Starring:
Date: March 3, 2014
Summary:
Ishino approaches the Mizukage to request permission and resources to see a particularly interesting experiment carried out.
Mind Melding Plans"
The Mizukage's Office
Meruin stretches out his fingers, misted gaze on the paper down before him, performing this periodic exercise to make sure that his fingers never grow too stiff from long periods of writing. The pen was soon back into his hand and he used it to trace his reading, the utensil traveling swiftly along the page, going across each line in no longer than half of a second.
And then he paused, partway through one. The Mizukage looks out of the window of his office. It was nearly time for the visit from Doihara Ishino, just about half past 2 pm. He was thoroughly aware of the man's ability to be at an appointment precisely at the specified time, so he had already told his secretary to wave the man in once he arrived. Indeed, she was opening the door in preparation for him then.
The Mizukage ordered his papers.
And precisely, to the second of that time, he stepped through the door. A polite nod given with a smile to the secretary, Ishino would step up to the desk. Bowing in that western style, he'd look to Meruin, "Mizukage. I've come with a report that is best to not be ever on paper. Weaknesses and secrecy.. I'm sure you do understand such. Please let me know when to begin." He'd straighten up, waiting patiently. He had measured a half hour all told for the situation. Now it was time to see if that actually fit.
Meruin's gaze lifted the single paper that he'd returned in wait for the Swordsman's appearance, the quiet sound of his pen traveling across the page still audible as he inclined his head to the man in return greeting. It was only when he'd stated his reason for being here that it abruptly cut off. Wordlessly, the Mizukage set down the pen and slid both it and paper to the side, the mists of his eyes swirling a little more swiftly as he bathed his brain his chakra, the better to read and recall.
He gestured for Doihara to begin.
"I offered Akane on a personal level of my own resources an attempt to rectify the issue she has with her other self. I had seen it come out twice and was fairly sure it would not cause issues for me if I set up a conversation with it. We did have a conversation, revealing the weakness of Akane at this moment." Ishino shook his head slightly. "Akane considers herself a healer. As such, any combat tends to move to the One, or Kyoujin as she calls it. The One is a persona crafted by Akane after killing her father, to handle survival instinct level while she came to terms with reality. Any time Akane is forced into a strong enough situation, she calls on the One and as such, has a weakness of transit. Short, but it is viable." Ishino would pause there, obviously more to say, but allowing Meruin to absorb it.
Meruin inclines his head after this portion of the report was spoken, the motion both acknowledgement and a simple directive to continue, apparently not requiring any time to absorb the information. Perhaps he had already known it all. Perhaps it had simply come as no surprise. Maybe he was simply swift to commit information to memory. Difficult to tell as he had never been the type for tells as it was. Regardless, he was ready to hear what else Ishino had to say.
"I got her relaxed through a mixture of genjutsu and hypnosis. Once relaxed, she was able to free the One, who spoke to me. No hostility seen, as I believe the One was aware of what I was doing in that camp clean up and realized on that instinctual level to not attack." Ishino shook his head slightly. "We discussed The One's reality. The reason and the why behind it. Furthe discussion included my pointing out the weakness of the One having to fight for control from Akane in combat. As an extention the One is a weakness. It agrees with me that Akane needs to be restored but does not know how. Forcing Akane to deal with death, to deal with almost dying, while not allowing the One free, should be a step in that direction." Ishino smiles then, still waiting to say more, once Meruin acknowledged it.
There was another inclination of the head, the Mizukage still giving nothing else, simply absorbing all that there was to say. Acknowledgement and the directive to continue his report. His eyes were locked on the other, attention unerring.
"Therefore, a set of tests would be required to be made. The tests will have to be in secret with minimal outside influence. I would request an Okumo's ability with webbing and a Kaguya with bones. I plan to set up something I've heard called the pit and the pendulum. Akane will be supported over a pit full of spiked bones by the webbing. Each moment a serrated bone will swing back and forth, slowly lowering towards Akane. I will be there to stop any attempt at the One raising to the surface as well as to stop the system before excessive damage is dealt to Akane." Ishino shakes his head slightly. "While I understand this is an unusual request of resources, I believe by drawing out the threat and making it seem real, it will aid Akane in coming to terms as necessary to start the fusion process with the One."
"I have doubts as to your methodology."
Meruin lifts his chin slightly, calm gaze on Ishino. "With the 'Pit and Pendulum' course of action, there are a few things which may stand in your way. The first is getting her to believe that her life is in true danger. There is a definite chance that she may not be able to believe that you are placing the choice of merging or death on a single attempt within an experiment. You are aware of the difficulties that arise if she doesn't truly feel that she is going to do. Secondarily, even if she did, having Kyoujin attempt to rise to the fore and take control might simply result in a blacklash of adaptation, with The One's personality growing stronger to compensate."
Meruin's fingers steeple on the desk before him, "I believe that the key may be more towards forcing her into situations where both sides of her are being called into action. A moment where she is driven to protect, to heal specifically, and to utilize violence. The two cannot cooexist as far as has been noted. Forcing them to both reach to satisfy their needs at the same time may prove more effective than forcing one to neglect it's own for the sake of the other's.
"Your thoughts?"
"Absolutely, Mizukage. I agree completely with your analysis. The experiment is multifacted. While she may never believe she is in true danger, there would be true danger there to cancel that. This would lead to further experiments being more validated for her to believe in. It would also see how strongly the One is at accessing her in a fairly simple scenario to allow me to judge what strength attempt it will take me to suppress such. Lastly, it will see what Akane does exactly when within an unusual circumstance and is forced to work on her own without access to the One. She has been living with the One for years now." Ishino smiles with a shrug. "So therefore having something that still pushes the requirements, while being low key allows future attempts to be more efficent in action."
Meruin's head tilts slightly, brows rising by the same increment. "The issues with the experiment, then. See them answered: The risks surrounding The One's personality strengthening to adapt to her inability to be expressed. How great are they, what can be done to rectify them, and what will be the impact if that is the result of your probing test? How much psychological damage do we risk posing to the already unbalanced woman that we desire to see entered into the military ranks of the village we call home? How accurate a representation of what it will take to suppress The One can we get from an experiment where Akane does not truly feel in danger and The One's impetus is weaker than it normally would be? Are these questions you are prepared to give me proper answers for immediately?"
Ishino nods in reply. "The One has agreed with me completely that the fission needs to be resolved and is wanting to work with me to aid in it's resolution, it was also able to remove Akane's awareness of that conversation so that she does not know what is coming. Because both halves of her are seeking a resolution, I estimate from my own understanding of pychology that it will not have a negative impact on her. If she was to enter the village now, she would be no more of a potential pychological threat than one of the Kaguya clan." Ishino paused there, "no offense to them." He'd give a small shrug. "As such, even by stepping up the level of difficulty of the experiment, it would have similar results. The main and key difference between going full tilt and not is to allow some standards of the situation to be set when in play, as oppose to asking while sitting under hypnotism on my work bench."
"Have you considered," queried the Mizukage calmly, "That The One may be deceiving you? What if the resolution that half desires is simply to continue to exist and to overcome the other, Akane, that has held it imprisoned before now?" Meruin was clear. "We do not want The One. We want Akane. If we empower The One and she swallows the other, she is not going to want to stay and we will not wish to keep her. She has seen enough that I would have her killed. Going this route sounds as though it may be taking us on a path towards destroying the potential in this asset." And then he stopped speaking, his silence permission for Ishino to speak.
Ishino ponders it for a moment, before giving a small shake of his head. "The One isn't about deception. It's about survival and killing. Akane has full use of her facilities. The One is much more simple." He'd shrug slightly then. "Even if that is the case, Mizukage, then it makes more sense to make it a lower key inital experiment to make sure that everything is working properly. I will be surpressing the One to start with, so any attempt at subtefuge and attempt at taking over would be denied in that case." He'd give a small shake of his head. "The One acknowledges it is a weakness for Akane. It's entire existance is to protect her. Therefore, to protect her, it has to stop existing."
Meruin pulls the pen and paper back in front of him.
"Your project is approved," spoke the Mizukage as he looked down and continued writing. Apparently, Ishino's firm assurance in the project was all that he'd needed to hear. "As for the assembling, in the interest of keeping events as secretive as possible, I will be constructing the device in lieu of the Okumo and Kaguya combination. Simply make me aware of when the blueprints are complete and I will schedule in a time to see the pit and the pendulum created, keeping haste well in mind.
"I trust your judgement and you are fairly confident in this endeavor; just be sure to take care with this one." He stopped writing on that paper, slipping it into a pile before looking up to Ishino. "As for the unique genjutsu I had asked that you begin developing, I will be sending you more formal documentation, but I will be looking for preliminary information on the jutsu in four month's time. I will be searching my desk for the report. Now, then." He drew another paper from a stack of them, pen poised. "Unless there is another matter to speak on, you are dismissed."
