Reappraisal!; [P]

Time and time again, lightning stretched throughout the starless sky. It's loud crackles, were, in a way, soothing, however, that brief sense of solace was short lived. His nose snuffed out the scent of his own blood, which, oddly enough, induced some sort of hallucination he could not explain. His eyes, hidden behind closed lids, started to see faceless souls in the hundreds, maybe even thousands. He questioned himself, beginning to believe that the lives he'd stolen began to haunt him. Masuyo could not blame them if them in the end. Realistically, they these faceless souls had every right to haunt his mind, after all, he was the monster who disrupted their peaceful lives. Their 'faceless' faces were accompanied by screams of bloody murder, screams that were muffled from the sound of blind destruction.

"You all hate me don't you? I won't blame you if you do. I ruined your lives, and for what?"

Just as quick as the faceless souls infiltrated his mind, they disappeared without any trace left behind. Sheets of rain continued to fall from above and smack against the back of Masuyo's head and neck as the streams of water mixed in with his tears. For a moment he almost fancied himself insane as those souls swapped presence with a soft, repeating tick. Initially it played out in his mind continuously at long intervals, but, with after each flash of lightning it increased. More perturbing visions seemed to enter his mind against his own behest, adding to his insanity. Pairs of hazel eyes forced themselves to the forefronts of his mind; they seemed to carry a familiar look, like how a mother would warmly look upon her child.

Though the eyes before him seemed familiar, his mind just could not wrap itself around who they belonged to. Before any real analysis had begun, they faded just like the others. Louder and louder, the ticks continued to incessantly speed through Masuyo's ears and mind, almost driving him mad. With another plasmid bolt came another flash, that flash birthed yet another vision. Orange locks, long and free flicked before his mind, strengthening his memory of her.

The eyes were questionable, however, the locks -even after a great many years- was something he'd certain about. Not knowing of many women with flowing, orange hair, it could have only been one person. Finally, after a low voice called his name, he was certain who it was. Closed eyelids burst open with tenacity as he looked left and right, checking to see if he had truly been alone. It turns out it had not been alone, at least not physically. His name was announced once more and that second mentioning couldn't have possibly been any clearer. The way it called his name with a strong sense of worry, it just had to be her, it had to!

"Onee-chan?! Is - is that really you?!"

Wiping away his tears with the surface of his wrist, he looked around frantically, still the only person sitting in the tree. Had he really been pushed so close to the edge of insanity?!

Almost believing that he'd gone insane, Masuyo shook his head back and forth as if to shake off the souls that haunted his mind. Open palms clamped both sides of his head which, at that time, was title down towards his lap. The voice hadn't seemed to bother him as it was soothing and carried sense of concern behind each syllable. It was that godforsaken tick, the same tick that only seemed to get loud and lounder, faster and faster with each passing second. The sound in and of itself almost drove him into boundless pit of madness. Suddenly, the world just muffled itself. He immediately noted the ticking's disappearance, however, something else felt out of place - the rain. For only a second, he thought himself to be deaf as he continued to feel the cool streams of water climb down his body, yet, each droplet lacked sound.

The widening of his eyes compromised his sense of surprise. Perhaps what he'd been feeling was the laws of karma attempting to set balance in light of what Masuyo had done. There had been no way to tell or make sense of what was going on, it was beyond his level of comprehension. Once more had the sky flashed a bright blue, however, the darkness -which was expected to recede into a darkness far worse than any depth could produce- never returned.

Where any normal man would have found a world of darkness and pelting sheets of rain, Masuyo found something entirely different; a world of white and nothing else. That thick bough that he sat upon so contentedly, vanished! That incessant rain which peppered and soaked his entire body, gone. Even the threading along his body seemed to lack and evidence of it having ever rained. Masuyo was dry, oh so dry. Floating, literally floating, he came to hover in what he considered or what seemed like 'mid-air'. Everything seemed so fast, before he could even have hoped to obtain an understanding of the situation, a splitting image of his younger brother zipped past his eyes.

"Kodai!?"

Keenly, his eyes followed 'Koda' which only lead to him seeing Yuu who seemed to be waving in someones direction past Kodai. A quick glance to the opposite side revealed nothing, just the same infinite world of white that surrounded him. Still wondering what was going on, a pressure in his lower bad indicated that something pointy pressed against him. Alarmed, he turned around with haste only to see her face at long last after many, many years. The moment her voice reached his eyes, he remembered it being just as warm and soothing. Another set of tears ran down from his eyes as he spoke.

"Onee-chan, I-is that really you?! Why are you here of all places? No no no, more importantly where have you been all these years?

. . .I've missed you so much it hurts. "

It was her, it really was, Masuyo couldn't believe it! A plethora of emotions rushed into his mind as his sister opened her arms and welcomed Masuyo into a her warm embrace that he missed so dearly. The happiness he felt during that moment was uncontested, yet, a great deal of sadness still remained within him. He smiled when she called him by his nickname, a name he had not heard in years, even from his younger and older brother. The way her hand caressed the back of his head sent him into a state of heavenly bliss. Her scent had been the only thing missing from such a moment and it was that lack of smell that told Masuyo that this had not been entirely real.

Stepping back, he noted the pain in her eyes which could have meant and caused by so many things, but what exactly? Unfortunately, before his mind could actually pinpoint what the cause of his sisters pain, the alabaster world seemed to momentarily waver as she alarmingly looked to both her sides.

"I know you've missed me. If I could have come to you, I would. I'd have been there for you. I'd have stopped you from..."

He looked down and away in shame as she paused her speech. She claimed to have stopped him, but from what, leaving Amegakure, destroying Kami no Shima, or fighting for all the wrong things? There were so many things Masuyo had done which were not exactly 'good', all in the name of gaining power to destroy all things related to his sister's disappearance. Things only seemed to get more confusing, namely in the way she spoke, almost as if she had been with Masuyo during his travels in some alternate form. Thinking back during their times of training, it was noted that she was a mastery in Genjutsu, perhaps that was what this world was, a powerful, but timed, Genjutsu.

Silently mulling over the possibilities, the world within his mind changed ever so quickly. Images marched to the forefronts of his mind as both night and rain returned, yet, it wasn't Kaminari but instead, Amegakure. Screams, oh so many screams, they were familiar and vivid, enough so that it seemed real for a moment. Seeing his sister abducted by a shadowy figure brought about questions and at the same time revealed the truth behind her disappearance.

"Wha-What is this?! I don't understand!"

"No. . .no its fine, there should be no need for you to be sorry. All of this wasn't your fault."

He spoke out to her as more images began to flow into his mind. Quickly he noted that her stance nearly faltered and gripped her hip as a way to keep her from potentially falling. Just an illusion, so he'd been right from the start, this world being nothing more than an advanced Genjutsu, possibly forbidden considering its potency. She claimed to have planted this timed illusion so many years ago and he knew it had to have been true just going of what transpired before his very eyes. Masuyo cut a quick glance over towards the shoulder she just sharply squeezed, it seemed to activate another vision. In this image the boy housed a sunagakure headband and orange hair, a tell-tale sign of his heritage. The last conceivable moment where Masuyo laid eyes upon Roatsu was a great many years ago, Masuyo only a child and Roatsu just a newborn infant.

"I've been watching you, Masu. All along I've been here watching and smiling. I wanted to see you become powerful, righteous, and take back Amegakure and make it right."

"You've done so well, and I'm so proud. Just...follow your own heart. Don't let anyone else lead you down their path, you follow your own."

"You don't know how long I've been longing to hear those words come out of your mouth, even if this is just a illusion. All this time while not knowing the truth, I've been searching and fighting for all the wrong reason. I've killed so many innocent people, and was manipulated by Yuu for so many years and I was such a fool to allow it. It hurts even worse to realize it only too seeing your face to realize all of this.

Heh and sure, I'll take care of everyone, even you no matter what happens! Even if it looks like Yuu was apart of this, I'll not only protect him, but I'll make him see the error of his ways as you have mine."

He his hand rested atop his sisters own and pressed it against his cheek, realizing that her time was short from the way she spoke.

"Heh, I'm so happy to see you I can't even describe it, but please, answer me this. . .

Where are you?!"

He returned a warm smile as she motioned towards relying on Masuyo to fully take on the responsibility of protecting their family as well as restoring Amegakure. Even though he had not been the eldest of the family, he was, without the shadow of a doubt, the strongest. Masuyo hugged his sister as she had done to him before she'd pull away once again. She gripped her mid-section as if in pain, however, Masuyo failed to fully understand how she felt, how could he? Continuing to speak yet again, she motioned towards her imminent departure followed by an interrupted response regarding Masuyo's inquiry on her whereabouts. After so many years, he finally would have basked in the satisfaction of finding her and putting those who made her suffer into a never-ending world of unfathomable pain.

His eyes widened, shocked from having seen her arms abruptly swing out in a lateral fashion. He tried to reach out for her, but he hesitated as her mouth opened as if to be screaming, yet, silence prevailed. Where his inner anger where his evil aura festered, it was no longer there, instead he adopted a sense of protection, yet, unable to protect her in the state she had been in. Out of nowhere he helplessly watched ethereal hands emerged from thin air to take hold of her body. Quickly he tried to reach out to grab hold of any body part that he could, however, the moment he went to move the first indication that this illusion was ending became evident. The world around him cracked like a mirror, returning him to the same rainy night within Kaminari no Kuni. Unlike before, he was standing along the ground at the base of the tree.


Everything seemed to have returned to normal for the most part, that was until his name was called yet again by the same voice. The voice had been changed. In subtle ways, for sure, but even then it still changed. It lacked the usual sense of worry, love, and concern that his sister always spoke with to those she cared for, it was an oddity to not hear it in such a manner. Sheets of rain pelted the apex of his head yet again as he cut a quick glance to his right (standing at a side-view of his sister) only to see his sister standing there, roughly 5 meters away.

"Onee-Chan! Is that really you? Say something?!"

He noted the way her hair fluttered over her face with a single eye piercing through the locks. This was by far no normal eye, but one he only saw once during his lifetime. It was the look his sister housed when protecting something which was dear to her, a look that carried a uncontested sense of murderous intent. From that look, and that look alone, it allowed him to accurately guess what would have happened next.

"I know that look, please if you can hear me or understand me, do not do this! Please!"

Slowly Masuyo's sister slunk back with a twisted face. The way her behavior suddenly changed cause Masuyo's eyebrows to raise in confusion, unable to discern whether or not this was a fragment of the previous illusion or some physical manifestation. Despite the alabaster illusion ending, pieces of it seemed to remain, potent enough to enter the physical realm and act to be a standard Kage Bunshin. Nevertheless, the time to potentially reason with this 'doppelganger' was over and where she readied to attack, Masuyo readied to defend. With blinding speed, she managed to weave through a series of seals as if it were only one. Even after a great many years, Masuyo was still amazed by his sisters proficiency in Genjutsu, however, he too developed a level of expertise within a specific field - Doton.

From out of thin air a massive ball of flames descended from the atmosphere, bigger than any flame even Namyeol could produce. Additionally, another set of doppelgangers were summoned together in unison, all unraveling a pack of ninja wire. Unfortunately they wouldn't have had the chance, given that during the very first indication of his sisters attack became evident, he took action. His own hands came together and formed hand-seals in rapid fire succession^{(2.5 seconds)} which only heralded the coming of his Doton arts. Quickly he sunk beneath the earth, and quickly the truth behind his sisters assault came to bear.

Being one with the earth itself, he could feel only one presence that stood along the earths surface which obviously had not included the 'clones'. Nevertheless, while retaining his regular speed^(3mps), he aligned himself just beneath his sister in a matter of seconds while simultaneously performing an additional set of hand-seals.

SPOILER: Click to show

Doton Ryouuken (Earth Dominion)

• D: 10 meter range / Full Turn detection delay
  
• C: 20 meters / 3/4 ^th's of a turn
  
• B: 30 ms / Half of a turn
  
• A: 40 ms / 1/4 ^th's of a turn
  
• S: 50 ms / Near-Instant!