Naruto SoundITP IC 1: A Melancholy Song of Hope To Come

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko:
She looks at Senko, blinks then looks at Odayama
"...I'm going to say similarly that my brother was probably worried that my clan was being spied on and that I was being used as that spy. and that I don't like the idea of what my clan says in their own home being monitored by the husband of the anbu's leader? Thats not really okay? Like "treating the clan like their enemies" kind of distrust? Which historically has not ended well when villages start treating certain clans with distrust, and my clan if you don't remember are still refugees from a dictator who tried to have them wiped out. And that my clan really does not need more enemies right now? And what if this tech is stolen by some missing nin? or other enemy ninja? how can I be sure its you thats listening in and not some spy or infiltrator using me to gain my clan secrets?

My clan is one of the pillars of this Village! and your threatening the foundation with a leak like that? Our clan contributes to this villages research, providing invaluable fuinjutsu expertise that is not an easy art to learn or develop. and you think your keeping me safe? your endangering more lives than you save because your either not trusting my clan and making them think that if someone is listening that they're planning on attacking my clan, or your providing a means to siphon knowledge from my clan and thus make it more irrelevant and useless, and thus destroy my clans future! Especially given that Jirou has told me that he is chosen to be the next Otokage, so not only that, you'd be spying on the future Otokage and potentially leaking village secrets as well! So not only is your actions potentially damaging to my clan, but if what Jirou has told me is true, it can be misconstrued as treasonous to the village itself if it continues."
She crosses her arms.

[Rater202]

"Anyway, we are not here to argue about this. We should just finish the mission."

Senko returns to painting the fence.

"...You know, they should have academy students do a number of simpler, safer D-rank missions as part of their education. Give them some real-life experience, get them used to working in groups and taking orders before they become proper ninja, and if they drop out of the program for whatever reason they'll have practical work experience and developed manual labor skills that their time in the academy will not be a complete waste and they will not end up unemployed as adults. Actual ninja could then spend a few weeks getting used to their permanent teams before moving on up to the kind of thing that actually requires a ninja. The current system seems rather inefficient."

[Rater202]

((OOC: Igor, don't worry too much about this right now, it's just something Raz and I talked about. I'm only posting to keep the thread going and because I am bored.))

[Otogakure Research Facility, An Indeterminate Amount Of Time After The Fence Painting Mission]

Senko attempts to find Jirou at a time and place where he is in his office or laboratory.

"Ishikagawa-sensei? I... I have a proposal of sorts... The truth is it sort of started as a joke... But the more I think about it, the more... If... I... This goes beyond my research. If it works, it could affect my research. Your research. The fate of every ninja in this village, and... Have long term ramifications for the Sound Village's place in the world... But, I think that the proposal would be more... convincing coming from someone like you than from someone like me. Are you willing to hear me out?"

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou with Clan Masuku:
From the shadow walks out the Masuku Clan Leader, with an Anbu Mask on like all the rest.
"I am Falcon. Leader of Clan Masuku. Chuunin Jirou, why have you come? The Otokage already came by and told us to support you, and we of course obey as our unquestionable loyalty to the village demands."
"...Can you not use your real name in your home?"
"This is my real name." says Falcon "My other name is a mask of normalcy. A carefully crafted persona to fool people into thinking I am a person with feelings like them so I can better accomplish the goals of this village. You have not answered why you have come."
"I have come to speak about cutting off the arranged marriage with my little sister, Kimiko."
"Why?"
"To give her the choice of whom she marries herself."
"Why?"
"Because I believe the arranged marriage is wrong."
"Why?"
"Because I believe in the principle of everyone being able to choose whom they marry themselves for love."
"...A strange principle. Applying this may negatively affect a clan ability to produce ninja with certain kekkei genkai and thus the village's military strength. Why risk our protection for a luxury we have not yet earned?"
"With new technology in development we could artificially give birth to ninja without needing arranged marriages. No protection need be sacrificed."
"Is it reliable?"
"It can be, if enough research and funding is acquired."
"A risk. Uncertainty. A shinobi deals in facts, not hopes. You propose to modify a foundation of a shinobi's way of life. We sacrifice so that others do not have to. You offer hope that we have to make one less sacrifice with this change, but think of the consequences."
"..Less suffering in peoples love lives?"
"Perhaps. But instead of arranged marriages, you will have a new form of heir, children who despite being artificially born from glorified sperm donors, are the ones who get the inheritance and training, while the children of those born of love might not receive such training or kekkei genkai and thus be considered lower status than the other in one sense. The loveless child will bear the sacrifices and pain rather than the loved one in another sense. Is that what you propose? To shift the pain of shinobi life onto children who people have less reason to love, as they are only born for their use of military power?"
"That is already the reason why shinobi children are born. If the loved child is also a shinobi, it makes little difference other than to allow more supportive loving families that are more likely to accept the artificially made child despite their origins."
"An idealistic sentiment. But why should shinobi shy away from taking this duty upon ourselves?Why should we be cowards and pass the buck to these unloved children instead of sacrificing ourselves for the sake of society as is our duty? It would be irresponsible of us to allow such a thing."
"We would not be doing so. We would simply be easing the burden of the parent so that they find joy and through make more happiness with it that could improve shinobi life and thus effectiveness of the next generation through them. Suffering happens regardless, but at least if what you say occurs it will be progress in what kind of suffering needs to be solved."
Falcon considers this.
"...I see. Then I must ask you a question of my own: How much are you willing to sacrifice for one person?"

Jirou, Later with Senko:
He raises an eyebrow.
"Already? I would thought this sort of thing would come years down the line. I see that I may have underestimated the little geniuses that I have come to care for."
He says in the same near-monotone voice he always has.
"Very well, what mischief are you planning?"

[Rater202]

Undetermined time: With Jirou

"The primary stumbling block in my research is that... The cells I inject into a subject are assimilated at a 100% rate. However, if the chakra within those cells does not integrate with the host's chakra, the cells will not fuse properly. Either the body will reject them or they will turn cancerous. Either way, the end result is fatal."

"But... This is the part that will probably sound better coming from you than from me, becuase it will most definitely need the Otokage's approval: The Village Hidden in the Clouds is well known for their attempts to steal bloodlines and that of the five great villages that they are the most industrious and science-minded. They would probably kill for access to a scientific technique that can graft kekkei genkai to subjects as radically different as an entirely different species without having to kidnap an entire person, merely acquire some of their hair or blood."

"...Or trade for it. It is well documented, even in living memory, that two fallen heroes--hated traitors, of the Cloud Village, known as the Two Lights or Gold and Silver Brothers, were somehow able to acquire the powers normally seen in a Jinchuriki, even able to assume the form of multi-tailed foxes, without being Jinchuriki themselves. Allegedly, this is becuase they were able to survive being swallowed whole by the Nine-Tails and survived by eating its organ meat until they could escape and absorbing its chakra in the process."

"If I could study their bodies, their cells, I might be able to figure out why and how they were able to amalgamate the caustic chakra of a tailed beast's with their own, and if so apply that to my own research and gain some improvement in the rate of survivability..."

"So... Why not make a trade? My research where I am now, including instructions and warnings about compatible donors and subjects, for one or both bodies. Even offer to share any improvements that 'the sound village's experts on genetics and cellular biology' develop in the cellular grafting technique based on studying the cadavers of the Gold and Silver Brothers to sweeten the pot, a genuine offer, if somewhat misleading for reasons I will elaborate on thusly. State that one body is perfectly acceptable but both would be most effective..."

"Knowing the nature of the Shinobi life and the Cloud Village in general, weighed against the Brothers' nature as hated criminals who killed allies, stole artifacts and hid them away, and committed high treason, it is highly likely that at the time of their deaths their bodies were directed by the Cloud Village. Based on the fact that the Cloud Village has not taken over the world with an army of Psuedo-Jinchuriki that they failed to gain any significant data. Most likely they will see it as if we were offering to trade shiny diamonds for the same weight in wood shavings."

"The worst-case scenario, as I see it, is that they spend resources that would have gone into kidnapping and experimenting on bloodline possessing Ninja from other villages on making what we give them functional enough to start using on human subjects, which I would consider a win, and see the Sound village as useful idiots, which we could manipulate to our advantage later. It is not like they will be able to use my techniques as well as the sound can: While it should work on anyone's cells, hell, I could use Kimiko's cells to give you Paper Release right now and in all likelihood, you would survive... Assuming that you are full blood siblings and have compatible blood types... Unless my cells, or those of someone else with my bloodline, are the donor one will need a highly compatible host for the process to work... Which, to be fair, I would suggest we warn them about. And unless the host has my bloodline, or something similar..." Senko gestures to one of the rat statues that are probably in the room. "You would only be able to combine one, maybe two, bloodlines into a single person. It would be valuable, but nothing that would come back to bite us if Cloud turned on us."

"The best-case scenario is that I succeed in replicating the brothers' power to replicate chakra, improving the cellular grafting process and upon seeing these results the Cloud Villae develops respect for Sound that could be leveraged into an alliance that could help us get out from under the Leaf village's thumb..."

"And if any of the Nine-Tail's power remains in the cadavers, I might, be able to create something akin to a Jinchuriki."

[igordragonian]

Ottokage's office

Nozojo snicker. 'All the emotionless, is a total crap that always backfire. Trust me, I know, and I am going to pay for this knowledge.'
Pause.
He nod. 'Well, yes. Aren't all nations are sort of fabrications? It's easy to get nihilistic, and say nothing matters- and this how we create missing nins. Yes, all those lies, mimicry, but why ~THIS is an important fact if we can improve the life of our dear ones? I set my bets on the Hope Generation, to make us something... else. And Jirou seemed to be someone.... diffrent enough from me, the same way I was diffrent enough from the first Ottokage.' he chuckle.
Well, in my defence, on the radio 'Yoo here the Ottokage' sound better then 'here the titleless leader, of this backward village.' Doeesn't it?'
he get a bit more seriouse.
'You don't have to stay there, you can be anything you want. I just want to secure, Jirou's accension, and I trust you to CARE, about this. Skills, lack of emotions, or whatever, aren't as important.'

He pull out uniform and a mask. It's a mouse mask.
'Nezumi. Techniacly, you are a 'special recruit' under my reccomandtion.'

------


Odayama doesn't know how to deal with Senko. For now he doesn't answer her demands and all that.
So far for honesty..

'Well, that fair, Kimiko.' Odayama say.
'The thing is, I don't care about all that. If ninjas want to prove me as a traitor, they have much better reasons for it, and everyone who is in power, aware of those.' He say.
'No. I care about my family, and my students. I am a bit overprotective, I have allowed my father to die, because of lack of attention...' he pause.

'But my psychological burdens, shouldn't burden you. I wish you would be ok wearing it, while you are under my command, so I could back you up if something happens. But I don't want you to leave in fear in paranoia,at your own village- so I am open and honest as much as I can. I could have easily, just chip you again... but when I have seen how disturbed are you... I understood, that I fell to the mental trap ninjas from the kind I hate, are falling into. So.. sure. You can report me, I hope you won't, but I won't stop you.'
Pause
Odayama say. 'I want you, to trust me, that even if the truth is harsh, I will respect you with it, unless it something that I specifically have a command from the higher ups not to. I am not here, just for a job. For a job, I was perfectly ok, being another patrolling guard... but I was told, I can help you, to support you. Well. I am not ready to manipulate you. I am clumsy, I forget things, and do cheap things, and in general not the cool kind of shinobi- but I am here, for you, girls. I will back you, I will listen to you, and be honest and trust you. What do you say?'

[Lord Raziere]

Mitsuko:
"AHahahahaha! You don't understand me a single bit.

1. When it comes to Anbu, its not about emotionlessness. Thats not even the point. Thats basic self defense to help with their actual point. Their point is to do horrible things for the sake of everyone else. Like assassination, deep undercover mission in foreign lands where if they don't have careful control over what their goals they could start going native and betray you, things like that. You don't make your soldiers care about your enemy. Especially your most stealthy ones who will be doing all the dirty things that even normal soldiers would balk at. Breaking the soldier in training, making sure they are disciplined to control their emotions when they start being a monster for their nation? Thats a kindness we give them, so that they can function and go home to their families to turn their emotions back on after doing so.

2. I am not a nihilist. I believe in tradition, and I believe in the Sage of the Six Paths and the kami, pray to him every single day. As have my ancestors did long before me. I pray for my families forgiveness from him for we all are shinobi and therefore monsters. I pray that even this cycle of peace and war never ends, that the periods of peace will lengthen to outweigh the periods of war. My part is not to ensure peace, because it is not the part of any ninjas job to ensure peace. The part of ensuring peace is diplomats and real politicians whose job it is to do that. And perhaps centuries or millennia from now someone will finally figure out how to eradicate war by the grace of the Sage, but I doubt it will happen in my life time. I have to be realistic about this.

As for the kage bit? You misunderstand: I'm posturing my culture at you. I'm from Kirigakure, I knew how these things work before this village even existed. Its not nihilism, its looking at the backwater I now live in and giving honest criticism, because I've seen stronger, and know how another village does it and thus constantly compare it to that. You should perhaps look at where people are from before assuming where they are going. I am loyal to my new clan leader because of the traditions and place I come from emphasize that regardless of my feelings on the matter. Its my clan, its all I have."
She takes the mask and the uniform and flashes a crazed shark grin
"So don't worry, I may be twisted and screwed up to someone like you- but I care, for my own reasons, Otokage-Sama. If I'm spilling all this crazy upon you and being disrespectful-well its your own fault for treating me like an equal, when I'm your subordinate is it not? But don't worry....when I put on the mask, I'll behave. I do have my pride as a kunoichi after all. Nezumi, reporting in."
She will exit to put on her uniform and go forth to do her new mission to the best of her abilities.

Jirou, Now:

Spoiler

Show

He blinks
"What do you mean?"
"You do all this, sacrifice so much, become the leader of clan Ishikawa, all for your little sister. How would does that go? And why should my loyalty remain to someone who only has one person's interest at heart, rather than the entire's villages?"
"I am loyal to this village. I seek to serve it and ensure a better life for all within it."
"Yes, but are you more loyal to the village or to your little sister? Which one would you pick when the situation comes down to it? At the end of the day, Kimiko is just another shinobi. Even if you vow to not try and not sacrifice every shinobi in this village, there might inevitably be a situation where you have to choose between the villages welfare and the welfare of your sister. Choosing to make one shinobi's life more important than all the lives of the village would be dangerous. One could even say that such bias would be evidence of a bad Otokage.

How can I trust you to make the right decision when the situation calls for it?"
"...My current actions are not reflective of what I normally do. Once my goal is done, I shall work as the Otokage first, as is my duty as a shinobi."
"Are we to believe the actions you have been doing, is a result of extenuating circumstances, because you feel strong love towards her?"
"Yes."
"Bull. You are too methodical and too calm. As calm as an Anbu, if you didn't have your compassion, you'd be perfect for them."
"True. But still, I intend for these actions to not be repeated."
They stare at each other for a moment, as if daring one another to take the next move. Falcon how eventually breaks it to come at this from a different angle.
"You propose something that will break our agreement with your clan and thus cause us loss. What do you propose to replace this?"
"I intend to marry Kikenna Masuku to form our alliance instead."
"...That black sheep? Why?"
"I was the outcast of my own clan myself, why not? Fitting, no?"
"Why not ask for someone of higher status?"
"I am worth less than Kimiko in this bargain, it makes sense that I ask for someone of equal status as myself."
"...You consider yourself so lowly?"
"I was simply thinking that you wouldn't want to waste one of your higher ranking clan members on a weak clan that is a shadow of its former self like mine. Don't you have bigger fish to fry?"
"Do you not wish Kimiko to gain a better education from other ninja that could more widely instruct her and thus with my clan's greater resources and strength, better protect her and thus teach her to protect herself?"
"I think I don't want her to turned into an Anbu simply because she is a genius and a prodigy of her generation, which the Masuku Clan are all about."
Falcon and Jirou have another stare down. Its longer, growing more intense as the silence stretches. Jirou was under no illusions about what they wanted Kimiko for: the Masuku Clan would certainly want to maximize her potential as a shinobi, the Anbu are too merit-based to ignore her talent. Her use as a wife would only be after she proved to be some great Anbu shinobi loyal to the village, as there is no point in having a genius if that genius can't pass on the full fruits of that genius on. He was aware that he was taking a risk in doing this, but he had to do it. No matter what.
"....You know.... that doing this could be seen as breaking off a years long agreement between our clans. and that Ameoku as Anbu commander, could be seen as the shinobi more worthy of being Otokage than you within our clans way of thinking. And one could say that denying us what we want, could give us reason to not support your claim to the position.

So which will you choose? Our support for Otokage? Or Kimiko's freedom?"
Jirou thinks: Ah, so this is what Nozojo was saying about situations you cannot win, taking a loss no matter what. Oh well. He came here to do one thing, and one thing only.
"I choose her freedom. That is what I came here to do, and I'm sticking with it. If your going to stop supporting me over such a thing, that is your problem and I will accept the loss, because I know what I value more, and that is a member of the Hope Generation being able to truly shine without restraint from those who not know hope at all."
For a moment there is silence. Falcon considers this.
"...For a moment you sounded like Nozojo-sama....you speak his ideals. Very well. I shall allow you to break off Kimiko's marriage, and replace it your engagement to Kikenna."
"Wait, just like that?"
Falcon nods.
"I needed to test you. On what kind of Otokage you would be."
"But I chose the selfish option. I turned down your support in favor of Kimiko's freedom."
"Sure Nozojo-sama is right that sometimes you must take the loss, and sometimes that involve the sacrifice of shinobi lives. But a leader must also have a clear vision of how they want to improve the world, and what they value in it. Like any mission of the shinobi, one must have a clear objective in mind, and to lose sight of the objective, getting lost in the costs, the alternatives, the traps that other shinobi will set to sway you from your path is dangerous. You must make sure you cannot be manipulated by those wishing to subvert you, by having discipline. You came in here with a specific goal in mind and kept yourself cool, rational and reasonable in your attempt to achieve it and even justifying what you wanted to achieve using the Otokage's ideals.

I shall support your bid for Otokage."
"Thank you for your time then, Falcon."
Jirou then leaves

Jirou, Later:
".....Hm."
He wonder what his mother would think of him having the means to theoretically give him the very bloodline that she shunned him for not having for probably a couple years now. Probably confusion.
"...So. let me get this straight: you want me, to go to ask for the corpses of their two worst criminals of the Land of Lightning, a powerful shinobi nation that could probably crush us if they felt like it, by sort of promising we can transfer bloodlines to others but not revealing the full details of how it works, all so you can potentially gain pieces of the Kyuubi's chakra to do....something with it?'
He thinks on this.
"...Senko, I know such chakra is powerful, but no matter how great it would never truly equal a jinchuuriki. Your going after left over pools of a great ocean. If they are even still there. how do you know you AREN'T trading away diamonds for wood shavings? Ignoring all the other difficulties, this is a bit of a gamble, all things considered."
And with his current position as a lowly Chuunin, maybe he should file it away for later until he is Otokage. Maybe.
"What if this doesn't work out? What if you find nothing?"

Kimiko:
She considers these words and says
".....Fine. I guess I understand. Your worried and you want to protect us. I'm just saying there are wider effects to your actions than just what you personally want. You may mean it for your personal use, but the results may impact far more than you imagine. I'll let my concerns go...."
She turns to paint, as she finishes her thought.
"...But if what Senko says is true, if you have planted a chip on her it still needs to be removed and destroyed and you need to sign a non-disclosure agreement."

[Rater202]

Senko Now

Senko keeps painting.

Senko Later

"You misunderstood, Sensei: For one, no. I'm proposing that you take my proposal tothe Otokage, since... well, it will sound better coming from you... And, partially, for this reason here. For two, what I am suggesting We give offer them everything that I currently have, including its limitations and knowledge of how to maximize its effectiveness, and maybe an offer to give them any improvements to the process derived from the study the bodies. We just do not give them me, or my bloodline, and thus the ability to create a single ninja with dozens of bloodlines. Or an army of the same. If you have been paying attention to the notes I have given you on my research, particularly the things that are of potential interest to your own project, you should be aware of the adaptive nature of my cells. If your hand got ripped off, Sensei, I would be able to replace it with some of my own biomass and the process of doing so would result in my cells altering themselves in structure and genetics to perfectly match the cells of your body... Of course..."

Senko holds up her right hand, which turns a ruddy orange-red-brown color. a Chitin like shell of the same color forms around the wrist and a foot long hollow spike that tapers to a sharp, needle-like point juts out from her open palm.

"I would then have to absorb biomass from another source, to replace what I lost, since... Well, I lost my surplus of mass during my most recent rampage. And those cells, that chakra, would transform and become identical to my own."

"It is by studying and replicating that process that I was able to create my means of grafting bloodlines. I can artificially induce a similar ability in the cells of others to partially change and match a host enough to integrate into the body. If the chakra within those cells properly amalgamated with the chakra of the host, then the altered cells will fuse with the host's cells and the other cells of the host's body will gain the traits necessary to use the bloodline and, as a bonus, produce trace amounts of the donor's chakra in addition to their own, creating a slight increase in overall raw power. I have done rudimentary tests that prove that the process will work with anyone's cells, but without the adaptive nature of my cells you would need to have an already compatible host before starting the process: The same blood-type and elemental affinity, at least. Nor would the body be able to integrate more than one or two similar abilities."

"But, as I said, if the chakra does not integrate, that is where the problems come in."

"The Nine-Tail's chakra, if any of it exists within the cadavers of the Two Lights, is secondary. I am after whatever aspect of their bodies allowed them to absorb the power of the Nine-Tails and combine it with their own while retaining its unique properties: If I can isolate the genetic traits responsible for that, if it is genetic, and replicate it as I did with an aspect of my own bloodline, combine it with the process, then the survival rate of the process will increase exponentially."

"And if can not replicate the process by studying their cells? The odds of myself surviving the process of having foreign cells grafted to myself are somewhat higher than another human for much the same reason that my cells can be grafted into anyone... that, and I am a universal blood recipient with an affinity to Yang Release instead of one of the five elements. Essentially, I am equally compatible with everyone. I could graft the cells from one, or both if available, brothers to myself and thus gain their chakra natures and beneficial genetic traits myself. The trait that allowed them to absorb the power of the nine-tails should mean that their cells would integrate better even if I cannot replicate it properly. I could then study my own body to try and figure out the process. Or, worst-case scenario, the combination of their traits and my own should allow my cells, so augmented, to be graftible to most people without problems and thus my cells could be used as a buffer between the host and the desired traits... Though, that would restrict being enhanced to people who have access to a controlled form of Senjusu becuase we do not want an entire village of homicidally insane berserker."

"As for creating a jinchuriki-like being from any traces of the Nine-Tails power... Yes, in and of itself, it would not match a true Jinchuriki... But chakra is not like other forms of energy. The Tailed Beasts themselves produce it from nothing, to the point of being said to have infinite power, and as long as you have some chakra to start with it is possible to cultivate many times more than you started with."

"One Psuedo-Junchuriki could not match the real thing. But cultivating the Nine-Tails power an giving it to everyone in small doses? Just enough to supplement their power? Maybe produce a rudimentary chakra cloak? Or a small handful of elite Ninja with a larger quantity, enough to transform?"

"In the battle of quality and quantity, a good quantity of good quality can match overwhelming quantity and overwhelming quality."

"Especially if used in conjunction with your own project? Sage Mode multiplies a user's power dozens, sometimes score or times over. Even if you cannot fully replicate Sage Mode and say, create a bastardized version that merely multiplies one's power ten times over... If one only has one-fiftieth of the power of a true Jinchuriki and then augments that ten times over with Senjutsu, then they become one-fifth of a jinchuriki. If ten people have that amount of power, then their village has the equivalent of two jinchuriki."

"Or? I could keep the Nine-Tail's chakra, if any of it remains, for myself. Enhance myself with the Brother's cells and then drain whatever remains from the corpses into my self, becoming the singular Psuedo-Jinchuriki. I suspect that my status in the village is already similar enough: Piss them off and drop them in the middle of something you want to break, but beyond that, it is known that the chakra of a tailed beast takes readily to shape manipulation. Enough tailed beast chakra merged with my own, to the point that my body produces it in addition to my own and the two become one and the same, would give me the means to practice an advanced form of chakra control beyond my current skill that is currently beyond me and, if not completely cure the unbalance in my chakra, at least give me the means to work around it--a means of practicing and improving my chakra control to the point of being able to study my clan's sage mode and unlike a True Jinchuriki I wouldn't be fighting a monstrous god-beast for control of that power. Not only would I perhaps be one of the only people in the world who becomes less dangerous by becoming a Jinchuriki, but..."

"...Men-Ko has suggested to me that I go to Ryuchi cave and train to become the Snake Sage, as there is no current dedicated Snake summoner. If I do this, and pass the tests, I would have access to two forms of senjutsu. Potentially, I would have a sage mode greater than any other... and apparently enhanced regenerative abilities Combining that with even a fraction of the power of a Nine-Tail's Jinchuriki, and the Sound Village would have a Loyal Ninja able to match the raw power of a Jinchuriki if need be. One who happens to agree implicitly with 90% or so of what Lord Otokage to be thinks of War and clan politics."

"Or a middle ground between keeping it for myself and giving it to everyone: Keep some for myself, and give the rest to the children of the hope generation. disperse it evenly enough and suddenly the children who are supposed to change the world are all far stronger than anyone their age would be expected to be and therefore actually be able to do so, then allow the chakra to spread out to the rest of the village over the course of generations."

"But again, the Nine-Tails chakra, if it still remains, is secondary. The true goal is the improvement to the process of my research... which could also, perhaps, help you overcome the problems with your own research, and the potential of giving the Cloud village something reasonably valuable enough, and potentially earning their respect, to serve as a foundation for an alliance in the future: Currently, the Sound Village's only alliance is a one-sided deal with a village that hates us for something that happened a decade ago. That is not sustainable."

[igordragonian]

Ottokage's office

Nozojo smile with pleasure. He doesn't like butt lickers.
And he was the kind who preffered to be loved rather then feared.
"Good luck." He saluted in carefree attitude.
Nozojo was a bastard knaving thief before becoming a shinobi. Everyoje were so seriouse and grimm... but he has chosen a diffrent path, mostly inspired by Odayama's father,Hanazu.
His allowed his hands to shake when she left.
He looked at the window.
"Please.. wait just a little bit. I will pay my debt. [Wishper]"


-----

"Well with Senko it is diffrent. You, Usagu ans Yuyuyu can justifingly say, that by wearing the forehead protector, you are allowed to risk yourself, without me, stalking you. How ever... Senko is diffrent. I have beem there. Those expriments, been there,done that. It's probably the same just more refined. But I am supposed to stop her going berserk. And well, I do need to know what going on with her,at least when she is under my responsibility."
He turn to Senko. 'I was honest with you,Senko. Even if we know each other very little. I won't stop you from reporting me, but if you won't I will talk with Jirou about other soluation.'

[Rater202]

Spoiler: Original post, for posterity

Show

"No, Odayama-san you are supposed to serve as the squad captain of the team I was assigned to by Ishikawa-sensei as a transparent attempt to socialize. Preventing my berserk rampages is my own responsibility. If I transform, your responsibility to slap a sealing tag on me, call in Code Oni so a hunter nin can administer the drug that neutralizes my 'kekkei genkai' or, if all else fails, bury a sword in my brain to prevent me from killing anyone."

"...You know? Anger is a potential trigger for my transformation? If I was not so in control of my emotions, the reveal that you had begun to monitor Kimiko-san, Usagi-san, Yuyuyu-san, and myself without our knowledge or consent could have potentially sent me on a rampage right here and now. Where your young children are, weak and vulnerable to being crushed or stabbed or... Trust me. There are a lot of horrible ways I could kill someone, and my Nonself, The Sagebeast, the murderous persona that emerges when I transform? It is even better at using my powers than I am."

"Do you understand the potential consequences of your well-intentioned overreach of your authority now? You seem unconcerned with the potential threat to my safety, nor to the legal consequences you could face, but do you care for your children so little as to bing them around me knowing what I am and what I can do?"

"Regardless, I have already removed and destroyed the chip. Agree to sign the NDA covering my research and we'll have no further issues?"

There's a lot that Senko wants to say in response to Odayama's statement, regarding who is responsible for what in this relationship and the potential risks if she becomes too, upset, by something. But she thinks better of it.

"I have already removed and destroyed the chip that was on my person. Let us just finish the mission and revisit this later."

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou, Later
..."Are you sure the Otokage allow this? He is kindly and wants the Hope Generation as he calls it to change things, but I don't think this is what he had in mind. Though maybe if I spin it as a diplomatic overture to prevent Kumo from trying to kidnap entire people to their nation and thus limit their efforts to taking a hair or something which isn't as problematic as taking an entire person while at the same time while at the same time advancing the research of making bloodlines obsolete, perhaps it can work?"

Mitsuko Nezumi:
Nezumi leaps across the rooftops of the village in a disguise jutsu to make her hair shorter and black to keep her unrecognizable. All personal concerns have fallen away. There is no Mitsuko. There is no hate. There is only Nezumi. There is only the Mission. The Mission was-

Power is tempting. With you by her side, maybe you could prevent her from attacking Jirou. I want you either to work as Ameoku's assistant, either as Jirou's guard.

-Prevent her from attacking Jirou Ishikawa, as per the Otokage's command. Otokage-sama has given her the luxury of choice. To protect him on her own initiative. Common logic dictated that if one wants to protect somebody, they take the bodyguard option. The benefits of that are clear: she will always be around, always able to watch him. The attack could occur at any time after all. Therefore the second option is the one that needs to fight for its survival. The second option argues that if she works as Ameoku's assistant she can better know how she thinks and how to fight her, and of course, the best way to protect somebody is often to kill the offender before they ever start the attempt. Take care of threats before they become so, and its not as the Ootkage didn't tell her to kill her. But that would negatively impact the village's military leadership she was needed to make sure this village survives against other nations, That and it would killing a ninja of one's own village which is disloyal, generally not a smart thing to do unless the ninja going against the village. Which as Ameoku is technically attacking a ninja of her own village seemingly without provocation or good reason, technically counts as "going against the village".

But she is still Jonin level, which means she is strong, and therefore probably useful for something. question is, does her usefulness outweigh the threat she poses to the future Otokage? That is the uncertain variable in this equation. The only way to solve this uncertain variable is to scout out Ameoku and determine the practical benefits of keeping her alive. Therefore the most logical action is to go to Ameoku and become her assistant to determine her real use to this village so if/when she attacks Jirou she can determine its prudent to kill her or not.

She leaps off to find her, and introduce herself with a salute
"Greetings Ameoku-taichou, I am Nezumi, reporting for duty as your assistant by the orders of Otokage-sama. How may I assist you?"
Her voice is flat and entirely different, sounding as normal as possible.

Kimiko:
She will continue painting with a frown on her face, at hearing the conversation around her, not really sure how to respond to any of it, and thinking its best to stay silent. Yuyuyu does so as well

Spoiler: Kimiko's Notes: On Chakra

Show

With enough math, anything is possible. It is reported- and this is back up by my own eye witness account- that chakra is blue in color when visible. This means normal chakra was a wavelength, a frequency. I'd say an approximate Wavelength interval of 490nm and Frequency Interval of 610 THz, as its almost cyan in color but not quite. This means normal chakra is similar to ultraviolet light.

Tailed Beast chakra has been observed to be red, and thus approximately 700nm and 428THz. Making it closer to infrared light and thus longer in wavelength.

Senjutsu chakra if legends are to be believed, is green, putting it at 530nm and 566THz. In the middle.

The interesting thing to note is that Tailed Beast and Senjutsu chakra are reputed to boost abilities far beyond a ninja's normal limits. When normal light is observed to have less energy the longer the wavelength, the opposite seems true for chakra. However a different explanation is that these colors are just the energy that is emitted not the energy that is actually there, thus senjutsu and tailed beast chakra are actually radiating less energy than normal chakra when used. Longer the wavelength, the less energy lost? The most powerful form of chakra would therefore be black: no light radiated, no energy lost.

If types of chakra can be codified by color, then that means there are potentially 10 million different kinds of chakra discernible by the human eye alone. I'm sure most of these are variations on a stark few general kinds but it would go a long way of explaining how say, the tailed beasts all have different abilities despite all having the same color of chakra- they might actually have nine different unique kinds of chakra, they just are all really close together in wavelength and frequency so they all look red to us.

Of course, chakra is far from visible. Its possible and probable that ones chakra frequency is almost as unique as one's fingerprint or a snowflake. This would make sense given how your chakra contains both physical energy of genetics and the mental energy of one's individual mind mixed together. This also explains elemental affinity- some frequencies simply work better with some elements. It is possible that more hybrid releases are keyed to more obscure or rarer wavelengths of chakra that certain bloodlines are capable of producing.

Of course, if chakra is a wave then like the rest of existence is subject to quantum physics, and is thus both a wave and a particle. The mathematics of chakra melding back this up: chakra in large enough quantities condensed together starts becoming solid like matter. My hypothesis is that the tailed beasts despite their solidity, are some level still a waveform. Quantum physics still applies and their existence is thus both energy and matter, information and physicality, the yang of existence and the yin of thought. You cannot kill a waveform, so how could you ever kill a tailed beast? At the same time, a waveform is vulnerable to things a human never will be.

Note: create chakra goggles to see chakra. Must be some part of the spectrum that can be picked up visually in its normal state if dojutsu can do it. No rumors or legends about them not seeing color, possible that human sight only needs slightly wider range to see it. Might help with chakra control if one can see chakra.

Note: work on trying to make device that picks up chakra, measures and shows wavelength frequency like the thing that does it for sound, light or vibrations. A photometer/frequency analyzer-like thing Might come with own name for this: chakrameter? Sounds good. Might come in handy for figuring out chakra frequencies and thus how to replicate them like a radio changing frequencies.

[Rater202]

Later

"...Well, yes. The diplomatic potential is what convinced me that it might be viable. As I said, the worst-case scenario is that the Cloud village sees us as useful idiots, which can be manipulated to our benefit in the future, and has a viable alternative to kidnapping which is honestly good for everyone. The best-case scenario is that the most scientifically progressive of the Five Great Villages knows the skill of our researchers and is aware of potential benefits of an alliance with us and the starring of information."

"I admit that, personally, I am motivated by the furthering of my research and the potential benefits that studying the brother's cadavers could give me directly, but it could potentially be good for the village entire."

"And, honestly. It is asking permission to study the corpses or one or two hated criminals for the purposes of mutual benefit. It is not like I am suggesting that we steal the bodies of Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara from the Leaf Village so that I could grant myself Wood Release and the Sharingan. That would be foolish. This would be business as usual, as far as some ninja would see it"

...Though, for the sake of thoroughness, if I manage to develop a means of manufacturing Jinchuriki-like power unless I keep it for myself and spin it as something I can't replicate we would have to come up with a way to explain it to the Cloud Village lest it alienate them and undermines any potential alliance we develop.

...In less morbid matters, you wouldn't happen to know the hand seals for the summoning technique, would you?

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou, Now:
He wonders what to do next as he walks the roads of Sound Village. He has accomplished almost everything he ever wanted in life: comeuppance served to his mother, his sister freed from his mother's machinations...mostly he guessed. Although he never expected it, he was a clan leader and on his way to becoming Otokage, a respected shinobi that will be remember at least by his own village for years to come, and his research into the....hm...Sage Seal. Yeah thats probably the best name for it, was progressing at a steady pace. All things considered, his life had become quite strange quite quickly. He had thought of himself as a lowly chuunin with dreams of greatness, doomed to passively watch his family turn Kimiko into a weapon or a copy of his mother, and now he was wrong. There was little a ninja could ask from the direction his life was going and even if he didn't get the Otokage position, he wouldn't mind all that much. What was important to him, was already done.

But now, greater things than his desires loom on the horizon. Responsibilities as clan leader or even Otokage, at the same time for some insane reason. Potentially working with Ameoku as one of his advisors and commanders even if he wins. And of course...the secret his own family keeps. The Iron Armor Seal. Should he reveal the secret to Nozojo or not? He was a kindly, accepting person who loved kids, but he didn't know whether that made revealing such a thing better or worse. Jinchuuriki are often made from children. Surely he wouldn't like the thought of cursing one by using it to gain power for the village? At the same time, the power of the jinchuuriki was one of the things that made a shinobi nation powerful. They acted as deterrents, and could put Sound on the board, on the same playing field as Takigakure, make them independent like they want. But would require the sacrifice of a child's future.

At the same time though, Nozojo did tell him that sometimes you lose no matter what you choose. Thus a child's future would be considered an acceptable loss compared to the loss of a nation's future. His words could be interpreted that way. Acceptance or denial? Jirou was not sure. He keeps walking, contemplating. Perhaps he will figure it out later, but he had to be cautious about a dangerous secret like this....

Jirou, Later:
"...Very well. But really, if we come up with such tailed beast chakra, I'd be more worried about Konoha. They're the ones that this chakra was originally stolen from by both of those criminals. A few decades of history doesn't change that fact. Lightning would want it, but they'd have less of a leg to stand on than Konoha."
He then answers her other question.
"As for summoning...No, but you are on the same team as Usagi correct? She summons rabbits every day to ride. She'd know better than I."
Perhaps he can also use this to gauge Nozojo's reaction to Jinchuuriki in general.

[Rater202]

Senko, Later

Senko blinks. "...Is overlooking the obvious an age-related trait? It should be well established that I am well beyond where someone of my age should be in terms of but right now I cannot help but feel someone what, particularly after I already asked Yuyuyu-san to help me with training to recognize Genjutsu. I should be better than that."

"As for the Leaf... He...HeheheheHehahahahahHAHAHAheHAhehahehahehaheha HEE!"

Senko's eyes don't turn black. That's the clue that this isn't her going insane and about to rampage. But still. It isn't normal for her to drop her stoic facade.

I just got the most deliciously evil idea... With how long its been... The next Chunin exam is int he leaf village, right? And... It is usually pretty obvious who a Jinchuriki is by the way they are treated by the village: Just look for the clan heir or person with the same surname as the Kage that is being treated like a ticking time bomb. With intervals of time, right now the Nine-Tail's Jinchuriki is either really old, or about old enough to participate in the chunin exams.

Senko holds up her hand again."Slurping up organs like a milkshake isn't the only means of absorbing chakra available to my clan. The less invasive method used by the rare few who have the power is also available to us. I am not currently able to do the technique, but I can learn. It is simple chakra control."

"I am not ready to be a chunin, but with my B-ranked Taijutsu and abnormally large reserves of chakra, I would be a perfect seat filler. For a team that down a member, or who had a member opt-out. It would be risky but if I were entered and if the current Ninetails Jinchuriki were entered... I mean, I cannot be faulted for a freak accident caused by an accidental side effect of using a common ability on someone who I could not possibly be aware was the Jinchuriki because I am just a stupid genin. And of course, the Sound village would do experiments on the accidentally stolen nine-tails power, any village would."

"Of course, it would be a long shot. we cannot say for certain that the Current Ninetails Jinchuriki is a genin so manufacturing a conflict outside of the Exam would be... Risky so it could easily amount to nothing, but if the Cloud Village does take us up on the offer it would work as a cover for both the LEaf Village and as part of a cover for the Cloud Village if it worked--we just admit to Cloud that I was enhanced with th brother's cells as a part of the research into them but pass off any Tailed Beast powers as a side effect of 'inadvertently' draining chakra from the Nine-Tails host." If by some miracle we got the bodies before the exam and I was able to replicate their power it'd be as simple as enhancing myself and then keeping it secret until after an encounter with the Jinchuriki. Otherwise, any tailed beast derived powers derived from the brother's body could be spun as a delayed reaction to absorbing chakra from the Jinchuriki."

"...Admittedly, this is less well thought out than my initial proposal. I would have to drastically improve my chakra control by then, for one, becuase I would rather not eat someone alive in the most excruciating way possible if I do not have to."

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou, Later:
He blinks twice.
"I am continually amazed and confused by your tendency to come up with crazy highly dangerous and probably illegal plans, then go up to your nearest authority figure to tell me about it. Most shinobi would consider that behavior borderline suicide and liable to put them on a list to be watched by Anbu. Please don't do anything too crazy or at least, anything too obvious. There are ninjas better than me, who can catch things I can't. Nor can I promise protection when dealing with such greater powers. I appreciate your honesty though, even if the accepted procedure for this is generally to not say anything, making sure no one finds out and everyone agrees that it didn't happen.

....If anyone asks, this conversation didn't happen.

I'm pretty sure absorbing chakra isn't common at all, or everyone would be using it. And I'm pretty sure accidental theft of current Kyuubi chakra still equals Konoha demanding recompense in some manner, even if not as severe. Much like how if you break someone's window by accident you still owe them a window. And abilities requiring high chakra control are hardly accidental in use, as the difficulty is having enough control to use it at all. Meaning its a lie based on not having enough control when using an ability thats all about having enough control for it be successful. And that assuming they don't call our bluff by saying if its so accidental then surely we'd be okay with an elite Uzumaki fuinjutsu user transferring the chakra back to the jinchuuriki so as to return what was taken.

Basically Konoha wasn't born yesterday and would be fools to think that anything involving their jinchuuriki is entirely coincidental. Its not as if they can risk it. They are after all, the originators of the phrase "seeing underneath the underneath". Also? They have Naras. Don't underestimate them."
He says while continuing to test his batch of rats. More of them were berzerking this time around rather than turning to stone, he was making progress. Adjusting the curvature of the zen symbology brush strokes improved it by a couple percentages after all.

[Rater202]

"No, absorbing Chakra is not a common ability... But there are a number of Ninja who are able to do it that it is a known phenomenon. You wouldn't be surprised to find at least one person who could do it among the hundred or so ninja entered in a Chunin exam."

"Hypothetically, I would be in conflict with someone with far more power than I. Preferably in a tournament or other competitive setting where a presence for combat would be unneeded. I, as a chakra absorber, could not be faulted for trying to even the playing field with an attack Jutsu and who could possibly have expected that the tailed beast's chakra would have such an effect?"

"As for Uzumaki seal users placing it back? 'Of course, I am willing to die in order to permanently transform the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to stone. Then nobody has the Nine tail's power. That seems fair. What? That's not what you meant? But Uzumaki Seal Expert-san, my chakra absorption converts any power I absorb into my own power, so the Tailed Beast chakra I accidentally took is not being kept separate from my native chakra. And my kekei Genkai means I produced fluids that are attractive to natural energy. My body naturally molds Senjutsu chakra, so not only is the Nine-Tails chakra mixed up with my own power, its infused with natural energy. So not only would I die of Chakra exhaustion if you extracted the power from me, putting the power back in the Jinchuriki would mean that they are full of natural energy. Are they a sage?' And they probably aren't. I cannot imagine anyone would be crazy enough to let their designated rampaging berserker multiply the Godlike power of the Nine-Tails, the whole thing, scores of times over with Senjutsu. 'They are not a sage, Seal master-san? Then I am terribly sorry about this accident, but trying to give the power back would kill me and the Jinchuriki both. But do not feel bad. It is not like the tiny piece I have could possibly ever compete with the whole thing. I imagine that the Nine-tails has already replaced what I took.'"

"If they failed to get Cloud to hand over the Two Lights, who were trying to steal the Nine-Tails when they obtained, they do not really have precedent for trying to reclaim any nine-tails power that I obviously obtained as a freak accident. Especially such a tiny amount, it would make them look petty. 'Just let Sound keep it. Such a small village with such a tiny amount of Chakra, it is not like it would make a difference.'"

"Though it is a moot point. I do not know if I will be able to create a Jinchuriki or Jinchuriki like being from the bodies of the Gold and Silver Brothers, and it is only if I do, and create something recognizable as a Jinchuriki, that we will need a cover story. If you think the Otokage might go for it, pass along the original proposal with 'we may be able to create a Jinchuriki-like-being' as a potential additional benefit and that if we can, I am willing to serve as a vessel for that power becuase it could ironically make me safer to be around."

"Or... Leave Jinchuriki out of it entirely. If I can do it, I will just do it and Lord Otokage will have complete deniability."

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou:
"Don't underestimate Uzumaki seal masters by thinking they'd be stopped by that logic. The things they've done with sealing are unbelievable, and have a reputation for doing "The Impossible". If they can seal tailed beasts, they can take it back without killing you or the jinchuuriki. Either that, or they won't care about some random ninjas life from some minor nation but can probably separate the senjutsu from the tailed beast chakra. I would not put it past them. They make me look like an amateur messing with beginner seals."
He says The Impossible with air quotes hand motions.
"And pointing out such things will make people far too suspicious about you. Because the very fact that you thought about this much will clue people in that this not an accident at all. Especially since your supposedly a child, when your talking and thinking on a level most children your age are not. I'd almost say your an adult in a child's body, perhaps disguised as a genin to get close to the Kyuubi, knowing all the right things to say a little TOO well to believably be a stupid genin who doesn't know what they are doing, trying to pass as a child for some greater agenda trying to arrange everything to look like a convenience when too many conveniences occur close together for that to be the case, knowing this will all happen in advance somehow. If I didn't know better."
He says, raising an eyebrow.
"I would hope that if you have a way of seeing the future that you'd tell us, Senko. Which is of course truly impossible and not merely Uzumaki Impossible. There is no such jutsu or kekkei genkai in all the world. But talking as if you hope for so many conveniences to happen so that the best possible thing will turn out for your plan is highly suspicious. What source of knowledge do you have to say all these things with confidence? Its either that or your making a lot of assumptions that you have no basis of proof for. You do not even know the intricacies of how tailed beast chakra works, and they are from powerful demonic beings who are greater than you or I, who do things that no human is capable of with chakra. I doubt you can truly bond with tailed beasts chakra in the manner of which you speak, as the tailed beasts always return to life- no matter how far flung their chakra it always returns and reforms eventually. Most likely, the genetic ability at best traps the chakra in like a tailed beast seal, but can't truly keep it there forever.

That and most ninja would say getting caught that you did something at all, no matter how you spin it, is already a loss. You making plans as if to mitigate getting caught, when getting caught is already the loss state. Sloppy. and precedence doesn't matter. They're more powerful than us, they make what they want happen.

....complete deniability so that Otokage-sama does not know is probably best, yes.

but again, I don't recall teaching you this stuff. Where is this coming from and how are so confident in it that your making such plans already? You say you don't know but you act as if you do."
There is suspicion in his eyes now. As if he looking into you, trying to figure out where this is all coming from. You get the sense that maybe you have spoken too honestly and that if you continue speaking so, things won't turn out well for you. As if you might be acting on knowledge that you shouldn't have and tipping off your plans to someone that while good, probably has his ways of making sure they don't happen without even confronting you directly. There is consequences to not being discrete in the world of shinobi. If the wrong person knows the wrong thing, who knows what might happen?

((OOC: in other words, this is really metagame-y right now, and Jirou is not an idiot and can tell when someone is acting strangely.))

[Rater202]

"Admittedly, a good chunk of this is speculation. How Educated guesses and the like, for example, the possibility of the Jinchuriki being in the Chunin exam age range is based on simple common sense that Jinchuriki are not expected to live very long and never die a natural death."

"Senjutsu? Why would I not know about Senjutsu? It is to my clan what Paper Release is to yours. My not knowing how my bloodline powers work,and being able to explain why they would complicate 'fixing' things that may or may not happen, would be perfectly natural. Are perfectly natural. We do not all live in a singular compound but we did keep records and I was able to retrieve those records before leaving the ruins of my village. I still have them. I can turn them over to you if you would like to verify them?"

"The rest is the result of independent research. Remember, sensei, my life is dependant on my ability to balance my chakra, alter my kekkei genkai into a form that doesn't drive me homicidal insane under certain circumstances, or artificially achieve the chakra control needed to gain sage mode. If I can not so that, then there will come a time when I will need to be put down becuase I will keep getting stronger and my Berserk states will last longer and longer as I get older. Eventually, sealing tags and sedatives won't be enough and if I am exposed to the neutralizing medication too many times my body will become resistant to it."

"My primary specialty is biology, but I have researched a lot of things in the hopes that it could further my research. I am grateful that the Sound village has provided me with opportunity to research and experiment and I gladly serve in repayment but the primary purpose of my research is and always has been for my own benefit becuase I do not want to kill people. I lost the right to act my age when I slaughtered my home town."

"I know that my monotonous tone and stoic demeanor portray the image of an emotionless child who is mature beyond her years, but Sensei believe me when I say that I am utterly desperate and completely terrified. What I say with confidence is... The desperate hope that things will go a certain way so that I can finally be normal. I am this close... this. Close. to begging one of the clans of Sound to let me splice myself with the cells of one of their members, offering anything they ask in return and damn the risks of the procedure if it the chance of producing traces of such a distinct chakra in addition to my own will cure the imbalance that prevents me from mastering my Sage Mode and finally ceasing to be a threat to everyone around me."

"And yes. My proposed scenario for explaining how I may have acquired the Nine-Tails power, if I can, is poorly thought out and dependant on things I can not control. In my defense, it is entirely off the top of my head. We could probably come up with something much better if we took the time to discuss it."

"And yes. This conversation never happened. We have gotten beyond the scope I was originally here for, regardless. I will leave the proposal in regards to diplomacy and the potential benefits of trading my notes to Cloud in exchange for bodies in your hands, if you think it would be worth it and Lord Otokage might go for it... And let you take credit for the idea as well. If anyone asks, I was merely turning in my report in the most recent phase of my experimentation"

Senko provides the report in question... Not much improvement from the last round of testing, unfortunately.

(Sorry, I'll try to tone it down.)

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou, Later
He raises an eyebrow, not entirely convinced by Senko's reasoning.
"1. Just because its common sense, doesn't mean its true.

2. Knowing about how about senjutsu deals with normal chakra is nowhere near how knowing how it deals with tailed beast chakra. If tailed beast chakra was anything like normal chakra, they wouldn't exist in the first place. There is no research that would tell you how it works. They're basically black boxes as far as we're concerned. This doesn't mean people haven't tried to experiment on them, but they never succeed. And if absorbing chakra is so common, don't you think people wouldn't have already tried that on jinchuuriki? The fact that we don't see pseudo-jinchuuriki running around because of it is proof enough that claiming to absorb some of the kyuubi's chakra through such a method is false.

As for you dying if they take out the chakra you "took", that is not their problem. Genin die in the Chuunin Exams, one more won't shed any tears.

3. As for explanations, honestly its better if they don't find out at all. the how or why matters less than the fact you'd have it. Especially if they don't have to go through Lightning, a nation equal in power to them to get it back, who might leave us to the Konoha wolves. We're a minor nation, Konoha can lord our power over us and Kumo can abandon us without either of them suffering consequences for it.

Though, it would be wise to get those berserk rampages under control wouldn't it? Hm."

Kimiko:
Once they are done with painting, Kimiko will say
"Alright, too much has been happening. I need to get my mind off some of this stuff with some training/inventing/researching. Too much hectic stuff in my has been distracting me from it, and I want to do other stuff with my training before I have to go home and train with Oka-san to start getting my paper release up to Chuunin level. Yes, I still have to do it with her. Jirou said despite all her flaws she is still the most skilled one we have to teach me. Should I train my genjutsu defense, genjutsu in general to maybe try and figure out a way to use genjutsu to communicate with a deaf kid, but I also want to get started on trying to make this flying kite idea I have, but maybe I should work on expanding my elements to water and earth? So many directions..."

[Rater202]

Spoiler: Later

Show

"The chakra of the tailed beasts is said to be caustic, is it not? Malevolent? I imagine that most people would be reluctant to take that into their system without seals that keep it separate from their own power until they can acclimate it, which would explain why few do it. And not every technique that does the same thing does it the same way. An ability that drains chakra in order to sustain the user will function differently than one that drains chakra to heal the user's injuries. My clan's ability to drain chakra is an extension of our ability to absorb the bodies of others and convert their cells, and the chakra within them, into our own which is, in turn, an extension of our natural affinity for Sejutsu and the biological deviations from the human norm that maximize the effectiveness of our ability to weaponized the mutagenic effects of natural energy. If, hypothetically, you and I were enemies and I were currently able to use that power, my grabbing you and draining your chakra would not sustain me, would not heal my wounds. It would simply convert your unique chakra into my own and use it to replenish my reserve or create a temporary surplus and, strictly speaking, would be considered a senjutsu technique, something that does not behave in the manner in which normal ninjutsu do. Of course, the chances of it actually working as I suggest are slim to none, but there is enough plausible doubt that it can be used as a smokescreen."

"And of course, there is a major difference between a genin dying in the chunin exams and the host of the chunin exams finding out that a ninja from one of the guest villages 'inadvertently' obtained a small fraction of the Jinchuriki's power sometime after and heading off to that other village in a completely different country to murder than ninja in cold blood. The first is business is usual. The second is a massive overreach of authority that is likely to make every other village angry even if they do not give a damn about the village being attacked."

"...Or, or did you think I was suggesting that I drain chakra from the Jinchuriki in broad view of the entire village and then assume a hypothetical Junchurki form that the Brothers' bodies might give me right there in the Leaf village and say 'oops, look what happened by complete accident? I was proposing a situation that could later be used as an excuse for why a Sound Ninja was seen with an aura of visible red chakra or a should that resembled a fox sometime after the chunin exam had concluded."

"I mean, that is the rub, is it not? A jinchuriki, or pseudo-jinchuriki as the case may be, is only of value if the rest of the world knows you have one and if I am being sent out into the field now... If I enhance myself in that manner, it would eventually get out that I had such power. Unless I killed all witnesses, but that means I cannot be sent on escort missions. A plausible cover could be the difference between people angry about it but leaving it alone and The Sound Village being invaded by an army composed of the Leaf Village and their allies."

"As for the Berserk Rages... All of my research tells me that it is a defense mechanism. Taking in too much natural energy, if you have not been trained in how to balance it properly, not achieved sage mode, then not only will you permanently transform into something not-human, you could turn to stone. My bloodline forces members of my clan into a berserk form that is a corrupt, destructive form of Sage Mode. This happens when our emotions come unbalanced... Or when we take in enough natural energy that a normal person would either enter sage mode or be overwhelmed and either turn to stone or permanently mutate."

"So, the obvious solution is that I need to study and achieve proper sage mode, to the level of proficiency that I can store enough senjutsu chakra to assume sage mode and save it for later rather than transforming, to be free of my curse."

"To achieve Sage Mode, I need enough raw power that taking in natural energy in quantities large enough to assume Sage Mode will not overwhelm me--for most not having that power would be a death sentence but for me... I also need a body strong enough to handle Sage Mode which... Since I have technically already assumed Sage Mode, I will assume I have, but a perfected Sage Mode is supposedly stronger than an imperfect one and my transformed state is as imperfect as it gets. And finally, I need chakra control of almost supreme levels in order to create Snejtusu chakra of the correct ration of natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy... Especially since, unlike an average sage, I will need to train my body to create the perfect ratio."

"That is where my research comes in: My chakra is unbalanced to the point that basic chakra control is almost impossible. Using my clan's basic bloodline powers and pure taijutsu techniques are about my limit, and my almost pure yang chakra seems to resist being shaped. And since my chakra is yang natured... Well, it is not as easy to train yin and yang nature transformation as it is the five elements, and most techniques I could try to use to practice it are either hidden, exclusive to the clans and villages that practice them or require you to already have advanced chakra control to even learn, so I cannot practice nature transformation in hopes of bringing up my overall chakra control. If I can graft myself with the cells of someone with a distinctive enough chakra nature, a bloodline user, a jinchuriki, or a random freak with unique chakra abilities or an absurdly potent affinity. If I can successfully graft their cells into my own, and my body starts producing traces of their chakra in addition to my own and recognizing it as my own, amalgamating with it instead of converting it, then my chakra should be less unbalanced and easier to control."

"Ideally, Sensei would be the chakra of a tailed beast, which is known to take readily to shape transformation, the cells of a Kaguya—I have theories that, if true, would make their cells, in particular, ideal both in the sense of assimilating their cells with my own, in the sense that their Bloodline could guarantee that my body is strong enough to handle full Sage mode, and in the sense of being able to keep what I am doing secret from other villages—or an elemental release Kekkei Genkai, which even if it doesn't balance my chakra on its own, would give me not one but two powerful affinities to an element, maybe three if the combined form counts separately, and an instinct in how to use them. Practicing nature transformation for multible elements could easily improve my over all control."

"But... we have no tailed beasts or Jinchuriki of our own, and I have nothing to offer the Kaguya that is worth the information needed to test my theories, let alone grafting myself with their bloodline short of offering to marry into their clan and... I do not want to marry into their clan."

"The only elemental bloodline in Sound is Paper Release. Which... I am not going to jeopardize your recent promotion to Clan head by asking you for a freebie, sensei. So, that leaves the same problem as the Kaguya claim, I have nothing to offer your clan in fair trade but an agreement to an arranged marriage into the clan to keep the secrets in the family and in addition to my own distaste for the idea... Well, Kimiko-san is not bad looking but it would not be fair to pull her from one arranged marriage just to shove her into another. I could maybe ask her if she would be willing, the next time I see her... she seemed quite interested in the idea of a harem of strapping lads and comely lasses when I mentioned it... But you are probably getting very uncomfortable right now are you not?"

Senko gives a mischievous smile at this.

"The other clans with bloodlines have much the same problem, and the added problem that if they are not enough to balance my chakra on their own, then they would provide minimal additional benefit. Well, I mean there's probably a lot of practical use for enhanced hearing or having the physiology of a bat or cat in addition to human, but in terms of learning Senjutsu, nothing."

"Additionally, however, there is the simple fact that the procedure is not safe enough. Survival rates should be higher in humans, but the test rate in rats is too low for it to be acceptable for human test subjects. I am not even sure that I would survive and the precautions I was planning to take to minimize the risk are dependant on a surplus of biomass that I no longer have. I am back to my natural height I would rather not be shorter."

"Men-ko has told me that those who pass the Three Tests of the White Snake Sage and survive being infused with enough pure natural energy to assume Sage mode without permanently becoming a snake are, in addition to being granted the privilege of learning Snake Style Senjutsu, are permanently granted 'The Power of The White Snake.' Supposedly, were I to earn this power, not only would I be considered a 'snake' and imbued with snake-like properties, to some degree or another, but I would gain 'The power of Reincarnation,' a passive ability to regenerate flesh, heal injuries, and rejuvenate my cells. By itself, this is relatively minor, but it is supposedly the basis for a number of techniques that involve healing or transforming oneself, surviving otherwise fatal injuries, or extending one's life beyond its natural span. This power could allow me to guarantee my survival of the grafting process... But I will need to able to resist or escape genjutsu and other illusions to pass the three tests and will need reserves of chakra potent enough that I won't transform and attack the White Snake Sage when she administers her final test."

"I was not lying about the potential benefits of my proposed deal between sound and Cloud, politically or scientifically, but the truth is... If studying them allows me to improve the process to the point that at least I will survive? Not only would I be able to make the modifications necessary to make myself able to learn Sage Mode, but... Two powerful Ninja, allegedly descended from the Sage of Six Paths, who were able to permanently absorb the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Demon-Fox and assimilate its properties into their own? Successfully grafting their cells into myself would guarantee that I would be able to repeat the procedure upon myself, might help me in molding Senjutsu chakra properly, and even if they do not have enough of the Nine-Tails chakra left to create a pseudo-Jinchuriki then they most certainly have a signature distinct enough that it would balance, or help balance, my chakra."

Now

Men-ko pops her head back out from her perch... somewhere in Senko's robes. Is there a harness in there or something?

"Genjutsu defence. Definitely that. You fell for the most basic-ass trick I've got."

"Do not be rude. But still... I did just ask Yuyuyu-san for help in training myself for the same purpose, which is something I have an urgent need for, for reasons that are better shared in private. I have a report I need to finalize and submit... Honestly, it should have been done a few days ago but... And a few things to discuss, but if you can afford to wait about an hour we could meet up somewhere and have a team training session and Usagi-san can come to, if she wants to... If nothing else, it seems that I am going to be working with this team for a long time so any opportunity for us to work together and grow familiar with each other's capabilities is a worthwhile use of our time."

[Lord Raziere]

Spoiler: Jirou, Later:

Show

During the time Senko speaks, has time enough to Jirou eat his entire lunch. He comments at the end.
"Your filibustering again. We really need to have a talk about you taking reasonable turns in conversation. Its kind of rude."

"The chakra of the tailed beasts is said to be caustic, is it not? Malevolent? I imagine that most people would be reluctant to take that into their system without seals that keep it separate from their own power until they can acclimate it, which would explain why few do it.

"'reluctant' is an lame term for 'smart and cautious'."

And not every technique that does the same thing does it the same way. An ability that drains chakra in order to sustain the user will function differently than one that drains chakra to heal the user's injuries.

"To heal injures, energy must be expended, bones must be mended and cells must be made. This normally comes from food. Such techniques would be more similar than you claim, the latter is simply skipping a step in the healing process."

If, hypothetically, you and I were enemies and I were currently able to use that power, my grabbing you and draining your chakra would not sustain me, would not heal my wounds. It would simply convert your unique chakra into my own and use it to replenish my reserve or create a temporary surplus and, strictly speaking, would be considered a senjutsu technique, something that does not behave in the manner in which normal ninjutsu do. Of course, the chances of it actually working as I suggest are slim to none, but there is enough plausible doubt that it can be used as a smokescreen."

"Slim to none is hardly plausible doubt."

"And of course, there is a major difference between a genin dying in the chunin exams and the host of the chunin exams finding out that a ninja from one of the guest villages 'inadvertently' obtained a small fraction of the Jinchuriki's power sometime after and heading off to that other village in a completely different country to murder than ninja in cold blood. The first is business is usual. The second is a massive overreach of authority that is likely to make every other village angry even if they do not give a damn about the village being attacked."

"They would be throwing stones from glass houses then. Or do you think the Anbu Black Ops is there to uphold the law and maintain accountability? The villages have entire organizations devoted to overreaching their authority. Lesson One: All ninja are scum, we all break the rules bending and abusing them is jsut when we're being polite."

"...Or, or did you think I was suggesting that I drain chakra from the Jinchuriki in broad view of the entire village and then assume a hypothetical Junchurki form that the Brothers' bodies might give me right there in the Leaf village and say 'oops, look what happened by complete accident? I was proposing a situation that could later be used as an excuse for why a Sound Ninja was seen with an aura of visible red chakra or a should that resembled a fox sometime after the chunin exam had concluded."

"Irrelevant. Any good ninja would make it look accidental if they were truly trying for it anyways, so the assumption is that no matter how accidentally done its actually intentional. just because your spinning a one lie, doesn't mean they won't assume its a different lie. your essentially taking money dropped on the ground then intentionally bumping into someone as if your a pickpocket trying to take their change so that people won't suspect you took it off the ground, its unnecessary when the simpler and more logical course of action is to go the other direction and keep it hidden as long as you can then let them wonder where you even got it. such a preemptive deception would only draw attention to you."

"I mean, that is the rub, is it not? A jinchuriki, or pseudo-jinchuriki as the case may be, is only of value if the rest of the world knows you have one and if I am being sent out into the field now... If I enhance myself in that manner, it would eventually get out that I had such power. Unless I killed all witnesses, but that means I cannot be sent on escort missions. A plausible cover could be the difference between people angry about it but leaving it alone and The Sound Village being invaded by an army composed of the Leaf Village and their allies."

"There are many third and fourth options between these that can occur and are more plausible than just letting the subject go entirely. Scot-free is not an option."

If I can graft myself with the cells of someone with a distinctive enough chakra nature, a bloodline user, a jinchuriki, or a random freak with unique chakra abilities or an absurdly potent affinity. If I can successfully graft their cells into my own, and my body starts producing traces of their chakra in addition to my own and recognizing it as my own, amalgamating with it instead of converting it, then my chakra should be less unbalanced and easier to control."

"That is not logical. Evidence, given that sage and normal chakra need proper careful balancing to work, speaks against this theory: your chakra would get harder to control. Not easier as you would be trying to handle foreign chakra on top of your own chakra. The fact that its yang-imbalanced is irrelevant to controlling it, as all techniques require chakra control no matter what portions of yin or yang are involved. Both genjutsu and medical jutsu require incredible amounts of chakra control and finesse to work as one is manipulating literal thoughts and other manipulating cells. Chakra control is never improved by adding foreign substances to the cocktail, so to speak, and your seeking to run before you walk. I recommend more training instead. I understand that for a genius such as yourself it can be tempting to shortcut the tedium of truly mastering the basics of how your chakra works by some trick around it, but even if its a good idea to quickly find a way to get it under control, making your job harder won't help."

"Ideally, Sensei would be the chakra of a tailed beast, which is known to take readily to shape transformation, the cells of a Kaguya—I have theories that, if true, would make their cells, in particular, ideal both in the sense of assimilating their cells with my own, in the sense that their Bloodline could guarantee that my body is strong enough to handle full Sage mode, and in the sense of being able to keep what I am doing secret from other villages—or an elemental release Kekkei Genkai, which even if it doesn't balance my chakra on its own, would give me not one but two powerful affinities to an element, maybe three if the combined form counts separately, and an instinct in how to use them. Practicing nature transformation for multible elements could easily improve my over all control."

"you'd have to seek out the Kaguyas to get that to happen. As for practicing nature transformation....no. Thats not how this works. Again, your proposing to run before you walk."
He wondered what his...contact would say about this.

"But... we have no tailed beasts or Jinchuriki of our own, and I have nothing to offer the Kaguya that is worth the information needed to test my theories, let alone grafting myself with their bloodline short of offering to marry into their clan and... I do not want to marry into their clan."

Considering what he knew about the plans of Ishikawa and Kaguya to basically get the Three Tails for this village, who knows how'd they react to someone willingly volunteering to put tailed beast chakra inside them rather than Miho? But giving Senko encouragement was a bad idea.

"The only elemental bloodline in Sound is Paper Release. Which... I am not going to jeopardize your recent promotion to Clan head by asking you for a freebie, sensei. So, that leaves the same problem as the Kaguya claim, I have nothing to offer your clan in fair trade but an agreement to an arranged marriage into the clan to keep the secrets in the family and in addition to my own distaste for the idea... Well, Kimiko-san is not bad looking but it would not be fair to pull her from one arranged marriage just to shove her into another. I could maybe ask her if she would be willing, the next time I see her... she seemed quite interested in the idea of a harem of strapping lads and comely lasses when I mentioned it... But you are probably getting very uncomfortable right now are you not?"

"I'd prefer you'd wait at least until your both 16 before trying to date her, yes."

Senko gives a mischievous smile at this.

"Additionally, however, there is the simple fact that the procedure is not safe enough. Survival rates should be higher in humans, but the test rate in rats is too low for it to be acceptable for human test subjects. I am not even sure that I would survive and the precautions I was planning to take to minimize the risk are dependant on a surplus of biomass that I no longer have. I am back to my natural height I would rather not be shorter."

"Sounds like the exact kind of basics you might need to work on first then."

"Men-ko has told me that those who pass the Three Tests of the White Snake Sage and survive being infused with enough pure natural energy to assume Sage mode without permanently becoming a snake are, in addition to being granted the privilege of learning Snake Style Senjutsu, are permanently granted 'The Power of The White Snake.' Supposedly, were I to earn this power, not only would I be considered a 'snake' and imbued with snake-like properties, to some degree or another, but I would gain 'The power of Reincarnation,' a passive ability to regenerate flesh, heal injuries, and rejuvenate my cells.

"I was not lying about the potential benefits of my proposed deal between sound and Cloud, politically or scientifically, but the truth is... If studying them allows me to improve the process to the point that at least I will survive? Not only would I be able to make the modifications necessary to make myself able to learn Sage Mode, but... Two powerful Ninja, allegedly descended from the Sage of Six Paths, who were able to permanently absorb the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Demon-Fox and assimilate its properties into their own? Successfully grafting their cells into myself would guarantee that I would be able to repeat the procedure upon myself, might help me in molding Senjutsu chakra properly, and even if they do not have enough of the Nine-Tails chakra left to create a pseudo-Jinchuriki then they most certainly have a signature distinct enough that it would balance, or help balance, my chakra."

"And this where I massage my temples as you go off chasing legends and fairy tales we have no basis for, hoping your efforts don't lead you to an early grave."
Jirou wonders if he just going to become some living nexus of secrets to keep at this rate. But then again, is that not what an Otokage is?

[Rater202]

Later

"Sensei? If someone had no legs and was researching how to create a prosthesis that functioned as proper limbs, would you tell them that they could walk if they just trained enough and had no need for prosthetics?"

"For some reason, Sensei, my life-force is stronger than my spirit to a significant degree. 'Yang Imbalance' by itself is only part of the problem. My physiology involves the passive molding of Senjutsu Chakra. Which means both my yin and yang are taken and mixed with natural energy whether I will it or not. Because of this, I have relatively little normal chakra which is even more imbalanced towards Yang than it was to begin with, as the usable Yin energy is depleted well before the Yang is."

"Four straight years of training in a martial art that is, supposedly, meant to balance the body and soul and control the flow of one's own energy, meditation, exercises to control my temperament, and study, the things that are all supposed to allow you to cultivate spiritual energy, have had a negligible effect on the imbalance even as my raw power increased. Despite my best efforts, Sensei, I am no more able to do even basic chakra control techniques than I was when I woke up in the bloodstained ruins of my home village four years ago."

"It is not about short cuts. It is about overcoming the limitations of my current existence. Fusing a foreign chakra to my own, one distinct enough to not be subsumed by my own might make my control worse in the short term, but having enough spiritual energy in my body to be able to mold usable amounts of normal chakra in my system will allow me to maybe actually do the exercises that improve chakra control and make actual improvement instead of stagnating. If not, giving myself a bloodline that grants easy access to nature transformation, an advanced form of chakra control, may allow me to become at least slightly better at using what I have. Likewise, the power of a tailed beast maybe had to control, but in every war in which they have been deployed, there are eye witness accounts of auras of tangible red chakra, or miniature beasts composed of blood-red energy, stretching and contorting themselves as needed as easy as breathing, chakra being shaped without hand signs. Were I to gain the chakra of a tailed beast, while it may damage my current control, learning how to control and shape that power should improve my ability to control and shape my native chakra for a net gain."

"Make my proposal regarding a trade with Cloud or do not sensei. I leave it in your hands. If you genuinely think I am wasting time chasing a legend and will get no benefit from studying the bodies of the Two Lights, then there's no need to proceed. But... I have made arrangements to train with Yuyuyu-san about recognizing, resisting, and escaping from Genjutsu. When I think I am ready I will be going to Ryuchi Cave. If there is a chance that I can gain an ability that will improve my odds of successfully correcting my chakra imbalance, it is a risk I have to take. If nothing else, if I become the Snake Sage then we will have stolen a summoning contract out from under the Leaf Village and there will be nothing they can do about it."

"So, you know, if I apply for time off and then do not turn back up, it is probably because I failed the tests and got eaten."

It is disturbing how nonchalant she is about that.

[Lord Raziere]

Jirou, Later:
"....The only quadriplegic I know is Usagi, and she didn't try for a prosthetic, she learned how to climb and walk on water. With her HANDS. And is so good at being a ninja, that she tied with Kimiko in a duel. Your hypothetical ninja is meaningless when we have a real one who does just fine without even developing such things.

Furthermore, all evidence shows that every ninja has to master chakra control even with normal chakra and that even sages must master it even further with two different sources of chakra which poses clear danger if they are not balanced correctly, and then there is the tailed beast chakra which has shown to imbalance and make people go into berserk rages when introduced. Its not about what I think or feel, we have scientific evidence that these changes happen because the these other forms of chakra are introduced to upset the normal balance of chakra.

and you thinking your going to tell me your somehow the exception to these hard scientific rules? Not only that but a strange inversion where you somehow get better because you have more complexity while every real sage has to struggle to balance two different chakras? That makes no sense. Every ninja has to develop chakra control, its not a physical limitation. Just because your a different kind of chakra, doesn't mean that it won't be harder when you introduce something foreign into it. Even If your claims about senjutsu being yang-imbalanced is correct, it would be more logical to conclude a constant infusion of pure yin chakra equal to the amount of senjutsu gained would fix the problem. There is no reason to believe that rare bloodlines would somehow do it better, as those bloodlines could have many mixes of yang and yin do not contribute to a proper balance of yin and yang.

Elemental bloodlines in particular are yin/yang balanced as they are ninjutsu, requiring both physicality and imagination to function. they would contribute just as much yang as yin chakra and thus not change the ratio of yin and yang chakra. This leads me to be highly skeptical of your intentions, as your seeking a highly complex and dangerous solution that all known science and evidence on the matter points to it not actually being a solution, when if your so desperate for a way to get rid of your rages and think your yang imbalance is whats causing it, why are not figuring out how yin is produced instead? it would be simpler, and every ninja normal ninja can do genjutsu, its just that most only don't have the patience, talent or practice to hone their chakra control to the point of being a genjutsu specialist.

or you can just graft some ordinary chakra producing DNA into you to alter yourself to produce normal chakra. Because if you can integrate such rare and varied talents like you claim, why would normal capabilities be such an exception to help you balance it out? And if the normal chakra capabilities wouldn't work and be consumed by your body, why would then conclude that exotic bloodlines would fare any better? And technically sages balance their own human yin and yang chakra with senjutsu, so technically they might be working at a 75-25 yang/yin percent split to achieve the state they have, so you might only need 25% yin chakra to balance your yang.

There are universal scientific laws of this world, Senko. Also you are a kid and no matter what your tragic story is, kids can be irresponsible and it makes sense that you'd skip out on tedious normal training for more interesting and fascinating scholarly matters believing you can somehow finagle your way into control, when ever the greatest ninjas had to go through mastering the basics. Its more likely the basics for your chakra is simply different and that lack widespread institutions and lots of people as well being from a clan often persecuted that they never had time to figure out such basics.

Now I'm not saying you haven't tried, or that I'm right. But when you make these claims that contradict the basic rules about how chakra works that have been observed, one of my scientific persuasion cannot help but question what you say. What you claim is unheard of even for other senjutsu users, am I supposed to just believe your right? I've read your research and your not claims are not as certain as you believe. Every scientist has their pet theories and your still young. I think I know a person I can ask on jinchuurikis, as your situation is similar to them."
Though he might be considering consulting his original source on senjutsu for a second opinion. No matter how troublesome it may be.

Yuyuyu and Kimiko
They will practice genjutsu, with Yuyuyu introducing her attempts at a self-invisibility genjutsu, to improve on her genjutsu to make her weapon invisible, while Kimiko practicing to notice flaws in the invisibility and release herself from the genjutsu.

[Rater202]

"Sensei, I think I explained myself poorly. It is not that Senjutsu is Yang Imbalanced. It is that my chakra is severely Yang Imbalanced. Were I anyone else, sensei, I would be a prodigy at Yang Release Ninjutsu while being utterly unable to use Genjutsu or other yin-release techniques. Seeing as most ninjutsu of Yang release are Hidden techniques, mos likely a medical ninja that cause some techniques very well but others not at all."

"It is the interaction between my nature and my bloodline that causes the problem. My Senjutsu, my senninka, is different from the Sage Mode of others. the Toad Sage, the Snake Sage, the Slug, the Monkey, Shark? Transforming, mutating, from natural energy is undesirable it. A True Sage will have only superficial changes. An imperfect Sage Mode leaves one with deformities that must be compensated form, becoming like a Toad, like a Snake, when one uses Sage Mode is the sign of a failed, incomplete, weak sage mode."

"With my clan's bloodline, such mutations are intentional. Deliberate. Desired. Our Sage Mode is about becoming the monsters in your closet or under your bed in a very physical way. And where other sages must hold perfectly still after undergoing special training to be able to sense Sage Mode, for my clan it happens automatically as a natural process of out biology."

Senko starts waving her arms up and down, like a child imitating the flapping of bird wings in an exaggerated fashion.

"I am moving quite a lot right now, but as we speak my body is breaking my chakra down into its component yin and yang and blending the yin and yang together with the natural energy that is constantly being drawn into my body to form my clan's specific brand of Senjutsu chakra."

"Becuase my body produces much more yang but very little yin, this leaves my remaining ordinary chakra even more unbalanced than before and impossible to control."

Senko makes three hand signs. Ram. Snake. Tiger. "Clone Jutsu!"

Rather than an illusionary copy of Senko... Almost nothing, but a faint, almost unnoticeable pulse of yang-natured chakra. Almost completely useless.

A chakra sensor would pick up a basic clone's worth of chakra just sort of expanding out as a bubble and dissipating.

One of Senko's eyes turns black.

"My Senjutsu chakra is somewhat easier to control becuase it is not as unbalanced as the chakra my body produces directly is, but only enough that I can perform my clan's own Senninka techniques. Any other use of Senjutsu chakra?"

More hand signs. Ram. Snake. Tiger. Clap. "Sage Art: Clone Jutsu"

The results are better... For a given definition of better. An illusionary Senko, as white as paper and with the appearance of shriveled corpse appears in puff of smoke, opens its mouth to silently scream in agony, takes one step forward, and then melts into illusionary mud as various plant and animal parts jut out of it before it fades from existence without even a puff of smoke to hide it.

Her black eye is white once more.

"Technically, it works... But I can not hold the chakra in its shape once the technique is complete."

"You say that adding foreign chakras and complexities will make it more difficult... And then suggest that a constant intake of friend Yin would be more effective than my bloodline grafting?"

"Sensei, the point of grafting other cells to my body is to train my body to produce a chakra that is properly balanced, to begin with. Train my body to produce adequate quantities of yin."

"One the cell have been properly fused with my own cells, my body will start producing the donor's chakra on its own and amalgamation it. If I used Kimiko's cells, my cells would be producing a new, third chakra created by combining her chakra signature with my own."

"It wouldn't be a foreign chakra, it would be my chakra, produced by my body. A chakra that hopefully would have a better balance between yin-and-yang than the chakra my body produces now. My control would take while I adjusted... Check my notes, the rates that survived the process produce a blend of my chakra signature and the weak signature found in most lower mammals."

"In that regard, sensei, an advanced element user's cells are even more desirable as such a chakra would be more balanced than an ability that was biased towards yin or yang."

"As for why a Bloodline user? I do believe that I have made it clear that my body will devour foreign chakras and cannibalize foreign cells that I take into myself, converting both into my own power and my own biology. If the cells I graft into myself are too similar to my own, it is possible that they will be converted before the grafting process is complete. Something strong and distinct is more likely to survive the process. It doesn't haveto be a bloodline per see, but it's easier to say 'bloodline user' than 'bloodline user, member of a clan that selectively breeds itself for certain affinities to their hidden techniques, or freaks with unique chakra.' The truth is, an Uzumaki would probably be ideal because they are on record as having an exceptionally powerful Yang without an imbalance in their chakra, but the chances of my getting an Uzumaki's cells are slim to none."

"Also, politics. Grafting normal cells, if it worked, would really only be useful to me. Grafting bloodlines is theoretically useful to everyone, and therefore more likely to get funded... But I never said that."

"...I am still filibustering. Sorry."

[igordragonian]

the other day

Odayama gather them to train, around an abandonded building.
Usagi is there too.



------

Anbu Command Center

3 levels(looking) building, sarounded with an iron fence, and microphone with transfromation jutsu sub sound disrupters.
A very young looking agnet with a cricket mask tending to the gardens.
The door open with a creak, a very eager pink haired girl with a cheetah mask greet Nezumi.
'Oi! Hello newbie! We are so happy to have you!' she say cheerfully

[Rater202]

Group Training

Senko eagerly takes to the training to resist, recognize, break, and escape genjutsu. She also makes Men-ko assist, adding her more subtle techniques to the regimen.

It's almost like Senko has a vested interest in cultivating this skill.

During a lull in the training, Senko turn to Usagi.

"Usagi-san, I do not mean to impose but would you mind showing me the hand seals for the summoning technique?"

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko:
Kimiko meanwhile seems to get better defending against genjutsu over time- She didn't seem to focus on it during the academy but seems to have a great grasp over the theory of genjutsu and yin chakra in general.

Yuyuyu will ask for training from Menko to expand her repertoire of genjutsu, but won't push it if she says no.

Spoiler: Kimiko's Notes: On Yin

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In contrast to Yang, Yin chakra is more mysterious. It is the supposedly the chakra of mind, the imagination and thought. However is more rarely seen than yang chakra, as while many things live in this world, fewer things think well enough to observe it on a level that one can clearly see it. It is the most subtle part of chakra, better shaped by finesse and flexibility than power and overcharging. It is the part that requires the most control and at the same time the most restraint. It is also, the chakra of dreams.

Yin is vital for ninjutsu and genjutsu, as its the chakra that is not bound by reality's normal rules. It is thought, and thus can theoretically be anything you can imagine. Why we can't just make anything we want happen with it, is an entirely different subject I'll cover when I look into Symbols. But basically yin is the energy that makes sure we aren't just punching each other with powerful muscles all day. Its vital to any jutsu that requires any form of thought and without it, most jutsu in our world simply fall apart.

In its purest form, its nothing but thought and illusion in one's mind: sensation, emotion, anything your mind can think, Yin can be. Add a slight bit of yang chakra and it can produce things like the basic clone jutsu that exist as simple holograms. Balance out and yin and yang and you can blast fireballs at people. Add only a bit of yin chakra to yang and you get something like the disguise jutsu. I'll have to look into why we don't expanded on using yin to alter our bodies like that more.

The downside of course, is that yin is more fragile than Yang by design. Its more flexible and can be infinitely reshaped, but without yang it is both intangible and easily broken by a basic hand sign, its only affect on the world being whatever meaning the victim assigns to it, or however else one can manipulate a mind. Things like this are why some shinobi call genjutsu more of an art than a science, as the jutsu of making lies and sneaking in suggestions to make people act like how you want them to, it requires you to think of peoples psychology and their current state of mind. It needs you to see things from other peoples point of view, so that you can weave something that would believably fool or manipulate the person. A good genjutsu can be resisted by a good shinobi, but a bad genjutsu can be resisted by everyone.

It is not surprising then that many genjutsu users are entertainers, spies, artists, propagandists, and the like. Historically there have also been many shinobi during warring states era that ruled others through genjutsu, which tended to not work out- the more the shinobi leaned on ruling others through such blunt uses of genjutsu the faster they fell. These days no one seems to use genjutsu for such a thing at all. I say seems to, because its possible that shinobi might still do this, just with subtlety so that it goes unnoticed. The best genjutsu after all is one you never realize is there. This goes a long way to explaining the paranoia of shinobi: what if you already in the genjutsu and you just haven't seen whats inconsistent yet?

Because thats the thing that will destroy every genjutsu: inconsistencies. Genjutsu are lies and thus flawed in that a lie does not match reality, and even the greatest ninja can't make a completely perfect illusion. People act in ways that they wouldn't, details of the landscape don't exactly match what you remember of them, and of course one of the harder things for genjutsu users to get right is text on surfaces. Like a dream, many genjutsu display jumbled words that don't make sense when you try to read something because the part of your brain that can interpret such things correctly is often asleep or forgotten about in the heat of combat by the enemy, a good strategy is thus keeping some form of written word on your person to quickly look at to see if it makes sense because most enemies when making their genjutsu will overlook such a detail.

A question comes to my mind however, if most things are yang-aligned due to being physical, what happens when one introduces enough yin chakra to upset the balance? What happens if you introduce enough yin chakra into say a sword? Would the sword's very reality become subject to change? Questions for later.

Mitsuko:
"Hello. Nezumi, Reporting for duty. My mission from the Otokage is to be Ameoku's assistant. What do I need to know?"
She says businesslike and disciplined, but not entirely emotionless. A good ninja blends in and they were clearly following the Otokage's philosophy on this. She did not agree with it, but ninja do not need to agree with anything to follow along with, exploit or take advantage of it.

[igordragonian]

Odayama

Odayama sit at the side, folding laundry, and sealing it in scrolls.
'If you want more personal training, Senko, I can help.' he say casually.

Usagi tilt her head, but shrug.
'Sure.' leaning her elbows on the crothces, she show the seals.
It is very quick. It was probably, was the first jutsu she ever trained.


====

"Welcome! I am Shuryouhyou! One of the four kitties of our lovely boss!' she purr cheerfully.
'We were expecting you! Usually Ameoku's assistants have feline identities, like me. But oh well.'
The gardener seems to focused, but if Mitusoko is aware enough, she might notice, those plants are source for many important drugs, and solider pills and the such.

The entrance, has a desk with another Shuryouhyou as a secretary(?)
'Hoi Shuryouhyou-chan, you look lovely today.'
'Not as you, Shuryouhyou-Chan!' cooed the other one.
'Oh, stop, you make me blush. And we have a new friend here today!'

The secretary Shuryouhyou looked over Nezumi. 'Ah. Yes. Just your file please.'
From the ceiling another Shuryouhyou waved. 'When can we start training!?'

"NOT NOW Shuryouhyou!' both first Shuryouhyous have scolded the third one.

'It's not fair!' she whined, and dissapeared in smoke.

'We are understaffed, so one thing, is to be everywhere, and do everything,' the first one say, more seriously.

[Rater202]

Kimiko:
Kimiko meanwhile seems to get better defending against genjutsu over time- She didn't seem to focus on it during the academy but seems to have a great grasp over the theory of genjutsu and yin chakra in general.

Yuyuyu will ask for training from Menko to expand her repertoire of genjutsu, but won't push it if she says no.

Menko is more than able to teach Yuyuyu what she knows.

Menko, as it turns out, is decently knowledgable about Genjutsu theory and basic yin release: Her ability to assume human form is a essentially just the basic Transfomration Technique enhanced with a finer control of and greater degree of Yin Release to shape herself into a perfect human passing shape that never the less reflects her soul. Getting better at the technique would result in fewer and fewer inconsistencies from human norm to the point that the White Snake Sage and her retainers can pass for human perfectly, but the basic idea is combining a technique that reshapes your body with a manifestation of your spirit.

In terms of practical applications, however, Menko only knows the three actual Genjutsu: All three of them are based on the concept of placing a suggestion within the mind of someone affected by the Genjutsu, subtly altering the senses and temporarily nudging the subconscious rather than creating drastic changes or controlling the mind directly.

In and of itself such techniques are week but have the advantage of being easy to combine with each other or more overt Genjutsu.

Her basic most technique is an ocular genjutsu, a technique cast with the eyes alone, and what she calls a 'mind trick.' It's also the most blatant thing in her repoitroir.

She explains the theory behind ocular genjutsu... Though, honestly, while the gist of it gets across you'd think that someone else would explain it better, and that 'mind tricks' are about fooling someone's mind into thinking that what you're saying is true or that what you're suggesting is there idea. However, the one she knows is useless against people who are meaningfully stronger than you are, unless they are weak in mind, or against people who have reason to know its coming or are just trained against Genjutsu.

Her other two techniques are based around generating an aura about you that convinces others not to invest in themselves in what you're doing and eventually place the events beyond conscious memory.

This is Someone Else's Problem is the lesser technique, it makes people dismiss you as beneath or beyond there concern or otherwise not worth taking note of, while likewise making them forget about you sometime later. Unfortunately, it doesn't work on someone's who what you're doing actually would be a problem: For example, the staff of a restaurant would take note of and serve someone using the technique, and even if you get away they'll retain vaugee memories of you.

This, she claims, is why Team 3 was able to notice her unusual characteristics and she blames he restraunteurs of the village catching onto her as having 'gotten sloppy.'

The more advanced of the two, This is Normal isn't advanced so much in terms of power, but in terms of specialization. It creates an aura that fools the senses into thinking that your strange appearance, outlandish behavior, or th like is perfectly normal and prevents people from taking notice of it. Intense scrutiny can make people notice that you're odd, but even then as long as it's not... Too out of the ordinary, they'll forget about it later.

Of course, unlike the more general technique, this only makes people forget about your oddiies, not you in general.

The difference, she says, is that Someone Else's problem won't let you sneak past a security guard becuase who comes and goes is their problem, but this is normal might, by making them think it' normal for you to be there, as long as you don't give yourself away.

"Of course, This is Normal has an upper limit to how much it can make people rationalize away. Going outside in just your underwear? Yeah, you could get away with that. Running around naked and beating people upside the head with a rubber chicken? Little too much for most people to ignore. But, with something minor as long as you act confidently, no one will suspect a thing."

It is at this point that you all realize that Menko is wearing a tasteful magenta bikini instead of the kimono she wore the last time you saw her human form.

All in all, it seems that Menko's abilities are best focused for augmenting stealth rather than controlling people.

Odayama

Odayama sit at the side, folding laundry, and sealing it in scrolls.
'If you want more personal training, Senko, I can help.' he say casually.

Usagi tilt her head, but shrug.
'Sure.' leaning her elbows on the crothces, she show the seals.
It is very quick. It was probably, was the first jutsu she ever trained.

"Strict personalized training will not be necessary, Odayama-san. Most of what I am looking for would be classified as the sort of basics I would have been educated in had I been trained as a proper ninja instead of awarded the rank based on my specialized training and knowledge. The only thing else I need is..."

"Senko-sama has elected to travel to Ryuchi-cave and take the tests necessary to become the Snake Sage, as there are currently no such people attempting. I understand that this would be a major political boon to your village as most who have used the Snake Summoning contract or persued Snake Style Senjutsu have been from the Leaf Village. It Senko-sama travels to the cave and succeeds in earning her Honored Fatness' approval before the LEaf Village can have a replacement Snake Summoner do it, you'll have gained strength for the Sound village and weakened the Leaf village in a way that they would have no way of retaliating against because unlike those butt-kissing bug slurping frogs we snakes aren't really that concerned with the outside world and only swear loyalty to individual summoners. We don't contract with known enemies of a current summoner but once the current summon dies we don't really care about their remaining allies and enemies."

"That. I do not strictly need to know the summoning technique ahead of time, but it will help and strictly speaking since the majority of the work molding the chakra is done by the formulas hidden in the summoning contract rather than one's own control as long as I get the handsigns right and can provide enough raw power it should prove an exception to my current inability to use techniques not of my 'bloodline'"

"Just remember to smear your blood on the contract I tattooed on your arm instead of just slamming your bloody hand on the ground like you'd do with a bug slurper or a squisible. I don't know what will happen if you don't but someone that I think is my second cousin twice removed says it's not pleasant."

"So, it is boar, dog, bird, monkey, and ram," Senko confirms to herself and starts going through the sequence of seals a few times without actually preforming the technique, as though to familiarize herself with the movements

[Lord Raziere]

Kimiko:
She will takes notes of what Menko says alongside Yuyuyu. Kimiko is rapidly getting to the point where she is actually consistently good at genjutsu defense now and is getting bored of just defending and is now beginning copy the genjutsu around her to do it herself as well. She is a genius trying to learn all jutsu after all.

When Senko asks about the handsigns for summoning technique and sees her do them, Kimiko proceeds to to do the hand signs herself as well- except faster as if she has already done them a thousand times then says
"Already memorized."

Yeah, Usagi and Yuyuyu will both remember that she pulled stuff like this all the time in the academy: One time she rapidly mastered shurikenjutsu, so she started bouncing shuriken in ridiculous direcions while still hitting the target just to amuse herself and give herself a challenge.

Mitsuko Nezumi:
Gardening was legit. One had to know the medicines and poisons of the shinobi world, as well as properly portray a gardener. It was a common guise in older time especially to get near nobles.
I see whats happening now.
Nezumi thinks as she nods to
This village is new so they think they can be casual about this. Well, I'm in no position to fix that problem. I'm here to keep an eye on Ameoku.
"Understood. There is much that needs to be done."