"Good. Now then allow me to explain the task. Before that, I should address a couple of things. First, I knew of your association with the Miroku gang before today, and that fact has had me leary of instilling any trust in you. This is not because I view that gang as a huge threat, they seem to just be orphans looking for acceptance, but Akkuma himself is different. He is an annoyance, a wart, a blight upon this world that is benign but still irritating."</COLOR></GLOW><i></i>
Throughout Tenken’s words, Kanmuri’s body was as sharp as a sword and as immovable as a wall. His arms laid straight and attached to his side while his face mimicked that of Yakuin’s, emotionless and rigid. If it wasn’t clear enough, for better or for worse, Kanmuri was wrapped around Tenken’s finger. Maybe it was due to the child’s background or his biological and genetic composition by way of Miroku Akkuma or just maybe it was a trait of his own, but Kanmuri’s loyalty was something as stubborn as his pride and with something as basic as his presence, Tenken had won it and in the arms race that was an orphans loyalty, making the first move was crucial. Tenken was unknowingly increasing his stock.
It was as if everything Tenken said was perfectly crafted to appeal to the ten year old. First off, he already had his eyes on Kanmuri--something that resonated with the boy. Even if it was for the wrong reasons, the fact that someone would watch him and donate their time to him was more than enough to warm Kanmuri’s cold, manipulative and untrusting heart. In addition to this, he accepted him despite his mistakes. His association with Miroku Akkuma was nothing short of a mistake in the young boy’s eyes, and he was glad that he severed that bond completely...or at least, he thought. Lastly, they shared the same views. Akkuma was nothing short of a manipulative bastard plucking children from the street who experimented on hopeful children like mice in a lab. Those who did not survive were thrown away and forgotten while those were survived were further manipulated and brainwashed until Akkuma was the reason for their life and existence--until Miroku Akkuma was their god. That’s why he needed to disappear. That’s why Kanmuri severed their bond and relationship.
"Yet, it seems that association is over. That is good, a character like that is a wall, a dead end. You may reach his level, for whatever reason that behooves you, but you'd never make it any further. Not just within this village, but just in general."
Kanmuri would just stare into the red, glowing eyes of Tenken with his scarlet, conviction-filled own. There was nothing to say--nothing he could say. The message was simple and true, “Make a name for yourself by yourself.” That demon would never be needed for Kanmuri to be great. Not now. Not ever.
"Fear not, I, and your mentor Ruin, see potential within you. You've had a horrible upbringing, you've been conscripted into broken family after broken family, and while I am not here to become your father, I am here to bring you a place of belonging. We, the ANBU and this village, need you. Yet, what I am going to ask you is essentially asking you to be prepared to tear yourself apart, I am sorry... yet, this is something that many could do but only few could be trusted."<i></i>
There was the other name...Ruin, Kanmuri’s ANBU mentor. The underlying question floated in both Kanmuri’s head and the Shinigami deep within him. Did this hooded figure know the truth about Kaen and his goals. Did he know that that man--that ANBU--housed powers of unimaginable proportions? Did he know that Shinku Kaen was the one true Lord of the Flame Court, Homura? Did he know that Kaen’s was truly loyal to know one but whoever Mother Suna was...and power?
Being that Shinku Kaen was the second person to earn Kanmuri’s respect and that his power seemed to dwarf that of the man standing in front of him. Kanmuri refused to even hint at knowing anything about his mentor. If the man in front of him was capable of killing Kanmuri, then Kaen would be the being strong enough to eliminate Tenken, at least in this young demon’s eyes. The power of an Ancient was something Kanmuri secretly wanted. It outclassed him. It was the only thing in Kanmuri’s eyes that stood a chance of stopping him if he were to ever reach his goal of being at the top. If he ever stood at the pinnacle of shinobi strength and power, then it would be beings like Kaen, Ancients, that Kanmuri looked up to and obeyed from that pinnacle, the unreachable stars and skies.
However, that was something out of reach--something the boy could only dream of, so he shooed it to the back of his mind and focused on what was at hand. Tenken had just produced a folder from the black void that was his cloak. Its contents would hold informations regarding Soons Haven, a place Kanmuri didn’t know much about, but his knowledge of Soon’s Haven wasn’t necessary. His task now was to absorb the sorrowful information presented to him. The folder showed multiple, orphaned children like himself disappearing at striking rates. There were a variety of faces labeled as “scout”, “mother”, and “father.” But there was one face that stood out in the folder--one face that seemed to demand the most attention, the face of the “collector,” and if it wasn’t evident enough, this was the man kidnapping kids of unfortunate circumstances. His defining factor was something unable to miss, a white fabric mask. After digesting the necessary information, Kanmuri would nod to signal his completion to Tenken, who at once continued his words, but in a much more serious tone.
<GLOW glow="#00BFFF"><COLOR color="white">"What I am about to tell you is both confidential and partially known information. I would normally wait until you are fully accepted into the corps as a full ANBU before speaking on these types of matters, but the assumption that I could kill you if you ran with this information reassures me that you will remain silent, regardless."
If Kanmuri was a normal ten year old boy with no experience of the world, he would have been shaking in his shoes, but that wasn’t the case. His stern eyes reflected the same confidence of Tenken who spoke to him. He wasn’t cocky or arrogant nor was it due to his pride or combat prowess, what stared back at the eyes of Tenken were the eyes resulting from a thought Kaen had taught the young demon, 'I lived through this. I can take the next thing that comes along.'
The young demon had already been at death’s door once and miraculously overpowered and survived. Death was no longer something he was afraid of...at least for now.
"Our enemy, the Daimyo, utilizes an army of personally trained soldiers that are called The Sovereign, I am unsure how much of that has been covered for Academy students, but most shinobi of the village should be up to date on this much. The Sovereign are crafted in an Academy, but what isn't known is that their recruits are abducted children. This country has a growing human trafficking network, one that had been recently made public due to an issue with a regional gang. That gang has been completely eradicated, a brutal series of very public murders throughout the country--apparently someone was sending a message, and following this the known human trafficking routes have disappeared. The public was alerted to the fact one of the Merchant Lords, Mako, was involved in this and those that named her are now dead and the routes that were once almost flaunted have faded into the shadows. Some work from other individuals, such as the former Kazekage, have also increased this attention on this henious human rights violation. However, losing trace of these routes has not helped us, and we know that they have not stopped their operations. It seems this tension in the country is reaching a point of explosion, and toppling this pipeline of flesh to the Daimyo and his forces might be one of our keys to victory. What we need from you is both simple and hard; I need you to be abducted."
Kanmuri didn’t know about the Sovereign. In fact, Kanmuri didn’t know much of anything regarding the world. His view of power and the world blinded him from the pursuit of knowledge, but after today, Kanmuri would fix that. The remedial classes he had been attending slightly aided his empty mind, but the information he learned there was nothing besides simple positions in their society such as the Kazekage, his Steward, and the Sennin. If he ever wanted to leader--a king to others who needed help--then he’d need to be educated about the world. He could learn a lot about the world through reading books, but that would have to wait. The simplest and most rash decision that his young, demonic mind could come up with was to experience the world through his eyes and experience--to see it without the biases of other authors firsthand. What Tenken said before him had definitely struck a chord within the boy. Kids like him were being used and transformed into soldiers of war. Worst of all, they were on his opposing side. Here he was, a child given the opportunity to bring it to an end. He was being given a chance to realize two of his goals early on, cull those misusing their gifts and explore the world through his eyes. It was a win-win, and with that in mind, his reply would be.
“How quickly can I be deployed, Master Tenken?”
How could Kanmuri possibly deny this gift from fate?