Meanwhile, at the bat cave... (Private)

[Rega]

The underground network of caves in the forest seemed poorly documented in Kumogakure. It wasn't because of lack of resources or abilities, but simply because of one girl from twenty years ago, who had made the forest her home and proceeded to expand them after the demon invasion. With each of her trophies, she managed to expand upon the capabilities of her home. There was an underwater demon who produced pockets of air, a fire demon whose body never stopped burning, and a wood demon whose touch produced roots and vines. Now quite defeated, their bodies were re-purposed by Daki into providing an isolated bunker that was largely self sustaining. The flames produced power, the air circulated from the husk to keep the occupant alive, and the earthy blessing provided both stability for the shelter and even a rather bland but tolerable diet. Her method, however, was significantly more draconian, keeping them unconscious and at the cusp of death, which in turn limited their abilities and left them howling for an end in their unending nightmares....

Upon transferring the Black Aces ANBU faction to Rega, the two surviving Gateru members were given the underground bunker while Daki went out to explore the world with her son. The first thing they noticed was that after a couple of weeks, there was palpable demonic aura all over the place, and it was drawing attention from local wildlife. This would not do... and since they were both sages handling life and death, they of course quickly went with the easiest solution.

Upon their deaths, the aura dropped, and they were free to make unliving home furniture out of the trio. Now unburdened with their limited output, they had the ability to expand a spacious underground home into a full-fledged military fortification, complete with further underground laboratory for their society-shunned science. It was an ideal environment for mad experimentation... Until work got in the way, one fateful day.

Rana had been sennin of the medical branch for only a short while, but she did her best to promote the agenda of Kumogakure by saving normally considered hopeless cases with higher powered ninja. This was how they came to meet Natsu, who was ruined by cancer of an almost otherworldly nature, reproducing too rapidly for any chakra art to burn away completely. Rana knew that the methods she was best at would not be well received in the hospital, so she replaced the body with a spare (which the sister duo made plenty of in the course of their research) and brought him down to their base of operations. Rega had lived most of her life with other people living inside her body, so the concept of removing non-sentient matter seemed like her cup of tea. Combined with her recent separation from her mother, a potent med-nin in her own right and now capable of manifesting in her own body, and her sister's unrivaled anatomical knowledge, they quickly removed the cancer and patted themselves on the back!

But it didn't end there. Almost immediately, before their eyes, the cancer grew back and threatened the life of the patient. It was as though a parasite was eating away at the host's soul, and there was nothing physical to remove. That was when inspiration struck... Drawing from the demonic wastes left over from their construction project, Rega began a new idea, poisoning the cancer cells with dark energies, much akin to the process of making a cursed seal. The process was a complete success, and stabilized the patient, but at a cost. Tampering with the biology of the demons seemed to resonate with their formerly inactive bodies, causing their aura to resonate in turn. Faced with discovery of their lab, the sisters quickly ejected the patient and escorted him back to the hospital while the ANBU captain wove a tale and fabricated a battle scene to make it appear as though her demonic powers had simply flared up in mock combat with wild creatures of the forest.

Over the next few months, things died down and her sister disappeared into her research, but not before leaving a note with their oblivious patient that there might be side effects worth looking into, and where to meet up with somebody who could help. In the middle of the ancient forest, led by a tiny contract familiar, the Jounin would find himself for the first time looking upon the woman who was responsible for saving his life and tainting his body forever... In her pajamas, wondering what the hell he was doing standing directly above her bedroom. "I know you... you're mister 'I like being in a coma on the brink of death, and I love wasting time and energy perpetuating an illness'. What the hell are you doing in my neck of the woods?!"

MFT, Cursed Solar Seal given to No Datsu provided he has the ASP, Word Count :: 809

 

[Hameru Ren]

"You tell me." Natsu shot back at the woman. The Shinobi had awakon with a very odd note hidden away in his belongings. It had been as surprising as the news that still no inventions had been made to progress international long-range communications. Having been a big fan of the indie movie 'Future to the back', the man had found it a major let down to not see everyone tapping away at devices to inform their friends several oceans away about what they'd had for dinner. Such a missed opportunity. Yet neither had been quite as ridiculous as the instructions on the note. "Head to the semi-young oak, on the northwestern bank of the south river when interpreting the map from a southern point of view.". Seriously? And when he'd finally managed to figure out the intended location, some critter had incessantly nudged him until he'd given in. Considering everything up to that point, he guessed it'd somehow belonged to the sender of the note. And based on her accusation, he looked to be right.

Now mind you, Natsu was not the type of idiot who just follow instructions on a mysterious note he didn't even know the source of. However, it'd been two weeks since he'd been dismissed from the hospital. Two weeks he'd spent almost exclusively at the Academy. Pushing his body to the limits. The results were not satisfying whatsoever. His reflexes had become more sluggish, his body revealed some sort of stiffness in it's movements and he felt exhausted for sooner. Something had eaten away at his constitution, and perhaps still was. "The Medical Chief told me I'd made a miraculous recovery, seemingly overnight. Yet I don't remember seeing Shinbatsu, Aoin nor the great Raiden himself. So then it probably was you. Who are you, and what did you do? I want to know all of it."

[Word Count: 311]
[Marked for Training]

 

[Rega]

The long haired woman stared at the former cancer victim, before sighing and shaking her head. It was bad to bring anybody to her base, but in this circumstance the fellow probably had a right to know how his life was saved. Using her ANBU snapshot jutsu, while obscuring the background with a little excess chakra, she showed how the man’s bloody surgery started out with a rampant, unforgiving parasite of illness was beyond even the sharpest scalpel and harshest radiation. ”For the record, I met Shinbatsu once, and he blessed me with his acceptance as a member of ANBU, so your being in my hands is pretty fortunate. That being said… you were a goddamned mess.”

Shaking away the memory, she took a step forward and put her weaponry down, confident that this man wouldn’t be a threat to the lady who saved his life. ”I managed to cure you with the help of my sister, and something a little… dark, but what you really need to know is that you no longer have cancer!.. And you have a few ticks of something dark and sinister and inspired by the demon clans preventing it from ever coming back at the expense of eating away at your sanity and chakra coil… but it does come with some perks!”

Flexing her arm and showcasing her dark chakra for a moment, her limb grew in size to something clearly not fitting a human being, and generated a terrible aura that likely sent any wildlife into a frenzy to escape the area. The moon seemed to shine less, the ground became less sturdy, and Rega’s smirk almost felt malicious. ”We of the ninja breed, after all, feed on weaknesses and transcend mortality, right? Tell me, what do you know about cursed seals and how they are applied?”

Also throwing a Gaia Seal on Donut as of 2/24, Marked for Training, Word Count :: 304

 

[Hameru Ren]

It was an odd thing seeing yourself via the Snapshot technique. Especially if that version of you was cut open and had people poking in there with sharp objects. Natsu would like to say it gave him a sense of perspective and he'd now take more care with his nutrition.. But there was no way in hell he'd give up on donuts. Rega cut off the images. "That being said.. you were a goddamned mess." The Jonin couldn't exactly disagree with that. And it confirmed his suspicions that the Medical Chief had been rather incompetent. Even if it had been a particularly stubborn cancer, the man should've been at least been able to tell other forces had been at work. Or maybe he didn't, but simply hadn't had the balls to say it?

"I managed to cure you with the help of my sister, and something a little… dark, but what you really need to know is that you no longer have cancer!" Well.. That certainly is good news! Natsu was about to thank the woman, but she continued before he could do so. Dark, sinister, demon what now? The shinobi's eyes narrowed as Rega happily prattled on, before twisting her arm into.. something. The blonde honestly couldn't tell what it was, though the ominous aura it sent out certainly was a nice touch. "I know only the basics." Natsu replied honestly. "Chakra-laced seals, manifesting themselves as tattoos over the victim's bodies. Capable of boosting them beyond human limits and driving them insane."

A chill crept along Natsu's back. He had spotted no such markings on his body. He was not suddenly able to leap taller buildings than before, nor had his eyes changed colors. Yet his Chakra had felt.. wrong. The Jonin had attributed it to the unfamiliarity after his coma. "Furthermore, they're applied via a sealing technique. And as far as I've gathered, Dark Sages possess knowledge of more obscure and powerful seals." Natsu took a moment to process all the information, even though he'd given most of it himself. "Is that what you've done? Is that how the cancer is controlled?" Given a positive response, he'd press on. "What are the effects of the seals you've scribed upon me? And why do I not notice them on my body?"

 

[Rega]

Rega sighed at the reply she got in regards to the nature and effects of cursed seals. There seemed to be so much negative information out there, no doubt spread by that damned slut-cow who used to run the medical branch after Rana took a hiatus! Still, it could not be helped and it certainly was not the fault of this young man, so the ANBU captain shook her head and did her best to regain her more cheerful composure. ”I certainly wouldn’t say they drive a person insane, but you probably don’t want to activate their full power in the presence of weaker company. Honestly, with a little training and diligence, you’ll only ever be a threat to the people who challenge your strength anyways! As for why you can’t currently see the markings on your body…”

That was a much more peculiar topic to handle, and if she showed the details of it in her snapshot jutsu, she worried the man might throw up all his donuts. ”You know how Hachimon are able to train their bodies to touch at their absolute potential at the cost of damaging their muscular system? I attempt to do that without the whole training part with my seals, and yet nobody considers those meat-heads to be dark creepy necrophiliacs! Honestly, the injustices in the world…

Anyways, this does make your chakra coil a little… wild, as a result, and my method is WAY more painful but vastly more ethical than traditional dark seals! It only requires a small amount of animal blood, don’t even have to kill it, painted directly onto the underside of the muscles and that way they don’t manifest on the skin until the patient’s chakra coil has had time to heal! So you managed to come all the way here and not tip off anyone, even yourself! I’d call that positive and good medical progress, if I do say so myself!” Her smile was absolutely beaming at this point, excessively proud at her handiwork.

Marked for training, Astral Seal also tacked on to the man-ring of deliciousness using the free weekly DS seal for 3/8/16, Word Count :: 335

 

[Hameru Ren]

Animal blood? Why that hardly sounds any kind of hygienic! Natsu was about to interject, but let it slide. The woman had more to say, and it was already too late anyway. It did make him question the woman's work ethics however. It started with a bit of animal blood and before you'd know you woke up on an operation table with antlers on your head and a tail sprouting from your back. There probably already were such people on the world but Natsu wasn't keen on joining their ranks. Besides, going by the woman's example, he could already morph his limbs into some decidedly non-human shapes.

"I'll take your word on it being positive.. But you still have not quite answered my question, have you? Which seals did you scribe upon me, and what are their effects? Natsu pressed on. It was one thing to mess around with his body without his approval, but not being informed on the consequences.. Why, that was just rude! "Furthermore, could you also indicate where you scribed them?" The Jonin queried. Though it probably was not necessary per say, Natsu figured it'd be easier mentally to activate the seals if he could imagine their location. Which brought him to his next issue, one he asked Rega about once she'd answered him. "How do I activate them? Simply pump Chakra into it until it manifests?"

Once he was given an affirmative answer, the blonde had a final question remaining. "Given my current state, you are capable of containing me and kill me if need be, yes?" If I'd fly off the handle, no matter how little the chance, I want to die a quiet death rather than rampaging through the Village. He finished mentally, though would not vocalize his concerns. Something to do with male stubbornness, or perhaps pride. The Shinobi focused, willing chakra to amass at a point between his shoulder blades. Rega had indicated it earlier, and sure enough, Natsu felt an odd sensation crawling into his system.

"Hold up! You might want to take of your shirt.. give your savior a little show, if nothing else." Rega teased him, seeing what he was planning. Natsu paused, eager to discover the 'gift' the woman had been praising so much earlier, but relented. After all, who knew what could end up happening. He'd hate to rip the shirt and have to buy a new one. Taking off the garment without much care, he continued from earlier. His Chakra was directed to the point in his mind, ready to break the figurative barrier keeping everything in check. Pushing it just a bit further, a sudden flood of Chakra surged into his system, threatening to boil him over. It was wild, savage and overwhelming. It was a raw, feral type of power. And it felt good. Almost addictive. While Natsu felt the rush of power inside his body, Rega would see it manifest on the outside as well. Thick lines painted themselves on his back, flowing into a rather vague shape. A horizontal line of sorts, curling into a circle in the middle. "Astral Seal." She simply remarked.

Natsu smiled, breathing a bit more labored than before. "I'm pushing on then." He remarked, as he forced the imaginary seal back onto the foreign Chakra. It was difficult, as if it was trying to resist his attempts at control. Yet it had to relent to it's host. And that host continued to the next point on his back. It was a bit lower on his back and offered the very same sensation. No hesitance, Natsu also broke that limitation, and was once more greeted by the full brunt of raw power. The tattoo this time presented itself in four segments, directly under the first's center. The Jonin quickly reigned it back into control, alluring as it was to test the full capabilities of the seal. "Heaven Seal."

Natsu nodded, as he once more collected his calm. The sensation he'd earlier labelled as almost additive had evolved into very addictive. He wanted a bigger rush. And how to better to do, than to go for the combo? His Chakra was willed into two different points this time, to the right and left of the Heaven seal. A deep breath, and then the Chakra flowed into him. It almost turned out to be a fatal mistake. He wasn't back to full strength, nor did he possess much experience over Seals of any kind. For an instant, the Jonin felt regret for his decision, thinking how shitty of a way it was to die. The next, he shelved the thought and fought for control. Over his own body no less.

The seals responded to their owner, though it was no simple feat. In their wake, they too left their mark on the Shinobi's back however. A thin line extended upwards from each of the points, before splitting at the bottom. Two more strokes joined them, finishing the symbol on his back. With just a bit of imagination, it could be identified as a scale. A balance of natural and borrowed power. Of order and chaos. Of life and death. Or, as the inventors had intended, to measure the weight of postal packages. But that latter sure sounded far less epic and inspiring. "Solar and Gaia. That's all of 'em."

"I.. Thank you. You were not lying about their power. I'll have to master them, certainly.. But this should restore me to my previous capabilities. No, surpass them is more likely." Natsu reasoned, genuinely sounding impressed by the gifts he'd received. "Is there a way I can repay you?" He asked, ignoring the fact that acquiring any goods or favors could be more difficult than imagined due to his 4-year break.

[Word Count: 950]
[Marked for Training]
[OoC: Verified with Rega on the spoken lines by the character.]

 

[Rega]

It was fun watching her experiment not only come back to life happily, but tinker with her improvements! So few were brave enough to even come and ask, not that she made the fruits of her labor public knowledge, but this man had been directed by her sister to just come say hi and check in, and he was already eager to muster enough power to endanger the village! With her handiwork, it’d probably be possible, but she shook her head and smiled real wide to ease the shirtless man’s fears. ”Oh, I promise you that me and my squad are capable, prompt, and thorough when it comes to the manufacturer’s warrantee. Would hate for that slut-cow to come out of quasi-retirement and critique ME for ethics and responsibility after all!”

The symbols were just a little bit of icing on the cake. In his current state, he was barely playing with the mass of fire burning under his skin and keeping his perplexing ailment in permanent check. She was dying with anticipation as he observed his own enhancements, before he finally offered her thanks and even payment! The thought had never crossed her mind, and it actually caught her somewhat off guard to be asked about compensation for her work. Shaking a scolding finger at the blonde, she kept her chipper attitude while adopting a more serious tone. ”To strengthen the village is my goal, and to save our champions is nothing a patriot of Kumogakure should be thanked for as it is duty decreed by lordgod Shinbatsu himself! However, there is one teensy weensy thing you could do that would mean the world to a poor struggling woman of science and industry!.. Keep this between us, okay? And if you ever hear anybody ranting to ‘burn the witch in the forest’, try dampening some hostilities and maybe matches?”

There were so many penises to trip over in the hierarchy that it felt like she’d always stepped on somebody’s dick just trying to find a place in the world, and as her experience with leaders had proven, junk kickers were quickly bumped off. Even with her experience as an ANBU, she was getting more and more worried about her own safety in these troubled times, and it never helped to have supporters, particularly cute boys! With a nervous cough, she changed the mood once again, not wanting to end their meeting on such a sour note. ”But now that you’ve had the tour, is it safe to say you’re satisfied with my care?”

Marked for Training, Heaven Seal given to Dodo Nutters using my weekly free seal for 3/24. Word Count :: 424

 

[Hameru Ren]

Such noble intentions! Truly this woman cared for the Village and, as most ANBU, the fabled Shinbatsu. Natsu would have to adjust his initial judgement regarding the woman. She'd indeed proven her worth, both as surgeon and scriber. "Keep this between us, okay? And if you ever hear anybody ranting to ‘burn the witch in the forest’, try dampening some hostilities and maybe matches?” He laughed out loud. "Consider your request granted. Though if any do happen to mistake you for a witch, they should not be living in a village full of Shinobi." He considered the odds of it happening and shook his head. "In any case, should you find such individuals exist anyway, don't hesitate to contact me. In that regard.. I don't believe I'd heard your name yet?"

Looking over his arms and body, no massive changes were visible in his body. There was the ink on his back, though he couldn't see that for obvious reasons. No bulging muscles or hair turned spikey and yellow. No extra limbs grown or the sudden appearance of a sailor outfit. Good. The Spymaster was used to being able to disappear into a crowd. Such obnoxious things would only attract attention. "But now that you’ve had the tour, is it safe to say you’re satisfied with my care?" The woman requested, to which Natsu nodded. "Most pleased." He'd make to sure to mark the glade as a 5-star rating yelp when he got home. "I might return a few times in these first few weeks, should I have any further questions or concerns. I hope you don't mind?"

 

[Rega]

Being asked her name, Rega stopped for a moment and frowned as she recalled the incident with the insufferable kiss-ass that had through untold magics stalked her in the middle of the forest and scolded her, a superior in the ranks and older veteran, for not adhering to the policies of and tattling to one of the shortest lived and most disliked ANBU sennin in the history of the organization. She hated giving the man any hint of power, but ever since that run-in, she had been hesitant where she’d normally give her title and clan affiliation with pride and gusto. That would end this minute, the kunoichi thought to herself as she took a deep breath before practically yelling. ”I am Rega Gateru, Black Aces captain and acting sennin of the ANBU branch, sister to Rana Gateru who ran the Med-nin branch somewhere around the time of your unfortunate illness!”

She took a breath after making a scene about the display, albeit in the middle of nowhere in the forest with only a single man to witness it, but she took up a haughty posture and grinned with pride in the aftermath. ”She actually is the one who originally brought me to you, prior to going on a journey to find the resting places of our siblings. Pity her replacement had to get… political, but the Kage and myself sorted that mess out at least! As for my request… well, the path to Sagehood has a lot of possible routes, and I’m fairly dedicated to mine, so… things could always happen. Should you ever need my services again, just send word for me at the Sileo, I’d be quite fond of giving you a checkup to make sure your rather unique ailment stays in check for good this time!”

Marked for training, Word Count :: 300

 

[Hameru Ren]

“Consider it noted, miss Rega.” Natsu replied, nodding at the woman. He considered making an inquiry on her remark at the address of the Medical Sennin. Or perhaps the previous iteration of it, considering the timeline in its leadership. The old Spymaster was still trying to get all the details straight. “Then I will not hold your time any longer for tonight, and let you return to your research.” He concluded, turning to leave the glade. It was a curious place, though he wasn't too certain if he'd be able to find it back. It had been an odd little critter who had led him here after all. The man only hoped he wouldn't need a furry companion to led him out again as well.

Contemplating on the events of the night, Natsu couldn't help but feel elated. He'd been given a way back to his old life. Would training ever have caught him back up to speed? Or would he have always fallen just short? Granted, many colleagues would say his mind was his greatest strength, no bragging intended. And perhaps they were right. But the blonde saw it differently. It had been that strength that had led him to the life of a Shinobi. It had been that strength that had led him to his position in life. What had allowed him to measure up to the greats of his time. Regaining it would be worth to him almost any cost.

Now it was up to him to live up to this chance he was given. The Jonin would train and then train even harder. He'd master this borrowed strength and make it his own. Mold it and shape it, to become the crutches he needed. To fill the gap which the coma had struck. But first, he'd have the regain some bodily strength. And for that, there'd be only one solution. Donuts!

[Word Count: 315]
[Marked for Training]
[Topic Left]