tab The scene was a picture of serenity. An endless body of clear blue water, perfectly undisturbed without a single ripple in sight. This was matched perfectly by the clear blue sky that ran parallel above and though was no sight of the sun, everything was bright and warm. And in the middle of this tranquil environment was Inoki, peacefully floating on his back atop the water's surface. His eyes closed, he was lying completely motionless, allowing himself to be fully immersed in the silence, the only sound being his own occasional sighs of contentment. Yes. Everything was just as it should be ..... until it started again.
tab"Youuuu....."
tab It started as a whispered, inclining Inoki to simply ignore the matter. After all, it had been constantly nagging at him, calling and pleading to him at all hours, night an day. It had been hard to get a moments rest so he was going to cling to this fleeting feeling as long as he could.
tab"You! You're not him! Where is he?!"
tab This time the voice was far more forceful, causing ripples to cascade across the water's surface. Unable to ignore the call, Inoki was forced to open his eyes, sitting up as he let out as he stretched his arms above his head and let out a small yawn. "Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not "him", whoever he is. You mind keeping it down? Some of us are trying to get some sleep." he called out to the void, a clear tone of annoyance in his voice. However, whoever or whatever it was didn't seem to notice him (or if it did, didn't care) and continued it's cries.
tab"Where?! Where is he?! Where is Satoshi?!"
tab'Satoshi?' Inoki thought. Finally the first clue he'd gotten as to whatever it wanted. 'So they're looking for Lord Amekage then.' There was just one problem. If it was the Amekage it was seeking, there was no way it would find him here. "Hate to break it ya but the Kage ain't here. So you mind cooling it with the temper tantrum?" Inoki called out. Not exactly the most gentle approach but Inoki had always been someone more on the blunt side.
tab Unfortunately, his lack of tact seemed to have the opposite effect, as it only continued to rage. With each passing seconds, the tremors grew stronger and stronger as the sky began to darken until it became pitch black. Though Inoki did his best to remain on his feet, eventually the shaking grew so strong that it caused him to topple over, forcing him onto his hands and knees. "Well. Seems that backfired." he said, closing his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh. When he reopened his eyes though, he was met by a rather unsettling sight in his reflection, if you could you even call it that. While the right eye was definitely his own, being of a violet hue, the rest of the feature's where definitely not his. His skin had turned a dark gray and his lower jaw had taken on a monstrous form, like that of a jagged claw. However, the most striking feature of all from his perspective was the piercing yellow eye that now sat in place of his left. 'What the-' his own thought was cut short though as it bellowed once more.
tab"Where?!"
tab This time though, the voice didn't come from some unknown location off in the distance. It didn't even come from somewhere nearby or next to him. It came from ..... within him? From his own mouth in fact.
tab Suddenly thrust back into the waking world, Inoki shot up in a cold sweat, tossing his covers across the room from him. Bringing his hands to cover his face, he reassured himself that it was back to normal and let out a soft sigh. 'Of course it's back to normal. It was just a dream, you idiot.' he scolded himself. Normally something as insignificant as a bad dream wouldn't bother the boy but this issue was that he was having the same bad dream over and over again. Or rather, each dream had the same ending. It had been a little over a week since he'd been brought to the KASA facility he currently resided in, following the events of Yatagarasu's summoning, and each night his dreams had been invaded by the same entity. While it didn't seem to be causing any harm to his body, it was interfering with his sleep schedule and for Inoki, that was even worse. Typically, he was the type to just let things slide and take the route of passivity but for him, resting was sacred and he simply could not let this injustice continue. "That's it. I'm putting an end to all this." he said. Crossing his legs and bringing his hands together in his lap, he closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. It was time to put this demon to rest.
--------------------
tab When Inoki reopened his eyes, he found himself transported to the same vast pool of water he'd been floating in during his dream that night. Of course, he wasn't actually opening his eyes. Back in the real world, his eyes remained shut as he continued to sit in his bed. Rather, this Inoki was a mental manifestation of his own making as he peered through his mind during his meditative state. "Alright, you b*****d, let's skip the theatrics and get to it already." he called out, a clear tone of annoyance in his voice. And just like that, it began again.
tab"Youuuu....."
tab"Yeah. Yeah. It's me. Now show yourself." Inoki shouted, his patience already running thin. Sadly, the entity ignored his request, continuing its usual script.
tab"You! You're not him! Where is he?!"
tab Inoki sighed. "I so do not have time for this." Fine. If they wouldn't do him the courtesy of coming forward, he'd just have to go to them and drag them out of hiding. The longer it took though, the less forgiving he would be. "Come on. Where the hell are you?" With a wave of his hand, a seemingly endless row of doors rose from the water, each of them representing a unique memory or some other part of his psyche. It was going to be quite the undertaking, scouring his entire mind, but fortunately, he was the type of person who spent a lot of time in his own head so he knew its every nook and cranny ......... or so he thought.
tab Taking but a brief moment to inspect each door before swiping it to the side to recede back into the water's depths. "No. No. No. No." One by one, he checked each door for tampering of sort and at least some sign of entry but after the first hundred doors, he still found no such sign. "This is gonna be my whole day, isn't it?" he sighed. That was fine though. He had plenty of time to comb over each and every inch of his mind. As long as he was stuck in the facility, he had nothing but time.
tab After inspecting another hundred doors or so, Inoki finally found something of note. However, rather than it being a door that had been tampered with, it was something entirely different. In fact, it wasn't a door at all, at least not a traditional one. Instead, it appeared to be the entrance to a cave, which on its own wouldn't have that strange, but the entrance to this cave was covered by a series of crossing chains coming together in the middle where they were covered by a paper seal. "When the hell did this get here?"/color] he questioned. If he were a betting man, this was most certainly the source of his recent disturbance but even if it wasn't, it definitely warranted investigation. After all, it wasn't everyday that something happened in his own mind that he didn't know about. In fact, it had never happened.
tab Ducking beneath chains, Inoki entered into the cave, instantly finding himself swallowed by darkness. With his hand against the wall to help guide him, he carefully made his way down the long corridor. After several minutes of walking, Inoki finally spotted a light at the end of the tunnel and followed it through to the end. He then found himself in a large open cavern and in the middle of that cavern was none other than the giant turtle monster that had attacked them at the lake. "Yeah. I figured it was you." he said, letting out a sigh. After all, he was well aware that the creature had been sealed away in him. He just wasn't aware of how much of pain in his neck it would be.
tab Clearly startled by his sudden appearance, at first, the large turtle merely stared down at him. After a moment though, it started with a familiar line. "Youuuu....."
tab"Oh god. Not this again." Inoki wined.
tab"You! You're not-"
tab"Yeah. Yeah. I get it. "You're not him" and "where is he". I've already hear all that." Inoki yelled, cutting the monster off. There was no way he was going through this whole schtick again. "Why don't we cut to the chase and you tell me what it is you want with Lord Satoshi?" At mentioning of Satoshi's name, the creature's interest seemed peaked and it finally seemed open to engaging in a conversation with the young Yamanaka. "Satoshi. I ..... I have to find him. I must!" it shouted, beginning to work itself back again. "What? So you can attack him again?" Inoki said, clearly having doubts about the turtle's intentions. "NO!" the creature countered, clearly upset by the insinuation. "I would never attack Satoshi. I must protect him. I have to!"
tab"Protect him?" This seemed odd to Inoki. After all, the Amekage had all but ordered them to kill this thing on sight, but all it wanted to do was protect him? There was definitely more to this story than met the eye and Inoki wanted to get to the bottom of it all. "Alright, turtle. Seems like there's a lot moving parts to all this so you and are going to need to have a long excruciating chat." he said, taking a seat on the ground before the creature. Once he'd made himself comfortable, he continued, "So why don't we start with your name?" At first, the creature seemed hesitant but eventually it responded. "I-Isobu." Inoki gave a nod. "Alright then, Isobu. Now, tell me what your deal with the kage is. What's the story there?" And with the creature began its tale.
tab Apparently, it all began with a woman named Kagami. A priestess from the former mist village, she was offered as a sacrifice to Isobu, effectively becoming his host. From the way Isobu spoke of her, it was clear he was very fond of her. Together, they had gone on a conquest of sorts to end the concept of "villages" but were ultimately unsuccessful, being sent to live in isolation as punishment. However, by some strange turn of events, Kagami ended up becoming pregnant, eventually giving birth to Satoshi. The timeline presented by Isobu didn't quite add up to Inoki but chose to ignore that. The important bit was that when Kagami eventually passed, she charged Satoshi with protecting Satoshi and sent it after him.
tab Inoki was a bit surprised to hear that this was not the Kage's first encounter with Isobu. According to its story, they had met once before and Satoshi had nearly destroyed it, which to Inoki, seemed a bit harsh. Then again, the kage had mentioned something about Isobu "killing his mother" while they were at the lake, so clearly there was some beef between the two, at least from the kage's end. Still, Isobu was willing to come back after all that so it was hard to doubt its conviction. Sealing it in Inoki was probably just the kage applying a different strategy. If he couldn't kill the thing, he might as well seal it away somewhere he can both keep an eye on it and have it out of his hair. Essentially, Inoki had become Isobu's prison warden. That was probably why it was lashing out so much.
tab After listening to Isobu's story, Inoki pondered the creature's words. "Hmmm. So you want to be near Lord Amekage to protect him but he can't stand the sight of you, huh? That's a pretty tough break." he said. Thinking on the matter a bit longer, he eventually came up with what he felt was a fair offer. "Look. I get that you're upset and all but I can't have you screaming at me every time I'm trying to sleep. It's getting old fast. Clearly the Amekage doesn't want anything to do with you so have a proposal. As a shinobi of Ame, it's my job to support Lord Satoshi so why I'll do whatever I can to protect him and in exchange, you stop throwing temper tantrums. Sound good?" Inoki explained. The bit about "not wanting to have anything to do with you" was a bit harsh, but other than that, Isobu seemed receptive to the idea. "V-very well. If you promise to protect Satoshi, I will lend you my power and support you however I can." Inoki wasn't quite sure what it meant by "lending him its power" but he didn't really care. The important thing was that it sounded like it was going to let him sleep in peace once more and that's all he cared about. "Great. Looks like we've ourselves a deal." he said. He then rose to his feet, taking a brief moment to stretch. "And with that all settled, I'm gonna head out. I've got some sleep to catch up on."
--------------------
tab Opening his eyes, this time for real, Inoki let out a heavy sigh as he allowed himself to fall back in his bed. "Finally. Now I can actually get some sle-" However, his words were cut short by the sound of metal slit on the door to his room sliding open. "Get up and get dressed. You've got work to do." the voice spoke shortly, quickly closing the slit when it was done. "..........Dammit." Inoki said softly. Somedays you just can't win.
tab Once more finding himself locked away in the confides of a cell within a KASA facility, Inoki laid silently in the bed that had been provided for him. Staring up at the ceiling, he'd let out a soft sigh. 'Man. What I wouldn't give for a sky light right now.' he thought wistfully before closing his eyes. At least then he'd be able to watch the clouds drift by while he was left in solitude. Well ...... not exactly solitude.
tab'I-Inoki?" an all too familiar voice called to him shyly from within his subconscious.
tab'Can't hear you. Sleeping.' Inoki replied, keeping his eyes shut as if he could somehow hide his consciousness from the creature he shared his mind with.
tab'Oh. I-I'm sorry.' Isobu apologized. For a few minutes, there was silence between the two until the turtle spoke again. 'Are you mad at me?'
tab At this, Inoki gave a heavy sigh, almost groaning. It was true that in some regard, Isobu was the reason he found himself in his current predicament, which was annoying. At the same time, the turtle demon had no more say in their binding than he had so he couldn't be too upset with the creature. Sure, it was a hassle but there was nothing either of them could do at this point. Inoki just had to accept this and deal with it as best he could. After a brief pause, he finally replied. 'No. I'm not mad at you. I'm just tired.' he explained.
tab This seemed to ease Isobu's worries.'Oh. Okay. I'll let you rest then.' the creature said. And with that, a tranquil silence was restored to the room.
The doo opened to the KASA facility, Soyeon walking through with a rather unamused look on her face, a folder tucked beneath her right arm as she'd offer a nod to the front desk and make her towards the holding cells. The door was opened while she huffed while approaching the warden of the facility. AN older gentlemen with an eyepatch, short black hair and a thick beard. "Ah, Minister Soyeon. What can we help you with?" The woman would open the folder and tossed it on the desk beside them for him to see. Reports and papers were thrown across the surfaced, with the picture of the host of Isobu, Inoki Yamanaka, pinned to the corner of the file. "Would you mind telling me why I just learned that one of our Genin was detained?" she folded her arms over her chest. The warden would ruffle his mustache at the greeting and look down to the files present, before looking back up at the woman. "Well technically, to begin with, the biju host-""Inoki." A moment passed as the two stood, the warden exhaling. "Inoki. He isn't under detainment. As per the Amekage's ruling, he is to stay here while undergoing. training with the demon to prevent any unwanted destruction." Soyeon huffed, looking back to the boy's cell. "And I assume this means that he can leave whenever he sees fit?""He can leave when he learns how to control that demon of his."
The Minister narrowed her eyes at the warden, taking a pen from her robes while she'd then begin to write down on the official documents, scribbling down something as the warden watched her little silent fit. "I'll sooner burn alive rather than let you just sit here and tell me that you think it's in anyway correct to keep a child here.""My orders came from-""I know where your orders came from, but consider this a change of plans. If Satoshi asks, then I'll tell him of my plans to his face. Until then, I'll train him myself. Not trapped in an iron prison." The two said nothing, with Soyeon closing the file to then press it against his chest. She swiped the keys on the wall as the Minister would step in front of the cell and smile upon seeing the blonde hair of Inoki. The cell door was opened as she'd step inside. "Sorry to wake you, Inoki. But I've decided that you're in need of some more "natural" training rather than sitting in a cell all day. If you'll come with me, I'll show you everything you would want to know." Soyeon held the cell door open for Inoki, a sort of caring air around the woman.
ใรใใTITLE: Amegakure Minister of PropagandaใโฐใRANK: S+ใโฐใSTRENGTH: 01ใโฐใSPEED: 00ใโฐใAGILITY: 00ใโฐใENDURANCE: 01ใโฐใCHAKRA: 5,000 || 5,000ใโฐใSTAMINA: 4,400 || 4,400ใโฐใNATURE CHAKRA: 1,500 || 1,500ใ
Techniques Used:
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Stumpleton
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Stumpleton
Mega Waffles
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 9:00 am
tab Just when serenity had been restored to his prison cell room, Inoki heard the familiar creaking of the door being opened. 'Is it time for my daily poking and prodding already?' he questioned to himself. He could have sworn he had at least another hour left to himself. 'Time sure does fly when you're having fun.' he thought to himself ironically. But then, he heard an unexpected voice.
tab"Sorry to wake you, Inoki."
tab At the sound of this familiar voice, Inoki opened his eyes and sat up. Though his face remained neutral, he was surprised to see Lady Soyeon standing before him. It was his understanding that his "training" (if you could really call it that) was being overseen by KASA. So what was the first lady doing here?
tab"I've decided that you're in need of some more "natural" training rather than sitting in a cell all day. If you'll come with me, I'll show you everything you would want to know."
tab This was certainly welcomed news, as while he did enjoy the solitude, he preferred when it came from his anti-social nature rather than being forced upon him. But was this truly okay? His confinement had been on the Amekage's orders could actually leave? Then again, this was Lady Soyeon who was telling him to come. As a minister of the village, certainly she had the authority to do something like this. And it's not like the kage's wife would directly defy his orders, right? So it must have been fine for him to go with her.
tab After taking a moment to sort out his thoughts, Inoki finally got up from his bed and made his way across the room to where Lady Soyeon stood. "Right. Lead the way." he said, waiting for her to guide him to their destination.
Soyeon's mouth rose into a comforting smile, the woman allowing him through the door as she spoke. "A fine choice. I give you my word that I will make you a proper jinchuuriki. We have much to discuss." The minister tossed the keys behind her towards the warden as the two would be on their way out. Soyeon walked slow enough for Inoki to follow her, her attire just barely gracing the floor as they walked together. The guards standing watch over the building would stand at attention while she walked by, the woman letting out an amused huff at the doorway while a small group would pass by. Once past, they'd offer a salute to her and Inoki, with the woman casually strolling along. The cells were behind Inoki as they air quality must have been like night a day. "I hope your stay here hasn't been too awful. I'll be having my assistants prepare more suitable quarters for you." Soyeon didn't even ask if Inoki had even had a family to be back with, nor did it really seem like she cared about them. What was most important was already walking right beside her, the woman reaching down to place a hand on Inoki's head before they would cross the threshold outside of the KASA Compound and back out into the rainy streets of Amegakure. It was a moment of solitude that Soyeon had hoped her aspiring little protรฉgรฉ would appreciate after being trapped in a stuffy cell for so long. She spun around and would face the Genin with a smirk painted on her face. "Welcome back to the outside of a cell, Inoki. As far as I can stand, I'll be dead before they put you in back inside. Should they give you any more trouble when I'm not around, let me know. I'll ensure that the appropriate...correction will be made."
Standing outside the KASA building was a pair of twins around the boy's age, dressed in the garments of a miko, each holding a single umbrella of their own. "Lady Soyeon!" The one of the left would say, smiling as she spotted the two coming from the the building and would hurry over. The umbrella was placed above Soyeon's head while handing it to the woman. The other twin would take her own umbrella and open it to cover Inoki if he so chose. Her voice was a tad softer, even managing a little nod to the lighter haired boy. "It's nice to finally meet you too, Inoki. Would, ah...Would you like a snack or a drink while you train with Lady Soyeon? I'll gladly get it for you." The woman offered while Soyeon would exhale, clutching her head for a moment while trying to get her bearings. The twin with her did tend to her side, trying to help her stay upright. "Lady Soyeon, are you certain that you should be doing this? You just left the hospital only a day-""I'm fine, Yumeka." The woman cut her off, shaking her head and looking to the three children. "Girls, Inoki. Follow me." The minister would lead the way forward through the waterlogged streets. Inoki might recognize the route they were taking, cutting through the busy roads as they'd be on their way to the training grounds that lie outside of the building's wake. It was there that they would be able to have some privacy together. The trip was around ten minutes in total, with both twins at the ready to serve either person.
"We're here." Soyeon stood in the middle of a clearing overlooking the village, the steps behind them leading back down to the village. Her eyes glanced to the boy and would hand her umbrella back to Yumeka, who would close it and watch from behind her. The other twin, who had introduced herself along the way as Tsukiko, did the same, although withdrawing to Inoki's side. "Let us begin then. I can assume you've already discovered how to communicate with your demon easily. This is the first step in mastering what you two can do together. The key is to not view Isobu as a tool or a weapon, but as a part of yourself. You will only reach the ability to unlock your potential once you two have learned one another. This is a difficult task, but I'm certain you can tame a depressed turtle more easily than a prideful monkey."
"Speak for yourself, hairless chimp." Son Goku retorted inside of her.
The twins would stand by one another as Soyeon would slowly guide herself down for a moment, huffing again as they'd raise a book to Inoki. Yumeka flipped to a specific page in general, with an illustration of Isobu present for him to see alongside information. "As you might have guessed, Isobu excels at suiton and genjutsu. You seem like the type to be good at both, so you're a natural fit for one another." Tsukiko would reach for a bag hidden in her person, showcasing scented candles from within while showing it to the boy. "To help with you communication, we thought these might help Isobu feel more at home. You don't have to use them, but they're an option if you need them." With both girls finished, they would come together and stand aside, allowing Soyeon sitting cross legged on the ground to view Inoki finally.
"First, we'll work on trying for the first stage of demon mastery. I want you to better acquaint yourself with Isobu," Soyeon instructed, motioning for Inoki to sit down in front of her. "But this time, you'll be going to his sealing realm. It is where they draw their power from and represents his containment within you. Be nice, encourage him, just be familiar with the demon enough so that you two can begin to understand one another. But when ready, merge your own chakra with him. You'll know when you've succeeded."
ใรใใTITLE: Amegakure Minister of PropagandaใโฐใRANK: S+ใโฐใSTRENGTH: 01ใโฐใSPEED: 00ใโฐใAGILITY: 00ใโฐใENDURANCE: 01ใโฐใCHAKRA: 5,000 || 5,000ใโฐใSTAMINA: 4,400 || 4,400ใโฐใNATURE CHAKRA: 1,500 || 1,500ใ
Techniques Used:
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Stumpleton
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Novasse
Offline
Stumpleton
Mega Waffles
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Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2022 4:32 am
tab Once outside the cell, Inoki made sure to follow closely behind Soyeon. As they made their way past the facilityโs warden, he kept his head down and avoided eye contact. No doubt the man would be less than pleased to see him being released ahead of schedule, even if he couldnโt say anything. Inoki just hoped he never had to return to this place again, as he would probably receive an even colder reception than he had in his previous stays. โIf thatโs even possible.โ he mused to himself. Speaking of receptions though, Soyeon made mention that sheโd be preparing far more favorable lodgings for him to use in the future. A small part of him had hoped that he might finally return to the simple comfort of being able to sleep in his own bed, but he supposed that was foolish of him to think. After all, even if he was free of the KASA facility, he was still probably expected to be kept under supervision. At least he could be assured that whatever accommodations the Lady was having prepared for him were bound to be far more comfortable than the prison bed heโd come to know. For that, he was grateful. โThanks. I appreciate it.โ he said, offering a small nod of gratitude as the woman patted him on the head.
tab Taking his first step out of the KASA facility after what felt like an eternity, Inoki took in a deep breath of fresh air. While the gray rainy skies may not have fit traditional definition of pleasant, to Inoki, they were a welcomed sight, enough to bring the faintest hints of a smile to the melancholy ladโs face. However, though her words were clearly well intentioned, Lady Soyeonโs statement was a swift reminder that his newfound freedom was a tenuous one, bringing a wave of reality back to the present situation. Still, he could appreciate her support and once again gave her a nod to express his thanks. โRight. Iโll keep that in mind, but hopefully it wonโt come to that.โ he said. Shortly after this, the pair were met by a pair of twin-looking girls, one of whom called out Lady Soyeonโs name to get their attention. While the more boisterous girl made her to Soyeonโs side, the other approached Inoki, offering him space under her umbrella. Normally Inoki wasnโt one for umbrellas, finding them to be a nuisance to carry around, but since one was being offered to him by one of Lady Soyeonโs attendants, he chose to take the girl up on her offer, not wanting to be rude. Along with the umbrella, the girl also made an offer to acquire food and drink for him to partake in while he trained. While he normally wasnโt one to impose, it was hard for him to pass up the offer after being held in captivity. โI could go for some tea if you have any. Been a while since Iโve had a good cup.โ he replied. He then noticed Lady Soyeon stumble for a moment, seeming to fall victim to fatigue. This was confirmed by the other girlโs mentioning of a recent hospital stay. It seemed that Soyeon was pushing herself, despite her insistence that she was fine. While Inoki wasnโt so bold as to speak on the matter, he would be sure not to cause her any trouble during their training, lest she strain herself. With that, he once more followed after her, being sure to stay close enough to the girl beside him so that the two of them comfortably share their umbrella.
tab Arriving at their destination after ten minutes or so, Inoki found himself in the familiar setting of the villageโs training grounds. This made sense of course, for while he may not have had any first-hand experience with conjuring his tailed beastโs techniques, he could imagine them to be quite destructive in nature. As Lady Soyeon stepped further into the training grounds, Inoki remained back along with Tsukiko, listening as the minister gave him a speech on the nature of the relationship between a demon and their host. โA part of myself? Hmmm โฆ..โ he said to himself softly, his voice trailing off as he pondered the notion. While he certainly didnโt view Isobu as a tool or a weapon, he couldnโt say he had ever really thought of the turtle of a part of himself either. If he had to describe his feelings on their relationship, he had always thought of his demon as something of a roommate, the two of them have their own place within his consciousness. The easiest way for him to rationalize it had been to treat it similarly to when he formed a psychic connection with an ally but in a more constant sense. Was there a way for him to let Isobu into the forefront of his mind without loosing himself in the process? Perhaps that was the key to developing the partnership that Soyeon described.
tab As Inoki continued to ponder this matter, he suddenly found a book thrust in front of him by the twins, guiding him to a particular page. There, he could see an illustration of Isobu along side a detailed description. Just as Soyeon told him, the book described the three-tailโs prowess for suiton and genjutsu techniques. While he wouldnโt say he had a particular knack for suiton techniques, he definitely had a good understanding of the applications and inner workings of genjutsus, so it appeared that he and Isobu matched up well in that category. At the offering of the candles, Inoki gave a nod. โFine by me, but someone else is gonna have to light โem. They didnโt exactly let me carry a lighter on me back at the facility.โ he explained. Then, following Soyeonโs lead, he took a seat on the ground across from her, folding his legs in the same manner as she did. From there, Soyeon explained the next stage of his training, informing him that he would be traveling to Isobuโs sealing realm. While he may have already made a mental connection with Isobu, it definitely felt like their two consciousness met in his mind, rather than him going to Isobu. โRight. I suppose he might feel more comfortable if I met him on his own turf rather than him having to force his way into my mind.โ he said. This would probably be easier said than done, of course, but at least he was well acquainted with the practice of meditation. After all, heโd had plenty of time to search the innermost reaches of his soul during his time with KASA. โWelp. Here goes nothing.โ he said, taking in a deep, calming breath and closing his eyes. With that, Inoki was off to begin his search for Isobuโs sealing realm.
tab After what felt like hours (but was really only a couple of minutes), Inoki finally opened his eyes. Or rather, perhaps it was more accurate to say he opened his mindโs eye, as his physical body remained in a deep meditative state. Meanwhile, Inokiโs psyche found itself standing in the middle of what appeared to be an enormous lake. While the area could easily be described as serene, there was the persistent sound of running water that permeated the otherwise tranquil silence that filled the area. Following this, he was quickly able to locate the source of the rushing water, revealing itself to be a large waterfall standing along a massive cliff face. โIf I were a betting man โฆ..โ he thought allowed, allowing his voice to trail off as he began making his way towards the waterfall. Sure enough, after passing through the curtain of rushing water, Inoki found himself standing in the entrance to a large cave, where none other than Isobu stood before him.
tabโI-Inoki? What are you doing here?โ the large creature spoke meekly to the boy, though its size still caused its voice to boom within the cavern. โI thought you were resting?โ
tab At this, Inoki couldnโt help but let out a small sigh. He definitely would have liked to have been resting. Then again, he was the type who could nap the day away if given the opportunity so such feelings were to be taken with a grain of salt. โYeah. โFraid thatโs just not in the cards for me today.โ he said.
tabโOh. Iโm sorry to hear that.โ Isobu offered its sympathy.
tabโMeh. Not your fault, so donโt sweat it.โ Inoki reassured the large creature. โThese things just sort of happen, you know? No use stressing what canโt be helped.โ he added with a shrug.
tabโOh. O-okay.โ Isobu spoke meekly once more. After this, silence fell between the two, neither seeming to know what to say next. Finally, after several awkward minutes, Isobu broke the tension. โS-so. Is there anything you need from me or something you want from me?โ the demon asked.
tab At this, Inoki brought a hand to his chin, a quizzical look on his face. โAnything I need from you? Hmm. Thatโs a good question.โ he began to ponder. Practically speaking, heโd been charged with mastering Isobu so that he could use the demonโs power to aid the Amekage in his endeavors. But was that really what he wanted from the creature? He wasnโt so sure. โWell, everyone keeps telling me that I need to gain control over you so that I can call upon your powers at will, but honestly, Iโm not really all that concerned with all that stuff.โ Inoki explained, choosing to be completely honest with the creature. โTell you what I could use though. That rest I was trying to get earlier. Mind if I crash here for a bit?โ he stated.
tab Isobu seemed a bit thrown by Inokiโs request, finding it most unusual. Still, he didnโt see the harm in indulging in the boyโs request. โThat should be fine.โ
tabโThanks. Appreciate it.โ Inoki replied, making his way further into the cavern. Walking up to Isobu, Inoki took a seat next to the creature, leaning back to rest against his arm. He then took in a deep, calming breath, allowing himself to relax and get comfortable. โGotta say, this is a pretty nice hiding place youโve got for yourself. I could see myself taking some serious naps in this place.โ he said, folding his hands behind his head.
tabโR-really?โ Isobu responded shyly. โWell, if things ever get too hard for you out in your world, youโre always welcome to come here to find respite.โ
tabโYeah? I might just have to take you up on that offer. Things can be a real hassle out there. Itโd be nice to have a place to retreat to.โ Inoki said before closing his eyes. Once more, silence fell between the two, though this time it was a far more comfortable feeling, a sense of tranquility shared between friends. Like Inoki, Isobu too closed his eyes and lowered his head to rest on his other arm. It had been quite some time since the demon had found proper rest, something the pair shared.
tab It was unclear to Inoki just how much time had passed since he had closed his, but when he did finally reopen them, he could sense a clear change in his body. Unbeknownst to him, while he had been his deep meditative state, his body had undergone a transformation. His skin had become cloaked in a thick coat of black and red chakra and his eyes had become large orbs with only with white. Most startling of all though was the change in his posture. While his legs remained crossed as they had before, his back had become quite hunched as it took on the appearance of a spike shell, forcing him to support himself by placing his hands against the ground in front of him. Along with this external change though, he could also feel a strange sensation begin to well up inside him. Rage? Anxiety? He couldnโt quite place his finger on the exact emotion but whatever it was, he could feel it welling up within him. His breathing heavy and exasperated, it was taking every ounce of self-control he possessed not to go into a frenzy. However, his control could only hold for so long, if something wasnโt done soon to help him calm back down, there was no telling what he might do.
The shy sibling would smile at Inoki's agreement to have some prepares for him during the training session. โI could go for some tea if you have any. Been a while since Iโve had a good cup.โ Tsukiko adjusted the umbrella in her hands above their hands and would nod at his request while the group were on their way with him to the meeting area. "I can do that. Although it will be a bit since Lady Soyeon did wish to do something about Isobu before anything too intense." The girl in red followed alongside Inoki while they would soon arrive at the predesignated spot where his training began. It was there that after a few minutes of preparation, Soyeon would be watching idly as her pupil was in a deep meditative state. She knew exactly what he was going through as of current, having taken a while for her to even come face to face with the demon sealed inside of her due to Mr. Belamos' sacrifice to save her life. Soyeon sat in front of the boy while she would wait patiently. Tsukiko arrived with the tea, giving a cup to the minister while the woman took a long sip. "How is he doing? Has Inoki finished yet?" The assistant asked, Soyeon shaking her head while looking up at the girl. "This will take some time. Communicating with biju for the first time is a lengthy process. Isobu's timid nature wont help matters any, but I'm prepared to wait however long it takes."
Around ten minutes later, Soyeon would pick up of the faintest amount of chakra coming from Inoki while he would seem to have achieved the first step in mastering the demon. It was a wonderful accomplishment, but one that had no time to be celebrated. Almost immediately after their chakra merged with one another, Inoki would be on his hands, his body and mind clearly stressed from what Isobu likely felt. Soyeon's hands moved to comfort his head, watching the demon chakra come from his body as the cloak of chakra emanated from the genin. She didnt know what really came out of her in the moment, but she'd gently try and support his head uo while her fingers rustled through his hair again. "It's alright. You're doing fantastic." she said to him, hoping that it would get through to him somewhere. The twins backed up some, with Soyeon motioning for them to go back farther. This stage was the most volatile one, where the host's will was tested beyond measure. At any moment, this could go horrible wrong and result in Isobu breaking free of his host, eradicating Inoki while he'd likely go on a rampage to find Satoshi and apologize. She closed her eyes as his head would be in her fingers and focused on trying to reach through to him.
=======
In Isobu's inner world where Inoki and him were still lying about, Soyeon's voice would let itself be known to Inoki. The stress of his body was beginning to wear on him, feeling his connection slowly wane with Isobu. "Very well done, Inoki. You're making excellent progress for a recent sealing. What you are experiencing now is natural. Your body is being introduced to the demon chakra of Isobu and is adjusting itself to a foreign body. Naturally, your physical body is experiencing fatigue and stress from the differences of both your chakra pools being merged. Mentally, your connection is being strained hence the world around you growing darker. It's important that you remain focused in here and continue to work your bond with Isobu." Soyeon instructed him verbally. "Should he grow unruly or upset, you'll have to calm him down. If you are scared, we can stop here. I'll understand if you're not up to the task now."
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Back in the outside world, Tsukiko and Yumeka would set the candles around the two jinchuriki, using a katon spark to light each one. Around them, the scent of the sea washed over the two as they'd commune with one another. Soyeon looked a little worn but was pushing herself for Inoki's sake.
ใรใใTITLE: Amegakure Minister of PropagandaใโฐใRANK: S+ใโฐใSTRENGTH: 01ใโฐใSPEED: 00ใโฐใAGILITY: 00ใโฐใENDURANCE: 01ใโฐใCHAKRA: 5,000 || 5,000ใโฐใSTAMINA: 4,400 || 4,400ใโฐใNATURE CHAKRA: 1,500 || 1,500ใ
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Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 1:22 pm
tab While externally Inoki found himself in a state of agony as he fought to maintain control, within the confines of Isobu's realm, Inoki's subconscious continued to rest peacefully, blissfully unaware of the situation. That is, until the arm he laid against suddenly swung outward, giving him quite the rude awakening as he tumbled across the cavern floor. Letting out a groan, Inoki pushed himself up onto his feet. "Hey. What's the big i-.....-dea?" He started to scold Isobu but found his words trailing off as he turned to face the beast properly. For some reason, Isobu had begun to thrash about, howling and growling wildly. But what could be the cause of such a rage? Everything had been fine when the two of them had laid down to sleep. What could have changed during that time?
tab That's when Inoki heard Lady Soyeon's voice break through the sounds of Isobu's wailings, explaining to him what was occurring within him. 'I see. So that's what's gotten into him.' It made sense. Now that he was more alert, he could feel the strain his own body was going through and could only assume Isobu was having a similar experience. When asked if he wanted to continue with the exercise or if he wanted Soyeon to put a stop to things, Inoki shook his head. 'No. I can handle this. Trust me.' he responded telepathically to Soyeon. This was something he needed to face head on. It never mattered to him how chaotic or loud the world around him got but within his own mind, he required peace. And so long as Isobu and he remained out of sync, that could never be. If he wanted to restore order within his mind, this was something that couldn't be put off.
tab Bobbing and weaving his way through Isobu's flailing limbs and tails, Inoki made his way over to the creature, eventually finding himself face to face. "Alright. Let's see what's got you so pissed." Forming an empathic connection with Isobu, Inoki hoped that he'd be able to get to the bottom of what was going on inside the beast's mind. However, to his surprise, rather than anger or pain, what Inoki was met by was a sensation of fear, his own eyes beginning to well up ever so slightly with tears. Delve deeper into the creature's mind, he was able to get a general sense of what he was experiencing. Lord Satoshi's rejection. Regrets of failing its former hosts. Fears of failing its current host. All these thoughts and many more swirled within the beat's mind. "I see."
tab Reaching out, Inoki placed a hand gently upon Isobu's cheek, just as Lady Soyeon had done for him. "Shhhh. It's okay." he said, doing his best to speak to Isobu in a tender voice. "This is all new for me, and yeah, it's a hassle, but we'll get through this. Just gotta keep our heads on straight." he reassured the creature. Using his empathic connection, Inoki would send out waves of calming energy into Isobu. At first, the creature's own emotions fought back as he continued to thrash about but eventually, Inoki's will proved stronger and Isobu was quelled "There. Now go back to resting. You've earned."
tab Back in the real world, the demonic chakra that had surrounded Inoki began to fade, receding back into him. Once he had returned to normal though, a wave of exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave, causing him to fall to his back with a soft thud. His breathing heavy, he looked towards Tsukiko, his eyes just barely opened. "I ... don't suppose ... I could ... have some of that ... tea now?" he sputtered out between breaths.
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