Starring:
Date: November 18, 2016
Summary:
Goh and Mushi talk to Roshi (NPC) about the sealing pot the Uzumaki clan has in its possession.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"The Twelve Hunt - part 3: Secrets of the Uzumaki Sealing Pot"
Unknown location
After arriving in the Village that house the Uzumaki, Goh and Mushi had been given ample time to get some R&R. A whole evening and morning to freshen up, eat some food and get some rest. Which is likely a good thing. For while they didn't know it, they were about to get kicked out. But not before a meeting. A meeting with none other than Uzumaki Roshi, a senior clansman in the community.
Goh leads the way to the meeting spot, opening the door to a small home. It is Roshi's personal homestead, though isn't decorated as much as a normal place of residence would be. It has a chair, a table, a bed … but that's it. No pictures. No frills. Nothing. There is a large mat right smack bang in the centre of the main living area, upon which the sealing pot sits. As if it's the very centre of everything inside this small building.
For a moment Goh looks around, sniffing at the air audibly. Then glancing about. "Where is that old man?" The pickler frowns, before hearing the sound of running water. Then, from the bathroom, emerges Roshi. "I had to take a dump." He crudely reveals, though the grin on his face seems to indicate he doesn't care how crude he was. He was OLD! He could do what he wanted.
"So, Mushi. Goh." Roshi starts. "Take a seat on the carpet."
Mushi has been using the time to replenish her chakra. It's not just through rest and relaxation. She eats chakra infused pills. She uses chakra tags. She writes chakra seals. She sleeps, she meditates, and she goes on a special diet. She had explained it to Goh. She had to unbind a few of her seals in that battle. Normally she'd allow herself to replenish them over time naturally. This time, she's forcing herself back to optimal condition. She's relaxing so much it doesn't seem at all like relaxation.
When they go into the room Mushi doesn't show any signs of having done her obsessive recovery. She's rested, she's confident, and she had assured Goh that she could overcome those things next time. Or rather, she could outrun them. It's as if she's taking confidence in bragging about how quickly she can turn tail and get them all out of there. As they wait for Roshi, she's say, "We should go soon and…oh, old man." She smiles politely at Roshi. "Thank you for your warm welcome." She'd sit.
Goh takes a seat next to Mushi, directly by her side. He sits cross legged, with palms pressing down on his bent knees. As if he's stretching. "Okay jiji, let's get on with it."
Roshi looks down at the pair, finally able to do so because he's that small. And even so, he's not THAT much taller than Goh. Even when he's seated! "Okay. This is what's going to happen. Through my own reputation and putting my neck on the line, I got you a night here to recover. But we all agree - myself included - that you both must leave straight after I finish speaking to you. As we meet here, your items are already getting assembled and packed. They will be waiting for you at the border." Goh opens his mouth to say something, but he is stopped by Roshi holding up a second finger. "Second, you cannot come here ever again, nor look for us, while you have the Patriarch looking for you. If you do? Well … best not that you do." A third finger flips up. "Lastly. We have decided to loan you this pot temporarily. Breaking it, stealing it, or any general misuse of it will result in bad things. Happening to you." He leaves all that hanging there for a bit.
"I will tell you what you are facing. How to use the pot to defeat the Patriarch. And where you must go next. Clear?"
When they're told they'll soon be expelled Mushi looks relieved. She nods. Unlike Goh's reaction, she doesn't seem at all surprised, or at all offended by it. "We're putting you in great danger even as we speak," she says. "They won't stop at hunting us just because they were defeated once." She smiles wanly. "So how was that thing defeated?" She's been probing Roshi this entire time, not only in this sitting, but throughout their stay. And she's certain of it. It's not his prodigious skills that vanquished Two. It was that pot, or at least a considerable combination of both. Mushi has to crane her neck a bit more to look at Roshi. Why had he asked them to sit down. And… "What is the Patriarch?"
Goh seems a bit unhappy about being kicked out, even with Mushi's justification. Roshi however? He smirks. "Ho! You're a smart cookie, aren't you Mushi? And with such lovely hair~." Strange compliment. "Goh, how did you end up with a woman like this? Psh. Always over-achieving." The old man points his nose up at Goh, who grumps by folding arms across his chest.
"The pot is an artifact passed down through the Uzumaki line. Some believe that it's one of the very first tools crafted by the Sage of the Six Paths. No-one knows the truth. Safe to say, it's easily our most powerful sealing artifact that can be transported. At the village we have entire stations built here, but they cannot be carried from place to place. As you saw, it's capable of sealing beings of such magnitude that standard techniques cannot." He pauses for breath. "To execute the 'Evil Containment Seal' requires a great deal of patience and skill. To put simply, once utilised, the pot opens up a hole in space and time, not to dissimilar to how a summoning techniques works. But this dimension on the other side literally /sucks/ the target into it. This does not mean the pot does the work for you, though. No. In a way, you shape the technique, and it is up to you to shape it sufficiently enough that the seal grasps your enemy and then drags it back into the pot." He considers, rubbing his chin. "It's difficult to describe. You would best practicing this on your own. Here," Roshi offers forth a scroll to Goh, before hesitating. "On second thought. Here." Roshi turns, offering it instead to Mushi. Much to Goh's chagrin!
After doing so, Roshi sits on the carpet with Goh and Mushi. "Before I explain who the Patriarch is, does that all make sense?"
Mushi reaches over to Goh when Roshi compliments her, and squeezes the pickler's hand. She doesn't have to say anything. Her look is enough. He's worth far more than she is.
As Roshi explains the artifact, Mushi looks more and more attentive. It's like she's a student listening eagerly to the teacher. They're sitting in a classroom as a lecture goes on. However when he mentions it may be made from the Sage of the Six Paths, the medic can't help but roll her eyes. Every person seems to claim the item they own is an artifact made by the Sage. She looks less skeptical as he explains some of the mechanics behind the pot.
"In other words, the pot is a weapon," she says. "Like a sword. It's mightily powerful, but nothing without a warrior to wield it." Her tone is half questioning, as if she's a pupil guessing at the correct answer. Mushi takes the scroll willingly though she gives Goh an apologetic smile. She unrolls the paper to look at its contents.
The scroll contains very specific instructions on how to use the technique. It talks about direction, sealing and even what to best practice on to get the best results. "You WILL need to practice on things. Do not, under any circumstances, go in without having sealed at least something." Roshi licks his lips. "You don't have to use this on a person or animal. Simple objects are fine. Now, in order to do this, you will have to surrender yourself to the technique. This means you will be wide open to attack, meaning that Mushi?" He looks to her. "You will be relying on whatever help you have around you for protection. For your sake, I hope it's more than Goh. That punk cauldron." Goh barks in protest, shaking a fist!
"Long ago," Roshi starts, "The Uzumaki clan was among a number of clans that participated in the clan wars. Like every clan that survived through such time, we had a nemesis. It was the Minamoto clan." Roshi adjusts himself on his seat. "The Minamoto clan were savages, though this is largely not through any fault of their own. They have a very unique ability that allows them to naturally absorb natural chakra from the environment. This grants them further abilities, largely to do with body mutation. But, given such capabilities, this ability also often drove them insane. They went, uh," He fishes his mind for a moment, twirling his hand in thought. "Mad. They can't sleep. They can barely eat. Family is non-existent. Friends? No. There is only one being that they answered to. One being, that through sheer strength, commands the loyalty of the rest. The Patriarch. The strongest." He exhales lowly.
"Through the height of the clan wars and after one particular attack on our kinsman, I was part of a mission that isolated the Patriarch from his clan. We theorised that the clan, without their leader, would simply destroy itself. Tear itself apart without guidance. And we were correct. Though we were unable to kill him, we were able to relocate him far, far away. Guess where?"
"Far north." Goh answers, rubbing his face with his hands in dismay. Despite the earlier looks from Mushi.
"Correct." Roshi replies. "The Patriarch knew that his clan tore itself apart from the inside out, so… he stayed up there. For reasons we don't know, he has chosen to linger there, seemingly content. We regularly send scouts up there to check on his status, and every time we got the same report back. Still there. Locked up in an old island on his own accord. Occasionally we here word of someone going missing when they get too close, but we pay it no mind. He doesn't bother us, we don't bother him. Goh, you're the first person to go there and survive."
Goh frowns.
"We think that perhaps he does not want people knowing about him. For people to go looking for him. So he's doing the only thing he knows how. Hunting you down and trying to kill you. Mushi's right. He will never /stop/ hunting you, Goh. Ever." Rubbing the back of his neck, he lets that sink in. "These 'Twelve' I have heard you mention. They are all part of a singular being. He split himself up, years ago, in a better effort to maintain a sense of control. To better regulate his strength. Once he has re-formed his bodies into one, he is no longer a man. More a…" Roshi trails off, perhaps reliving a distant memory. "…a force of nature."
"I'll practice," Mushi says. "I've actually been on the receiving end of a powerful sealing artifact before. I have some unwanted experience." Her lips twitch, and for a moment she looks wistful. Then she shakes her head, and bows it in thought. Who should she select to help her? Who is not only powerful enough to withstand the Patriarch, but also willing to help them with such a deadly task? Her hands are fidgeting.
But she freezes at Roshi's story.
Mushi doesn't react with fear when she hears the full extent of the Patriarch's might. She looks angry. The medic glares at Roshi. "In other words you left the Patriarch there, and just /hoped/ he'd remain there. You left your dirty secrets in the corner, and allowed it to stink up the place. Innocent wanderers died. And the fact that your scouts knew where the Patriarch was meant you could also have gone any time, to try and seal that thing with your artifact. Instead you give us this pot now, to do the work /you/ left unfinished."
Her fists tighten. "The fact that he is pursuing Goh-kun means that he thinks he may try to do something about it. But he knows your clan will just sit back, and allow him to fulfill his appetites. Am I wrong?" She glances at the pot. "It should be /you/ stopping this thing, but don't fear. I'll do it, and with the right help. So explain more. Is it powerful enough to defeat him when he is united?"
Roshi looks at Mushi steadily, years of wisdom and experience behind the eyes of the old man. He doesn't snap, nor does he raise his voice in argument. "We do not have anyone within the clan currently that possess your level of strength, Mushi. Anyone we send there would be a death sentence." Quite matter of fact. "You speak truth. The stain of the Patriarch is one that we desire washed from the legacy of the Uzumaki. Naturally no-one else knows this tale. You are the first outside of the High Council to hear it. But this is why we are allowing you to take the pot. This treasure of ours. It is the only aid we can give for you to end all of this, once and for all." Rubbing his chin in thought, he hums. "To be honest, we strongly believed that he would never return to these lands. The pain for him would be too much. And he likely would never have. Unfortunately, we did not plan on someone encountering him and /surviving/. He has literally been fished back to this continent."
Goh remains silent, perhaps taking all the information in and trying to digest it. His eyebrows are furrowed, so it suggests he's probably not entirely happy.
"Not on its own." Roshi reveals. "We tried that during the clan wars. We tried to seal him, but during the process he managed to somehow break loose. But in the process though, he was transported to the island where he now resides. Many many leagues away."
Roshi gestures to the scroll already handed to Mushi. "On that scroll is a map. It leads you to a shrine dedicated to the Sage of the Six Paths somewhere in the Land of Wind. At this shrine you will find a single jewell. It acts as a key, and will fit into the pot. Right in its base. Doing this will increase the power of its sealing capabilities. And, if we're lucky, give it enough sway to seal the Patriarch for good."
Goh begins to stand up, clambering to his feet.
"The fact that Goh-kun made it back isn't a disaster," Mushi says. She slips a hand into his. "It's providence. Had I gone searching for him when he was trapped on that island, I would have had the bijuu Choumei still sealed inside me. I am a former Jinchuuriki. I have the means to locate anyone, and what would have happened if I got to that island? It'd be calamity. With no warning, I'd deliver the Patriarch a chakra monster into his hands." She closes her eyes. "Eventually the Patriarch would have returned, and this is the ideal way in which he will. In a way that has given us warning, and already assembled a strong opposition against him." Her hand falls from Goh's.
Her gaze remains on Roshi, unforgiving. But after a time she turns her attention to the scroll. She climbs to her feet as well alongside Goh. "Goh-kun and I will do our best to protect ourselves, your clan, and the shinobi world," she says. "I understand that you have no one of great strength to oppose this creature, and your clan is not to blame for failing to seal it themselves. They fought bravely." Then her eyes turn cold, and there's a terrible coldness in her voice. "But for giving no one warning, and protecting yourselves rather than wanderers such as Goh-kun, I will /never/ forgive you for." Then they'd leave.
Roshi's eyes will follow the pair as they go, watching steadily. Goh takes the pot with him, just for good measure.
"Make sure that he has formed up completely before trying to seal him!" He calls after the pair. "You'll know for sure he's the one person if he's not radiating black chakra. That's a sure sign that you're fighting some division of him. You just have to combat him and fight him enough for him to have no other choice but to return to a singular being."
The door shuts on him, causing Roshi to sigh. "Good luck, kids." He mutters, rubbing his eyes. "I'm getting too old for this."
