Broken Will [Gene/Mid only]

[~Kohana <3]

It had been some time since she had time to herself, or rather, times to escape into the wilderness of Hi no Kuni uninterrupted. She had had everything. The title of Hokage was hers and she could have finally gone through with everything that she had sought out to do. But unfortunately, it just didn't last as she thought it would.

Because of the way she wanted to handle the plague, despite taking care of the man seemingly behind it, she was discharged from her duties. What else could she have done? Why risk more lives by treating those destined to die? If she could have only razed the village then all would have been fine. The villagers would have gotten over it and they could have rebuilt anew. Everything would have been just fine.

But now he had the title.

Kohana bore no ill will to the young Uchiha boy; after all he was indeed the only one who could have had the strength to carry the title other than her. But, did it HAVE to be an Uchiha? They were just as bad as her Hyuuga kin. A rage boiled inside of her, not for the boy, but at the weakness of those within the village. What would it have said to the other villages if they had blown their own up for, killing many, despite being infected, in order to save themselves? It was drastic, yes, but necessary. It would have said ‘if we would do this to ourselves, what does that make you think we would do to you’ and through that would have came respect.

She had been standing in the same spot, unmoving, for eternity, but now a visible shutter coursed through her body as chakra flowed from head to toe and then back up to her shoulders. It pulsed down her arms and into both of her hands, now coiled into fists. In one swift motion she had jumped into the air and came descending back down to the ground below, fists colliding with the earth in one loud BOOM. Like rock thrown through a glass window, her punches, one after another, shattered the ground below, leaving crater after crater in their wake.

Heaving as she let out an exasperated yell, one last punch was thrown into the ground, up heaving more chunks of rock and debris into the air. As the last bits fell to the ground, she eyed the onslaught, the utter destruction that she had caused and all she could do was collapse to the ground. Not out of exhaustion mind, or at least, not physical exhaustion. Kohana sat there, breathing in through her nose, and then breathing out of her mouth. She was being ridiculous. Again she stood, but couldn’t move, or really, she didn’t want to move. She stood in the center wake of her destruction, the series of craters her raw power had left behind.

Everything she had worked for now had been wasted. Only thing she could do was wait for that Uchiha boy to either die or somehow screw up and become impeached. Her only other option was to become a rank above the normal. Even the Kage thought highly of those worthy of the title Sannin. Unfortunately not many within the village even had the potential, or the experience to handle the trial.

It was a stalemate situation, one she hated. There was no getting out of it and there was no immediate solution. Unless he came back to Hi no Kuni. But Kohana knew better. The plans she had made with Ares not too long ago weren’t ready to happen, at least not yet…

[/justify]

[Messatsu!]

For what seemed to be miles, Masuyo jumped from tree to tree as nothing more than a simple blur. Dashing hurriedly through the thick forestry, Masuyo contemplated the events that recently transpired within Iwagakure no sato, namely his encounter with Ares. Ares had easily been one of the few shinobi that Masuyo respected only because of the power he wielded despite it being channeled and used for all the wrong reasons. Quickly, Masuyo found himself frustrated, once again, though it hadn't been the lose he suffered from Ares within Iwagakure.

It was the feeling of being vulnerable and virtually helpless after having been knocked unconscious and captured by both Ares and Apollo. Masuyo knew, deep down that he'd cross paths with Ares another day, and once he did, he made sure that things would be different.

Strangely, the sound of crumbling earth calmed him down, enough so that it caught his attention as well as stroking his curiosity. He looked back a Kureno in a bewildering manner to gauge Kureno's own reaction to confirm that his ears hadn't been the only pair that heard such destructive noises. With streaks of red in laced around his eyes, his chakra flowed normally as another, however, the quantity that his network held had been easily four times greater than the average shinobi.

Nevertheless, curious, Masuyo turned sharply (his right), advanced a handful of meters and finally stopped completely, perched on a thick bough. He sat roughly 10 meters above the ground and 15 away from the woman who'd been standing there, inside of a crater! Shocked and Amazed, Masuyo merely watched the woman in secrecy, admiring her distinctive power that exceeded his own.

[~Kohana <3]

Though she stayed within the multitude of craters that she had created, she was still aware of their approach. Two humans, most likely shinobi, heading her way. However she didn't recognize their chakra signature let alone recognize their appearances. Were they even ninja from Konohagakure? If they were or weren't she couldn't tell from where she was, no headbands were visible. The one, however, his chakra seemed different, almost endless...

Perhaps I was being a little too noisy and drew attention to myself. Oh well, it can't be helped now.

She waited for the two of them to stop, and despite thinking that they were far from her range, they had no idea she could see their every movement. Ten meters high into the trees and about fifteen meters away from her. One Shunshin was all she would need in order to prepare an onslaught, but she wouldn't be to rash. Looking up, but not towards them, she brushed herself off from the dirt and dust then stood still.

"The two of you, up in the trees. You really shouldn't sneak up on a lady. It's very poor etiquette. Men shouldn't be so sneaky."

It was then that Kohana turned to where the two of them were, staring straight up at them as if she were only a few feet in front of them. However she was more so concerned with the older one. He looked different than what a normal shinobi would. That was the one with the enormous amount of chakra. Regardless, her Byakugan, active and fixated on the man, would see anything he tried.

[/justify]

[Messatsu!]

The Sennin's brief moment of discreet admiration abruptly ended as his presence and position had been compromised. She looked up towards him immediately, almost as if she foresaw his arrival. How she knew had been beyond him, however, he refused to dwell upon it for an overly long time. Regardless, Masuyo smiled at her comment as a forward step carried him straight down into the ground where he landed in a low crouch. Minuscule pieces of rock and earth violently quivered as he landed with 15 meters of space that still separated him from the woman.

Even while facing her, his eyes wandered off instead, observing the lay of land beneath her which, at that point, had been absolutely destroyed. Scared and riddled with craters, Masuyo knew that earth in and of itself easily stands as one of the more durable elements and materials, and to have seen so many craters put into a single area with what appeared to be from bare hands, it peaked his interest within the woman.

"I didn't mean to intrude, however, I couldn't help but hear the sound of earth shattering against a force greater than its own. . ."

Once spoken, his eyes slowly eased themselves back upon the woman, looking into her own. Giving himself enough time gauge her reaction, his spiel continued.

"I couldn't help but notice that you're alone, so I must ask, Is something bothering you? Perhaps I could help in some way. "

[Mitternacht]

The time since leaving Tsuchi no Kuni was spent in traveling, which I didn't mind at all, but would gladly take over the events that transpired had since transpired in said country. Damn, had Masuyo gotten himself into some deep stuff. As they travelled, they talked a little about it, and I was filled in on some of the little details, mainly about how Masuyo had become an agent to the Kazekage, a man wielding the infamous and extremely powerful Sharingan eyes. I didn't wanna screw around with people like that, but I had a feeling that meeting with Masuyo elevated me to a new level in the world- my life was definitely going to change. But I also wanted that change, too. I welcomed a change in my life. Change was great.

I felt something though, in that temple. I felt Masuyo's emotions, his helplessness, and I shared it. I knew I should be afraid, and yet...I wasn't. Icould be in that same situation a hundred more, a million more times, and I'd always be there for Masuyo. I felt stronger after the event, changed, but not weaker. I was there for other people, I'd be there in the end when everyone else abandoned them. I could tell Masuyo needed someone to be there for him, I had a feeling these past few years he'd just been alone.

My thoughts were interrupted by an eruption. I locked eyes with Masuyo, his eyes sharing my bewilderment. I gave him a nod to confirm I heard it too, and we were off to investigate. I jumped to another try, hidden in it's leafy depths, peering through branches I quietly parted to look down at the site. There stood a young women, beautiful, admittedly, but standing alone in a crater. She made that? Damnnnnnn, son. She called out to us, knowing where we were. I jumped down, knowing the jig was up, and slowly approached. He listened to her speech, and retorted following Masuyo's.

"Sorry about that...we were just traveling, didn't wanna interrupt anything. The crash just caught our attention. It looks like it was some amazing power, but like he said, we're here for you."

[~Kohana <3]

Just who are these two people...

It was odd for two random shinobi, if they really were that, to drop in and ask a foreigner, perhaps even enemy, how they were and if they had something bothering them. Though it was a naive prospect, at the same time it was almost refreshing to see that some kids in the world still had some sort of manners to them. Her generation was screwed in that department.

Kohana eyed the smaller one for a moment, he was no threat if anything were to transpire, so she focused her attention to the older one, though he was still younger than herself. Her Byakugan still flared as she stared back at him, not breaking his gaze once she met his. Not like she would have to watch him so intently, her eyes would have picked up anything anyways.

"Nothing in particular." She lied, but it really was none of their business. Perhaps she would have felt inclined to say what was on her mind if it was something trivial. But the status of the Hokage title and the failing structure of Konohagakure? Not likely. "I was just releasing some pent up stress."

The Hyuuga female gestured around to the various smaller craters that formed into the much bigger one that she stood in. "I think I may have gotten carried away however. I do hope I didn't give the wrong impression---I really am quite the lady." She would wink then, it was in general to the two of them, but she was still looking straight at the older boy when she had done it.

"So what brings you two to these parts? I'll have you know that Hi no Kuni isn't exactly the safest place for foreigners. I won't ask where you hail from---" She paused, a hand reaching up to caress the shining metal of her Konoha headband that was around her neck. "Just thought I'd give you two a friendly warning before someone less pleasant finds you."

[/justify]

[Messatsu!]

"I was just releasing some pent up stress."

As the woman gestured towards the family of craters that surrounded her, Masuyo's attention turned back towards as well for a second time. The Sennin's ink covered eyes eased back onto the woman as she continued to speak, motioning towards being carried away with 'releasing her stress' which, at first glance, sounded like statement not too far from the truth. He noticed her wink and grinned reflexively at her subtle, yet, amorous words. He agreed with her being quite the lady, perhaps even one of the more beautiful kunoichi he's seen outside of Amegakure's walls.

"So what brings you two to these parts? I'll have you know that Hi no Kuni isn't exactly the safest place for foreigners. I won't ask where you hail from--- Just thought I'd give you two a friendly warning before someone less pleasant finds you."

Only for a second, she paused, hand lifting up to caress the forehead protector which had been tied around her neck. At that point, Masuyo allowed a reasonable amount of time to pass before he even considered giving a well thought response.

"Mizu no kuni, we're simply passing through here to get from point A to point B and the warning is much appreciated, just aren't many safe places these days. I'm Masuyo Kekkai by the way, nice to meet you. . .?"

His speech paused quizzically to gauge the woman's response, hoping to get a name of some kind to identify her by. Nevertheless, he provided her with more than enough time to cough up a name of some kind before continuing on with his spiel.

"So, are you su-"

Suddenly, the pain returned. A sharp pressure swelled up within his chest as his hand reached up and pressed against it. Falling down onto both knees, his torso leaned forward as his forehead collided with the ground. Grunting and writhing in pain, he coughed and coughed, sending pockets of blood from his mouth onto the ground. Just like before, back at the monument within Iwagakure no sato, the effects of his rapid aging seemed to have been slowly catching up.

[Mitternacht]

This girl was pretty dang cute I had to admit, a few years my seniors, I could obviously tell, them definitely a dime piece. She kept giving Masuyo the eye though, so I didn't worry about her one bit. She seemed to take a liking to him really quick, and he seemed to return the affections well. I smiled in a knowing manner; it was kinda cute.

After my intro I kinda stayed back a bit to let the two talk. It concerned me quite a bit that Hi no Kuni was on the warpath protecting it's borders. Who had fallen by the hand of Konoha's finest? I didn't intend to be one of them, so I kept on guard, keeping check on my surroundings so someone wouldn't sneak up on us. Her eyes though...she too had the Byakugan, like the guy we saw in Iwagakure. Now that definitely put em on edge, as well as Masuyo's sudden exclamation. I cried out and rushed to him.

I had no idea that these had become commonplace in his life. Though we were reunited, Masuyo and I hadn't had a chance to catch up on everything that had happened recently in each other's lives. Really, I had nothing of note to speak, but Masuyo seemed to speak volumes, as if a great story was being written after the words he spoke. He told me only a little about his great path to learning the Sage Mode, an ancient technique he had learned from great bears. His tales of the summoning family inspired me too to reach out and find a family of summons to bond with. They sound like a great thing to have handy in combat, but it wasn't even that which drove me on mostly, it was more the experience of learning under another, under those who's strength greatly exceeded my own. It was truly humbling.

"M-Masuyo! Are you alright? WHat happened?!."

[~Kohana <3]

“Mizu no Kuni, eh? Heh, I know the route well. I have a close acquaintance of mine who lives there.” Briefly her thoughts were carried away, thinking of Akira and what he was up, how he was doing, and if everything was going smoothly for him as Mizukage. She wanted to share that feeling with him, be a part of his world. As Hokage, she would have been a step closer to that. A man like him could crush her, but even a step forwards would be an accomplishment. But now…that was all taken away from her.

Shaking her head she forced a smile to grace her features, after all, her business was none of there’s. “Nice to meet you Masuyo. I’m Kohana, of the Hyuuga clan.” She would then look to his partner, the younger boy who, now that she looked him over a little closely, looked related to Masuyo. Interesting. “And what might your name be?”

However there hadn’t been much time in-between asking his name when Masuyo started to speak once more. Perhaps he didn’t want to put the younger boys name out there in case something here went bad. Or perhaps he just really had something to say. Regardless, only a few words in he fell to the ground. His forehead collided into the ground and while writhing in pain blood gushed from his mouth, coating the craggy, cratered ground red. Immediately her eyes widened at this and she hurried to his side, just as the younger Kekkai did as well.

“Crap. Sorry kid but I need you to move!” Though she hadn’t meant to be, Kohana shoved the younger boy to the side before reaching out to move Masuyo and lay him down. Though it would have been ideal to lay him on his back, she didn’t want him to hack more blood up and effectively swallow it and drown. Instead she put him on his side and sat in front of him.

The Hyuuga made quick work of his shirt and other garments he wore over his chest, leaving his chest bear, though her hands quickly covered it. A soft green glow started to emanate from them and seep into his skin, then into his flesh, and then even further into his organs.

“Talk to me. What’s hurting? Have you been in any recent fights? Let me know if there is any pressure or if the pain eases. It’s just as important for the patient to communicate you know!”

Though the situation was serious, she tried to be a little sarcastic, perhaps a bit funny even, with her last statement. Despite his pain, she felt it was best whenever treating patients to try and bring them back from the pain, at least mentally, and engage with her. It relaxed them better and allowed for her to work easier as well. She just hoped that whatever the problem was, she could fix it.

[Messatsu!]

The pain, it just wouldn't stop, and knowing he had no way to make it stop seemingly made it worse. As he dropped down and writhed in pain, the woman who called herself Kohana came rushing to his side seconds after Kureno. Truthfully, in the midst of his pain, Masuyo had completely forgotten that the woman and even Kureno had even existed. She tried to lay him on his side, however, the pain only seemed to amplify with each fleeting second. He definitely heard Kohana speak, however, his mind subconsciously altered to the point where -to Masuyo- her voice sounded identical to his older sister.

"M-make it stop. . .sis. PLEASE! make it stop! I-it hurts all over!"

Every couple of words he grunted in extreme pain, grasping for air as he tried to mentally drown it out, however, the effects of his rapid aging began to take full effect. Adding insult to injury, he began sweating, he was hot! Body temperature rising, his body caught a quick fever that easily breached 105^o degrees. For a moment, he can't back to his normal state of mind, trying to explain the his sudden cycles of agonizing pain.

"R-r. . .Rapid. . ."

Before he could finish, all the main seemed to gather and coalesce at the just beneath his solar plexus which caused him to fold and curl up into a ball while holding his abdomen. After several seconds of throbbing pain, it slowly, slowly began to subside and fade.

[~Kohana <3]

Sis…? Great, now he is becoming delusional. Not only that, this guy is a handful!

Almost growling under her breath, she grabbed the man and held him still, simultaneously pumping chakra to her hands to acquire Souin strength while also feeding her chakra into him. The soft green glow of her Mystical Palm technique remained present the entire time. Her Byakugan stayed active as well, scanning through him to see pulses of chakra. Though her eyes couldn’t see his actual insides, she knew that, judging by his actions, the pain was most likely becoming unbearable.

Even despite her strength he still managed to force himself into a ball—which she took advantage of. Letting go of him, she rested her hands on his bare chest once more to continue administering her technique. Even if she was only generally attempting to heal him without knowing cause or area of damage, it would still help, regardless, to ease the pain he felt and potentially reconstruct his cells.

What bothered her were his words. Rapid what? Kohana eyed the child that had accompanied him, but he looked too naïve to know just exactly what was going on. It was time like these she had been in ANBU. At least then she could jump into his mind with an interrogation technique to find more information out.

“Rapid what, Masuyo. If you tell me what’s going on, perhaps I can devise a way to stop it, or at least stunt it. I know we’re of two different villages but it wouldn’t sit well with me if I just allowed you to writhe here in pain…and potentially die.”

Eyeing him once more, Kohana scanned him again. When he had first arrived there were strange flares of chakra coming from him. It wasn’t exactly your everyday chakra either. She wasn’t quite sure what it even was. It certainly wasn’t the sense of what elemental release he had. Raiton was obvious to her, and the others wouldn’t be so utterly, again, different. It made her wonder just what kind of power this man wielded beneath his smile and friendly visage.

Shaking her head a little, she removed one hand from his chest, though the green glow never faded from her fingers as she pressed her hand to his forehead and ran it back through his hair once.

“You can trust me.”

[Messatsu!]

“Rapid what, Masuyo. If you tell me what’s going on, perhaps I can devise a way to stop it, or at least stunt it. I know we’re of two different villages but it wouldn’t sit well with me if I just allowed you to writhe here in pain…and potentially die.”

"Aging. . .rapid aging."

He said in tandem as the throbbing pain continued to dominate the entirety of his body for the most part, however, the healing factor that originated from the woman's chakra coated hands eased the pain ever so slightly. Cycling through different patters of deep breaths also appeared to have helped him manage the pain, but just enough to roll back over onto his back while looking up at the woman. While his body continued to cringe in pain, he began to explain and theorize the cause to his internal and most likely un-treatable condition.

"Phew, this hurts. I-I believe that this is the cause of me e-excessively training on mount youbin after that incident in Kaminari."

He paused for a moment as surges of pain coursed through every corner of his body at sporadic interval's. Additionally, the red ink laced around his eyes slowly faded as his chakra seemingly 'halved' when it merely kicked him out of Sage Mode and regulated his chakra network.

"You wouldn't believe m-me if I told you that I-I was only 15. . .

Would you? "

[~Kohana <3]

Kohana watched him carefully, not entirely sure of what to make of his answer. Rapid aging? What kind of jutsu or technique was that? Besides, why would someone want to be older? Staying young was important, even as your age climbs, doing everything possible to curve the sting of death was a necessity. Especially in their world, death was never an option. Like her, for example, after all she was a medical ninja. With her skills she had the ability to ward off death if not completely eradicate him from someone’s life up until her own life was forfeit. But what was his excuse?

Finally though, Masuyo rolled over onto his back. Kohana smiled a little. It was unsettling to see such a young face in so much pain. After all, she did live to save others, not watch them die. It was the mention of Mt. Youbin that caught her attention though. Despite not knowing much of the art of Summoning or the Sage Arts, she had heard enough rumors, myths, and fairy tales about them to know what he meant. The reason his chakra was so different and so abundant was because he was a Sage. Sage of what, she couldn’t tell, but a Sage regardless.

“What incident in Kaminari, Masuyo? What happened there to drive you to go to such a place for a long period of time? I’m sure there are myths of those places where you come from too.”

That’s when the red lines that traced his face began to recede and fade. Like the marks, his chakra faded with them, nearly being cut in half from the separation. Gasping some, to the point of nearly moving away from him, Kohana scanned his body long enough to know that his chakra was merely just re-stabilizing itself after the loss of being in Sage Mode. Then he said it. How old he really was. Now was when she fully fell backward, looking at him as if he were crazy for a moment before she recomposed herself and went back into her kneeling position and putting her hands back to his chest, just in case.

“Normally I would call you a fool if you’d think I’d believe such a tall tale. But considering your story and where you’ve been, I suppose it wouldn’t be too farfetched…but you look nearly ten years older than what you say. Can such rapid aging even occur?”

I can see now why his body is acting the way it is. His cells are growing, splitting, and dying at a quickened rate, his body is growing quickly, and everything inside of him is rubbing against one another in this process. It’s like a slow acting friction burn from the inside out…

…I really don’t think he has much time left…

[Messatsu!]

“What incident in Kaminari, Masuyo? What happened there to drive you to go to such a place for a long period of time? I’m sure there are myths of those places where you come from too.”

While his chakra re-stabilized from leaving Sage Mode, he noticed a small retreat from the woman and had surprisingly been confused as to 'why'. Had the woman believed that their encounter had been all too surreal, the entire conversation took a sharp turn as he revealed his actual age to all who listened. It'd been true, he had been not a day older than fifteen, presuming that the 'years' he lived were still counted as earths own. Gauging her reaction, it hadn't been exactly what he expected but he, admittedly, has witnessed far worse. Nearly laughing as Kohana fell back in shock, he lightly chuckled and smiled at the words that followed.

“Normally I would call you a fool if you’d think I’d believe such a tall tale. But considering your story and where you’ve been, I suppose it wouldn’t be too farfetched…but you look nearly ten years older than what you say. Can such rapid aging even occur?”

Once spoken, Masuyo nodded in response, cementing the idea that rapid aging had indeed been possible. Sighing in mild pain, his head turned straight and look into the tree tops prior to divulging into his brief story.

"I. . .I did unspeakable things that day in Kami no shima, things that I wish I could take back but cannot no matter how hard I try.

. . .

I destroyed half of Kaminari's capital city."

The capitals of all country's were massive cities filled with cultivated life and civilians, a 'safe haven' so to speak for those who turned down the life as a shinobi. The city had been undoubtedly large, and to have destroyed even half of it spoke volume. Don't fret, he refused to be proud of that feat, in fact he hated himself for actually doing such a thing. Continuing his spiel, a tear rolled out of his left eye unbeknownst to even himself.

"I killed so many people that day. Only because I was young and naive and had been told to 'complete an impossible task' to finish my sage training. So i figured while angry and desperate that destroying and entire city would've registered as an impossible task. . ."

Momentarily pausing, his head turned to the side once more, yet, that time away from Kohana.

[~Kohana <3]

"I. . .I did unspeakable things that day in Kami no shima, things that I wish I could take back but cannot no matter how hard I try.

. . .

I destroyed half of Kaminari's capital city."

Kohana really couldn’t believe him. How could a boy his age destroy half of a capital all by himself? Though she couldn’t see her own face, she knew that her eyes must have been as wide as saucers. Most likely her mouth had fallen agape as well from what the boy had said. Granted, considering the large amount of chakra he had prior to Sage Mode releasing, she supposed that it could be ‘possible’. But even still it was an odd thing to hear, accept, and digest. Even as strong as she was, a candidate for Hokage, she still wouldn’t be able to destroy half an entire capital and live to tell about it.

"I killed so many people that day. Only because I was young and naive and had been told to 'complete an impossible task' to finish my sage training. So i figured while angry and desperate that destroying and entire city would've registered as an impossible task. . ."

So…he didn’t have Sage Mode at the time…? If not, then, then what sort of power does this boy posess?!

Eyeing him warily, she forced herself to smile and reached for Masuyo’s chin, turning his head so that he could face her. At this point her Byakugan deactivated so she would look more womanly, more friendly, and particularly, more inviting. Shaking her head, her hand moved from his chin up to his right cheek and, almost comically, pulled at the skin there before letting go. Deep down she was almost unsettled as to what this boy could do, specifically to her if, for some reason, things were to go south here. But she couldn’t and wouldn’t show any kind of fear. Fear was for the weak after all.

“Masuyo. That’s in your past now, right? Granted…that’s a big ordeal and something you can never take back. All those lives were lost, people dead. Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, friends…someone lost someone that day. You’ll have to carry that—“

She paused, idly thinking about the people she had seen die before her. Those she hadn’t been able to save, those she had killed herself, and the innocent people that died in different missions she had done over the course of her time as a kunoichi. It was a part of their world. Shinobi were meant to kill which, inadvertently, caused pain and suffering. It was something that no one of this profession could escape from. However it could be limited, by say, not destroying half a capital.

“Tell me about it.” Kohana finally spoke then, her focus returning to the boy lying on the ground in front of her. “Tell me the who, the when, the whys…the hows, all of it. Trust me when I say it will help you to tell a complete outsider, someone who was neither there nor has any connection to the incident.”

All she could do now is offer a smile and an open ear…