Fixing the Faults [Rukasu]

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

Sun had already set and night came upon the vast lands of the Fire Country. Not even the early night time, when everyone was enjoying the beauty that is nocturnal Konoha with its bright street lights and colorful vendors built to astound and allure a potential client. It was the peaceful part of the night when most people slept. One could’ve argued that this part of the night also had its perks, there was still something alluring in the total darkness. Something always drew people to explore the shade, to draw further and further into the night.

Even if it was the early part of the night Mana and her companion would’ve seen none of the gorgeous nocturnal colors of Konohagakure as they were heading the opposite direction. The fact that Mana was traveling to the Forest of Death with a companion at all was unexpected enough, a nukenin no less… Her partner was named Rukasu, from what he told the magician the youth hailed from the Water Country. The young woman took him with her to see if she could make him from a hateful and afraid killer into a nukenin who uses his darkness to do good, despite what other people said or did to him.

Women were nocturnal, that was a fact. They were supposed to be waiting for their husbands or children through the night, worrying, some argued that was their role – to worry. Even if Mana wasn’t that sort of a woman she still had the same blood, same instincts like her sisters of the night. Her entire body was on its toes, she was rushing to get to the caves as fast as possible even if there was no actual point. She turned her head sideways to make sure that Rukasu wasn’t against it.

“Are you OK if we move at this pace or would you rather we slow down? There isn’t really that much of a rush to get there…” the magician asked. She was half whispering as if they were being listened to even if there was no way that was the case, still the young man would’ve heard it.

Mana wanted to get to the caves during the day, it was likely that the rabbits would be pretty cranky to get visitors at this time of night, there was really nowhere to rush to. Still, even if they didn’t rush they’d probably get yelled at. Even if Mana saved the rabbit caves and recovered their sacred contract scroll from an ancient archive making her a hero in the eyes of the ninja rabbits. The little ones had an interesting way to show love and gratitude, they were a rather rough around the edges folk.

Mana wondered if the two could even find the location initially but after sighting the past battlefield she was sure – they were close. The sight was rather impressive and scary at the same time: a huge crater that blew away even the fence that protected the Forest of Death and ravaged the peaceful forest landscape. There was no grass, no trees, likely not a single animal wandered around these parts. What used to be the ruins of the Rabbit Fortress must’ve been pretty close nearby. The magician turned at Rukasu and scratched the back of her head as she giggled.

“This is actually kind of my fault, there was this guy after me, he was crazy strong. We kind of fought here and this happened, he was a lively fellow. He survived what caused this huge crater and then a lot more… The rabbits live nearby underground so this huge earthquake that caused this may have damaged the caves, I just want to make sure that the cave is alright and help the rabbits out in fixing whatever damaged we caused fighting here. Hope you won’t mind tagging along, we can train a little while I’ll be helping them if you want. I just don’t want to feel like I’m wasting your time.” she smiled.

Mana knew pretty well that the most likely reason Rukasu decided to come with her was the possibility of learning something from her. To acquire more power, after all, that was probably all that he wanted from her. The magician just hoped that she could teach him a little bit more than how to fight, maybe by spending some more time around him she could make him feel like helping people instead of hurting them. For some reason she felt like she could fix him. Such was the case with all bad boys, women always wanted to fix them somehow. Even if it rarely worked out the way they wanted.

The young Sennin slowly advanced forward down the crater. The fastest way to their destination was straight through this huge hole. The ground was soft, apparently Usushiko’s stomping turned even the hardest stones and minerals in the soil into dust making the dirt soft as the beach sand. “Is this the kind of legacy I will leave for Konoha? Huge craters, destruction? Is this really all I can do?” Mana thought to herself. The though really depressed her, all she wanted was to help people, to become a hero. To become an icon that would inspire people to be better. Heroes don’t leave trails of their destructive power. Trying to cope with this sadness that came with seeing this destruction the young woman went on through the crater.

Suddenly chakra signatures started popping up, they were peaceful and calm, their sizes varied. Mana knew they were close, it was likely that the rabbits were underground. It may not have been a very good idea to just dig deeper, the rabbits will be upset enough as it is just from the fact of them arriving so late. The entrance was just a little bit further, unfortunately the crater had to be climbed out of as well.

“It’s a big hill, we could take a moment to rest if you want, we’re not that far away from our destination though. It’s your call, do we climb it and try to clutch it out or hang around to catch a breath?” she asked her companion.

Age : 33 Posts : 510

"When there is a true desire in the heart and that desire is strong… that is when he finds real strength that even he did not know he had."
-Quoted by Orochimaru

It was dark, middle of the night and Rukasu followed Mana, to go to the forest of death. This new journey was to help Rukasu get stronger, but was that the full plan. Rukasu followed not knowing what will this path in his life lead him. All he knew was that he can can trust her. He was ready for anything and he still felt this urge to be loud and proud of being a criminal, but for some reason he wanted to respect his new friend. She was walking pretty fast and Rukasu just kept walking faster to keep up with her. “Are you OK if we move at this pace or would you rather we slow down? There isn’t really that much of a rush to get there…” she said as Rukasu signaled her that he did not mind as they both kept on walking at a fast pace.

They were getting close to their destination and Rukasu knew that once he gets their he will be able to get stronger and hopefully be able to grow up more. This was a good opportunity to be able to see if he could handle new types of training. Rukasu was getting excited once again and he felt that everything was going well for him. Like everything that happened in the Grass country, and now this, meeting a beautiful girl that will help him with his journey. Rukasu knew to take advantage of the situation and he knew that he must repay this lady somehow, but he did not know what he could do to help her.

Rukasu enjoyed the nights in the Fire country, because it was very calm, settle, and peaceful. These things he had never really experienced in the Water country. He sort of liked it, even though his insane mind, and evil heart were mostly against it. He felt that a peaceful life is very rewarding. He would not stop his evil ways, but maybe he will have a new look on life. It was something that he kind of looked forward to. He felt so relaxed when he was with this girl, and for some strange reason he liked it. He actually wanted to know more about her.

"Can I ask you something? Why were traveling where we first met? Was there a place you were going to, I hope I didn't stop you from doing something important." Rukasu said with a sincere sinister voice that he could not help but talk that way. He thought it was weird that his voice was changing from a deep scary voice to a sinister insane manipulator voice. However he did enjoy this new voice that felt power came with it.

Moments later, they reached a crater and it was huge.“This is actually kind of my fault, there was this guy after me, he was crazy strong. We kind of fought here and this happened, he was a lively fellow. He survived what caused this huge crater and then a lot more… The rabbits live nearby underground, so this huge earthquake that caused this may have damaged the caves, I just want to make sure that the cave is alright and help the rabbits out in fixing whatever damaged we caused fighting here. Hope you won’t mind tagging along, we can train a little while I’ll be helping them if you want. I just don’t want to feel like I’m wasting your time.” She said and Rukasu's eyes widen as he could not believe she was this strong. He knew she was strong, but he did not know that she was very strong. This made him question about her a little.

As they kept on walking they were getting closer and closer to the place that they were going. Rukasu looked around and saw all of this destruction and felt that she could of killed him instantly but she didn't. Rukasu even felt that she was stronger than Mokuzai and that guy was strong as well. Rukasu wanted to ask her so many questions to get to know her better since they were travelling together.

“It’s a big hill, we could take a moment to rest if you want, we’re not that far away from our destination though. It’s your call, do we climb it and try to clutch it out or hang around to catch a breath?” She said as Rukasu and she stopped, he looked at her and smiled. He couldn't control that smile and did not know where in his evil heart that smile came from.

"Sure we can stop for a moment. ummm How strong are you, by the looks of this you are very strong and I admire you for your strength. The people that you are close to must admire you as some hero or something. If you was able to protect your home and the rabbits, then I am impressed." Rukasu said as he scratched his head and smiled some more.

60/60 CP

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

It seemed like Rukasu did not mind traveling at a fast pace. If it was just the usual male bravado or if he was used to moving in a rush remained to be seen. Mana was one of those people who rushed everywhere she went. It was a habit she developed that came with the responsibilities that commonly befell on her shoulders. Whenever she moved somewhere it was done to help someone, sometimes even to save someone’s life. She had no right to slow down in those cases. This, luckily enough, was not one of those cases.

Rukasu wanted to know where had Mana been going back when she met him on the bridge. The magician took from it that he had an idea that perhaps she changed her destination because of him which was not the case. Mana left the village to head to the Forest of Death since the beginning. Helping out the ninja rabbits was her intention for the day and she would’ve gotten to the destination by late evening had she not met the young nuke on the bridge. Not that Mana was angry or anything, she enjoyed meeting new people to protect.

“I’ve been heading to the rabbit caves the whole time, don’t worry, you didn’t beat me off the path. I’m really glad I met you and I don’t regret taking you with me or the time we spent talking on that bridge.” Mana replied softly. She didn’t want her friend feeling like he held the magician back.

In the end of the day, it wasn’t like what Mana had to do in these caves was extra important or something, no one’s life will be endangered if she didn’t show up. It was just something she wanted to do because the young woman felt responsible for any damage that may have befell on the caves that she headed there. Plus some extra training with the rabbits and Rukasu may not have been a bad idea.

“I need to work things out with my money and then order the Sanctuary rebuilt, maybe I’ll send a rabbit messenger from the caves to Konoha to do those things for me…” the magician thought to herself.

The young rogue had no problem to stop for some rest before rushing up the crater. It was a rather steep climb, the magician didn’t blame him, she was a bit winded herself. She had to look strong for Rukasu, if she made him think like she’s weak for a moment she had no idea what may have come up to the nuke. He may have thought that killing her was the right idea then Mana might need to hurt him, she didn’t want that, she’d much rather have Rukasu as a friend.

Rukasu asked her how strong exactly she was. The magician didn’t know where this inquiry came from or what were the reasons that lead him to it. She didn’t like talking about strength, discussing who was stronger than who. Those were discussions of violence and she was not fond of resorting to that. Many people she met wondered about her strength, many times looking in the eyes of even people Mana considered friends she saw the desire to test her strength. The young Sennin couldn’t understand that thirst for violence and fighting.

“I’m as strong as the people I love need me to be. I don’t really care if I could beat this person or that one, if they threaten the people I love I will take them down as hard as it is needed. A lot of people consider me a hero for everything I’ve done, all those times I’ve saved the village or once prevented a worldwide war. Unfortunately all I see is the times I failed. I want to be strong enough to protect everyone, I want to make world better than I found it by being born and to do that I need to become a hero. To become the kind of hero who not only does great things but also inspires people to become better after they are dead. That is my nindo, not sheer strength.”

So many times people laughed from her when she spoke those words as a child. She was considered a naïve child in the Academy, her elders placed bets on when would the little girl lose her magical and pink glasses she viewed the world through as a genin. She failed many times, many people died and she wasn’t able to save them. Mana remembered them all and often cried that she wasn’t strong enough. But she never gave up on trying to save everyone because that is when she would have truly failed. The young woman wiped the few tears that accumulated in her eyes and smiled to Rukasu.

“I mean I know it’s impossible to save everyone, people will die. People die even as we speak now and that’s a failure on my part. I know that when I die I will look back to my life and see all those people I’ve failed to save and I know that my fate is failure. My nindo cannot be lived up to, it cannot be completed. Mine is a fool’s errand, people told me this many times. I just don’t want to stop trying. That is the burden you have to hold on your shoulders if you choose to love the whole world, that is the cost of such love.”

It wasn’t simple saying these words, the magician wanted to change the topic. Still, she chose to try and help Rukasu, to possibly make him use his darkness to help people as she does. Who knows, maybe absolute hatred can be just as useful to protecting the world as absolute love. Maybe they are just two opposites that can be just as powerful in shaping the world. Two extremes, each a counterbalance of the other.

“I think we’ve rested enough, let’s move.” Mana spoke firmly, it was obvious that she was hiding away this sudden burst of sadness with a firm tone. If at any point Rukasu thought that she was some sort of an idiot, she wasn’t holding him on a leash. He was here because he wanted to be, he wanted to learn from Mana. Sometimes spiritual training is just as efficient as physical. Many times the young woman faced enemies much more powerful than she was and came out on top just because of her ideals, of her love for people she was protecting. Maybe if Rukasu can tap into his darkness like how Mana taps into her love he can be just as strong if not stronger…

Slowly the young Sennin started climbing uphill, within just several minutes they’d climb out of the crater.

Age : 33 Posts : 510

"When there is a true desire in the heart and that desire is strong… that is when he finds real strength that even he did not know he had."
-Quoted by Orochimaru

When the two had stopped to take a break Mana had said something to Rukasu, about strength and the way she talked as if she was full of wisdom. Rukasu noticed something from her that he thought he would not have seen from her. A few tears falling down her face, but why. The criminal knew that the way she was thinking about life was way too unreal. They both knew that there was no way to save everyone, and if she could she would've stopped Rukasu long ago.

Her vision of the future to become a hero to save them all was a pure vision and I feel that with the pain she held in her heart for who knows how long has led some room for the darkness to seep in. If she couldn't save anyone the darkness will grow, and if she couldn't be considered as a hero then the darkness will grow. Also if she was never even considered at all, would the small darkness that she has right now consume her entirely. Rukasu thought to himself as he felt her pain, but what he couldn't understand why she was blaming herself. He wasn't the type of person to help but he just could not let her go down this dark path. The criminal felt that this young lady may see it as pure, but if that goal was to save everyone and knowing that she wouldn't be able to save someone hurts you then how can you live with that.

Rukasu looked at her as she kept on talking about her nindo, and that was a word Rukasu had not heard in so long. He closed his eyes for only a moment, and then he opened them once again. He remembered his nindo way that he had left long ago, so was it still his nindo. Was it still a part of his life that put him through this path? Did he really feel the same way as he did when he was a kid? He wasn't sure, and this was something crazy because he remembers his nindo, but he does not remember why he had chosen this way of life. He knew that everyone was not perfect, but he really felt that his nindo meant something but that was long ago.

"My Nindo, my ninja way is... I will always walk on the path that I believe in! That is my Nindo my ninja Way..." A Long paused, only because he felt weird saying it for some reason. Was it the fact that he could have lost his way? “I am going to be honest with you, I remembered my nindo, but I don't remember why or how I came to love that way of life. I just don't know, and I want you to change because you are pure at heart but why do you put yourself down. So what if you can't save anyone. I know you know this, but you still drag yourself down just because you cannot save a person you never met before. Keep this up and you will let the darkness in your heart grow. You tell me you are full of love, but you must resent me at least a little bit. Yes, I am being nice, and you’re very nice to me, but in all honesty, if you keep up this cycle where you blame yourself for shit you never did then you will become someone who might do those things. Do not ever blame yourself again, now do you hear me Mana? You keep this up and there won’t be a happy to look forward to." Rukasu said in a stern sinister voice but at the same time his words were all true and as he could not believe he had said all of that, but he just could not help it.

He felt that someone needed to tell her something and with his unfiltered mouth was most likely the best person for the job. He did feel a bit crappy after saying something like that, and he hoped he did not hurt her feelings. Rukasu the cold blooded killer knew that he should just tell her to forget what he had said, but he couldn't say a word since he promised her he wouldn't lie to her. She needed the truth, even if she was going to like it or not. A small price to pay, but it needed to be done.

Meanwhile In Rukasu's Mind.....
The evil Rukasu glares at Rukasu with so much hatred, anger, and the feeling of betrayal. "WHY ARE YOU GETTING SOFT ON ME! IF YOU DON'T KILL HER..... I WILL! DON'T TEMPT ME I WILL KILL HER! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU! EVIL MUST GROW FOR EACH TIME YOU KILL AND THIS CHICK IS VERY STRONG, KILL HER NOW!!!!" The evil Rukasu hated everyone as he stayed in the criminal's mind, glaring at Rukasu like he was about to kill him and just take over the body to finish the job.

Rukasu looked at his evil counterpart, "Not her, I will draw the line with her. Everyone else I don’t give a shit about. So just relax, I know we have to kill in order for us to grow, but if you relax your crazy psychotic self then after this meeting is done then we can kill some low life stranger, that will not have any relations to Mana." Rukasu said as he kept this determination look with piercing eyes that was looking straight at the Evil counterpart. The evil Rukasu turn around in anger, he really was full of Insanity. Killing was like an addiction to the evil inside Rukasu and this evil will just grow with the more people he had killed.

The evil Rukasu snapped his fingers and Rukasu was back where he was taking a break with Mana right before they had to climb the rest of the crater. Rukasu had his eyes downward as he knew what just happened in his mind with his Insanity but he could not control it. He did not want to kill this lady, but instead he actually wanted to get to know her more. Was it compassion, or what? Rukasu just did not know what was going on with him. He also knew that if this girl were to die then these feelings will destroy themselves. He would not have to ever have to worry about these crazy feelings ever again. However Rukasu just felt the need to know about this girl more than most things at the moment. He wanted to travel as much as he could with her by his side. He wanted to get stronger to fulfill her dream. Her nindo was very important to her, and Rukasu knew that. This criminal wanted to help her in any way that he can but just being a criminal he knew he would not be able to hang out with her. Since he was a criminal he already knew that he should be seen with this girl for her own safety. If people were to see her with him than they would brand her a traitor. That was something that he did not want for her.

She finally said to keep going, then suddenly Rukasu just snapped out of it, and they both stretched out their arms. They both looked up and with determination they started to climb the crater. It would maybe seem that their small bond might have grown a little.

60/60 CP

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

Mana heard out everything Rukasu had to say, his nindo included. She didn’t reply anything to his words after they were said. There were still things she needed to think about. What Rukasu said to her sounded very similar to how other people usually reacted to Mana’s way of life. Some said that she shouldn’t beat herself over deaths of people she doesn’t know, some said that she shouldn’t try to save everyone who was in trouble. People just didn’t want to accept her nindo for some reason. Maybe they felt sad for the person that puts this burden on their shoulders or they just thought she was flat out stupid.

As the two ninja made their way out of the crater Mana still chose to remain quiet, just for this small while. She needed to preserve her breath as the way out of the crater was rather steep. Still she kept thinking about Rukasu’s words. Sure he was a criminal, sure his reactions to Mana’s ideas were sometimes pretty much the same as those of other people but did that mean that he didn’t deserve to have his thoughts at least be considered, taken to heart?

Usually Mana wasn’t very fond of people who spoke the same way as all others, people who rejected or tried to talk her out of her ideals using the same words others used. That was one of the few reasons the magician wasn’t too warm with her past sensei Kimiko. Because while the woman was superbly wise she tried to prove Mana wrong, to change her and she used same generic words to do so, things Mana had been told since she was a kid. Because he tolerated her ideals was why Mana used to respect Yoroi – the Seventh Hokage greatly. Sadly some of that respect faded recently…

“I’m glad you shared your nindo with me, Rukasu. I hope you’ll have more success living by those beliefs than I will.” Mana replied. “You wanted to know why I beat myself over deaths of everyone, even people I don’t know. That’s because if I stop doing that I will one day look back and see that not a single tear was shed after a person I share this bond of love lost their life. I’m afraid that if I allow myself to ignore it once, I’ll do it again, then what’s to stop me from starting taking lives myself when I care of it so little? I do not want to be that person, I’d rather die than become that person. I’d rather die than live in a world where person’s death means nothing to people around them, where people just sink into oblivion.” the magician added.

“I also really don’t feel any resentment towards you, not even a little bit. If that’s how you think people feel about other people, I wish I could change that.” the young woman finished her thought as finally the wasteland that demolished a significant chunk of the Forest of Death was left behind them. Maybe sometime in the future trees will be planted there, it will once again be fenced off and animals will live there once again. Environment has a way of rebuilding itself, with just a little help maybe Mana can fix this destruction she caused, just like she plans to help fix the rabbit caves.

“We’re close.” Mana turned at Rukasu and said after she started sensing the chakra signatures so very close to their position. There were signatures below them the whole time ever since they made it through the crater but that was just because of how vast the cave system was. The magician stopped and started to look around, she needed to find and entrance point. The first time she was lead into the caves it was in the ruins of the Rabbit Fortress, a huge fort that used to house all of the ninja rabbits in the distant past but was abandoned after some sort of catastrophe. Now the ruins of the fortress were completely demolished during the huge battle that took place.

Mana bit her finger drawing blood and flashed through the hand seals and placed a hand on the ground. After a loud pop and a cloud of smoke cleared a short and petite little rabbit appeared nearby. Her fur was rustled and spiky, she was obviously sleeping. “MANA-SAMA!!!!” Usubane yelled out as she jumped to hug her idol. She took a couple of seconds then to scratch her eyes and fix her bed-fur. “So glad to see you, Mana-sama, everyone’s still talking about how you beat the Leech and tamed Usushiko-sama. Why are you here though?” the rabbit teen asked. “Well I can’t find the entry point since the Leech took down the whole ruins on the forest ground…” Mana replied.

It took Usubane a moment to notice a youth near Mana. “Who is this person?” the rabbit asked, she was a bit suspicious about him, Mana could tell. It probably just couldn’t been helped, those were just the vibes coming off of Rukasu. “This is Rukasu, he is my friend. I’ve come to help you guys fix the caves and see what I can help you with. The battle shook the ground pretty rough. He’s here to train with me.” Mana replied. It seemed like the fact that Mana considered Rukasu a friend was enough for Usubane as she just nodded and turned around. Other rabbits would be a lot more difficult to convince however. Then again, most of them loved brute strength and dark killing intent, they may just end up liking Rukasu.

“Actually our entry point is blocked off by the rubble. We dug up some more smaller entry points but it would be really great if Mana-sama helped us to open up the main entry point.” the rabbit said as she pointed at a bunch of small holes that supposedly lead to the caves.

“We can’t really use those, I guess maybe one of you guys could summon me back to the caves but it’d just be avoiding the problem. Me and Rukasu will see what we can do about it…” Mana replied as Usubane just leaped into the hole and disappeared. After just a brief walk the huge pile of rubble that blocked off the entry point was in full view. “So, any ideas how we get this out of here?” Mana asked with a slight chuckle turned back at her rogue friend.

Spoiler:

Age : 33 Posts : 510

"When there is a true desire in the heart and that desire is strong… that is when he finds real strength that even he did not know he had."
-Quoted by Orochimaru

She kept quiet for the whole time Rukasu spoke about his ideals and she listened carefully. It was very refreshing that someone was listening to Rukasu, because he felt that no one would ever listen, but his evil self that still tries to leak out whenever he can. The criminal had been not tired at all from this small journey and they both were getting close.

Mana explained to Rukasu why she believed the way she believed. It made sense after she wanted to care for everyone and if she would ever lose one ounce of that then she would most likely end up as a criminal. It wasn't clear that she would fail, but instead it was clear that she would never give up. This made the criminal realize that people have to believe in something in order to give their life some meaning. He did feel a little bad for basically crappy on her nindo. The criminal listened to every word she had to say so that he could say something that he wanted to tell her as well. It was as if Mana wanted to live in a world where there was no such thing as death. If there was a world with no death, but there was violence would that even be allowed?

There has to be something I could do, but what I am not even strong enough. This is just crazy to save everyone. Why am I thinking to help this lady, I basically hate everyone and want them all to serve me at one point. If I help her it would be like helping everyone and I think I will do just that. I won’t kill this woman. Instead I will help her understand a better way to do things, even if it might be evil. I know I don’t have any genjutsu, but I can manipulate anyone that is weak at heart. This is something I may have to work on to gain in the future. I got it! I know what I have to do now. My way of life will be everything that I gain in this life. I will become a leader and I want to be fearless and worshiped at the same time. That will be my new way of life, my new nindo, my ninja way. Rukasu thought to himself as he was also listening to Mana talking to him and just because this criminal was evil and insane at heart it does not mean he could not save one person.

After listening, Rukasu had taken in a deep breath and looked at the young female. "I respect your Nindo way. Yes, it may unrealistic, but if you keep it up and keep going, I really do believe that you will be able to do it..." Rukasu said as he quickly looked away and blushed a little embarrassment. Since he had really never complemented anyone ever, nor he ever told a heartwarming message. He slowly looked back at her, "I know that this will be hard for you, but you always have to start somewhere and your starting position are your friends in the rabbit cave." Rukasu finished saying then he looked away once again.

Mana said that they were close, but Rukasu still did not see anything but small holes around this area. He wondered if she really knew where she was going, but the criminal did not want to question her at all. He just likes to accompany her even if she ended up getting lost. The criminal looked back at her and noticed a familiar technique that she was doing, the summoning jutsu, and out came a rabbit that hugged Mana. The rabbit was so excited to see its master, but when this rabbit saw me the suspicious rose. However, Mana explained to the rabbit that the criminal was just a friend of hers is helping her out rebuild this cave. It was a relief that Rukasu didn't have to cover his identity nor explain himself to the rabbit. Even though that was only one rabbit he forgot about the others and how would they feel about him. The rabbit did say that the main entrance was closed off and it would be nice to have it open.

Mana and Rukasu walked over to the main entrance that was filled with rubble, and this gave an idea to Rukasu that he was going to wait for the right moment to say something but once Mana asked Rukasu how we are going to do this. Rukasu closed his eyes for only a moment, then opened it, looked at Mana, "There is two ways I can think that might work. Utilizing Raiton, you can transfer your Raiton jutsu into my Giant Sword and with my strength and speed, as I start stabbing the rock like a jack hammer. Or you get your strongest piercing Raiton jutsu and I use my strength to throw yourself at the rock. So what do you think?" Rukasu said as he had hoped that his ideas were any good at all. Rukasu also knew that Mana could conjure up a better Idea if she wanted so all Rukasu had to wait for was a response.

It was a good day for the two to work together and see where their skills, lack and need work on, and to grow a bond that will help in the future. Rukasu never really cared for bonds, but for some reason he just wanted to see what it will feel like to cherish one bond. The criminal hoped that maybe he could help Mana in her quest somehow, but when it came down to it, he thought and thought, but he could not think of anything so he figured maybe he will leave it to her until he got it under control.

60/60 CP

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

Seeing Rukasu accept her nindo was odd. His switch was a little bit too quick for Mana to think that he may have actually accepted it but at this point she didn’t know what to think about Rukasu. Maybe he wasn’t playing with her feelings to use her, maybe he was just confused, who knew? Even if the nuke did plan to play with her, Mana allowed him to do so for now. Some may have said that in a way she may have been using him, he was quite a fun companion and he may have proved helpful in helping the rabbits which the magician would’ve appreciated greatly.

Seeing Usubane react coldly towards Rukasu reminded Mana of a small problem, rabbits were a little rough around the edges folk. It may have just been Usubane who was tough on Rukasu, after all, she had some weird idolization of Mana with her. She may have seen Rukasu as a threat to the time they may get to spend together or someone who may hurt her idol in the future. The Sennin didn’t really think there’d be much problem convincing the rabbits of letting Rukasu stick around, she was quite respected and her word was important for the rabbits.

After all, Mana was the one who recovered the rabbit contract scroll making the rabbits once again able to become partners of ninja. She also stopped and tamed both the local catastrophe-maker Usujitsa and the greatest of the rabbits – Usushiko. The rabbits respected her and thought of her as a hero to the point where Usubane’s obsession was almost justifiable.

“These guys already think of me as a hero, they’re already inspired by me. At least when I die, I can look back at these rabbits and know that I have inspired and protected someone, that I became a hero to at least these folk.” the magician thought. It was quite ironic that every time she saved the world or her village the people of the village started hating her. She was a hero but not an inspiring and idealistic one. More like one that did what had to be done, no one is inspired by that…

Rukasu’s ideas as to how the two would break through the rubble were quite complex, Mana expected something a little bit simpler from the rogue. He certainly thought too complex about things, if Mana was to do any training with this guy she should teach him about the simplest solution usually being the best one. His ideas may not have been that bad, they were just a bit fancy and as an entertainer the young woman was a little surprised by how fancy Rukasu thought.

“Your ideas aren’t that bad, they’re just a bit complicated. First solution would take us a bit too long, the second one might leave my upper body broken which I am not a great fan of. I think the easiest solution would be the best one – I’ve seen the Seventh once blow up rubble just like this with explosive tags, I remember the positions as to where the tags were placed.”

Mana then showed Rukasu several spots where to put tags on and put four of hers on the other weak points. This is likely to make a lot of noise and wake the rabbits right up, sure they’d be pretty cranky but they’d be even crankier if they went with Rukasu’s first idea and were jackhammering here for a while. The tags should blow the rubble up in smaller pieces and not damage the caves, if Mana remembered the patterns that is… The young woman waited for Rukasu to place his tags and stood back. She then waited for the rogue to coordinate his detonation with her as it was probably better to set the tags off at the same time.

If all went well, the rubble would’ve been shattered to countless smaller pieces which would then go down the entrance steps. Someone would probably do the moving work later. Rabbits were a folk that enjoyed physical workout so moving those stones might have been considered a fun challenge for them. After the smoke cleared up, Mana slowly made her way up to the entrance and looked down, it looked alright, some rubble made its way down but it wasn’t much of a problem. The caves didn’t happen to be damaged either.

“Alright, nice work.” Mana complimented Rukasu and waved for him to follow her as she took the lead. The youth could already sense chakra signatures popping up and rustling much more intensely than they were before. The noise must’ve woke quite a lot of the little ones up, they will definitely not be commended for that. The road down wasn’t that long. After a short walk down the steps the amazing sight of the rabbit cave system opened up. It was basically a small town under the ground, it seemed to have improved a little bit after Mana was last there.

“ARE YE OUT A YER MIND!?” the loud and familiar voice reached the magician’s ears. “Hello, Zoku-chan.” Mana replied with a smile. She knew that the rabbit warrior had a certain way of showing his happiness to see her. “Some goddamn hero ye are, banging around ere in the middle of the night, we thought we were being attacked, ye stupid brat!” Usuzoku growled again. Once again the rabbit took a moment to recognize that Mana didn’t come alone.

“So dis guy is yer friend or something? Usubane told me ye were comin…” Usuzoku calmed down a bit. Mana was glad that the rabbit was woken up by his student instead of by Mana, Usubane did her a big favor by taking the cranky wrath of the rabbit warrior on herself. Mana nodded and turned at Rukasu allowing him a moment to introduce himself. The nukenin may have chosen to stay quiet if he wanted, it didn’t look like Usuzoku cared too much.

“Well dun think yer gonna have any funny business down ere, Hatchling. He’s not sleeping with us in my place, he can sleep at Ususen’s house. That creepy sage takes everyone in.” Usuzoku showed the nukenin to follow him while he took him to the house of the rabbit sage, Mana crossed her hands and shook her head.

"Mana-sama! Let’s go, I’m sure you’re tired and could use some rest. I’ll be honored to watch you sleep… I mean… Take the guard duty while you sleep…” Usubane’s voice reached her as the young woman turned to follow her. She was a bit worried about Rukasu, he may have felt overwhelmed by all this and she wasn’t really sure how he felt about all of this. Ususen’s home was just several houses away from Usuzoku’s cave so Mana will probably still keep his chakra in sensing range but she kind of wanted to ease the young man into all of this…

Spoiler:

Age : 33 Posts : 510

"When there is a true desire in the heart and that desire is strong… that is when he finds real strength that even he did not know he had."
-Quoted by Orochimaru

Complex? I never thought of my ideas being complex... Does this make me smart or something? I wonder, Rukasu thought to himself as he looked at Mana as she explained an easier way of doing things and it has made a lot of sense, but why didn't Rukasu think of that before, maybe he wanted to impress her with a cool idea or something of the sort. So the two started to plant the explosive notes on the rocks. Then after they did that, they stepped back and then boom. All the rocks crumbled into little rocks as they rolled down into the entrance. Now that the entrance was cleared the two Shinobi walked into the cave.

Once inside Rukasu heard an annoying voice that irritated him or a bit, and it was this rabbit talking to Mana. They were talking about the explosion and this rabbit had been a cranky one. The way he talked as if he was just angry about the noise interrupting his rest. The rabbit decided on where Rukasu was to go to sleep and this was weird for him since he did not plan on going to sleep. He actually wanted to train and help Mana, but instead he was pushed away from her. He looked back at the girl as she walked in the different direction he was going to. He was going to sleep in the same room as the Sage Rabbit. He did not care, but if this rabbit was just as annoying as the first he would just go back outside to get out of there until the morning.

Once the criminal entered the room, he noticess this very old rabbit. Long white fur, his eyes drooped a little, and he wore these small circular eye glasses. His ears hanged on each side and they were long ears. The Sage held this staff about four feet long and the rabbit looked about five feet tall. He signaled the criminal to come closer and stop in front of him about five feet away from him. The rabbit took in a deep breath before he spoke to Rukasu.

"State your name, my son." The rabbit said as he waited answer from the criminal.

"My name is Rukasu." The criminal said as he rabbit had a confused look upon him.

"Are you sure that is who you are. Is that your name?" The rabbit said as the rouge looked at the rabbit with a ticked off looked, "I do not mean to offend you. I can see into your heart. Yes, you seem very sure that your name is Rukasu, but your heart is telling me otherwise." The rabbit said as Rukasu just looked at that rabbit now annoyed by his reply.

"My name is Rukasu! What do you mean my heart isn't sure of that?" Rukasu yelled at the rabbit, and the rabbit closed his eyes, lifted up the staff and pointed to a dark room.

"Go into that room, and there you will find your true self. It seems to me that you do not know who you really are and you need to find out.“ The rabbit said as the criminal glanced over to the room. He did not know what to think, but he had nothing to lose either. He ended up walking into the room, and once he first stepped into the darkness, he fell into it very quickly. The criminal felt as if he was falling as a faster rate and he did not know how to stop. The guy was not scared, but he was startled a bit and since he was not scared he passed the first test that the rabbit failed to mention.

After falling for what it seemed to be hours, the criminal, suddenly stopped, and what was in front of him was this person. This person wearing a black/red suit, he had red hair and red eyes with black slits in the middle like snake eyes. He was smoking a cigarette as well as his evil, insane smile was something the criminal would never forget.

"Hissss Hello Rukasu, my formal pitiful self." This person said as Rukasu was confused and knew not what he was talking about until he noticed the similarities that they shared. This confused the criminal so much he closed his eyes tightly and then opened it. The person was gone, or was he? The person was now behind the criminal. "You really don’t know... do you Rukasssu." This person said as he walked around Rukasu and stopped in front of the criminal. "I will show you everything now." This person said as he simply touched the criminal on the forehead.

In an instance the criminal was sent back in time as he saw himself as a baby. The baby he saw with white skin and red eyes and black slits. This was odd because Rukasu knew he had red hair, but his eyes had always been purple. The criminal was so confused, but he kept on watching. He saw that both of his parents were running away, but from what and where were they going. He notices behind them were other people chasing them and they had snakes with them. After the parents had gotten away with whatever they did, they reached Kirigakure. The Mizukage let them in to protect them.

Rukasu now realized he was not born in Kiri, but where? As he kept on watching he saw his father, forming a series of jutsu with the other higher ranks to perform a jutsu that will change the color of his eyes to purple and give the baby a normal skin color. The parents were hiding who Rukasu really was. Now knowing what he saw still did not explain anything. Rukasu went back to where he was when he saw the other person smiled evilly.

“You don't get it do you. Mann you’re dumb. You were born in the Grass country, and your parents betrayed their clan. That is right, you are in a clan. You have a special bloodline. Didn't you feel a connection to the Snake you battled a while back? You were born into the Hebi clan, and you were forced to leave and never know anything about your clan. You even blocked your dreams of when you were supposed to have that dream that told you everything. But do not fear there is an easy trick to gain all of this back, plus any suppressed memories. All you have to do is to shake my hand and say your right full name. Then the process will be complete. Also if you have any more questions, go back to the Grass Country and talk to the snakes. They will help you out more than this." The person said as he placed his hand in front of Rukasu waiting for that handshake.

Rukasu looked down at the hand, so lost he did not know what to believe, but at the same time he did not know what he was losing. He really did feel like he was punched in the face with mind blown information. This was something he was looking for, this power he always wanted, but the craziest thing was that it was always with him the whole time. Rukasu grabbed his hand to shake this guy's hand.

"My name is Rukasu Hebi, and I am one with the Snake!" Rukasu said as a blinding bright light formed around them. It looked like they were fused together but what really happen were the appearance of Rukasu was changing. His hair went from white to full bloody red. His eyes changed from dark purple to red with black slits and his clothes changed into this red and black suit and the bandages fell off this Shinobi's face. Then the light dimmed as Rukasu felt more power than he had ever felt in his life time. All of his memories returned and he did shed one tear since because he now knew the truth about himself. He felt that now there was a purpose in his life. The person that was talking to him had disappeared right after the light dimmed.

The criminal felt something in his hand, and when he looked he notice a cigarette and a lighter. So he lights the cigarette and started smoking it. Right after he started to laugh so insanely and very out loud that maybe everyone could hear the echoes in the caves. The criminal found a glimmer of light and walked to it and he saw the old sage. The old rabbit looked at the criminal, "Now do you know who you really are, my son?" The old rabbit said as he waited for the answer from the criminal.

"My name is Rukasu Hebi, and I am one with the snake." Rukasu said with an evil smirk across his face as he smoked his cigarette. This rouge felt reborn and alive.

"Snake, eh... Well now that you know who you are. You know what you must do." the rabbit said as he nodded and walked out of the room. He felt like he needed to find Mana and tell her the great news. Well Rukasu hoped that she was awake so he could talk to her. This whole time really felt like days but it was only five hours. It was now when the sun was starting to rise slowly.

.:The New and Improved Rukasu Hebi:.

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

Mana silently followed Usubane to Usuzoku’s cave. The young rabbit tried to lure her into some small-time banter but the magician just stayed silent, nodding or shaking her head being the only indicator that she was listening and interested in the stories of the young rabbit trainee. The rabbit kept telling Mana about her training with slight boasting in her tone, also hinting at how useful she may be, nothing new in other words. “She’s trying to give me a hint that I should summon her more often, this one is really weird…” Mana thought after taking a brief look at Usubane’s excited face.

“So… Are you going to train with that Rukasu guy all the time?” Usubane asked with a strange shade of jealousy in her tone. Honestly this should’ve been expected from someone who idolized Mana and wanted to be around her every second of the day. The face of the young rabbit twisted in sadness after that question, it reminded Mana of the face of a childhood friend when he found out that his friend found a significant other and that their shogi Tuesday was cancelled.

“Don’t worry, I can help you out with your training. My priority is helping you guys fix the caves, then if Rukasu wants my help he will get it but there’s no reason for me not to train both of you.” Mana replied giving the young summon her first full sentence of this whole walk home. For some reason being around Usubane freaked the magician out, being an entertainer she loved attention but sometimes Usubane was just borderline creepy with the amount of idolization she gave her.

“You know I kind of thought you’d summon me against the Leech… I trained extra hard after you left.” Usubane said quietly, almost whispering. Her tone was much different, more like that of a disappointed teenager when a busy parent didn’t come to their concert. “Sorry, Bane-chan, even Usushiko-san got beat, I thought I was a goner so I just decided to go against him alone and accept what was coming at me. What happened to Usushiko-san anyway?” the magician asked.

The giant rabbit was always hanging out around the Rabbit Fortress, once he even got stuck there and needed help to get off of the rocky prison. For some reason Mana didn’t believe that he was still around these parts of the forest, Usushiko was just too damn large to miss being close to. “I dunno… Usuzoku-sensei said that he doesn’t take defeat too well. I guess he decided to leave on a Warrior’s Journey of Self Discovery.”

“Is that a thing?”

“Totally, we should totes do that some time, Mana-sama!”

*****

A half an hour later the two finally reached Usuzoku’s caves, it wasn’t too far away from the rabbit sage’s home where Rukasu was supposedly taken to. Mana could still feel his chakra which meant he was really just couple of caves to the east. “What are you doing, Mana-sama?” Usubane asked with great curiosity as the young woman settled on the floor and crossed her legs. “Meditating. It’s not the same as sleeping, but it’s the closest thing.”

Usubane looked really confused as to why the magician chose to meditate instead of just going to sleep. “Rukasu is a criminal, Bane-chan. I trust him but I cannot risk a single hair of fur falling from one of your kind’s back.” Mana explained, she almost broke out in laughter after seeing Usubane’s face change into an expression which implied hunger for combat. “If he goes out of line, can I pummel him?” Usubane yelled out with excitement.

Mana closed her eyes and got into the meditating position, “Don’t be like that, Bane-chan. Rukasu is a good person, I believe that, he’s just confused. He has a lot of darkness inside of him and he thinks that the only thing he can use it for is destruction and killing. I don’t have a reason to think that he will do something bad, but I cannot allow myself to sleep and risk the lives of the rabbits in case the unthinkable happens.” Mana concluded. “Are you making that creepy “You are so cool!!!” face, Bane-chan?” the young woman asked without bothering to open her eyes.

“Yes I am…” the rabbit laughed out. The magician could feel the teen rabbit settling near her and just sitting close. Slowly Mana’s mind started slipping into the first stage of meditation, the Ego state. In this state the young woman could only see what is going on inside her own body, she had no awareness of the space around her. This state reminded a lot of sleep as commonly dreams and visions broke through it from Mana’s subconscious. Moments later the Omnes stage was reached, the stage were Mana was aware of her surroundings and could still use her chakra sensory even to a greater extent.

“Bane-chan feels like my younger sister sometimes. More and more now since I’ve lost my family…” the Sennin thought to herself trying to reach out to the young rabbit nearby, feel her chakra. There was nothing special about the chakra of her companion, the youngling just specialized more in the physical arts and had no time to define the aura of her chakra. It was such a pity, having her exciting and energetic personality in mind she would have quite bright and colorful feeling to her, she’d unconsciously cause people around her to react to that brightness and become better.

“What’s that?!” suddenly Mana’s eyes shot open, she wasn’t sure how much time passed since she entered the meditational stages, time passed differently during meditation almost similarly to how it did when Mana was asleep. There was some sort of change in chakra nearby and the Sennin’s mind reacted to it. The magician jumped up and slowly tried to leave her home but heard some rustling behind her. “It’s that Rukasu guy isn’t it?” a silent but energetic voice asked. “Yeah, but it’s nothing wrong, he didn’t do anything stupid, he just… Changed somehow…” Mana replied and left the cave in order to look for her rogue friend and see what happened.

Age : 33 Posts : 510

"When there is a true desire in the heart and that desire is strong… that is when he finds real strength that even he did not know he had."
-Quoted by Orochimaru

Once Rukasu left the sage's room, he looked for Mana, and since he did not know where he was going he found the nearest rabbit to help him. "Hey Rabbit, can you bring me to Mana, please." Rukasu said the Rabbit, as the little furry animal nodded and the criminal followed the furry rodent to where Mana was located. Not knowing that she too was looking for him as well.

Rukasu kept on smiling evilly as this new appearance made him feel great, as if he was himself for the first time in years. The criminal felt that everything was just weights added on to him. He felt this giant load off and to him it felt great. This feeling was like a rush of adrenaline going through his blood giving him that burst of energy. This excitement just kept on growing, as this was probably the first time in his whole life he had ever felt this way. The cigarette finally finished as he flicked it into the ground and stepped on it to put it out. That was his first cigarette, but it did not make him cough or anything like that, like he was born to smoke. Rukasu felt free before, but this was a feeling beyond freedom. He felt liberated from the chains that held him down before.

After a few moments of searching he found Mana, as she too was looking for him. "Hello Mana." He paused with an evil smile. “Do you like the original me?" Rukasu said as he paused again. “I can't believe it, that old sage Rabbit showed me the way to the real me. I found the truth of my past and where I belong to." Once again the criminal paused with excitement, and his face was grinning with evil. "I am grateful that I met you, and this evil has finally taken over me. I am more myself than I ever was. Don't worry as promised Konoha and the rabbits are safe from my Insanity." Rukasu said as his red bloody hair and his red eyes with black slits were enough to show that he had changed. The suit that he was wearing looked very fancy he did not know if that was his style, but he felt like rocking it for a while, and his giant sword was still on his back but it felt as if it did not feel heavy at all.

"I would like to train with you today, learn something from you, and maybe I can teach you something. I would like to teach you on how you can control your nindo way and maybe make it into a reality. This nindo way of yours will only get you sad and depressed, but what if you were able to do what you said you want to do. Saving everyone will be difficult, but if you’re willing why don't you use your ability to create a jutsu that always senses everyone at all times. I believe in you and I know you can do anything." Rukasu paused as he smiled with such evil. "That was a good way to go about it, but If you were me, I will put everyone under a genjutsu and make sure to erase all the evil in their hearts and brainwash them to be peaceful." Rukasu said with a grin, as he wondered what Mana would say about his opinion.

I can't wait to start training with Mana; maybe she might find me attractive and think of me as someone more than a friend. I would certainly need a wife in the future to always be by my side when I rule this world. Rukasu thought to himself as he looked at his hands for a second, and looked back at Mana. This really was a big difference and now people will not be able to recognize him for a while until they find out who he really is. So this will be great for the criminal to have fun without being noticed as the White shadow of the Forbidden mist. This was great, and now the criminal was able to get a new name. A name that will one day be never spoken of because of the fear it brings. Rukasu was now ready for the future that will come.

60/60 CP

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

Mana could feel the fired up state that Usubane was in. Something made the young rabbit to be on the edge about Rukasu. Maybe it was just the fact that Mana hung around with him and that made the youngling jealous, maybe it was that and the fact that so far he was a stranger. Maybe it was the combination of all those things but her chakra was simply burning up, she was almost itching to fight and the magician didn’t like it. “If something bad happens I can’t let Bane-chan fight, she won’t show any restraint…” the Sennin thought.

Following the feeling of Rukasu’s chakra the magician kept walking at a rushing pace. She wasn’t sure of what happened, why did the rogue’s chakra give off those weird signals as if he changed. It still was close enough to the original to make it look like Rukasu’s but it was different enough to suspect that something strange happened, as if he transformed or something. What if the nukenin decided to spit at the promise he gave Mana and thought that whatever he went through made him strong enough to oppose her?

Mana almost begged whatever forces of the Universe heard her that it wouldn’t have been the case. She did not want to fight anyone. She was starting to really believe that Rukasu could’ve been fixed, that despite all of his darkness he could still be taught to use his strength for positive purposes. If he went nuts on her here Mana may not be in full control of her emotions herself, she’d be frustrated of how much she failed, disappointed in her decision to not break every bone in this youth’s body and take him in when she met him.

Since the young woman could still sense her friend from way back it meant that the distance was not a long one. Just as predicted it didn’t take too long to reach the youth, it helped that he also was looking for her. The sage rabbit whom Mana had never seen before appeared to have been leading him to her but he looked quite calm. Rukasu didn’t threaten or impose on this rabbit, he took the youth to her lead by his own free will. Then why did the nukenin feel so dark and evil, as if the evil intent was leaking out of him trying to cover and corrupt everyone around him?

Rukasu’s appearance had also changed as well. It wasn’t just an inner change, whatever happened to him. Was it something he knew how to do the whole time or something the rabbit sage showed him? As the nukenin spoke it was all made clear to the Sennin. Apparently it was something that lurked inside of him the whole time, something the sage decided to draw out of him for some reason. It felt so dark and evil, why did the sage thought it was the right idea to do that?

Rukasu seemed to also feel much more confident, for some reason the change in his hair, eyes and attire also gave him enough confidence to speak of evil and insanity and tell Mana that it feels right to him. Rukasu asked Mana to train with him now, he most likely wanted to just test out his new self, one that was leaking the all corrupting darkness. Had it been young and inexperienced girl which Mana was when she first discovered sensory the very feeling of Rukasu’s chakra would’ve made her incapable of fighting. Fortunately enough since then the young woman felt chakra much more vile than even this new changed chakra of her rogue friend.

As an additional evidence to his confidence Rukasu tried to tell her that he wanted to teach her something. Maybe the way of how to make her nindo into reality. He tried to tell her ways that would make her nindo possible, that would spare her the sadness of knowing its ultimate fate. He didn’t want her to be sad and depressed. It seemed odd to Mana, on one hand the nuke felt the most evil he’s ever been, on the other he spoke of how he would keep his promise to Mana and wanted to help her.

“Sorry, I knew a man who had a similar jutsu to the one you described, the last time I saw him we ended up disagreeing. I’d rather not fall so low as to use his ways to save people.” Mana replied to his suggestion of perfecting her sensory to the range of the world. Such a thing may not have been possible but Mana had been fighting the impossible since she was a child. After facing opponents like Honda, Ayushi and the Leech one’s definition of impossible changes. Still, Mana held to her beliefs. She saw what extreme devotion to one’s goal can lead to - a perversion of one’s nindo.

“The genjutsu you described might be possible, in fact, I knew one man who wanted to take over the world by force and force my own nindo on to them by controlling them with fear. Needless to say, we ended up disagreeing as well.” Mana replied to the second suggestion of the nukenin. She referred to Guru Ayushi, a sage who adopted Mana’s own ideals and took them too far to the point where it caused suffering and death to prevent other suffering and death. The man’s beliefs were what Rukasu’s suggestions reminded Mana of.

“Though I will train with you, Rukasu. I will allow you to test this new you against me but it will not happen here where we can damage the caves or other rabbits. We can train in the crater we passed through, in there you can fight as hard as you want without restrictions.” Mana replied and passed Rukasu leading the way to the crater. She would’ve preferred to rest through the night but the nukenin probably didn’t want that.

Mana started walking towards the exit of the rabbit caves and heading once again for the crater. Rukasu was probably itching to train and test out his new strength and he needed someone strong who may have helped him out with that.

[EXIT]

Age : 33 Posts : 510

"When there is a true desire in the heart and that desire is strong… that is when he finds real strength that even he did not know he had."
-Quoted by Orochimaru

Once Rukasu explained what he had to say to her, she was not threatened by him at all. At first the Criminal could tell that she was somewhat worried, but this new power felt amazing to the criminal. This feeling was like nothing he had ever experienced in his life. He finally had gotten the power he needed to go up against Mokuzai and show him the power he was looking for was really worth it. However the criminal did have other things to worry about first instead of going to where ever Mokuzai was located. The evil criminal had to first train with Mana, and hopefully starts a journey with her or if she refused, then Rukasu will set his eyes back to the Grass Country where he originally found his first partner. Rukasu had planned to go somewhere, but he really wanted to travel will this girl that followed peace as if it was faith.

Mana agreed to train Rukasu, as the smile on his face grew. With so much evil in his heart he really felt so good, and the fact that he was now way more control with his body than he ever was before he changes. Before his mind would convince him to kill every time, and Rukasu would just do it without hesitation except for one time. That one time he forced his mind, body and soul to keep Mana alive. Was he attracted to her that made him not want to kill her, or was it the fact that this criminal wanted to really keep his promise with Mana. This promise will actually keep their bond intact, and maybe change Rukasu a little more for better or for worse. However an evil Shinobi will always be evil, his ideals can change, but not how he does things. This was the way of life, and this life will lead Rukasu into the dark. This Dark will mold into something great that will prove to the world that Rukasu Hebi was in the first place.

Mana walked right passed him as she had told the criminal that they were going to train in the crater that they once past to get to this place. Rukasu watched her as she left, he then looked at all the Rabbits, lifted up his hand and showed them the peace sign as he walked out as well. Now that they were going to train, and Rukasu thought about what Mana had said about the people in the past that she tried working with but it ended badly.

If I travel with this girl, will we end up disagreeing about everything down the road? Rukasu thought to himself as he kept on walking to the exit, this new power was what he really needed and now he will be able to show the magician what he is really made of. He also knew that if he were about to prove to this girl as well of how strong he is then she will most likely let Rukasu join her in her journey. Rukasu had gotten out of the cave as he followed Mana to the crater. It was still in the morning time, and it was clearly enough time to train all day.

This training will show the both of us how much stronger we truly are. I need to know if this power was mine to begin with or given to me. I know I was born with this power, but if I can’t use it correctly then how am I able to show Mokuzai how much I have grown. Also I feel great! I want to go crazy and I hope I don't lose myself in this battle. Rukasu thought to himself as he kept his snake eyes at Mana as she was in front of him walking to the crater.

The criminal really did not want to show her any weaknesses that he may have but at the same time he wanted to show her every inch of his power. He knew he had the power within him and he was ready to show it to her and hopefully change her mind about her nindo or at least help her consider a different route to take with it. Whichever the case may be Rukasu wanted to help her and only her for some reason. Maybe it was that promise or his little attraction for her. Even still the criminal will never truly admit it to anyone.

The two will reach the crater in a few moments as their training will commence and hopefully Mana will get something out of it so she can use in the future.

Topic Closed / Exit