Return to Grace

"Why are you coming here?"

Isob-2 was baffled by some of the decisions that Nozomi had made. Nozomi had been relatively silent for the past few days of travel. She'd more or less only told Isob-2 that her destination was Kirigakure, but hadn't bothered explaining why, nor had the man asked. She hadn't been a member of the nation for several years at this point, and had little left to do with the village.

In addition to her allowing Honiko to beat her down, almost to the point of death, Isob-2 was unsure of what it was that Nozomi was thinking lately. Back when he was solely the entity inside Nozomi, he had at least some insight into her emotional state of being, but now that he was a separate person, an extension of his greater Bijuu self but also completely cut off from it, he no longer had that insight.

Nozomi remained silent for a few moments, as they came upon the great walls of Kirigakure. She looked surprisingly pristine considering the damage that Honiko had done to her, the power of Bijuu healing being incredible. Her skin was flawless, and with the quality of her Kimono's defensive properties, it had escaped unscathed of any damage as well. Any blood that had soaked it had washed away while Nozomi had traveled and cleaned, so the only damage that remained with Nozomi was purely mental.

"Reporting to the Kage here. Joki was defeated, seeing if they'll honor the deal or not."

He had been one of the greatest threats to the world, but he was taken out as a threat prematurely by Nozomi's actions. In his old man state, he wasn't any sort of threat to even a genin. Honiko was powerful too, but Nozomi's interactions with others in this world led her to believe that she was no longer the most powerful around. The rest of the world could likely muster a few forces strong enough to fight the woman.

She had been considering whether remaining loyal to Honiko at this point was something she should do anymore. Over the past few days, it had been all she was thinking about. All of her actions over the past few years had been for her. She would have died for Honiko. It had been why she was willing to let the woman kill her, but not for Raijin to.

Ultimately, Nozomi had reached her goal and found that she was unchallenged anymore, the peak of power. If Honiko was done with Nozomi and had needed to kill her to prove her resolve, she would have let that happen gladly. However, her inability to do so to a defenseless Nozomi showed Nozomi that Honiko's resolve was less than her care for her prodigious student. She didn't really want Nozomi to die.

However, the girl knew that Honiko wasn't going to simply give up. She'd left with Joki to take care of him. Whether the former master and student ever met face to face again, she wasn't quite sure. What would Nozomi do in that scenario? She wished they'd never left that cave. She wished that Honiko had taken her with her into the stars, and that they could have left this world behind.

But Honiko needed to make her choice. Remain loyal to Joki and die? Or let go of the past and move forward. Nozomi had tried to give Honiko the world, was ready to throw away her amnesty if Honiko was at the helm, but Honiko was no longer on Nozomi's side. She'd thrown her away, despite her care for her. Nozomi was grateful for the training she'd received, for the power she now held, but she had to let Honiko rise or fall on her own now. If they met again, perhaps Nozomi would try and get her to abandon her goals, and for them to travel the stars together, to go away again and leave this place behind, but she wasn't going to stand in Honiko's way, nor would she provide any more aid to the Shinobi world against the remnants of Joki's Society.

Nozomi was going to return to the Blood Prison, but first she needed to report to at least one Kage from the Summit, to inform them that their fears were likely eradicated now.

It was to that end that she had returned to Kirigakure. At the Summit, she had been promised amnesty for being in the Society if she renounced it. While she hadn't necessarily done so, she had crippled it, and was rebranding her own organization, of which she still held many loyal subjects. The Society the world had issue with was more or less a separate entity to Nozomi's loyalists, so even if they were still The Society by name, they were not the ones that the world would view as terrorists at this point.

Rather than entering the village though, Nozomi sat close to the entrance of the Gate, near a stump that had been burned by a past wild flame. She made no attempt to hide her presence, knowing that Kirigakure would know who she was, and would likely fetch their elites and the Kage to come to her. Even the Jounin would be too afraid to approach her directly, or attack her, especially since she was non hostile. Still, Nozomi focused on gathering her Nature Chakra, refilling her Sage Pool as she waited, and kept her Sensory field active, in case someone was feeling full of themselves and tried to attack.

----
Sensory active
Refilling Sage Chakra Pool, going for 72 hour refill.

For a time the guards were unsure of what to do. None of them wished to approach her. Nozomi Himitsu was one of the most famous faces in the world. If not the most famous. She had originated from here of course and her power as a champion was without question. As far as anyone knew publicly no one had ever bested the woman. These men knew by reputation and instinct that they were no match for this woman. Yet she just sat there. Nearby and watching without so much as a word or hint of approach. Of course once it was agreed among them that this wasn't some hallucination...once the sensory field picked her up as she wasn't trying to hide herself in the slightest...a request for orders had been sent to the administration building. Yet even there they were unsure of what to do...who to send to greet her and inquire of her business here. The princess council were in a meeting somewhere else and their forces had been torn apart fairly well by the destruction of the previous Kage and her followers. They had only a couple of options really. For now they went with someone with some influence in the village and a position of military power...despite him only being a genin.

She would be left to wait there for some time...Sero had to be located and requested despite being a genin. He was the commander of one of their divisions and the clan leader of two clans....perhaps their best option should she prove hostile. Still it was nightfall when he arrived. The moon was full as it appeared almost red in color. Casting its dim glow along the road outside the gates. A fog bank blanketing the ground as it slowly shifted like an endless white sea. Contrast to the light of the moon above. Still for people like Nozomi this wouldn't hinder her vision in the slightest. It was a natural fog after all. However it made the guards uneasy. Soon however the sound of alarmed crows could be heard as they took from the trees near the village in mass. Sensing something approaching and fleeing before it could reach them. A predator their senses told them meant death. The guards would visibly tense as they stood tall. Beads of sweat forming along their skin as one swallowed. All like a held...bated breath. Soon Sero would appear from the fog at the gates.

Sero stood with the light from the gates lamps casting a light glow across him. Ankle length white robes coating his form with bare pale feet sticking out beneath. His skin as pale as the fog he stood in while his hair and eyes stood in shocking contrast with a brilliant yet cold blue. He held no expression outside of a frown that did not meet his eyes. Yet his shadow seemed to shift as if it had five tails...shifting like a cat watching a bird. Sero would step forward with his left hand resting on the hilt of a black katana with purple hues attached to it. A powerful connection to the katon element running through him and the sword bonded to him. Yet there were hints of suiton and fuuton within him as well...as well as something else he did not hide...did not conceal from sensory. The five tails chakra and his own were intermingling. A dark connection that felt of death and decay. He was an executioner yet he did not appear to be coming at her aggressively. Simply floating along like a wraith until he stopped just outside of ten meters from her. His voice calling out in monotone.

"Himitsu Nozomi....your name has been famous here for some time...some even had set you as their goal to fame. Yet here you sit outside the gate as if it were picnic. What brings you here?"

Perhaps she had been kept waiting too long. Normally she'd be annoyed by how long it took, but considering she was gathering Nature energy and mulling over her thoughts, she didn't really care all that much. It wasn't like she was going to force her way into the village. That would be counterproductive. If anything, she was more likely to just leave, but the time passed and she didn't move.

Nozomi's sensory picked up a figure who finally broke from the wall, choosing to approach her. She'd noticed the unnatural presence approaching for some time, but despite the feeling of the person, she didn't really notice any chakra being utilized. It was unique.

'This one is a Jinchuuriki.'

Tailed beast telepathy was a technique that very few Jinchuuriki had accessed, as it was rare for a Jinchuuriki to have created a bond with their Bijuu to the level that Nozomi had with Isobu. However, all Bijuu held the ability, and while Nozomi wasn't always on the lookout for other Jinchuuriki, the 3 tails always knew when another was present. Joki had been one such at a time in the past, and Rin had been another. Sero marked the 3rd Jinchuuriki she had met.

Perhaps that's why they had sent him out. A weapon that might be able to combat Nozomi if she was going to fight. But Nozomi was the greatest weapon ever produced by Kirigakure.

Sero asked what brought her here, given how she was one of the most wanted Kunoichi alive. A fair question, one she had been expecting, but somehow it was surprising coming from the Jinchuuriki in front of her. She didn't know what she'd expected being asked from him, but it wasn't that. Perhaps they'd get to that.

"I came to collect my pardon. During the Kage Summit, it was agreed that those in the Society would be granted a pardon if they denounced it. I defeated the true leader in single combat. Just need to make sure that your princesses spread that news, and make sure they deliver on the pardon as promised. I wouldn't want the villages to make the mistake of coming after me and mine, and forcing me to retaliate."

---
Sage Chakra: filled
Sensory, maintained

Sero would pause where he stood. The mist slowly swirling in a circle around him as it blanketed the floor. He would hear her words and a low growl would escape his chest. A slight displeasure at the hint of a threat. More of a warning really. Still if she had a deal with the leadership of the village he could not act. Still cold blue eyes would shift to watch her a moment in silence. He did not smile or change expression. He didn't even seem to blink as he simply took her in. She was a champion at the last jounin competition and alone Sero likely would be no match for her. However he had never known fear. Even as he sat in a cave fresh out of the hospital. Weak and pitiful staring down at a woman pointing a bow at him...a woman beyond him in power at the time he had not shown fear. It was his tool and trade not his weakness. He knew the facts here were against him and yet still something within him wished to test this one. To push himself against her however uselessly it may be. She was a criminal seeking pardon and he was justice incarnate.

However he would twitch his head to one side suddenly and seem to wince. One of his eyes shifting. The whites turning black as if filled with murky water as the Five tails within him pushed against its seal. The seal filled with Jokis chakra would surge and hold but still the biju pushed. Perhaps it sensed its sibling. Perhaps it wanted to lash out in response to Seros desires...or to hold those desires at bay for survival. Perhaps it thought its sibling would help to free it. However the sensory Nozomi was pushing would easily pick up on that familiar chakra signature mixing with the bijuu and Sero. That seal placed by the man she had put down. Forced upon Sero on an isle of madness. However Sero would regain control quickly. Never one to lose it. This was an oddity. Inside his inner mind the birdcage hanging from the roof swung wildly around the room. The blood lake covered floors would surge back and forth in waves. However Sero would look up to those eyes in the cage watching him. The five tails blue eyes all he could make out still from the dark ceiling.

"Be still creature."

Sero would command the beast and all would suddenly grow still. As if it had never moved. As if waves could become utterly calm. This was his soul this bijuu was touching. It would know its place. With that done the black would fade from Seros eye and he would shift his full attention back to Nozomi. In a ring around him about a meter wide all the grass hide withered away but he was in control now.

"I am sure they will attend to you soon. However for now you have myself. I am Jaakuna Sero. Commander of the Nightmare Brigade and clan head to both the Kaguya and the Hozuki. Pardon the...interruption."

His mannerisms, quite like Nozomi's own, were very cold and distant. A true Kirigakure shinobi stood before her. Nozomi appreciated the serious and quick to the point nature of Sero, she wasn't one for idle chit chat. In truth, her interactions with people were usually short and always with purpose. She preferred silence and being on her own to keeping company with anyone else, although she made an exception for certain people who intrigued her.

Jinchuuriki were almost always people she enjoyed studying. Rin had been interesting, but had a soft heart and wasn't really suited to the world of Shinobi. Akihiro had been one of the few to damage her, but had overestimated his ability to take her out in a single hit and got buried. Hizashi had been interesting, but he'd relied on the power of his Bijuu and former clout too much to realize he'd been outpaced. Without his 8 tails, and with his arrogance, he'd led himself to his own demise. What this person in front of her would turn out to do, she didn't know yet, but he'd be unique, as all Jinchuuriki were. Would he master the entity in him, or would he fall like the rest?

As Sero winced, the Bijuu in him starting to influence Sero and assert some measure of control over him, Nozomi's attention went fully alert. If there was to be a fight, she would be ready for it at a moment's notice. It was then that her sensory noticed some additional chakra imprints. The seal itself was one place by Joki. She recognized it immediately, it was the same residual chakra that she had on her seal. That man had been trying to manipulate things behind the scenes, using candidates from Kirigakure.

Perhaps he'd been looking for candidates like Nozomi, to replicate her power for his own gain, but a candidate who wasn't as loyal to Honiko as she had been. Perhaps he simply wanted to create powerful weapons and used stoic people who wouldn't object to killing like someone with a strong sense of morality. Whatever his goals were, it was plain to see, Joki had made this Jinchuuriki as well. Interesting.

Menza had been behind Rin sealing the 9 tails. It seemed the Society always had its hand on things, behind the scenes.

"It's no bother. I haven't met another Jinchuuriki in a while. Tell me, have you tamed the power of the Tailed Beast in you yet? "

---
Sensory Maintained

Sero would listen to her response as he tilted his head. Feeling her out as his aura should wash over the woman the moment he took the last step to be within ten meters of her. She was on guard...his battle experience had taught him enough. Fighting on blood soaked battlefields time and time again to see when someone was prepared for combat. Or at least believed they were. He had seen men make their final stand knowing the end had come. Fighting on instinct in the end rather than cower. Of course most would avoid this interaction with him entirely. He strayed some distance from most of society. Keeping the nightmares at bay both from the enemy and himself. Only the most battle hardened of Kiri joined the nightmare brigade. With no more remorse for the slaughter they knew the fear he put off as just another thing to remind them to remain aware. Keeping their senses sharp.

For her though he knew if he provoked her...he could sense she was stronger. The beast in him wanted this. It wanted Sero to clash with her. If he were to perish than would it not be free? Still her question and comment lingered in the cool air as a blanket of mist drifted along the floor only breaking periodically around their feet. Like waves with broken parts revealing the dew soaked ground. The village hidden in the mist was always a cold and wet place...but industry had brought its population up all the same. If the beast broke free here it would lay waste to all he protected. So he would not press to engage. He had no need to if she were indeed pardoned. She was no longer a criminal. Still as the beast pressed he would lose patience with it. His temper flaring as his skin ripped along his jaw. His flesh turning into a nearly transparent black swamp like liquid a moment as his teeth would be outlined within. He let out a growl that turned the beast within him to calmer tones. Pushing it back for now before his cold blue eyes looked to her. His skin returning to a flawless pale color again. Porcelain in the light of the night. His voice returned through the moment of silence and his aura. Like raw killing intent between them and yet he made no move towards her. Even as he spoke it would be easily clear for her within his aura that he was an experienced killer.

"Is that what this burdensome beast cast upon me is? I do not know its name as of yet as it fights me so often..its five tails swaying as it plays and pushes. Prodding for weaknesses. It will bend to me will occasionally however. It was its power that destroyed the Indiana Kaijus chakra system. In time it will break before me and be tamed as it seems I can not kill it."

He paused however as a guard from the gates cautiously approached. Unwilling for the most part to approach either person present. He would swallow his fear however as he had drawn the short straw and was under orders. He would step up and hand the orders to Sero as he reached out with a pale hand and snagged it from the man. Who hastily made a retreat back to the safety of the other sheep. Sero would unroll the orders and for the first time an expression would cross his features. His eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. That woman was back. The one who had threatened him last he saw her. Pointing an arrow at him and surrounding him with her team. Her threats his first and second interaction with her. Having seen her again recently. Despite his work seeing not a shred of respect from her. Sayuri was his queen and yet she would make demands of him...He would let the order burst into green flames in his hands and turn to ash in a second. His irritation fading from his features as he would look back to Nozomi. Empty and plain again.

"It appears Kitsuki would like to see you immediately. Will you accompany me to her?"

The five tails. Nozomi didn't have the strongest tailed beast, but she was fine with that. Isobu had been a trusted companion for years, and they worked well together. To be honest, she liked that her Bijuu was weaker than most of the others, it just proved that she was relying more on her own power than that of the Bijuu.

'Which is the Five Tails?'
'Kokuo.'

Nozomi hadn't heard of the Indaina Kujira. It was destroyed though, so she didn't really need to know about it. That had been taking place while she was recovering from her fight on the Isle, although she didn't know it. Nozomi wasn't the most curious person, so she didn't ask him what he was talking about.

And perhaps it was a good thing, because shortly after, someone approached to inform them that Nozomi was being requested by one of the leaders. Excellent, that meant that she could get this all wrapped up and finished.

"Certainly, lead the way. As for the Bijuu, Kokuo, I recommend working with them and gaining their respect. Ultimately you'll need to subdue it in a fight for dominance of its chakra, but then you can begin working together fully."

Turning to her companion, the human avatar of Isobu, she issued a final order.

"You can head home. I'll be returning at some point, but make sure nothing bad has happened in our absence. Inform the rest of what's occurred to keep them up to date."

He nodded, and flew off towards the Blood Prison. Nozomi then returned her attention to Sero and would follow him wherever he took her.

---
Sensory active

Isobu heading to the Blood Prison
[Exit/Entering Kiri?]

Sero would listen to her words and gain the creatures name. In his inner self he could see the green fires lighting along the hanging chandeliers that had been hidden in darkness before. Before him laying in a birdcage large enough to fit it comfortably was Kukuo over a pool of blood that seemed to stretch on forever under him. No walls to be seen and even the roof seemed to eventually fade into darkness. The green lit chandeliers seemingly hanging in the air above them all. Casting its eerie ambient glow. Sero stood upon the pool of blood beneath it with cold blue eyes staring upwards. Much larger blue eyes would open to lift its head. Glowering at its warden a moment. The blood itself did not ripple as Sero stood there. As if there were glass between him and it yet the blood stained his pale feet. His hands lifted and now in the glow he could see his robes and hands were bathed in it. This blood had come here from all he had killed and consumed. Endless blood from his savage justice. Endless lives. Of course it held no reality to it. He did not actually store this blood in himself...yet this was how his soul reflected.

Kukuo would raise its head and huff a moment before seeming to glance up and beyond Sero. It's eyes both annoyed and amused at the moment but his writhing having subsided. This was a dark and depressing place to be imprisoned. Yet he had grown cold and accustomed to it.

'So....Isobus host blathers my name to my captor and now you can see. Well at least it is a step in a direction. Heed her words you vicious attack dog. I can be bargained with and it would suit you to treat me better.'

Sero would take a breath a moment as now all of this clarity meant he could learn about this power. To actually understand more. If her words were true he could eventually master it as it appeared she had done. His attention returned to Nozomi as the man was excused to go back somewhere. Home where others were waiting. Of course he had little knowledge of the blood prison beyond anything publicly available nor that Nozomi used it as a base. Still it did not matter to him. She would follow and he would find that her not minding his aura much interesting. Still he would glide back through the gates to where they were to meet. The streets closing their doors and shutters. There was no need to usher children away for they understood fear enough to be afraid. Sero had never raised a hand to these people but he was labeled an actual monster. His chosen surname, Jaakuna, meant abomination. For that was all he had ever been. His aura terrifying them and their stories embellishing upon him. The wraith of the mists. The king of nightmares. It was said that if those blue eyes made eye contact that he would consume the victims soul. Of course they were mostly just stories. Few of them had ever seen what mayhem and gore he left of his actual enemies.

Exit thread
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