Spooky Times in the Snow

As Oda crossed the threshold, the air grew thick and damp, heavy with a scent like earth after rain, only sharper and somehow bitter. Shadows cloaked the narrow hall, thick and stubborn, swallowing any hint of light that might’ve dared to follow him inside. The young genin seemed absolutely hypnotized, his legs walking on their own as he just kept following some sort of ethereal call. Every step he took seemed muffled by the floorboards, as though they absorbed the sound with an eerie hunger. The walls were adorned with faded tapestries, patterns shifting like living things that pulsed and flowed, trickling down the walls as if they bled into the room.

The deeper Oda ventured, the more he felt watched. Not merely by eyes but by the house itself, which seemed to breathe around him, each exhale from unseen vents making the candles flicker and casting grotesque shapes on the walls. But he did not care, and just kept walking. A staircase loomed ahead, bending under its own weight, sagging downward as though it might collapse at any moment. Yet, he felt compelled to climb.
As he ascended, the steps groaned, each moan blending into the next until it seemed the house was speaking—a low, rasping voice murmuring ancient words he couldn’t understand but felt deep in his bones. Shadows stretched and contracted, moving in unnatural sync with his heartbeat, each dark form a different shape: faces, claws, twisted bodies, like memories trapped in the walls themselves.

Finally, he reached the attic. The air there was thicker, almost solid, pressing in around him like water. A single window let in a weak shaft of moonlight, despite the house being almost impervious to light, illuminating a broken mirror leaning against the wall. Yet in its cracked glass, Oda did not see his own reflection. Instead, he saw the house’s heart—a dark, writhing mass of shadows that pulsed like a living organ, twisted with roots and brambles, feeding off the decay of every memory trapped within its walls.

And from that heart, Oda could hear the ominous voice that was hypnotizing and attracting him towards there.

- Who are you? – asked Oda, still gazing upon the grotesque “heart”.

- You cannot…escape….me…I am…the… HOUSE! – the heart replied, even though having no mouth. Its voice penetrated Oda’s brain as a spear punctures flesh, echoing for a few moments inside the genin’s head in an almost painful way.

Suddenly, a dark hole opened right underneath Oda, and before he could react, the young shinobi just felt into it, falling into total and absolute darkness. Before losing his consciousness, he could see flashes of random and regular home furniture and objects: a clock on a wall in a wide living room; a bar o soap in a bathroom; a sharp cooking knife in a kitchen’s sink; and a a painting, hanging just above a double bed, in what appeared to be a bedroom. And as he felt, all he could hear was the words “SAVE ME!” echoing over and over.

Oda snapped out of his hypnotic stasis, without being able to remember exactly what and how stuff happened before. He was still inside the creepy house, but now he was standing before a wooden door. He had no idea what just occurred and how he got there, but he intuitively opened the door, just in time to witness place the lantern in a body’s chest, and how Nier “re-possessed” his own body. As he explained what happened last while he was still alive, Oda knew what the visions he had while falling into darkness meant:    

- Nier is right…there are 4 other spirits trapped by this kinjutsu inside this house… one is in the kitchen, trapped in a chef’s knife. There is one trapped into a wall clock at the living room, one trapped into a soap bar in the bathroom… and finally, one trapped into a painting at one of the bedrooms… - even though he had no evidence, Oda knew that the visions he had were about the trapped spirits, but he still had one detail to add – Actually… there is a fifth spirit, but he’s not trapped in here… I think that we are trapped inside of it… the house, the man who did all that to poor Nier, he somehow merged himself into… the house! And I think we should free the other guys in order to end the kinjutsu… - Just as Oda finished his words, the house once again emitted sounds of glass shattering deep inside of it–  And I think that it will try to stop us…

---

WC: 760
TWC: 2152

Jupiter stood beside Sakaiza in the middle of the living room, staring down at the lifeless body of Nier with hollow eyes. The boy was clearly dead. There was no mistaking it. His eyes widened as the Kage placed the base of the lantern on the still body's chest, and Nier's spiritual energy spilled over into the pale corpse making it convulse as its eyes rolled up into the back of its skull. Its fingers twitched the sound of nails scraping the tiles below as the floor seemed to quake, then he sat up. 

The crowd heard Nier's spirit talking from all around the house, but the boy was clearly sat up in the middle of the living room his blue lips moving perfectly with every word. The Archbishop looked at Oda and listened to him carefully while harboring plenty of skepticism - his candid speech about the spirits sealed in a chef's knife, a wall clock, a painting and.. a soap bar made Jupiter uneasy. What exactly was he suggesting? Was the group supposed to find the undead spirits sealed in haunted objects and give them all bodies to possess so they could come back to the world of the living? It sounded unholy, and wrong. He eyed Oda suspiciously, and then shifted his glance to the sat up body of Nier who was dead only moments ago. The gaze of his dark blue eyes remained anchored on Nier, and he stared back at Jupiter closely as he took two steps towards Sakaiza and placed his right hand on the Kage's shoulder to pull him aside.

"This is necromancy." Jupiter whispered into the Kage's ear, covering his mouth to conceal his lips from the spirit of Nier whose eyes still remained locked on the Archbishop's as neither had averted their gaze.

"He has told us all we need to know. Now his soul must rest in peace. There is no place for necromancy in this village." Jupiter declared, walking towards the sat up body of Nier. His expression remained solemn, then his eye twitched. He grimaced as he clutched his heart, his eyes welling up with tears as he crouched on one knee and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"In the name of Boreas and Yuki-onna, and the Frozen Winds.
I commend you, my son, to the eternal snow,
and entrust you to the ice from which all life is born.
May you return to the embrace of the cold that forged you.
May the spirits of Boreas, Yuki-onna, and all the guardians of winter
come to meet you as you pass from this realm into the next,
where the tundra sleeps, pure and unbroken, forever and ever. Amen!"

Jupiter had pierced Nier's heart with his hand, using Nukite: The Spear Hand. The boy's eyes darkened, the unholy life returned to the wind before he could speak another word. He let the crimson blood that coated his bronze hand drip with venous fluids as he pulled his hand out of Nier's chest and laid him back down on the carpet.

"The sealed spirits strengthen the house. Let us return them to their bodies... so that they may reunite with Nier in Heaven."

---

WC: 534
TWC: 1838

Cloaked in silence, Midori resolved to watch the situation for better clarity as he understood so very little about the situation. The supernatural had unfortunately been something he was not versed in, but luckily his Kage had been. Tuning his attention from knowing to learning, he would listen to the words of Kai as he went on to describe a few things regarding the situation. Midori's steps would lead him to where he had assumed would be the living room were the house not in a dilapidated state. He wondered what this house had looked like in its prime, probably something owned by someone who had a lot of time and ryo to spend, though he could have simply checked the archives of the village to see for himself. As he looked around he thought he could hear something, maybe it was the creaking of the house or it trying to settle. To him it sounded like a voice, distant yet close, and he could not confirm which it could be. Taking his hands out of his pockets slowly, he would begin to look from left to right, keeping his head on a swivel as the others continued to speak to the existence known as Nier. For whatever reason they had held great stock in his words, but Midori being the critic that he was. He never truly took most people's words as truth, especially dead people, but again this was a situation he was most out of his element in. As he listened to the conversation in depth, he would be mentally taken aback by the fact that there were others in this home that had shared this "nier" fellows fate. He wasn't bothered too much but the choice of items that these people were sealed in left a lot to be desired. Soap? There were many an item that could have been chosen as a base, but in the end they chose a bar of soap. Maybe because it was inconspicuous? He wasn't about to ask however.

Shrugging he would see the others formulating a plan, though when the solution or rather the reason they were here, Midori would catch sight of a body sitting solo. Maybe it had been a form of Kinjutsu designed to take souls and trap them. It was interesting, if not a bit morbid, but none the less the current issue at hand needed to be addressed. Four items and four people. The best way to deal with this. A thought formed within his mind as he spoke up finally," Instead of finding the items why don't we just torch the house in its entirety. It would assume all spirits to the... Heaven as you so aptly put it, and allow us to release the spirit of the house as well. We also do not have to waste time trying to figure out which bar of soap is the correct one. If that is an agreeable option i can begin the pyre," the words came out almost monotone, but filled with a sense of wisdom that could probably help with anything else lingering within the home.

523 WC /// 2,418 TWC

Sakaiza watched as his teammates each had their own specific reactions to the events which just occurred. Oda seemed to to reappear from his previously departed status, and as the "ritual" took place he pieced together a conclusion. It was one which was equally unsettling as the house was, confirming that more spirits were trapped in the house and the house itself was one as well. Potentially that of the necromancer himself. This made Sakaiza ponder on the subject, specifically concerned with the group's safety as they stood within the boundaries of a demon house. And Jupiter agreed. His response came with a whisper of affirmation, prayers, and a swift decision to execute the reincarnated Nier. These were actions which Kai unanimously agreed with, as the whole situation went against everything which Hyogagakure stood upon. What was interesting was that Midori seemed to take it a step forward, suggesting they burn the entirety of the home to ash itself. 

It had been a lot of information to process, so taking a deep breath and a moment to reflect, Sakaiza gathered his thoughts a bit further. Following this, he'd open his mouth to address the discussion brought by his companions.

"You were right to put Nier to rest, Jupiter. What's going on here is wrong, and it might be worth it to burn the house down Midori. But perhaps once we'd laid all of these spirits to rest, so that there energy doesn't just circulate elsewhere in the village. Oda," Sakaiza would pause. "Your perspective is quite insightful, as weakening these spirits might weaken the kinjutsu on the house itself. But...How did you learn this information?"

The Hyogakage was quite curious on the experience Oda had prior to the rest of the group entering the home. He'd welcome whatever information the genin would offer, but express caution and concern in his demeanor, which he was certain Jupiter might replicate as well. When that discussion came to an end, Kai would made a decision.

"I think what we did for Nier, aligning his body with his keepsake then laying him to rest, is what we do with each body. Then to handle the spirit of the house itself, we burn it. To do this, we split up to those rooms which Oda called out. But be weary of any opposing forces that try to stop us. Stay alert, and call for help if needed." Folding his arms across his chest, he'd pause and exchange a look towards each shinobi. "I will look for the painting."

If there was no pushback, then Sakaiza would depart from the group and set his sights upstairs in search of the painting and the body to go with it.

WC = 452. TWC = 2438

After explaining to the group his visions while “abducted” by the haunted house, the Archbishop quickly understood the missing peace of the puzzle: the spirits wanted to rest in peace, not return to the world of he living, and giving their spirits a new “vessel”, even being their old bodies, wouldn’t break the Kinjutsu. Jupiter slowly walked toward the sat-up body of poor Nier. He crouched on one knee and gently placed his hand into the boy’s shoulder, as he started a little pray that was very familiar to Oda.

His very religious father, now deceased, used to sing the same prayer to Oda whenever telling the young boy stories about his ninja missions.

"In the name of Boreas and Yuki-onna, and the Frozen Winds.
I commend you, my son, to the eternal snow,
and entrust you to the ice from which all life is born.
May you return to the embrace of the cold that forged you.
May the spirits of Boreas, Yuki-onna, and all the guardians of winter
come to meet you as you pass from this realm into the next,
where the tundra sleeps, pure and unbroken, forever and ever. Amen!"

Jupiter pearced Nier’s chest with his hand, and his unholy life and trapped spirit returned to the afterlife before he could speak another word. Oda was in shock… yes he understood what must be done, he understood that death is part of a shinobi life… but still, it was his first time witnessing death from up close. As he was still processing the quick death of Nier at the hands of Jupiter, Kai approached the young genin, asking of how he knew all of that information about the house.

- I can’t tell you for sure, Hyogakage-sama… but, It was if the spirit of the house possessed me previously, I was conscient but unable to control my own body… the house dragged me deep into its darkness, and I was pretty sure it would end me right there… but I think that there is part of this spirit fused into that house that also want freedom from this Kinjutsu… and I think it was that “good” part of it that saved me from being another victim of this house, teleported me out of there and gave me the intel to break the kinjutsu, something that would probably weaken the “evil” part of the spirit and allow us to defeat it… -  Oda had no idea how he knew all that, as was just talking based on pure instincts, having no solid evidence that this would work. He just somehow knew it.

As the Hyogakage told them to split up, look for the trapped spirits and do the same thing that Jupiter did to Nier to them, Oda knew that that night not only he would witness his first death, but would also have his first kill ever. Was he ready?

- Let’s go! And don’t worry Midori, I will look for the possessed soap bar, you guys looks for the other objects! That, I will let you burn his whole curse place to the ground!

Oda swiftly left the room and went of his saga for a haunted soap bar. Every step he took into the haunted house, it produced the most terrifying and unnatural sounds. It like the house is fighting with itself… it’s the spirit!. After visiting 3 empty bathrooms, Oda finally found the right one. How could he tell? Well, the lifeless body of a old, bald man was seating in the toilet kind of indicated that to the genin.

- Yo, baka! A little hand in here? – Oda looked over at the bathroom sink as he heard it, and the voice came from exactly the object he saw in his visions: an old soap bar

- Right away, soap-sama… but aren’t very gentle for someone in need of help, are you? – Oda grabbed the soap bar and took it directly into the dead body chest. In the middle of the way, the soap almost slipped form Oda’s hand, but the shinobi was quick enough to grab it mid-air.

- If you drop me, I swear to god I will kill you! – the haunted soap screamed at Oda.

- You are really annoying, Soap-sama… it will be easier to put you to rest than I thought…

Oda finally placed the soap into thye man’s chest. The body, although “dead”, wasn’t showing any sign of rotting, as if the house was preserving it somehow.
As the soap bar touched the old man’s chest, his trapped spirit transferred directly back into the body in a resounding flash of light that illuminated all the room. He than opened his eyes once again, as life returned to his previously spiritless body.

- You dumb boy did it.. thank you! But what did you meant by putting me to rest?

- I’m so sorry, soap-sama…- Oda was quick, and as he finished his words, he simply stabbed the old man right in the heart with his kunai, precisely piercing his heart. And just like that, Oda had his first kill ever. He took the kunai form the man’s chest as life once again emptied from his eyes. Oda would sat at the bathroom floor, contemplating his actions and processing what just occurred. I hope the other guys are ok…. He had to take a break to breath a little, but would soon join his teammates again.

---

WC: 908
TWC: 3060

After gently laying the limp head of the dead Nier to the ground, Jupiter stood motionless as he listened patiently to the murmurs around him turning into a discussion. His senses were on high alert. The Hyogakage and his right hand man were in the enemy's domain with two of their youthful followers with them. It was his duty to protect them. Having seen the abilities that the spirits had already displayed, he wondered if they were capable of more. Even with his physical prowess and experience, Jupiter remained cautious. He wasn't afraid, but he was aware, cautious enough to tread carefully in the face of a supernatural enemy that he could not define.

He wondered if there could be an impostor, or perhaps an attractor among them. It could be something on their person, or their unnatural receptiveness to dark entities. His eyes flicked to Kai as the Kage questioned Oda on how he knew so much about the the spirits that had trapped the group in their spell. Jupiter's gaze lingered on Oda. His expression remained neutral so as to not alert the boy of his suspicion, but beneath the skin his muscles were tense.

As he listened to Oda's explanation, he steadily eased up. The Genin's unworldly nature as he candidly explained his experience with an almost child-like cadence, the Archbishop realized that he was harmless. He was impressed by the Genin's attunement with the spirits, though he felt the subordinate could use some nudging in the right direction.

"Evil is evil, Oda." Jupiter declared, now standing next to the Genin, the cool press of his bloodied palm on Oda's shoulder.

"The dead should remain dead."

He would hold Oda's gaze, trying to read if the message was received. When he was sure, Jupiter turned to Midori. "The Hyogakage is right. We should make certain that the spirits do not escape to wander."

Jupiter placed his thumb on his chin and looked up at the roof. From his vantage point, the roof of the house seemed to be at the end of the universe.

"I'll look for the living room. I've always been fascinated by clocks." He said, as he walked into the abyss. When his shadow disappeared from the group's view, his voice still projected, echoing through the walls.

"You don't believe in God, but you believe it's "3 p.m.?" Ridiculous..."

No sooner than he had the mocking words left his lips, had his ears been terrorized by a shrill, tyrannous death knell. His ears were assaulted by a relentless ringing until he could hear it from inside his bones. His senses blurred, and he saw faces and hands all around him, but no eyes or arms. They were the faces of a million clocks, each one depicting a different time. Some hands moved slow, while others moved fast. Some made many rotations in the same time that others ticked only once. Some ticked backwards. They all had a single thing in common - they buzzed, and rang, and howled. 


Jupiter spoke another prayer.

"For every Winter, there is a season,
and a time for every ice in the tundra.
A time for the cold to awaken,
and a time for the North Winds to rest"

He had just gotten his hearing back, and now he was already wishing that he hadn't. As his ears grew numb to the volume, he stumbled forward.


"A time to break the ice,
and a time to make glaciers.
A time to brace under the blizzard’s howl,
and a time to dance in the light of the Frozen Sun"

He raised the sound of his own voice, his words barely cutting through the shrill octaves around him. His hand found a solid wall, taking its support to maintain his balance as he walked ahead, looking for the wall clock.

"A time to embrace the storm,
and a time to turn away from its bite.
A time to keep the warmth of life,
and a time to cast it into the snow"

The ringing grew louder.

"A time to tear the world asunder with the storm,
and a time to sew the peace of the frozen dawn.
A time to be silent under the weight of the ice,
and a time to speak the North Wind's inevitable truth."

Jupiter's voice was stern and certain.

"A time for the war,
and a time for the peace;
A time to melt,
and a time to freeze."

The sound of shattering glass ceased the ringing. 

"Found you."

The smug grin on Jupiter's face lasted only for a moment. The ringing had ceased, and the unwinding clocks had disappeared, but Jupiter was left with more questions than answers. His hand had come out of a cabinet in the base of a large clock. He stepped out, and looked at the clock. The time was 3 o' clock. The second hand ticked first, then the hour hand followed immediately after, until they ran in laps trying to outrun the other. The ringing had started again, even louder than before.

Jupiter grabbed the hands of the clock, and forced them back to read 3 o' clock, holding them still while they resisted with unnatural strength. The clock began to throb and writhe as Jupiter tightened his grip on its hands to choke the timeless enemy. Soon, it relented, and the clock went limp.

'Thank you... I'm free.. 3 o'clock.. It was when I died.."

A pale shadow escaped the haunted clock, as the limp body of a deceased young man fell out from its cabinet and hit the ground.

Jupiter reached up with his bare hand, his extreme strength allowing him to grab the spirit by its pale ghosty cloak, catching the phantom by surprise. He grabbed the corpse by its neck, and shoved the spirit back into its lifeless body before grabbing its face with both hands. Jupiter spoke the next words with a heavy heart.

"I know."

---

WC: 992
TWC: 2830

There was a small sigh of annoyance from the male as he stuck his hands into his pockets, being stuck with probably the worst assignment next to finding a bar of soap. To the one that probably knew him the best among the group, the Hyogakage would probably be able to tell that this was no longer stimulating the males brain in the way the original mission had done. Inquiries about the afterlife and spirits was stimulating at first, but the choices of soul acquisition and placing them into receptacles that were gaudy at best and tasteless at worst was...a turn off. None the less he was not one to let someone be in a constant state of turmoil nor was he going to disobey a command from his leader so meander he did to the kitchen, the likely place for a kitchen knife. He took his time going to the kitchen, his eyes illuminating the small space he had been in, looking around at the decrepit state of the house and the disservice whoever had lived here previously had did to it. In its prime it was probably a marvel to look at and live in, and the architect that made it had to have been proud, but was probably turning in his grave at the sight of his marvel being so....ran down. Turning his head slightly he would now be upon the kitchen, the deep green hues of his eyes scanning his surroundings. The creaking of the house only added to the allure and creepiness of the house as it settled, or given a soul was bound to it stirring up at the sight of the quartets current mission. To be so hateful and spiteful that you would rob people of their lives and torment them was....honestly sad. He had no remorse for the individual that did this, but for the others? There had been an abundance of it. His right hand would come out of his jacket pocket and run across the kitchen counter were corroded and unusable items were, touching each one as if he had been looking for something out of place.


Even if the items in here were lost to time, there had to be something that was protecting the longevity of the item that had housed a soul. You did not want them simply slipping out after a couple of years due to rust and time. It took him a few minutes before his hand had stopped on a kitchen knife, from the looks of it one that was probably used to slice thicker meats. Not like a cleaver, but bigger than a pairing knife would be. Curious, Midori picked up the knife gently and examined it carefully, intently if that. His eyes were ones that were stickler's for detail and his eyes caught an unfamiliar carving into the wood of the knife, which looked just as young as the day that it was made. "Curious." The word was muttered under his breathe as he continued to look at it, and within his mind words could be heard, but they were not in his mind's voice. Blinking once....twice.... three times, he would turn around first to make sure no one was behind him, and then to the knife which looked as if it had been warbling. Tilting his head he would hear the voice once more, slightly feminine, but not old. Middle aged at best or barely touching it. In the voice itself he could hear a longing to be free, family, and above all confusion. Some of the emotion he could say he sympathized with and even feel. Though this was no time to be truly sentimental.


Midori, instead of destroying the item right out, would inquire to where its body had been stored. Without the vessel this would be an unfortunate and even useless task, but he was determined to see it through to the end. The knife would mutter about the cupboards near it, and sure enough as he opened it a body would be inside of it. Bound and contorted to fit inside of it, he would gently pull it out and lay it onto the ground. In the same motion he would place the knife into the decrepit bodies hands, and step back a few meters. Bringing his hands together in front of his chest, he would perform a few hand signs before releasing a ball of fire from his lips. Setting the body and item aflame he would watch as both metal and wood contorted and melted, before seeing a glimpse of the spirit finally freeing itself. Floating into the air and disappearing he would stuff his hands back into his jacket and head to the front where he would wait for the others. After they had finished their tasks, he would wait for them to walk out, being the last one out and leaving the door open.

Stepping off of the porch, he would bring his hands back to the front of his body, this time performing Snake → Dragon → Rabbit → Tiger → Ram , and exhaling 5 small streams of fire. The flames would fly into the house, causing a draft of heat and flames catching fabric and furniture alit. The flames would turn into figures depicting dragon's heads, curving at just the right angle for one to go into the kitchen, two to the right near the stairs, one to the left of the house and the last curving to hit the center of the living room. The 5 would create an explosion of fire catching the full birth of the house ablaze. Sticking his hands into his pockets, he would watch as the house burned, the creaking turning into groans of pain and torment as the creator of this hellhouse burned until nothing had been left of it. He offered no other words and as he turned on his heels, he would pass the three and allow them to say any last rites. Had he been proud of freeing those tormented souls? Sure. Yet something perturbed him greater than that and the solution as to why was no further in sight. The green eyed male would continue on his path taking a walk to clear his mind and hopefully find the answer.


WC: 1,051 /// TWC: 3,469

[Exit]

Claims:
142 AP
28,500 Ryo
120 Tickets 1 Poster

34 Stats (25 Vigor, 9 Speed)
1,380 Words to finish Earth Release (Here and Here for previous progress
2,000 Words to learn Lava Release
throwing the remainder away

As Oda described the miraculous way in which he became privy to the details of the spirits in the house, both Kai and Jupiter silently exchanged a look of concern through the beads of their eyes. At first, Sakaiza's own was heavily related to the fact that the individuals trapped in the house were subject to an unholy experiment. The Wretched's demeanor was stoic and unwavering as he was certain that he could handle any of the aftermath, but he hoped that Oda was not imparted with any residual cursed energy from this place. And considering Jupiter's perspective, there was no telling what the Archbishop might do if Oda's soul had been tainted. Though the conclusion of the genin's explanation resolved any concern which the Second had, and potentially the same was true for his brother. His short but lesson packed response seemed reflective of that, which Sakaiza would echo with a quiet nod of approval. 

With no disagreements from the group, Sakaiza would branch off from them and make his way back towards the front door of the house. As he did so he thought about each of his team member's perspective on the situation at hand. Oda was somewhat accepting of this ritual and the energy within it, and perhaps that  was why the spirits "came" to him and imparted the knowledge of the truths of this place within him. Those same spirits likely feared the Archbishop, who had already displayed a  lack of tolerance for this place but simply sought to smite any unGodlike presences from this place and Hyogagakure entirely. Though this was not Jupiter's first time in a place like this, as the forge of Hell gave off similar vibes. And finally Midori, was likely feeling some level of interest in the investigatory aspects of the mission but was far less enthused when it came to how the ritual itself seemed to pan out. In any case, each person was assigned a task, and their only option was to complete it. 

When he finally arrived at the stairwell, Sakaiza began to ascend it. With each step he took, the stairwell creaked and groan a mourn of despair, as if the house itself was agonized with the events it was subject to. And the more Sakaiza thought about that, the more realistic it seemed, if in fact the necromancer's soul was in fact the house itself. The Hyogakage was unyielding though, as truthfully this place did not disturb him as much as some of the others he had ventured to throughout his life. He did however raise his left hand, to brush off the cobwebs in front of him to prevent them from entangling upon his armor. Now having reached the peak of the stairs, he'd turn to his right and look down a long corridor. There were 3 doorways on both sides, each housing a room for various purposes. Some were bedrooms, some were bathrooms, and one in particular was considered the second story family room. And as Kai's Meigan scanned each door, his unique chakra vision detected one of which that seemed to emanate a ghastly signature. It was somewhat volatile yet eerily inviting. But right as Kai began to concentrate on the energy, it would vanish. Yet the sound of a child's voice singing a play song would captivate the man's attention. 

"If you're happy and you know it clap your hands"

*Clap, Clap*

"If you're happy and you know it clap your hands"

*Clap, Clap*

"If you're happy and you really want to show it, if you're happy and you know it clap your hands."

*Clap, Clap*

It was disturbing, but slightly alluring as Sakaiza waltzed down the hallway to the door. His hand gripped upon the knob and as it would the singing would cease. Turning the handle and pushing the door open would reveal a child's room, with play things and innocent decorations throughout it. And in the middle of the room was a music box, which coincidentally began to emit the same song which the Wretched just listened to. He'd approach it, bend down, and grab ahold of the box. After a brief moment inspecting it, the song would distort, and the box would cry out a sad tone. "If you're happy and you really want to show it, if you're happy and you know it clap your hands." it would say. And at the same time, two claps could be heard from the wardrobe in the corner of the room. Kai's attention shot over to it, and instinctively he'd unsheathe his blade swiftly and in the same motion he'd hurl it so that it flew through the air and pierced the wardrobe. An audible and ghastly "ah" rang off from it, with a thud which followed shortly. Walking over to it, he'd retrieve his blade before opening the door. The somber sight of the body of a child would descend from it, with an imprint upon his chest of a music box. Placing the music box on the chest would return the life to the child, but only briefly, as the following actions required of the kage demanded the spirit to be put to rest. 

When the deed was done, he'd return his blade to its resting place and bear the pain and sorrow which only the Wretched could. Swiftly he'd descend down the stairwell and make his way out the house, in need of fresh air to soothe his spirit. But also to reconvene with his party. He'd arrive first, followed by Oda and Jupiter, and then finally Midori. When all men seemingly confirmed the job was finished, Kai would give Midori a stern look followed by a nod. This was the sign to burn the house, and rid their illustrious village of this place of sadness. And as the house burned, Sakaiza would turn his back to it and walk off in the distance. This was an experience he hoped no other had to go through, but one he was equally proud that his shinobi were able to persevere through. 

- Exit - 

WC = 1014. TWC = 3452

Claims:
Mission Reward - 142 AP x 50 = 7,100 Ryo
Mission Reward - 28,500 Ryo
Mission Reward - 120 Tickets + 1 Festival Poster
Kage Pay - 3 x 15,000 = 45,000 Ryo

WC Claims:
328 towards Kaminari no Zeus (2062/2062); rest trained here
1875 towards Lightning Illusion Flash Pillar
1249 towards Ironclad Grip (1249/1875)

[EXIT]

MISSION CLAIMS:
Mission Completion: 57,000 ryo and 284 AP (2x rewards via Beloved Prsence skill)
120 tickets + 1 festival poster

WC CLAIMS:
Training 5 stat points into Vigor
Training 10 stat points into Chakra
Training 15 stat points into Speed
1200 words towards B-Rank  Shattered Blade Strike [1500/1500] - had 300 previously trained here
1500 words towards Temple Style: Bark [1500/1500]
360 words towards Shimi Daikon Skill [360/2000]

Midori Terumi wrote:


WC: 1,051 /// TWC: 3,469

[Exit]

Claims:
142 AP
28,500 Ryo
120 Tickets 1 Poster

34 Stats (25 Vigor, 9 Speed)
1,380 Words to finish Earth Release (Here and Here for previous progress
2,000 Words to learn Lava Release
throwing the remainder away

Approved