Bijuu's Rampage Event: Matatabi at the Eastern Gate

Partway through Kitsuki's speech, the two tails was sealed away inside of Gyo. Arisu memorized his chakra signature in case she needed to find him sometime later. But with that done, she was able to fully dedicate her attention to Kitsuki.

Kitsuki's fear was that Arisu viewed herself as superior, but she didn't seem to understand that the hubris of humanity viewing themselves as superior was often what caused the problem in the first place. A 'might makes right' mentality that humans liked to impose upon the world. Even Kitsuki did the same thing, leveraging her own power to influence others. Someone like her could never understand that Arisu didn't view herself as superior to humans because she was stronger. It was a simpler situation than that. She'd been chosen for this job specifically. To rule over humanity. To rule over Kishin. A Divine birthright that she had been raised for. Everything had been laid out on her journey for her to be this. To be who, what she was. She could no more escape that than any of them. It was her responsibility.

But she listened to Kitsuki without interrupting her. She listened to Zizz's story. There it was again. Kitsuki thought that Arisu wasn't humble, didn't have humility. And the fear of the Rinnegan, an unfounded mistake. The Rinnegan wasn't a weapon, it was a tool of creation. They would never see eye to eye on that. Arisu could understand that the creature that had bound itself to Kitsuki had influenced her against Otsutsuki as a bias. It was a shame. The possibility of a fully realized Rinnegan's utility for good was completely overshadowed by her fear of what it could be used to do that was bad.

Impassive as ever though, Arisu listened to Kitsuki. And there it was. A choice. To see humanity, and for Kitsuki to see her people.

She was silent for a moment as she thought about it. While she wouldn't give up her quest for the paths, she was willing to hear Kitsuki out. But first;

Arisu addressed Zizz directly. Looking at her, Arisu clasped her hands together and bowed deeply.

"For the misdeeds of my kin on your homeworld, I humbly apologize. The 10 tails, the Rinnegan. These should not be used as tools of war, but to create. To help life flourish. That they were used to wipe out your home is a travesty that I wish I could reverse. I aim to prevent that sort of thing here."

She could not excuse it, nor did she wish to offer a defense of the Otsutsuki that were responsible for that destruction. With that said, she could address Kitsuki more directly.

"I find humans interesting. Many of your kind have the blood of my kin running through them. In fact, your wielding of Chakra in the first place is what raises you to the levels of rivaling my kind. It's because of your wielding of Chakra that I find it necessary to gain power. Most of my time here has been spent weaker than several people on this planet. And the people that had absolute power have been terrifyingly strong. Wielding chakra is not a common occurrence for most worlds."

She closed her two normal eyes, thinking back on several of the people she'd faced in the past. Of Hana, of Menza, of Kyoji. The evils of the world that she couldn't deal with on her own. Even now, even with all her power, she still always summoned aid when a problem arose. Although Arisu projected a facade of power, she very rarely fought one on one. She very rarely challenged things head on, unless protecting somebody. Ever since her run in with Menza, Arisu had withdrawn. It was obvious that she was afraid, even if she didn't show it. She didn't think any power was a guaranteed safety. Even now.

"Kitsuki, I don't look down on your kind. I see them for the potential that they have. I do rely on you. When some danger arises, I summon you, because I'm not sure I'm strong enough alone. On any other planet, my kind surpasses any by far. What I don't like is how emotionally driven humans can be. I'm not immune to them, but I try and set them aside. When your kind has access to the kind of power we wield, it becomes necessary for me to gain as much power as possible, as many allies as possible. If I let fear govern my life, I would have given up my goals when Menza took me and hid away. Even with a fully realized Rinnegan, even with a restored 10 Tails, I wouldn't be invincible. You're assuming I utilize them as weapons. I use my abilities as tools to assist others, to build a better world."

"I'll let you visit my home soon. You'll be the first outsiders to step foot on my home plane. I need to go check in on things with the other nations." She said, emphasizing plurality on the 'outsiders', as both Kitsuki and Zizz were in the invitation.

-
Same stuff as before.

The Angel was taken aback by Arisu's apology. She didn't expect the Ōtsutsuki to offer contrition for the actions of her race. She had neither expected it nor required it and yet some part of the Angel was glad that she had offered it. It wasn't the closure that could mend the heartbreak of losing a homeworld but it was a token of kindness that was appreciated. The healing process had taken what might have been eons and it would take perhaps many more, but moments like these helped repair the damage. Small as it may be. Zizz did not reply but given Arisu's high perception, she might noticed the subtlest of nods from her tiny head. An acknowledgement that though there was still distrust, there was also respect and hope.

When Arisu mentioned how humans had chakra because of the Ōtsutsuki, she tensed. The Celestial Princess had brought up this fact before and usually used it as an argument. But this time was different. Kit was now hearing a different side of the equation. Arisu confessed that given her mission, she felt unprepared to challenge the strongest of shinobi on Earth when she first arrived. Now Kit understood. Arisu, though she gave off an inhumanely detached persona, was still a living being. Perhaps not a breathing one, but a living one all the same. She did have self-preservation instincts and incidents like Menza and the fight at the gates likely reminded her of how fragile her life was. The only difference was that due to the Rinnegan and her ability to seal Bijuu into the Gedo Mazou her ceiling for power was much higher than that of a normal human being. Kit wanted to believe that Arisu would never use those tools to harm anyone. She genuinely wanted to believe that. But by her own admission, she was just as susciptible to emotions as humans were. She could be manipulated. She could change. The fact that she was better at controlling them than most did not alleviate Kit's own concerns.

She does trust me. She wants me as an ally....but she also wants to protect herself.

Arisu was also rather insistent that she did not think herself above humanity. A claim that was difficult to beleive but one that she would simply have to trust for now. She could expect Arisu to trust her without returning the same courtesy. Even if she wasn't sold on allowing Arisu to complete the Rinnegan, she would take her for her word about how she felt about Kit's species. It didn't sound like they'd come to a firm resolution right here and now, which was fine. Kit needed to think things over herself for the time being. She was glad they could discuss the subject though. It would stay her hand from doing anything rash and hopefully the same was true for Arisu. Kit nodded solemnly when Arisu said she'd need to check on things elsewhere and prepare her homeworld for their arrival. It was a great honor and though there was some hesitation from both the Angel and its host, they both knew that it was the right thing to accept.

"I'm....glad we had this talk. I don't necessarily agree but I understand. I do. I don't know how this story will end but I think we can find out together. As friends." Kitsuki looked up to Arisu with a hopeful smile. It was a scary thing. It seemed like fate was pushing them on an unavoidable collision course but they were not just a collection of atoms propelled by chemistry. They were souls. They had free will. They could choose to clash or to collaborate. It truly was up to them. "Let me know when you're ready. I'm looking forward to it...we both are." Kitsuki said with a grin. Zizz crossed her arms and floated in to the sky. She was miffed that Kit had said it, but her host was telling the truth. The Angel had been to many worlds but none controlled by the so-called "colonizers." Part of it was her directive and part of it was fear. But she also knew she had never met an Ōtsutsuki like Arisu. If this world could turn an Ōtsutsuki into someone like Arisu then maybe it was worth seeing with her own two eyes.

Their conversation ceased just as the Queen showed up. Kit's eyes lit up when Ryuko praised her but she shook her head in response. "I take no credit. I've been ill as of late. If there is any praise for the quality of Kirigakure's shinobi, that honor would go to Princess Arisu."

Apparently Ryuko was going to help move the Heavenly Emporium to the Land of Wind where Okane was going to live. Kitsuki felt a twinge of disappointment. She was considering how she might talk the Iron Prince to moving to Kiri, but it made sense he wished to return to his homeland. After Chen's attack, the nation was in dire need of rebuilding and stability. Who better to help lead those efforts than Queen Ryuko? When she asked for her help in unlocking Raefala's true power, Kit stood up straight, looked Ryuko in the eye and spoke with conviction.

"We'd be delighted to assist you. With what lies before us....we'll need all the help we can get. The only way we're going to overcome this threat is as a team. I will have my people draft some formal paperwork. I think its time we set aside ancient grievances and forge a new defensive pact with the Kingdom of Thunder. You should speak to Shimiko about it" Kitsuki said, ignorant of the fact that the Honey Badger had long since retired and that an imposter ruled in her name. "I took have much to attend to. I've been out for some time and I suspect there's much I've missed in my village. If you'll excuse me....Your Majesty...Your Highness." Kit bowed to each member of the nobility before departing. As she did, she took notice of the man who sealed the Bijuu. What had once been a faceless Jounin was now someone to take stock of. She'd need to speak to him later. Oddly enough, he did look slightly familiar but she couldn't for the life of her remember why.....


[Exit]