Rain

Uchiha "Rainos" Yau
Personal Information
Birthplace	Land of Rivers
Date of Birth	September 24
Age	38
Height	6'2"
Weight	190
Hair Color	Raven Black
Eye Color	Translucent Grey
Blood Type	AB-
Kekkei Genkai	Sharingan
Combat Information
Rank	Leader
Position	Shepherd of Fire
Elemental Affinity	Fire Lightning Wind
Areas of Expertise	Versatility, Strategy and Tactics, Foresight
Clan	Uchiha
Affiliation	Hanpa
Nature Type
Element (Affinity)
Element (Secondary)
Element (Tertiary)
Family
Wife	Natsumi
Son	Uchiha Fudo
Sister	Uchiha "Ameagari" Narusegawa
Daughter	Fujikujo Akane

Signature Jutsu

Demonic Illusion Pressure

"Everything is Darkness. Darkness is Everything."

Founder of the rogue band called the Takokujin, Rain is a man of many words and just as many actions. His past is known by no one but those who were there to witness it as he rarely speaks of it or of anything about himself. His reasons are an enigma, and even the group itself seems to have no true, unifying purpose.

The situations that allow people to join Rain, in his own words, are "The inevitability of walking down this path.", yet he is notorious for never explaining anything about the path beyond it is the one in which you can achieve your destiny. Never the less, for all sorts of reasons and creeds, the group has thrived and continues to be a shadow hidden in the ones cast by the great shinobi villages.

The only official thing that was known about Rain to those who can identify him as Uchiha Rainos, is that he was present at the meeting of the Uchiha when they betrayed their leader, Madara, in favor of the Senju and that he left when Madara himself did.

After this, he achieved many great feats with the members of the Takokujin. They were able to bring together a desert nation with an island nation on the other side of the world which led to a lasting alliance that has been stable for over a decade. They were able to discover ancient secrets to aid them in their quests to live freely and develop in their own way, at their own pace. They were able to conquer a land of their own, Rain becoming the Lord of the Land of Rivers. Even the mighty hidden village of Konoha was able to be captured by the group for some time. And while these events had a myriad of consequences and cascading effects on them and the rest of the world, all things come to an end. A sacrifice was made and Rain was no more…

… For a time. Eventually, he was able to crawl back in to existence from oblivion itself and found that everything he had worked for, including the Takokujin, was no more. He took on the persona of Sangai no Hanpa, Hanpa being what the group was renamed, in order to rebuild what he had lost and to forge ahead on a new path simultaneously. And though it was grueling, and he was struck down from being truly capable to becoming crippled and incapable of the feats he once was, eventually he was able to find equilibrium. With the help of the Hanpa Organization, hesitant villages and nations would collaborate to defeat The Silence, new trade opportunities were opened up via the Land of Rivers being reclaimed and a capital city known as Suisei being built to ensure that it would no longer simply fail and be torn away due to the absence of a few. And with these new feats starting to grow and ripple throughout the world, Hanpa finally unmasks himself to reveal who he truly is: Lord Rain of the Land of Rivers once more.

Background

+ The Reality

Childhood

Born in the war torn era of the shinobi clan wars where power was only measured in ability, strength, and leadership, Uchiha Rainos was ushered in to the world under the most absolute blessing an Uchiha child could have; within the flames of battle. It may have changed him, or even defined him, but in this era, there was no greater thing for an Uchiha to be but the bringer of flames. As he grew up, mostly he had to learn to survive as all of his clan did, roaming, tending to their wounds, hunting, gathering. They were rather uncivilized times, though the culture of the Uchiha was strong. They were not savages, simply survivors of the darkest nature. Things were not all bad, their abilities allowed them steady contracts and thus steady work and money flow. Even if they had to remain nomadic, they were not impoverished. Thus during his formative years, Rain was treated quite well, and the relative safety that money and status could provide allowed him to gain a sister. At first, he was very adverse to the idea, she was after all someone to draw attention from him, and he was about five years old when she was born. Still, she was adorable, quiet, and attentive even as an infant. This eventually captured his heart and he began to become protective instead of spiteful.

When she reached his former age, he had already had to fight several times, though usually in the back lines and simply helping as battle knew no mercy for the weak nor the young. Rainos was noted for having sharp instincts and keen observations, traits that go very well with sharingan should he ever achieve it. The elders and veteran shinobi of the clan, when they could, selected promising children to train and get up to speed. It was elected to choose in this way simply because they did not have the time to waste on "no talent" shinobi. The training was hard for those who did not take things as they were and move on. Some children were sensitive towards the harsh treatment. Some where frail and couldn't take the punishment of the physically demanding aspects. Rainos absorbed it all. Pain was a lesson. Emotional backlash was a lesson. Being called unfit and unworthy, was a lesson. And for those very reasons, he would receive less and less of these lessons as he trained.

By the age of twelve, he was a full fledged ninja by the clan's accord, only two years after his training had begun. The Uchiha standards were high, and most children his age were still considered students even if they fought. It was all because of perspective that he rose above the majority of his class. The blood would flow thickly from this day forward.

Career

Many wounds were gained in Rainos' preteen years and on. He carried many, but he delivered many more; alot of them fatal. His combat experience grew exponentially, because even though he was unable to actually use his sharingan, he used good old fashioned wits, guile, and observation. He could not precisely copy anything, but he took note of and improved upon his own performance with every scar, and with every victory. In the shinobi world, most scars actually did fade away thanks to the abilities of medicines treated with chakra. The Uchiha did not truly pat each other on the back, even if there was a young up and coming star. There was no time for such trivial boosting of egos. He was doing what he was trained to do, what he had to do, like everyone else. All that was special about him was that he was very successful at it. By The time he became around 15 years old, he had a battle one on one, with a very powerful adversary. Two young prodigies clashing in the darkness lit only by the destruction in their wake. A variety of colors, lights, jutsu and chakras were raging across the landscape, but neither seemed to be gaining the advantage.

It came down to the simple tools of warfare; swords, kunai, shuriken and the abilities of the shinobi that wielded them. Missing, evading being blocked, parrying, clanging, cracking; It was almost musical how they fought like dogs of war to kill each other in the name of someone else entirely or simply for the right to continue living. Rainos however was eventually stabbed in the stomach, or so it seemed. He looked down for a moment, but when his eyes rose once again, his face distorted and changed, growing an extra ebon mass as his other eye rolled out in to the blackness eerily before both of them seemed to shine with crimson and stare with an expression one could only call "Check Mate".

The mass was a raven's head beside his own, a bird that would always accompany battle and war, but almost always seemed to prefer to observe instead of participate. Spinning around and rolling behind his opponent, his kunai would plunge in to the back of his neck. Collapsing, his enemy was dead. Rainos' side was cut open, but not so much as the illusion had led the other to believe. Rainos stared forward and looked towards the fallen support beam where a Raven seemed to stare back at him as well.

There was one good thing about warfare, especially for most of your life, with the right perspective any how. Bonds would form very strongly. Rainos and his sister were extremely close, especially after their parents had died, some of the Uchiha fighting with him as he grew had become close as well. But what was strange yet fitting, was that some of his former enemies or simply allies or neutral parties in battle, began to respect or admire him as well. Rainos had many nick names by now, but in all honesty, he never paid attention to them. Peace was just starting to roll around three years prior to the formation of the villages, and Rain was entrusted to lead a very small tactical squad on far away missions in other countries to wrap this whole thing up with the Uchiha being noted as the top amongst all clans even in places they rarely fought in. A hand full of Uchiha could do what an army of any other could fathom; At least that was the idea. It was during this time that Rainos had put his sister and a friend of hers under the care of an Uchiha man that seemed to care for his sister enough to give his life, and Rainos himself went out into the world.

Career (conclusion)

One of the first things his team encountered was a battle in Kumogakure, a losing one. It seemed set up that way, from Rainos' perspective. He had a little girl with him, a very small and sickly child that was taken in by him. She was a Hyuuga, and as she was dying, yet cared for by Rainos, she aided him as his sensor while she lived. He was able to devise decisive victories based on her intelligence gathering and in this case, she saved the lives of the remaining forces of Kumogakure's defense. Meeting with the young leader whom would later be known as Odo or Ogosokomaru to Rain alone some time later, he informed him of the obviously precarious situation they were in from the start, as well as the possible motives for such. Odo took him to the side, where he asked him of his theory as he had a feeling something was wrong. In the end, Rainos convinced him that his people were being used in a political maneuver for the opportunities gained by the loss of his men in a battle or an "accident". Odo being grateful, would join Rainos tentatively while he wandered the fields of battle. He would certainly not be the last to make such a choice.

The Beginning:

While performing a business deal in a gambling town, Rainos had the good fortune to be pickpocketed by a blind woman. Rainos didn't care about such things, but he did stalk her to a degree to ensure that she made it to her destination unhindered. Rainos asked about the weather as he went along, and just general news of the day. This was of strange interest to the young woman, him being about 20 to her 17. She would stop him before leaving, and lead him up to her room at the inn where they would discuss things. Rather important things. It seemed that this blind woman could see in an entirely different manner than he could. Rainos had a shadow, a Nara named Shie, that acted as his guard and scout on many occasions. Since she was able detect chakra, and use it as a form of Sonar, even the most stealthy and patient shadow had problems masking themselves from her "gaze" as it were. Rainos was given back his ryo, but he tossed his money back, and they spoke of things to come as the low rumbling of distant explosions would begin. It seemed Rainos wanted to know of battle conditions in the area. In the end, the woman wanted only one thing: Purpose. If following Rain would provide purpose, she would do so. He agreed and took her with him on his journey.

The battle was trivial, the members of his small band were more solid than any combative bond he had within the Uchiha clan. Rainos would note all of this and he knew of the possibilities of mass villages being born. Still, he had things to look after. His sister being the primary one, his clan being a distant second as they could take care of themselves. To this end, he would take Odo with him to go check on his sister and her friend only to find his sister was gone, and the one he left her with damn near insane. Her friend was chained up, and there was a spot where his sister likely was at prior. Odo was insulted for Rainos, but Rainos gave the girl who would be known as Yuki (The creator of Chakra Technology) to Odo and closed the door. No one to this day is sure exactly what happened, but by the thudding, shattering, yelping, and screaming for mercy, along with the blood covered Rainos that emerged silently and walked away, it could be assumed that he simply savagely beat the man to death for taking his sister away from him. At this point, from the fires in the depths of Rainos' heart, the Takokujin was officially born.

Betrayal

Rainos had met with the others in the Takokujin and informed them of the changing times. Odo was made leader of it because Rainos could not commit to it, but he also knew that a lot of them had burned their bridges and had no where else to go. He would aid them when he could, but for now, he had to see what the Uchiha's next step was. This was the second blow to Rainos, when the Senju and the Uchiha met, and though Madara's fears were sound, the other Uchiha ignored him and turned their back on reality before quite literally bowing to the Senju who were then called the leaders of this Hidden Leaf Village. Hashiramako, a sworn enemy Rainos had fought countless times was to be the acting "Hokage". Had the Uchiha lost their minds? Why would they agree to be subservient to any clan? Not even a compromise, not even co­leadership. Just giving it all away to their most honorable and powerful rivals. Rainos would turn his back on the Uchiha in turn, walking away right after the heels of Madara himself. Meeting with the Takokujin, Rainos would from that point on be called Rain. Not Uchiha Rain, simply Rain. A battle field that has been rained out is far more depressing and devoid of life than one with screaming victims, fire, and carnage.

This world was changing in a direction where some people, a select few in the vast world, would be ignorant to suffering. They would be happy in their little villages, and trample over all others that were not amongst them as simple collateral damage unless they could pay or beg loudly enough to be spared. When you attempt to tame the world, you find that in order to do so you have to keep the image of things being peaceful and everyone prospering, even if the ants underfoot are the people you should be protecting. Those helpless and weak, women, children, and honest working men. Those shinobi that simply do what they were trained to do as they always have. Without suffering for all the only ones made to suffer are those without a choice. Rain accepted this truth, and decided to pursue these personal facts. Not by exterminating suffering, but by embracing it, and wanting /everyone/ to suffer. To live the rigors of real life, to grow, to change, to evolve, and to die on equal ground. No one is above suffering, not in Rain's eyes.

Emergence

From that point on, the Takokujin (Strangers) would gain more recruits and influence throughout the world. One of the first things that was done by the Takokujin, though primarily Rain as their representative, was to go to Sunagakure and persuade them to open up trade with Kirigakure. Generally, land routes were the only what Sunagakure would receive goods and such, but due to the climate and conditions, it also made that trade harder, especially now that the village system was in place. They were a bit isolated and it was the perfect time to approach this subject. They were skeptical at first, but Rain guaranteed that there would be safe passage utilizing the southern sea route and that the raiders and pirates of the Land of Rivers would not be a problem. He promoted the Takokujin's services for that particular job, and stated that if there are any issues, it was their responsibility. All that he asked in return, was for future business to be possible with Sunagakure should he hold up his end of the bargain. They finally agreed to those terms and thus it was solidified.

They did in fact clear the route, rather violently, on their way to Kirigakure. This toll of blood was more than enough to convince the then just barely starting village to accept the proposition of supplies and resources from a more established shinobi village. While the people of Kirigakure were proud and war like, Mitsuo was not stupid, and he understood the value of foreign trade for their independence. He most certainly did not want to rely on the Daimyo as Mitsuo was barely trusted with the village as it was. These trade routes were done in secret, and thus the area that allowed for the most easy access to disrupt them needed to be secured. Once again, the Land of Rivers was the target. Rain predicted this outcome, and had his people pouring over information about the area in case they had to make a more permanent stand there. What was discovered was far more than a foothold however, and thus Rain agreed with the rest of the trade route negotiation: The Land of Rivers would be pacified.

The Master Seal

Thanks to the efforts of his more studious members and his own diligent research, they had discovered that at the mouth of the river and the beginning of the delta it flowed in to the ocean from, there was some sort of ancient secret buried under the roaring waters. It took some doing, but they eventually were able to find it and the under water cavern system that led to it. When it was opened up, what the Takokujin found was something referred to as Shukun Sumitsuki or The Master Seal. It was an ancient seal array the size of a large room, covered from floor to ceiling with various seals. In the center, there was a large table like control panel. Unfortunately, it was unpowered and thus useless at this time. Further study revealed that it required a vast amount of chakra to activate. Far more than even this group was capable of producing given their numbers. However, there was a solution. As part of the rivers flow did move through the walls of the cavern, Rain begin to wonder… if what was called for was a sacrifice, instead of a gigantic following of people sharing large portions of their chakra. After all, this was not a public area, but a tucked away secret. With this concept in mind, it was time to kill far more than two birds with one stone.

The great river that this country was known for would be turned red in short order. All of the bandits, raiders, pirates, and even the leader of the village of Twilight (Akuma) was faced and his guards slaughtered. The Takokujin committed genocide, wiping the land clean of most of its very public and proud criminal element, and finally he would hook up Akuma to the master seal and sacrifice his chakra directly to it. However, even after all of this, it was just not quite enough chakra. They were running out of options, as not acting upon the chakra that was sacrificed to the Master Seal soon would have it all go to waste. The time to act was now… but how?

The Greatest Sacrifice

With no time to make a new plan and no other option, Natsumi whom had become Rain's wife and secretly bore his child, would volunteer herself as the final sacrifice to the Master Seal. Rain absolutely refused it, until he was silenced by her kiss and told in a whisper to take care of their son. She would say aloud, that she joined the Takokujin to find her purpose, and in this she finally would see that goal through to the end. She would not allow for Rain's dream to die without doing everything she could, even if it killed her. She placed herself against the upright altar and would say her farewells before she gave all of her chakra to the Master Seal, finally activating it. Since that moment, Rain has venerated the Master Seal, and often times would visit it alone to spend time with the life energies of his wife that allowed for him to keep pursuing what he desired. Fudo, their son, was kept largely a secret from all but Shie. It was a precaution to ensure he was safe until he wasn't helpless at the very least. Rain was making enemies, as was the Takokujin, and even his new position as the Lord of the Land of Rivers was not going to keep them all at bay.

The Master Seal turned out to be a great library, full of age old information, but it was also a database of chakra. It allowed for the current "master" of the seal to register others under their command in order to be able to keep track of them, their vital signs, and even assist them from afar or communicate with them. This room was designed for some ancient army to have a command and control center that unified its forces to a single individual and each other in kind. This also meant however, that the vast majority of what it was capable of was never going to be useful to them as their numbers were too small. Still, knowledge was power, and Yuki began to advance her chakra technology greatly with this knowledge. Their new medical expert, Honto, was also able to gain much from this. Tessen, Ryoji, Odo, and Kaede however were more about settling conflict with conflict instead of information… well Ryoji was sort of in between. They spent little time in the Master Seal room, or even in the new Twilight Village that was set as a neutral village where anyone could live as they wished as long as they did not disrupt others pursuing the same. Even Mushi had considered setting roots there with a clinic of her own in a place that was not governed by a shinobi village.

Nightmare

Even the most cautious of people will find themselves outwitted from time to time. In this case, due to having his child kept so secret, his own people could not protect him while he was gone. The fact that his existence was discovered was never truly figured out by Rain, but when a strange, shadow like monster of a man sought to consume his child, Rain bartered with him for something far better: An entire village full of developed chakra users. Rain had decided to sacrifice Konoha in order to save his child. However, he had no claim to Konoha… so he would have to take it first. The shadow agreed, as he had the child regardless and even more chakra was tempting. If Rain failed, he would simply consume him and his child any how.

The Takokujin was mobilized. It was just a couple of them, with Rain at the lead. They attacked head on, literally fighting off the Chuunin and Jounin at the front gates and blowing it up regardless of how thick and reinforced it was. However, this was all a distraction. The shadow being, a twisted person who lived only to consume chakra, was escorted by a few other Takokujin in to the village interior while all the showy explosions at the front gate kept them distracted. Rain chose a time when Hashiramako was abroad specifically to take advantage of their lack of leadership familiar with his strategies… and it succeeded. By the time reinforcements had arrived at the gate, the Shadow being had taken root, quite literally, within the Hokage's office, holding captive the majority of the leadership that were convened there as a war room for the defense of Konoha. Rain and his entourage would enter through the front gates and claim Konoha as his

For several days things remained this way. The roots ran deeper, going all the way to some of the populace at large as Rain would hold public speeches, trying to convince those who were free to move about of the error of their ways. All the while, he took the time to go over personnel files and secrets he could get a hold of in order to make his next move, and he finally found what he was looking for. Hyuga Yuzuna of the ANBU. He knew how powerful the Hyuga were first hand and she was exactly what he needed to save his son. Unfortunately, a meeting with Uchiha Fuyu would cause him to be incarcerated for a very short time, enraging him as he waited patiently for the Takokujin to give him an opportunity, which he took. Up until that point, he had not killed anyone in Konoha, but now… every guard in that facility was slaughtered on his way

He then sought and found Yuzuna as he originally planned, fighting off anyone in his way. He convinced her to join him on gathering intelligence on the beast that held her village hostage, and she would do so as at the very least, she would get some information she may be able to use from what ever game he was playing. He had her show him the secret route in to the ceiling of the Hokage's office from the outside. He told her he knew where it was generally, but that this was not the time to fumble around in the dark. When they both got inside, he instructed her precisely what to look for: another emission of chakra held somewhere within the shadowy being. She would find it, and discover that it was a young boy clutched beneath the rib cage and abdominal cavity of the emaciated, shrouded man. She could also see the chakra connections to all of the hostages as well as the child, and she wondered what they could do. Rain however, was already moving to act. He would ambush the monster, taking it by surprise and stunning the horrible man before swiping his child. The disruption of the crazed man would allow for the chakra links to be severed, and Rain would have dove out of the window,appearing to be burning away with his son in to the night sky as they both seemed to become nothing but ash in the wind, entirely gone. Konoha forces immediately reacted as the shadow cursed Rain's name as it was defeated by their combined efforts, but he was long gone by then.

A United World

Many things occurred after this point. Twilight village was starting to become more recognized, so much so that rumor had it that it was to become the next hidden village. Of course this was not true, but all of that influence in one place headed by a shinobi couldn't help but create that assumption. The first world tournament was held, which the Takokujin attended as spectators and competitors, and new organizations were forming for various causes as well. But there was also some great evil that began to stir. An area known as the Ankoku caverns was tainted with pure death and darkness… and Rain would investigate along with those of Konoha due to the proximity to their lands. Within it, they would find a mere essence that was so foul, everything near it would begin to wither and die, or see delusions and hear whispers of their desires. It beckoned everyone and everything to aimless walk in to its vast nothingness contained only by this cavern. Rain would learn that it was not simply just aimless taint however, but that it was one of the sons of the Sage of the Six Paths. What it wanted was not clear, but everyone with the Sharingan seemed to hold particular interest to it. Rain would mark the cavern to pursue later when the rest were not around, connecting his Mark from the Master Seal to the location.

In the end, he would investigate it further, and make a deal with it. It tried to cajole him with his lost wife and to seduce him with power, and Rain would lead it to believe he had fallen for it. Prior to his return to the cavern, he had warned away all of the people of his village, and set the Takokujin on evacuating the area. He entrusted Tessen with the safety of his son knowing that Shie would also ensure that escape occurred. Thus when he would transport himself and the living darkness that was the ancestor there, it would be entirely empty. The darkness knew immediately that it was some sort of trap, but it was now exposed and weakened by not having tainted this area for who knows how long and saturated itself with everything around it. Rain took advantage of this, knowing what it meant. From what he had seen, the world was changing and perhaps the sentiments of destruction he once held for it all was not necessary. Perhaps suffering was not the only answer if the world could unite every once in awhile. Perhaps he could leave this world to his son and have no regrets. Thus, he would utilize his mature and powerful sharingan to compel the weakened ancestor to consume itself as it was incorporeal to begin with. He realized well before, that nothing anywhere near by would be unscathed, but at least this sort of evil would be gotten rid of for good and not able to be unleashed upon the world ever again.

Eternity

Nothingness… was an interesting experience. Even to this day, Rain believes that the only reason that he had consciousness at all and was not utterly consumed in the void of literal nothingness, was the tethers to humanity he has created with the Master Seal. He thought about many things, having no body to speak of and only the ramblings of the quickly fading ancestor to keep him company for the first few months. While he left the world to his son, he did realize that… he still believed in suffering. Even with his semi selfless act to save the world, he still didn't truly expect for real peace to happen. But Hashiramako did… and she was always somehow able to get her way most of the time. All that Rain could do, was allow for it to have a chance to happen without him there.

Eventually, Odo, Tessen, and another he did not recognize beckoned him from the void to try to save him. Of course they could not. Nothing could… he had sacrificed his present to save everyone else from the past and thus forfeited his future. Tessen was never emotional… not that Rain has ever seen, until this moment. It seemed he saw Rain as a god, and at the very least, his one and true master. Odo felt much the same, and they asked what to do. Rain gave his final bits of advice, and told Tessen to make sure to only release Fudo to the world when it was ready to accept him. He predicted a son of his… would be hard to understand. With his final business wrapped up, and their chakra almost used up just sustaining him for as long as they did, he said his farewells and returned to the void. There, he heard them speak of the fact that the Takokujin was no more, and that instead they would now be called Hanpa, in respect for the fact that they were mere pieces or remnants without Rain himself. They agreed, and Rain would finally be able to rest.

To Truly Suffer

Unending silence. Unmoving existence. If it were even possible to waste away, it would almost have been preferable. Instead… there was nothing. Even after awhile, there wasn't any thought. No concern of the mortal world. No worry over a son he had not seen for a decade. Immortality of this nature was most certainly a form of hell. At least that is what Rain thought of this existence before his son would finally find him.

Rain was proud at first. Fudo had finally found the bread crumbs he left behind in order to figure out what happened to him, perhaps even his mother. Yes… he would have had to have found the Master Seal in order to get this far. But Fudo didn't look happy, nor did he look sad or stoic. He looked.. pained. He looked pathetic… barely clinging to his own self. He also looked like he wasn't going to stop approaching oblivion. Rain could do nothing… nothing to stop him, nothing to warn him, nothing at all. He wasn't even able to see him, he could merely feel his own chakra and that of his sons approaching, that link making it possible. He tried to beg and plead, to swear, to curse, to scream. Anything… everything… to tear nothingness asunder and reach out to his boy. But he could not. All he could do was feel when his son, completely lost in life, threw it all away… and joined his father in oblivion.

Just like a moth to a flame… he had gotten to close… and would never fly again. Rain's essence cradled his sons form, entirely drained of chakra and life. Just still, cold flesh and nothing more. Unbridled rage would fill the mere spirit of Rain as he would swear to all creation that he would not stand for this travesty. What remained of his essence, of his identity as an Uchiha, would begin to manifest the Mangekyou as he would hear one last sadistic whisper from the long dead ancestor. "You have such great vision, Uchiha Rainos. For the people you care for, even for the entire world. And yet… you could never see… that your destiny has always been…. TO SUFFER!"

Rain's Mangekyou manifesting while in his complete and utter sorrowful rage, would collapse the black hole of nothingness, leaving little more than a crater where once a dream and a village was, Rain himself, and the reminder of his utter helplessness and everything in his world being taken from him before its time: His son's body. The distraught roar of agony could have likely been heard for miles as he fell to his knees, curled over his sons form and helplessly shivering and crying for him. It was like this for hours… before Rain found that he didn't even have the power to stand. His form was weak… his sharingan entirely gone… his seals ineffective and his chakra system undeveloped. It was almost as if he were given a new body, but not his own. And this was the case indeed. His former form was destroyed by the void, and while this new form was identical in every way visually, it was barely able to function at 100, let alone the developed body of a career ninja. Even the loss of his son was not enough… he had to suffer even more. But… as always, he accepted this. He had absolutely no intention of giving up. Quite the contrary. All that he accepted, was that it was his fate to suffer. "So be it!" was his enraged reply to the gods themselves.

Shepherd of Fire

Wobbling to his feet, he would carry his son all the way to the Master Seal. Even without his Sharingan, his eyes blazed with the desire for vengence and to set things "right" in the world. Peace was a lie. It must be consumed in the flames of war. Suffering was the only truth… and this pipe dream that Hashiramako was spewing must be annihilated. All must burn in the fires of hell in order to appreciate what they have… or what they had. They can never forget… they can never forgive. They will not hide from fate. They will not be allowed to cower from consequence. They will all know what true suffering was… and maybe then… when they learn the lessons from despair, would anything resembling peace be truly possible. The peace of a world that accepts that life will always be hard and torturous! Rain was no more, not until he regained himself fully. And because of him being a shattered, pathetic sliver of what he once was… he would now become Hanpa after Tessen's own words. Tessen… whom must be dead already to have allowed his son to go so far without his guidance to stop him. Maybe they all were…

For an entire year, Hanpa would move about the world as low key as possible. He would feverishly study the new findings in medical jutsu and attempt to perform what he could on his son. He even found ways to manipulate doctors in to trying, though they tried to tell him that they couldn't simply resurrect the dead. But his body was in perfect condition.. it didn't rot.. it merely… stopped and was lifeless. When they failed… he killed them. They were secreted away to the Master Seal after all, no one knew where they were. But in the end… he could not save his son no matter how hard he tried, no matter who he was able to pull in to try. So, he would destroy the entrance to the Master Seal with simple explosive tags at the mouth of the cavern, burying his wife and son and holding every ounce of rage and sorrow in his heart as he did so. Before he did this however, he would take a mask forged out of chakra reactive metal and don it, deciding that it was time to move about the world as Hanpa… and set it all on fire.

The mask had only one purpose since it was not integrated in to anything else. It would obscure his face from techniques like the Byakugan by reflecting the chakra flowing through his head and face back at him, blocking a clear view of his face due to the layer of chakra constantly moving back and forth from mask to face. Unfortunately, this also meant that he could not see out of it, as any part of his face being uncovered would nullify the effect. So Hanpa began to train in the techniques of his wife who was a very powerful blind sensor kunoichi. This would be the only way that he could ever actually use the mask properly and not hinder himself completely. He was equipped with only this, and his former life time worth of experience in this new world… and no power to use it. He had started with far less… and he was not afraid to suffer further. So now, he observes the world without seeing it, and focuses his every waking moment on recovering so that one day he can bring the self righteous villages to their knees, and allow those who live on their knees a moment to stand so that maybe, eventually, they will all stand within the same world instead of being separated by ideals of inferior and superior. By power and weakness. By wealth and poverty. None of those matter in the end. They are meaningless. All that will ever matter… is how each individual emerges from the flames of suffering. Some will become ash, while others will be strengthened and reforged stronger than ever.

A cold and calculating man that does not seem to warm up to anyone easily if at all. Even his comrades do not necessarily know of his true intentions, nor of his inner workings. He is an enigma both in drive and in ability, as even those he's earned the trust and comradree of on the battle field have never truly seen what he is capable of. The only characteristic shown in battle, if he bothered to involved himself, is absolute ruthlessness. Still, having a child has smoothed out his cold, hard edges and allowed for him see things from a broader angle. He is not as tight lipped about his motives nor his vision, and the form of compassion he wields is no longer enigmatic even if it is shrouded or difficult to comprehend.

Losing that child, his wife, his village, and his abilities however have caused him to have moments of erratic behavior. A thin crack in his psyche that is masked most of the time by his over all calm and practiced approach. He is an orator, willing to explain things in depth as well as a teacher who wants every encounter to be a lesson for both himself and whom ever else in involved. The one core thing that he wears on his sleeve however… is his hatred for how Hashiramako's philosophy has ruined the world by blinding the strong and trapping them in fear under the guise of peace.

+ Rain's Strengths

Strengths:

Rain always seems to think several moves ahead, even when he should be caught off guard. Whether this is a cleverly maintained bluff, or he truly is one of legendary foresight as some believe, it is certainly a strength he possesses. He is adept at all forms of shinobi combat even though he is rarely ever seen involving himself in a confrontation himself. Many people are willing to risk their lives just so that Rain does not have to bother lifting a finger and thus the weight that carries within the mind of opponents creates the illusion of unimaginable power whether it is truly the case or not. Rain possesses the power to control perception, and he uses it just as casually a most people breath.

He has also faced a great many threats and has gained a vast amount of experience in facing and resolving conflicts in financial, political, war time, and even supernatural confrontations. In particular, he has a deep understanding of the nature of Yin chakra and entities that have come to being entirely from it.

+ Rain's Weaknesses

Weaknesses:

Because he does not share himself with anyone no one truly knows what his weakness is. There are things that anger or upset him, but this could hardly be a weakness unless it could be exploited. Still, over the years he has suffered many great losses that for him far out weigh the victories. His history is his greatest weakness in the fact that he does not forget his mistakes or the sacrifices made in his name and those spiritual scars are often particularly raw.

+ Rain's Likes

Likes:

Not as much of an enigma as the rest, Rain seems to enjoy watching others live. Whether they are happy or sad, in pain or in excellent shape, something about how another lives in this world appeals to him. He also is known for enjoying the sampling of tea and sake. He says that "Within each sip is a search for the essence of creation.", this being in regards to the faintness or strength in flavor and aroma that something as simple as elaborately boiled leaves or carefully brewed rice creates. He also enjoys creamy textures to his food.

+ Rain's Dislikes

Dislikes:

Rain is extraordinarily vocal about his objection to the great shinobi villages, believing they will only bring destruction and strife to those who aren't lucky enough to choose the right side or be born in the right place. While destruction and strife in and of themselves do not bother him, the fact that the privileged few who hide behind their collective values are the only ones that are granted this sense of purposeless, constantly wavering peace is undesirable to say the least. He is picky about his alcohol and does not enjoy bitter tastes.

Though he is nearly 40 years old in actuality, his appearance still bears resemblance to what he appeared like when he was 27. His body having been restored by the escape from nothingness, he was granted a longer natural life span due to his bizarre journey. It did not come without sacrifice however, as while his new body resembles his form in its prime, it has not gone through the rigorous training and myriad of battles that his form was formerly forged by. Still, it can be considered a small price for resurrection in the end.

+ Past

In the past, or perhaps in times of war, the man known as Rain has been shown to wear his hair wild and long, ancestral armor adorning him while he still holds the face of calm if not a bit of a smirk as he dares challengers. In this fashion he's a bit of a traditionalist, and while he does not necessarily rely on things like armor or weapons in most other circumstances, for war in particular he is not so prideful as to dismiss practicality.

+ Present

On most occasions however, he does wear clothing that represents his status and an older aesthetic not often seen in this era. He holds himself regally and seems to understand the importance of appearances when dealing with others. His actions become as authoritative as his dress and it is almost as if he shifts his personality to fit his wardrobe, though the truth is less complex. As a veteran of many battles both politically and war-time, he has learned that the proper demeanor and appearance can go a long way towards victory before a word is spoken or hand seals are woven. Winning a battle before it starts is a standard practice for this man.

He has also taken to wearing a peculiar earring that dangles from a silver chain. The sharpened cross shape pattern is actually a crystal forged a long time ago by an ally that would have remained lost without him. While it appears to be purely a choice of fashion, it actually has a specific, practical use. He does not tend to wear it when in combat regalia even though it is likely indestructible, just in case it may be lost or prove vulnerable to something unforeseen.

+ Future

In this more modern era, he has found that at times there is a need to represent both sides of the confrontation simultaneously, and thus he has become a bit more conservative as well as contemporary in his dress. While still holding notes of nobility and elegance with flowing robes of blacks and reds, it is also simply made and easily replaceable and underneath there is still armor and plenty of weapons and utility items to use for practical purposes.

Members

Name	Relationship	Notes
Uchiha Tessen	Hanpa Member: M.I.A	A ronin without a battlefield. A man I met in passing… and instantly dueled, eye to eye. There were no words. There was no reason. We simply battled with our wills alone, and I was the one to come out victorious. This was all he needed to know. He would come to serve me, without my asking. He would come to honor me, protect me and what was mine… and make it his personal goal in life to further my ambitions. It was what he wanted… to serve once more someone worth wielding him. He was my blade, and no matter his fate, he shall never be forgotten.
Soubi	Hanpa Member: Admin Division	Someone that I can both take great pride in and yet none at all. She has earned everything she has become without me, and yet there is no way that I could not be proud of what she has accomplished. She has helped Hanpa when it was desperately needed, and without my knowing, may be one of the only reasons Hanpa was still around at all upon my return.
Iga "Ryoji" Ayumu	Hanpa Member	Hopefully, someone I can still rely on now that I have returned. Though from what little I have heard he seems to have settled down some where in Sunagakure, perhaps even as a shinobi of the village. Odd, considering his relatively unstable personality. Hopefully whom ever he has chosen is capable of seeing the rhythm in his improvisations.
Kaede	Hanpa Member: Combat Division	As a young man, he was full of misguided drive and destructive raw talent. To what I have heard, he used it during my absence and caused all sorts of trouble for himself. However, even when he was lost, not knowing who he was or where he was going, he found me once again, and in doing so he regained himself as well as purpose. He is a man now. His patience has been fortified, but the crystalline gleam in his eye still strongly resembles the agent of chaos that chose to follow me that day. If anything… finding himself again seems to have made him even more devout than before.
Yotsuki Zetto	Hanpa Member: Combat Division	A man forged in wars past, he is both easy and difficult to understand. His goals he keeps tightly to his chest, but his methods he all but celebrates at every opportunity. His is prideful, and lacks what would be considered discretion. He would do well on an open battle field, and I believe the current definition of Shinobi life does not suit him. I also believe that is why he is with Hanpa now despite his ties to Kumogakure and his continued loyalty over all to that village. I do not mind… I in fact expect it.
Inoue Haruna	Hanpa Associate	An elegant woman from even the depths of my past. She is one who has sworn off of violence and wants only for her family to be safe. Her skills as a medical kunoichi and talent with seals allow for her to still protect them and others without engaging directly… but I do fear that the realities of life may one day catch up with her idealized restrictions. But I am less worried about what it will do to her versus what she will do to whom ever sheds that particular light on her life.
Odo	Former Leader of Hanpa	The man I left the rest to. He was capable enough if he put his mind to it and I knew this, as long as he was not distracted. It seems however that the title of Raikage has become his own. Given his history, I am quite proud of him, however it does make me wonder just what he did with the responsibilities I left for him.

Potentials

Name	Relationship	Notes
Kirigakure no Renai	Wanderer	An interesting young girl that shows potential to grow in the ways of ebb and flow… if she can control her temper when provoked. If she ever achieves the level of control that allows even the most chaotic of storms to leave her unflinching, she may become a true master in this world.

Contacts

Name	Relationship	Notes
Watanabe Itami	Sunagakure Contact	I have not seen the Dragoness for ages. I am sure she does not recall me after such a long time, but I think that with the proper application of… memory jogging, I may be able to call in my remaining favor with the village.
Kuroki Kuoroke	Sunagakure Contact	Like the Dragoness, he is one of the council of Sunagakure and bore witness to the previous arrangements. Though ever since my… disciple defeated him, I have not heard much of him.
Uchiha Hinotori	Konohagakure Contact	A survivor of the foolish woman Uchiha Fuyu who tried to follow in the foot steps of the obsessed Uchiha Madara. To his own credit, Hinotori seemed rather… innocent when I met him before. I do not know how the years have treated him however, nor how Fuyu's scheming has twisted him up to this point.

Burning Leaf Burning Leaf Taijutsu Burning Leaf Taijutsu is a versatile style of combat designed for those who do not pull their punches, nor rely on conventional means to attain success. It can be considered ruthless and cut throat due to the calculating and cold nature of the tactics used within it. For the most part, this style emphasizes the usage of shinobi tools, reaction time, and quick wittedness to gain the advantage over other opponents. While this style focuses primarily on shinobi tools, it does still have advanced forms of basic hand to hand and weapon combat. Applying cool and collected logic to combat in general, this style can be considered the antithesis of other styles of combat within the Leaf village. + Show Burning Leaf Taijutsu E Rank: Calculated Evasion Intelligence and reaction time can allow for the ability to understand how a threat will come at you, and thus how to manuever out of the way of it. This form of evasion is based on awareness, understanding, and pure speed more so than it is based on physical agility. The movements are not grandiose or exaggerated but instead precise and expend as little energy as possible while maintaining footing. Small adjustments to stancing or position are used based on the analysed movements of the opponent and the educated expectations of the one evading. Experience, pure swiftness of movement, and foresight allow for this style of evasion to grow more than anything else. D Rank: Decisive Action The more experienced you are, the more insight in to your opponent and the weapons that they use, and the flexibility and skill with which your body can react to these circumstances, the better this jutsu performs. It is designed entirely around exploiting weak spots and taking advantage of the opponent and their actions. Whether it is melee combat or ranged combat however, this technique takes advantage. Against other tools and weapons, the user of this jutsu has learned how to reflect some projectiles back, or turn a melee weapon against their opponent. This jutsu can be used armed or unarmed. String Reeling Technique This technique utilizes wire strings that can be used in rappelling, manipulating weapons, or as a method to tie down and restrict the movement of an opponent. Variations of this technique include the Manipulating Windmill Triple Blades and the Manipulated Shuriken Technique, where the strings are used to manipulate attacking objects. Manipulated Shuriken With this technique, a translucent string, both elastic and highly durable, is attached to a shuriken, making it possible to alter its path after having thrown it. An expert will have the ability to freely glide the shuriken in any direction with just a single movement of his or her fingertip. The first attack, challenging the enemy, is easily avoided. After a delay of several seconds, the shuriken will strike from behind. Depending on the performance, the possible tactics can be nearly infinite. C Rank: B Rank: A Rank: S Rank: Futile Reality Futile Reality Genjutsu Futile Reality Genjutsu is designed around the concept of using the perception of, the possibility of, or actual reality against the opponent. It heightens what is felt or eliminates sensation entirely. It plays off of expectation both positive and negative. It uses logic and experience against the target in order to gain an advantage that isn't quite obvious if it is even discovered at all. This style of genjutsu works very well with other abilities that blur the line between reality and possibility. + Show Futile Reality Genjutsu D Rank: Kuppuku Kuppuku, or the Submission Technique, is a silent command that forces a target to their knees in helpless submission or fear via Genjutsu. Bloodletting Bloodletting plays upon the target's sense of pain and toys with their perception of it. Either a new pain is generated or a wound previously inflicted is caused to intensify in pain to such a degree that the opponent is unable to simply ignore it. That nagging thought of the pain is blown up to immensely exaggerated proportions leaving them feeling drained as if the wounds they suffer are actually far more serious. A victim may think that they are poisoned or that a major artery was nicked or a cluster of particularly vital nerves were struck even if they only truly suffered a scratch. Hesitance As an opponent is set to attack, a moment of hesitance strikes them. It doesn't have to be long, perhaps a split second, maybe even less, but regardless, it is enough time bought to allow for the user to out manuever or block the incoming attack by giving them that extra fraction of a second for their mind to react to the circumstances. For the quick witted, this can be more than enough time. C Rank: B Rank: A Rank: S Rank: Fire Fire Manipulation This allows the ninja to use fire style ninjutsu. + Show Fire Manipulation E Rank: D Rank: Blazing Shuriken Blazing Shuriken is a ninjutsu attack using the fire element. The shinobi exhales in quick puffs to create shuriken sized bolts of blazing hot fire to shoot at the target that explode in small bursts of flame on contact. It is an aggressive attack by nature and can be difficult to defend against, so is often used as a distraction. Explosion Exhaling a small, compact ball of flame, it would explode on contact or command and spread much like napalm throughout the area. C Rank: B Rank: A Rank: S Rank: Lightning Lightning Manipulation This allows the ninja to use lightning style ninjutsu. + Show Lightning Manipulation E Rank: D Rank: Lightning Touch The user reaches out and touches his opponent, and much like the attack 'Rai', uses lightning energy to shock and damage his opponent, though this attack must be used in close quarters… unless there was water, metal, or any other electricity conducting material between the two, as this attack is instantaneous, like a flash of lightning from the night sky. Raikouhira An attack where the user launches small balls of lightning at their intended target, causing a modicum of damage and fatiguing muscle twitch throughout their body. C Rank: Grounding Bolt Grounding Bolt causes a bolt of lightning to fly from the fingers of the user in order to strike at the opponent. When it is within a foot of the target however, it spreads out in to a lattice work of micro bolts by way of chakra shaping that weave and dance around the target. Eventually, the user causes the micro bolts to ground themselves on a part of the body such as a limb or the torso. The initial dispersion does weaken any damage received, but it also makes it difficult to follow the path of it. As the combined voltage surges through the body, muscle fatigue and nervous system shock sets in as the nervous system is used as the means of traveling through and exiting the body. B Rank: A Rank: S Rank: Wind Wind Manipulation This allows the ninja to use wind style ninjutsu. + Show Wind Manipulation E Rank: D Rank: C Rank: B Rank: A Rank: S Rank: Seals Seal Mastery Seal Mastery is a "General Ninjutsu" Style that permits its owner to make use of Sealing Techniques — Fuuinjutsu — that are more advanced than the standard, generic paper tags — such as Explosive Tags — that most ninja are able to use. Further, Seal Mastery represents knowledge of how Seals work, how to recognize them, how to modify existing Seals, create new ones, or work out counter-Seals to combat the Seals of other ninja. Sealing Techniques are a very dynamic branch of Ninjutsu, and the general difference between Seals and Scrolls is that Scrolls are used almost always for storage via writing upon a medium, whereas Seals can cover a wide variety of jutsu that are centered around the symbols and writing — the "seals" that this Ninjutsu category is named after — to achieve an effect. Seals can be used to control or suppress or "seal away" something, but not all Seals are literally "sealing". "Seals" refers to the markings, rather than their function. + Show Seal Mastery E Rank: D Rank: C Rank: B Rank: A Rank: S Rank: Sensory Sensor Style This style is used by those who do not possess a Kekkei Genkai for detecting Chakra — such as Sharingan or Byakugan — and yet are either unusually sensitive to Chakra from birth, or have trained extensively to heighten the natural ability of human beings to detect large amounts of Chakra, until this sense is much more refined, and can be used to detect, measure, and identify Chakra of various kinds — and not only in the environment, but also in living beings. This Style focuses solely on Perception-based skills and Stealth-based skills related to concealing or altering the appearance of one's own Chakra. + Show Sensor Style D Rank: C Rank: Chakra Audibility B Rank: A Rank: S Rank: Medical Medical Style Medic Nin are trained to use specialized healing ninjutsu techniques. + Show Medical Style E Rank: D Rank: C Rank: B Rank: A Rank: S Rank: Skills Supplementary Skills Chakra Absorption Technique One-Handed Seals Chakra Shaping Water Walking Tree Walking Copied Copied Techniques Copied Techniques: + With his Sharingan... Bringer of Darkness Technique (Genjutsu; A Rank; Control) - Creating an illusion of utter darkness, even the most potent and powerful eyes are made to be useless until this genjutsu is broken. This jutsu was copied during the last Great Shinobi War when Uchiha Rainos was facing Senju Hashiramako in yet another duel. Transformations Transformations Sharingan I (C Rank Transformation) Sharingan II Imperfect (C+ Rank Transformation) Sharingan II (B Rank Transformation) Sharingan III (A Rank Transformation) Sharingan III Mastered (D Rank Transformation) Stats

Journals 1 Journals 1 Journals 1-20 + Show 1-20 1-4 11/20/14 - Entry #01: The Return For quite some time I was there, just holding him; My baby boy. I could not imagine doing anything else but this… until I recognized the situation. And of course… he was there. "Akuen." was all I had to say to the raven that had followed me most of my life and all of his. And then… he began to apologize. I didn't let him finish the first word. I would not even allow for the thought to be uttered. I silenced him immediately. "Your failure is deafening." I snarled at the familiar bird, whom I knew was perfectly content not speaking for a life time. He would let me grieve how I wished then, as he should have in the first place. But then it was time to move. Survival dictated that I be some where else should this incident be seen. I do not know how many years it has been… but as my boy is a man now… It must have been long enough. It is hard to move. This body is stiff… new. It has not been worn down nor built up by my trials. Even the mind is foggy… and the chakra feels… non-existent. I feel like a new born, just opening its eyes for the first time. Only the mere basics are possible with a form like this… but I still remember jutsu that could crush villages and secrets that could bring Daimyo to their knees. It is … frustrating. But I will survive… just as I survived oblivion itself. "Akuen" I would say once more, and we would be off to gather that which I need. 11/28/14 - Entry #02: Perception My sight is gone. My true sight any how. The sight that could change the world and predict the future events well before hand. The gift I was born in to and earned in blood. It is gone… but I am not helpless. Diminished, just as the rest of me, but far from helpless. If I learned anything from my gentle wife, it is that one can overcome anything with enough will; Even disability. I paid close attention to her, and how she perceived the world. I mingled with her chakra in order to better understand… and I shared my vision with her mind so that she could see and feel how I see the world in vibrant chakra as well. I will not let those lessons go to waste, even without my true eyes. I shall live within this world blind as I am, until my true sight returns. The world is not worth looking at while mostly blind any how. It has taken quite some time to get used to this again, especially with my chakra as poor as it currently is. It is sort of like being a toddler, barely able to run around and explore the area around you and only seeing a small portion of the whole picture. Only able to focus on what is straight ahead instead of the peripheral. At the same time… I have never been one to be narrow minded nor sighted, thus I think… I may be over simplifying. For sensing the world through chakra alone… it is impossible to only see one thing at a time. You are constantly bombarded from all angles and focusing one one thing becomes the real issue. But I am learning, and mastering this form of reality, even if it is futile in the end as merely a passing moment towards the future. 11/28/14 - Entry #03: Futile I have searched far and wide for the best in medical jutsu over the past year. I have done my own research, studying constantly and remembering my time with Honto and Mushi in order to come up with a solution… but I do not know how to save him. The professionals I have secreted away to the That Place… even upon pain of death… and literally as they die, there seemed to be no answers. They think he is dead and thus do not push hard enough! He… his body is not dead. Perhaps… the rest of him is. But does that mean there is nothing that can be done? Am I left with a constant, mocking reminder of my failure to save him after sacrificing myself to save everyone else as well? Intolerable. Absolutely unacceptable. MY weakness… this body… my jutsu having been ripped from me… my history being warped and stolen… my future needing to be rebuilt from the foundation; I am helpless in every way to fix this. I will never give up on him… not for a single moment. But I understand reality. I know what is and what is not. So I will take him to his mother… and until I am able to pursue it further and have the tools I need to make him whole again, I will let them both rest together in the darkness. I suppose it is ironic… that she gave of her flesh… and he gave of her spirit… and they both exist entirely without the other, opposite sides of themselves. The world awaits, as well as any answers that may be within it. I have gathered what I needed from That Place, and am ready to venture out and start anew. The Marked Ones… there seem to be so few left, but I will find them regardless. The web must be respun for the spider to have its advantage and that is what I must do now. My favors… I will have to be careful about utilizing them. They are now old, likely forgotten, and attached to a life that should have ended over a decade ago. But maybe I can still use those fragments of what remains to push forward. I suppose this is what the weak have always referred to as hope. I can see how it is so easily clung to… perhaps even addictive. It is… sickening. I shall not remain here long. The strong cannot thrive on hope as it depends on desperation for better or more. I will be strong again. 11/30/14 - Entry #04: Vessel Upon the Tide Upon moving about the lands, I happened to see quite the unique person roaming about the outskirts of the Land of Fire. A female kunoichi, rather young but certainly talented. However, it seems I offended her by questioning her control over that which she wished to emulate; The Sea. Ironically, she used earth jutsu on me after that, which was once again surprising. She has obviously been trained in Kirigakure, or at least the Land of Water, and thus was suspicious of me. I assume she also has a team or group with her some where given that fact. Luckily, even in my current state I was not exposed. Her capabilities with genjutsu on top of her taijutsu and ninjutsu have provided me with much information about this… prospect. I must learn most about her situation and see what can be done about bringing her towards my goals. As I told her when she was defeated by my will, the last person to swear to kill me became my most trusted and capable blade. It is far too early to tell if she will follow a similar path… but that is an encouraging circumstance as far as I am concerned. Note: Find out who she is with and come to an arrangement with them before she becomes unattainable. 5-8 Entry #05: Home A crater, nothing more. The void has taken away even my place of rest after attempting to beguile me with dreams of what I had lost prior. My land, my country, my village… swallowed up in to the gaping maw of nothingness. And yet still, where nothing exists, where nothing grows… In this blank slate that I once lay my head to sleep and ruled over the people of this country, I am home. As I allowed my connection to the others to reestablish… sending out what weak signal I could for days, waiting for one to arrive… any to arrive… I found that in the end I was greeted by Ryoji. Well, it seems he calls himself Ayumu now. It was quite surprising actually. Not that he came. No… that was not at all surprising… but that he was the only one who could hear me. He may even be the only one alive or able to move about freely. What happened to my people? Did they not achieve their dreams? Have their lives already been taken? I was not gone that long… was I? I showed Ayumu who he was dealing with. His caution was warranted, and I would have questioned him had he not been at least a bit wary. He is still loyal, even after such time. I cannot say how firmly… but I can thank him for having faith at all. He has seen the desolation of what we built first hand, in his own unique ways, and yet he is still willing to stand with me. That is enough for me to move forward. Let "That Which Remains" be born anew. Entry #06: Grandfather Ogosokamaru seems to have made quite the impression in Kumogakure. In fact, a whole new generation speaks well of him. Even as the new Raikage just starts to warm his former seat, he talks of Odo as a mentor and teacher. I am quite proud of him for that. Given the fact that he was betrayed by his own clan and sent to die… he was able to move past all of that and not only return to his homeland, but take charge of it. More impressive to me however… is that he has not said a word about where he came from or what he was in the time between. Even his own nephew is entirely oblivious to his other life. I can do little else but respect that he kept his word even when he may have gained a strong political advantage for doing other wise. So, because of this, I will gift his people discretely as the Master of their Master. For every notable one of his "line" that I find, I will instruct them in one potent jutsu I have witnessed or knew myself, regardless of my ability to perform it any longer. I shall be… a grandfather spoiling his grandchildren. Yes… perhaps in some small way… No. No! They will never be able to replace my boy. Not even for a moment. But I will still do this for Odo out of respect. Entry #07: Shinobi Alliance How utterly amusing. An ancient evil has resurfaced and terrorized the shinobi villages as well as the rest of the world, sort of… and now the great villages wish to unite heroically in order to vanquish it. Of course, this ancient evil is quite specifically calling out the villages for their acts of violence, cruelty, and disregard for consequences. Yes, they use it as a tool and manipulation to see that their own goals are done, but they still have a point. Hashiramako… if only you were still the Hokage. I would love to hear your petty, pathetic reasons for your grand dream now. I would give much just to try to see you talk your way out of taking responsibility for this mess you've caused. Still… this "Silence" is far too loud and much too destructive. It must be stopped and this alliance may be the best way to have that happen. Of course, there are the other benefits of this… such as the weakening of the world powers and the tensions between relationships. Unfortunately this is also a time where leaders bond and find ways of seeing the bright side of their plight, especially if they win. The quicker the better… the less impactful this will be to the long term. I spoke with Odo, and got him to grant me an audience with the Third Raikage, Yotsuki Hiei during the time he was to meet with my old Sunagakure Ambassadorial friends of the Council. Of course, they have no idea who I am… so I had to keep them on point. They need Kirigakure, and Sunagakure botched that with their proclamation of sacrificing the many for the few. Of course, they see it the other way around… they see preserving their villages and battle strength as saving the many in the long run. Hashiramako! This…. this is exactly what I warned you would happen. And just like with her, they would not listen to my advice either. They will dive straight in to the abyss, swords held high, before they will attack the brain of this whole thing. Subtlety is a lost art of war… it seems. Regardless, my task it to get Kirigakure to agree to work with the alliance. Unfortunately… I have to bet on many circumstances to allow for this to work out. But I have certainly faced greater challenges than a diplomatic conversation. Meruin as Mizukage…. that young spider boy standing amongst the "Gods" of the shinobi world. Times certainly do change. And now I understand the core issue as well. He is a logical one…a calculating one… but he was also trained by the finest savages to ever exist. He will not like being in a position of weakness or reliance of others strength. The only way I can see to convince him in the end… is to lean on old arrangements… and to show him just how valuable Kirigakure is in this battle to come. But more importantly… I need to offer him a weapon he can capitalize on. Hopefully, unlike the current alliance members, he will listen. Entry #08: The Rumbling Mountain Before departing the Land of Lightning for Kirigakure, Odo told me about a man that may be of interest to me. I had not heard of much of him personally, but the name wasn't entirely foreign to me. The Yotsuki were actually nick named as the "Rumbling Mountains" in the past. This was because they tended to train hard and destructively in the seclusion of their home lands mountains. While i didn't fight many campaigns in these lands, from what I understand they basically felt that no mortal man could endure their training and raw power, so the mountains were the only foe they could truly train upon. And given what the Yotsuki have become, I cannot deny this. Raw speed and power combined in to one is a very dangerous mix. It is certainly up there with the Kaguya in sheer straight forward brutality. Of course Odo would have me find one of these men. But this man was from the wars… and displaced I would find. A warrior's spirit burned within him, but he was unable to fulfill it now. He had fought and survived to the point of peace… finding that he was now without the purpose he had lived his entire life for. It is the bitter sweet irony of a true warrior. Many are able to stop and have families and live their lives tending to them… but not every man is capable of quelling that fire. Yotsuki Zetto appeared to be one of these men, just as Tessen was. Luckily for him… purpose is my product. We chatted shortly… he was aggressive and quite insistent on my identity… which I imagine many will be. For the sake of this conversation not ending in someone being broken upon the ground, I allowed him to see that I was one who knew of the times of clan wars, and what the world was because of them. Yes it was grime, yes there was much to lose. But what you gained from that struggle… and what life you did appreciate became like nectar. Human beings cannot find true happiness without some form of struggle, and we shinobi are born and bred to struggle through blood shed. The only difference is.. we used to primarily struggle with each other… not with entire nations… and not with mass amounts of civilians being trampled under foot in most cases. Zetto, in the end, decided that I was legitimate and that he would follow me. It was quite sudden… I expected to have to convince him, but perhaps he had convinced himself long before and was simply waiting for a proper opportunity. I am providing that opportunity, and thus I have gained a new ally. Simple enough… and without a shattered mountain or two to show for it. 9-12 Entry #09: Along Came a Spider Well, that went far more smoothly than I had anticipated. Though Meruin was far more demanding than the rest at the meeting in Kumogakure when it came to knowing of my identity, at the end of it all, he was the only one to truly remember who I am and to pay a modicum of respect to an old name and an old face. It was refreshing really. I was not sure how the young Mizukage would take a contract that was three Kage prior to his rise to power but the contract is renewed and we are about to move forward with this relationship. Even more interesting than this however, is the fact that he allowed for us to have a safe haven as support if need be. It was a small gamble that paid off quite well should we need it. Hopefully we will not however. Things are clipping along…. now I just need to handle Sunagakure and things will be up to date as they are going to be for those ancient contracts of mine. Entry #10: Right In The Jewels Chakra is a wondrous gift that I think even I don't truly comprehend. It has transcended physical being, time, and space to reach me before… allows will itself to be manifested in to creation… and connects people in a way that must be what the very heart of spirituality is about. And through this… I was able to find yet another dead man: Kureno. Though Kaede is what he changed his name to some time ago, Kureno is what I will always remember that impetuous boy's name to be. I swear I should get a collar for him some day before he destroys the wrong thing… yet again. Kureno seeking me out seems to have triggered a change in him. Something that allowed for his dormant state of being without his memory for some time to reawaken in to not even who he was, but a wiser young man than before. It is truly interesting what the call of my chakra returning… more or less… in to this plane of existence has done for him. I will have to do a deeper study in to the nature of chakra in all of its forms… though that will come naturally any how as I suffer through life once again in this pathetic body. Entry #11: Shifting Sands I went to Sunagakure hoping for one of two results, but expecting a few alternative results. What I hoped for, which I don't normally do at all, was that Sunagakure would either extend our contract with them, or would drop it without issue. The latter did happen, though in all honesty that was quite strange to me. Aside from Konoha, Sunagakure is the only village that has any harm stem from any of my members. I was fully expecting to have to apologize for past actions that I was not there for but no… Perhaps they were too distracted to remember or care. What ever the case, it didn't come up and I wasn't about to remind them of it. Of course this is Sunagakure, it could easily be a ploy to make me feel at ease in order to get more information… but I have better things to do than be slyly interrogated even if that is the case. Ayumu and his protege's presence there has me concerned a bit however. I do not want to interfere with Ayumu's new life. While he was part of my organization before… he has moved on as time does. Even has a wife and child by some strange happenstance of reality. And Arika… she is very young and on top of that she is an asset to Sunagakure. Luckily, I have no intention of misusing them or putting them in undo harms way. If I can, i simply want to teach Arika of the possibilities that lie before her. Maybe she'll become an interesting Jinchuuriki in the end unlike most I have witnessed. It is sort of cute how she follows Ayumu around incessantly… and it is very good practice for her as a Kunoichi of the Sand. I look forward to seeing her develop. Entry #12: Damsel in Distress How often does one come along carriage being ransacked of its goods by desperate thugs as a true Lady stands by the way side only concerned for her children's safety? Even in such a cruel world as the one we live in… usually such incidents do not happen to those with wealth. Primarily due to guards…. one side or the other is generally killed rather early in the exchange. But this instance was different. It was truly a situation where a woman was in need of someone to come along at just the right time like some romantic tale. If only I were a younger man and driven by such considerations. I did stop to observe… as in this situation I did not see either party particularly right or wrong. One side desired to steal and drink their miserable lives away as they had nothing else in them, the other wanted to see their children and shipment safe but other wise was not being harmed. But when violence arose… fear became a weapon that cut deeper than a sword. Fear can be remembered for a life time, but death can only be recalled for an instant after all. Inoue Haruna… i have met her once before. I know of her family and their broad range of Sake products produced under the Inoue and Co moniker. I have had dealings with her, apparently, father and law. She is the heiress to the estate now apparently and her children are adorable… but strangely she has definitely trained and chakra usage and just decided not to use it to combat the two buffoons. I traveled with her after on my way to my Kirigakure as she had business in the Land of Water.. a carriage.. and a ship. I was not about to say no to that. And it was a fruitful conversation to say the least. I do believe Lady Inoue and I have a future together and out of respect for her father and law and the past, cultivating that relationship in to the future is perfectly acceptable with me.||= Entry #12: Damsel in Distress || 13-16 Entry #13: Louder The world of today is … interesting even if it is also a bit ridiculous. All of these Kage and their villages fighting over who is right to protect their own interests and their own claims while dismissing the others as if they don't have exactly the same thoughts. Even when it comes to facing off against something that wishes to mutually destroy them all, they still have to have meetings and agreements and arrangements simply to allow themselves to work together for a few moments. It is quite tiresome. In any other situation… people that were being slaughtered would either flee or fight and that would be the end of it. Still… when they do finally make a decision… they do seem to be able to come up with some rather unique solutions. That separated unity of the village system has a purpose… but it gets in the way of the reality of things… without artificial borders and colros and symbols to hail from… they could have been cooperating all along. Entry #14: Breaking the Silence I was not there at the final battles that embroiled the world. However… I did find out a few things about it. Kirigakure did come through and assist the alliance in twarting the Silence. They decided to use the habit of the beasts that absorbed everything in their path and utilized that strange meteorite that had been worshipped by that backwards clan as a source of power. They never seemed to realize power always comes at a price most aren't willing to pay. I hear many pieces of the story, how the battle was great and epic and tales will be sung for ages, all of that. But what I find most interesting… well… what I find to be particularly amusing… is that the world was at its most cooperative and peaceful during a time in which one of its greatest conflicts occurred. This… Hashiramako… is exactly what I tried to tell you and you still deny. What happened right after this great, song inducing battle? Lines were drawn, territories retreated to… and the world keeps rolling around in pseudo order once more. That which you created to unite… is being used to simply separate in larger numbers. Entry #15: The Ways of Shadows 1 Relearning Tobiramako's pet project, that Shadow Clone Jutsu.. has been quite tedious with this new body. The danger of the jutsu of course, is the division of ones own power. Given my current state…. that is not much to work with. However… I have other means to obtain power… and with various amounts of other skills, I was able to produce something close enough to not only prepare my body for the jutsu, but work out some other kinks while utilizing it, such as the scaling of jutsu and various other things that come with Shadow Clone usage. Zetto was of great help in having me test the Faux Shadow, though of course it was no match in particular with him. Still… it was able to land a strike, even if it was a fluke, which for Zetto was enough to call it a worth while endevour. My plans for this technique however are far beyond the typical… but honestly the primary reason for this is my own benefit. I have to quite literally defeat my current weakness to grow in strength. I cannot think of a better way to do this than to not only defeat myself, but to defeat different aspects of myself. This is a power unique to the Shadow Clone jutsu… extroverted introspection. Entry #16: The Ways of Shadows 2 Training each of my skill sets, amplified by the Master Seal, has been quite… humbling. I now have a much firmer grasp on where I truly am… it is as if I have merely been trained by one of these "Academies" in the shinobi villages. Or perhaps… something a bit above that. A genin.. a Chuunin, some arbitrary title for minimal competency in a hand full of areas. It is almost depressing. But it has also got me doing something I have not done in some time… experimenting… forging new paths. I have taken my down time from this self induced training to work on deciphering the Master Seal… as well as pursuing some insights i've gained in my time as nothingness itself. It seems quite promising… even if I can barely utilize these theories for now. It is… inspiring… what being reborn can allow if I just allow it. I have decided not to reconstruct what I was… but instead… forge something new from what I am now. I have the rare opportunity to live twice… and I would be a fool not to use it. 17-20 Entry #17: Wayward Daughter 1 There was a time when I was closest to my son. Not before I was damned to my own personal hell, but some how during that experience. He found some bread crumbs I left for him in the world as he toddled about, exploring reality with his young mind and immature experiences… each growing in kind with the effort. In this he absorbed some of my chakra, enough to get him in to Shukun Sumitsuki so that he could discover some of the answers that he sought. With him was a young woman, a girl at the time I suppose. She had apparently grown up with him and they were very close. During some trauma, I cannot know what tormented him, I leaked through to the surface and met her face to face, so to speak. She was quite … interesting. I pushed her and a provoked her, I tested her while I was able. In her own way, she was able to endure. That is all I could ask in the end… Entry #18: Wayward Daughter 2 Years later I sought her out, attempted to find her because she deserved to know of his fate. She deserved to know what happened to him and why he disappeared from her life. She deserved to know that he was… no more. I may have misled her, given that she was not aware of my existence. She would have believed me to be my son likely, but it was of no matter, she would know better upon our meeting. She had grown, gained scars, gained family, become a wife and had children. For me, this happened all in the blink of an eye compared to the last time I saw her tending to Fudo's battered form during my brief possession. She was wary, cautious…. but I was honest. Anything less would not only have been disrespectful, but likely pointless. Eventually, she would decide to take a chance to see if I was truly the father of her long lost childhood friend. She would follow me to my little place of secrets… I suppose also… my family tomb now. She would see for herself the lifeless form of my son, almost proudly displayed within the central structure. With his mother… one corporeal and one ethereal. It was as if I was being mocked in this way too by that damned ancestor… they could not even be together in death and I could not be with either of them for long in life. I gifted her Fudo's blade as a keep sake. It was certainly useful and well made… but I have never relied on the quality of anything but my own experiences and talents as well as my allies. And in this way, she would have something close as I have his body itself. On this day however, we did both gain something besides tokens of the past. I had gained a daughter, and she had gained a father. Entry #19: Wayward Daughter 3 Time passed, a year or more… I stopped counting after time became meaningless to me. Life, as they say, continued on and my little gathering of misfits grew and shrunk and grew as it always does. It is the nature of such a thing… a village-less existence without generations of propaganda keeping them loyal… but instead their own hard fought and earned decision to remain. IT is preferable… it is real…. it is not faked or forced and I will always cherish it. While in Kirigakure, she would seek me out and find my tents. I would allow for her to see me in my vulnerable state, my vision impaired so drastically… my Sharingan still maturing. Like before, she would take great interest in what it means to be an Uchiha. I have my suspicions… but her eye color …. well it matters not. I will be able to tell soon enough. Our chakra is different than any other beings alive once Sharingan has been achieved. It is unmistakable to a mature eye. Perhaps she simply wants to remain close to Fudo in this way… I cannot yet tell. Unfortunately, she has a shard of darkness within her left behind what has been called the Crawler. The same beast that possessed or was used or what have you by Yuuma during the war with the Silence. But I am very familiar with such monstrosities and the ways of the creeping darkness. It underestimated me, and it underestimated her. Its strength requires weakness… and I gave none to leech on to. The crack in her mental state, her momentary doubt, I would help to seal, but ultimately leave it to her own ability to survive and her own strength. She brought her adopted daughter, Kit, with her. She was quite adorable, though mute. Her presence there likely also helped Akane to focus on what was truly important and what she could fearlessly protect, if not herself. In the end… the darkness was suppressed for now. IT is my duty as a father I suppose… to purge it entirely… when I regain the strength to do so. Entry #20: Primordial Universe It is amazing… the depth and flexibility that chakra truly has. It is almost as if everything was formed from chakra… and yet some how not everything is born with it. A true mystery… how it can fabricate reality itself, yet it is a rare commodity that a small portion of the world's individuals actually possess to any magnitude.. and that everything else is without. It is almost as if something happened in the distant past to strip the essence of existence from existence itself. Elemental Manipulation for instance… in theory makes no sense. Yes, the text books and the results will of course explain away holes and gaps in logic, but in the end… simply applying a particular frequency or pattern of chakra should not be able to directly influence something that itself does not have chakra. When the earth is made to become a shield or a dome or spears or … a dragon… it is as if the fundamental laws and state of its existence are altered. It is as if it is born again in to something it could have been or has the potential to be. Deeply considering these things… I poured over the information within the Master Seal and tried to find out if there was anything that may explain this phenomenon in a less than elementary way. I experimented with hypothesis and mere leaps of thought to see if I could bore down to the core of it all. And then… I remembered two fundamental principles that are often glossed over within the Shinobi world. Everything was linked to Yin or Yang aspects and influences of chakra. And the Hyuga, with their piety and their aristocratic nature, designed a system of combat based around the 8 trigrams. While their techniques do not actually represent what the 8 trigrams represent… it did get me thinking about the flow of chakra and how it is all related to Yin and Yang. And that is when I figured part of this puzzle out. It is all… Yin and Yang. It is all a balance of these two utterly opposed forces. The twin opposites. The Collective Universe. Perfection Incarnate. But due to this… there was also the question of… what happens when they are separated? What happens when they become the Primordial Universe? Was this even possible? Of course it is… the state of perfection in their unity can only exist because of the boundless nature of their singular existences. And every time we weave jutsu through seals or chakra flow or anything else… all we are doing is trying to express different variations of the perfected state. Different levels of completion of the mixtures of chakra that go into every jutsu. So all that needs to be done… is to stop short of the level of completion that is taught in this age. This is a complex process… and in order for it to occur properly I will likely have to use tags and written seals for the time being in order to … filter out any ingrained tendencies and innate leanings of chakra at the initial levels of jutsu. However… I expect that this will only be a temporary measure. If there is one thing I can take from the Ancient son of the great Sage, it is experience in seeing what the unbound preferences of the universe are capable of. Journals 2 Journals 2 Journals 21-40 + Show 21-40  21-24 Entry #21: Deluge Part 1 The entire population of Suisei was encouraged to gather within the Village Center for an unnamed event. This event however was scheduled several days in advance, and with the minimal information regarding it, quite the stir of murmurs and rumors were bound to be distributed and repeated up until the time. While Suisei was in fact a rather busy city when it came to business and general work, it was generally worth the temporary loss in profits or productivity if an event attracted more customers thus there was generally little argument over an event occurring in the Village Center. Still, nothing of this scale had yet happened within Suisei, making the mystery of it all the more attractive. "It has been some time…" Hanpa would state lowly as he prepared for this. Shie was bemused as he watched the man shed his skin. "Just as I was getting used to you reflecting everyone else as your new identity; You really should be more predictable!" Hanpa would remove his helmet slowly as he replied, "Advice on stability from chaos incarnate. Do you even know what being predictable is, creature?" Shie would wince as if the words cut him deeply before allowing his long tongue to snake up to tap his own nose a couple of times in thought. "Can't say that I do, Lord… can't say that I do. ~But neither do you~." As Hanpa would remove his garb, shedding his cloak and gauntlets, his armored boots and his baggy pants, he would step out of it all dressed in finely tailored apparel that was more than befitting his status. The snake tongued witness would beam at Hanpa then. "It is as if nothing at all has changed… when everything has. You need to tell me how to do that one day! How to defy fate. How to cheat death. I am most interes…" Hanpa would glare at Shie then as he would calmly state, "Your impatience is showing, old friend." Shie would chortle silently as he made the hand gestures associated with zipping up a fly before falling silent. Stepping out of the prepared tents that acted as a backdrop to the stage and podium that had been prepared for this event, the large crowd would fall silent as the Stranger would approach the podium. Garou, the Grand Master of the Confrontation Wolf Fist would be grinning wolfishly from ear to ear as some of the older residents would begin to gasp and clamor a bit. The majority of the crowd did not know what was happening and simply waited while wondering what all of the fuss was about. Hanpa took his place as the podium and stared at the denizens of Suisei, and those who came to visit at the right moment in time. Entry #22: Deluge Part 2 As Hanpa would raise his hand slowly as he began to speak, and the older people that recognized him in the crowd would shift in to a kneeling bow to the quirked brows and confused murmurs of the rest. "Stand." he would say, and they would do so. His own concern for them was that in their age, it was not a position that should take so easily, even if it is out of respect. "Suisei." Hanpa would begin with that one word, spoken clearly, resonating throughout the area with unbridled confidence, not a waver in his tone. "It is the dream that I promised you all. A dream that I shared with you and that those who aided me have ensured has arrived. This city is a future for all of you and the generations to come. Take pride in every stone, every brick, every plank of wood; For it is yours. I have done this for you, because I had promised you no less… and I seek to provide more to my people." There was almost an uproar before he raised his hand once more and stated clearly, "I am the man that you have known as Hanpa. However, I am also the man that you have known as Rain." The crowd would gasp and concentrate entirely on what was happening. Some filled with great emotion, both positive and negative. Some remembered, and some had grown up being told of this man. Some had been beaten down and rebuilt from scratch by this man. Some had lost good friends and not so good ones defying this man. But even those who had no idea who he was could not doubt it upon seeing him. "I am here to keep that promise… and walk towards the future. I have gathered you all to ask that you join me once again and know that I am a man of my word. Even oblivion itself will not stop me." Such a statement could elicit no other reaction than cheers of frenzied hope. Started by those who witnessed this strange form of miracle themselves over their life time, and joined in by those who were caught up in the infectious nature of the cheers of hope. Rain would smirk just slightly as he would join them with the words, "Let the deluge begin!" Entry #23: The Recluse Recalled Part 1 As the flier enters the Land of Rivers, Rain would take the time to read it for himself. Comfortably sipping his sake and lounging lightly upon furniture crafted explicitely for that comfort, he scanned the document slowly. He let every word reflect off of his crimson gaze and almost appear to burn in to his memory as he deliberately savored each and every symbol that created the message on the paper. He smirked the entire time. Mid way through, he simply chuckled every now and then, as if recalling some distant joke he once found truly amusing. By the end of it, he simply let it fall to the side, slowly drifting a curling against he air resistance until it would reach the floor upon which his footwear would hold it down upon his standing. "And here I thought the world had forgotten my message. It seems the amnesia was only temporary. Or perhaps… they truly believe this thought to be in any way original." Rain would leave what remained of his drink behind as he would begin to dress for travel; enveloping himself in dark cloaks and concealed means of assault and defense. He would even slip his gauntlets back on as he stated calmly to the shadows, "It is time for you to play your role again." Shie would slip from Rain's shadow and tilt his head almost to the point of appearing that he would lose balance to a sharp exhale. "Don't tell me that you are riled up by a little competition, Lord Drizzle." Shie would chide and grin deeply. Rain would answer, but not look back, "What is it that they say… Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery?" Shie would immediately counter with, "But you are forgotten, like old dust behind a book shelf. Out of sight, out of mind. No one has stood in awe under the Rain for quite some time. Well… aside from your fans here at home. As long as you stay here, nice and safe.. uninvolved… I am certain you can feel just like the old you. Nice and warm and comfortable. Accomplished even. Lord Damp shall reign once more! It is a good thing that your economy isn't based on umbrellas or you might just be usurped by a well applied twirl of a handle." Quite the jab… in fact might even call it the gleam of a dagger instead at this point, but Rain was unfazed. "The world still bares the scars of my existence. The short memories of mortality do n…" Rain was suddenly silenced by the long, alabaster fingers of his former shadow. The creature that had followed him the majority, if not the entirety, of his life. The being that had moved in to his service, often mimicking him while he was away, now seemed to threaten that existence. It's tongue slid form between thin lips, looped around a kunai that was now aimed at Rain's right eye. "So shiny… maybe I should just pluck it right out of your head and keep it so I can get lost in memories too." Shie's voice now very deep; almost felt more than heard. "I have no need of a living memory. I have no desire to hover about bones of the past. No matter how important it is to you… It holds no meaning for me." Rain would gaze upon the weapon wielded against him, still, but sharp and calm. "You are lying." Rain would state as the kunai plunged towards his eye. The man narrowly avoided it, gaining a cut along the exterior of his eye socket and a nick upon the top of his ear. Shie's deathly serious voice would state, "I hate being bored." Rain would smirk just barely as he stated, "Now you are telling the truth again. But I have heard your message… Death." Entry #24: The Recluse Recalled Part 2 Shie would tense a bit which allowed for Rain to slip from his grasp. "Did you think I was not aware that you are the Shadow of Death that has loomed over me since that day?" Shie's eyes would glaze over before he'd retract the weaponized tongue and gulp down the weapon with a disturbing ease. Rain would turn to face his assailant, gazing upon him smoothly and coolly. Shie would gaze back with his utterly black, soulless eyes. Rain would continue to gaze upon the creature with his Sharingan, but not use it in any way. "I am surprised at the patience that you have shown, to be honest. I always imagined that you would have become bored a long time ago. I have to imagine that your fixation on me has cost you. But still…" Rain would nod a bit in recognition. "Thank you, old friend." Shie would narrow his gaze sharply, though Rain continued to speak. "You are right. I have been too fixated on the past and the present. I have stopped caring about the future altogether." A flash of pain washed through Rain as Fudo streaked through his mind, but he would not allow it to show. "Suisei is not my future. Suisei is the dream of others. It is for the people of this country… But, it is not for me. My dream remains the same. To crush the lie and open everyone's eyes to reality." Large black wings would erupt from Shie's back dramatically as he would roar, "But you are weak! Pathetic! You are not in any shape to do anything but wallow in yo…" Rain sharply interjected, "Silence. I was not done speaking. If weakness was truly a deterrent, I would have never been as I was to begin with. Truth requires strength, of course, but my only weakness is myself. That is your point, I have not missed it. Nothing bores you more than someone who gives up on their existence and waits for Death to take them. Occupational hazard I have to assume… Do you really think so little of me? Or are you simply trying to wake me up?" Shie's wings would swirl and dissipate as smokey shadow as he'd shrug slightly and smirk. His voice became strangely lilted, almost shrill as it often tended to be as he stated, "What do you think, Human?" Rain would say, "I think that I can get more done asleep for a year or two than most can blind and terrified in several life times, Raven" Shie would chortle softly, "I wouldn't brag about that…" Rain smirked, "But I also know, without a doubt, that I can shape history for those several life times and more… simply by cracking an eye lid." Shie would grin wildly at that, his eye lids stretched widely as well, almost looking as if his face would split apart if he grinned any wider. "Then wake up, Lord Rain… before you die in your sleep!" Rain would dab the blood that had trickled down to his chin with a handkerchief as he would ask, "Is that a threat?" Shie would continue to grin, "To everyone and everything that will ever draw breath." Rain would nod, turning once again as he'd finish cleaning his face. "Good. It would not be worth waking up other wise." Shie would cackle madly, filling the manor with his mixture of shrill crackles and throaty thrumming. 25-28 Entry #25: Reaching Out I have not ever sought someone out before. Not for reasons like this any way. Not for the sake of pushing myself and growing in to something more. I have never needed anyone else. I have never required assistance to have what i had and keep what I attained. Then again… I lost it all as well. Perhaps I was naive to think that I needed no one to help me maintain what I attained. And now, ironically, the one trained by Fuyu will be assisting me. Though… it is better to call him family than to remember who he has the misfortune of being instructed by himself. His own power, for better or worse, is his and no one else's after all. Still, it is risky to seek help in the Land of Fire. I cannot entirely see how things will play out if my presence is noted. But if I am no longer willing to take risks, my abilities are meaningless. Risk is their greatest strength even if it puts me in a position of further weakness. It is simply… the price that is paid. Should I fail, it is not as if I did not have a full life already. A second chance shouldn't be taken lightly… but it is wasted if there is too much caution as well. Entry #26: Leaf in the Wind The Land of Fire has been largely how I expected it to be. It is largely how I remember it from the last time I was here. Truly a shame, but it does prove that propaganda and looking out for your own interests tends to win out over reality and opening ones eyes. That is not to say that they are not capable shinobi, nor that their lack of aggression has not been beneficial to me, someone not of them, But… it is so strange that they seem to be entirely removed from anything outside of themselves to this degree. It is like…. nothing matters… but the Will of Fire. Yet they aren't brain washed. That much I did discover. No… it is even worse than that. They truly believe what they are doing and how they do it is the right thing. I suppose in that way, we are alike…. but that is about as far as our similarities go. Entry #27: Old Dog My trip was not for naught however, even if I was not able to spend as much time with Hinotori as I had wished. I'll still visit when I can but I likely will not remain within this land much longer. I have met a man named Tottame. He is someone who has survived the era of war, though with a great deal of personal injury and sacrifice it seemed. We appear to be kindred spirits, though he looks worse for wear than I do, and is significantly older, the world feels about the same to the both of us. Though in his view… he does appear to be conflicted about whether to remain in peace or to continue his life as a shinobi. Given his losses, no one can blame him… or even suggest what he should do. He's survived long enough and hard enough to waste away if he so desires… but I have a feeling he does not. I have the feeling that desire still burns within him and he still seeks something of this world other than peace and quiet. Perhaps I can do…what I was meant to do… and guide him to his own destiny. Entry #28: Resolve Though I desire to help him become whole, my own resolve wavers constantly. What does a man have to live for when his family is destroyed? It is hard to say. There is no conflict to partake in… my stock and trade. It is what I was born for and trained to do. This world of peace… even if it is a lie… is draining. It makes every step feel like it is weighed down by nonsense and a lack of purpose. But i do still exist… I remain despite my loses… so I must choose what I will do with this. I want… to do many things or die trying…. I never thought i'd become so weak willed along with my body and my chakra. Can i ever gain back my sense of self… or at least something new? Am I damned to be a husk of a man… was that creature right in the end… taking more from me than I was able to inventory after the fact? Has he stolen my resolve as well? 29-32 Entry #29: Sown Seeds I think it is time to move on. On to Kumogakure and see what that village is like. Get and idea of what their philosophy and ways are… as I continue my journey of world discovery and self discovery. If the world must burn…. I need to know why again. Other wise… I must give up that pursuit and allow this generation to live as it desires instead of how it should. How it was always meant to be. I wonder… how the progeny of Ogosokomaru have flourished truly. My brief visits prior have told me little… it will be good to know the truth of it when I next stop by for some time. Entry #30: Washed Away I find myself unable to shake it. A feeling… or a lack there of. An emptiness. I am not sure what is causing it… but I can feel that it is draining me. My words are mine… my actions are mine… the things that I have built, the people I have trusted it to, everything is genuine… and yet it all feels like shadows slipping through my grasp and fading from my vision. I do not care. Yet I should… and yet I do. I care… without the feeling of care. I desire without the stirrings of desire. Perhaps more has been taken from me than I first realized. Perhaps I should distance myself from those who can still reach out to another human being, make contact, and feel anything at all… Entry #31: Get Away I needed some time for myself. Some air to breathe that I do not own. Some people to see who do not serve me or my desires. Some friends that I can call strangers. Kadomai seemed like a good choice as I have not been there for a very long time. To my surprise, it did end up being worth the trip. Simple food, simple people, simple lives. It was… well it should have been refreshing. The honest truth, is that while it was interesting and mildly entertaining to discover a treasure hunter and her protege as well as one of the few Hyuga women that I cannot recognize at a glance… I still feel empty. Speaking of the Hyuga woman… while i did not recognize her… something about her still felt familiar. Given her age however, she should be someone I know if I feel anything familiar about her. Perhaps… I have simply paid too much attention to the pale eyed women since… back then. Entry #32: Dragging Ones Feet It was time that I trained myself a bit again. Hinotori is meant to meet me within my lands soon enough, but I truly have neglected my own self improvement. I am still not used to having to try. It is a poor excuse in the end however. Once again, I am simply unmotivated and uncaring of the outcome of things. I chose the Ankoku caverns as it is still a place avoided by the majority of Konoha and … all other life. Within its walls I cannot help but feel the rage returning to me when I think of that creature and what he has stolen from my existence. During my training however, yet another young Uchiha with wounds would have stumbled his way in to my vicinity. I was… unsure of who could possibly be there at that time of night, but apparently he was merely young and eager and trying to prepare himself for even more training to come. Uchiha Isura, apparently. It seems that Hinotori has been trainnig him as well. It also seems that he has heard of me… but that is about all. He asked if I may be hinting at training him myself with my words about how things work… but I declined. I am tired of taking in strays that stil l have collars on. I am tired…. of everything. 33-36 Entry #33: Death Beckons Within the fortified manor of the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, the reclusive Lord has been shut in for some time aside from his daliances externally that have not amounted to anything resemblnig productivity or a true public appearance. Those who serve to keep the manor in repair have not been allowed in for months, and even the closest of assistants or comrades have had little contact with him. Instead, Lord Rain has kept to himself, and any who have interacted with him would find that he has been more distant than usual. Over this time, he has taken on a sickly appearance, pale and dark ringed and fatigued, but medical examination shows no illness to speak of. Inoue Haruna had been invited by the Lord for a talk in to his dust filled, cobwebbed residence. While still habitable, it has certainly fallen from splendor. Their conversation was short, but he did speak of feeling a lack of desire to do anything; a lack of drive to care or attach to anything. He was suffering from a numbness that he could not identify nor overcome. They would share a meal that she prepared for him, when visitors would arrive. Two ravens, familiar to Rain but not Haruna. One of which shown himself to be Shie, a long time companion of the man, of a sorts. He was told that it was time for him to answer for his crimes…. against death itself. He was given one day to prepare before he would be expected to follow the observers of the end to where ever they needed him to go for his bizarre trial. Entry #34: Affairs of the Living In the first hour of the call of death, Rain has made sure to use his time wisely. He has sought to confer with the people that will handle his affairs, more specifically, the person that will do so should he not return. He had a vision for the future of his country that he did not want broken, and that vision required that the people of the Land of Rivers bow to only those who deserve and prove it through their own merits and that they accept no less as a people. That they progress and move forward for generations with the mind set that they must fight to protect what is theirs, and that anyone who is trying to take from them what they have not earned need to be dealt with. Rain's was not a message of peace, but of equilibrium. People were people, and nature was nature, and he would try to tell them not to resist those things, but to stand up for and protect them. For every individual to unite to protect the whole of their future. To not think of now as the only time that matters so that even when the past fades in to obscurity, the culture is always looking to the future and what will come after themselves and their actions. Rain could only hope that this would become reality, as regardless what happens soon, he would not be here forever. With that, he had more specific tasks for Inpa his closest assistant and the man he trusted to guide things as he always had from the shadows of paper work, meetings, and administrative finesse. As Rain would prepare to meet his fate, he trusted that vision to be spread by Inpa as he would continue on to other tasks that needed to be set in order before his departure. 23 hours remain. Entry #35: Time Stops for No Man Following his meeting with Inpa and making sure that his desires and direction were in capable hands, Rain would meet with Haruna again, knowing that she had a shipment of goods that was sent to arrive in the Land of Tea in mere hours. While Haruna would have stayed with him during this time if he desired to remain in the Land of Rivers instead, he said that they should go to the Land of Tea and Speak to Shuuren, as well as make sure the shipment arrives with no issues. It was his intent, especially given the size of the hual, that nothing get in the way of it. While Hanpa had fulfilled it's part of the agreements, making sure the water ways north of as well as the sea south of the main continent were raider and pirate free, there was also the products of his country to deliver, enmasse to the Land of Tea to begin several months of supplies for the Land of Tea in both imported Sake as well as the extremely pure fresh waters of the Land of Rivers as a way of increasing the market value of some of the tea products of the country. Upon arrival, Rain and Haruna would have a chance meeting with Iwata Michiko, which was certainly an unexpected surprise. He had not truly seen the girl since before the war against the Silence. They had a chat where he learned of some disturbing facts, but unfortunately he had appointments to keep that pressed his time. Wishing the girl well, he would send ahead for Shuuren as he and Haruna made their way to visit the Lord of the Land of Tea. 20 Hours remain. Entry #36: Legacy Hours after their arrival and discussion with Iwata Michiko, both Rain and Haruna would have made their way towards the Daimyo's home and were granted an audience with him. The traveling all day was taking it's toll on the rapidly weakening Rain, but it was important that he got it done. The meeting did not take long, though it did require a bit of talk and negotiation simply because his intention was hard to represent. That is, until Haruna shared with Shuuren the real reason for Rain's desires; an impending death. Clarity was then received and understood that Rain's intentions were to establish a future between the countries regardless as to whether the leaders of them, one or both, were alive to see it. Shuuren expressed that he may be able to cure Rain, given enough time, but time was not something that Rain had in excess. The terms were agreed upon and they parted just as well if not better than before. Travel back to the Land of Rivers took more time than the trip to the Land of Tea. This was for a few reasons. First, having to wait for all of the shipping arrangements to actually be finished, but also… enjoying a sunset in a leisurely fashion became a priority instead of merely a convenience. When they finally arrived, Rain wanted to rest, but not sleep. After all there was only… 8 hours remaining. 37-40 Entry #37: Final Moments The journey from the Land of Tea was stretched out as the setting sun and the the sky full of stars would welcome the two weary travelers to moments of absolute peace as they sailed the coasts of the Land of Tea and Fire back to the Land of Rivers. While they spoke little, Rain and Haruna would share the moments of a night that may very well be their last. Upon arriving home, with dinner and drink shared between them, the spoke about the future that was entirely uncertain and was not at all guaranteed to even occur. Something within Rain would try to destroy his mood and have him face "Reality", dragging him back down in the the pit of the past that had chained him down until this day when he found the strength to fight back. He suppressed it and used every ounce of his quickly dwindling will to maintain his sanity as well as his last moments of happiness. Haruna would confess to him, that no matter what happened, his last moments would also lead to her own, either through protecting his life to the end, or from taking her own in honor of him should she be able to prevent it after setting her affairs in order. She committed her life to his and would not be talked out of it. The sun would rise as the spoke and laughed and drank, no longer speaking of the past and only allowing themselves to dream of the future. Eventually, they would both fall asleep, her in his lap as they still sat at the dinner table, exhausted from their near 24 hour journey. It was all the time they had left in the world as far as they were aware. As 9 A.M. would roll around again, a pair of ravens would have perched themselves outside of the window, looking in on the final moments before death would come to Rain at last. 0 hours remain.

Social Scene Title Date Posted Rain in the Rain 02 Mar 2016 20:54 Drunk Men and Loss 18 Nov 2015 21:29 Kneel 27 Oct 2015 18:57 Goodbye 20 Jan 2011 15:34 Darkness 14 Jan 2011 21:24 Takokujin: Why Opposites Attract 14 Jan 2011 21:21 The Invitation 11 Aug 2010 19:46 Mysterious! Meeting of the Enlightened Uchiha 11 Aug 2010 17:37 Crossroads 11 Aug 2010 16:53 Scene Title Date Posted Sands of Time 13 Feb 2015 00:32 Hanpa's Rebirth 04 Feb 2015 20:53 After the Rain 04 Feb 2015 20:49 Tributaries of Fate 03 Feb 2015 16:53 Home 16 Dec 2014 20:28 Strangers Cross Hampa's Birth 03 Jan 2012 15:32 Training Scene Title Date Posted Scene Title Date Posted Just Fading Away 17 Feb 2015 19:33 The Fittest 16 Feb 2015 20:34 Manipulating the Tide 09 Dec 2014 21:58 Campaigns Scene Title Date Posted Rain's Rebirth - Time Stops for No Man 05 Apr 2016 22:43 Rain's Rebirth - Affairs of the Living 02 Mar 2016 20:39 Rain's Rebirth - Death Beckons 02 Mar 2016 19:52 What If? Pokemon - Team Rock-It 12 Jan 2016 23:56 The Mysterious Beast - Crispy Critters 15 Sep 2015 20:14 The Business of Revenge - Revenge Complete 15 Sep 2015 18:23 First World Ninja Competition - Ephemeral: Amaya vs. Fuyu 20 Jan 2011 15:31 Return Of A Hero - The Shinobi Sect And The Great Manipulator 05 Jan 2011 15:38 First World Ninja Competition - Revenge versus Desire: Fuyu vs. Kuki 05 Jan 2011 14:32 First World Ninja Competition - Toxic Love Bites: Mune vs. Kanami 16 Dec 2010 14:26 First World Ninja Competition - Vision of Strongest: Tessen vs. Fuyu 30 Nov 2010 23:46 Return Of A Hero - Dead Men DO Tell Tales 30 Nov 2010 22:51 First World Ninja Tournament - The Power of “No”, or Resolve vs. Revenge: Tosai vs. Kureno 23 Nov 2010 00:22 First World Ninja Competition - Ignore the wails of the body: Setsiro vs. Hiroshi 04 Nov 2010 21:08 (Combat) First World Ninja Tournament - Good to the Last Whock: Moriko vs. Jon 02 Nov 2010 20:17 First World Ninja Tournament - Good to the Last Whock: Moriko vs. Jon 02 Nov 2010 20:09 First World Ninja Competition - A Theatrical Throwdown: Kanami vs. Natsuki 02 Nov 2010 17:02 First World Ninja Competition - Pride and Prejudice: Kuki vs. Fuyu 28 Oct 2010 15:25 Darkness Rising - Return To Darkness 18 Oct 2010 23:22 Shadow Play - Subterfuge 06 Sep 2010 22:00 page 1 of 212next » Scene Title Date Posted The Business of Revenge - Dire Masonry 11 Jun 2015 19:50 The Business of Revenge - An Enemy Deduced 04 Jun 2015 21:31 The Business of Revenge - Impeding Hope 04 Jun 2015 21:17 The Business of Revenge - Crumbs and Crumbling 04 Jun 2015 21:13 What If? Critter Character - The Unlikely Summons 30 Apr 2015 22:49 The Silence - Traversing the Spider's Web 03 Feb 2015 16:48 The Silence - Silent Troubles 22 Jan 2015 23:15 All Sealed Up - Part 2 03 Jan 2012 17:33 All Sealed Up - Part 1 03 Jan 2012 17:16 S Rank Scene Title Date Posted Scene Title Date Posted A Rank Scene Title Date Posted Takokujin - Sacrifice 11 Aug 2010 15:37 Scene Title Date Posted B Rank Scene Title Date Posted Akomura’s Assignment : Following a Lead 02 Oct 2010 16:38 Reasons: Kureno vs Tosai Guest starring Rain 11 Aug 2010 16:46 Scene Title Date Posted The First Target (Take Two) 17 Feb 2015 19:51 Hanpa’s First Target 13 Feb 2015 00:43 C Rank Scene Title Date Posted Wolf and Sake 16 Nov 2015 22:08 Scene Title Date Posted The Hard Stuff: Part Two 17 Mar 2015 16:58 The Hard Stuff: Part One 17 Mar 2015 16:56 Traffic 18 Feb 2015 18:25 Toll Road 11 Feb 2015 23:19 D Rank Scene Title Date Posted Scene Title Date Posted

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