Collectin' [Q]

[Nujabes]

Target: Hiramekarei (Twinsword Blast).

"Hm, he said Nozaki lived on the west side of the island." Though I'd been Mizukage for a handful of months, I hadn't really done any exploring. In fact, I probably would still be sittin' my lazy ass in my ceremonial chair had a rumor not caught my ear. Pretty sad, ain't it?

But this wasn't just any ol' rumor. Otherwise, I would've stayed right where I was. Nah, this actually deserved to be checked up on, more so because it had a lot to do with my master plan for this misty ass island.

Apparently, someone had information on Hiramekarei. For those of you who don't know what that is, I'll put it like this: it was a relic of Kirigakure that had gotten lost during the war. My interest in it? Well, it belonged to my village, and I intended to retrieve it. Sure, I probably couldn't just sent a handful of HYDRA out to get it, but where is the fun in that?

My only problem was that the guy who had the information, a Hanzo, fancied himself a king. When Kouketsu dismantled his yakuza organization, Hanzo was one of the greedy bastards that managed to gather a bit of power. All it took were a few goons and some sly words, and blam, dude was sittin' pretty on a nice chunk of land and power.

So, chances were he wasn't goin' to give the information up for free. Thankfully, I had the strongest bargaining chip a better could hope for: his life.

Pushin' through the mist and the forest, it didn't take me long to find the small flock of establishments said to be owned by Hanzo. An Inn, a brothel, a couple of gambling spots - everything you'd expect to find in a little run down town with a gangster in charge. But, I'd address that some other time. Didn't have time to waste tryin' to fix the problems of everyone.

"Hanzo!" I bellowed, stepping into the biggest building (the brothel).

[marvolous.]

Despite his rather deep bellow, his voice was not heard by many. This place was, afterall, a brothel; it was designed to ensure that sounds, or in this case, voices, could not carry over from room to room. While this provided many with the luxury of being as loud as they wanted to be, it also - fortunately for this man - meant that the many guards stationed around the rather large building remained oblivious to his presence. They hated disruptions, especially Hanzo.

Whilst everyone continued on with their business, waitresses and prostitutes alike all flocking each corner of the room, a sole man appeared from the shadows. He was short in comparison to most, but held an air of authority. Couple that with his rather expensive looking tuxedo and slick, jelled back hair, and he looked quite like a professional; well, as professional as one could be in a brothel.

"Keep quiet." He shot back to the man, eying his rather superior height and form. "If you are you looking to spend time with one of our fabulous ladies, you need to speak to me, not Hanzo."

Though his face remained clear of any emotion, it was evident that he was in some way flustered by the man's presence. And, almost as if to flaunt his own masculinity, he puffed his own chest out and stood straight.

"If you don't follow these simple rules, you can get the fuck out my establishment."

[Nujabes]

"I'm not lookin' to pop one of your whores cherries," I shot back rather quickly. I didn't know who he was, or what his worth was to Hanzo or this establishment, but they were about to be one "big head" short -- presuming he continued down the path he was already trekkin'. "I'm lookin' for Hanzo, like I said."

I took a single step forward, brought both of my hands to my mouth, and took a deep breath.

Aye, Son -- need you for a second.

What do you want, Akira? I'm sleeping.

Stop your cryin', foo'. I just need you to help me yell real quick.

What?

Just do it.

Hmph. No. >=p

>\ What do you mean "no?!"

Maybe if you ask nicely. . . ?

Ugh, fine! Will you please help me yell really quick?

See, I could almost see the fiery red ape smiling. Was that so hard?

"HANZO!" My voice rocked the entire establishment, making the structure and whatever material they might've used in its construction null and void. My voice, amplified by the beast's chakra, ripped through like a maelstrom, pristine and clear. I was goin' to get that bastards attention, one way or another.

[marvolous.]

"HANZO!"

Flustered could no longer adequately describe the short man's demeanor. After hearing, and quite literally feeling, the sheer magnitude of the intruder's voice, he was far beyond shocked - hell, he quite terrified. It was impossible to hide such a fact, for it was further evidenced by his slow descent backwards. Though he remained in control of his body, it was clear he was seconds away from shitting bricks.

"Alright. ALRIGHT. He coughed - still nervous. "Calm down, we're running a business here. I'll go get him, wait here." Without a second glance the short man disappeared back within the shadow's of the brothel, his departure marked by the sudden appearance of two women. They were the lowest level of prostitutes, their sole purpose to keep an eye on the intruder.

"Sorry for the long wait! I found Hanzo, but unfortunately he's quite busy as it is right now." His words came before his reappearance. There, coming from the opposite side of the room, was the short man; however, unlike last time, he was accompanied by several large grunts - six of them, to be specific. Despite all being vastly over six feet, they still were tiny compared to the intruder. Thankfully, they had numbers (Or so they thought).

"Don't fret, though! He's sent these guys to show you just how sorry he is. Have fun~"

Without a word the grunts took a step forward, shielding their psuedo-owner and his two prostitutes.

---

-- Grunts [Non-Shinobi]

[Nujabes]

Idiots. I always had to deal with the idiots of a group, no matter how hard I tried to avoid them or try to appease their idiocy. All I said was that I wanted to talk to Hanzo, and this idiot had to go on and get a handful of goons that were supposed to stop me? Sure, they were pretty large fellows, but the simple fact was this: there weren't many who actually stood at the same height as me, let alone boasted a physique like the one I was blessed with. So, there was really only one way for this to end.

"I'm really not in the mood for this," I sighed. "I just need to talk to Hanzo about somethin'. If he isn't here, cool. I'll go find him. But if he is, the best thing for you to do is get the hell out of my way and let me handle my business."

Of course, the last piece of my monologue was directed at the rag-tag crew of guards standing in front of me. They'd taken a step forward, and I matched it with several of my own. "I'm a busy guy, bein' the Mizukage and all, so I really don't have time to play with ya'll." Even though my voice was still somewhat cheerful, I'd already begun loosening a restraint¹; if they wanted a fight? Well, I'd definitely oblige them.

"Your choice."

Smoothly, my hand fell to Hebi's hilt.

SPOILER: Click to show

¹____

[marvolous.]

"Wait, what did you just say?" Being so tiny in comparison to the grunts (And even the prostitutes, really), the small man was barely visible when his words shot through his guards. It took some careful maneuvers to bring himself around the six large men, but when he was finally face to face with the intruder his hand jumped to cover his mouth, shock clearly lining every inch of his face. "Mi-Mizukage? You're a shinobi?"

As soon as the realization hit, the small man's posture and demeanor did another complete one-eighty; going from being cocky and over-zealous to once again scared and intimidated.

"There's no need for violence here... haha. This was just one big misunderstanding, don't you agree Mizukage-sama?" With a simple flick of his wrist he ordered the grunts back. "My name's Kazu, I run this establishment for Hanzo. Speaking of which--" Stepping to the side, Kazu beckoned the large man through to the nearest door.

"If you follow me I'll lead you to Hanzo. I do ask, however, that you keep your hand of your blade - he's a terribly paranoid fellow."

[Nujabes]

Well, that wasn't too hard. Somethin' don't seem right, though. "Alright," I said coolly. "But check this, lil' man. You fuck me over, and you'll have a lot more than just me to worry about. I've got a handful of ninja who wouldn't mind hunting down you and everyone one of your family members and friends, and makin' sure the lot of you suffer a fate worse than death. They didn't call this place the Bloody Mist for no reason."

Stepping closer, and dropping my hand from the sword's hilt, I leaned in. "You feel me?"

Presuming we were on the same page, I gave a nod to signal him to continue on. The place wasn't the greatest for lighting, but it sufficed that nothin' would be jumpin' out of me from the shadows. Honestly, I just wanted to get in and get out. I didn't like brothels -- too many chances to get a disease.

Yuck.

[marvolous.]

"....." He coughed - shinobi were really as bad as the rumors made them out to be. "I understand." Nothing else was said. With another slight flick of my wrist the two prostitutes that had appeared earlier disappeared; meanwhile, as Kazu began leading the intruder down the somewhat long hallway, all six grunts followed suit. They remained only a couple feet away, ready to attack (Or protect) if necessary.

"Also, a word of advice. Don't take anything Hanzo says literally, he's usually not in the greatest of conditions at such an hour. That, and well -- you'll see."

After several minutes of walking they were met with a large door leading to the master suit of the building. Once there, and after three stern knocks, Kazu entered first.

"Hanzo-san." He was almost more nervous just addressing his boss. "This man said he has business with you, I did not know what else to do."

[Nujabes]

I followed in silence for the better portion of our little trip through whore central. Every now and again I could hear a muffled moan seeping through the wall, or a cry of pleasure as a woman hit her peak -- I shook the thoughts from my head, finding myself more annoyed than anything. Thankfully, it didn't take us long to reach the big boss's room; the little bastard in front of me opened them, and then it was show time.

Immediately pushing my way past him, my eyes locked on the man I presumed to be Hanzo. "I heard you've got some intel on where the sword Hiramekarei might be." My voice was sharp, much like a blade. "I want it."

Of course, knowing that this wasn't the type of guy who did anything for free, I spoke again before he'd have a chance to reply. "In exchange, I'll let you keep this little operation goin' on my country's soil. I might even remember than I owe you a favor."

[marvolous.]

"I might even remember than I owe you a favor--"

"Owe me a favor? HAHAHA."

His guess of Hanzo was correct: seated in the middle of the room on what almost resembled a throne was the man who had created such a dangerous and powerful cartel. He was the stereotypical boss figure - laid back, surrounded by his highest ranking staff members; all the while smoking a cigar. He was also quite large, even in comparison to the grunts hired to protect him.

"Who do you think you are? Bursting into my home, barking orders like you own me." Hanzo's voice cut through the side-conversations of all his kin, silencing them instantly. "Do you guys hear this fool?" They all laughed. "The day I take orders for someone like you is the day I shit a monkey out of my ass." Again, quite like clockwork, they all laughed.

"Speakin' of monkeys--" He took a quick drag of his cigar, letting the strong vapor fill his lungs before blowing it out infront of him. "Get the fuck out of my house, nigger."

Shit just got real.

[Nujabes]

Too real, as he was about to find out.

To be completely honest, being called a nigger never really bothered me. A word would never be more than a word, regardless of how much bloody history was behind it; regardless of the pain and anger, it was still nothing more than a construct of pieced together syllables. What really agitated me was the fact he truly didn't understand he was in no position to bargain with me -- this piece of shit was nothing like the previous cartel boss of Mizu no Kuni, and I suppose it was my duty to make that explicitly clear.

Rather than howl in rage or throw a myriad of slurs in his direction, I laughed. It was a loud, obnoxious laugh; the same kind he and his kin had shot my way no more than a handful of seconds prior. But, my laughter brought with it a change.

It was not a coil of smoke from a slowly burning cigar, or a riot of snicker like the cartel boss's quips had yielded. Instead, it was an aura -- fiery red, bubbling and bursting like lava, the aura clung to my flesh like a second skin. One -- two -- three -- four tails elongated from the rear of the "cloak," and as my features deviated, my devilish eyes locked on Hanzo.

The transformation had taken all of several seconds, and in the time it would've taken any of them to react, I'd crossed the small distance separating me from the mob boss and gripped his cigar-holding hand in my own. With one squeeze, I unleashed enough force to turn the captured appendage into nothing more than a bloody stump - it quite literally would have exploded.

"You should be really careful what you call people," I would've said had everything gone as I suspected it would. With Hanzo pinned beneath my own weight (by a boot), and my unnatural strength backing it, the chances of him moving anywhere were highly unlikely. Likewise, the tails lashing out to either of my sides would've dealt with any who thought themselves brave enough to try and best a beast.

"Hiramekarei. Where is it?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Yonbi - Form 1 (Perfect Host).

[marvolous.]

"Hahahaha," Hanzo joined the man in laughter, clearly in ignorance. "The monkey is laughing at himself. How fitt--" His voice dropped. Hanzo, being the head-hancho is such a large crime syndicate, wasn't aware of the affairs the neighboring village of Kirigakure took part in. Hell, being so far away from them, he did not even know what shinobi were capable of, let alone what someone of the likes of a Mizukage could do.

His ignorance extended far past his racist attitudes, too. Frankly, to him, he was the most powerful man in existence. Now, you can only imagine how someone with such an egotistical mind-set would feel when they realize that they aren't, in fact, the most powerful out there. Hanzo, being that stereotypical boss figure, was quite literally at a loss of words. He would have remained that way, too, had his arm not just exploded before him. Not only did he scream in agony, but he also pissed himself.

"Y-y-y-you're INSANE. My arm you fucking bastard! FUCK YOU." As if it couldn't get any worse, he was now pinned and couldn't move. Not only that, but he could barely breath - 345 pounds of pressure on a man's chest would do that. "THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS DOING? GET THIS NIGGER OFF OF ME." He looked each way towards his staff members, but no one moved. Ironically, they all seemed pleased by Hanzo's situation.

"...... Haha... ha" He barely mumbled. "I-I still don't see a monkey crawling out my ass."

[Nujabes]

I grinned. "Maybe a monkey won't crawl out of your ass, but have you ever had a sword slide in?"

The best thing about the bijuu cloak was the fact that I could create extensions -- arms and the like -- to assist me in any way I saw fit. To anyone who knew this, it wouldn't have been a big surprise to see two sinuous arms erupted from where the cloak's shoulders would've been, gripping Hanzo's arms as I pulled my foot off of his chest.

Flipping him over, a simple tug on the waist band of his pants ripped them clean from his body. I shot a glance to his goons, my smirk devious. "You boys might want to leave the room. It's going to get pretty bloody."

Unsheathing Hebi with one tug from my arm, I poised the blade's peak at between the fat bastards rosey red cheeks! "And by the way -- this sword can go to be twenty feet long." Struggled as he might, there wasn't anything he could do to break the chakra extensions keeping him pinned. "Last chance, Hanzo -- then I just kill you, destroy your entire empire, and find Hiramekarei on my own."

[marvolous.]

A sword? He wouldn't dare...

"W-whoa, relax. I'll tell you." There wasn't any way of getting out of this, that was apparent. "Kazu. Get your ass over here you idiot." He snapped his fingers at his assistant, unable to look in the same direction as his exploded hand; the pain was unimaginable, seeing what was left would only make it worse. "Go to my desk, bottom drawer. Bring me whats on top."

Kazu instantly bounded across the room to the desk, opening it's contents and then recieving the item on top. Once within his hands, it only took a couple strides to reach Hanzo. It was given to the large intruder, or, well, rather thrown - no one in their right mind was going to get any close to a man sprouting four tails.

"Open it. That's all I know. I've heard rumors it was located somewhere in the Wind country. My source told me.... well, he said rumor has it that it's located under the sand."

The item given to the man was nothing more than a map. In it, was a dot marking a random location in Kaze no Kuni - the middle of the dessert, to be specific.

"That's all I have, I swear to god."

[Nujabes]

Catching the little item was easy enough. With a flip of my wrist, the map unraveled and I eyed the dots and markings. Under the sand, huh? Should be interesting. Rolling the item back up and stuffing it in my satchel, I turned my attention back to pitiful excuse of a mob boss before me. "See, was that so hard?"

I sheathed my blade, yet the pressure of the aura restraining Hanzo only seemed to thicken. The force grew more intense, the fiery red color more vibrant and explicit. "You should've just given me the map when I asked, Hanzo." My voice was more primal now, a deep, guttural growl. "And you should've watched your mouth. Didn't your mother teach you it isn't nice to call people niggers?"

I could barely finish my sentence before the Yonbi's chakra exploded from my body, and I began to transform. My body became exaggerated and monstrous, exploding through the establishment as I took on the beast's true form. It goes without saying that everyone in the room would've been killed instantly from the crushing force of my legs and hands as the building was reduced to nothing more than rubble.

As for the cretins inside? Well, they should've picked a better place to spend their time than a brothel.

My tails thrashed the surrounding establishments, rending them from Mizu no Kuni's soil. When I was finished, only smoldering ruins remained.