Deformed wood shot over a roof and collapsed into a nearby window. Destruction was everywhere when one would look at a bird’s eye view from above. Not a single section of the small village was clean and safe from the looks of it. Screams and gut wrenching sounds vibrated over the nearby area was smoke slowly started to form in to the sky. The mist slowly wrapped around the black fumes and suddenly dispersed to show the figure standing on top of a thrashed building; licking his lips ever so softly before blood dropped from his cheek. “Well! Seems like he’s not here either!” A metallic after tone vibrated from his voice. It was natural at all and the people who could hear the diluted tone while lying on the ground had shivers sent down their bodies. A lowly child peeked his eyes out from a beam of wood that he hid behind; getting a good view of the individual that caused mass amounts of destruction to his village. Black ooze dripped from the man’s eye sockets; slightly disturbing to even look at the monster in his eyes for the child. His hair reached to the back of his knees with a orange hue to the strands. His eyes were fully black with no determined pupil or iris that the child could make out. Every so often the figure would “twitch” his head and chest to the left and right, like someone was playing with a doll and quickly turned their head in place.

His skin was pale as snow, with cracks of red irritated skin just pulsing up his arms and chest. Something was starting to feel a little off to the child as he blinked and lost the figure in his sight. Taking in a deep breath, the child slowly backed away from the wood and placed his hand on the base of the beam, turning around before bouncing his face into the lower waist of the figure from earlier. The child slowly looked up towards the face of the man with black ooze dripping onto his forehead. Leaning down, the man palmed the top of the child’s head, pulling him up to eye level before smiling with the same black ooze coming from his gums. “Oi, you little bastard.” He muttered softly before he ticked his head to the left violently. Biting on his lip, the abomination slowly started to force words to come from his throat. “Have you seen a man that can use black wood? About..” He placed his hand to just about his shoulder, turning his eyes from the child to look at the limb. “Yay tall.. around there I guess. Black hair, brown eyes. Somewhat a dick; but a very good actor with a headband from Taigakure with an etched line across the symbol?” The older man pierced his eyes towards the child that trembled in fear and slowly shook his head with what little movement he could get with being restricted.

The mysterious man was starting to get frustrated. It was apparent with his facial expressions and other little details that one could come up with a human being frustrated;the furrowing brows, clenching of one’s jaw, and the tightening of his grip around the child’s head. It was very apparent on how frustrated he was getting with this waste of a village. Letting out a slow sigh, the man closed his eyes for a few moments before tossing the child towards the beam of wood, turning his back and walking out of the crumbled building. The child laid on the ground watching the man that destroyed his village walk out of sight before passing out. Right before his eyes closed to darkness he could hear the metallic roar of the man keeping further and further away with distance.

A few hours later..

The child woke up to night being brought upon the land. His body laid cold against the ground before slowly, and weakly standing up to his feet. The walls of his house that once stood early that day were demolished showing the massively leveled village before his pure eyes. What brought this upon his lowly little village? There was nothing here that this man could make use off; there wasn’t even a market to get food! The boys’ eyes slowly started to gain moisture as he panned over his layout of the house to see a leg sticking out from underneath debris. Walking forward with shuffling feet, the boy grabbed onto the ankle right before the limb just rolled down the crushed rock. The boy let out a scream that echoed around the area for a long period of time. How would one expect a child to act once he sees his parent’s limb roll down the foundation of his house that he once lived in? He wouldn’t be jumping for joy in any form whatsoever. The child exited the house by stepping on a few rocks here and there to jump outside to get a real view of the destruction. His jaw literally dropped once he got a good look of the surrounding area.

“D-dad?” The boys eyes peered straight towards a pile of bodies; where he could instantly identify one from the rest. This was not something a boy of his age should be seeing, but how could one block this from his sight when no one is around? This is what real life does to people and it was harsh, even for adult standards. The boy dropped to his knees and his body went limp while he broke down. Tears were like waterfalls as his body dropped to his side and he curled up into a ball. Whimpers and moans of fear and sadness escaped past his lips while snot shot from his nose and dripped down the corners of his lips. The boy had nothing to hold dear to him anymore; with everything being destroyed what did he even stand for anymore? What could guide him in his life?

Getting up after minutes of crying the boy turned his head to the direction that the monster from earlier had went. If he could make it to the nearby village, then he could possibly get there in time to warn people of the attack as it’s happening. If the figure from earlier was going to do it just like his own village, he would walk around the village he was planning on destroying to get a feel for the lay out. This was his moment to take vengeance for his family and beloved village. He wasn’t going to miss this chance.

Oh how it was just a perfect day to relax and eat some barbeque. It’s been so long since Mokuzai actually sat down to relax instead of worrying about what to do next and how to come into kirigakure. While Tenshi was about meeting with Inoshi, Mokuzai took this chance to get some much, much needed rest in. There was no better way to make a body fit than sleeping and eating some after rigorous activity over a couple of days. It had been rather stress free for the most part besides the slight argument that he and Tenshi held against each other on the way through the water country. It was only a small set back and it settled rather quickly between the two nukenin.  The gap in their power was slowly closing and Mokuzai knew it was only a matter of time before he got stronger than Tenshi. It was only meant to happen if he was to lead Tensu and get their organization to a place where they can be recognized. It wasn’t going to be easy with the major nations being in their way but, it wasn’t going to be impossible. With all the situations that Mokuzai had been in before all of this, nothing was deemed impossible until he tried multiple times and failed miserably. One of the quirks that made Mokuzai who he was; the ability to think he is better than everyone so he pushes his self to prove every individual wrong when they doubt him.

It was only natural for him to push his self like that. He had to live up to his words; he wasn’t –that- much of a liar. Key word being ‘much’. It was a pretty average day in the water county, at least average in Mokuzai’s terms. Barely a overcast in the sky with much lower temperatures than recent times. He had actually wore his coat to use it as warmth instead of a fashion accessory.  If anything, he was enjoying the cold weather since it meant that not a lot of people would be out and about doing anything or requesting that he work for them. Even if Inoshi was thinking that he was ‘working’ for him, Mokuzai knew better than to accept the job without a plan of his own. He was going to learn this man’s ways and then eventually take his place. Kings are not born; they are made. If he was going to be a king of a country what better way to start than taking out the current king and self proclaim as the title. It couldn’t be that hard to do so once he got so much more powerful. Seals were only going to become more and more useful once he started to figure out how they work and what ways to twist and turn them to his ideas. How cool could it be to actually use a seal that could cause temporary blindness or knock out one of the senses during battle? It could change the tide of everything if he needed it.

A slow sigh escaped his breath while he leaned back on his palms and let his head drop to look up at the forming clouds. “A gray hue.. rain…or snow? If it’s ice I’m going to get rather annoyed.” He thought to his self while a small drop of moisture fell from the sky and landed on his forehead. Was this a form of the sky showing emotion? Did the Earth cry like humans? Seeing as most individuals call Earth ‘mother’ or some form of the name, it really got him to think if this whole blob in the universe was alive. Cells make up everything, so it was no doubt that the earth had some sort of life force. He was obviously getting too in depth with this and it showed on his face. It was only aggravating to him that he couldn’t figure out how everything worked so he could harness the power of nature in a seal.  His digits slowly went through the darkened strands of his crown; allowing a soothing feeling to shoot down his spine. From his memories that he could make up; someone used to do this for him to finally reach a stage of rest, or relief. Which it did! It really worked on him to calm his nerves and allow the rogue to settle down some. Not like he had much to be antsy about anyway; he was only eating pork. Could have been the high blood pressure he got from the meat.

Taking a piece of meat to his lips, his teeth tore a chunk of the muscle from the bone, allowing him to chew it slowly as the sauce covered the corners of his lips. It was messy to begin with and Mokuzai just so happened to make it a lot worse than he needed it to be. Dropping the bone into the plastic bag, another drop of moisture landed on the top of his hand, running down his arm slowly. Clenching his jaw, he stood up, looking over the edge of the cliff at the village below him. It wasn’t as big as kirigakure, but it did the job of keeping his body warm when he needed a place to lay his head. All the houses or huts were fairly close together and no one questioned him when he wore his headband. Such acceptance was rare and it somewhat warmed Mokuzai’s cold heart. He couldn’t help to feel ‘some’ remorse for the elderly people that welcomed him to their house after appearing during a storm. It was not the greatest thing in the word to sit out and be in a storm. The high winds and lightening was the thing that bothered Mokuzai the most. It was the thing that always came with lightening; thunder.  The loud clash of clouds hitting each other and the atmosphere being heated by electrodes was something that Mokuzai just did not fancy at all.

“I’m not going to get drenched.. I don’t feel like bothering the couple for a towel.” He scratched the back of his head before turning down the side of the cliff and facing his back towards the edge, looking at the blooming tree that he was under. Orange petals fell from the branches on the ground joining with the other black leaves as they decayed in the ground. He didn’t know that much about death and what came afterwards. Was there even a life after living the one you enjoy so much? After your soul leaves your body? There had to be some catch to that, but he couldn’t really figure it out. This day was just not meant for thinking at all it seemed like. He made things way too complicated in his mind and it only made the frustration grow. “Meh.” He said with a breathy tone as he fell backwards; falling quickly off the cliff. Most wouldn’t be able to keep their calm when they’re falling at such a speed, but seeing as he was so close to the edge, with a simple twist of his body, his feet placed their heel on the rock, allowing him to run down the side of the mountain.

How awesome did that have to look?! Seeing a young man running down the side of the mountain had to have been extraordinary to the older generation. Once on the ground, Mokuzai wiped his lips with his thumb before looking around at the other people out and about. Not a single one looked at him or stared at him. They just went a long with their business like nothing had happened. Dropping his head slightly, he rubbed the back of his neck and slowly placed his hood over his features. “Geeze.. all that for nothing.” He shook his head lightly before taking a few steps forward to start his trek back to his equipment.  To that moment, everything seemed mediocre and just dandy. Nothing really was to complain about and he adored that fact. The trek back to the hut was very minimal, only getting stuck in a small crowd in the market section of the village. Placing his arms on the back of his head; he looked over every individual in the area to see what they were like, with one figure really catching his eye. A large white cloak with red outlines and gloves that peeked out from the pearly like fabric.

A sliver of orange hair could be seen edging out from the back of the man’s coat. He wasn’t going to pay attention to this, seeing as it was a waste of time to just see what the face looked like of a person with orange hair. It couldn’t have been –that special. Everything was still calm as he walked; still with the figure nearby. That was until he heard a loud cry of a younger boy running through the gates in a sloppy manner. Every single person turned their gaze towards the young boy who looked like he had been through war. Blood stained his clothes and ash streaked on his face from burning wood. “M-My village!” He yelled with a breath tone. “It’s been destroyed! The figure headed t-this way. He could be here!” The boy had his arms on his head trying to help him catch his breath better.  Mokuzai bit his lip as he looked around the area. “Great. Wonderful.” He thought to his self before slowly approaching the boy, kneeling down and tilting his head, letting his head band shine in the light. “Hey are yo-“ The boy pointed at Mokuzai and fell down on his bum, crying out loudly. “You! He was looking for you!” Mokuzai tilted his head slightly before perking out his lips. “What? Who? What are you talking about?” A buzzing sound went past Mokuzai’s ear as a he felt a small pain build up on his cheek. Looking down at the ground, a shuriken pierced the ground as blood dropped on his coat. Turning around, Mokuzai spotted the white covered figure with his arm extended. Wood ran up his arm before his hood dropped to show the features of the man. “Mokuzai Kyuusaisha.” He spoke with the metallic tone. “Finally. “

Mokuzai turned his black pools slowly to gaze at the man in the white robes. Just a mere five feet away from each other, and he had the guts to make his self known in public. Was this some sort of play on pride, or some weird joke? Mokuzai didn’t like playing around when he was the individual that was getting played with. It only aggravated him to a point of him wanting to beat this man’s face in. Placing his finger tips over his injury, Mokuzai looked at the dabs of red on his skin. “You made me bleed, you fucker.” The laugh that came from his lips sent chills down the spine of the child. Whom got up quickly and ran for the nearby alleyway for protection. The orange haired fellow dropped the robes from his body as people scattered around the area. Panic and angst could be felt in the air just from the elderly people. It wasn’t a pleasant sight for Mokuzai to see the people who took him in, panicking to get to their hut. He might be a murderer of children, mothers, fathers and other beings; but he does see well in people no matter how wrecked his heart is. He might show a being of immense pride, and confidence, but all he wanted were people to call acquaintances, not eve friends. Was that too much to ask for during this time? He didn’t really have support, or the support he wanted yet.

Kyoto and Tenshi can only do so much physically. The emotion factor had to be helped as well. There was no hiding the fact that Mokuzai was an unstable being. He could snap at any time that he wished; at least from his control. He did have anger issues and It didn’t help that this orange hair guy was pushing his buttons. “ Who are you?” He stated while throwing his coat towards the alley way of the kid. Mokuzai needed to get information out while he could speak. There was no telling how monstrous this man was.

The abomination brushed his finger tip across his lips while he looked around the area before hopping on one leg in a circle. “Come on! You don’t remember me at all? In a test tube just across from you while the white coated man messed around with you? I was there, in a black robe just watching you squirm.” The metallic after tone just echoed throughout the area. What was this guy? From knowing Mokuzai to talking about being there when he was being experimented on. “You didn’t answer my question.” He stated before the Orange fellow suddenly appeared mere inches away from Mokuzai’s face. His eyes widened before the orange haired man spoke with a low tone. “Jerico.” With the simple name, Jerico pressed his fist into the gut of Mokuzai, sending him flying backwards 10 feet, making his body roll on the ground. Blood dripped from his lips while Moku slowly got on his feet. “Jerico? Such a weird name. It fi-“ His sentence stopped mid way once he felt a hand on his shoulder. “He’s so fast..” Mokuzai thought while his eyes slowly turned around to get a good look at the face of Jerico. Such a distraught face. What was that black ooze that dripped from his eyes and lips? It wasn’t blood, or sweat. It was too black and thick for that.

Jerico gripped onto Mokuzai’s shoulder, pulling his body back against his so his mouth could rest beside his ear. “I’m surprised you don’t remember me. I saw you break; multiple times at that. How you’re so scared of the flame, how you freak out just from the sight of it. You won’t make it in the real world.” The grip on Mokuzai’s shoulder tightened, causing a shriek of pain to escape past his lips. “This man.. This thing could easily rip me apart. Why is he not doing a thing at the moment?” Every possible reason that Mokuzai could think of went through his head. Maybe he was being toyed with. Was Jerico on a mission to just disable Mokuzai, but not kill him? Or was he just here to prove something? Only time would tell and hopefully he still had a good bit of it left.

Mokuzai brought up his leg, quickly dropping it back and digging his heel into the hip of Jerico; who released his grip, allowing Mokuzai to roll away and get a good look of the figure. “Wood. Everywhere.” Jerico was just covered with shards of wood. His left side of his body being worse than the opposite side. There was no doubt that he wasn’t lying about being in the test tube across from him at all. Only the scientists that made Mokuzai who he is today really messed with someone’s DNA like that. “Why are you here? What made you track me down?” The gut shot from earlier was really taking its damage on Mokuzai. It got a little hard to make his voice echo through the screaming of the elderly.

“Oh, ya know. I just wanted to visit my little brother and see what he’s up to after all these years! But, let me tell you. Your outcome right now is so very disappointing. I thought you would at least be as fast as me, but as soon as you blink, I’m mere inches away from you. I could tell from your expression that you didn’t expect something so hulking to be able to move like I do, right?” He was spot on. Mokuzai just didn’t expect something of that speed to come towards him. He didn’t even get a chance to brace his self or take in a breath. Everything was just a blur and he didn’t like the outcome right now. Odds were not in his favor and yet he remained in the area. Even if he was outmatched, Mokuzai’s pride was too large to just get up and run. That wasn’t something he had in his mind at all.

Jerico spun around on his heels before looking over the village, pointing over the huts and various areas around it. “I could just level this area if I wanted to. It wouldn’t take much time with the straw that these huts are made of. A few sparks of flame and boom. They’re gone.” His eyes flickered over towards Mokuzai’s. He knew how much he hated flames, and to know the katon element was just in his favor. He wouldn’t even have to use a large scale jutsu! Just a simple spark and Mokuzai would break down. “Tell me, Kyuusaisha. Do you still think you can mean something in this world? With that pride and thought process that you carry around? You probably don’t have any friends or partners that you want to protect or would protect you. Doesn’t that just kind of wreck you slightly? Knowing that even if you think you’re the strongest in the world, no one is there to back you up and go ‘yeah. You are.’ It must be really heartbreaking to be honest with you.”

Mokuzai isn’t one to be preached to about certain things, especially if it is about his pride, and how he carries his self. There is a reason why he does so. “I do have people I protect, you bastard. I am forming something that the world has never seen before! Don’t you underestimate me when you just met me moments ago.” With the last word escaping from his throat, Jerico kneeled down just beside Mokuzai. “T-the speed!” It kept catching him off guard, and it would only become worse if it kept going on like this.

“I was going to come here and test your abilities, but seeing as you can’t accept the truth, and can barely keep up with my movements, it would be overkill just to take you out now, wouldn’t it?” Standing up, Jerico slowly raised his leg behind him, looking down at Mokuzai and shaking his head. “I’ll find you again. And I promise I won’t go easy on you like I am now. Prepare yourself, Kyuusaisha. I will be the reckoning you deserve.” Pushing his leg forward, the bottom of his booth pressed into the side of the Mokuzai’s head, sending his body through a hut, leaving it limp and unconscious; He was no match for Jerico at his current level, and from that promise, Mokuzai had a goal. Right before he started to pass out, rain dropped on his forehead. “J-jerico..” Darkness enveloped his body as his eyes closed. The force of the hits made his body shut down to state of motionless conscience.

A few hours later-

Leaning up and pushing the straw off his body, Mokuzai held his head while slowly getting up. Stumbling from the sudden weight and pain that resided on his head. The coat that he threw to the kid hanged on nail by a post with a note; “Might as well keep the kid while I’m at it. No harm done, just a little extra motivation.” Clenching the note, Mokuzai grabbed his coat and slung it over his shoulder, stumbling towards the village gates.

“Fuck you, Jerico.”

[End topic]