The Hanged Man Killer [Private/ Invite]

[Itsuki]

The air was dry as it felt stagnate from what would be a suffocating smell coming from deeper in the mines. His dark black hair hung partly over his mask as he made his way down different corridors following this stench. His crimson eye glowed brightly as he took note of any detail that he felt was needed. His body move silently even for that of a ninja deeper and deeper into the mines as any light from lamps around the walls had faded into darkness.

It was close and the ANBU knew it well as this smell was one he knew all too well himself, a corpse laid ahead of him just some distance more and he would arrive. Who ever had done this left the body almost hidden to some extent but the feeling of the culprit wanting to show his kill could be felt in the air at this point. He rounded the corner to the sight of a young male early to mid teens strung up in a fashion almost as a form of art to be honest. The boy's body was pierced into the hard stone with force as a dagger held his right hand above his head, the left hand was placed across his stomach and pierced to the wall on the right of his body.

This was no random murder where a body is dumped to get rid of it, no this was already something far more interesting indeed. Itsuki took note that the right leg had also been bent high and had the foot bound to the boys left thigh with wire. The mouth was slashed up the cheeks as to create a sort of expression upon it. The killer was intriguing that was for sure and this was grand indeed Itsuki felt. His mask held beneath it a smirk almost as if he was himself admiring this work for its creative and cruel display.

[MFT]
[WC : 324]

[OOC: Changing picture only]

 

[Tao]

Deep bellow the surface, Kurohebi was taking a walk, exploring new places, visiting some areas that the previous owner of the body had been to. As he was passing by one of the cave openings in the abandoned mine, he noticed a small flicker of light fading out over so slightly, either the flame was dying out or it was moving in deeper. He couldnt hear anything coming from the cave but he could smell something faint that didnt seem right, it didnt smell of the moss and fungy that the caves normally hold, no, it was different. He decided to make a turn and enter it, surprisingly enough the tunnel was quite long, and he tried to walk as carefully as he could so that he wouldnt emit any sound or at least the least amount of sound he could.

It didnt take him long before he could find that light again, it began to grow larger as he continued onward, it was a clear sign that this light was moving at first but it's stationary now. As he went further in he saw a large shadow being casted from that light, it was probably held, which meant only one thing - he was not alone in that cave. Getting more caughtious, he pulled out his gloves and equiped them while crowching a bit to nullify his presence the best he could manage. And then he saw two people facing eachother. One of them was standing, the other one seemed to be leaning against the wall. Upon closer inspection, he found out that the feet were not touching the floor, he was hanging from something, and then he saw the objects sticking out of his hands, they were daggers impaling his hands to the wall, the other person could be inspecting it... Or he could be the culprit. A slight chuckle could be heard echoing through out the cave momentary as Kurohebi could not hold it in any longer, he got excited and it was hard to contain himself. The moment he noticed it he knew his cover was blown so he could as well step out.

"How is it hanging?"

He spoke and chuckled again at his own pun.

"Is this your handy work?"

He asked casually, not really being fased by the fact that he might be speaking to a murderer, he didnt even dismiss the concept of killing either considering that he is not that attached to this physical form himself.

 

[Itsuki]

The ANBU turned from the corpse as a man had let out a chuckle in what seemed to be amusement from this scene. It was odd for him to see a man laugh at such a death to be honest as most the humans seemed to be overly attached towards life. The chuckling man seemed somewhat amusing to Itsuki as he asked him if he was the culprit for this murder.
A smirk rose across his face still hidden from view by his ANBU mask.

"Sadly this is not mine, though it is well crafted I do give the person credit for such in the least."

This was something a ANBU and a human no less should be saying as he kept looking closer and closer at the body all the while staying on guard in case this man was to try and become hostile as humans often did. The reached his arm out to check for belongings of the victim as to identify him.

A small card fell from underneath his shirt smeared in blood.

"Ah a card this is now even more interesting indeed, you enjoy art Mr... I did not catch your name." He asked while kneeled over picking up the card with his back still towards this new person.
As Itsuki saw what was on the card he started to laugh hysterically almost to the point of falling to the ground and rolling around from the amount of laughter he was emitting at that moment.
The picture upon the card was that of the Hanged Man card often used in Tarot readings, though the most humorous to him was that the man's body was hung to mimic this card.

"This is too rich far too rich I say, here want to see what is so funny to me?" He would hold out the card towards the man so he could see the image upon it.

"This is certainly a work of art of some sorts I admit."

​

[MFT]
[WC: 331]

[OOC: Changing side picture only]

 

[Tao]

This person facinated him, he didnt seem to be fased by the death of this person either.. Or rather, he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, maybe in appriciation, maybe its some sort of a fetish to him, but this was getting interesting nonetheless. But the other thing that caught his attention was the sheer amount of focus this person was giving to the corpse, he didnt turn to look at Kurohebi even once, he just kept staring at the corpse the whole time, it could be a boast of confidence, but then again, or maybe it was an act of stupidity, as one should not trust a stranger to this degree unless he was fully aware of what Kurohebi is capable of and is fully prepared for it, even anticipate it, but he doubted it was the case, not on the very first encounter at least.

"Art, eh? I do enjoy art, I might go out of limb to say that I'm sort of an artist myself. And my name is Kurohebi, but you probably already knew that"

He spoke, the last line was just a procotion, it could explain a lot if he were to answer that he did know him. The man then burst up in laughter after picking up a card that he found in the person's shirt, after showing it to Kurohebi, he found out it was one of those fortune teller's cards, this one had a picture of a hanged man gripped by a skeleton, the person was made to be hung in the exact same fashion as well, seems like a signature move by said killer, or so it seemed at least as nobody would go to such length once and then stop, it has to be his thing.

"Well well well, this is quite nice actually, its a shame he forgot to add the skeleton prop, but I guess that this is close enough... Which reminds me..."

He picked up on that the moment he saw this person and the feeling intensified when they began to interact, nowhere in the memory bank of his previous owner nor his own did he see a person acting this way, not to this extent anyway, so he had to check. He leaned in close without a warning to the point where his mouth would be only an inch away from the stranger's ear, to whisper

"Are you human?"

He whispered with a wide grin on his face, as his face was currently facing a way, the stranger could not possibly see it, but he was excited, he never met something quite like this before.

[MFT]

 

[Itsuki]

The man's name was new to Itsuki as to be honest all humans seemed just like cattle to him and who cares to remember a cows name at the end of the day.

"Hmm well nice to meet you Kurohebi, it is nice to see someone else who can enjoy the obscure things in this world, I am Crow well I suppose more or less."

His ANBU handle was that of Crow a bird that often thought of as an ill omen for many as death seems to follow them in lore.
His smirk grew as he chuckled towards Kurohebi comment towards the picture.

"Well yes it is a shame who ever did such did not find a skeleton to help add to the artistic value of this piece." There was no doubt Itsuki was inhuman and cared nothing for the lives of others as for him to refer to a murder scene as a piece of artwork would sicken most
.
The person seemed to lean in far too close to Itsuki for most people's comfort but he let the man close as to see what he would do. The words the man spoke could almost be called shocking as he seemed to be able to tell what or who he really was behind his facade.

"Hmmm interesting question indeed one could ask you the same perhaps, though I may be or perhaps I may be the devil in disguise." He would chuckle as he watched for his response baiting him into a deeper conversation. This murder had just become even more interesting and for a whole new reason it seemed.

[OOC: changing side picture only]

 

[Tao]

He backed off the moment he heard this person's responce. He didnt deny it, he didnt try to at least, what he did do is give a very vague answer, only natural for something like Kurohebi to do, but this person, it made him suspecious even more. He began to chuckle and then flat out laugh for a moment. This person was no joke, he was the real deal, a psychopath with bloodlust maybe as large as Kurohebi himself. This was begining to get more interesting by the moment, but there was a problem, if anyone where to catch onto the discussion these two were having, this could escalate into problematic situations.

"Crow, eh? What a facinating name, is that your first or last name?"

He then stepped to face the corpse and then look back at Crow

"Are you here because of a job, or did you just happen to wander into this place on your own?"

He asked casually while staring at that man's mask.

 

[Itsuki]

The response seemed draw a bit of laughter from this man only showing even more that this person held a unique view on things almost perhaps close to his own. He bent his head back and gazed for a moment at the rocky ceiling under which they stood. This was getting even more fun and it felt like his blood was on fire as he could feel the miasma from his darkness slipping out causing what would make a normal animal or person cower from this pure darkness.

"Hmm perhaps it could be either or perhaps none at all in truth, things are funny like that in this world."

He would evade the question of the name he gave as it was just that a name a hollow word that humans give meanings to as to address something in a sense

"Well I do suppose I am here on work at this moment though this place has a very nice feel to it I admit with the fear that can be felt lingering from this area." He would smirk and snicker slightly as he enjoyed the taste of death that hung in the air.
"Its so sweet the taste of the regret that lingers in the air at this moments as if this man hung her pleaded and begged saying it was not his time or he had a family or some such lines, so very very sweet his fear and dread is that lingers about."
He found himself getting far too into enjoying such things and would sooner or later need to pull back his own chain as to not show the world his true face in public.

"What do you think of this place?"

 

[Tao]

Kurohebi's grin began to fade, this person was enjoying that scenery a bit too much, maybe he was into it, but he also was projecting his emotions a bit too openly, that started to alarm Kurohebi. Did he overestimate the stranger or maybe thats just all there is to him.

"Personally, I dislike this place. It is confined and desolate from the public. If one is considering himself an artist, he would be proud of his work, so he would want to let people see his work as much as possible, the location he picked to display the corpse does not reflect pride."

He gave his critisism onto the situation briefly as he was staring at the corpse.

"If I were to be in his shoes, I'd display it in the central plaza in Maruishi, to show exactly how magnificent my work could be... But this seems different, almost as if it was intended for someone spesific, maybe a clue or a message. Do you have any connection to the culprit?"

His grin grew again, if it was true, he caught this stranger red handed, playing cat and mouse in the mines with some deranged murderer that loves to play a bit too much into that chosen theme. The pieces of the puzzle began to assemble and he could see a slightly bigger picture here. Either this murder is with them right now or he is taunting them to catch him.

[MFT]

 

[Itsuki]

Itsuki's grin faded as he felt the mood from this man shift for a moment to one that seemed that of some sort of disappointment and almost suspect towards Itsuki himself.

"Yes you are correct this is far out of the way and perhaps placed too far out to be just meant for the public in truth, though even so it is rather interesting in some ways."

He would take a deep breath in and cool him wondering mind as he would pull himself back to his work in some fashion as his job was that of an ANBU and he had to work on this case in some fashion.

"The air in these caves in always damp and in many ways full of life and death almost like the mouth of a beast consuming souls on its way to the land of the dead I feel...perhaps that is why I enjoy this feeling this air gives me."

He spoke calmly towards Kurohebi with this comment as he returned to making mental notes of the case and body. It already seemed that this man was not the killer and nor was Itsuki in fact though he could not deny the point Kurohebi would make on it seemed placed in a way for a person to find.

"Hmm, I can agree with you on that the placement may in fact be in some ways put here for a person to find in fact though I myself am not aware of anyone that I know that would leave such a thing for myself."
His grin would grow again as he would turn finally truly towards the young man with full attention.

"Your insight is very keen I must admit I am impressed and you seem rather adept in things dealing with the darkness and shadows of this world perhaps if you find yourself ever looking for a new place of work you should call upon the ANBU branch for a visit."

With this Itsuki would reach into a pocket and pull out a small paper with a simple color of black with red markings on it and infuse a bit of chakra into the object leaving details on seeking out an exam with ANBU under Itsuki's recommendation.

"If you are ever in desire of such a home follow this and we will be more than happy to see another spirit of the shadows in this word."

His grin was large and could be felt as his bloodlust was put on the backburner and a bit of wicked amusement and excitement of perhaps finding something worthwhile in this world had started to pay off.

[OOC: WC 441]
{MFT]
[OOC: Tao has been given an invitation by Itsuki to attempt to join the ANBU branch as AiT. Must pass as per normal as any AiT exam would.]
[OOC: Sorry for the long wait life kinda managed the catch me last two weeks]

 

[Tao]

Kurohebi inspected Itsuki's reaction, he seemed to beat around the bush while complimenting his insight. It felt even more suspicious now, this might be the the guy boasting about his own work. He then got a piece of black paper with a red mark on it, accepted it and put it in his pocket.

"An interesting proposal, could you explain to me what this branch does within the village military?"

He asked bluntly, its not like Kurohebi didnt have any knowledge about what Anbu are, but he was interested in knowing what sort of information he will be able to fish out of this person before applying into the branch. This by no means was a random encounter, at least thats the way it felt, this person lured him in to this cave, seeking to share his views and see who Kurohebi was and what he was all about. He might be overthinking it, but then again, caughtion was one of his better traits, and after seeing what Tao saw before, he knew that trusting people blindly is something only a fool will do... A fool... No, it'd just be an act of a human, pray at best. His expression wavered a bit towards seriousness and then reverted back to his cunning grin. He knew already, whether or not this person is the culprit behind the corpse behind him, he... His eyes narrowed a bit, this corpse was behind him for this whole time, he already had expirience with a person who could fully control corpses as if they were living beings without as much as breaking as sweat. Kurohebi moved to the side so that he could face both Itsuki and the corpse simultaniously, feeling a bit uneasy to show his back to what could potentially be his death sentence.

"Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you as well... Is being Anbu fun? Do you enjoy doing this work?"

His eyes were now piercing into the eyeholes of Itsuki's mask, digging deep into his soul, searching through his mind and seeing what sort of reaction he would get from him. He could not see his face, his expression or his emotion, not through that annoying mask, but he could still feel a sense of bloodlust in the air, poluting it and poisining anything around them, and he couldnt tell, is it coming from Itsuki or is it something else.

[MFT]

 

[Itsuki]

Behind his mask Itsuki let out a large grin that would show even the sharp points of his canine teeth, although hidden behind his ANBU mask safe from view. It was apparent that this man did not trust Itsuki or at the very least felt very wary of him.

The card was taken from his hands from this young man as he placed it into his pocket, perhaps he had found another useful blade to be of use within the ranks of the shinobi of Iwa. Itsuki quietly hoped such as he had already gained one tool in the medical branch a while back.

"Hmm let's see what does this branch do within the ranks of the shinobi of this world." He would take a few breaths and think of the best way to word how he himself saw ANBU for Kurohebi.

"I Suppose we do what must be done and at the same time that which should not be done, we are a group that plays the strings of the shinobi world from within its shadows."

This was a rather decent answer Itsuki felt as he felt that to be truth for himself at least. The ANBU was a playground to Itsuki and he enjoyed the games with great wicked intent.

"Ah well let's see is ANBU fun...I suppose for me it may by chance be rather fun and as for others it may not be something they can stomach that well. Best I could say is if one enjoys the shadows and cold of the night then yes you would find a nice spot in that branch."

He let out a bit of a sigh as he was losing interest in this subject at this point for work was work in the end either way. With Kurohebi searching into the depth of Itsuki's mind he perhaps could feel the true form of darkness that hide behind those eyes of his. His one eye that of a Sharingan would spin shift in design slightly from time to time, the remaining golden hued eye was that of a piercing blade showing a great darkness that would send a lesser man into the corner of a room cowering just from its sight.

He cared not if the man looked a bit as if this man was to be a danger down the line to him he felt it be best he find out now rather than at a crucial point of this play. Though he did not allow him to dig too deep as that was unneeded and unwanted.

"Well there is nothing more to do here and I must return to the branch to inform them of this incident, if you wish to join ask for me and I will see if ANBU would be a fitting home for you."

With that said Itsuki would move past Kurohebi and disappear into the shadows of the cave as he made his way towards the exit. This indeed was an interesting turn of events one that perhaps may be of profit or may turn into nothing more than a bit of wasted time in the end.

[WC: 524]
[MFT]
[OOC: Itsuki attempts to leave cave unless Kurohebi attempts to stop him]
[OOC: Invited to try out for ANBU with Itsuki as his test overseer for AiT exam]