The Intoxication of Power [P]

Age : 30 Posts : 311

The room was hot – nearly stifling. Each breath that was inhaled threatened to asphyxiate as it cloyed at frantic lungs, squeezing them tightly with unsatisfactory air. Like tiny fish gasping for oxygen in the ocean, the patrons found themselves begging for even a small breeze to alleviate the tension. Swallowing deeply, one such man let out a sigh of relief as the wind picked up and stirred the beaded curtain before the door. It caressed his flushed skin, and he basked in its coolness, but all too soon, it disappeared, leaving him desperate and hot once again. Licking his cracked lips, Sai, Tosatsu, reminded himself with great vigor that Kumogakure was his home and that he fuckin’ loved this majestic, hot as shit country with all the patronage that could fit into his tiny, black, unyielding heart.

Collapsing back against the vinyl seat he was perched rather gracelessly in, the man let out a groan as his slick skin made contact with the unyielding vinyl. Like him, the chair was covered in sweat and the panther could not help but shudder at the unsanitary state of this pitiful place.

“Fucking disgustin’,” he muttered darkly, rubbing uselessly at the chair with his discarded, but still damp shirt. It fuckin’ baffled him that people were livin’ without air-conditioning, let alone still owned vinyl furniture, but he didn’t voice his thoughts aloud. Eyeing the owner of the place instead, he motioned darkly for a cloth or just fucking anything to clean the seat that he was sitting upon. He wouldn’t have necessarily called himself a neat freak, but sittin’ on a damn slip’n’slide was not his idea of a good time. The only time he appreciated slick skin was when it was rubbing against another body in a delicious tango of limbs and auditory noises; and this tattoo shop was definitely not advertisin’ that.

Once his back and chair were momentarily free from the smelly liquid that was oozing from every pore upon his body, the chūnin once again turned his attention back to the reason that he was occupying this shithole to begin with. Before him, sat hundreds of small pieces of paper; each square covered in elegant black ink. The calligraphy was nearly perfection as the strokes of the brush graced the curves of the line like a lover would their partner. Dipping the aforementioned utensil into a small well of black paint beside him, the white-haired man let out a controlled sigh and closed his eyes.

For days he had been here, in this utterly decrepit hovel of a shop practicing his calligraphy and seal-making. The owner was a revered tattoo artist, and one of the few that Tosatsu trusted with channeling his chakra through in order to create his sealing tattoos. The grandfather of a man was quiet which Tosa could really appreciate, and he didn’t bother with insignificant questioning that people sometimes liked to disguise as small talk. No, when the panther was here, all he was promised with peace, instruction, and fuckin’ silence. Including himself shuttin’ up, which on its own was a bloody miracle.

Continuing to focus on his breath, the shinobi forced his body to relax. Inhaling, he mentally drew into himself, connecting to his chakra pools in order to better understand the output of chakra that went into each seal that he made. The goal of his venture here, in this tiny ass town he didn’t even know the name of, was to gain a better grasp on sealing so that he didn’t have to exert unnecessary chakra into his seals and waste his talent. His tattoos, although badass and an absolutely lady killer, were also prone to massively draining his chakra in battle, so it was imperative that he had a better understanding of Fuuinjutsu in order to ensure that he fought another day.

Especially since every other aspect of his personality didn’t lead to mercy from his opponents.

Being an asshole was exhausting.

Smirking lightly, the man exhaled slowly before finally opening his eyes and allowing them to once again rest on the blank piece of paper before him. He assumed that many people would find such emptiness intimidating, but Tosa relished in the absence of life. It was a representation of both death and rebirth, and one was powerful enough to choose which medium they wanted to paint the world in. Removing the wet brush from the inkwell, he tapped the excess paint off before inwardly readying himself for the next seal he would create. Gently, the brush resting delicately in-between his forefinger and thumb, the panther touched ink to paper. One could not hesitate when it came to sealing; each line embodied with power and presence that would only crumble under insecurity so with easy flourishes, he drew.

The ink spilled off his brush, curving delicately with the first mark. Quickly, he lifted the brush from the paper, placing it down once again to create the familiar ‘tiger seal’. Next, he shifted the page sideways, painting the kanji for ‘fire’ before moving on to the ‘monkey seal.’ The page was slowly filling with confident black lines and calligraphy, the edges curling under the weight of fresh ink, but Tosa did not stop, his hand hovering over the paper so that he did not smear his individual seals. Blowing lightly on the ink after he finished five individual seals, he began working on connecting them together with an intricate dance of ink. The design weaved its way through the seals until it connected them altogether in a circular fashion.

Placing the brush aside, the man stared at the seemingly abstract drawing, his eyes scanning the lines for hesitation marks or imperfections. Noting a slight jutting curvature in one of his connecting designs, the panther frowned slightly, his lips drooping. That kind of shit could get him killed, so with an annoyed huff, he crumbled the paper, tossing it aside into an ever growing pile of failures. Seal work was so fucking delicate, like the petals of a flower, that a single, small tear could be the difference between beauty and ugliness, and Tosa would not be satisfied with subpar work. He was an Adonis, and every seal he created – every tattoo that he would wear- would be just as perfect as he.

Starting fresh, he tried drawing the same seal again, his hand steady as he breathed slowly, but deeply, each breath in time with his heartbeat. Sweat dripped off of his nose and dotted the scarred wooden table before him, but he didn’t dare brush the wetness away from his face. There would be a time later on when he could rid his body from the filth that he had accumulated over the last few days, but that would only be a reward for succeeding in his seals. Finishing this one with an unnecessary flourish, he rubbed his hands through his oily, unkempt hair, studying this piece closely to his face.

“Yes, perfect,” he whispered, his sensual voice roughened from disuse, “It’s perfect.”

Grinning at the old man as he tilted his head in question over Tosatsu’s broken vow of silence, the younger gent lifted himself up from the sticky stool and waved the finished seal with triumph, his eyes glinting with mischievousness, as he stated simply, “Let’s set something on fire.”

Sauntering out the door, the beads clacking together noisily in the obscure quiet of the forest, Tosatsu allowed an excited grin to slip across his lips. Finally, he was making process. He had spent two days drawing the same seal over and over again until it had become second nature to him. Seals needed to be second nature in order to be competently created in battle, and thus, Tosa had practiced mercilessly with the same design in order to perfect the principles of design.

Humming a cheery tune as he left the shaded forest to arrive in a small clearing, the shirtless shinobi walked towards a random evergreen. Staring at its trunk for a moment, Tosa silently wondered if the whole concept of nature having feelings was an actual thing before he realized he didn’t actually give a damn. Throwing his fingers into seals quickly, he went through the necessary hand seals to initiate the flow of his chakra into the fuuinjutsu seal he wanted to create. Watching as the kanji appeared upon each individual finger on his dominant hand, the panther let out a cackle as he slammed the completed seal into the tree’s trunk, watching as the wood splintered under his chakra. The seals embedded themselves upon the tree, and the man let out an elated laugh as he felt his chakra splinter from his body and lay dormant within the seal. Its energy seemed to crackle before him, singeing his veins with adrenaline. Oh, the beauty of perfection was delicious, and the power that he felt within was too intoxicating.

Ecstatic and ready to see the show, the shinobi flipped backwards, distancing himself from the dormant seal. For a simply moment, he stared at the carved seals that rested upon the tree, relishing the fact that he had ultimate power, before silently activating the seal. The tree erupted into flames as the chakra was released; the heat battering his face so wonderfully. Fire was not his natural element and watching as it ate away at the tree was intoxicating; the display of dominance reminding him of the power man truly had. Drinking it in, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply with the flame upon his skin, forcing himself to remember this feeling.

Power was intoxicating, and Tosatsu did not want to forget what that sensation felt like. Eventually, the tree cracked as its foundation burned, bringing the evergreen to its knees where the needles smoldered into ash. The man set himself down, waiting, watching, as the tree continued to burn until there were nothing left but blistering coals. He created this destruction, he thought; his seals did.

Letting out a whoop of laughter, the man rubbed his fingers into the ash, smearing it across his skin in a faux blessing. He had a taste of power, and god, was it fuckin’ delicious.

“Time to go home.”

1704/1200
One thousand seven hundred four words.

Name: Experienced Sealer
Rank: B
Type: Skill Based
Prerequisites: Must Specialize in Fuinjutsu
Training: A 1200 word training is required to gain this special characteristic.
Restrictions: -
Description: A trait possessed by sealing ninja who have trained to improve their sealing ability and acquire more knowledge in the sealing field. After much training, the sealing ninja becomes more experienced and gains greater knowledge in the art of Fuinjutsu. The potency of their Fuinjutsu control means that the cost of each Fuinjutsu technique is reduced by 20% (rounded up), as well as allowing them to seal at a faster rate (Does not stack with Blurred Hand Movements). They gain a skill which allows them to identify simple seals (C-rank and lower) through observation which makes them good in determining what each seal will do.