up at the bear with the what was left of his face patiently waiting for his next opportunity to strike. The taste of blood was mixed in with the after taste of the diabolic amount of wine that he had already consumed. The massive beast leapt forward, beelining for a second time at the shinobi who struck him so fiercely on his snout.

As the penumbra of the shadow of the bear touched his own, Jupiter rolled to the side and lifted his body up upside down finding himself in a one handed handstand - planting his right hand on the cold ice below. He was too drunk and rushed with adrenaline to feel the freezing ice prickling his palm. Next to him, a pocket-sized opening between him and the bear allowed him to spin forcefully to strike the beast once again with two quick hard successive kicks, one after the other, the second knocking the bear down in the direction of his kick - cutting its face wide open. The shinobi landed on both his hands and his feet, with his back towards the ground and his hips thrust up towards the sky, looking at the bear from below with his upside-down face - his long flowing hair resting on the ice. Like a spider, he crawled nimbly, laterally and then towards the knocked down bear with an uncanny quickness, still on his feet and hands and upside down. He licked his lips with the same bloodlust visible on his face from before. He could hear the beating heart of the bear, and smell the blood that he spilled with his kick. The bear stared back, growling with its gritted fangs visibly shaking under its bleeding snout.

The bear roared before it got up, signalling its move to the shinobi, who managed to spin out of the way with his skull in the same place in space, striking the bear from below with a deliberate sweeping kick, knocking it back down on its other side. Visibly overcome by his excitement and enthusiasm for the bloody fighting that was taking place, Jupiter straddled the polar bear, and grabbed its throat with his left hand, trying to choke it out while he mercilessly battered its skull with his clenched right fist over and over, laughing manically. The bear roared under him before easily tearing off half of the flesh on his back with its claw, from under him, exposing his ribs, causing Jupiter to flinch and cough up blood before falling over next to the beast. In an unsurprising turn of events, the bear was quickly on top of the man that straddled it, and the shinobi coughed up more blood while cowering, tucking what was left of his head behind his elbows as the beast roared and clamped its fangs down over and over. He managed to avoid the most lethal of the beast's swipes with his speed and his drunken grace, but he was losing blood quickly - and with every moment, another mass of his flesh was getting ripped right out of his bones by the menacing claws of the furious beast. It was looking bleak for the shinobi. "You got a little ahead of yourself, didn't you?" A deep dark voice rang in his bones. Fighting for his life, Jupiter yelled out and stopped cowering. "Witness me!" He dared to grab the beast's jaws with both his hands - shoving both hands right into the mouth of the beast. Its teeth scraped against his forearms as he exerted force against the clamping jaw of the beast in both directions, his legs wrapped around the bear's neck to keep it from getting away. Holding its upper jaw in place, he used all of his strength to pull down at its lower jaw, pulling them apart until its deadly lower jaw snapped out of its socket. In its struggle, the beast wailed and picked the shinobi up and slammed him down into the ice, this time breaking it, causing the two to dive deep into the icy cold water below.

"The wine!" Jupiter wailed as he was dragged into the water. Gritting his teeth, he kept pushing the jaw of the bear both up and down as they wrestled in the water, causing water to go down the beast's throat, entering its windpipe and its lungs. He was now trying to drown the bear, tightening his clasp on its throat with his legs as he clawed at its snout. The two spun and struggled all the way down to the sandy bed of the icy cold water. As the water washed their blood away, the bear was unconscious. Jupiter broke free, looking down at the bleeding bear on the seabed. He descended to the bed next to the bear and took out one of the three arrows on its back, gripping it tight. Grinning wide as ever, he impaled the bear in the throat with the arrow. "Die!" Laughing manically underwater, he pulled out the two other arrows and pierced the bear two more times through its skull, ensuring that it was indeed dead. "Die, die, die!" He kept spiking the bear with the last arrow, disfiguring its face into bits and pieces, unbridled and unrestrained in his rampant thrusts of the arrow, growing more and more ecstatic with every stab. As the young scarred shinobi mercilessly carried out his brutal execution of the beast that had attacked him, the water around him started to lift up from the ocean into the sky, turning into vapor, blowing away like dust storms in the desert. As he kept stabbing the corpse of the bear, the sand below sunk even deeper into the ocean floor, flowing like a waterfall into the abyss below. Jupiter was still unconscious in his sadistic indulgence to the point that he was not even fazed by the bizarre events taking place above and below him. Left with nowhere to go, the shinobi and the bear remained on the seabed while the sand engulfed the both of them.

Above ground, grains of sand lifted up from their bases to the air. Dust storms came together from impossible angles. Dense at some points, more spaced out in some spaces, the particles came together to form the shape of a massive skull with two long horns protruding from above its ears. A deep endless howl thundered over the sound of the sandy winds. Suddenly, there was light. Jupiter was standing in a shelter of sand, under the roof of the mouth of the sandy skull, on a dune that formed its tongue. On his body, sand flowed from his head to his toes. Looking ahead, he saw a shinobi coming towards him. In his own fist, Jupiter clenched the jaw of the bear that he had slaughtered. Bewildered, he opened his mouth but he was unable to speak. Looking on, he recognized the shinobi wearing the clear, unscarred face which was none other than his very own. His pupils dilated as he quietly gasped, though his gasp would go unheard in the endless humming wail of the sand devil around him. He reached out with his spare arm, trying to warn the shinobi. "Turn around. Turn around. Turn around." He spoke, but he would go unheard in the louder, deafening hum around him. The shinobi locked eyes with him, and then the tomb of sand around Jupiter collapsed, showering him with the rest of the sand from above.

 As the sand collapsed into the ground below, Jupiter emerged from within, still clutching the jaw of the beast he had slain. Looking at his hand - it was no longer torn up. He touched his face, and his bones were now tucked behind his flesh and skin, untouched. His scars from his childhood were still present on his body, like the gaping holes in his hands, but all the injuries caused to him by the bear in his grip just moments prior were entirely removed - it was as though that brutal fight in the snow and the sea had never happened. He looked ahead to see no sign of the shinobi that had previously come trekking his way. He stumbled forward, and saw his wine, neatly wrapped in the same white sack on his stick, on the sand next to his feet. He bent down to pick it up before he looked up to see the Sun, visibly starting to descend West, but it had a long way to go. Turning around to face East again, his senses numbed as he took the first step, dragging the bear as proof of his experience, while struggling desperately to try and understand the experience that he had just had. 

His recollection of his encounter and the events that had just taken place were beginning to get jumbled. The thin veil between what was real, and what was a hallucination, had been lost to him somewhere along his journey in the desert. Dragging a beast through the sand, struggling to remember why he needed the carcass, he paused in his tracks to try and remember - to see if he could accurately piece together the events that had transpired leading up to this point in his quest. Looking down at his fist, still clutching the jaw of a dead wild animal with a balled fist, he got down on one knee to examine the creature. "A polar bear? In the desert? That is polarizing.." He said out loud and leaned down to check its pulse. "It's dead! It's dead! It's dead!" He could hear an ominous voice chanting all around him as he checked. He looked around, but there was nothing but sand all around him in every direction. As he looked on, the white fur on the deceased animal turned sandy brown, before turning into grains of sand and dust, and dissipating into the earth and into the wind before his eyes. "Oh.. It was a grisly bear." Jupiter tried to hold onto his grip on reality as he got back up on two feet, clutching the stick on his sack. He looked up once again into the sky to confirm that he was indeed still walking East, but now it was pitch black. The crescent moon shone its silver light on the desert dunes, making the sand and the dust look like ashes and smoke. There was no sign of the Sun.

"Young man, are you alright?"

The blades of the crescent moon cascaded into petals of strange succulents, the sand beneath Jupiter's feet was suddenly lush and green. His blue eyes were overcome by a blinding light as the scent of screaming grass shrouding the air around him signalled a job well done. He looked down at the wrinkled old lady, walking stick in hand. She was hunched over as she offered him some lemon ale in a frosted glass jar. She gave him a sack of ryo, and the sack was littered with various seeds. "You've been spaced out for a while. The heat must have gotten to you. Here, accept this as a token of my gratitude." Her voice was kind and angelic, with slow and clear enunciations in her aged cadence. Jupiter's light eyes bloomed as his hand reached out to accept the lady's offer. He hadn't been fighting bears, rather weeds. He took a sip and let out a sigh of relief, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "Now, I believe you had a more pressing matter to attend to?" The lady smiled again at him, making him remember.

The man from Suna looked down at the deep valley where as the sun sets with pink hues, bright flames of orange flickered against the light, marking the settlement that he had vowed to protect from the heretics.

"You're right. I must get going. I hope you were happy with my services. I'm glad to be of help." Jupiter greeted the old lady before promptly turning around to hike downhill.

As Jupiter stood with his back to the settlement, the ground rumbled beneath his feet. His gaze remained fixed at the army of marching heretics as they howled at the rising moon. With the sea behind the settlement, and Jupiter's Gates of Rashomon shielding the site from the sides, the narrow valley only allowed for one path for the heretic army to approach. The sides would have been too easy for even the untrained civilians to defend. Jupiter stared down an army of countless men with a fierce gaze, and when they came close, he screamed out.

"Halt! Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord."

They laughed in his face and marched forward, but he stood his ground.

"Come no closer, or you will die."

He warned again, but to no avail. They were like ogres and goblins, dressed in spiked armor, pale skins green from decay. Their teeth rotten from eating human flesh. It was over with the flick of a finger. A massive shockwave overcame the army, the booming burst deafened their ears to the sounds of crushed bones. Jupiter grabbed a shovel and stepped towards them, taking each corpse and burying them in the valley one by one as he prayed for their souls. With each corpse, he sowed a seed from his sack, bestowed to him by the old lady.

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as the Lord forgave you so that your Father who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

Walking back to the settlement when all the corpses had been buried, Jupiter raised his arms and preached to the masses.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

"For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, and those in between. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another, in ways that do not count as sin. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself, and you shall not masturbate.”"

The villagers scratched their heads at this decree, but the leader bowed down to Jupiter and thanked him with a bag of ryo. Jupiter bowed again, and took his leave. He was to meet Kai at the gate so that they can leave from this forsaken place. However, he had two more jobs to complete before he could take his leave. There was the case of a wild animal, and the case of two kids who needed to be taught properly in the ways of the Lord.


WC: 7778

As it had been Sakaiza's final day in Yugakure, he made haste to pack up all his belongings while in his quarters. For over a year this had been his home, where day in and day out he did nothing except look to afford the next night's lodging feed. Eventually it had gotten to the point that he and his quality of work were so revered that he started making more ryo per mission and additionally the Innkeeper began to give him a discounted extended stay rate. Because of these two factors, Kai began to amount a sizeable fortune from his efforts in the Land of Hot Springs. However ryo had not been his original intention. It was to develop himself further while learning how to deal with his past. And in the last few months, he could truly say that he accomplished both tasks. In the process he met a number of formidable shinobi which he considered as allies, and at the minimum acquaintances. 

First there was Ryou, the woman swordsman from an unknown background. It had been quite some time since Kai had seen her, as she was the first friend that he made. But there time together had been short and only extended to completing a handful of missions though. Nevertheless she appeared as a worthy adversary, someone who Kai intended to seek out again. Then there was his most recent friend, Travin. Travin was cut throat, quite literally. Calculated, precise, but seemingly always ready for a fight. It had been a day or two since the two last met and since then he indicated that he had some business to handle in the Land of Tea. Hopefully the Wretched would see the man again, as he too seemed to be a valuable asset. Then finally there was Jupiter, the closest to Sakaiza. The two came from similar walks of life and carried themselves in somewhat of a similar fashion. And although they didn't always speak the same language, Sakaiza grew to learn much from him: the importance of staying true to your beliefs, carrying yourself to a higher standard, but most importantly handling business when it was time to. The man seemed to exhibit leadership qualities, always seeming to speak up when necessary and not being afraid to do what he felt was right. Yes, he could be a notable figure for people to look up to.

As Sakaiza reflected on these encounters he concluded his packing and began to set out from his rooms, descending down the stairwell and proceeding into the lobby. Here he paid his bill for the night, leaving a gracious tip, and almost began to walk off. However before he could make it a foot away from the receptionist desk, he was stopped and handed a folded up note. It seemed to be from Jupiter, suggesting that although they were primed to leave today there had been two issues which presented themselves that Jupiter felt compelled to handle. Seeing as the two had a tight bond, Kai felt the necessity to back up his brother, even should he not need the assistance. Thus Sakaiza would pay for an extra night, return to his room to drop off his baggage, and depart from the inn.

The note suggested that the pair were to deal with two separate issues. The first of which seemed to be a wild animal which had run rampant through Yugakure, yet was incredibly difficult to apprehend. Supposedly there had been a number of attempts to catch it but all to no avail. What was unique was that no name had been associated with the beast. It was just described as large and pale with somewhat transparent fur. It had been last spotted on the outskirts of town, not far off from where Sakaiza and Jupiter delivered some equipment that had been fashioned in the pits of Hell. Easily recalling where that was, Sakaiza and his familiar Momo would make their way hastily. And when they arrived, the damage that had been done by this beast was apparent: claw marks, chicken carcasses, rummaged coops, and large prints. All of this was evident without Sakaiza even conducting a thorough investigation of what exactly happened. 

Proceeding further onto the farm, the sun had already set and the ambiance of the moon's night time essence had draped over Yugakure. The farm was already evacuated of any livestock and farmers, leaving only Sakaiza and Momo as those that dared to face the beast. It was interesting though, for as the Wretched crept around the farm he wondered where Jupiter had been. Being on the same page as Sakaiza, Momo would take to the skies to survey the area. Meanwhile Sakaiza treaded lightly upon the tilled soil in the open field, looking for any signs of either the beast or Jupiter. 

It would not take long though, for after just a few minutes an audible roar echoed through the air, sounding as it had come from the Eastern side of the farm. Simultaneously both Sakaiza and Momo would race to the area, with the masked man drawing his katana from its resting place. It'd glide through the air until he held it in his right hand pointed outward and by his side. The sharpened blade of the katana would sing harmoniously, whilst cutting through stray corn stalk. But the masked man would halt in his place upon arriving 15 meters away from the beast. Its fur illuminated through the night and its frame was massive as it ruffled through what appeared to be a broken down caravan. Crouching beneath the guise of a thicket of weeds, Kai would activate his Meigan to get a better look at the beast. And though he had never seen one in person, what his eyes seemed to fall upon were a wraith bear: a creature that appeared to be more of a ghost than an actual animal. What more was interesting was that just another 10 meters away, Sakaiza could spot a familiar figure also scoping the scene out. Was this in fact Jupiter?

WC = 1016
+2 Yuumei Stacks

As Jupiter treaded towards the farm by the forge, the blood on the ground beneath him reminded him of fiery ritual he had seen in the cavern just days prior. No matter how hard he tried, he could not understand it. He could not wrap his mind around the rationality for such brutal ordeal. He sought to know the truth, so that he could dismantle the unholy creed at its very core. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath of fresh air, the smell of iron and sulfur entering his lungs. He had accepted his fate, and his role as savior. As he walked, he perpetuated a dark embrace, a sort of seething bliss that gave him a sense of mental fortitude, and acted as a sheathe that protected his psyche by separating his actions from his conviction. He had decided that although he had ultimately taken part in the bloody ritual, his specific responsibility to dispose of the bodies of the heretics into the pool of fire was as his own Lord would have wanted. He would do it ten times over. Yet, the issue of the masochistic satisfaction that the deceased heretics seemed to gain from this was to be deprived to them if their devotion to their dark Lord was to be truly suppressed. This conundrum placed him in a difficult position, but he gave it deep thought and reflection as he walked. If there was a way, Jupiter surely had the will to find it.

When he reached the farm, Jupiter noticed the moon in the reflection of a puddle at his feet. The air was still, and the night was silent. And then he heard the deafening roar, its octaves both shrill and deep, sounding like echoes from the strings of a broken violin played in a tunnel . His senses on alert, Jupiter followed the sound, heading eastward as the tall grass rustled against his legs. Emerging from the tall grass, his eyes picked up on what seemed to be not one but two broken down caravans. It did not take long for him to realize that one of them was in fact the beast itself, its frame so massive as to be mistaken so easily. He felt a deep sorrow in his heart and he placed his hand on his face. As he tilted his gaze up towards the moon, he shed a tear.

"Even the animals in this forsaken town are tainted with sin.... There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed." He cursed under his breath as he walked up to the caravan. He stretched his arms out wide and yelled at the beast.

"You shall not steal!"

His voice cracked as he yelled out.

“If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double!"

He took a swig from his flask. This place had made him relapse into alcoholism.

“ ‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbor!"

"You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother!’”

He kept meandering towards the wraith bear who by this point had taken notice. Jupiter ignored the beast's growls and took another step forward, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death!"

"Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel!"

The bear lunged at him, and Jupiter stomped the ground in defiance.

“If a thief is caught breaking in at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed!" He warned, balling his fist in preparation to punch the wraith bear.

Then lightning struck behind him, and his eyes opened to a new revelation.

"Bear.. No... Bear with each other! Blessed are the Merciful!"

Jupiter wove hand seals swiftly in reaction to the lunging wraith bear. Monkey. Snake. Horse. Bird. Tiger. Snake. Horse. Ram. Finally he made his hands into the shape of a heart, a unique hand seal he discovered in what he believed to be a divine revelation in his dreams. His eyes rolled up into the back of his skull, and the bear's pupils flashed white. Its sharp claws stopped an inch from Jupiter's face as it remained on its stout hind legs. Then it bowed. Jupiter reached forward with his hand and placed it on the head of the wraith bear, looking back into his own eyes from the skull of the beast. Bewildered, he moved his mouth and simultaneously controlled the vocal chords of the wraith bear so that they spoke out in unison.

"I can do all things through the Lord who strengthens me and gives me Damage Reduction."

“With man this is impossible, but not with the Lord; all things are possible with the Lord.”

He was almost unsure as to which one of them was doing the talking.

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Jupiter placed his hands around the bear's face in a loving embrace, tears still flowing down his cheeks. It was then when he first noticed Sakaiza, through the vivid smelling organ of the beast that had picked up on the scent of the samurai and his winter bat. He recognized them in retrospect, through his own senses simultaneously as he perceived them through the beast.

"I will bear your sins..." He tightened his grip, his thumbs crawling up the beast's cheek bones towards it eye sockets.

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."

His thumbs pressed against the wraith bear's snout from either side, crushing its nose, as his index fingers pushed into its open eyes, rupturing its eyeballs. Thunder struck again, and a downpour of rain cascaded on the scene. Jupiter then slapped the wraith bear in its ears from both sides, rupturing its ear drums.

He smiled, as his own eyes, ears and nose gushed out rivers of crimson blood.

"With this, you will keep your life. But you will not be able to cause any more trouble to the villagers. You may not ravage or prey on the weak. You will not be able to perceive them. Yet no man nor beast will bother you. You may spend the rest of your days eating grass as a peaceful behemoth. You have atoned for your sins, and the Lord has forgiven you!"

Jupiter then released the wraith bear from his technique, but he couldn't hear its terrified whimpers.

"Sheathe your blade, Sakaiza. I beg this of you. It can't hurt a soul any longer." He had turned his neck eastward towards the moon, directly away from where Sakaiza had been, "With this blessing.... I will put an end to this lunacy."

---

WC: 1197

Mind Clone Switch Technique -20 AP
Mind Body Switch Technique -40 AP

Sakaiza, after witnessing one of the most absurd things he had ever seen, was truly at a loss for words. The moments leading up to this point would not have prepared him for Jupiter's movements. The Wretched did not know the extent of his friend's abilities, but after witnessing him engage the bear in a deadlock and their actions mirrored each other's, he knew that this was the work of some advanced jutsu. What exactly it was, he was uncertain. But it appeared as if it was centered with overtaking a target's mind and ultimately causing mimicry. This was all good and well, however the self inflicted destruction of his own eyes, ears, and nose was...demented. Perhaps Jupiter had spent too much time in the devil's forge, or perhaps he was in a much more intense intoxicated state than Kai had been the previous night. Either way, this was truly disturbing. 

He felt his stomach somewhat stir, as a degree of nausea began to overtake him. But he endured. Momo on the other hand instinctively soared over through the sky from Kai's shoulder, eventually perching himself onto Jupiter's own. Recognizing that his degree of blood loss could potentially accumulate to be fatal, the lemur would perform a series of six hand seals before emanating an aura of chakra from its palms directly to Jupiter's head. In the process the lemur would heal the man's injuries, stopping the bloodless, but being unable to regenerate any of his lost organs. The scene was rather graphic, but not too much for either Sakaiza or Shimo to bear.

The Wretched would rise to his feet, calmly walking over to Jupiter now that the threat had been quelled. As Jupiter cried for Sakaiza to sheathe his blade, it would be done. His footsteps would be inaudible to Jupiter, as well as the words Sakaiza would say to him. "Jupiter, what have you done?" was all that Sakaiza could muster the words to ask, knowing that his friend's deafened state wouldn't be able to hear. Finally arriving towards the man from the West, it had been like approaching a wall. His body had been facing East, so when Kai was able to look upon the disfigured face of Jupiter, he could feel his heart ache in sympathy. "Was it worth it?" he thought to himself, which Momo detected and simply chittered his body in response.

Meanwhile the bear at this point had ceased its tantrum, and once it was relinquished from Jupiter's hold it would cry in agony, stumbling around struggling to find its footing. It would crash into the caravan, stand once more, and continue its stamper Northbound. Its wrath ended, but its suffering only began. To Kai, it seemed like this was the furthest thing from a blessing that Jupiter could have offered to the beast. Potentially his own plan of putting the bear to sleep even would have been more fruitful, but things didn't always work out the way that they should have. And whatever compelled the pious man to take the actions he did, yielded the outcome it would.

With the bear gone and Jupiter "healed", Sakaiza knew not what to do next. He'd raise his left hand to his head, scratching his tightly coiled scalp in complete confusion. 

"Momo, this is...weird. But I don't know what else to do. The note Jupiter left me suggested that we were to report to a cottage just south of here, to help...'reform some Jashinist children'. This really seems like something that would Jupiter would be good at, but...the guy can't even see now. Do me a favor, grab ahold of his hair and pull it in the direction in which I'm walking. Let's just hope he takes the hint and follows."

As Sakaiza telepathically communicated to the lemur, Momo would hesitantly follow its orders. Kai would pat Jupiter on the shoulder, suggesting that he walk forward. From here Sakaiza stared South as the field stretched in all directions. It had been quiet and tense due to the events that just ensued. With his eyes squinting behind his mask, he'd sigh, and then proceed onward. Momo would pull on the fibers of Jupiter's hair, gently yet orderly while urging Jupiter to follow. Should he, then the sounds of the pious man's movements were somewhat awkward. Akin to his feet dragging against the tilled fields, kicking loose rocks, and cutting through grass. And each time Sakaiza heard what sounded to be a stumble, it had been a reminder of what Jupiter gave up for what he felt was a "greater good". To Kai at this point, it seemed unnecessary.

Nevertheless he focused on the task at hand, leading the trio all the way until they made it to the home. Once arriving, and assuming Jupiter's appearance would be too much for this family to bear, he'd instruct Momo to wait outside with Jupiter. He'd attempt to break off from the group, but then would let his eyes focus more on the cottage. It was a humble structure nestled in the suburban sector of the village. Wooden walls, a sturdy roof, and a smoking chimney. To him, it seemed like nothing more than a regular home. But when he'd ultimately knock and then be let inside by the parents, his passive chakra sensory would inform him of a dark presence in the home. It was similar to that from the devil's forge, but somewhat different. Almost shadowy and ethereal, rather than some dark and sinister. 

Figuring there were more pressing matters at hand, he'd quickly think on the most effective way to get the children to settle. And so once he had been escorted to the family room, the parents would depart to their business upstairs. Now as it had been just he and the children, Sakaiza would immediately cast his Akui no Keiji. Though it traditionally only worked on a single person, these children would more susceptible to genjutsu given they only trained their ninjutsu. And so they'd fall victim to it, sitting themselves on the floor of the living room while Sakaiza took a seat across the room upon their couch. In this state, Sakaiza would ask them three questions.

"What do you feel when you think about your future?...When you feel your power, how do you feel it should be used to better the world?...With these questions in mind, how do you think these will impact your own freedom?"

The questions were deep, but were meant to have the children look into themselves to free themselves from their interest in Jashin. One by one they would answer, revealing the goals and ambitions they had. It would segue into how they felt their powers could help their family and themselves grow stronger. But their tones would neutralize and docile with the third question, as they hesitated to eventually describe that they wanted to free themselves from the village and the evil hold it had on them and their family. The conversation would die after this, as they'd fall into a slumber on the floor. Sakaiza would relinquish his genjutsu, and at the same time the parents would come downstairs to check on the progress. Upon seeing their children sleep, which had been the first time in days, they graciously thanked Sakaiza before sending him on his way.

He'd exit from the cottage, after spending a total of five minutes inside. Unless something obscure happened, then Momo and Jupiter should still be where he left them. 

WC = 1250. TWC = 2266
+2 Yuumei Stacks; 4 Total

Confusion. Concern. Discomfort. Reluctance. Sadness. As he trudged along the uneven terrain, feeling the dips and rises of earth beneath his feet, the dark emotions in the wind whispered into Jupiter's skin like pricking pins. Sympathy. Loyalty. Hope. The light ones blossomed against his face like a gentle breeze. When the trio had taken fifty-two steps, Sakaiza had been on Jupiter's right side, half a step ahead to offer his guidance. Jupiter turned directly to his left and stretched his arms wide to preach.

"Even as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your eyes and your blade, they comfort me." As the trio continued on their journey, Jupiter would be guided by the constant but gentle tug from Momo. He counted his steps under his breath, and maintained a consistent stride making sure to cover the same distance with every step.

"Fifty three, fifty four, fifty five, fifty six, fifty seven, fifty eight, fifty nine, sixty, sixty one, sixty two, sixty three, sixty four, sixty five, sixty six, sixty seven, sixty eight, sixty nine, seventy, seventy one, seventy two, seventy three, seventy four, seventy five, seventy six, seventy seven, seventy eight, seventy nine, eighty, eighty one, eighty two, eighty three, eighty four, eighty five, eighty six, eighty seven, eighty eight, eighty nine, ninety, ninety one, ninety two, ninety three, ninety four, ninety five, ninety six, ninety seven, ninety eight, ninety nine, one hundred!"

At this point, Sakaiza would be on Jupiter's left side. The priest would turn to his right and stretch his arms wide to exclaim,

"When the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark; a third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. The blind will receive sight, the lame will walk, the deaf will hear, the dead will be raised, and good news will be proclaimed to the poor who are bereft of even the small sum of 300,000 ryo."


"One hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred and three.." Jupiter continued to count his even steps until the trio reached the cottage. When they came to a stop, Jupiter would wait for four minutes before running out of patience. He would stretch his arms out and walk until he touched the door. If Momo were tugging his hair, Jupiter would resist with force. He would hop around the house, feeling up its wooden walls before he found himself crouching on the slanted roof. He shook Momo off and stumbled into the chimney, falling straight down until he landed on the pile of ash underneath the heat of a steady flame. The loud thud had awoken three children in the living room as the priest emerged from the chimney, his robe on fire. He stretched his arms and proclaimed,

"Your Lord is wack! Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” He raised his voice, shouting as he continued, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the hidden villages cannot endure his wrath!"

The children shrieked in horror, as Jupiter shed his robe to free himself from the flames. 

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze!" The parents barged in on the scene and immediately jumped Jupiter, mistaking him for a burglar. 

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength and damage reduction!" Jupiter yelled out with passion, striking the father with the front of his open palm and the mother with the back causing them both to collapse. Fear. Confusion. Distress. Anger. Resentment. Despair. Although he could not see with his eyes, the emotions around him bore different colors. "Is this the extent of the will of your dark lord? Forsake him. Forsake him now and you will find salvation in the true God." Jupiter stepped on one child's hand as he stumbled forward, causing her to let out a bloodcurdling scream. The middle child tackled the priest to protect his sister, and immediately found himself thrown against the wall on the other side of the room.

"You stiff-necked and uncircumcised people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your ancestors: you always resist the Holy Spirit! Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!" Jupiter shouted as the blazing fire seethed behind him. As the eldest son grabbed him from behind, Jupiter kicked him in the stomach, launching him out of the cottage from the glass window. 

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him." He preached as he picked the parents up one by one and tossed them out from the same window. He threw the middle child over his shoulder and picked the youngest up by the back of her dress.

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” Jupiter tried to reach them with his words, “The heretics will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.” Leaping away from the heat of the flame, he rescued the two remaining children from the fire. He placed them on the ground next to their pain ridden brother, and faced the heat of the flame coming from the cottage as the fire spread faster, the whole house a bonfire.

"God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.” He crossed his arms and nodded as he lectured the homeless kids. "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He has baptized you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Whichever way Sakaiza stood, Jupiter would turn his gaze directly away from him and yell, "Sakaiza! Let's go. I think they have accepted the light!"

---

Sixth Sense

WC: 1169
TWC: 10144

At this point in time, the only way Sakaiza could describe Jupiter was worrisome. To which Momo would likely agree. Though admittedly, Jupiter's words were kind, as he expressed his appreciation for Sakaiza and Momo's guidance. The counting didn't bother the Wretched by any means, as he figured Jupiter was counting his paces to maintain his steps. But what he did find odd was the juxtaposition of Jupiter's currently cited passage. There seemed to be some combination of despair and judgement he referred to, which was paired with healing and justice. It seemed oddly reminiscent of the message that he conveyed just a few days ago, when Sakaiza posed him questions on village politics. Though this one was evidently more catered towards his own situation. Nevertheless, Sakaiza followed it attentively until he heard the mentioning of 300,000 ryo. In response he'd turn his heard towards Jupiter and raise an eyebrow, though his confusion was concealed by his own mask and Jupiter's blindness. He refrained from responding, as it would simply fall upon deaf hears. But instead he'd internally reflect on the sermon.

When they'd arrive at the house, Sakaiza would perform all of his actions as described previously. Though as the fourth minute expired, into the house stumbled Jupiter. Momo, rather frantic, would leap from Jupiter's shoulders and circle the room in flight before landing upon Kai's own. Subsequently his friend would waltz into the chimney, setting his robe in a contained blaze. Then of course came more preaching. Undoubtedly though, he was feeling the heat from the flames as he unrobed himself and threw it upon the floor. However before the flames could expand to anything other than Jupiter's robe, Sakaiza would react instantly by unsheathing his blade and performing an inferior version of Water Surface Slash. He'd angle it meticulously to avoid colliding with his friend, the inhabitants of the home, or any furniture whatsoever. But the trajectory of the water slash would collide directly into the robe, instantly dispelling the flames though leaving a small amount of damage to the floor in the process. The necessary repairs would be minor thanks to the lower version of the technique used, but they'd also be much less significant than allowing the home to burn down.

Sakaiza frowned and let out a sigh while resheathing his blade. Jupiter's reckless display was unnerving. Never would Sakaiza have painted the pious man in this light, as his actions seemed to contradict the words he spoke. It was frustrating for certain, but at this point all the harm he caused was swiftly mitigated. 

When the parents came downstairs, Sakaiza would quickly unsheathe his blade so that it blocked the parent's path from proceeding to jump Jupiter. He'd motion with his off hand for the children to run over to the parents, preventing them from attempting to attack the unrobed man of God.

"Please, go upstairs. I will handle him, and let him tire himself out." Sakaiza would say, as the family would swiftly follow his instructions by sprinting upstairs out of harm's way. In the same motion Sakaiza would once again sheath his blade, but this time he'd form the ram seal creating a mindless clone of himself. The clone would then run into Jupiter, receiving the force of Jupiter's strikes intended for the parents. The clone would dissolve, and subsequently Kai and Momo would take turns throwing couch pillows in Jupiter's pathway. Their soft cushiony nature would be intercepted by Jupiter, then hurled into the glass windows of the home. The glass would endure though, as the pillows would then harmlessly fall onto the floor. This process would continue, where pillows were substituted with the bodies of those Jupiter thought he was handling, until the man concluded his sermon. Meanwhile the family, all safely upstairs, would be subject to no harm from Jupiter. Thus the integrity of the mission would not be compromised by Jupiter's rash actions.

When the man would turn away from Sakaiza and let him know it was time to go, Kai would not argue with him and instead would place his hand upon Jupiter's shoulder in the same manner he had done previously to let Jupiter know to walk forward. Together he and Momo would attempt to lure the man out from the house, and eventually back to whatever Inn or place he was staying in.

What a roller-coaster, today had been.

- Exit -

WC = 734. TWC = 3000

Actions
- Water Surface Slash
- Clone Technique

Max Stat WC Claims:
- 904 WC towards Infinity: Yellow Aura (20/62/2062); rest trained here
- 2096 WC Towards Talented (2096/3750)

Mission Claims: 1D, 4C, 1A
- 26,000 Ryo
- 130 AP x 50 to covert it to 6,500 Ryo
- Kage Pay x 6 = 90,000 Ryo
122,500 Total Ryo

Exit;

Mission Claims with Beloved Presence: 1D, 4C, 1A
- 26,000*2 = 52,000 Ryo Ryo
- 130*2 = 260 AP

Wc claims to be made later

Sakaiza wrote:
- Exit -

WC = 734. TWC = 3000

Actions
- Water Surface Slash
- Clone Technique

Max Stat WC Claims:
- 904 WC towards Infinity: Yellow Aura (20/62/2062); rest trained here
- 2096 WC Towards Talented (2096/3750)

Mission Claims: 1D, 4C, 1A
- 26,000 Ryo
- 130 AP x 50 to covert it to 6,500 Ryo
- Kage Pay x 6 = 90,000 Ryo
122,500 Total Ryo

Approved

Jupiter wrote:Exit;

Mission Claims with Beloved Presence: 1D, 4C, 1A
- 26,000*2 = 52,000 Ryo Ryo
- 130*2 = 260 AP

Wc claims to be made later

Approved