Tea Time in Hell~ [Open]

[Not Masakuni]

-A Moment Amidst Destruction

Sip.

Fushoku Shiro leaned back, red-stained eyes closing in an expression of bliss as he lowered the simple tin cup from his mouth. Tea was one of life's great pleasures. He was sitting on a simple folding stool beside a merrily crackling camp fire. An old tea kettle, blackened on the bottom from years of use, was hanging over the fire. As the first amber rays that suggested the coming sunset streaked across the horizon, Shiro regarded his surroundings his with a lazy smile. It was calm. Peaceful even.

HROOOOAAARRR-

That is, if one ignored the harbinger of apocalypse in the distance. Several kilometres away, through the smoke and haze, he could just make out the terrifying silhouette of the Yonbi, one of the nine chakra beasts that had once asserted their dominance over this world. It seemed that their time had come again. It wasn't surprising to Shiro. To think that so much chakra could just disappear was a false hope, a pipe dream. It had only been a matter of time before they reformed. He looked at it from under pale bangs, his expression somewhere between mild interest and indifferent.

Truth be told, he was fascinated by the bijuu, but he wasn't suicidal enough to get close to that. He left that to the legendary ninja of the world that it was no doubt fighting against. He was no match for it, and he doubted that they were, either. Still, it was admirable to try. The Yonbi may not be the beast that he was seeking, but the mere fact that one of the nine had re-emerged was good news for his search.

Only a matter of time then, eh? Shukaku...

He smiled, brushing his hair out of his eyes absentmindedly. Hopefully, the beast would be sealed or lead away, soon. It was difficult to contemplate the restoration of a village when every solid structure was in the habit of getting pulverized. The beast roared again, and the earth shook. He took another sip of tea, relishing in the jasmine flavours.

Absolutely delicious.

[Not Masakuni]

~Soft Steps

Slowly, things were coming to fruition. The distant battle was changing; figures, so small as to be almost unseen, darted around the snarling Bijuu. The creature was starting to falter. Those tiny points of lights that were shinobi in the distance were driving it back. It occured to Shiro that he was, from a distance, about to witness the creation of the first Jinchuuriki ever seen in the new world. It had been them, and the war that they drove, that had destroyed the world before, after all. If they were to return, at least, it would make things interesting.

He took another swallow from his cup of tea, draining the simple vessel of liquid. After a moment's consideration, he withdrew a simple rag from the confines of his coat, using it to wipe down the inside of his cup. He slipped it into his pack, brushing himself off as he rose to his feet. He folded up the simple stool, packing it away with his cup. He stopped for a moment to look on the battle again. It was awe-inspiring. Majestic, even. There were few sights that could compare with one of the great beasts in action.

Another time, perhaps.

With a faint effort of will, he called a wisp of sand out of his gourd. It hung in the air before him, particles whirling in wide arcs around the central core of sand. He clenched his hand slightly, and the sand suffocated his campfire. The flames burned out without oxygen to feed him. With another flick of his wrist, his tea kettle was pulled off the makeshift hanger and attached to his pack. He directed the sand back into his gourd with another deft motion. He hefted his pack beside his gourd, turning his back on the battlefield.

For now...

There were things to be done. He could not afford to simply sit, watching a battle over which he had no control. Perhaps one day, if he had the power for it, he would bring the Yonbi under his control. He could dream, right? In the meantime, he wanted to do some research. If his village was to become the supreme military force of the shinobi world, then he would need to devise some sort of weapon, something that none of the other nations had. He felt a grin creeping on to his face. He was already excited.

-Exit

[Messatsu!]

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