Starring:
Date: November 25, 2015
Summary:
While trying to search for a long lost friend, Eremi confronts a Kiri shinobi and learns more than he bargained for.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Return to sender"
Fuuma
"If there ever was a place that needs to be burned down to the ground, -this- right here is definitely that kinda place." Silent nods and murmurs are the only responses first received by the young speaker. The larger of the trio — a regular giant by some standards — strode forward to stand before his smaller compatriots, and folds his arms across a broad chest. "You all know your assignment, as well as what to do incase of emergencies. So, I won't waste my breathe on that. Move out." Kiyoshi's filtered voice issues forth from beyond his gas mask. Though the only other male hesitates for a moment as if his pride had somehow been wounded, the younger duo ultimately obey, disappearing from alleyway in a blur of movement. Kiyoshi lingered for but a few moments more before tugging his bandolier one last time for security, then moving on deeper into Ward 12.
Even without the headband, the man struck an imposing figure. He needed not worry about the desperate springing from the deep shadows cast by a late afternoon sun, though he stayed alert nevertheless.
A door to one of the several cramped shacks that make up this district would open, immediately followed by the rattling of chains before a man stepped out on to the dirtied street only an instance before catching sight of a group of individuals that were briefly gathered together until all but the tallest dispersed in a hurry. A sight that was ignored as Eremi turned about with a smile and shook a woman's hand, "Thank you, for what you could offer. I appreciate it. Every little bit."
Stepping away, the door would close and Eremi once again returned his focus toward the massive individual. He did not fear the others take on an imposing figure and due to his own ignorance of who the person may be…He did not care. Not until he saw it. Not until he saw the symbol that ignited a flame so deep inside himself he thought he might explode in a furry of rage and hatred right on the spot and put moss haired man into the ground. The memories that raced through his mind from the headband alone causing the hands at his side to shake uncontrollably while the chains attached to his shackles clanged slightly.
A calming breath would not help, so through gritted teeth Eremi managed to speak, "Hey, billboard brow…"
If only for a brief moment, it looked as if the moss-haired man had every intention of ignoring Eremi. Kiyoshi was far too accustomed to insults, and had no reason to expect to avoid them in this or any ward of Fumma Alley. He paused in step, knowing that a lack of full acknowledgement may very well be just as problem-some as engaging someone with the proverbial man bits to trouble a Kiri shinobi. A second of shock is quickly replaced by a wary look. For now however, the Moto manages to resist the impulse reach back for the scroll at his back. Stil, the itch echoes in the way he flexed his fingers after unfolding his arms, and the slight tension to his body as if expecting to move at a moment's notice.
"… What do ya want, leafer-san?" He asks evenly.
A shifting of feet would occur in the span of time where nothing was said, scooting Eremi closer inch by inch toward the other. The frustration boiling at the thought of being ignored by the Kirigakure scum that stood smugly within his crosshairs. When a reply is finally given, Eremi held his ground, regaining what little composure he had. Hands no longer shaking, but heartbeat still rapidly pulsing. There was a chance he may kill a man today or be killed himself in the process.
"I want you to answer a few things for me. I came here looking for a person and while my efforts had turned up nothing, it seems the immortals have dropped you into my lap." Fingers idly tapping at one of the three gourds hanging from his side.
The shift in attention are few and kept subtle. Regardless of whether or not they are spied and taken as encroaching boredom or a prelude of ill-intent, Kiyoshi carried on with a reply. "Fine… Though don't expect much, not that you probably do anyways." He snorts. "Well, anything 'cept violence out of a Kiri-nin. O-…" Kiyoshi pauses, cringing for some reason before sighing and shaking his head lightly. "… Anyways, What's your questions, leafer-san, so we can both get back to our own business."
Through the one visible eye that wasn't hidden behind his long bangs, Eremi glared at the other. He would get the response he wanted, even if he had to beat it out. "I'm looking for a girl. About my height, tattoo down her back and long green hair." He'd stop there, gauging what kind of response that little information would illicit in the others face. If any… "Goes by the name of Renai. Don't hesitate in your response, she was a Kirigakure shinobi. So I know you know of her. So where is she?"
Wary, muddy eyes met the one glaring opposing eye without faltering for a moment, inciting perhaps the bubbling mass of anger of their bearer. They remain virtually unchanged in their steadiness until Eremi delivered the last piece of the description. It is this time that shock returns, and refuses to so easily drift from mind. Once it does finally begin to leave his system, a mixture of disbelief and questions can be seen reflected in what little of the man's visage is visible beyond the mask. He dared for awhile to even hope that the earliest conclusion to come to mind had nothing to do with Eremi's search.
Kiyoshi could not have felt more of a fool for having his hopes dashed with just a name…
Despite Eremi's order there is some hesitation on Kiyoshi's part. Emotions ran rampant in mind, seeking — demanding attention at every turn. He could not speak even if he wanted to as sadness, guilt, and a great deal of bitterness and anger contested for dominance. Joints pops as tight fist are made in reflection to the worst being brought out. After a lengthy moment of silence Kiyoshi's arms unfold and fall to the wayside as tension rapidly bleeds out in an exhausted sounding exhale. "….. You already know the real answer you seek." He says solemnly with his head bowed and eyes casts towards the earth.
"Listen, Kiri. If I knew the answer I wouldn't have traveled to this miserable pit." With Kiyoshi's words there was plenty that could be taken from it, but nothing that Eremi would accept without a clear affirmation. Was Renai dead? It was possible, but simply guessing at such when you could get the answer straight from the 'horses' mouth was pointless. "I guess you think I should appreciate your response, but I'm not sure how you being vague or 'sympathetic' is helping either of us. Where is Renai? Is she still in Kiri or did she runaway again? Are you guys holding her against her will? Is she being tortured? What has the Mizukage down? I warned him…" The line of questioning never stopping or allowing Kiyoshi a moment to interject and answer if he so choose. "Where can I find her? ANSWER ME!!" The final frustrating remark causing doors around the immediate vicinity to slowly pry open as curious onlookers peeked through to see what the commotion was about.
If the Moto had a more cunning mind, it would've latched on to Eremi's explanation for being in Fumma Alley in some desperate attempt to shield a heart more frail than anyone close to the man knew. Instead, he stood there with his head bowed, never once looking up again as the smaller man insisted on answers. Kiyoshi meant to bear the brunt of it all in silence until some semblance of the young man's usually level headed nature returns, but that never comes about. He bore to many burdens at this point, and the most recent acquisition still dogged his thoughts during even some of the least quiet of moments.
Kiyoshi gritted his teeth behind tightly pressed lips as anger and bitterness rose up from his throat, tasting like bile once it reached his tongue. Eremi might stop him in any number of painful ways. None of which would cause him to flinch however after the toxic combination has already pushed him to try and lift Eremi by the collar. "SHUT UP!!" He barks. "Shut the STAMP up you bastard! Or so help me, I will rip out your THROAT with my TEETH, sending you on on the SLOWEST postal way to her side!!" Kiyoshi shouts, scaring at least a few onlookers scurrying back behind their doors.
Eremi remained motionless as Kiyoshi barreled down upon him, grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground so his feet barely, if even at all, managed to skirt the ground below. Perhaps being completely set off, the fuse reaching the powder, Eremi reached a calmness that might be seen as unsettling considering what faced him. "You sicken me." He offered as he looked down upon the other, a feat that wouldn't normally be possible due to the height difference. "So you're telling me she's dead then…How did it happen? You know what."
Shifting his head slightly as the collar rubbed against his neck. "I don't care. She's dead and what did you do to help her? Nothing. Kiri sickens me. Get out of my sight and tell your Mizukage while you still breath within my presence I'm not only coming for him, I'm coming for the rest of Kiri."
Eremi could've disembowled him then, and yet still not have come close to inflicting the same amount of damage as his words; the truth. His grip on Eremi's collar tightens for a moment from anger twisting and evolving into unbridled rage. For one brief moment, the giant seemed on the verge of accepting the succor of unthinking destruction it promised, even if only it lasted but a few short seconds. But just as it seemed evident — that the trembling in his arm would be followed by the casting of a leafer-nin into and through several buildings — a voice rings out in his mind. The words were… ininteligible to him, so lost to reason he had come to be. Their intent and wisdom however penetrated deeply enough to cause muscles in his arm and hand to relax, freeing the dangling Satonezu.
Whether or not Eremi fell on his behind or recovered quickly mattered little to the Moto. He would stand there staring down at Eremi, seething silently still, and yet defeated all the same. Short of Eremi deciding to take his vengeance on Kirigakure starting with Kiyoshi's scattered and small team then and there, the Moto would offer nothing more to invite hostilities further.
The grip released, Eremi simply fell to the ground in a twisted mess that remained contorted through the long stillness and silence of Kiyoshi's gaze. It was a brief period that Eremi allowed to pass as he waited as patiently as he could through his own continued frustrations over the whole ordeal. He wanted the giant to heed his warnings. Walk away from this and return back to Kiri with what has been heard on this day. Though there was a chance the man was too dense. Didn't understand the dangers that crouched before him. If that was the case, it was something that would surely be regretted.
Allowing as much time to pass as he could muster, "You had your chance…" Mumbling, before Eremi suddenly used his warped shape to spring upward off the ground in a spiraling uppercut that if connected properly would launch even this behemoth high into the air and unable to quickly right themself.
The changes that follow after danger registers in the behemoth's eyes are almost instantaneous. Chakra simulatenously seals his feet to the ground, as well as primes muscle, tissue, and bone for the impact. Eremi achieves in part the lift off he desired, though solely in regards to raising the man's chin rather high. "Your message was recieved." Kiyoshi intones past gritted teeth, chipping away further the ossified flesh broken by Eremi's fist.
"Now if you are done…" Kiyoshi trails off for a moment, forcing as he spoke — or at least attempting — to force Eremi's fist back down while righting his head (assuming he hadn't already moved it). "Go away." The last and only warning Eremi recieves before a giant hand snaps out, attempting to grip eremi by the head, then throw him potentially far enough to land in an entirely diferent ward.
Knuckles would crack as they collided with what felt like pure steel, it was a sensation that flashed memories back to Eremi's fight with the Mizukage and made him wonder just what exactly were the Kiri shinobi made of to be so tough. A question that was quickly answered as he briefly caught sight of a massive arm erupting from Kiyoshi's body that without restraint gripped Eremi's head and flung him out into the sky.
Several buildings would pass by below before Eremi was able to right himself in midair and turn to face the Kiri shinobi, whose giant form grew steadily smaller as he continued to sail further away. Any other person might have given up at this point, especially when confronted with a jinchuriki and were the situation different, Eremi would be that person as well. However, there was much more on the line than his pride or ego. This was for Renai. The girl he thought he could protect, but still died in the end. Fighting Kiyoshi, perhaps even killing the beast would not bring the girl back, but maybe, just maybe it could bring some sort of closure…If not force him deeper into his drink.
Feet would come into contact with a roof, kicking up shingles, straw and rotted wood that made up the shack as he skidded to a hault. There would be no hesitation with what happened next as Eremi raised up his arms before him and focused within. It would be instantaneous, having done it several times before. Chakra would explode from his body and the debris that made up the roof shot out in all directions, splintering wood beneath him until he jumped in the air with one leg tucked into the other and arms extended out to the side.
His gaze was focused on the jinchuriki that even from this distance could still be made out. It was all he needed to see for with what happened next caused an almost net of flames to fly out in Kiyoshi's direction. Punch after punch, a continued volley of attacks sent fire from the sky to rain down upon the beast. The attack being widespread would encompass however, not only his target, but also the surrounding houses…
Joints audible pop as the giant casually flexed his fingers, and lowered his arms back to his sides. He would watch the flying man for a moment or so more before turning away. Even after all of that the anger held closely his chest refused to die down to proper cinders. The very thought of it never easing at this point… Kiyoshi scowled fiercely, scaring what few onlookers weren't still gapping at the slowly disappearing Satonezu to scurying back into their homes. None of course are paid any real mind by the giant. There was work yet to be done. Work that promise the briefest of respite from the encounter, and all the feelings that were stirred to the surface as a result of it.
Kiyoshi could not have gotten more than five feet from where he last stood when his shadow suddenly began growing from some quickly brightening light. Turning sharply, the man faces the onslaught of fire just in time to capture its full scope, and realize for an instance just how far the 'stranger' was willing to take his revenge. Afterwards, his world, and the worlds of those caught within range of the attack, became filled with searing agony.
By no personal violition does the giant breathe in smoke and ash once the rain of fire end. Instinct and muffled urgings from within kept the man focused on the act alone until the rest of his mind could focus past the pain and take stock of his surroundings. Shock. Disgust. Rage. Despair. While it could never truly be claimed that all the lives that were destroyed by the attack were innocent, Kiyoshi could not simply dismiss it all. Kirigakure had yet to fully pushi him passed that point. Not yet. And perhaps after this day, not ever.
However long it takes for the jinchuriki to take it all in is more than enough time for a course to be settled upon. Sensing and knowing his host all too well, Kokuo wasted not a single breath trying to disuade the stubborn sloth. Flesh would be burned again, bones cracked, and organs torn apart at a blinding pace as a deep red cloak forces its way to the surface. By the time the giant has settled onto a four-legged stance the agonizing mending process would be complete. In one large bellow capable of being heard from miles away, Kiyoshi voiced the mealstrom of emotion, then takes off at window rattling speeds as far away from the ward.
From his high vantage point, Eremi would watch with a smirk as the flames consumed the beast. Mildly entertained at the thought of killing his first Kiri shinobi as promised, though slightly disappointed his message would not be relayed as he would have hoped, there was satisfaction coursing through him. A wonderful feeling that lasted only briefly for as the flames subsided, so did the euphoria. Instead of a smoldering carcass before his only visible emerald eye, still stood the tall and unwavering, green haired behemoth.
Beginning his descent back towards the ground, Eremi watched Kiyoshi with anewed frustration. He had fought Jinchuriki's before and they were always difficult to overcome. He had simply figured that after all this time, with every thing he had went through, all he had accomplished…They would be less of a challenge. A challenge he was still prepared to take on. Push even further if necessary than he already was.
A task for another time though, it seemed. For as Eremi was ready to continue, see this out to the end if need be. Kiyoshi had already taken off. Calling on more of the beasts chakra that resides within before disappearing into the distance. The speed was impressive, but Eremi was sure he could keep pursuit if necessary…Though to do so might mean his message would never get delivered. Assuming the Kiri shinobi had plans of doing so.
It wouldn't be long before Eremi paid a visit to the village hidden in the mist and destroyed it clean from the Land of Water. A thought that brought the smirk back to his face as the chakra gates closed and Eremi began his long walk back toward Konoha.
