The Blue Yonder [P]

[Hermit]

"Some Live, Some die in the way of the samurai". . .

This quote, to Jubei, was no normal quote, nay, it was a philosophy and way of life, one that he was forcefully pushed into by the unforeseen hands that masterfully interwove and shaped the world in which humans so commonly referred to as 'reality'. However, this quote held a great many truths within its context, some lived, and some died, but in truth a deeper meaning seemingly lost for generations. People have forgotten, power was a stigma in the world, the land of iron was no exception to this boundless infection. Those who had it sought more, an infinite greed that consumed them without a conscious thought - Some live. Those without it either devoted a lifetime to gaining it or loathed those with it - Some die. There was a perpetual animosity in that. Even should war be abolished conflict would always be on the horizon. Its remorseless face smeared with a sadistic grin. It corrupted even the most precious of Souls, marking it with a lifetime of strife and hardship. Morality, Logic and philosophies would always fight over what it was that could relinquish the malevolent grasp the corruption aspects had since even complete destruction had failed to quell it.

In a world where shinobi were incessantly raised into a martial law, trained to fight or kill, there would be no peace. No true rest from chaos so long as conflict was nurtured by the strong to prevent it - The samurai. The idea of absurdity could only be stopped by routing all leaders, all factions, destroying the idea that peace could be sustained through treaty and division. Jubei had a dream, a vision for a unified world where division did not exist. The peoples would be united under a supreme order or power uncontested.

Even as he silently ruminated upon his ideals and sifted through his assembly line of memory files, the world around him continued to unfold, taking course just as it should. The sun submitted itself, hiding beneath tarrying clouds that seemed forever static, but a lack of sunlight was to be expected within the country known for pervasive clouds and storms of plasmid lightning. The area, a sea of damp emerald blades with not even a single tree in sight for roughly 100meters(diameter) or so. However, within the center of such dull scenery kneeled in a traditional Japanese manner as a silhouette yonder covered on a thick layering of robust armour. His Empath[katana] resting genteelly at his right hip, he peered directly forward, quoting a poem often read to him as a child.

‎"fly over. . .the blue yonder where, the sky meets the sea, and eye meets no eye, and boy meets world, and became a man to serve the world."

[Testament]

There was a question; how could a man know without doubt what place he held in the rankings under heaven? Was there a way to know completely, assuredly and definitively whether one was among the strong or the weak? Some measured there position by those who had gone before them but this was flawed for no man had been born whose strength only increased forever. At some point age or injury made weaklings of all those in the created order and mankind was certainly no exception. It was a fool who only aspired to be as strong as his predescor for whatever strength he obtained would only be outdone by his heir. Some men believed that power was only seen in the amount of individuals you had at your beck and call yet even the least potent man is capable of becoming a father several times over. True power had nothing to do with how many servants or vassals one had and, when the end of days appeared, strength of arms meant nothing to the slipping sands of entropy. Perhaps, true might could be attributed to the man capable of not only acknowledging his destiny and understanding it but changing and even reversing that willed by the fates.

All his life, Satsui had sought power and might alone. More than any other characteristic he could imagine it was strength that defined the worth of a man. His clan had made their name great in the days of yore by establishing and protecting an empire with only their wits and their brawn, but Satsui was unimpressed with his family's storied history for several reasons. First, how difficult could it be to build an empire when several hundred, unified warriors fought for the same cause? There was no great accomplishment in winning the day through overwhelming numbers. Satsui longed for the day when he was, by himself, able to send kingdoms and villages scampering into oblivion if only they could avoid his cold steel and the ever-forthcoming terror of his presence. He founded his hopes and dream on the possibility that he would, one day, hold sway over a hundred or a thousand men and not by anything as weak and pathetic as official decrees or petty threats. Satsui envisioned the day when his will, skill, and need to kill could grant him the power of life and death regardless of the number or techniques of his opposition.

But his goal might as well have been the surface of the sun with him buried at the earth's core. He was a fledgling in his chosen career field and could not even be named among the Chuunin of his village. To be a god among men; to exist on a level reserved for those who'd made death and destiny quake at the mention of their name- he would have an almost insurmountable journey ahead of him. Which is why he found himself prowling the lands to the south of one of Kaminari no Kuni's greater mountain chains. He'd chosen the dusk in the hopes of encountering villians and neerdowells that lurked in the lands with the intent to molest and rob those who passed by. Like trolls, or monsters from childrens' nightmares, these depraved men set upon travelers and merchants in the night seeking to fill their coffers with ill gotten gain. Satsui sought to quench his blade's thirst with the blood of such men and thusly he propelled himself forward with unyielding abandon to find what conflict he could.

In the distance he observed a single silouhette almost concealed within the veil of the failing light. A blue outer shell was only barely visible from Satsui stood but his feet were about the business of bringing the two young men into closer proximity. As his view of the man became clearer, Satsui could easily see that this man was no mere marauder simply from the weapon and armour that sat nearby and more notably from the frame which spoke of battles untold. This man wasn't Satsui's original target but he had just become his primary one. The Genin's search for power was understandably going to have to be guided and this man seemed like a perfect candidate to offer some brand of instruction. Before Satsui got too close, he'd only barely entered vocal range, he called out to the man kneeling under the steady gaze of the heavens.

"You are neither trader not bandit; what compels you to sit by the mountain roads so late in the day?"

[KID GAMBINO.]

INUZUKA, HANSHIN.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true] EVER COME ACROSS SOMEONE THAT YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE FUCKED WITH?!?!

Aimless venture brought the Inuzukan warrior through the vast land of the Lightning, witnessing spectacular shows of power dancing in the sky, to the wondrous creatures that inhabited this land. His obsession with testing his capabilities against others had finally been suppressed for the time being, the chaotic beast within resting after his previous bout with the nameless teenager. Despite the controlled demeanor portrayed by the former shinobi, he always wondered what truly compelled him to seek such destructive goals, willing to place his life on the line in order to fulfill that bloodthirsty quench that consistently nagged his dome. At most times, even the adolescent canine that traveled alongside him questioned the motive behind his endeavors, and tried endlessly to analyze the mental stability of a man who kills for sport. However, events of the past would prove that those of the future only appeared beneficial for the animalistic duo. And thus, with this single thought in mind, their objective refused to stray, bound by the laws of chaos eternally. The deities that loomed overhead and thrived from the conflict that plagued the lands would keep watch over this man during his days of living, his nonchalant composure remaining everlastingly strong. An aged bag, torn yet fixed with simple knots and such, tied to a stick that hung distinctly over Hanshin's right shoulder, carried various important objects, specifically the set of new equipment that he retrieved from his previous fallen combatant. Within this carrier sheltered a breathing being as well, the young pup, Niro, who slept peacefully without qualms during this time in travel. The black sandals trudged through the thick grass, his right hand gripping the end of the stick, as the opposite hid within a pocket. The empty grassland had drawn the Inuzukan's attention, his feral eyes finally examining scenery different than the hulking mountains that guarded the Lightning Country. Unfortunately for this ex-ninja, there was no true destination in his mind, the wind being his leader, and his body the follower. But then, unexpectedly, Hanshin glanced upon a situation that he couldn't help but become curious about. In such a barren and harmonious field, there stood two humans, one dressed in the normal attire of an average citizen, the other fitted with a strange set of armor. Hanshin wasn't one to normally go about thrusting himself into conversations that was none of his business, but the appearance of this ironclad warrior held onto his attention with a vice-grip, sucking his vision away from the distant landscape. Never before in his life had he met a man/woman with such steel-plated protectorates, the history behind the weaponry still present in his mind, the word "Samurai" repeating itself relentlessly. The vigilant male had zero issue with the other male, who was approaching the mysterious swordsman, but instead, Hanshin's mouth began to water, inquisitive about the stories told in honor of the infamous clan. Could the tales of valor and impeccable brawn be true...? For now, the Inuzukan warrior's distance was a definite forty meters from both possible combatants, his pupils never leaving their composure. Regardless of their speech, his question will be answered this day. special thanks to renni for the smexy ass template

[Hermit]

[Satsui]Before Satsui got too close, he'd only barely entered vocal range, he called out to the man kneeling under the steady gaze of the heavens.

---

-Approx distance and direction of approach was undefined.

Pitiless orbs of bright topaz flickered from place to place, traversing the byways and corners of the area. Sharp, quizzical, and scrutinizing they assessed and deduced from the world around them a purpose, even as the footfalls of another being marring the mounds of emerald, causing its malleable blades to shift with each advancing step, Jubei was alert, yet docile. A man, better yet a long figure, announced himself as his quick strides carried him forward, emerging from horizon at the front of Jubei's meditative area. Glancing over the being afront, Jubei's eyes narrowed, allowing their focus to remain hard upon his seemingly sluggish advance as he decided to stop 10 meters (undefined) before Jubei, a distance where words struggled to reach his ears. Concomitantly as he had begun to speak, had his left hand slowly, and clandestinely placed itself upon the hilt of his sheathed Empath whilst continued to remained keeling upon both knees.

"What compels a man to do whatever it is that he does? A Conscious desire. Nevertheless, you've abruptly and rudely disturbed my moment of peace and opportunity to free my mind from this material world. Tell me, how will you repent for such a crime?"

The spiritual aspect of martial applications were equally important as the art itself if not more entirely. But even so, they laid in equal resonance, unable to properly function without the pillars of its counterpart to keep it bastioned. He never indulged in the cruelty his mind and will pressed. Images of violence, death, and more destruction seemed illogical in this "glorious age" of reconstruction and prosperity. A joke portrayed by the government to create a facade to the fearful and easily riled public. Jubei didn't buy it and just as soon would leave than stay.

[Hermit]

[/exit]

[Testament]

The words of the strange man reached Satsui's ears and seemed to bring a physical paralysis with them. A murky river hid many disasters and as his words flowed it was clear that they dripped a venom unspoken. His thoughts turned to defense but no action was taken by his corporeal being for the mind understood what the eyes could not decipher. This man, better yet this able killer, had taken some displeasure in Satsui's arrival and he was pondering what to do about it. There was no doubt to be had, no hope sustained, the Genin would lose and lose dramatically if the circumstances became violent. The swordsman in his presence now was what he'd often heard referred to as a 'man-slayer' and from his armour and equipment it was evident that he wasn't new to his profession. Terror gripped the young boy and his thoughts reeled, unable to process the true reality of the situation until he felt the familiar tingling sensation at the base of his neck. The sensation would sprout and flourish until all of Satsui's body seemed to be aflame but to all others this would be unknown. Time stood still and the wavering blades of grass, stirred by the breeze, froze in place as the world was sent plunging out of sight and Satsui stood before the beast. Jidaishisou was the only name humankind was allowed to call him as the others were too complex to utter; born in a time before time.

"Bemoan your weakness and abandon your fright of death's spectre. You will not die before your appointed time and you cannot change the time of calling, so purpose can there be in the trembling of your bones? If you happen to find yourself in the presence of strength remember the oath you swore to yourself and call upon your soul to bolster itself with courage, in order to turn aside all affliction. What will you say? What will you do?"

The effigy of the beastly giant was covered in the gritty feeling of nightmare but it also contained a sort of beautiful gravity deep within. Satsui heard its words booming throughout his consciousness, threatening to splatter his eardrums, as if the whole of heaven and earth was a amplifier of his message. But the hellfire burned too brightly for one to imagine that they were speaking to an angel and the Genin knelt down to avoid the piercing eyes of the apparition. But, even in this state he came to understand the words being directed at him for what they were. An admonition to carry on with his quest and draw closer to his goal; a destination from which no traveler could turn away from once their feet first carried them nigh. This man before Satsui, the vision receding, was a strong man and that was exactly what the Kumo native had been searching for. His journey forward would be littered with men capable of terrible things and, for a taste of their power, what would he not do?

"ALLOW ME TO SERVE!", Satsui cried out at the top of his voice, "If I have truly been of some disservice and you wish that I make repentance I ask that you teach me the way of your sword and I promise to return your kindness by keeping more troublesome individuals away. I will serve as your honor guard until my penance is over! Only teach me your strength that I may be of some use to your cause!"

[KID GAMBINO.]

INUZUKA, HANSHIN.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true] EVER COME ACROSS SOMEONE THAT YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE FUCKED WITH?!?!

Eagerness invaded the Inuzukan's soul, his feral eyes never removing sight of the ironclad swordsman, his distance between them shortening exponentially by the second as his feet strode through the foot-high grass. Several strategies had already plagued his mind, considering dozens of ways to place his mark upon this armored man, anxious to reveal the secrets behind the Way of the Samurai. This other male had seemingly become nonexistent, Hanshin primarily concerned with testing his brawn once again, his ominous chakra burning passionately with aggression. Throughout the many battles that this chaotic fighter had endured, his reliance on weaponry had been slim-to-none, especially without those that required such refined stance or signature law in order to wield it properly, hence why his curiosity for the unknown Taijutsu secrets that remained behind a swordsman and his blade, this possible new acquaintance surely granting him such information. The question was simple while Hanshin waited for a determined answer, the grip of the luggage still swinging in the wind over his shoulder. A definitive range of thirty meters had finally been reached by the Inuzukan as his ears caught the whisper of the Samurai's words spoken to the adolescent, his canine heritage succeeding once again in such a situation. The voice of his future opponent, although soft and less audible than desired, was finally analyzed by Hanshin, despite his own vocal reach still being too far for his tastes. A few dozen of meters still beckoned the warrior forth, their meeting bringing a devilish smirk to Hanshin's face, but this moment, filled with yearning hostility, abruptly came to an end, the ethereal man that the Inuzukan dared to challenge vanishing from the location. "Tch, what a pity. I guess we'll finish this some other time..." And just as he contemplated returning upon his sporadic adventure, the nameless teenager that he refused to identify earlier as important suddenly grasped his attention, the cries of the male surely sparking interest from Hanshin. Without hesitation, his body continued upon it's journey toward the originally intended destination, although his target was no longer the man in the impenetrable shell. His blood still burning with the obsession of testing his limits, this younger male definitely sufficed. However, the muffled sound of words spoken by the male from earlier didn't sound as lunatic as they did now, Hanshin listening to the rant as he heard the mentioning of "ALLOW ME TO SERVE!" and "teach me your strength". Could he have been speaking to some form of deity? The thought of depending on an 'almighty entity' to advance one's own capabilities was extremely weak in Hanshin's mind, his expression shifting to complete disgust as he closed in on the male, his body only twenty meters away. As the sound of the crunching grass became clear beneath his soles, the Inuzukan warrior reconsidered if he wanted to deal with a human that was obviously delusional, screaming to the top of his lungs in the middle of nowhere with the intent of provoking an answer from a celestial being. Undoubtedly, Hanshin preferred to avoid those who weren't in their right mind, but he couldn't ignore the opportunity at hand. His stride finally ended an exact 15 meters away, his composure still prominently unscathed. "Aye, what's with all the ruckus?!?! 'Servitude'...'repentance'...'penance'...you can't seriously believe that shit! Strength doesn't come from some fairytale god, dumbass! You'll never be anything if you rely on some nonexistent spirit to give you what you want!!!" special thanks to renni for the smexy ass template

[KID GAMBINO.]

/exit

[¤ Tenkai ¤]

plus 15 exp ;; jubei
plus 19 exp ;; testament
plus 19 exp ;; lazlo