Cornflakes

Well, it seemed as if once again Oboro's fate would cause him to cross paths with an ally formerly made. Ryujin, the prideful Senju. The two had once again been tasked with taking Lord Uthane to Uthane once more as it seemed the Lord had been taking frequent trips back and forth from the Hidden Leaf Village to the Land of Tea. The countries of tea and fire neighbored each other and it was likely he came into town on business frequently. After seeing the Manor previously it did indeed seem like he was a very rich man and was likely a target for many more attackers, as seen in the previous mission the duo completed together. While normally I wasn't one to enjoy partaking in multiple missions, I had to admit that this one wasn't something I minded doing once again. Not only was Oboro heavily rewarded by the village for protecting Lord Uthane, it allowed me time to observe the head of the Uchiha clan who was now... The Hokage. "The hokage?" Oboro would ask silently in his head. "What's a hokage?" I wasn't surprised he'd forgotten as he wasn't paying much attention as I gathered information about the village. "The hokage is supposed to be the leader of the hidden leaf village. He's the most powerful man in all of the country."

With this thought in his head and the knowledge now permanently embedded into his brain, he looked at the Senju rather curiously. He'd heard the man performed well during the bijuu Invasion which Oboro had taken no part of. No, we'd just been sleeping in the bamboo Grove as always, waiting for the mass destruction to pass. Though honestly, I believed it was some kind of storm or earthquake based off of the sounds it gave off. That was the main reason Oboro chose to ignore it as well. If we had known such a mass source of power was so close to us, well who knows what we would have done. The very thought of it caused Oboro to pump out saliva at a faster rate than normal. "Wonder what's it's like to be a jinchuuriki. To have something providing you power from within you." and with that there was a silent pause. Fully aware of what he'd just thought and the stupidity of which it carried. "Ignore that."he would say as I snickered from inside of him, amused by his foolish and stunted speech.

The day was warm and the air smelled of petrichor as it had the last two nights. It was as if it only rained during the day and the sun arrived as Oboro beckoned. He'd yet to see one drop of water from the sky in the past week yet it seemed like the ground was mushy wet each time his bare feet took a step onto it. As usual he'd allow his toes to wiggle into the mud occasionally, causing the cold bottom of the unexposed wet dirt to tingle the pads on his feet. The rough skin could still feel the change in temperature and it was a good way for him to take his mind off the things happening around him. In my opinion there wasn't need for distraction, though this was the kind of thing my host did frequently, likely to attempt to stitch together the leftover pieces of his fabricated mind. I knew it wasn't easy hosting something like me, yet I felt no sense of gratitude towards him. Only a hatred for keeping me locked up deep inside the bowels of his consciousness.

The three would start again where they once were , the forest road that led to the land of tea. Funny how things had a tendency to repeat themselves. The pig man looked in all directions at all times as if he remembered all too well what it was like to be ambushed by the three ninja before. Of course Oboro too was on guard as it was very likely that the assassin would try once again to punish the man that they were escorting. However, considering the villages own Hokage was accompanying them, there was little to worry about right? Oboro too was now a bit stronger considering he'd been able to buy scrolls from before in order to make a few new jutsu of his own.

In attempts to make conversation, my host spoke to the Senju. "So... You're the new village leader huh? I guess this means you won't have time to take on students will you?" After hearing of the man's great power, admittedly Oboro was more interested in being his pupil. There was likely a great deal of knowledge to inherit from this man.

[791]

He woke from his slumber early this morning, as he had for the past short few days with the people of the leaf having elected him as their First Hokage. He was indeed a busy man, for the first day that was. For a long time now he has been apart of the council and did just about the same amount and type of work as he is doing now as the Hokage. He had learned all the tips and tricks of being a figure of such high authority, being able to still have his own personal life and more than enough free time to do as he pleases through such tricks. This involved him hiring multiple assistants to lessen the workload and getting things done faster. With all of that said, he didn't exactly wake from his slumber early on this day for Hokage duties, instead more for personal reasons. These reasons being that for the past few days after he had first met with Oboro-kun, he had been thinking about whether or not to take the boy in as his pupil. The boy was something else, without a doubt. Having taken their attacker into the woods and torturing him, judging from the screams which came from the woods, and then coming out with a smile on his face as if nothing had happened. As Hokage he could easily shape this boy into a soldier for the leaf, albeit unaware of the boy's true identity and possibly true intentions. He had eventually come to a conclusion about his decision regarding the boy, that was the true reason for his slumber being interrupted so early on this very day. He stood from his bed, showered and dressed himself, after which the Senju clan leader would be leaving his home to meet up with the boy. It was the perfect time to tell him about his decision, having taken on the same mission set out by the little piggy as they did a few days ago, almost recreating the same circumstances as when they met. Though the question remained within his mind as he continued to walk through the streets of the leaf village, wearing nothing out of the ordinary, being his usual dark attire. This question would be obvious to those who knew the circumstances, would the boy accept Ryujin's invitation to be his pupil, his first pupil at that? The thought lingered within his mind the entire way, until he finally met up with Oboro. "Morning, Oboro-kun. Piggy." He would nod as he approached the two, greeting them with the respect he thought they deserved, both of them receiving the respect each deserved individually. It was clear Ryujin was still unhappy about the pig's remark against the Senju from a few days ago. But he would hide all of that under his smile, the only hint of his disgust towards the man being the use of the word "piggy" within his greeting message. If one were to take a glance at Ryujin with his nonchalant attitude and the smile on his face, they would never have guessed that he was indeed the man who had singlehandedly killed the Gobi by destroying the dolphin head being held onto the horse body, the reason for the people voting him the First Hokage. The boy would again start to make small talk as they started to walk towards their intended location, asking him about his new position within the village, and taking a guess at his free time being little to nonexistent. How wrong he could be. The young senju would let out a soft laugh as the boy finished his sentence. "On the contrary. I have people working for me, leaving me with the time I need to improve upon myself, amongst other things. After all, the." He would start to use air quotation notions with his fingers as he continued at this point. "strongest shinobi in the land of fire." this was where he would stop using the air quotations. "Can't remain the strongest if he has to be in the office all day long. So Oboro-kun, I've made up my mind. After having a few days to think about my decision, I've come to the conclusion that I would indeed like to have you as my pupil. That is, if you'll accept me as your sensei." He would finish his sentence as he looked at Oboro with a clear sign of wonder within his eyes, a slight smile on his face, awaiting the boy's answer as he stood still for a moment. He wasn't cocky though, he didn't expect the boy to say yes simply because he was the so called "strongest shinobi within the land of fire", no, a part of him did think the boy would decline, but truly hoped the boy would say yes. After all, he wasn't one for a team and it took a lot of him to change in order for him to want this boy on his team. "Maybe the boy is starting to grow on me, strange, we only worked together once. Could it be that his potential reminds me of myself at that age?" He would think as he awaited the answer with a smile.
[890 Words]

"Well isn't that sweet?" Uthane would butt into the conversation almost immediately after Ryujin had outright asked if Oboro was willing to become his pupil. Almost curious as to why the man had such interest in him, he'd done very little in front of the Senju, he chose to not bring up obvious questions of that manner. He'd forgotten that the man knew not what darkness lied inside of me, inside of Oboros heart. However the scene from the woods was more that obvious. The blood was still freshly stained on the black pair of pants Oboro wore on this very day. Surely the man knew their was something wrong with Oboro, at least in the slightest. I have to admit, I didn't expect him to be able to make a friend so easily, especially with the existence of me within his body. Then again, I guess he didn't really make this friend as the man had approached him with the offer after only having a mild companionship with the host. For some reason however crazy it may be, he chose Oboro as a first pupil. I would whisper into his mind, obviously telling him to accept the offer due to its future potential. "Think of what he's offering. You'd be practically immune from the law. You'd have access to secret information about your village as well as others. You'd be able to promote easily through the ranks!" of course he would take the offer. "It's the world being handed to you on a platter!"

Oboro rubbed his chin for a second, giving off the illusion of considering the offer. "Yes," he'd say to me. "Only a fool wouldn't take this offer." He removed the hand from his chin and dropped it to his waist in a resting position only a few centimeters from actually touching his pants. He opened his mouth to speak. "I don't have an answer yet." his previously raided brow would now rest back into a neutral place on his face as he gave his response. "I'll have one by the end of this mission." face straight as a board, he glanced at the pig with a serious curiosity in his face. He was a bit wondrous as to why of all ninja within the village, he was the one chosen by the first hokage. Perhaps it was some sort of trap. A peculiarity arrived very seldom within Oboros life but this definitely met that description.

He wanted to say more though it seemed like the ability to muster more words on the subject was just empty to him. He couldn't, not now. Instead he kept eyes on the road ahead and walked aside Uthane, as close as possible without partaking in the same spacial region. A mind of haze and a body of another. That's all he was really. In reality, he wasn't even named Oboro. The real Oboro was dead, burned now. There were likely many just like him, though none that I could remember personally. My first memories were of the original Oboro defense. From there it's all a blank. So why has he been allowed such a promising position within the village. Why is he so successful yet I am nothing but imprisoned.

Oboro couldn't hear my thoughts as his attention was drawn as we took a sharp turn in the forest path. A hundred meters in front of us was a pair of men standing, wearing the same red shirts as the brothers who Oboro and Ryujin had faced before. It seems a bit dumb for someone to attack the man who took down a bijuu but hey, bandits do dumb stuff. "I guess I'm getting the smaller man once again." Oboro said as he looked at the shorter of the two. While neither of us knew it, he was a B ranked ninja while his brother was an A ranked. Each were into taijutsu and Katon techs. Fire fists they called themsselves. I called them fodder. Or practice, depending on my mood. However for now they were targets as there was other stuff on my mind. It seemed Oboro was in agreeance as he was already sprinting towards the smaller of the two. "He's already got the same face as the one I carved before. No need to steal from this one." Oboro would say under his breath, inaudible to anyone around him but booming loud enough for me.

[745]

Ryujin was getting quite irritated with the piggy's remarks towards him, he wasn't even with the man for five minutes now and already he's made another sarcastic remark towards Ryujin. "Really now? I can see why you're so obese, you take more time coming up with sarcastic remarks than you do exercising, it seems." He would say as he looked at the short man with disgust. "You forget, we don't HAVE to be here. You could always get home on your own and risk being attacked again, though we both know your feeble, fat body won't do you any good against these low lives." The piggy's mouth would be shut, he swallowed his pride it seemed as he took a deep swallow of the saliva being created within his mouth from the fear Ryujin put into him. His attention would revert back to Oboro as the boy would answer him, though it took a few seconds which built up the tension within Ryujin, only to cut through the tension like a hot knife through butter as the boy's reply would disappoint Ryujin. "Well.. I guess I was wrong. Maybe you aren't the right student for me. I might have overestimated your ability, if you have to think about accepting such an opportunity first." He would say to Oboro, the tone of his voice having little care within it. He was indeed disappointed at the boy's decision to hold off his answer, did he think Ryujin wasn't capable of improving him? Another thought running through his mind at that time. Ryujin would continue to walk on the path in order for their mission to be completed so they could return to the village, he couldn't stay away for long without a notice, which he didn't give. As soon as they started to walk further down their path, two men dressed in red would make their presence known about 100 meters ahead of the group of three. Oboro mentioned that he would be taking the smaller of the two, which Ryujin would reply to. "Yea you do that." Now he was just fucking with the boy, maybe it was apart of his ploy to make the boy feel guilty, he even sounded serious as if pushing the boy aside, keeping the conversations short. Not even referring to him as "Oboro-kun". But all in all he wasn't really angry, he respected the boy's decision to wait a bit in order to make such a big decision. He himself would move forward as the piggy remained cowering behind the two shinobi paid to protect him. As he moved forward 40 meters closer towards the two opposing shinobi, he would weave five handseals. Within a second the 40 meters gap he was aiming to close would indeed be closed, he would stop in his tracks. Immediately after weaving the five handseals he would extend his left arm forward and draw his fingers inward with a gap between them as if holding something. Chakra would start to manifest within his extended left hand, yellow in color as it glowed even during this sunny day outside. This glowing yellow chakra would extend further outward from the gap within his hand in order to form a bow with string and all. His right hand would appear beside the string with his index and middle fingers being curved to draw the string backwards. As he did that, Oboro would be about 60 meters closer to the two shinobi from where he started. "Oh look brother, it's a faggot, fatass old man and the Hokage working together." The shorter one would yell aloud for all to hear as Oboro neared them with his sprint. An arrow would be forged from chakra within the bow as the string was retracted, Ryujin would then activate his sensing technique during the string being drawn backwards and the arrow forming. The Sensing technique made it possible for him to get a pinpoint accuracy hit with the arrow as it automatically adjusted, locking on to the chakra signature of the larger foe. With the release of the string the arrow would shoot forward, cutting through the air like it was nothing, heading straight for the center of the larger opponent's body. The arrow flew past Oboro's head, directly over his left shoulder as it continued on towards the opponent, this was done on purpose by Ryujin and was no mere coincidence. It would cut a piece of Oboro's hair in the process, however the speed at which it traveled was much greater than the speed Oboro was currently using in order to sprint towards his target, allowing the arrow to fly by without any problems. Within one and a half second of the arrow being released it would reach the target. The force and strength as well as cutting potential behind the arrow would cause the foe's flesh to be cut through as if the arrow was being sent into a piece of apricot jam, smooth and without problems. The force behind the arrow connecting with his body would send the large foe flying backwards into a tree about 10 meters behind him, the tree being struck so hard that leafs would fall from it's branches and birds flying from the tree, the arrow flying further through the tree and any other trees behind it as it continued on without a problem. Ryujin stood tall, his head held high as he let the bow disperse, his eyes locked onto Oboro in case he needed help though he doubted he would. Meanwhile the larger foe would be lying on the ground, blood smeared against the tree as his body sunk down towards the ground, pushing against the tree. Blood filled his lungs and would start to leave his body from the hole left in the center of his body as well as his mouth as he laid bleeding out, helpless, on the brink of death. A short few seconds would pass before the foe would die from the wound he received, a gaping hole being clearly visible within his body.
[1024 WC]

As much as he'd have liked to say something along the lines of "Sorry to disappoint," the truth of the matter was that he wasn't all that sorry after all. I could understand why. After graciously asking for more time to decide on the answer of the question, it seemed the Hokage was beginning to pout about the delay. This honestly almost made me rethink this opportunity. While expecting a being of great power to show us the ropes, that very same being was acting spiteful towards Oboro because of the path he chose to take. "He does realize that you haven't said no to him... Correct?" Oboro only held the same smile he usually did... The fake one. "Perhaps he thinks that because he's popular he should be given anything that he asks for. All kings are the same." Upon Oboros announcement that he would take on the smaller of the two out of respect for his elder, another spiteful comment was slipped his way. This one he chose to ignore and instead put force into his legs to run towards the enemy.

Just as he was going to stop a couple meters before his target in order to feign an attack towards the foe, from begins him he heard a loud twangy sound that he'd never heard before. Thoughts of an attack from behind clouded his better judgement and caused him to turn his head. An arrow, not a normal arrow made of sticks and metal bits, but one conjured whizzed by him. At first it seemed as if it has passed through effortlessly. However after a few moments he could feel the sting below his eye and the warm, sticky liquid dripping onto his collarbone. The arrow had split his flesh, only slightly, and left a cut under his eye along the top of the cheekbone. It was about five centimeters long and only broke through three layers of skin. However fire fueled by my anger consumed the eyes of my host. For just a split second those vengeful eyes focused on Ryujin as Oboro peeked over the side of his shoulder at the man wishing to be his teacher. It seemed as the arrow stayed it's course and pierced the larger of the two bandits, pinning him against air causing him to be lifted off his feet. A sure kill. However this was unseen by the eyes of the pissed. This was a mistake.

Before he'd realized it, a strong punch collided with his lower body, a gut busting uppercut into his stomach caused him to drop his head in pain. He watched as a single droplet of his blood fell onto the grass below. It felt like it was slow motion, being suspended in the air. The God of Many Faces bleeding in front of a mortal... How pitiful.

Just as the fiery hand of the bandit reared back for a finishing punch, Oboro's head shot up with a menacing glare. The man made the mistake of looking him in the eyes. And now it was my time to shine. Oboro's normally brown eyes took a new form. Where eyes are normally white was now black and the iris which was before a soft brown took the color of white. This was my true power. Upon making eye contact, the genjutsu activated. I slipped inside the mind of the bandit and tinkered with his this thoughts as I pleased. I toyed with him and made him move like a puppet. The entire time, Oboro kept him in sight as this was required to maintain the jutsu. He was practically my slave at this point and would do anything that I commanded. Oftentimes people were able to resist, however this man was hopeless, as expected from scumbags like him. "But what shall we have him do?" I asked my host. There was no response, he was still pissed. It wasn't any fun without him giving suggestions. He was the sick fuck. I was just the one that made it happen. So since there was nothing to go off of, I decided I'd just make it easy this one time.

The bandits hand navigated it's way down the side of his pants and into the tool pouch on the back of his belt. There were no kunai only a shuriken. I forced him to remove it and press it against his wrist. Blood droplets spilled out of the hole he'd poked very slowly, gaining edge on the side of the bladed star. Slowly, he pulled the blade down his wrist towards the elbow on the underside of his arm, slicing two arteries on the way down. After about ten seconds of repeating this process, the body began to pulsate from the lack of blood. That's when the genjutsu dropped.

The bandit on the ground, still writhing, it was time to move on. Without looking back, Oboro walked forward, stepping over the body and assuming that Ryujin and Uthane would be close enough behind him.

[839]

Was his joke not getting through to the boy? It seemed not as the boy kept quiet on his previous statement, and again when he made his second remark before attacking the two opponents. As the arrow shot forth towards the older of the two foes, Ryujin would realize that his cocky action had stepped over the line as the boy turned around to see what was approaching him, the arrow cutting through some of his skin in the process, his face bleeding just below his eye. "Oh shit." He would think to himself, the boy's vengeful glance at Ryujin confirming he was indeed not enjoying the joke at all, maybe he even took it seriously, did he really think Ryujin's attack was done on purpose? That he was so self absorbed? He'd rush towards the boy which stood about 25 meters closer to the two bandits than he did. Wasting no time in order to apologize and actually see if his attack didn't do any major damage to the boy's face, he'd reach the boy within half a second. The boy's evil glance still staring right through Ryujin's soul. His face turning as straight as ever at the sight of the boy's directed anger. "Oboro-kun, I was joking I swear. Why did you turn your face! You knew I was the one behind you, for all you could have known it was me you might have heard. Never take your eyes off of your opponent, god dammit." Ryujin would say, his little rant was more due to the shock and worry he had for the younger one of the team. Though his words were barely cold when the shorter opponent came charging at the two Konoha shinobi, however his attack would cease as soon as he came dashing. Ryujin wouldn't allow for it, he moved in front of Oboro to which he'd turn his back towards to opponent, his fist coming in from behind Ryujin and flying beside him still aimed at Oboro, to which Ryujin would grab the foe's arm, stopping it just in time before it could actually hit Oboro. Ignoring the foe as he continued his speech, he'd look at Oboro. "Relax, for fucks sake." The opponent trying to get loose however to no avail. "I'm not really disappointed Oboro-kun, of course you can have time to think about the decision. Do you think I'm that self absorbed as to withdraw my offer simply because you didn't have an answer at that moment? Please, I have better things to do than be angered at your decision, which I respect by the way." Ryujin would finish his little speech directed at Oboro, after which he would release the bandit to Oboro's mercy by moving out of the way and letting go of the bandit.
[478 WC]

Ryujin had saved him from the blow and for that he would have taken if not for his hokage stepping in the way and grabbing the bandit up to stop him. Oboro was truly greatful and I was beginning to wonder what exactly the true purpose behind Ryujin was considering the actions he'd chosen to take up until this moment. When he'd let go of the bandit after speaking to my host about what seemed to be his true feelings, Oboros lips began to quiver as his eyes watered slowly. The bandit would watch as Oboro couldn't hold it in anymore. "BAHAHAH" he would laugh in front of the Hokage. He'd been fooled indeed! Perhaps he'd even fooled himself into believing that the moment was funny. But then he spoke to me, "One cannot shed the blood of the many faced God actually... This isn't even my body. So it's not my blood." and I suppose it made a bit of sense. The bandit scurried off into the forest and would never be seen again by the likes of them, but they all seemed top distracted to care anyways.

After laughing, Oboro would walk forward, still saying nothing to his leader. "He should be here any second now..." he would say aloud. And almost as if it were Magic a large man emerged from a small shrub before staring down the brown haired boy. "Yep. See? Just like last time. We're almost at the Manor and now we get ambushed by the boss." He looked over towards the pig man who was no longer cowering, clear in the faith of their strengths to protect him. Immediately the tone of Oboros face flashed to anger as he looked back at the approaching mountain of a man. "Why do you want him so badly?" He would ask with fury in his voice. At that moment he locked eyes with the mountain and would force the man into submission with simply his eyesight. That's where I came in. I weaved the threads of his mind and caused him to feel a pressing agony in his gut. All he would want from here on out is to kill himself. After a moment, Oboro dropped eye contact, but the deed was done. The man simply looked down at the ground and began walking into the forest, reaching for the kunai in his tool belt before removing himself from our visibility.

I looked through the eyes of my host who now seemed bored with the situation. He was looking at Uthane with a tired face. "Well... What are you waiting for? Go home." he would make shooing motions at the man as if to designate the direction in which he should walk. That was when Oboro would finally look back at Ryujin. "Sure." he said. "I'll be your student." and began walking back towards the village. Something was a bit off about this though. I had to admit I was curious. "Wasn't that a bit anti climatic?" I would ask my host. But he just walked in silence. Similar to how he usually did. Something about it brought my mind bliss.

[Exit]
[532]
[TWC 3007]
2 A ranks completed, 1500 EXP gained + 100 for going 500 over requirement.

The boy would take care of the younger of the two brothers that had attacked them. It seemed like the boy's anger had turned to gratefulness due to Ryujin's actions in saving him, which he was indeed very happy about. He gave the boy a smile as he looked at him. "Let's continue." He would nod at the boy. It wasn't long before someone else would again interrupt their journey to the fat piggy's manor. Ryujin however would sit back and allow the bo to take care of the attacker, he watched the boy. His reasons for standing back was simple, the Senju Hokage wanted to see more of what the boy's potential was and this would be a great way to test that, though not the perfect but it sufficed. The boy would take care of their final attacker before they would watch as the pig would return to his home again and their missions were finished. The boy would then express his decision towards Ryujin's offer, which gave Ryujin a smile on his face as the boy had accepted the offer for him to be his student. They would then return to their village as they walked through the forest back to the hidden leaf village.
[221 WC - WC met for both A ranks.
Exit]