Private The Follow up from the Food Truck [Req. Kuro & Shin]

[Chikamatsu Suisen]

As Kankoshi began to dart through the city, she would leap from rooftop to rooftop until the homunculus and the demon king would make their way to the Omni Prime Medical Facility. She would turn and look at the man as they began to approach the front door.

"Shin-Sama, the acting Medical Chief and newly appointed Sennin, should be with you shortly. You may have refreshments in the main lobby, or you are more than welcome to explore the recently built Arboretum and marvel at the natural wonders this world has to offer."

As they walked into the building Kankoshi would nod to Takahashi Aniki and make her departure to head back to the city of Sunagakure to continue to try and discover the Mercinary known as Ryuu Tama.

[topic entered and left]

 

[Toraono Kuro]

After carefully putting out any lingering flames and securing the food but leaving free samples with request cards out Kuro used his old teleportation habits and arrived at the appointed place requested just after the young ladies left. Things had improved technology wise but the stains and scent of past wars still lingered beneath the sand, earth, steel, and reconstruction as they should. Suna shouldn't forget its past. It should carefully archive it so even the land of sands' enemies can remember exactly why Sunagakure could never be conquered. The scent of a distant family member was also lingering on the airs around the medical center. TAMA, hmm the formerly multi-blooded heir had come into his own strength it seems. In the guise of Takahashi Aniki, Toraono Kuro reminisced briefly over all the things that could not be done because of constant war and research. The enemies of Sunagakure were vast and numerous and overly PETTY. They attacked Sunagakure just to show they had some power to themselves never caring that they were exhausting the lands of life energy. Bloodlines were shattered, abilities of awe inspiring power were lost. Devils, Demons, Angels, Elementals, Sacred and Unholy beasts were all scattered to the winds or merged into humanity with and sometimes against their wills. TAMA was one such individual born against his own heritage to become something more.


The scent of medicinal plants and surgical cleansers was all around. The eerie tang of blood underlying it all but it was the blood of those being healed not the blood of the dying that Kuro could sense now. It was a relief to see and sense all the improvements made while he had been away. Observing the young ladies of the Chikamatsu lineage brought a quick smirk to Kuro's face as he remembered a Chikamatsu prodigy that had been a puppeteer when he was young. Perhaps that dedication to puppet studies lead others of his family deeper into the field of medicine and away from the dark immortality that Kuro was apart of.

"I will await your leaders young ladies, stay safe out there." Kuro in the guise of Takahashi Aniki waved to the young ones as they departed.

MFT

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

A few moments would pass before a man of lean build would make his way through one of the corridors and to the front of the Omni Prime Medical Facility.

His armor would most likely be immediately recognizable by Toraono Kuro as it was the same design worn by Shin’s sensei, Byakko Akujin. As a young boy, Shin was probably seen by the great Border Sennin traveling through the Toraono Dojo and the Omni Prime Medical Facility following along Kuro’s kitsune cousin. The previous Medical Chief of R&D was a member of the Toraono’s branch family after all.

If Kuro had memory of the students he would know that while Shin tried to maintain his prodigal skills as a puppeteer that his mind had a stark and horrible awakening during his Genin Exams when he sparred against a Byakko clan member, unlocking a second personality and a huge wave of latent Genjutsu prowess that the Yamanaka descendent hadn’t previously held.

Regardless of the memories, Shin now stood with confidence in himself and Kuro, if he could sense chakra well enough, would feel a constant presence of holy aura around the young man. The Arboretum’s Angel, as a few children have begun referring to him as, would approach Kuro with a smile, though he was told that he was meeting with a Takahashi Aniki.

”Hello, welcome to the Omni Prime Medical Facility, I hope that the Kankoshi and Hosa who escorted you here today maintained the proper protocol for social interactions. Some times their programming is slightly off when they are engaging in conversation that does not generally relate to the mid duties here at the Omni Prime.“

Shin, now carrying the title of Sennin, stood before one of the most legendary Shinobi in Suna’s recent history: The Demon King himself, Toraono Kuro. The man with the might of a hundred men with the power to ward off entire armies by himself. Shin couldn’t help but smile. He knew of Kuro from his time studying with Akujin-Sensei and Kumomi-Sama. They both spoke highly of this man, and even as Shin grew and traveled the world the murmurs of Kuro’s feats were still not unheard of across the various lands.

”I was told you would like to see me. I am Chikamatsu Shin, Overseer of Chikamatsu Clan, previous Medical Chief of Research and Development, and current Sennin to Lord Raizo. How can I be of service today?“

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro smiled as he released his natural state, "You have done quite well, and I am honored that you have time for an old fossil like me. I was actually asked by your young trainees to come and identify whether Tama was being legitimate in his dealings here as someone whom could identify him on sight. You seem to have mastered a divine mentality. Have you ever considered ascension for any of your lineage or trainees? As a bloodline member of Sunagakure you may find that there are ancient solutions still remaining among our family and dojo records. It can grant some of the things you seek to your young ladies. Otherwise just consider me as normal back up as I doubt Tama will do Suna itself any harm if he is actually here." Takahashi Aniki released his muscle and bone control to resume his natural state revealing a leonine tail with tiger stripes and black oxen horns. His hair slowly resumed a braided look instead of a loose afro. Toraono Kuro had no reason to hide his true form inside Sunagakure itself only at the border or in the dojo as he could not resume any leadership actions outside of emergencies without invoking the ancient rites of war between Kuro and the powers that had tried to destroy Suna and its bloodlines in the past.

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Shin smiled, "Well, That's perfect then, I asked her to go and retrieve someone who may know Ryuu Tama, but I was not expecting it to be you, Senpai."

Shin chuckled nervously. When he thought of the Sennin of Sunagakure he always thought of Kuro, Kazuki, and Roku. Three men who where legendary tier shinobi in their own right, and he did not feel as though he was at their same level, hence the use of Senpai to acknowledge that they have shared similar titles but that Shin still looks up to Kuro as a respected member of the village.

"That I have, as I mastered and expanded my medical arts training it seems that my soul even took on the properties required to mend and heal what was broken, even if done passively. It's a genuine blessing I suppose." The Angelic Sage chuckled. "But I suppose, if the rumors are true about you, Senpai, then our spiritual energies may clash rather intensely, as I have heard you being referred to as a demon more than once. Though I suppose that could just be a title used out of fear... or respect."

Shin would take a few steps back and gesture towards one of the clear waiting areas.

"If you wouldn't mind I do have a few questions for you regarding Ryuu Tama, and this mentioned Ascension."

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro smiled as he explained, "Allow me to clarify a number of issues that results from the 6 bloodlines within the Toraono Clan and the three that were actually blood bonded later own."
Kuro took a seated position using some old stone work that made up a window ledge as his seat before manifesting his signature demonic dark chakra which had been reigned in by Devil laws and Ancient Seals.
"Long ago when the world was freshly scarred before the rise of the desert humans against the Ancients there was a Court of Elemental beings. These Ancients were living forms of the very essence of this realm. The problem being was as with any beings, there were Ancients whom dared to be the strongest and deny balance with the realm. The Ancients of Flame and Earth summoned demonbeasts as mounts and servants as a depiction of their strength and majesty. As you can imagine other Ancients did not take well to the usage of such dark forces, and as such some rallied to fight the lords whom were blatantly abusing their power at the time while other Ancients simply ignored them because their actions did not affect them. This being the case the Flame Lord of those forgotten eras was deeply amused and completely taken in with demonbeasts and humans fighting in his arena. This part you would know from the Toraono dojo which is all that remains of the Flame Ancient's Sunan estates and powers. He would frequently force lesser Ancients, Demonbeasts, and Humans to battle to the death. The Ancient lord of flame was so grandiose in his belief in his power that he summoned a wild demonbeast whom was on the cusp of becoming a Behemoth. This ancestor of mine was called Hyakujuuonouu or as we would say now the Demonbeast King. Hyaku.. (for short) had absorbed a significant portion of the bloodline powers of the Byakko (White Mountain Tiger) bloodline, the Hyo (Jungle Panther) bloodline, and nearly over half of the power of the Ox King bloodline."

Since Shin was raised and trained around the dojo there was a lot of this knowledge he already knew but what Kuro was pointing out was the missed opportunities from Shin's youth that were still open to him and his fellow clansmen. Kuro continued his explanation hoping that Shin would intuit his own methods from what was done in the past.

"Hyakujuuonouu was born a leonine demonbeast of fire and earth originally hence it was relatively easy for the Flame Ancient Lord to summon him. Unfortunately for the Ancient Lord, Hyaku.. was very intelligent unlike many of the rabble he had summoned and he would only pretend to kill what he considered his most worthy opponents. Because Hyaku.. had been summoned here he could not return to the demon realm and resume his evolution. Learning as much as he could here and witnessing how humans and ancients could interbreed Hyaku.. developed a plan. Hyaku would place his soul and the entirety of his bloodline powers into a human champion that would eventually result in his rebirth in a form that this realm could accept and allow him to escape true death in this realm. The mortal Toraono that was chosen gained an incredibly long lifespan, demonic powers, bestial features, and many wives with which he had many progeny that expressed these different bloodlines from Hyaku.. all over our realm. Most of this tale you already know... what may not be common knowledge is that Hyakujuuonouu was not the first or the last to use Atavism and soul rebirth to escape the fate of true death. The Ancients had naturally practiced this feat from creation resulting in magnificent Ancient Lords with dual or even tri lineages being born as well as the resurgence of original bloodlines in descendants as far removed as 50 generations. For example I myself am a full atavism throwback to the original Hyakujuuonouu before he merged with humanity. Hyakujuuonouu himself was fully reborn and escaped the chains of fate and reincarnation in the form a stillborn Toraono child that I used medical and demonic jutsu to save. I have archived all this knowledge for the Toraono Clans and the bloodline families of Sunagakure in the tomes and scrolls of the Toraono Clan. I even left behind my theories that one day our summons could reverse summon us to their realms to assist them as well. Now that all that has been said, you might think that your abilities are anathema or antagonistic to mine. That is not the case it is simply a ying yang function on a higher and more distinctly distributed function. Although I have lost my rinnegan abilities due to Sora's destruction of the original environment and planar balance of our realm that would allow such power to remain possible in our realm... I did not lose my knowledge or understanding of that power. Allow me to demonstrate..."

Kuro stood up from his stone ledge seat and with a flicker of thought transformed into his devilbeast king initial form.

"As you can see this form is physically powerful and allows demonic chakra to be visible but it is simple a light show and a bit more muscle on display. Even now this form pales in comparison to Lord Mikaboshi and he is an Ancient Lord that diminished himself to maintain his existence as the spiritual energy available in this realm continues to decrease. Ascension is the same process as Demonic or Devil Atavism except it is literally invoking the power of the heavenly or the elemental power of ancients through direct strength or situational training. You literally force the genetic potential you seek in your bloodline to come out. Depending on the potential within each subject the difficulty varies but here is the key fact. ALL THOSE BORN TO SUNAN LINEAGE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO AWAKEN THEIR ANCESTRAL BLOOD. The power may differ between subjects but all Sunan's and their progeny can do this type of forced/trained awakening."
MFT: 994

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Shin would raise a brow. Atavism. The act of invoking ancient powers. Was that what it meant to be an "Ancient" like Kazuki-Sensei or Tama-san? He wondered what other ways this ancestral power could be unlocked, he wondered if that was a connection he held within his own blood.

"The descendent of an actual demonbeast, that would make sense for you and your kin. From the likes of Byakko Akujin down to the children who join my class like Toraono Toji, I have sensed a grand strength through everyone from your clan."

He hesitated.

"The Rinnegan, the mystical doujutsu which granted the user access to a body which expanded beyond your own, correct? The Chikamatsu has a seal which used to work very similarly to it, but recently the jutsu formultion has started to fail on me. I am curious if the loss of the Doujutsu was also the source which caused our seal to fade in strength."

Shin grinned as he saw the demonic state that Kuro was able to summon in an instant. He too had a transformative power, and to respond to the yin and yang of the world he too felt obligated to demonstrate his form.

His wings would burst from his back and begin to radiate holy chakra even more powerful than before. He was not only an Exalted warrior, but he was an Exalted Sage. This massive amount of Holy chakra allowed him to have near immortal qualities in any and every combat he has been forced to face in recent years since he lost his connection to the Yurei Orchid Seal which replicated the effects of the Sage of Six Paths.

भगवान कुरो, मुझे आपसे अवश्य पूछना चाहिए। क्या आप मेरी आनुवंशिकी की वास्तविक क्षमता को जागृत करने के लिए मुझे एटविज़्म के इस तरीके में प्रशिक्षित करने के इच्छुक होंगे? उन छुपी हुई शक्तियों को तलाशने के लिए जो आपकी सभी पीढ़ियों में चिकमत्सु रक्तधारा में निष्क्रिय पड़ी हैं? हम अपनी वंशावली प्रथम पुरुषों से खोज सकते हैं, और यदि आप जो कहते हैं वह सच है तो यह एक शक्ति होनी चाहिए जो हमारे पास है।

He would chuckle.

"It seems, I still have a lot to learn from your clan afterall"

Spoiler: Formal Runic Terran, the Oracle language

Lord Kuro, I must ask you. Would you be willing to train me in this way of Atavism to awaken the truest potential of my genetics? To fing the hidden strengths which have laid dormant in the Chikamatsu Bloodline all thee generations? We can trace our lineage back to the First Men, and if what you say is true then this should be a power we have.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro smiled at the ancient language spoken in the way of teachers and sages. As Kuro reverted to a less draining human form he smiled.

"You are well on your way, you simply have to focus on the bloodline within that you need or else the bloodline with the greatest strength will express itself. For Sunans this process requires many different things. For example we use bloodline weapons and jutsu to reinforce our focus on specific aspects of our bloodlines or we call upon our elders or ancestors to use their awakened blood to reinforce and guide those seeking their inner potential to the path they seek. There are dangers to each path however and without the Rinnegan, Sharingan, Byakkogan (Tigers eyes similar to the Byakugan), and other doujutsu it is very difficult for teachers to guide their students and descendants to the pathways to hidden/sealed bloodline abilities. I can easily teach you how to unlock your own methods of ATAVISM but in your case you must decide which lineage within yourself you want to express. So far your path leads toward the divine or more simply put those that seal the darkness. For you the simplest method would be to have a seal placed on your bloodline and simply build up the energy of the bloodline you seek within yourself and then allow the bloodline that corresponds with the energy in question to fight off and shatter the seal. The downside to that path is that the seal YOU require would be very strong so a fallen sage like myself would not be able to force the seal you seek upon you. A true sage with mastery of seals like one of the Senju whom were adopted into the Toraono Clan would be able to do so without harm to your bloodline. Their sealing strength is incredibly hard to break through but therein lies to challenge. Allowing your bloodline to break a seal of their power is a simple way toward Atavism. Another method is to have an Ancestor with the bloodline power you seek seed their power to either your heart or mind and then you simply meditate to either dominate that seed or make your bloodline circulate to match or exceed the power of your ancestral blood seed. Inadvertently most children born to the main Toraono lineage are born with 5 ancestral blood seeds and they directly manifest 1 to 3 of them through training. Some are truly unfortunate like me and unlock all 5 and are forced to balance them throughout their lifetime and can even die from having too much power expressed in bodies that are not strong enough to master those energies. It all depends on how much of a challenge you seek for yourself or your students/disciples/descendents. So the question you need to ask yourself now is WHAT POWER WITHIN YOURSELF DO YOU SEEK? It may seem like a simple question but you might need to awaken more than one lineage to grasp the power you seek."

Kuro held out his hand and focused until the chakra began to solidify into a chakra crystal. As the chakra solidified runic terran seals of knowledge recorded 12 methods of direct Atavism which had only moderate risks, Kuro didn't dare to record the life threatening methods as those were the methods of True Ancients for their progeny where they would force their descendants to either succeed or die. If Shin needed to study those methods later, Kuro would then give them to him. The 12 methods Kuro presented to Shin, were blood seeds, elemental overpowering, bloodline ritual combat, guidance through doujutsu, guidance through soul manipulation, ancestral blood transfusion, ancestral purging, ancestral recall and the simplest Toraono method if bloodline manipulation in utero (4 months before birth). The in-utero solution was the simplest because all it required was a strict diet for the birth mother, nutritional supplements, and a chakra pool birth. This manner sealed the power the parents sought in their children and ensured they would begin cycling chakra before they were born resulting in stronger skeletons and internal organs as well. The downside was that the birthmother was forced to eat on a schedule and required to rest in a chakra pool weekly. Some families could not afford the means to follow this method.

MFT
WC: 700

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Soul Manipulation? Shin would raise an eyebrow and chuckle softly.

"I believe there may be a method that the Chikamatsu have been practicing for centuries without even realizing it."

As Shin spoke his twin sister, the phantom that plagued his mind since a child would begin to appear beside Kuro. Her crimson red eyes would look over kuro as she adorned her red and silver armor.

"When it comes to controlling and manipulating souls, I would argue there's none that come close to what our overseer has acheived."

As she spoke Shin's cheeks took a tint of red, he wasn't used to her saying nice things to him.

"Through the Seal of the Yurei Orchid, a power that has been passed down every generation within our clan since the times of Primus, grants it's barer a power that can stand toe to toe to that of the Rinnegan. Even now some of the residual strength lies within me. While I am not in complete control of all six of my souls, I still have control over two of the six souls that I harbor. The other four all have bodies of their own and while I can perform take overs, I am not in total control like I was. Kohana and I still share a vessel and I can manifest her soul as I please, but even now I can still see through the eyes of Maho, Seishinko, Kayaku, and Seikatsu, the other four souls that have been bound to me through the Seal of the Yurei Orchid."

He paused for a moment.

"Beyond the shared souls that I carry I have also formulated the jutsu that allow me to splinter and every create souls, so if there is a manner to activate Atavism through the path of Soul Manipulation, I believe that would be the path that my clan would be the most capable of performing. We may even be slipping into Atavism through the use of our Sealing techniques."

Shin would turn slightly to show Kuro the nape of his neck. The six-petal flower, which was also the symbol of his clan, could be seen sealed onto his neck. The petal pointing up and the one pointing int he two o'clock positions would be a light blue while the 4, 6, 8, and 10 o'clock positions would be a lighter grey.

"Through this seal, we are no longer six individuals, we are one. All of our experiences, memories, thoughts, emotions, and life are collected and shared together."

As his wings would dissipate back into the natural energy from which they came he had to thought about that last question. What power did he want? He wasn't entirely sure and would need to think on that one.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro would smile in appreciation of the Chikamatsu Clan efforts. "As I said you are already opening the door. All you need to do now is to be specific in the power you seek and carefully go about pulling that strength from your bloodline without too much damage. I won't influence your decisions on this as my path is a bit too dark and is attuned to vengeance and protecting. Your clan has always fostered ingenuity and tactics, so my path would probably be damaging to your efforts. While we wait on Tama you should store your thoughts in the chakra crystal and leave a seal upon it so that no one can steal or corrupt the knowledge I passed to you. Any of our oracle methods should be sufficient. The only advice I have is to use plants engineered with your bloodline to test your theories and not your own body." Kuro would not go deep into this explanation as he still had 5 sealed bodies bearing his soul seal in the hidden and sealed chambers within the dojo. Remnants of his time as a Rinnegan bearer and all the notations and studies he had completed while in that state of power were carefully sealed away lest someone tried to repeat his former feats and destroyed their own soul in doing so.

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Shin would smile at the legendary shinobi before him.

"Thank you for this, Kuro, I know that this is a path that can greatly change the dynamics within the shinobi world, and for you to trust me with it..."

He paused briefly before placing his hand on the gem to begin the sealing process.

"I will do my best to make sure that the position of Sennin that I carry is held to a standard worthy of your acknowledgement."

As he finished the Orcale's sealing jutsu he would continue.

"Funny you would say that."

Shin paused for a moment and took a deep breath, extending his hand. Kuro would once again feel the increase of Natural Energy surround Shin's spirit as his Sage Mode once again activated, but this time instead of the fiery wings of the Phoenix Fire that was granted by him, the man's skin would shift slightly in hue, darkening into a wooden form. Raising his hand some small sprouts of plants would begin to stretch across the sterile wall of the Omni Prime's cornered space. Each plant would carry within it the chakra signature of Chikamatsu Shin.

"I have recently made a deeper connection to the earth like I have with the sky, expanding my senjutsu."

His wooden form remained some as the Overseer was in his Plant Sage Mode.

"I will make sure I follow your suggestion and not experiment on myself until substantial success."

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro was pleasantly surprised to see that the new Sennin was so talented. It was a huge relief that he was able to literally touch the heavens and move the earth with his will alone. "Sennin Chikamatsu, you bring honor and fealty to the Sunan lineage of leaders. Thank you for taking up the mantle. It does my heart good to see capable hands leading our juniors toward a brighter future and not have them too entrenched in our past and our mistakes. Make sure they learn from their elder's mistakes. I don't want any of them to suffer the horrors some of us did. Nor do I want them to become a source of horrors and wrath. Let me be the boogeyman so that they can be like you and bring light into the world." Kuro was greatly impressed with Chikamatsu Shin, Kuro had been so mired in darkness and revenge due to the war that he rarely ever allowed himself to come in contact with natural energies anymore as he was afraid he would taint them with his dark nature. Let the demons of the world face true beasts so that regular battles can be fought by the next generation. These were Kuro's thoughts on the matter. "By the way when is Tama due to show up, it has been a long time since we have seen oneanother as I hope he hasn't strayed into the dark ways. I don't want him to turn out like me."

 

[Ryuu Tama]

Sunagakure! Long had it been since the sandy village had been his playground, Tama often found himself fully immersed in society once more. It had been at least two weeks since he had last touched the lab as the scientist basked in the glory of his latest experiment; Hybrid Harmony. Aye, now the golden maned giant no longer needed to worry about two ego’s fighting for dominance within his mind! Control over the sky and her lofty realms were but a whim and it was Tama’s that a beautiful sunny day grace wherever he was.

Today he found himself in an open bar, drinking the local liquor and hitting on the other male patrons with little success. He was drunk. Like, actually drunk. There was no “imbibing” the spirits as it normally went with his older forms - his body was honestly reacting to the alcohol in ways it would for normal people. The euphoria of such, made the man drop his guard within the safety of the shinobi village. Something sharp hit his neck, and everything went black.

The next thing he knew, the mad-scientist was standing in a hallway being loosely walked back towards the exit. Two of Shin’s prized humonculi were holding him up until he fully came to. He quickly broke free of the pair in anger, yelling and carrying on in an accent so thick it would be nigh impossible to understand without first being used to it; yet he continued on down the hall towards his destination without further resistance. Reaching up to his neck where he had been hit, the doctor found a small prick. He quickly began to analyze his body’s biometrics with a few checks of chakra and his fingers. No longer drunk. BPM and Pulse nominal. Head clear - annoyingly so. His shell was perfectly stable, but there was something about his soul that seemed…twinged. Like something pinged a reset button inside of him by “jiggling”, his soul. On any normal human, creature, or…really anything, whatever he had been hit with probably would have done literally nothing. On a creature who’s soul was the very core of their being…like an Ancient, or a Hybrid…

“Curious…” he muttered to himself as he neared the room he was being directed to. It seemed there was someone out there who could manipulate souls at his own level; perhaps even beyond. That was more than just a simple feat given that Tama’s own ability was based off of a chakra theory. Shin’s appeared more alchemical, and that enticed the fellow scientist. So caught up in his own mind he didn’t even notice the powers being flaunted back and forth in the room beyond; that was just a casual Suanan Tuesday.

He stopped at the door’s entrance suddenly before slamming it wide open and gliding in on the heels of his boots as a sudden gush of wind barreled down through the hall behind the doctor. His hair flew every which way as he lifted off the ground momentarily and turned to see the other presence he was fee-

Was that Kuro!?

The doctor’s shenanigans immediately stopped, the heels of his boots landing against the floor with a click as the giant reached to pull the other giant into a full on hug. The Demonbeast King was one of the rare few remaining alive who could recall who the man had been as a child, and the redemption he was capable of achieving. Sadly, the scientist had walked down more than a single dark path in his time, much to his old mentor’s disappointment, no doubt.

Releasing his rather strong embrace the scientist would clap Kuro on the shoulder,
“Kuro-sensei! It has been far too long since I’ve seen you in these parts!” he then turned to Shin, “Can you believe this guy used to train me? Knew me since I was like,” Tama dipped down until his hand was raised about 4 feet off the ground, “Wee. That had of been like, 160, 170 years ago for me!”
"Time bubble," he said looking at Kuro again.
“But, I assume your nurses didn’t drug and drag me out here for no reason! I think I touch a nerve with some of them by being so good at avoiding their…eyes. What can I do yer fer?”

It was subtle, but compared to the other two powerhouses in the room Tama’s strength was…gentle. Calm, but scary. Like looking at a storm rolling in from the distant sea right before casting off. Yet more intense than that was the absolute lack of…nefarious energy, the giant imp normally carried.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro teared up genuinely, as he hugged what would have been little Tama. Tama was now taller than Kuro by a great deal (8 inches taller to be exact) but Tama as usual was as wiry as a wind struck lightning rod. All the muscle and ligaments stretched lean and taut with elemental energies and the like. Luckily Tama would never be as wide or heavy set as Kuro. Tama would always be able to glide along the wind currents with little real effort. Tama's scent had changed a bit as well, it was no longer as bloody or as tragic as the Toraono fate would have made him. It was now like a breath of fresh air from across an oasis or a lake. Somehow Tama smelled fancy and elegant which was hard for most of the Toraono blooded men to do. Luckily Tama had always been special and able to exceed the already naturally high standards of Toraono Clan training. "Well little cousin I can no longer call you little and you have attained age defiance quite nicely. There was a time your bloodlines acted as if they could not co-exist but your tenacity has naturally led you beyond such petty nuances. It is good that you are healthy and well Tama and I mean that from the bottom of my multiple hearts. Between you and Sennin Shin perhaps we may one day see the environment grow again and bring about new fonts of power for future generations. I won't ask if you have eaten, but if you do get hungry I have mastered some recipes during my time guarding the ancient bloodline remnants of Mother Suna that you might appreciate. You can find my small meat and starches stand on the outskirts of the dojo. I am avoiding going to the main areas of the dojo lest I stir the likes of old family and sunan enemies that think I am buried somewhere beneath the desert sands. I have learned only a few things about your works YOUNG Tama but I have been told that you have developed your own technology to conquer many things that were once beyond regular ninjutsu." Kuro's tears of happiness faded into his face leaving faint trails, but Kuro's smile could not be hidden. This was pseudo nephew grown, healthy, and successful. It was all old immortal bastards could ask for was the success and happiness of their friends and family.


MFT
WC: 400

(I will claim all my training at the middle of March when my life and internet are far more stable)

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

As Tama arrived Shin let out an audible sigh as the slenderman approached the Sennins. "Speak of the devil and he shall arrive, or so they say."

Shin wasn't aware how close the Ryuu and Toraono men were but from the tears that struck Kuro it seemed they were very close indeed. He would make a mental note to watch his tongue around Kuro, less he offend The Great Defender.

"Curious that you two are so close, I wonder..." He paused. "Is this Atavism the same source of Tama's connection to the Ancients? If we are speaking so candidly."

Shin would take a few steps, heading towards his office space.

"I believe this conversation will require some more privacy than we have here, after all these secrets would be ill advised to fall into the hands of other nations, especially since Kumogakure has a bad habbit of having spies pacing our streets."

Shin would lead the two men, if they followed, to his office where he and Tama have met multiple times before.

"The connection to the Ancients, these Pure Bloods and the Hybrids, is it possible to carry on their genetic marker without knowing it? Is there a connection through a specific lineage? Such as only occurring from the maternal or paternal lines? I ask, as my mother originates from Konohagakure, and I am curious if my diluted blood would impact my connection to either the Ancients or this Atavism that connects us to our ancestors."

Did Shin know if Kuro was aware that his nephew was an Ancient? No, nor did he care. They had information that he wanted.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro nodded to affirm Shin's theories before addressing his concerns "Bloodlines intermingle, seal, enhance, and even cut off facets of power for others to allow the bearer to survive but souls and elemental forces are nearly true immortal lineages as they can forcibly mold a bloodline from or into a subject. The mortal body can do incredible things and if given purpose an the proper environment can even function like plants and adapt changes over time. Hence my advice to test your theories with plants first as we already have clear methods to bond plant energies and changes to ourselves without issues. As far as Tama is concerned his mother is a relative of mine but his father was never truly known to me and I never bothered as long as Tama wasn't being abused. If Tama really needed to find his father we could have sought out the individual but he never seemed to truly need a father. What Tama seemed to need was options and power which I am certain he found. I have always been proud of him. I have always worried about him as well because Atavism can bring forth the soul of an ancestor as well." Kuro made a point to explain how his lineage was forged by both blood and soul and had specific rituals to influence births when threats to life were imminent during child birth.

Kuro then turned to Tama, "I know I have never asked or been to direct in tracking down your lineage but are you okay Tama, did your father cause you too many issues?"

 

[Ryuu Tama]

Tama followed the pair, a few steps behind with arms raised over his shoulders and cupped behind his head. He leaned back lackadaisically until his feet lifted from the ground. Tama’s left leg crossed over his right as he manipulated the air around him to carry the scientist as if he was lounging in a recliner; even his lab coat remained dutifully tucked beneath his bottom.

“It’s an elusive answer. Ancient genetics can be singled out and reapplied to vessels that are prebuilt to handle those genetics - such as my case. However, I admit to having not looked into how genetics are passed naturally, in regards to Ancients that is. Being because my…mistrust, when in regards to women. I do have a daughter who has a rather powerful coil soaked in natural Earth Chakra, but as far as I know, she’s inherited little to none of my Ancient lineage. Probably for the best.”

Kuro’s experience filled in Tama’s knowledge gap in regards to some things in his lineage, but, then the Toraono mentioned something that tickled Tama so hard he snorted, but waited for his old sensei to finish sharing his wisdom. The question asked to the youthful elemental human sent him. The scientist roared in laughter, kicking his legs in true mirth.

“My great Demonlord, I do believe you confuse me with my younger brother, Michino,” Tama responded after reducing his laughter to a chittering giggle, “I’m the young scientist who was warped by Mikaboshi, the Ancient of Shadows and Death - long before my father laid his taint into your clan. My mother was a wondering nomad from the Kiri Islands.
“But yes! Actually my father has been treating be very well these last few years - being that he’s finally fucking dead. Katsuo and Sousuke saw to that.”
“Though…that being said my father’s genetics is where I draw Fuujin’s might from. My brother seemingly got none of those genetics, but instead inherited exclusively the Ryuu Clan’s Five Elder Bloodline. Split half-n-half between that and Toraono, which is why his demonic blood was so strong it developed a second personality he had to get the Youkai Realm to take off his hands. Still, my father wasn’t a scientist. We never figured out how he managed to impregnate Michino’s mother and force the child to term so fast, and my old man couldn't manipulate genetics on the level I can - so...someday even my brother could awaken Fuujin’s might.” He turned his eyes to the ceiling and stared for a moment stroking his chin, “Probably wouldn’t be a great idea for him to try and draw it out though. Most likely he’d pull out one of the Toraono Ancestors instead, what with all the spare power Ryuu blood has lingering in it…”

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

"I will definitely explore the aspects of Atavism with plant biomatter, though I do think applying it to something mammalian would be beneficial as well. Could pull out my old Transmuter Seals and create a homunculus hybrid born of my genetic material."

Shin would pull in the natural energy around him again, once again entering the Sage Mode, but this time instead of his wings expanding like an angel within the desert his skin would harden and become dull as the flesh would be replaced with wood. Raising a hand as he walked across the office to grab a scroll he would continue to speak.

"If working with plant material is the optimal way, let's see how this works."

Pricking a finger blood would drip onto the open scroll that housed a jutsu formulation in the form of a sigil. The scroll would begin to glow as Shin walked and grabbed a small succulent plant and placed it on the scroll as well. Placing his hands on both sides of the scroll the Sennin would begin to break down the genetic material of both his blood and the plant. Shattering from reality into their purest forms the gaseous elements and solid elements would begin to restructure themselves into a new lifeform which had the structure of a plant but the strict genetic imprint of Shin.

He looked over to the two monsters in the room with him with a raised eyebrow as they spoke of their families and lineages. His family was much simpler it would seem, even though he was possessed by his dead sister's soul.

He walked over to the office again and grabbed two more plants and sat them on the table. He gestured his hand towards them as he held a needle with the other.

"Well, for the sake of science, I think a controlled sample will be needed so I know how these things should be reacting. Could I have blood samples?"

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro nodded in response to Tama's explanation, he did miss Little Michino as well and Kuro would explain the sped up childbirth later. "That explains so much and thank you for the memories of your brother, I will explain the pregnancy speed in a bit. It is actually a very rare genetic survival condition for carrying on lineages at the sacrifice of the mother's longevity. I see that some fathers are not worth being considered as such, if I were young again it would be heartbreaking but at our age True Death is a gift that few enemies earn properly."

Kuro motioned and produced some wind fruits that storm elementals considered rather delicious and nourishing to their physiques. He passed them all to Tama and felt that he had let the Ryuu family down a bit since he had not been able to directly protect their sons after he lost his Rinnegan.

Shin spoke about his thoughts on Atavism and agreed to use plants to test his theories before asking for blood samples. Kuro easily gave a blood sample as his bloodline was fully devilbeast as time and battles had all but eaten the human portion of his bloodline out of him. His multiple hearts each contained core blood from his human bloodlines but those could not be touched as damage to those hearts would damage his immortality.
"Mr. Shin, you may experiment on this devil blood all you like, although it has dark properties and a penchant for wrath it easily acclimates to most laws, the sterner the law the better. I wouldn't suggest using an Ancient Hybrid's blood on a NORMAL plant. Their connection to the world might cause something unexpected."

Kuro produced a vial of blood so red it was nearly purple and passed it to Shin. With those actions Kuro began to contemplate Tama's family again. There wasn't much that needed to be done but Kuro did feel as if he owed their family an explanation. "Tama, when you can please tell me about your brother and how things have been for your part of our family."

 

[Ryuu Tama]

“Oh! Well that explains…that. I had always wondered how Teng managed to pull that off without spatial ninjutsu…” the scientist mused to himself as Kuro recognized the difference in brothers. It wasn’t entirely hard for the most part, they did have different tones of flesh color, but their facial structures and grace were near identical; the father’s genes were dominant in both of his sons. The real surprise was when Kuro reached into his robes to produce a fruit Tama hadn’t seen in some twenty years. He took them from the ancient father-figure happily with wide eyes like a child being handed surprise candy. They were a delicacy for Ancient-ilk. While most humans would eat them, taste only bitter iron, and become mildly sick, for Ancients - it was like eating the element itself. The giant blond couldn’t help but bite into one as he stored the rest in his lab coat. Silver-colored juices ran from the blue gourd-shaped fruit and from his lips one could see little bolts of electricity arc into his being; the scientist’s eyes rolled back into his head in delight. That piece of fruit was quickly eaten.

“Hmm-wha now? My blood? Are you sure?” the madman said, finally broken away from the spell the fruit had on his senses - divine, truly!
“Like Kuro said, my blood is a little…different. More so than most Hybrids or even other Ancients in fact. I’ve experimented on genes so many times their barely recognizable to the genuine article - though they replicate the same effects. A simple test might pull too much of one side, interrupt the balance, and- well, who knows what could happen? I control time/space, the very air you breathe, and electricity! Why anything from the plant turning into a strong breeze, to being blasted with a hurricane that sends us back in time to fight with Primus is on the table! But, if you insist…who am I to say no to a fellow scientist?”

The Ryuu was in a damn good mood. The fruit helped but really, it was finally getting to see his old master again after the decades apart. His power was just as heavy and terrifying as it had ever been, and to an immortal like Tama - that meant a lot. It was rare for him to have things that continued to be the same no matter the passage of time. With a simple flick of his wrist the mad scientist produced a vial from within his sleeve and stuck the top of it against his wrist. A hidden needle jabbed his flesh and crimson blood sprayed within until it was quickly full. His fingers tugged, removing the needle as he flipped it around to hand to Shin; his little wound already healed and gone.

“He’s grown fat,” Tama chuckled to the Demonlord, “Not that he’s out of shape by any means. I just grew his left leg back so, he’s finally getting back around to exercising again. Swordplay never diminished though, and I’d say that Toraono royal life is treating him really well. Still waiting for him and Chiyo to say when they’re holding their wedding ceremony, but other than that, that brother of mine is…sated, I think. He has everything he’s ever wanted and asks for nothing more - didn’t even ask for his leg back.

“I just did that one night while he was asleep. For shiggles.”