Recollections astray [P]

[Apple]

And I wandered.

It wasn’t exactly the lightest of days- In fact, had it not been for the streetlights illuminating my way, the village probably would have succumbed somewhat to the darkness that fell on it, but being early, early morning, there wasn’t all that much that could be done to prevent it. Perhaps whilst others who lived within the village were sound asleep at the moment dreaming of fond things I stayed quite dissimilar and chose to make my explorations of the village during this unholy hour. Of course, whilst my other form stalked the halls of my tower, fulfilling paperwork and other kage duties, myself, I couldn’t bring myself to sleep- not tonight. There was too much to be done and too many old shadows lurking in the village which I now had begun to call home once more – Mysteries which lurked beneath every little inch of ground which I was yet to discover, but at the moment, with my current living arrangements in the tower itself, I was set out to find some places which I’d previously lived in during my childhood and for the few months before I left the village, although soon as I found myself leading in to a somewhat derelict area of Kusagakure, destroyed and un-restored, I figured that there would be little left for me to visit, let alone see. Rubble, pieces of wood and lonely bricks littered the area as a standing memoriam to the houses which once stood here, sheltering dozens upon dozens of families. A house, a shop, a garden; It was mostly gone.

And my eyes, weary, would keep looking across at the ruins which surrounded me, the faint streetlights illuminating some but then failing to cover others, drenching them in a pitch black coating, whilst what it did cover lay wrapped in ivy and shrubs with the various tree growing about- Even if I’d walked on these streets for the majority of my life and I could recall such beautiful buildings which were now rendered to an almost grotesque variation of themselves, twisted and broken by the surroundings that they once lived in harmony with, mere shells of the warm places they once were. I wanted to find the two places which meant most to me away from the chatter of the public who insisted on prying in on every little move I made, and so with careful steps, I’d keep moving thorouought the deserted little neighbourhood, in search for the imprints of the past that I rendered myself so anxious to find.

With myself and Samehada the only viewable living things here at the moment, I couldn't be too careful, and yet with controlled breaths I continued to stalk this place; dissecting what was left with my eyes in order to make some sense from the broken ruins that were left.

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[marvolous.]

Truthfully, being in a state of catatonia for so long had it's cons. Aside from the obvious, my memory of my life prior to it's manifestation isn't what it used to be. There were things, minor insignificant things, that I no longer could remember. In that same sense, there were also important things - very, very - important things, that I also couldn't remember. The seal I had branded Blanche with about eight years ago was just one of those things.

Don't get me wrong, I could still sense and feel the pull of my own chakra from the seal, but I couldn't remember just who, or what, it was attached to. I couldn't care less if someone had found it, for no one would even know what to do with it it regardless; however, it was out of sheer curiosity that I found myself warping to it's location. Afterall, it only took but a thought to do so.

And so thats what I did - I just didn't know that the result of my never-ending curiosity would yield such a fine result. "No way." I cooed, my voice seemingly appearing out of thin air. My body was the same; literally, out of nothing I appeared. No sound. Nothing. As if my sheer voice wasn't enough, for the added effect of further shock, I appeared with my hands cupped outwards.

With my arms reaching around the large broadsword infront of me - or so that's what I assumed it was - my fingers lightly traced the air around my 'prey's bosom. I was confident in my fighting ability, but going any farther was guaranteed death.

"Kaeor was wrong, your boobs are still perky."

[Apple]

'

With my arms reaching around the large broadsword infront of me - or so that's what I assumed it was - my fingers lightly traced the air around my 'prey's bosom

As I continued to walk, my movements would soon be halted by the silent whurrr of Samehada upon my back as the soft yet raw sound cut through the silence- Something was wrong, and as I turned to look back at my poor baby, I could only but notice a male of quite tall height- He didn’t exactly tower over me as there seemed to be only one or two inches between us, but seeing as Samehada was strapped to my back and it bore taller height than I, it gave me extra leverage in that sense. But this man? Having from the corner of my eye noticed his hands drawing dangerously close to my chest, I’d spin so that I was now facing him, my hair in a frantic rush as it flew to the side, and then back like some kind of blonde storm. And then I studied him as my right hand ran to my side, clutching on Samehada’s handle as I attempted to gather any sign which could prove to me that he was some old, perverted and delusional Kusagakure shinobi- But I found none which pointed towards this- Or at least, none which pointed towards the notion that he came from the village, at least. He wasn’t from here, I was sure of it. There was something strange going on here tonight, and as the both of us stood in perhaps the most wasted part of the village, I’d simply keep trying to study his face and appearance- He was familiar. Too familiar. And yet despite the fact that he had obviously attempted to grope me, right now I was too focused on finding out who he was before I’d deliver any harsh words on him.

If he wasn’t from the fucking village- I was more than happy to deliver him to a happy, brutal death- ..No. and show his fucking perverted ass exactly where to go- If it wasn’t for the fact that now, his features became much too familiar, and I succumbed to my memories and my left hand rose and gently touched the bottom of my chin, an angry gaze overwhelming my eyes.

"Kaeor was wrong, your boobs are still perky."

”Soratsu, you son of a bitch..”

Or at least, I was adamant now hat it was him. I hadn’t seen him since.. the meeting between me, that Kaeor kid and him. It was such a long time ago, and on complete opposite to how time had treated me well and rendered myself looking just like I did when the two of us had first met, it seemed as if time had ravaged his form and turned his once long black hair in to a much more.. formal, short formation- But the most striking part? It was grey. ”What the fuck happened to you?” He couldn’t have been older than myself, I could vividly remember him now and how ignorant he’d been with his demeanour back then which reminded me of a child who seemed to be on a permanent tantrum. Of course, looking back to how he’d made his entrance and remembering that he’d tried to touch my chest, my eyes would then narrow down and my free hand would drop on to my womanly hips. He hasn’t changed. of course- Only through personality I was sure. But what had happened to him since we’d last met? Something had obviously triggered his appearance to change so drastically, but what? Sickness? Being a doctor myself I’d heard of conditions that caused premature balding, but the greying of hair in its entirety? It was something I hadn’t seen before, let alone read about.

..It was fascinating, but at the same time, I couldn't afford to have this bastard in my village. Of course- We'd worked together and I respected him to some degree, but did I trust him?

..No.

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[marvolous.]

”Soratsu, you son of a bitch..”

Good ol' Blanche. I never had the opportunity to spend much time with her, but she was as easy to read as a picture book: short tempered, pyschotic, and partially bi-polar. That wasn't to say I was any better, but thats what made Blanche well... Blanche. I knew she didn't trust me, I didn't blame her - but she wasn't stupid enough to act on her distrust and attack me. Just how I wasn't stupid enough to do something to really piss her off.

"Oh this?" I casually pointed to my hair, still gazing at her with my now grey eyes. Unlike my hair, my eyes did not always stay grey. When I activated my Sharingan, as I did just momentarily as she suddenly turned, my eyes still turned their famed crimson hue. Still, it took some getting used too. Beppin liked it, at least.

"Better question: What happened to you?" I was putting off talking about my illness, just because we were out in the open. "You look even younger than you did eight years ago. And that--" Had she not expected me to notice? Her sword - or whatever it is - wasn't an average blade, it was emitting more chakra than she had in her entire body. It was almost like looking at Kusanagi again. Had she found a weapon that rivaled that?

"I see you finally reached your goal, blondie."

[Apple]

[/i]- Of course I meant his fucking hair, and although I was unsure if they’d always been such a colour, his eyes. I always remembered him as the red-eyed Uchiha from whatever deplorable team I, myself and him had formed all those years ago, and ever since then, I hadn’t heard of him. I’d of course picked up his name in the conversation that people held about the time when that bastard Kouketsu had been about and I’d heard things about him, my brother and the man who stood in front of me, but I couldn’t believe them, and lived in blissful ignorance. What more, I was fully aware of this and had heard rumours too believable to be lies- And I wanted answers. From Soratsu? Maybe. Flipping my hair back in a manner that he would find all too familiar, I’d leave my right hand run through it a single time before dropping down to my hip again, my left hand slowly dropping grasp on Samehada and meeting its partner on the opposite hip, entwining my fingers as my blue eyes pierced his grey, simply listening to him speak. He’d aged.

His voice showed it, but perhaps not his mentality.

"Better question: What happened to you? You look even younger than you did eight years ago"

”..It’s been a long time, hasn’t it.”
My words came freely, and without warning, having escaped my mouth only a moment after Sora himself stopped. Understandably, it made no sense.

However, as absent-minded as I felt at the moment, the minute he referred to the great sword on my back I was dragged back down to earth, and I’d blink, turning my head slightly for half a moment, as if pointing it towards the blade itself. Was I proud that the blade was now carefully placed on my back and in my arsenal? Fuck yes. But had the cost been worth it? I had contrasting opinions on that. But as far as he spoke about goals, I had little to connect with him about and little to discuss. My memories of him were somewhat hazy and I couldn’t recall disclosing any kind of dream to him, but now- there was so much to do within what felt like such little time with so much to look back on and be forgiven for. Walls closed around me- around us and I couldn’t stop them, soon the time would come where I’d be crushed by the weight and splinters of bone would erupt from my skin in retreat but in the end it would all be worth it, I was sure, I could feel the pain even now. Switching my right hand so that it was now on my right hip, I’d leave a small gap between our voices.

My own goals couldn't be further.

"It's just begun."

And he'd be watching. They all will.

A pause.



"..Isn't everything so fucking exciting?"

Raising my arms upwards a little so they hung on the same level as my shoulders, I'd elaborate my point with this action, waving my right hand about slightly as I emphasized my last word.

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[marvolous.]

OOC: Sorry for the wait, my muse died on me.

You could tell that she chose not to indulge my curiosity about her weapon. That, coupled with the information received through my Sharingan, bore many answers in itself. Blanche had already been the strongest medical shinobi in the world when I met her, I shutter - if only mentally - at the thought of how much she had ascended in strength over the years. I'd have to research this when I went back to Suna.

You could tell, however, that Blanche had more in store than just bringing back her famed village from the dead. Even as she emphasized her point with her hands, my eyes kept locked onto her own; she seemed... happier now, that was for sure. How long would it last?

"For now." I spoke, though more honest than cynical. "The villages are in a time of piece, but if that changes--" I broke off suddenly, having turned and walked away from Blanche just moments ago. Just like I could feel the pull of chakra from the seal upon Blanche's body, I could very well feel the seals I left in Kami no Shima shout at me, as if someone had disturbed them. That, in itself, could not be allowed.

With a single hand seal I birthed an exact replica of myself. From it's manifestation it already knew it's purpose, and with a simple not towards me - or it could have very well been to Blanche - he vanished into thin air, utilizing the same technique I used to get to Kusagakure in the first place. From there, I turned back to Blanche, continuing our conversation as if nothing had occurred at all.

"I'm impressed, blondie. Until a couple days ago I did not even know this village had been revived." A slight shrug. "Who knew you would have become the Kusakage.

At least, thats what I presumed after putting two and two together.

[Apple]

[OOC: It's no problem, aha!]

As the two of us stood as we were, I couldn’t help but think about how fast exactly time had passed us both. I wasn’t aware of what had happened to him during the last several years, but I’d heard a lot of things, and here he was talking about peace? It was almost laughable, but I had too many things to concentrate on at the moment than let myself go off on a tangent and make myself out to be some kind of... insane bitch. Instead I kept myself composed and watched on as he spoke about peace. I was aware that even now peace wasn’t something that we could truly attain, and I was also aware that he knew that- Surely. I could only faintly remember the things that were said the first time that we’d met, but he’d been angry, towards shinobi, towards the villages, towards the whole system. How far had he climbed since? His hair greying and his eyes notably a different shade, something had changed despite the fact that his boyish behaviour seemed to remain in places. With whatever brilliance my mind was compromised of, I couldn’t even begin to wonder how without the answers I needed first. His very figure was strange to me; From what I’d heard, I’ve had expected him to turn out dead before his time, and yet he stood before me, a living, breathing reincarnation of the raven-haired boy I’d used to know- Where had his attitude gone?

It wasn’t as if I missed it- Back then I’d have killed to see that boy beat to a bloody pulp, but something wasn't right.

My blue eyes, almost instinctively continued to view each and every part of him- He’d changed, matured perhaps? ”Peace? Soratsu, don’t you even think of speaking to me about peace.”I’d tell him, my tone darkened quite considerably. It wasn’t that I was enraged with him, and neither was I disappointed- Or maybe I was, I really couldn’t tell at the moment. His affiliation with Kouketsu had turned in to a worldwide scandal after the shinobi war but also his affiliation with my own brother sent blood rushing throughout my body and anger through my mind, an expression painted on my face that he’d surely have become accustomed to from our brief meetings some years back. And now he came here, daring to even speak the word peace? I was sure that times had changed and perhaps even after what hoax he’d been part of relating to his death he’d become accepted within the shinobi community- But I wasn’t finished just yet. I personally owed Kouketsu his death, and perhaps the closest person to him would have been the man before me- I didn’t know. And if it wasn’t for the fact that my slightly elated mood was perhaps relentless at the moment, I’d have punched him right in the fucking face and wiped that pretty little smile off him the moment I’d seen him

I wanted to see Ue again, but hurting him wouldn’t help anything.

Coughing slightly and the shifting my position once more so that my hands rested on my hips, I'd keep watch.

However, disregarding whatever he had to say about me becoming Kusakage, and the obvious kage bunshin which he'd created, soon dissapearing no doubt by the ability of hiraishin that I was so personally aware of him having, the moment that he’d stop talking, I’d soon begin to speak myself, having ignored what drivel he’d past been able to make out of his mouth almost as if I was on some kind of other reality. ”..Perhaps if you still bear your affiliation with Sunagakure, I have a proposition for you, but first, I need answers.” I’d hastily speak my words, and despite having been said quickly, they were decipherable, although cerulean eyes now looked at him with not those of warm intent like I had previously, but determination and moreso anger, although not directly pointed towards him, but everything and everyone in general. Could he possibly reveal to me the things that I wanted to hear, or would he be useless just like everyone else I’d tried to squeeze information from? Perhaps he’d be unwilling to divulge memories of things that perhaps he now looked back on with shame, or maybe he’d recollect such things with not grandeur but some kind of longing. I couldn’t be sure but even I was aware that Etsuko Soratsu wasn’t one to be messed with, and perhaps I was taking a risk by practically screaming my intentions towards him, but I needed to find out what had happened to my brother, even if it meant stirring the memory of perhaps one of the most feared men of this day and age.

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[marvolous.]

”Peace? Soratsu, don’t you even think of speaking to me about peace.”

She was right. I had no place speaking to her about anything of the sort, especially considering I had taken part - and somewhat orchestrated - the large shinobi war that left thousands upon thousands dead. I could tell she felt some particular way about my involvement in all the violence through the tone of her voice, but that meant nothing to me. There isn't a day that goes by that I regret my actions back then. The war, and all the deaths that accompanied it, were all needed - the longstanding peace between villages since then proved that.

I didn't mind telling her my reasons, but this was not the time nor place for such a thing. Besides, since my catatonia my mind has been in a haze. Though it was loads better than constantly dealing with Schizophrenia, I couldn't exactly recall many things from my past - even if I tried. With Blanche being a medical shinobi, one of the best specifically, perhaps she could help me with that.

"Sunagakure?" I laughed. "They still think I'm dead. As does the rest of the world." Still, if her proposition benefited my village I had to listen to it. "However, I won't deny you the answers you want. As of now, you are the only Kage I trust. But this is not the place to talk--" I extended my hand out towards her, waiting for her own to grasp onto it. Only a select amount of people knew of my ability to warp to anywhere of my liking, and being 'one' of those select people, she would surely know what it meant.

"You better start trusting me as well. We both know too much about each other."

My eyes darted to Samehada - another thing she would easily understand.

[Apple]

[/i] physical resemblance to impersonate him- Of course, the shift of appearance could have insinuated this, but as far as his features went, he looked the same, if not older in general, his youthful skin having not been completed stolen by time, moreso simply aged a little bit, unlike my own, of course. ”I see. I’m guessing I should feel privileged to know otherwise.” from the serious tone that I’d past used for my request there now came forth a much more casual one, almost as if I was joking, although, I wasn’t really the gossiping kind, and even if his status as being alive was a secret, it would be safe with me. As he continued to speak, I found it.. perhaps a little bit strange that even now he claimed that I was the only kage that he trusted. Of course, I hadn’t directly been anything to do with the second shinobi war and despite the fact that I hated his guts for what he’d done, everyone deserved some kind of absolution from the sins that they’d committed- And perhaps I’d give him such forgiveness if he chose to answer the questions that I had for him regarding the war itself.

And it wasn’t exactly the nature of how he’d respond to my question, but moreso the fact that I knew what he was prepared to do. Hiraishin, an ability that allowed him to traverse across the world if he wanted, within the blink of an eye. It was a feared ability I was sure although I hadn’t seen it in combat, but working with a system of seals- It was genius, and perhaps something that I’d like to look in to for the future. The need for my own ability had surfaced in a phase of pure madness, and by now I was more ashamed of the reasons why I’d gone ahead to attain it rather than anything, but as of now, I was the only one who was aware of it, and despite the fact that Soratsu opened up with welcome arms as far as I could tell, I’d have rather kept it that way. ”..Too much? Haha” I’d say, almost musing the words with some kind of a grin swept over my mouth, brilliant and pearly teeth showing themselves to the world, noticing his eyes linger somewhat on the large blade which was positioned on my back, murmuring softly as we'd both stand-

He knew nothing about me.

But now- With his hand held out, I’d close my eyes for a moment or so before opening them again and taking a gaze at the outstretched arm. I was speaking to the psychopath pervert back in my younger days, but moreso he was now known as one of the main causes of the second shinobi war. And yet, with my soft hand soon clasping in his own, I couldn’t have wished for a more potent thrill of adrenaline.

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[marvolous.]

I didn't expect her to turn down my offer, honestly. Just as how I had appeared here in Kusagakure out of sheer curiosity of the location of my seals, I knew Blanche would not be able to resist finding out how, no-- why, I had pushed for war so adamantly. It was a long tale, and truthfully, I didn't quite trust the area I was in; Kusagakure, afterall, had been destroyed by a similar violence.

Still, with her hand finally being placed ontop of mine I keeled down, if only brifely. With the movement my free hand fell to the ground, tracing it's base before implementing the same type of seal I had placed upon Blanche's chin years ago. It was a safety precaution, Blanche would have to trust me now that I had a seal located inside her village. That, and well-- I needed to bring her back here through something, right?

"Hold on tight." I spoke, having stood and closed the distance between us effortlessly. It took some adjusting being so close to her, but it was needed - I wasn't used to traveling with others through Hiraishin. Nevertheless, with a sudden jolt of chakra - which would feel like a slight shock to Blanche - we both vanished from our standing locations. By the time Blanche could fully see anything again, we'd have already reached my destination of Sunagakure.

"Careful, the first step is the hardest." My hand still remained under her own, but would fall back to my side if she didn't need it for balance. "Where else is the safest place to discuss our matters than my home?"

And if she hadn't noticed by now, we were now standing infront of a mansion.

[Messatsu!]

Moved!

[Apple]

[/QUOTE]

It wasn’t that I couldn’t handle it- No. It was simply the shock of it all, really. I’d previously seen him warp out of nowhere and I couldn’t but have wondered how it felt exactly to be put through that, but now that I went through the same process myself, I could safely say that it was probably one of those things you’d only ever do once in your life. However, having contacts like Sora, I was sure that I’d be able to do it a few times before the end of my life. With the environment around us having changed dramatically, the soft, moon-lit wrecked buildings of Kusagakure replaced with the same kind of darkness, but instead of broken bits of brick and wood, we were surrounded by a home, and from what I could see, quite a stately one as well, quite the opposite to what I’d been living in for the past few days. As he spoke, I soon came to take that dreaded first step that he spoke of, and it was so uninviting, the different texture beneath my feet alien to me. With my hand still in his, I’d soon let go as my balance returned, my eyes looking about. Due to the consistency of the ground and the undeniable traces of sand, there was no guesses where we were, and as he confirmed them, I’d turn towards the house again. For some reason, for such a dreaded shinobi as he, I couldn’t have imagined him living anywhere.

Especially not here.

I’d come from quite a wealthy family myself, although none surely as wealthy as his own. We’d had a house grand enough to house my parents, myself, my brother and two spare bedrooms and two three bathrooms and in my childhood I’d regarded it as my castle, although at the time I hadn’t been aware that there were much, much bigger homes out there. As I grew older, I soon came to appreciate how big the house was compared to what other people had for themselves elsewhere in Kusagakure perhaps in the less fortunate areas, but I’d never really regarded myself as rich back then. And now? I bore only some substantial ryo to keep me going- Going back to shinobi life with my own permanent living quarters was strange enough, but having a whole house? Didn’t it get lonely? Having spent the last eight and a half years of my life on the road, I couldn’t really remember what it felt like living in my own house. How much had this building been lived in? My hands retreated to my sides again as I turned to look back at him. Of course, fully aware that we were in Sunagakure, I was unsure how exactly I’d return back home, but I didn’t mind travelling back.

However, what stillness overcame me moments ago soon twisted again as my hand rose and pushed an immense amount of blonde hair backwards, it having been messed up slightly from the travel, but it nonetheless looked as beautiful and healthy like it always did, that was undeniable. However, impatience overwhelmed me once more and I found my hand itching at my sides, soon risen again and taking hold in each other, my left scratching the knuckles of the opposite. Perhaps it had been his plan to go inside, but I couldn’t wait much longer. Despite the fact that it had only taken us merely seconds to travel so far, I wanted, I needed to ask him now.

”..Soratsu..

You have to tell me everything.
I need to find out what happened to my brother,
Kikkawa, Ue.”

Perhaps it was the first time that I actually felt ashamed of sounding so desperate in the situation that I’d placed myself in. Stood now at a comfortable distance away from him and yet so close, I waited with bated breath for his response. What I’d gathered up to now was that he’d played some part in the war, and yet I’d thought that he’d been dead. And to hear that he was involved with Kouketsu? It just made me ill, and so I prayed that I’d heard incorrectly and that Sora could explain to me what had been the cause of the war, what had happened, but more importantly, what had Ue’s fate been- Was he still alive? Or had he been killed along with the thousands of other shinobi? Despite the fact that I’d become somewhat uncaring over the years, family meant everything to me, and I was sure that even Sora himself could value that with whatever ties he held to this world. I felt almost sick in anticipation to hear what he had to say, but any information he could give me about how everything when to fucking ruin during that time would be useful.

I missed him.
Nine years was too long for him, for us.

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[marvolous.]

”..Soratsu..

You have to tell me everything.
I need to find out what happened to my brother,
Kikkawa, Ue.”

Ue? It had been years since I had heard of that man. Truthfully, I hadn't known that they shared any sort of relation - hadn't they hailed from two different villages? From what I could recall, Ue had been the Tsuchikage many years ago. Ever since that battle in Bakudon where he had single handily fought off Kouketsu, I hadn't heard or even seen him. If Blanche needed information of his fate from then on, I wasn't the man to be asking.

"Ue disappeared, much like Kouketsu and I had years ago." I pressed forward around my home, guiding Blanche towards the large patio within the backyard of my property. Once there I took a seat, my hand meagerly motioning for her to follow suit.

"If you want information you'll need to be specific." I began. "I can only tell you how and why I aligned myself with Kouketsu. To this day, I still can't quite understand the relationship between him and Ue. Furthermore, for all I know..."

I paused. My eyes kept on her own, gauging her emotions as I continued to speak.

"Ue perished like the rest of the weaklings Iwagakure had mustered to fight us."

[Apple]

"Ue disappeared, much like Kouketsu and I had years ago."

And here I was- I’d worked myself up in order to believe that this man knew exactly what had happened, and once more fate declined me to find out. Who was at work here? Shaking my head solemly, seeing as the fate of Uchiha Kouketsu lay undecided and he’d managed to now live all of these years without being found I figured Ue’s fate had been rendered the same, although, for all I cared Kouketsu could have died painfully and never found, but to know that Sora was alive was at least some kind of hope to me that my brother was too. Watching as he’d shift his position somewhat and move to sit, motioning me over to do the same, I’d follow him and lower my form, sitting perhaps a little bit awkwardly due to Samehada being positioned on my back, although it was much more comfortable than having to stand. My standpoint with him being unable to divulge to me any useful information was clear, although it would have been have to tell whether I was angry or just disappointed, although, with this now over, his offering of telling me exactly what had happened between himself and Kouketsu was good enough for now, as it would at least give me some clues as to where the fucking bastard was hiding. I didn’t care that he was one of the most feared shinobi, and neither did I care that he had perhaps god like powers, but one thing was for sure, I had the most powerful urge to find him and skewer his fucking body across a fucking pole right now. His life would be mine to claim someday.

”Then, by all means tell me everything- Everything that happened to you.” I’d tell him in a tone perhaps slightly demanding and yet at the same time, was likened to that of a child wanting their parent to read them a bed-time story as I faced this with some degree eagerness, and yet at the same time, I couldn’t get to grips with the fact that my brother was now missing, again. Shaking my blonde hair again, the gently wrapped white bandage around Samehada catching it softly and dispersing it around the blade itself, I’d then raise my arm and rub the right corner of my jaw, before bringing it back down again and keeping my watch on the grey-haired Uchiha. I failed to believe that my brother was responsible for the damage created, and to hear the man in front of me round him up with the rest of the Iwa shinobi, calling him weak, my eyes would narrow down, and my infuriation to this comment would be made clear- Who the fuck did he think he was to call him weak? ”..He wouldn’t have just died..” I’d tell him, my tone adamant- Of course I knew he had the upper hand right now, but I knew- He just couldn’t have died back then, that wasn’t something that he would do. ”You can call me anything you want Soratsu, but I won't stand and watch you badmouth my brother.” I'd tell him in a tone very much confident but at the same time somewhat edgy. When we’d been growing up, he’d always been the better one, which was always justified seeing as he was the eldest between us both. And to even have heard of him placing himself in a situation like the one himself and Sora were in with Kouketsu Uchiha, I could only have gathered that he’d become much more powerful as the years went by. It was perhaps my undying respect for him, or the fact that I knew he was too strong to die in a situation like that- I wasn’t sure.

”.........”

And I waited, waited for him to explain to me exactly what had gone so wrong in this world.
He couldn't have died- It was impossible, the mere thought of it was poison to my ears.

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[marvolous.]

”You can call me anything you want Soratsu, but I won't stand and watch you badmouth my brother.”

She was sadly mistaken. I had never at any point insulted her brother, nor had I any intention too; he was a seated Tsuchikage, he deserved utmost respect. However, against Kouketsu, a man who had managed to ascend way beyond even the fabled Mangekyou eye, he was like an ant in comparison to the sun - insignificant. Even I, a master of my Kekkei Genkai and a user of Hiraishin, could not even compare to that man.

"You have misunderstood my words." I calmly replied, seemingly takking no notice of her brass words. "It was an open ended assumption, nothing more. Ue was man who was feared by many, but I will not lie and say his shinobi - those fools in Iwagakure - deserved the same recognition. The men we brought to invade Bakudon were but a fraction of our true strength, and even that was too much to bare for Iwagakure."

Even though that wasn't what Blanche wanted to know, it was essential that I stated that point. What Kouketsu and I had started all those many years ago wasn't war, no-- it was a genocide. A very much needed purification of the shinobi world.

"You must look at these events through my eyes, Blanche. You may see me as insane, or perhaps even childish - however, there is not a single thing that I have done that hasn't been for a specific purpose. I have my own agenda - always had - that not even Kouketsu could quite understand."

I paused once more, allowing her to fully grasp everything I had stated. The story of how I turned into the man I am today was a long one, if she wanted to hear it from the beginning, she needed to be completely understand everything.

"I guess you can say... I haven't been the same since MY brother was murdered."