A moment of silence needed (private, pm to enter)

[Chigokai Yuna]

Ziren had found himself at the cemetery. It was the very next day, after his arrival at the Cloud Gates. Spending time with his family was a new thing for him. Sure he had Hana and the babies in Leaf. But Yuna and Moji are more grown now. Five years old. Heh, Moji seemed energetic, as Yuna seems to take after Ziren and be a quiet type of person.

Last night, he will remember forever. But today. Actually this morning. As the sun was steadily rising, Ziren came to the cemetery, where his parents were buried. What was sad is he never knew their names, but at least with his dark sage abilities, he should be able to see the spirits and be able to find out which one is his parents, if they chose to stay here on Earth, or decided to go on.

But the Medical Chief got his answer soon enough when he found their graves, but no spirits to coincide with them. "Chigokai Amala and Chigokai Kru, mother and father of Chigokai Jirosho and Chigokai Ziren." And then it had the years of their birthday, and the year they both died. Their graves were small, not even a head stone, just a stone tablet in the ground signifying they were buried there.

Even though, they are now gone, Ziren spoke, "Hey Mom and Dad. I finally made it here. I don't know what kind of son you would expect to see. I know I'm more different than any others of the Chigokai blood. But that's what makes me, me. I'm sorry, that you both died." With that said, Ziren kneeled down and let blood come out of his right hand to form two roses made of blood. He set them down on the two graves.

"I've learned to harness the full power of my blood. And don't worry about the roses getting ruined. As long as I am alive, the roses will keep their form." Some tears started to fall from his eyes as he spoke.

 

[Seijin]

Somehow he knew that he'd find the boy here. Of course he hadn't exactly known every nook and cranny of Ziren's original file but he knew enough now to know that he'd find him among the graves. A simple but defiantly touching moment, the cold bite of the chill in the air required a coat, one in which Musashi was definitely willing to wear. Snug against his body, and fluffy to just the right degree, he dared to go without his mask though the hood on his coat was up and cover his features to those that might be staring from afar. Looking somewhat like a snow man due to the color of the coat matching the background of a lazy day just after a fresh but light snow, he made his way to Ziren who seemed to be lost in thought. "No fate but what we make . . . memories may fade but the deepest scars always linger." His words, though somewhat calloused, spoke to the deeper truth of life itself. Deep, like the voice that they emanated from, Musashi stood a good meter or two's length away from Ziren. He didn't have to totally announce himself, his blood would do that all by its lonesome, whether he liked it or not.

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Hearing a familiar blood flow, Ziren turned his head slightly a bit, only enough to catch the size of the figure and think, the ANBU operative, from the Gates. The Chigokai turned back to the graves, until the operative spoke.

Frozen in place, his mind was thinking. That blood flow sounded familiar, because it is familiar. So does that voice. Ziren took a second look at the figure, to see a face beneath the hood of the cloak. Turning back to the graves of his parents, the Medical Chief spoke, "Sometimes, I wonder how things would have played out differently, that night my parents died. What if my brother wasn't a sociopath that sent a mercenary to kill my parents when he was only seven? What if the mercenary in question was just an undercover shinobi to throw Jirosho in jail? But..." Ziren stopped. "The past is in the past. Those responsible for the death of my parents are both dead. And that hasn't brought them back one bit. In some ways, I feel emptiness."

Ziren hesitated for a few seconds, before speaking once more. "I've heard things happening in Leaf. While I've been in a coma. Things that are just as bad, if not worst than what Jirosho and the mercenary that he had hired have ever done. The current Hokage. Takeshi. Let people murder children, and even promoted them for doing so." He's heard it from two other people, so why is he seeing if it is the same as asking a third person? Because, even as much as he hates Takeshi, he wouldn't think the falling Hokage would go as low as letting something like that slide.

"Another question, one you don't have to answer or say anything about. But it isn't everyday that a person gets invited to come to Cloud by a former Hokage to live there, but two former Hokage? What made you two decide to go to Cloud for who knows how many years ago? Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad. More curious, seeing if it has anything to do with Takeshi. I look up to both you and Yomi. Even once looked up to Takeshi, until he gave me reason not to." Ziren finished, showing Umashi the silver metal left arm. "Punished me for hurting his family, even when that wasn't even my intentions. Ironically enough, the person wasn't even his blood, and he brought in my wife and another Uchiha girl to be punished alongside me. Guess having the same kind of blood and name doesn't really matter to him. Only as long as they nod their heads and dumbly do as he wants them to do is he fine with them."

 

[Seijin]

He spoke to much . . . Extending a hand with which to greet the boy (at least in his mind), he instead moved it pocket the hand instead. Sighing, he shook his head. "Perhaps you have me mistaken with someone else, someone that you used to know." Moving to stand a little closer to the guy and to close the distance, instead of stopping, he walked a few short steps beyond the graves as he continued to speak. "The name's Yamamoto Musashi . . . but I have heard of this Hokage fellow that you speak of. A shame really, the future seemed so promising from Konoha. Surely you've heard of how the last dictator was ousted in Konoha, no?"

Smirking and shaking his head, he looked to a nearby leafless tree. Allowing himself to reminisce, he recounted the tale of the one called Umashi. "Some say that Yamaguchi Kami, the Shodaime was drunk with power, some say that he was simply too young and immature to carry the mantle. Whatever the case, he put his Sennin in a precarious position. Would the man oust a Hokage who had given him a new home and a new direction, or would he simply mind his business for the sake of stability?"

Pausing, he shook his head and exhaled loudly. "We all know how it went down, that man ended up becoming the next Hokage and in the process was unable to avoid a Civil War happening. What the books won't tell you though, is that that Hokage knew that there was a chance at history to repeat, that at the height of his power he chose to do everything to keep from playing the role of judge, jury and executioner. You simply know that he stepped away, never to be heard from again, but what you couldn't know is that in the end, it hurt him more to stay than to simply leave and let history run its course."

Looking down to kick at a small mound of snow, he dug his boot into the white powder and sighed. "You either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. There rarely is a middle ground to stand on in the end." In a word, Musashi had closed that chapter of his life, there could be no returning to the days of long ago. He'd been the villain, then the hero and now it was simply time for him to step away. Ziren had been hurt, but he would heal. Konoha's fate was left up to those that were left and that was all that the rest of them could take solace in.

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Ziren listened to the man speak. Either Ziren has mistaken this person for someone else, or Umashi doesn't want to go by that name anymore for reasons of what he just said about his reign as Hokage and how a civil war was about, and how he stepped away.

The Chigokai never knew the truth about the whole thing, it was just he had one Hokage one day, and then the next, it was Takeshi. After the new alias Musashi has finished speaking, Ziren then said, "What I saw, when Umashi was Hokage, was a Village at peace. You see, the thing is, I ignore things people say, because those are basically rumors, of people wanting to start drama. I only believe things they say, if I actually see the things that are wrong. And I haven't seen anything wrong with Umashi the Hokage. Frankly, I've never been known to think of a civil war would even be a possibility with Umashi or Yomi in charge. But the current Hokage, Takeshi. The things I've heard about him since I've woken up from a coma. Now they could be rumors, as I've said before. But I know him to be ruthless. Merciless. He doesn't really care, unless if you can just be a tool for him to use. So I wouldn't be surprised if there was a civil war happening in Leaf right now."

The last part Musashi had to say was something that Ziren sees differently on. "Forgive me, but I say that is wrong. I only say this, because I am living proof. Now, I rarely talk up about myself, so don't get used to thinking I'm all about myself. I. Chigokai Ziren. I am from a bloodline know to be one of the most sinister clans to ever exist. To give into blood lust and leave ravaged lands to make the battlefield look more like after a horror movie is done filming. You know what I did? I've stopped giving into bloodlust entirely, making my movements during battle cold and precise, a cool head with being able to hear the blood of the enemy is a dangerous combination. Secondly, I am a dark sage. Ones that have gone into the darker side of life to learn about necromancy, bringing back the dead for evil deeds. Me? I use this dark power for good. To not get corrupted by the darkness that is now is me. In fact, I've given a spirit a second chance to redeem himself, after he betrayed Leaf. Making him a better person, erm, spirit. With all the things happening to me, one would think that I would snap. But I haven't. And I will not. I have a family I care about. And people in Leaf that I care about. And that is why..." Ziren hesitated for a few seconds. "I'm going to become the Hokage of Leaf someday. Someday, when things get back to normal, when parents won't have to worry about their children causing a little bit of ruckus, I will return to Leaf. Of course, it will be after Takeshi's dictatorship has ended. I won't punish people to the degree of traumatizing them or even killing them. I will only save the killing for the harshest of lawbreakers. Those who actually do, deserve to die. You see. I have a knack of proving people wrong, or sometimes making the impossible, possible. Heck, I've proved the current Hokage wrong twice. And technically, I should have been dead two years ago. Been in a coma in Water, after all. After a battle with the very person that murdered my parents, along with fighting monsters left and right in Water. Impossible that I'm alive. But alive, I am. If someone says that I can't do something, without any real justification behind it, or if I think that they are just plain wrong, I'll prove it to them. And I haven't been wrong so far. Though some believe that our fates are all already decided. I'd like to think that we can make our own destinies." For right now, Ziren does have to accept the fact that he must stay hidden. Be a shadow. But he won't stay that way for long. All he must do right now is be patient, and wait for the opportunity to present itself to finally show his face in Konoha. So that people know that he isn't dead.

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

(topic left due to life things)