XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Reizo's / Mifune's POV (Iron Camp - Land of Iron)
Reizo demonstrated to a crowd of men. Each was a newly promoted samurai. His most trusted men, they each had been gifted the swords Ikam had given the Iron for his entry. And while the man had turned out to be a degenerate, the blades he had given were of high quality. Each had been reinforced with Fuijutsu as promised. Each seeming to be unbreakable, they would indeed serve them well.
"See when you're deflecting a slash." Reizo lectured. "It's mostly in the wrist; redirect their blow and unleash your own." He then mimed deflecting a blow before slashing once. He held his blade as he watched his men reenact the move. Before, the group suddenly stopped, whispering to each other as they stared at Reizo, seemingly confused. "I did not tell you to stop."
"But sir," One of the braver ones chimed up. "Your weapon…"
Reizo looked down to see the blade of his new sword seemingly covered in a dark yet glowing substance. Reizo barely had time to ponder this before his men gasped again as their blades glowed. Reizo's thoughts swirled before his mind realized.
"Get rid of your weapons!" He bellowed as he tried to drop his sword. But the second the words left his mouth, the substance coated the entire blade. His hand was stuck to the substance as if it had always been a part of it. He looked up to see the men suffering the same fate. His mind spun as he tried to think of a solution. He desperately attempted to channel chakra to the substance. Perhaps it can combat the strange substance. But before he could muster much, his hand was on fire. The pain went from sharp to unbearable as a scream sounded out. He realized with panic it was his own. More followed as the energy continued to grow on Reizo and his men. Reizo stumbled over to the wall, the pain almost making his consciousness fade as he did. He managed to hit the panic button, sounding the base alarm. Perhaps help would come and save him. But Reizo felt he was offering a warning from doomed men. He collapsed to the floor as the substance coated half his body. As it grew, he felt less and less of the covered body. Incredible pain followed by numbness. Half of his face was covered, as well as his throat. He could no longer speak, merely watch as his officers suffered the same fate. Several of them were fully encompassed and no longer moving.
Before it covered his face entirely, Mifune flew into the room with several guards. They gasped as they witnessed the events in the room.
Reizo slowly used blood leaking from an unseen wound somewhere within the substance-covered part of his body. He cuffed his finger in blood and wrote a message on the wall as the men desperately tried to help him.
IT WAS IKAM
Mifune's POV
Mifune eyes narrowed in rage. But they could only watch as the men were fully enveloped before the substance shrank. The man-sized blobs became smaller and smaller before entirely dissipating. Where proud samurai stood, only swords remained. Several of his men cried out in despair. Ikam had taken the lives of samurai and even a high-ranking official. There would be hell to pay…
Before he could consider this much further, the blades suddenly were coated in Kanji before poofing away.
Mifune would have Ikam's head.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ikam's POV (Hidden Base - Land of Water)
Ikam ripped the mask off his face and threw it across the room. Ashira caught it and immediately started to seal it back in its secure case. The mask had taken over him; it had done his will, but it was clear it would've taken over if it could. The mask had somehow stuck to his face at first. It felt like each fiber of it was suctioned to his face. He would need to be careful before attempting to use them again. He weaved through hand signs with a smile.
"Devil's Possession: Devil's Due!"
Soon, the room suddenly had several katanas appear in it. Ikam chuckled warmly as he marched through the room before landing on a particular blade. He picked it up. The blade, at one point, was a standard katana well built but nothing special. Now, the blade seemed slightly thicker and had become incredibly black. It drew light into it. The edge had become jagged, with glowing red lines that shimmered throughout. Mishio and Ashira walked forward and faced their master.
"Well, sir, does it seem to fit your fancy? Was it truly worth the sin committed?" Ashira commented, noticeably annoyed.
"Silence before I use it upon you." Ikam started with a smile.
"But will it work?" Mishiro asked with a smile.
"I can feel his power within it." Ikam replied happily. "Ashira, it's time for me to meet with the Okama clan."
"Not enough blood on your ha-" Mishiro suddenly appeared, wielding her blade at Ashira's throat. The man looked at her and sighed. "Very well."
Ikam relaxed his muscles as Ashira prepared his own teleportation technique.
"You marked it with the seal I told you?" Ashira asked as he worked.
"Yes, the critters did not even realize." Ikam chuckled.
"Then good luck." Ashira said darkly as he activated his seal. Ikam poofed away, and the two stood now alone. "You could not slay me." He reminded Mishiro.
"Don't need to," Mishiro said with a smirk. "Ikam will, if you ever forget who your master is."
- SCENE SHIFT - Okama Realm -
Ikam didn't often feel whimsy in his life. His past was a complicated thing, but regardless of the actual events of it, it was clear it had been marred by strife. Yet, as he gazed upon the land that the Okama inhabited, it returned to him slightly. The land was hilly and covered by an absurdly thick forest. Each tree was massive, some having been carved out into homes. Ikam would've loved to enjoy the ambiance, but he was a busy man. Besides, he may have to destroy this land soon.
Before he could enjoy the sights any longer, the scamper of feet and series of yips warned him of his host's arrival. Soon, the clearing he stood in was filled with raccoons of various shapes and sizes. Like his first visit, they bared their fangs and levied odd raccoon-adjusted weaponry. Ikam merely raised a brow at them. Before suddenly, the familiar form of the Elder appeared. Ikam simply smiled at this; it the creature was still resisting his seal somehow. How utterly fascinating.
"I see you have somehow returned. Are you prepared to return home yet again?" The Elder asked simply.
Ikam laughed earnestly at this. "You can do so; I have no method of stopping such. Though I must warn you, I cannot afford to not have you lot as anything other than my own allies. As such, please allow me to introduce myself."
"I have no interest in the two of you. However, as the Elder, I must act appropriately. My name is Mirik Okama. Now I leave me home." The Elder replied with ease.
Ikam felt his heart rate increase. It seemed the beast had powers he had yet to see. "You should accept my offer. You will not find a summoner on my level."
"We have already found our choice." The Elder replied, simply holding up a hand to activate jutsu. "Your threats matter little; we could not serve you even by choice."
"A true shame, but you understand I cannot allow you peace when you work with the Uzumaki," Ikam said, simply drawing his new blade. "So I shall destroy your home!" He yelled, his voice suddenly manic. The raccoon/tanuki flinched at the impressive killing intent he released. Before the Okama could honestly react, Ikam raced forward, attempting to bisect the raccoon on the left of Mirik, but missed narrowly. Mirik felt his heart drop when he witnessed Ikam smile at him cruelly. His target had never been one of them.
Ikam howled in joy as he unleashed a powerful blast of energy at the ground. The energy cut and burned through solid stone before continuing in a straight, destructive path. The gash looked like someone had cut the earth itself. It was deep and seemed to steam. Ikam snarled as he prepared to unleash another technique with his blade before the Elder sighed as he flared chakra.
"Summoning Jutsu: Banishment!"
Ikam coldly offered them a cruel smirk as he poofed away.
- SCENE SHIFT - Hidden Base - Land of Water -
He appeared back in their workroom. Ashira was taking a nap, attempting to regain strength. Kushina had done quite the number on him and likely would've slain him if he had not saved him. The damage had not yet fully healed. So, allowing him to garner strength was a seemingly easy choice. Mishiro squealed upon seeing and did her best to suffocate him. But Ikam took it all in stride. He was too excited for what was going to happen next. He smiled cruelly as one hand formed a hand sign. His new katana now growing red and pulsating with power.
"Let the Okama's pay for refusing us loyal Uzumakis," Ikam said darkly as his chakra suddenly flared. He smirked cruelly as if knowing a great joke. Before he whispered to himself.
"Devil Possession: Breaking of the Bottle."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Mirik's POV (Okama Realm)
The Okama clan valued their beautiful land. As such, several were checking out the new damage. Ikam smiled cruelly as the wound in the dirt suddenly glowed so bright it hurt one's eyes to look at it. It suddenly boomed off a massive explosion. It was a wave of acidic chakra which broke the ground underneath it, uprooted several homes, and scorched all before it to ash. Mirik crashed painfully into his own homebody, smashing through his own walls. He felt the painful throb of broken bones but forced himself forward regardless. As he left the wreckage of his own home, he saw he had been lucky. Mirik watched on as slain Tanuki's writhed their final painful moments away. Most of the surrounding area was smashed and scorched. It would take them years to repair their home. It takes even longer for the survivors to grieve over their fallen.
The final fatality count had been 11, most of which were the active summons available. Ikam had been cruelly intelligent. With Mirik's ability to remove him without a fight, he had little time to attempt to strike them down. He had predicted Mirik and their strongest fighters would appear to repel him. It's the perfect opportunity for a clever trap. Mirik had thought his slash as he was banished was a desperate attack. They had started fixing the gash when its true power had been unleashed. Ikam, indeed, was a fearsome threat. Mirik would have to sheer up their defenses. The seal he had been marked with still fought for control of him. The Okama clan was famed for their immunity to fuijutsu, yet Ikam nearly had sealed his will. Naruto Uzumaki would need to grow up quickly. They had to find a way to avoid Ikam.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ikam's POV (Hidden Base - Land of Water)
Ikam cackled at his later move. He was no fool; the attack, while deadly, indeed had some survivors. Perhaps he could fix that. But it is difficult to set up currently, so he supposed such was unnecessary. For now, they were hurting, and even if they gained a summoner, their worth would be diminished. In time, his seal may work as well. Be that as it may, he should prepare. He had a feeling the Okama clan would not give in so easily.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ino had recently informed him of Naruto's preferred alone place. For once, she hadn't done so to gossip but simply in case they ever needed to find the blonde.
Truthfully, Neji felt somewhat conflicted as he marched forth. Naruto Uzumaki had steadfastly become one of Neji's favorite people. As such, he felt obligated to offer the blonde consoling. The only problem was that Neji wasn't precisely a personable person. He would not say he was aloof; as a Hyuga, he had been trained to hold a certain charisma, but that did not offer him any wisdom of comforting someone.
Furthermore, Neji could relate to being deemed something lesser. Naruto's situation was different. Having a demon sealed inside of him made him… different. In truth, Neji did not let his status as a jinchuriki affect his vision of the blonde significantly. Honestly, the Hyuga had been somewhat impressed to see just how significant the burden was. He had finally discovered the source of pain in his eyes. Neji felt he could offer some level of insight into that. But the villager's hatred? How was he to comfort the blonde towards that? Their hatred seemed to outshine even his own of the Main House. Neji knew better than most just how much it took to shake such a thing. Neji had a feeling, though, that just being there for the blonde could help with that. But the final problem confounded him the most.
He simply couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Ino had been quite foolish to voice what she did. Indeed, she realized letting such an idea go would affect Naruto in unique ways that may not affect others. Worse yet, Naruto somehow didn't recognize this as the ramblings of a shaken woman. No, he saw them as a painful truth finally being unleashed. Hinata often told him he had a habit of looking at the word in an incredibly logical way. In such a way, he often missed the nuances of emotion. Neji had felt insulted by such and assured her he could understand. But his lack of understanding shines here.
Neji knew it was up to him to bring this to the forefront of the blonde. To reassure him as only a friend could. Despite his misgivings, he would attempt his best. Naruto deserved no less.
He found the blonde, as Ino had predicted, seated upon the fourth head. Sadly, he gazed at his home as if it had rejected him. Neji supposed it almost had…
"Naruto," Neji said, standing a short distance behind him.
Naruto gazed back at Neji, sighed, and offered a tired nod.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit. One of my best friends is being shamed for associating with me; she has realized it's my fault; my own people seem to hate my guts, I have a psycho to fight in the exams, my own dad sealed the Kyuubi into me, and my own mother, and to top it all off I have TWO separate groups hunting for me. Doing just great, ya know?" Naruto answered. This was an attempt to get Neji to leave. A bit of misdirected anger, Neji knew it better than most.
"That is quite the situation. Though surely you realize you're being pessimistic." Neji countered.
Naruto laughed emptily, his face smiling, but his eyes only shined with pain. "Hilarious coming from you."
Neji frowned at this but silently counted to five to stop his more antagonistic nature. "True, that is why our team has always worked well. You are our center."
"The hell does that-" Neji suddenly, body flickered before him. Dramatic but worked in silencing the blonde.
"You care more than anyone I've ever met before. You cared about us instantly just because we were on the same team. You cared about me and my broken ideology. That version of I stood directly opposed to your ideals. I was stronger than you; anyone else likely would've given in. But you, you trained and surpassed me, forced me to see the light, and then treated me as if I was never your enemy. Ino, when the team formed, had incredibly unsure of us. You broke through to her and quickly made her change as well. Before you, she had been a half-decent kunoichi. Your spirit made her wish to become more. I haven't known Naruto Uzumaki for long, but I am grateful to have done so. So why would I, or anyone who truly knows you, fret over you holding a beast? It is merely another obstacle you will overcome. One day, you will become Hokage. I promise that until that day, I will stand by your side as not an ally but a friend. You shall be the greatest one yet, and I trust you will keep the word you gave me." Neji said with a slight smirk and a raised brow. An expression Naruto had often given him.
Neji heard Naruto sniffle slightly. He paid no mind as Naruto seemed to release some of the tension he had been holding. Slowly, he crawled to his feet and stood to face Neji. Neji gazed back at him with a smile.
"Believe it." Naruto said with his own smile, almost with his usual warmth. "Though, what am I gonna do about Ino? You heard her; she knows that as long as she associates with me, she'll be an outcast."
Neji sighed a bit; as far as Naruto had come, he would always be a bit of a knucklehead. "She didn't mean that, or at the very least, it wasn't all she meant. She will think about things and come back around. You've been here for a while; perhaps now she's ready to speak."
Naruto considered this before nodding. "Are you coming too?"
"No, it is best for you two… to discuss things."
"What does that mean?" Naruto asked.
"Just a theory, Blondie." Neji answered casually; he ignored as Naruto roared in disapproval. "Best for you two to discuss things."
Naruto raised a brow but prepared to launch himself off. Before he could, suddenly, Jiraiya appeared on the roof after his usual brand of foolishness. He informed them of the crowd of rioters being finally suppressed by the Konoha Police and the Secret Anbu. Scores of those who could be proven to be involved in the violence had even been apprehended. He told them of the decisions of the council. How Naruto would be limited to the ground of the Forest of Death. How Jiraiya would go with him and take his training to the next level. Neji had expected Naruto to rebel against this, but he instead nodded his head gravely.
"Can I do one thing before we go?" Naruto asked.
"Sure thing, brat. I'll grab some supplies from Kushina and smooth things over. You have an hour." Jiraiya replied with ease.
Naruto thanked them both before he body flickered away.
Jiraiya nodded at Neji before his body flickered away.
Neji sighed before sitting on top of the Fourth's head himself. Being supportive was exhausting.