Happy 21st birthday (open)

[Chigokai Yuna]

Later that day, of having to deal with Maru, of everyone there, and him making a fool of himself by not even paying attention, he needed some time to just sit back and think.

He was at a bar, very few bars around here. He ordered a drink and looked around, not really looking for anything, but just thinking. He was old, not like wrinkly and whatnot, but 21. He thinks it's his birthday. Sometime this week or so. Problem is, is that he doesn't even know. His parents died shortly after his birth. Nobody really knows more about him than he does himself to really tell him anything he doesn't know.

Ziren mainly has just made a day his birthday when he finally came to Konoha so many years ago. His order came, which was only just a drink of something that was like this bar is famous for. He couldn't care less for the name of it though. He just needed time to himself.

Today, he wore a plain red shirt, along with black jeans, his metal arm, left arm, shone in the dim light that was in the bar. His eyes, swirling with blood looked around, this way and that to see if anyone was looking at him. It was a force of habit he has. Something that has kept him alive for so long.

 

[Kashino Yuu]

It has been a hectic week for Yuu and Yuri as they have gone sightseeing to watching the tournament. But today, it was a special one as they decided to wander around the city in their separate ways. For today, Yuu decided to go casual as he wore a simple blue shirt and a violet vest along with black shorts and his usual blue sandals. It might be too simple, but this outfit reminded him a lot of his old outfit when he was back in his original body.

Yet after a few hours of sightseeing, Yuu grew exhausted and with his water bottle empty, he knew a few minutes of rest would be nice before he can continue walking. Stopping by a nearby bar, he walked onto a counter and sat on the seat in front of it. As he did, he was approached by a bartender who gave a confused look to the young Genin. “Um… How old are you, young man?”

“O-Oh… I’m actually 12-years-old. Sorry, it’s because I look like an adult, right?” Yuu then took out the water bottle he carried in his bag and gave it to the bartender. “Don’t worry, I just need a glass of water and a refill of it for my bottle.”

Understanding his reason, the bartender took his bottle to fulfill his request. As he did, Yuu noticed a familiar face in the bar. Much to his surprise, it was the same man that he and Yuri met a few days ago. Seeing this, he waved at Ziren with a smile. “H-Hey! You know me?”

[MFT/WC: 266]

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Ziren tasted the liquid. It didn't settle for him as he thought. How did others enjoy this vile liquid? He slid the glass over and put some yen down. "Just water for me. Guess I don't have the kind of stomach for that kind of drink."

And then he heard a voice. It sounded familiar. He turned his head to see the kid. He was loud, but his heart was in the right place.

"You're the kid. Maybe a bit too loud, but at least you are not even close to being as bad as Maru. Good enough to stand up to him when he was harassing the woman."

Ziren took a sip of his own water. He leaned back in his chair as he sighed. It was a long day indeed for him. "Frankly, I just dealt with him yet again earlier today."

 

[Kashino Yuu]

Yuu smiled at Ziren's compliment, happy that his reckless actions from that day did something right. It somehow became a habit, but at least it was a good one, especially if he wanted to keep protecting the village, especially his family. "Thanks. To be honest, I can't just ignore someone getting abused like that. If I don't, I can't call myself a true shinobi who protects everyone. I'm sorry if I was a bit... overbearing back there..." He frowned as he said this, still remembering his bad first impression in front of him and that woman before. Though he was a bit worried when he mentioned that he met that strange man again.

"Ugh... What is that guy's problem? I know him having a puppet as his body just creeps me out, but just how he treats that woman and what he did in front of the customers just makes me want to arrest that guy." He would give in the urge to punch that bastard with his Chidori, but he knew that it's not how a shinobi would do. Besides, his mother taught him that the best way to avoid people like Maru was to ignore them. It might not be enough, but it was better than breaking his shinobi way. Yuri would have scolded him if he went back to his word anyway.

Yuu then sipped his water before he spoke. "So, um... Ziren, correct? You lived in the same village as that Maru guy before he was kicked out, right? If that's so, then are you a shinobi?"

[MFT/WC: 261]

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Ziren listened as the boy talked. He seems to be pure of heart, something rare to find these days. At least the kid had the right mind set.

He looked at the glass of water that was given to him, thinking of the words to say. "No need to apologise kid. As for Maru and what's with his problem, well... As far as I know, he had once had the powers of demons, I guess it was part of his family line, from some of my talks with him. Me and him fought once before, like a week or so before me, you, and that one woman met. I was with the Hokage, he did something, and I felt like there was a change in Maru. Like there wasn't as much darkness inside of him. Though I figured he desperately hung on to it, since that is the only thing that keeps him sane, if that is what sane is for him. Back in my village, he was known for causing trouble, threatening other ninja and shinobi. There was only one time that I thought he would change for the better, but hearing about him deciding to turn his back on the Leaf, made me open my eyes that he will probably never change."

Ziren thought about all the times he has encountered Maru. He had tried so hard to make Maru be good, to not be all bad as the whole village viewed him as. But alas, he will not listen to him. He has followed his own path, one in which Ziren will not follow.

Then the kid asked if Ziren himself was a shinobi. He brought his right hand out to be in view, and blood came out, in the form of a sphere, before going back into his hand. Thankfully, nobody was really paying attention to what had happened. "Yes. I am part of the Chigokai clan. That clan hails from Cloud. I was born there, but due to...events, I was adopted by a caravan that took me across the world. They soon perished too, and I had to live on my own before finally coming to the Leaf, where I was taken care of, and now I've grown strong enough to take care of others. I will say this. It has been hard to not have anyone that understands what kind of powers you can have, especially from a clan as sinister as my own. I've mainly learned my stuff through books in order to progress through my career as a shinobi. A different approach than that of my other relatives."

 

[Atsushi Nakamura]

Spoiler

Hope it's cool if I join, if you guys want to keep it between the two of you let me know and I will delete this post.

It had been a long, exhausting day for Yugen. He had spent a majority of his day in the arena watching fights with the sun bearing down directly on top of him, and to top it all off, he hadn’t had a chance to eat yet. For this reason, shortly after the last match for the day began, Yugen slipped out of the arena and made his way to the nearest bar. Once inside he noticed two young shinobi, so young that Yugen wondered if they were even old enough to be in the bar, sitting together and conversing with one another.

Yugen made his way to the bar, ordered a drink and some food, and then sat down a few seats away from the two shinobi he noticed when he entered the bar. The two appeared to be talking about someone named Maru, and from the sound of it, neither shinobi liked this Maru person. Yugen looked at the headbands worn by the two, one shinobi was from Leaf and the other from Cloud. It was rare for two shinobi from competing villages to interact in such a friendly manner, but then again that was the purpose of this event. To bring the villages together for something that did not involve killing each other. Of course, Yugen did not belong to a village, at least not anymore, but he had figured that this event would be the perfect time to gauge how powerful each village was before he proceeded with his plans.

The bartender brought his food and drink out and placed it before Yugen. He took a long swig of the beer in front of him before turning his attention to the two shinobi to his right.

"So, are either one of you two shinobi fighting in the tournament?"

MFT

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

As he waited for the kid to say what he thought on Ziren's past and his thoughts on who Maru was, and what he came to be, a man came to sit down to the left of him. He soon struck up a conversation, or a starting to a conversation to him.

"No sir, I've still yet to study all that I want to when it comes to fights and what I would want to do in a fight."

He didn't know how long the man has listened in, but Ziren was at ease, the dude had blood, unlike Maru. So he was sure that all was good. And even if it was Maru, Ziren was sure that he was still weak from his last fight he had with him, when him, Yukio, Soku, and some other guy best him up.

"Mainly just here to see new things, meet new people."

(Ooc: it's cool man)

 

[Kashino Yuu]

Yuu frowned upon hearing his story with Maru. Not only it explained his strange abilities and his choice of Kinjutsu, but he learned that he was a troublemaker in Konoha before his defection. He even felt sorry to Ziren after learning that he tried to believe that Maru can still change before he learned of the harsh reality that he can't. This made him realized something: What would happen if someone he knew would also defect from his village? He hoped that Yuri wouldn't go to that route. He can be a pain, but he was a reliable and good friend despite his origins.

Speaking of origins, his eyes widened to learn what clan Ziren was. Regardless, he reacted with amazement rather than fear upon learning of his hardships to become a shinobi. "Wow, I feel you. To tell you the truth, despite my appearance, I don't belong to any clans back in Cloud. I'm not even an Uchiha." He doesn't know if he can explain his whole situation, but only if Ziren really wanted to know. "But that doesn't stop me from becoming a shinobi. While I did learn through some of the classes from my village's academy, I tried to learn more about jutsus and techniques through books as well. Even if I graduated, I didn't stop learning and training. It's not because I want to be the best in the village. I just want to be strong enough to protect my family and the Cloud village itself."

Just as they continue their conversation, they saw a new face joining them as he asked them if they are fighting in the tournament. "I'm here for the same reason as Ziren. Besides, I would get beaten easily with my current skills right now."

[MFT/WC: 294]

 

[Atsushi Nakamura]

Yugen nodded in acknowledgement of the younger shinobis' comments. It was a good thing to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses, especially when comparing oneself to other shinobi. The two young men couldn’t be more than Chuunin afterall, and the gap between Chuunin and Jounin could be a very large one. Of course, the gap between one Jounin and another could be just as large at times.

“It’s good that the two of you recognize that you have some ways to go before you are ready to compete in something like this.” Yugen said as he was handed a few kebabs and his drink by the man behind the bar. “It is even more telling that you admit that you have much to learn, but books and scrolls are not the only way a shinobi should learn.” Yugen enveloped two of the pieces of meat that were skewered on the stick in his left hand with his mouth before pulling them off. “The best teacher for a shinobi, after all, is experience.” Yugen said, with a full mouth.

Yugen finished chewing his food and took a long swig from his pint glass before continuing. “Tell me, have the two of you ever fought? Not sparring or training with a partner, but really fought? A fight where a single mistake could cost you everything? A fight where one persons story must end?” The mercenary would return to his kebabs while he awaited the two younger shinobis’ reply.

MFT

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

He listened to what Kashino had to say. And then the man whose name Ziren doesn't know of spoke up after him. "It is true, what you say. One can study all that they could possibly ever learn, be the best in the Village even. But there are still others out there who are stronger. I know that this world isn't peaches and cream, as others fight for survival. Though I want to be one of those people to make this world a better place. Possibly even stopping conflicts too."

Then he asked them if they ever had to fight for their lives. There were a few instances in which he had to fight like his life depended on it. The first thought, was when he had met the murderer of his parents and the caravan long time ago. But that didn't really count, as the man had let him go that day.

The second and third instances. "Yeah. I fought a guy that used to be part of my Village before he turned his back to it. The first time, it was only me and the Hokage fighting him. The next time me and him fought, this time, was after he had left the Leaf. It was me and three other people that took him down quickly."

And then there was one other fight. One he doesn't really want to go into details about. "And there was a third fight." He showed them his left metal arm, as he detached it, putting a Genjustu on some of the other people so they won't freak out, only Kashino and the older man would be able to see through it. "It was safe to say that I lost that battle, and had paid the price."

Ziren reattached his arm and dispersed the Genjustu that was put on the other people. He didn't know where this guy was going for with talking about battles and death, but for now, he will have to play this very carefully. He had thought that this guy could be cool to talk to, but he doesn't know.

It might be nothing. He might just be overreacting. Ziren let out a sigh and took a sip of his water.

 

[Kashino Yuu]

He hated to admit it, but Ziren was right. While he dreamt that any shinobi wanted to protect their village, the harsh reality was that there are some who did it for selfish reasons. There are even some of them who wanted to use their occupation for fun or to become stronger. "Same here. I know our reality is not all rainbows and peace, but I still want to be a shinobi just like those people saved me and my sibs when I was little. I don't care if anyone will break my goals or my ideal, I still want to protect everyone in Cloud, especially my family and the neighboring villages."

When another man asked if they fought in a real battle, Yuu just frowned as he tried to remember his past battles. "Other than those bandits running around Kumo, that's the only battles I fought so far." There was even the time that he fought inside his mind to stop Yuri from hurting his sister when he was an aggressive parasite, but he doesn't want to share that experience with some strangers. In fact, that was his limits as he was still a Genin.

 

[Atsushi Nakamura]

Yugen listened to the young shinobi recount some of their previous battles. The Kumogakure shinobi seemed to be the least battle-tested, but there was something about him the caught Yugen's eye. At first Yugen thought it was the boy's naive belief that all shinobi should selflessly serve their country. It was an ideal that Yugen remembered sharing when he was a child. His former master beat that idea out of him though, teaching Yugen that, instead, shinobi were merely weapons and tools for stronger shinobi to control... It wasn't until Yugen activated his Rinnegan that he noticed that there was something more to this young cloud shinobi. He possessed a chakra that was familiar somehow. He quickly deactivated his dojutsu, and turned his attention to the Konohagakure shinobi.

The Leaf shinobi had more experience in battle, apparently. The first experience was with his village's Kage. It must have been amazing for the boy, to watch someone at that level of power fight. It reminded Yugen of the first time he saw his former master's true power. Both awe inspiring and terrifying. The Leaf shinobi also referenced another fight against the same opponent, where he and three others finally eliminated the aforementioned opponent. The last fight was a loss, according to the boy, he then cast a Genjutsu that effected everyone in the bar. Yugen tensed for a second, something that any practiced shinobi might do after sensing the effects of a Genjutsu, but relaxed when he saw that the boy was only doing it to show that he wore a metal arm.

"You know, a simple transformation jutsu would be easier to maintain and would not make shinobi you are unfamiliar with think you are trying to start a fight with them by casting a Genjutsu. Just a suggestion." Yugen said softly, but sternly, as he took another drink. "Besides, you should not be afraid to show off your arm, a good friend of mine has two metal arms. In fact, you may have saw him participating in the tournament. He fought valiantly against a Cloud Shinobi, and barely lost. He used a transformation jutsu to hide his arms as well because they were not normal. He eventually came to learn that which made him different was what made him strong."

Yugen took a few more pieces of meat off of the skewer with his mouth, chasing the food down with another gulp of his drink. "The best way to grow stronger is to fight, you won't always win, but if you live you will always learn. In the end though, what matters most is what you fight for. The day you lose that, is the day that you lose everything. I have fought and defeated opponents that I had no right defeating, simply because they had forgotten why they fought."

"So, young shinobi, what is it that you two fight for?"

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Ziren looked at the man with his permanent bloodified eyes. What he spoke of was true, about a simple transformation than a Genjustu. He simply nodded. After that, he said, "I'm not exactly afraid to show off who I am, it's moreso of how others may react. People are scared of others who are different from them. I don't want them to think I am scary, but considering how I am of the Chigokai clan, the blood users, as some put it, it really sets them off. It doesn't help that my eyes are now swirling with blood permanently like this." He had left out the part of him that has powers over the dead. A Dark Sage to put it lightly. Just those words alone could start a big panic in this bar.

Ziren was actually surprised that nobody gave him dirty looks when they see his eyes that are filled with blood. No irises even there. And then the man went on to talk about what it is that they fight for, what motivates them to fight.

He sighed, then spoke, "I fight for change. Not just any kind if change. A change for the better. A change in which people can go to sleep at night without having to worry. Without the threat of death and despair on the doorstep of my Village, or any of the other Villages for that matter. Though I know it is baseline impossible to search for that kind of peace, and even with this said, blood will be spilt, for those of who just want to cause harm, and death, and despair to others. I would also like to learn about why they chose that path so that I can make sure no other future similar problems like that arises ever again."

 

[Kashino Yuu]

Upon seeing Ziren's mechanical arm and his Genjutsu, he was surprised that he used it to hide it from others' eyes. Despite this, he didn't react with shock or horror as he said, "Well, I'm just a bit disturbed about your arm. But I'm amazed at how you used your Genjutsu to hide it for so long. I doubt I can even use it to hide from any bandit who might ambush me." He was thinking about using it to hide from his mother's wrath, but he rather not divulge that embarrassing memory. "But other than your arm and your eyes, it doesn't scare me a lot. In fact, I think you managed to overcome your hardships to get here. I have to overcome mine to make sure I won't use my abilities in the wrong hands."

As for Yuren's question, Yuu thought about it for a few seconds, not only wondering about his ideal but also why he wanted to be a shinobi in the first place. "For me, I fight to not only defend my home village but to avoid anyone misusing any kind of power they have. Just like Ziren said, there are some who became a shinobi for selfish purposes. To tell you the truth, I do possess powerful abilities during one incident." He then stared at his hand, remembering the events that caused him to obtain the Rinnegan and his current body that he possessed right now. "However, I rather want to train myself to use them correctly. Just mishandling it may cause my family's lives. And just thinking about people with the same powerful abilities and jutsus makes me worried. Because of that, I want to prevent any kind of danger that any bloodline or Kinjutsu-related abilities has and make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands."

 

[Atsushi Nakamura]

Yugen listened to both of the younger shinobi as they explained what they fought for. Both gave noble reasons, if not a little generic. Make the world a better place, defending your home, trying to understand the ‘why’ behind certain people’s actions. Yugen had heard it all before, and while he did not think less of the two shinobi for thinking that way, it made him realize just how young these two really were.

The world that Yugen and these young men lived in was not kind to with people, especially shinobi, which such high morals. When Yugen was fresh out of the academy he along with many of his classmates shared similar sentiments. Now, over a decade later, many of those same classmates were now dead or missing with a few who relocated to other villages. Most of the surviving members held deep and dark secrets from past deeds that they never would have imagined committing when they were younger, Yugen included. Such was the life of a soldier, you follow orders, and sometimes those orders are for you to do the incomprehensible. Whether that be taking the life of a person who seems harmless, leaving your comrades behind, or killing a person you thought was a friend but was revealed as a spy. This was the life Shinobi lived, and sooner or later these two boys would have to come to terms with that or die.

“I have no village or family, I have nothing to protect in the same way the two of you do." Yugen replied as he looked into his drink, ”I fight for the people that cannot, I do it because it’s what I have been trained my whole life for. I do it so others can attempt to live regular, happy lives. I don’t try and fool myself into thinking that we will ever achieve lasting peace. I don’t try and understand my enemies. All I want is to try and help those who I can. I envy you two for having families and villages to fight for. I hope the world goes easier on the two of you then it did for me and my former village’s shinobi, but you need to understand that your lives will only get more difficult from here on out. As you rise in the ranks of your villages you will be required to sacrifice more and more of yourself to whatever cause the Kage fight for.” Yugen finished his drink, and pulled himself up from his chair. He then handed the barkeep a pouch of yen and motioned towards the two shinobi he had been talking to earlier.

”I’ll cover what these two are having, I imagine this should be more than enough.” The barkeep peaked inside the pouch and nodded his approval towards Yugen. The mercenary turned his attention back towards the two young shinobi. ”It was a pleasure meeting the two of you, the best of luck in your journeys home.” Yugen then turned and made towards the door of the bar. If he was not stopped by one of the other two shinobi’s he would disappear in a puff of smoke, as he was summoned away by another one of his paths.

MFT
(OOC: It was fun RPing with you two, but I gotta run!)
[Topic left unless stopped]

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Ziren looked over at Kashino. "Genjustu is not exactly my forte, just something that I only pulled off just now in order for the other patrons of this place to not freak out about a man removing his left arm with little effort."

As the man that had come and joined them started talking, Ziren listened. Then he started to figure out this man. He was a shinobi who was a wanderer. One that either doesn't have a Village or they had kicked him out. But the way he talked made Ziren think that the guy wasn't as all bad now that he was talking about helping those who can't help themselves. The little people.

"If the world went easier on us, then how are we supposed to learn to fight for what we believe in. To truly see if we will back up and won't go back on our word."

But the man had left. And Ziren wouldn't want to waste his time if he was in a hurry. Instead, he turned to the kid that sat beside him.

"Let me tell you about someone I once knew. Someone who wanted me dead. It is something I am not proud of, and not comfortable talking about. My brother."

Ziren paused for a second, and then spoke up once again. "Jirosho had ordered someone to kill my parents, mine and his, when he was only seven years old. I was then taken in by a caravan, in which I have seen the killer that he had once hired before. After that had happened, everyone in that caravan died in a fire except for me. At thirteen, I met this killer for a third time, this time, he attacked me, but let me escape. Some odd years down the road, I find out I have a brother. Chigokai Jirosho. He wanted me dead for reasons unknown. But one thing keeps repeating in my mind. He wanted me to get stronger so that me and him would fight with all of our powers. He claimed that if he could kill me at my strongest, that he could do anything. I proved him wrong by killing him."

He let that sink into the kid's head. Then he spoke up once again. "Jirosho spoke of how this was far from over. After his death, I would have nightmares of the man who has been hunting me down since I was born."

 

[Kashino Yuu]

"Good point." Well, at least he wasn't like Maru. He cared for how will the people react to his missing arm and he didn't want anyone to panic over it. In fact, he was starting to admire the Konoha shinobi.

While he met several shinobi outside his village like Ziren, he never met a wanderer until now. To Yuu, wanderers might be similar to bandits, but unlike them, they seemed to be a wild card when it came to their morals. But when he listened to Yugen, he felt he might be the type to protect anyone and live a normal life. But upon hearing his advice regarding he had to make sacrifices as his only option, Yuu grew worried. He wanted to retain his sense of justice and morals, but what if there was a situation that he threw what he learned a way to save someone? What if something happened to his family? Would he break his moral code to save them? Or he would throw away his humanity to do so? These are the many questions that Yugen gave him as he left the bar.

"Sure thing. I hope we'll meet again." Yuu gently smiled as he saw the mercenary left the bar.

Turning his attention back to Ziren, he listened to his plight regarding his family's fate and how he had to kill his brother to avenge his parents and the caravan's death. Hearing this made him more worried about his family's safety and how his enemies would do anything to haunt him even in his memories. He frowned at these thoughts as he looked at Ziren again. "I-I'm sorry to hear that. Though just hearing that makes me feel guilty at myself."

[MFT/WC: 287]

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

As the two of them sat there, Ziren sighed. Once the kid said that he was sorry for him, he nodded.

"It's okay. It's stuff like that, that is a constant reminder that some things will never change. Only to just make it happen less. To teach us to become stronger than when we were before."

Then the kid said from what Ziren said about his own family ties, that he felt guilty.

"What are you guilty for? You have done no wrong against me." He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the kid before him.

(OOC: sorry that it is such a short post)

 

[Kashino Yuu]

Yuu nodded as he looks at his glass of water. "Actually, I had a normal life before I became a shinobi. I thought I was happy and lucky that I avert some kind of disaster thanks to the shinobi that saved me and my siblings. But after hearing your story, I felt so guilty that I have a happy childhood and you have to endure your tragedies in your life."

Despite he was saddened by this, he quickly smiled as he sips his glass of water. "But like you said, there is stuff that helps us remind to be strong for the others' sake. I endured many missions back home to protect my village. Not to mention I have to endure that time when I obtained my Kinjutsu. Everything is not easy for us, but I feel that's how we get stronger every day."

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

He drank the water that he had and upon hearing what Kashino had to say, Ziren put the glass down.

"Don't be guilty. I've had a rough life, yes. But I've also learned to live with it. Get stronger so that I can make myself ready for when the man that has hunted me down so many years ago to come find me again. To get stronger so that I can defend the ones that I love and care the most. The best thing I can say is hold close those people that mean the most to you. Cherish every moment you have with them, because you never know if it will be your last moment with them. My life was stolen away from me. Who knows, if my parents were still alive, and my brother not a crazed man, I would have been grown up differently, as a shinobi of the Clouds rather than a shinobi of the Leaf."

He could tell the kid was a bit sad about all of this. Ziren let out a small sigh and said this. "Don't lose your innocence. Your purity. No matter how much the world pushes you to the brink of insanity, you need to show the world that you can overcome any obstacle thrown at you."

Ziren got up and started to walk away, only to stop and turn his head slightly over his shoulder. "I have to take my leave now. I've already been invited to go to Kumogakure, but have a few things to settle down in my own Village first. Maybe until then we can converse again." With that said, Ziren turned back around and walked through the door and into the busy Tea streets of busy, bustling people walking all about.

(Ooc: tlus. Was great to rp with you, Yuu. Hope to meet your character again in the future)