Bloody Beginnings [Private]

Midori was starting to show that she was struggling to contain herself now, as Satori’s plan unfolded and he began to crush and kill her. She couldn’t see anything else. Couldn’t hear anything else. Even her nose had betrayed her and she could smell the blood in the air. She remained still, certainly, but she was hyperfocused on the spectacle before her, and while she was extremely glad that her brother was winning, part of her was simply craving it. Jealous that he was in the ring right now and not her, and wanting more of the bloodshed… but she had to wait.

It took almost all of her willpower to keep herself in check, to stay rooted and not leap over this wall and tell him to hurry up already. The notion that she wanted to do that in the first place had some disturbing meanings that lingered in the back of her mind, but unfortunately it was overshadowed by what could only be described as pure and unadulterated bloodlust. It was an odd thing too; she didn’t feel this way when she fought with Satori, even when they were going all out… she didn’t feel this way when she hunted down animals for food, even things that were larger and were trying to hunt her as much as the other way around.

Where did this come from?

She took a deep, quiet breath, trying to calm herself, but only inhaled more of the scent of blood… she didn’t want to rush her brother, but if he didn’t end this soon, she feared she would embarrass herself and the family if she messed up the ceremony, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Her eyes were locked onto the pair in front of her, the agony the woman was in music to her ears in a way that even she was finding disturbing, but unable to tear herself away from.

For the first time in his life, Satori got cocky.

It was a mistake he had never made, a position of power he had never been in. For all his level-headedness, for all his planning and intelligence, he was young. Young, and inexperienced in real combat. This was proven, as he underestimated just what kind of power a human about to die could generate. He relaxed, only for a single moment so that he could construct in another burst. That was all that Hida needed.

The back of her skull smashed into his forehead, and Satori saw stars.

Every Ryuutei's face turned grim; they all had seen this before. A young Ryuutei, arrogant on the verge of victory: fall. Not due to lack of skill, lack of power, lack of training and dedication. But due to simple inexperience and arrogance. The impact rocked Satori's head, and his vision turned black as he tumbled off the woman's back causing her to fling herself forward to escape the boy. Gasping with pain as her fingers, now fractured and strained, leaked blood from the lacerations they suffered between their joints.

Satori tried to rise, and struggled heavily. He couldn't see properly, his vision was blurred, his balance was thrown off. He rolled, desperate to make distance as he heard the steps of the woman desperately trying to get to him while he was still down. It wasn't enough, and he felt the crack of a foot smashing into his stomach. Sending him flying with such force the chain cracked, halting him and yanking on his leg so roughly the cuff broke his skin. Blood decorated the metal and floor, now from them both as he struggled to regain his air through damaged ribs.

The woman stumbled, her own damage was far more significant, but she also had far more endurance than the boy did. Satori wheezed in pained breaths, struggling to force himself back up onto all fours, his hearing was off. He could only hear the throbbing of his heart in his ears, pain raced through his chest and stomach. He could taste blood in his mouth, feel the blood dripping down his lips. Death was approaching.

Death did not scare him. But something else did. Dying without accomplishing his goals. Dying without achieving his dream, without holding his word to his father and mother. His claws dug into the dirt suddenly, and his vision focused, hazy, but aware. She was close. His ribs were fractured, he couldn't get in the air. His hands were shaking, hand seals would be impossible for at least another few moments. He needed a strategy, he needed a focal point, he had to find a solution: quickly.

Her eyes burned, she didn't want to die. She stared down at him in terror, frustration, desperation. It was the eyes of someone terrified of death, hands dripping blood as the soft clink of steel filled the air with each step. The arena was dead silent, as they waited for what was to likely be the death of a promising young Ryuutei. Satori's expression was pained but calm. Think. He had to think, what could he do in this position? No hand seals. No physical movements. No traps or weaponry. What did that leave him?

The smirk had slowly grown into a confident, hungering smile, something that Midori herself wasn’t even aware at the moment was on her face. She was watching Satori literally choke the life out of the woman in a grapple position that the two of them had come up with during sparring, and she couldn’t be more pleased with how it was working out in practical application, although the chain had been the missing piece when they were working on it before. With that one additional part of the puzzle, the constrictor grapple was perfected, and of course, it was Satori who had pulled it off on the fly. He was such a natural with this kind of stuff it was ridiculous to the point where she wanted to say he was cheating, if she believed in that.

That changed in an instant.

She saw that moment of weakness a moment before Satori did, at the same time his opponent did… and the result was devastating. The match tide changed in an instant, and in a series of events that was absolutely brutal, the woman basically broke him; she heard ribs break from a kick, flinging Satori like a rag doll until the chain snapped him back down like a dog reaching the end of his leash. The smile was gone from Midori’s face, and instead, she was doing everything in her power not to leap into the fray to save her brother. She had lost enough family for one lifetime, thanks… she didn’t want to lose anyone else… but she stayed rooted, demanding that she keep still and give him the chance to get himself out of the hole he had dug himself into.

Satori's mind worked faster than he thought possible. The threat of death pushed adrenaline through his body at such intense speeds that it was almost dizzying, and instead, he saw the shifting of her movement. Her eyes stared down at him, terrified to take her gaze off his own as she moved at the highest speed that she could. His hand clenched, eyes. She was retaining eye contact and that still left him one option.

His pupils expanded, and the woman froze. Every inch of her body suddenly refused to move, and the Ryuutei around him stared in surprise. There were two rules that Ryuutei had accepted for hundreds of years: one, Ryuutei could not perform medical techniques. Their chakra was too volatile and would just make the situation worse. Two, Ryuutei could not perform genjutsu techniques. Their chakra was too heavy and difficult to retain refined control in.

Yet, here this boy was, half-dead and staring up at his attacker, whom he had captured in a Genjutsu. Kiyoshi's eyes widened at the scent of the chakra, and in Hida's eyes, she saw only two snakelike eyes staring up into her own. Fear filled her body, she wanted to run, to escape, killing intent mixed with what she had already experienced driving her to desperately wish to flee from the injured boy before her.

Like a snake rearing back, Satori slowly forced himself up. A hand left to his side, clenching it desperately as he stumbled once. The Genjutsu was an emergency use spell. Designed to shut down movement for only a few brief moments. His hand clenched before he began to force himself to move. His body was broken, but not unusable, and his target was frozen in terror. Pain would snap her out of her Genjutsu, his next attack had to be lethal. Luckily, even injured, hitting an immobile target was easy.

His claws burst with chakra, causing many Ryuutei's brows to rise even further, that was an advanced technique by the clan's standards. Then, he lashed out. The claws shredded through the woman's throat like hot knives through butter, causing blood to burst from her throat as the Genjutsu was broken and she went stumbling backwards. Falling to the ground clutching her throat with her broken hands desperately, this time, Satori stayed where he was. Panting heavily, even now he wasn't taking any risks.

Never again would be. Not like that. He watched as she struggled and croaked, until the end came to her. As the life drained from her eyes, and her body slowly went limp, Satori refused to fall to a knee. Clenching his jaw, he did not roar or cry out as so many others before him did. Instead, his blood-covered facelifted slowly to stare at the elder, whose eyes silently stared into his own. Interest sparkling within them.

"Satori," he murmured simply, claiming his right as a named adult of the clan. There was silence, for once brief moment, and then as once the ground shook. Each Ryuutei slamming their foot down, and repeating his name once in acknowledgment. It echoed off the walls.

Sudden enlightenment. That was his names meaning, and it was what he had experienced himself today. Of how potent life truly was in the face of death, and how close to death one can be with a single mis-calculation. He wanted the world to understand that same enlightenment, to understand true life, death, and what it meant to be alive. Obsession filled his eyes, and his hands clenched sharply as he stared into the dead eyes of the woman.

He was still injured, but he knew the next step. The Ryuutei wasted nothing, especially that which they killed.

Midori slowly released a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding, slowly and quietly, hoping to escape the notice of the people standing nearby. She didn’t give a damn about any pardon, if she had killed him, she would have hunted this woman down to the ends of the earth, and that was only if she had enough self control to keep from leaping over the wall and pummeling her to death with her bare hands. She would leave nothing but a broken pile of bones and gore by the time she would feel satisfied even in the slightest.

It was so odd; normally she was able to control her urges, but they were so very powerful today, so much more than usual. She had no idea why it was, but as she watched Satori enact one of his secret weapons, a Genjutsu, she knew it was over. She had allowed herself to be a practice dummy for the technique and while she fundamentally understood it and could defeat it because of that knowledge, his opponent was not so lucky. She was locked up, and as Satori stood slowly, her vicious grin came back, waiting for the blood.

She had been just at the perfect angle that as his claws cut through the woman’s throat, she felt a few of the droplets hit her face, and she didn’t even blink… but the scent filled her nostrils and she could feel something deep within her begin to stir. She couldn’t pull her eyes away as the woman stumbled backwards, her throat ruined, and her life fading in mere moments. Only when the light pulled out of her eyes did she look towards Satori for a moment, knowing how he was very seriously injured. Perhaps she should have taken that bet with him; he was pretty tore up… but nothing that wouldn’t heal in time. Better still, he would learn from this mistake and become even more lethal.

The process of butchering was messy, but Satori did not have to do that right now. Instead, he only needed to take a chunk, as was customary, a silent promise that the corpse would be used to its fullest to the rest of the clan. His claws extended, grasping the cadaver and lifting an arm to his lips.

Satori had eaten many animals in the past, but never a human. But as the meat filled his belly, Satori felt an odd sensation. His chakra began to recover, his body began to recover. The surface wounds he had sustained and the ache in his joints began to fade, the minor damage steadily mending itself away as steam rose from the small wounds decorating his skin and muscle. The bones were still fractured, but the pain had eased itself tremendously.

Straightened, he felt refreshed. His hands clenched several times as he dropped the limb he'd been devouring and stared at his hands. Recovered tremendously, and with all of his chakra returning to him, the boy smiled a bloody grin. This was the process of his clan. This was taking in the energy of another living being, and putting it to true use. This was the way of the Ryuutei. With a single firm tug, Satori drug the body behind him. Dragging it behind him toward the edge of the ring after removing the cuff from them both with the elders key.

Setting it down next to his family, Satori looked toward Midori and he offered a slight grin.

"Thanks," he stated simply, and that was all. He had shown her things, and trained things with her, that no one else had ever seen before. Not even his own parents that had helped him train and grow as well. Training his Genjutsu with her had saved his life. Kiyoshi and Raika both were staring at him curiously, clearly wanting to know how he'd managed to break such an ironfast rule, but the boy would not speak on it until later. Falling to sit next to Kiyoshi and looking toward Midori.

It was her turn now, and the elder waited patiently for her to enter the arena so that she could bind her properly. The sounds of her opponent outside the door once more echoed. But there was no yelling or screaming, instead it was polite and casual in its tone.

Midori was a lit fuse, her face transfixed as Satori ate his fill, as per the ritual, and then began to drag the body away to be taken care of later… only his voice, thanking her, snapped her from the trance she seemed to have slipped into and brought her consciousness back to the present time and place. She hadn’t realized it, shook her head once, and then nodded to him before turning around and waiting for the elder to summon her. Once she had made eye contact, she flashed a single glance to Satori, one filled with a new kind of worry; she didn’t know what was happening to her mind, but she didn’t want to embarrass the family in any way, shape or form, and she didn’t feel like she was in the right mindset to do that.

But she would force herself to be ready, as she always had. There was one hard rule for the young woman, one that she learned not from the Ryuutei, but from her father; Adapt and Evolve and you will survive. Sit still, you die. She had done nothing but continue to adapt and evolve in her adoptive families care, constantly learning new things and giving herself the opportunity to evolve past, often by thrusting herself headlong into a bad situation and forcing herself to find a way to win. How many times had she been picked on for her size and she picked a fight with someone she usually had no chance of winning against? How many times had she either turned the tables or at least given them enough of a run for their money that they didn’t do it again?

This would be no different.

She flexed her bare feet into the ground a bit as she felt the chain fasten to her ankle, being careful to judge the distance and the terrain that would be accessible, feeling the resistance of it underfoot so she wouldn’t slip. She gave a nod towards the elder, who held her gaze for a moment, causing Midori to raise a brow before the woman would wordlessly go back to her place to observe the fight. Midori listened to her opponent for a moment, and already didn’t like it. This was someone like Satori; a thinker. Considering that she had fought him countless times, and that she was certain that he was probably smarter than whoever was being pinned against her, she was certain she would be fine.

She planted her feet, lowering herself down even more as she prepared herself as the doors opened and the guards brought a man out before her. She didn’t have those cat-eyes that her family did, but her own were the same as her hair, a deep and dark green, like a dark emerald bathed in darkness, and they scanned her opponent for a moment, getting a sense of what she was dealing as a snapshot.

Satori's gaze trailed after Midori. Something was off about the girl, but he wasn't the type to comment on it and force her focus elsewhere. Instead, he lifted his hands up and eyed the blood that was drying against them. Blinking once at the voice, his gaze slid toward the short, thin young man with hair pushed back. Unlike the large woman he'd dealt with, this one was clearly of a wiry build and form. Not fragile, but certainly not rippling with muscle and endurance like Hida had been.

Instead, Satori lowered himself a bit to lean on his knees. The boy's feline eyes watched his movements: graceful, careful and well placed. The movements of a practiced dancer, and that was a problem. Midori dealt with him only due to repeated training, it wasn't the same as dealing with someone that she'd never fought with. What if he was a Genjutsu user? Or a Ninjutsu user that amplified his bodies power and strength while maintaining his natural speed?

There were dozens of possibilities, and unlike himself, Midori likely couldn't flick through all of them on the fly to form a counter. Satori's jaw tightened slightly before he released a slow breath and focused on the man and Midori both as his ankle was bound to the arena floor. The elder spoke once more.

"This man is Saiko Kujiro. Part of the same class as Hida, and has been offered the same position. He was her superior during their lives as Missing Ninja, a skilled tactician, and technique user. if anyone deems this not worthy of the title of named, speak now or forever hold thy tongue." With this statement, the silence once more filled the air. A single nod of the elder and she began walking carefully toward the edge of the arena.

Turning, she stepped out. Watching carefully: how would the girl, the descendant of the "Bloody Berserker of the Mist", the man that had once clashed overwhelmed her grandson in raw strength due to his bloodline, deal with a Genjutsu specialist? She was curious if the girl would be the standard--or the exception.

Midori didn’t need the immense plans and tactical nature that Satori did… she was always a bit more on the dense side, but she not only realized and recognized that fact, but she had planned for it. She would come up with a simple plan to try to handle the enemy, and stick to it until she either won or died… and usually, she wasn’t so far off the mark that she couldn’t see a plan of her own making through. For her opponent, the information was simple. He was a tactician, like Satori, so that part she would be familiar with. The obvious counter was to apply so much pressure in her assault that it didn’t give him time to breath or think properly, overwhelm him with speed, power and ferocity, and it would be in the bag. The technique user part of his description, however, was what would be troublesome.

In the world of Ninja, techniques could mean anything from producing lightning or another element, trapping someone in an illusion, summoning beasts or even exponentially enhancing their physical combat power to the point where no one came close. She would just have to stick with her first plan and try to adapt as the new situation came at her, adjust to whatever it was that he had hidden up his sleeve.

“Begin.”

And with that, she pushed off, running directly at him full tilt and pulling a trick she had seen Satori use once on her; grabbing some grit from the ground and tossing it ahead of her to try to disrupt him only for a moment. If it worked, she would be able to close the distance and enact Operation Relentless Assault, and then simply pummel him until he stopped breathing. The smile dawned onto her face as she got close and he brought his hands up to shield his face from the rocks, and then wider still as she jumped on top of him and started punching anything that wasn’t protected. Ribs, neck, collar bone… anything that he wasn’t blocking.

In reality, and what everyone else saw, was the tall man simply standing there and slowly circling, watching her as she senselessly pounded her fists into the sand. It was obvious from her movements that she thought she was hitting something, probably him, but she was trapped from the moment ‘begin’ had been muttered. He had pre-planned it, locking eyes with the young girl after analyzing the arena and making sure to lace his illusion into the already existing environment, and she hadn’t been able to adjust her vision in time if she had planned to do so in order to avoid the Genjutsu.

He was studying the way she was striking the illusion as well, noting that she wasn’t completely mindless and was targeting weak points throughout the body while using her legs to pin down the illusory self, so getting into a physical tussle with the small woman probably wasn’t in his best interest. He would have to come up with a plan… likely a Ninjutsu, to try to deal as much damage as he could before trying to finish the job himself. After watching the last match, he examined her fingers and toes, noticing the missing claws and thanking his luck. Stepping further behind her and gaining as much distance as he could, he prepared his Ninjutsu.

Satori's eyes narrowed, he smelled the chakra and sensed the shift in the air the moment she began to attack. A Genjutsu, and one at least two ranks above the one he had personally used on her. Would she detect the tells? Realize that something was off and break through it? Doubtful. She had barely managed to break through his, and it was an E-Rank, heavily specialized Genjutsu that didn't even focus on illusion at all. So it would come down to him breaking her out of it himself.

Could he make an accurate estimate of how much damage she could sustain without it breaking? How high was his skill, that he could injure her while the illusion was ongoing? Was he physically able to deal damage to her in a single blow to seal the fight? It was difficult to say. But judging by his build, and the durability he knew she had, he was inclined to disagree with that thought. So he would likely need to use a Ninjutsu or Taijutsu to properly injure her, using more chakra to do so.

He lacked a hearty chakra pool, Satori could smell it already. He was likely the type that used a Genjutsu with a weapon to deal lethal damage the same attack that broke them out of the illusion. But he had no weapons here, and if he just went for her eyes, then it would likely break a Genjutsu of this level due to her survival instincts kicking in. So, that left only techniques as an option. Taking a breath, Satori leaned back. It was a game of endurance.

What would give out first--his chakra? Or her body? If he was slow on his techniques casting, even once, and she got a clean hit on him it would likely be her win. But if he didn't, it came down to that, an endurance match. Satori believed in her, but this was going to be a difficult battle for her. Especially since it had been clear earlier her mind had been a bit shaken. But from what? What was causing that look in her eyes as she pummeled into the sand?

Something was very wrong, and Midori was beginning to realize it. No matter how hard she hit him, he always took the hit, and she wasn’t causing any real damage, and yet, he didn’t try to push her off or conduct any sort of attack. Something was wrong, but it wasn’t her logical mind that was telling her this, it was something instinctual… this was just plain not fun anymore. She slowed and then paused outright, staring into what her senses told her was a terrified, if uninjured somehow, man that was simply shielding his face and trying to swat her away.

Apparently the combatant was too slow to realize she had stopped as he was in the midst of doing the hand-seals for a fire-type jutsu, hoping to take her out completely from behind in one massive blast, and the illusion continued to change where it was blocking as if she was still hitting him… and Midori stood up, realizing that she had been tricked somehow. Unfortunately for her though, it was just a little too late; she felt heat on her back, and was struck full force by a fireball that he had created, and for a moment, Midori vanished entirely under the impact, smoke and flame spreading around where she had just been.

Within the darkness of the smoke, something green began to shine… in fact, it looked like two tiny green stars in the darkness. There was a roar, something very primal, from the darkness and while it was certainly Midori, it also was not… and it was in pain and enraged. Saiki had a smirk on his face for a moment until those two glowing gems in the darkness finally stopped shaking and leveled out, and now it was obvious that they were her eyes… Mirdori’s eyes, normally a powerful dark green, so dark that they looked black, were shining like green stars, and they were locked onto the person who had caused her pain.

Saiki gave a startled shout as the chain around his ankle suddenly grew taunt, and then literally yanked the man into the smoke by his ankle. As long as she had a hold of the chain and pulled, she would soon have his flesh. Once she had his flesh, the rest was easy. The first strike sent a tremor that disturbed even the air, and the smoke dispersed completely, revealing something that was Midori, and yet wasn’t. It was as if the smoke had clung to her skin, as it was a dark ashy tint, and for those who had a sharp eye, they looked like scales that covered her from head to toe. Her eyes were completely black aside her pupils which shown like green suns, and her hair was a bright emerald green now, sticking up and straight back. Her body was larger, more muscled, and she looked like she was roughly a foot taller than she had been before too.

The second strike they could all see, as her fist drove itself into the man’s gut… her legs pinning him down by applying pressure on the inside of his own legs and causing pain while keeping him still. He tried to block the third strike and his hand broke under the impact, causing him to wail in pain… and then her next strike came a bit faster, breaking a rib. The next was even faster, and then again, until it was just a brutal display of her striking him in a way that was as vicious as it was effective. He was spitting up blood and eyes bulging, looking for anyone to stop her, but when aid did not come, soon they were no longer alight with life… and yet, she still did not stop striking him. Bone shattered, skin punctured and blood flew under the assault of her blows. As if to finish things, she pulled a hand up and a ball of green chakra began to pulse within her hand, thrumming with power, and she prepared to drive it into the corpse.

This was no longer the Midori that any of them knew.

The change was nothing like the Midori he knew, and yet, it was. There had always been something. Something deep inside the girl that made her one of them, that held her to the mark, something primal that made other ninja fear them--and fear her. Just as they had feared her father. Now, witnessing this form, he felt a twinge of understanding as she snarled from within the confines of the mist. It was just like when he used to lose himself in his past and rend into anything in his way until his father stopped him. Such a thing hadn't happened in years, and perhaps, it would have triggered during the fight: but he knew better now, he kept it under control.

That was not his default reaction anymore. But clearly, it was her's, and her own was even more devastating. The cries of pain did not bother Satori, and when it became an even more brutal beatdown his head simply tilted. No Ryuutei would be put-off by this, after all, many Ryuutei did battle in a similar manner. However, what was concerning him was that she clearly had completely lost herself in her rage. Snarling and beating the man's face into the ground repeatedly without hesitation or mercy, along with the rest of his body.

The sounds of impact were becoming less like striking bone, and more like striking a sack of wet meat. As her hand lifted, summoning a large orb of pulsing chakra that held such weight it was visible: very similar to their own chakra, Satori acted quickly. The fight was clearly already won, the man was dead. There was no need to go further, it was disrespectful to the corpse that would be put to use. His voice came forward, ringing firmly--but not unkindly as his eyes burned into the green orbs.

"Midori!" His frame rising despite the fractured rips as he stared the girl down, silently he willed her to calm. To focus. This power was incredible, the boost to raw physical potential it clearly offered was something few bloodlines could ever offer. But she had to stop, before she completely lost herself. He knew that sensation all too well. He could still recall the scratches he'd put on his sisters when he himself had snapped so long ago.

Satori didn't wish to see her finish her fight like this; to go the next step and attack at the rest of the clan like a dog on a leash. She could never forgive herself for such an action--he knew that.

She was just getting ready to obliterate the person who had caused her pain when her ears picked up something. Considering the immense fog her mind was in, it was shocking that anything other than combat noises, things she could use to destroy her enemy, were registering at all. Her mind was super-charged, and it was only Satori’s voice, crisp and clear, that rang through the noise of her thoughts, or lack thereof, and caused her to pause, mid-action. Ever so slowly, like in slow motion, she turned her head and with her bare hand, crushed and absorbed the chakra orb she had created.

Those glowing green eyes turned and locked eyes with Satori, and suddenly, there wasn’t a person, or what was left of him, underneath her. Now there was just a new target, and she turned towards him, facing him fully, squaring her shoulders… but hesitated. The logical part of her mind, drowning in the power and behind a wall of rage, was beginning to fight back. She didn’t want to hurt Satori, didn’t want to even threaten anyone in the clan. Her logical mind knew that her enemy was dead, but she couldn’t control her limbs, couldn’t suppress her rage. She had suppressed her emotions for so long that now that she was letting it out it was nothing less than a tidal wave of epic proportions. She was trying, but she couldn’t get a handle on it.

In a blur, she launched forward, the logical side of her mind stamped down again for now, and the crack of the chain growing taunt all the sudden as she reached the end of its reach sounded through the chamber. She didn’t flail from there though… but stayed at the edge of her reach and continued to look him in the eyes and roared a challenge. He was the one who had challenged her, and he would come within reach so they could have their battle. Even in this state, there was a sense of honor about it, a desire for the fight to be on even grounds, not her chained to the ground while he taunted her from the safety of his position out of reach.

Satori could see the conflict in her eyes. Midori was in there, struggling, but she couldn't break through the surface. She needed an opening against her own power, the killing intent came off her in waves, but she wasn't flailing like a beast. A desire shone within those glowing emeralds, and Satori's eyes narrowed on her own in response. So she needed a helping hand--as well, her body language was clear. Her instincts wanted a fair fight, to pummel him into the dirt on her own terms. Already some part of her viewed him as not prey, but competition.

So he gave her what she was after. Even as the rest of the room remained silent, and the elder watched them both intently.

Chakra fluxed through his system as the air around them pulsed. This state she was in was feral, capturing her within an illusion wouldn't be too difficult. The issue was making the proper impact, to make her hesitate and not just lash out at him ruthlessly. His eyes narrowed, it had to be more than just the illusion. If it was going to impact her, he had to meet her head on.

His eyes became snake-like, and she would be hit by a wave of paralysis stemming from raw killing intent and illusion. Even more than this, Satori stepped up and into the ring. His eyes burning down into her own as the illusion and clear threat filled the air. The room was dead silent as his claws dug into the rock edge, face to face with her.

“You just claimed your name once more, Midori. You earned your right as a Ryuutei. Will you really attack your family now? Lose more you love?” His words were cold, subliminal threats that were amplified by the illusion all the more. He would force her to step down, to hesitate, do her true personality could shine through once more.

“Calm, Midori.”

The paralysis wasn’t nearly as strong as the Genjutsu from earlier but as this inhibited her motor skills directly the effect was considerable.  When he stepped into the ring, however, the strain amplified as the killing intent clashed with the one coming from Satori, and the green haired girl was less than backing down but instead fighting against it even harder.  It was his words, however, that finally did the trick, and one of her two eyes lost the black coloration and began to dim, showing their natural hue.  Midori stumbled backwards, holding her head as the struggle began anew within, but this time, the real Midori had a proper foothold, Satori’s trick having worked to create a small opening that she mentally grasped on to.

No, she would not be the reason that more of her family perished.  She would not harm the people she had come to love, and knew loved her in return… she wouldn’t allow herself to be controlled by this new found power, no matter how good it felt to finally unleash it, or how strong it had allowed her to become.  She would remember this though… it was something she wanted to learn to control, and something that Kiyoshi had briefly spoken of from time to time when she would ask about her father… but experiencing it firsthand was a completely different animal.

There was a roar combined with a young girl’s scream directed at the roof that made the air seem to vibrate and shake, and then she seemed to shrink rapidly, resuming her normal human form and collapsing against the ground.  Her breathing was coming out quick and heavy, and everything hurt, and yet, she brought herself to get her hands beneath her.  Every fiber in her body cried out in agony, but she refused to let herself do anything but complete the ceremony.  Her vision was narrow and dark, she could barely see as she got to her hands and knees… then slowly to her feet, wobbling.

If anyone, even Satori, would walk towards her, offering any sort of assistance, she would glare at them… it didn’t even matter if it was the Elder at this point.  Everything that had happened was her fault, and she wouldn’t shame her family or the clan by having help at this point, and focused on putting one foot in front of the other, moving towards her original enemy, the one that was nothing more than gore and broken bone on the ground near the center of the ring.  Once she finally arrived, he took a small chunk of the meat, bit into it, and then her vision faded entirely, and she slumped into the bloody sand next to the corpse.

[[THREAD EXIT]]

Satori's gaze stared into the girls own as it dimmed, and when the transformation finally faded, when she finally began to regain her footing mentally and concentrate: he simply smiled. Saying nothing as he watched her slowly reel in her power, it had taken his help, but it had happened. How much of a battle would it take for her to maintain that kind of shift? Hard to say. Only practice and control would help learn that information. But for now, as long as he could help her push past the complications, it would do. Taking a slow breath, Satori placed his hands behind his back and watched as the discoloration of her skin slowly flowed away and replaced itself with her normal hue.

As her eyes faded, and she rose up, Satori--nor any of the rest of the clan intervened. This was her right. She had earned her place in their ranks and some berserker ability wouldn't change that, nor threat to them. This was all part of how life in the clan functioned, and instead, her victory over her rage only earned her wide grins and inclined heads. When she finished her ritual, the bloody meat passing through her lips, the elder stepped forward as she fell. The dull thud of her body hitting the sands was the only response, before the shackles were unlocked and she glanced toward Kiyoshi.

The large man entered the ring, patting Satori's shoulder in-passing, before grasping Midori firmly around the waist with one large hand. Lifting her up onto his shoulder and hoisting the pummeled corpse to drag along with his other as Satori stepped back. The elder stepped forward and smiled softly.

"Though she did not say it, we all know what she wishes her name to be. Midori Yamato Ryuutei, shall henceforth be named." With these words, the name was repeated throughout the building with the sound of feet smashing into the stone once in unison. Satori grinned. They had done it; they were now named adults of the Ryuutei tribe. They would have to build their own homes, own their own lands and gardens, and move on with their new lives. But with that cost came the privilege and respect. They could join the Academy of Kirigakure, become official students and eventually: Genin.

The village and clan could offer them both the education and power they needed to achieve both their goals. This was only the first step, for both of them. He turned, walking alongside his father and mother as they moved toward the building's exit with Midori. Satori couldn't help but hold the grin as he thought of what was to come, for both of them.

// Thread Exit