If there was one thing Ziren needed, it was a break to collect his thoughts. So much has happened in the past few days that it seemed a bit hard to comprehend at times. It wasn't as if he hasn't dealt with situations like these before, it's just that he has had one surprise after the next. His first interaction with Umashi after so many years and not knowing it was him until a certain kid sleuthed him out. The very real threat of knowing an anbu operative needing the help of a mednin. And on top of that, they both have history with their target, Maru. Ziren can't forget that Umashi had said that Maru has almost killed the Anbu Sennin. A sigh came from underneath the mask. A very real threat indeed.
The wind blew slowly as the moon became visible over the night. This was one of the reasons why Ziren came out here, away from Umashi, away from thinking about the mission. The color of the mountains seem to change colors to be that of purple. Nature is both strange and mysterious. Not a lot of man made things can surmount to something like this, even if chakra were at play too.
But even enjoying this time to himself, he knew to be wary. He heard a something nearby and looked over to see an old man with a cane standing there watching him. They locked eyes for a minute before the old man spoke, "Mind if I sit here with you and enjoy this view?"
Ziren, dumbfounded that an old geezer had managed to get all the way here without getting hurt from whatever lurks in the night, before his thoughts turned serious. This isn't an ordinary old man. And... something seems off about him, the Chigokai doesn't know what though. The old man, as if sensing what Ziren was thinking, then said, "Don't worry, an old man like me won't bite. I don't have any teeth left to bite." Jokes, an easy way to diffuse the situation.
The Chigokai finally motioned the man that he was good to sit next to him before saying, "If you don't mind me asking, isn't it a little bit too dangerous for an old man like you to be wandering out in the middle of the night like this?"
The old man shook his head, "I've no worry for what may come. We all have to go at some point. What really matters is if you are at peace when you do. A person who is still fighting after they died will never be at peace."
Ziren thought about that for a moment. It made him think of his time as a Dark Sage. When he forced Anyu to work with him before they became buds. And then Ziren got rid of his Dark Sage powers and he never saw his ghostly companion ever again. If that were the case, his mind was running around. The need to save a friend. Even if the friend in question was already dead, Ziren needs to make sure that Anyu can rest in peace. Another thing Ziren now has to keep in mind for the long run of doing his part to keep peace in the world. First, finish this mission. Second, find a permanent way to deal with those monsters that Yukio had managed to seal away, because those seals can only last so long before those creatures burst out. And lastly, find a way to reach Anyu and help him rest in peace. It would be an understatement to say that Ziren has his hands full. What with all that is happening, Ziren has to find a way to make it all work out in the end.
He turned to speak to the old man, only to find that he disappeared. There's no way... Ziren looked around frantically to make sure the guy didn't fall off the ledge when he heard a blood flow nearby. He turned around to to a woman in her mid twenties with some flowers in her hands. "Oh... Um... Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to be here."
At this point, Ziren was starting to piece things together with his anbu mind he has at times. He had now realized the strange thing about the old man was that he didn't have a blood flow. And then he disappeared without a trace, and now this young woman is here with some flowers, supposedly for the old man that passed away. Even so, Ziren asked, "Who are those for?" He asked in a nice, curious way.
The woman was hesitant at first, then said, "It's for my father. He passed away here some years back. Said that this was the kind of peacefulness that is needed throughout the world. That despite all the things that may happen, people have to cling onto humanity and remember what it means to be human."
Ziren thought about that for a minute. He always thought everything comes at a price, even peace. That Ziren would be willing to sacrifice his own life if it was needed to keep peace, something he would want for his family. To shield them from being hurt and not have to worry or fear for their lives. He looked out at the horizon. Despite how peaceful it looks, nearby there were two areas that were more dangerous than this, plus all unknown factors. But even with that said, the world seems to be at a standstill as the beauty of nature rules time in this place for now. "Your father sounded like a wise man."
The woman nodded, "Yes, I miss him dearly and I know I can't get him back, but I am glad he found peace." She paused, before asking, "What's with the mask and the attire?"
It's true that this attire along with the mask is not his normal clothing, but he was on a mission. One that shouldn't be talked about. He chose his words carefully, "I am someone whose mission is to keep peace."
The woman seemed to understand what Ziren meant though she didn't push for more information. Smart lady. She set the flowers down nearby and looked over at Ziren. "Well, it was nice to meet you Mister, but I have to go. And don't worry. I don't know you or that you were here. My father would have said the same thing... Just... Please don't kill anyone if they don't deserve it."
Ziren nodded. Killing wasn't really his style anymore. Only a last resort thing when all else fails. His thoughts went to the numerous amounts of people he has killed and those he watched die. The one person he killed whose death effected him the most was killing his brother, Jirosho. The man deserved it for all the things that had happened. But Ziren also had to wonder why the man wanted him dead for so many years. Why wait for a certain time for his strikes? It had hurt Ziren to kill the onnly blood family member he had left. As for watching someone die in front of him... Nitish... He had kept to himself before affiliating himself with the crew, a bunch of mischievous kids in Leaf, and died when trying to run away from the Village. That was the start of when Ziren truly started to question Takeshi and his motives. It is ironic for a Chigokai to not want to kill, but he grew up differently than most. He had learned to control his bloodlust to be almost nonexistent. To him, using blood is just another weapon in his arsenal.
He heard the blood flow of the woman fading away, a sign that Ziren is now alone again. The Chimera decided to stay here a little longer to enjoy this nature spectacle in all its glory. Never has he seen these hues of purple in any kind of landscape. For once in his life, his worries seemed to have washed away. The stress of all events from Frost attacking Leaf up to this point in his life has been one stressful thing after another. He had a five year break from it all until he started picking up more combat mednin missions. And eventually, Umashi found him again. His brief visit in Leaf when they opened the doors for everyone to come in, in preps of the tournaments and seeing his sister and Yukio again. Learning of Yukio's condition... And the things that has caused it. Ziren was a simple man who wanted simple things in life.
After a while has passed, Ziren considered going back to Umashi, the old man was asleep with Ziren's own plant contract Brolu watching over him so ziren can get some time to collect his thoughts. He can imagine the plant grumbling about stupid humans, a funny thing, but it would also be best to go back to make sure that they were ready for whatever might come in the very near future.
(WC: 1507)
The wind blew slowly as the moon became visible over the night. This was one of the reasons why Ziren came out here, away from Umashi, away from thinking about the mission. The color of the mountains seem to change colors to be that of purple. Nature is both strange and mysterious. Not a lot of man made things can surmount to something like this, even if chakra were at play too.
But even enjoying this time to himself, he knew to be wary. He heard a something nearby and looked over to see an old man with a cane standing there watching him. They locked eyes for a minute before the old man spoke, "Mind if I sit here with you and enjoy this view?"
Ziren, dumbfounded that an old geezer had managed to get all the way here without getting hurt from whatever lurks in the night, before his thoughts turned serious. This isn't an ordinary old man. And... something seems off about him, the Chigokai doesn't know what though. The old man, as if sensing what Ziren was thinking, then said, "Don't worry, an old man like me won't bite. I don't have any teeth left to bite." Jokes, an easy way to diffuse the situation.
The Chigokai finally motioned the man that he was good to sit next to him before saying, "If you don't mind me asking, isn't it a little bit too dangerous for an old man like you to be wandering out in the middle of the night like this?"
The old man shook his head, "I've no worry for what may come. We all have to go at some point. What really matters is if you are at peace when you do. A person who is still fighting after they died will never be at peace."
Ziren thought about that for a moment. It made him think of his time as a Dark Sage. When he forced Anyu to work with him before they became buds. And then Ziren got rid of his Dark Sage powers and he never saw his ghostly companion ever again. If that were the case, his mind was running around. The need to save a friend. Even if the friend in question was already dead, Ziren needs to make sure that Anyu can rest in peace. Another thing Ziren now has to keep in mind for the long run of doing his part to keep peace in the world. First, finish this mission. Second, find a permanent way to deal with those monsters that Yukio had managed to seal away, because those seals can only last so long before those creatures burst out. And lastly, find a way to reach Anyu and help him rest in peace. It would be an understatement to say that Ziren has his hands full. What with all that is happening, Ziren has to find a way to make it all work out in the end.
He turned to speak to the old man, only to find that he disappeared. There's no way... Ziren looked around frantically to make sure the guy didn't fall off the ledge when he heard a blood flow nearby. He turned around to to a woman in her mid twenties with some flowers in her hands. "Oh... Um... Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to be here."
At this point, Ziren was starting to piece things together with his anbu mind he has at times. He had now realized the strange thing about the old man was that he didn't have a blood flow. And then he disappeared without a trace, and now this young woman is here with some flowers, supposedly for the old man that passed away. Even so, Ziren asked, "Who are those for?" He asked in a nice, curious way.
The woman was hesitant at first, then said, "It's for my father. He passed away here some years back. Said that this was the kind of peacefulness that is needed throughout the world. That despite all the things that may happen, people have to cling onto humanity and remember what it means to be human."
Ziren thought about that for a minute. He always thought everything comes at a price, even peace. That Ziren would be willing to sacrifice his own life if it was needed to keep peace, something he would want for his family. To shield them from being hurt and not have to worry or fear for their lives. He looked out at the horizon. Despite how peaceful it looks, nearby there were two areas that were more dangerous than this, plus all unknown factors. But even with that said, the world seems to be at a standstill as the beauty of nature rules time in this place for now. "Your father sounded like a wise man."
The woman nodded, "Yes, I miss him dearly and I know I can't get him back, but I am glad he found peace." She paused, before asking, "What's with the mask and the attire?"
It's true that this attire along with the mask is not his normal clothing, but he was on a mission. One that shouldn't be talked about. He chose his words carefully, "I am someone whose mission is to keep peace."
The woman seemed to understand what Ziren meant though she didn't push for more information. Smart lady. She set the flowers down nearby and looked over at Ziren. "Well, it was nice to meet you Mister, but I have to go. And don't worry. I don't know you or that you were here. My father would have said the same thing... Just... Please don't kill anyone if they don't deserve it."
Ziren nodded. Killing wasn't really his style anymore. Only a last resort thing when all else fails. His thoughts went to the numerous amounts of people he has killed and those he watched die. The one person he killed whose death effected him the most was killing his brother, Jirosho. The man deserved it for all the things that had happened. But Ziren also had to wonder why the man wanted him dead for so many years. Why wait for a certain time for his strikes? It had hurt Ziren to kill the onnly blood family member he had left. As for watching someone die in front of him... Nitish... He had kept to himself before affiliating himself with the crew, a bunch of mischievous kids in Leaf, and died when trying to run away from the Village. That was the start of when Ziren truly started to question Takeshi and his motives. It is ironic for a Chigokai to not want to kill, but he grew up differently than most. He had learned to control his bloodlust to be almost nonexistent. To him, using blood is just another weapon in his arsenal.
He heard the blood flow of the woman fading away, a sign that Ziren is now alone again. The Chimera decided to stay here a little longer to enjoy this nature spectacle in all its glory. Never has he seen these hues of purple in any kind of landscape. For once in his life, his worries seemed to have washed away. The stress of all events from Frost attacking Leaf up to this point in his life has been one stressful thing after another. He had a five year break from it all until he started picking up more combat mednin missions. And eventually, Umashi found him again. His brief visit in Leaf when they opened the doors for everyone to come in, in preps of the tournaments and seeing his sister and Yukio again. Learning of Yukio's condition... And the things that has caused it. Ziren was a simple man who wanted simple things in life.
After a while has passed, Ziren considered going back to Umashi, the old man was asleep with Ziren's own plant contract Brolu watching over him so ziren can get some time to collect his thoughts. He can imagine the plant grumbling about stupid humans, a funny thing, but it would also be best to go back to make sure that they were ready for whatever might come in the very near future.
(WC: 1507)
