Arc sat alone. But then again he was never alone. He had 9 voices in his head. Jikan Kurama Wrath, Greedy, Lust, Pride, Gluttony, Sloth, and Envy. So it got exceedingly annoying when his voices got restless. For the most part kurama didn't speak with him unless there was something to say. Jikan didn't talk hardly at all. It was his inner demons that were problematic. They chatted away whenever he got a second to think making thinking actually quite hard. He wished there was a way to put them all to sleep. Otto had suggested Hypnotherapy but Arc wasn't sure about that as much as he wasn't sure about Otto. When he saw him attack that random citizen it was all he could do from not ripping the boys throat out. Wrath had enjoyed the flare up of blood lust but to Arc it was a righteous fury. It was time to do something about that guy. Arc had left a seal on the guy last time they had met. Arcanis decided he had to do something. Teleporting to Otto he found himself at the park. “Otto.” Arcanis drew attention of the young man. “It's time I demonstrate to you why you can't go around hurting people anymore.”
Arcanis was really going to demonstrate? Hm... time to test his two seperate theories, one of which was already partially confirmed. The first was that the jutsu that Arcanis was using could teleport him anywhere. Such a jutsu was extremely powerful, and it appeared that the boy could do this without trouble. Such a power would be valuable to an ally, and problematic for an opponent. AT first glance the ability seemed extremely fast but how fast was something to be seen as Otto's observational skill's weren't quite as strong. Arcanis had just simply appeared to travel to the park.
The second theory was that the Man was actually very powerful. He never could tell because he always was somehow obscuring his chakra levels. But a jutsu like teleportation was not something that a lowly ninja could master with such grace. But the fact that Arcanis thought he could fight Otto was a laugh. “What do you think someone like you could do to someone like me? You think with your little teleporting trick that you can even touch my power? I've mastered 3 elements I'd like to see you get past my wall of flames.” With that Otto created a wall of flames encircling him. Arc was not in the least impressed.
“Flames? Against a water user? Are you a moron?” Arcanis gestured toward the sky while activating his eye turning it white with the tattoo of a snake eating it's self. The sky poured forth a torrent of water putting out the flames. “I'm sorry but you are causeing to many problems in this village. If you want to settle this follow me. Otherwise you will not survive for very long in this town.” With that Arc coppied the kids ability to fly on a disk of water.
So, now the boy claimed to be a water user. Normally, Otto would declare this a straight-up lie, but judging by Arcanis' chakra, he had the water element. Then.. the boy apologized and left. How very unusual... as the confusion cleared from his mind, Otto noted that Arcanis was making unusual and suicidal actions.... hmm... did the boy have a similar split personality? It was one of the few fitting explanations. Well, only time would tell. Otto headed to Arcanis as quickly as possible, using the same method as before.
When he arrived, he would make the water disk float in the air beside him. He would pretend to ignore Arcanis' suicidal actions but would start a conversation.
"My, Arcanis, you do try to hide your power. I know of your ability to teleport, and that you can use them proficiently. I have also conjectured with a high degree of certainty that the use of the jutsu send my sensory jutsu, causing me some mental obstruction. I also now know that you are capable of creating telporting at long distances, if not anywhere in the world. That was how you managed to bring down rain from a cloudless sky. In addition, you must require some kind of extremely long-range surveillance technique, which I suspect is your doujutsu. " Here Otto smiled. "I know you don't trust me, but if you really didn't, you wouldn't reveal so much to me. So could it be that you now hold me in the same regard that I hold you: as a friend?" Otto hoped for a favorable answer, his deduction could alienate the boy.
"Oh, and also, you need not apologize for the headaches, I asked you to show you abilities and I suffered the consequences. The fault is entirely mine." Otto wondered just how intelligent Arcanis was.... the chunin must be awfully inventive and intelligent. Otto would lean back against the other side of the boulder of Arcanis. The boulder only had 30 health, being mostly composed of sedimentary rock.
Arcanis realized that Otto had arrived. He spouted something about them being friends and what not. It couldn't have been farther from the truth. He had to get this guy out of here. his recent victory had given him a confidence that he hadn't had in a long time. He breathed deeply. the smell of the world around him soothed him. the rocks the earth everything felt good. Otto had said something to him. detailing how his jutsu worked. Arcanis shrugged. He cared very little about anything. The guy felt that he knew all about his jutsu but he barely scratched the surface. it was as if his Jutsu was a fine dish and Otto was judging the taste by the words on a menu. true intelligence came from the combination of Art and Science. Arcanis thought of enlightening Otto but then he realized that he was just a kid. it would be insulting to try to talk that way to someone who is so young. Arcanis felt that maybe it was a good thing that this guy thought he was strong. The only thing that set off Arcanis was the flippant way this guy used his jutsu to hurt people. regardless of what he would say to the fact that He wouldn't have a reason to hurt his friends, he didn't have a reason to hurt random people as well. Otto was trouble and very dangerous. he was a double sided sword. The only problem was Otto was fixated with his abilities. Abilities that Arcanis was not at all willing to share. Arcanis didn't say anything for a while. he didn't think Otto appreciated his intelligence. Arcanis was a tool. at least that is what Arc believed that Otto thought. However if in the future he were to trust Arcanis and in turn Arcanis is able to trust Otto. If that were to happen Arcanis might just be able to make his first real friend like Otto had thought. However even in the friendship Otto seemed to be someone who might react badly to anything and turn on him. He needed to be tested before he was trusted.
"Otto. you understand why I don't trust you correct? if you possess even half the intellect I believe you to have than you've already figured out why I don't trust you. You in turn though don't trust me. even though I have so far given you no reason to doubt me. However if you are as good as i think you are you can plan more steps into the future than just tomorrow. You know how valuable I am in the late game. Question is can you see far enough ahead to protect me long enough to get to the late game?"
Arcanis voice became solomn and lower in pitch. Otto should be able to see that a layer of lies has been stripped away from Arcanis facade. but even if he didn't Arc's words should strike true. Arcanis didn't much care about the reaction that Otto would have. because Arcanis had sown his seeds. what was left was to see what grew from it. In a game of chess Arc had just played a gambit. the boulder between them arcanis couldn't tell whether of not Otto was grinning. He probably was but at this point his piece was played.
If Otto was able to read Arcanis' mind, he would have contradicted him on some points. However, he could not. Now, one thing that Otto could conclude was that, despite the demonstration of power that they had just given each other, Arcanis did not trust Otto. Otto created several theories of why this was, one of which was confirmed when Arcanis spoke. Now, one invalidating hypothesis was that Arcanis was merely flattering him by praising his intelligence. This was entirely possible of course, but highly improbable, or at least somewhat improbable. This was because Arcanis most likely recognized that Otto was intelligent, and so thus using his own mental powers, would predict that Otto would realize that it was flattery. This would lead to Arcanis being honest. Now, that was something. Otto considered himself relatively harmless. The fact that Arcanis considered him intelligent and perhaps dangerous was impressive indeed.
Now, time to analyze everything else. If Arcanis didn't trust Otto, than Otto would not reciprocate with the same mistrust; it wasn't like him to do such a thing. However, he did need to see what sort of information he could get out of every word his new companion said. Now, what was this about... protecting him? The late game? Hmm.... judging by what he said... "late-game"... could he be referring to the chess endgame? Heh.... what was this boy thinking, throwing his information out like that. Such a dangerous tactic... but then again, people used dangerous tactics all the time in chess. Gambits, especially. Otto grinned widely, his eyes almost shining with the harsh light of genius.
A gambit, huh? Well... there were two things you could do with a gambit such as this. Depending on your position, you could accept or decline the gambit through a single move. Hmm.. what should Otto do? Should he accept Arcanis' gambit.... and head into a risky friendship? Or should he decline and continue playing the game on solely his own terms?
Otto looked forward, grinning maniacally. "Hmph. The late game, huh? The question is, will you remain on our side of the board long enough for me to protect you? And will you, as a piece, be responsive to the whims of the player? After all, we can't have you be suddenly promoted only to run wild and make consequences, bad ones. Such a pawn should be used as a sacrifice. So.... if you don't do anything reckless, which I don't think you will, then yes, I believe we, as two rooks, can cooperate to crush the opponent's back rank. At least, that's how I see it; visualize it as you will."
Otto leaned a little harder against the rock.... and the water disk formed into a shaped bullet and smashed the top of the rock off. It would fall to Arcanis' right, and Otto's left. Otto turned around and faced Arcanis. "I accept your gambit Arcanis. Let's use that to win the game." He smiled in a genuinely friendly way.
Otto hopped on top of the boulder. Arcanis may have thought he had played a clever move, and indeed he had. A gambit.... to sow the seeds of destruction for his enemies. Otto normally didn't take such risks, but this time he might. Playing with a gambit opening.... how very exciting!
Otto began to analyze what Arcanis had said. So, the boy wanted him to keep knowledge of his powers a secret, which he had already been trying to do, further confirmation of what he had concluded earlier. Secrets huh? Well... he would have to see about that. He knew that the higher-ups always had some way to detect lies, but overall, Otto could be trusted to keep a secret safe. He was a shinobi, after all. He was expected and obligated to keep his secrets, and to keep them well. He was also expected to sell and give secrets to the right people... but he would probably not do that to Arcanis. Arcanis seemed a nice fellow, someone who he could just chill with, if he wasn't too staid.
Now, Otto began to listen further. Arcanis seemed to have a more trusting tone, but you could never tell, especially with people like him. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to find out. So... he sat down on the rock at this point in the speech, and the water that he had just used to smash the rock separated and began to spin in the form of the solar system around the rock. Arcanis, being close to the rock, would be just within the orbit of Mercury. So... it wasn't just the boy, but his family who had been hiding the secret of his clan's bloodline. What bothered Otto the most was that Arcanis had admonished him to not flaunt information. What did Arcanis take him for, an idiot? Hmph, such things should go without saying.
Otto then heard Arcanis admonish him.... again. What he had done to the workman hadn't been damage at all, but had been mere fun. The collateral damage hadn't been too bad, had it? Nevertheless, he should be a little more careful.
"Arcanis... I accept all of your conditions... however, there will be a few obstacles. I would like to gracefully ask your permission to travel with you... and to have use of your teleportation when you use them. I understand if you refuse. However, it would be better for our continued cooperation. Finally, as for the team... well, I'll see to that. I'm pretty sure I'll see some others soon. Now, as for persuading other ninja... I don't know any other ninja in the area that would be strong enough to begin as your subordinate. As to a destination, I think we should head to Tanzaku first."
At this point, a "comet" would sweep into the solar system model, destroying all the planets as Otto reformed the water into globe in the palm of his hand. Arcanis Wasn't sure he liked the guys personality. He was quiet and soft spoken but he had a very violent streak. He would use the boy for now but would likely kill him as soon as he found allies he could trust. Who know maybe the kid would change.
Arcanis watched Otto. Otto was listening to his verbal assault quietly. he listened intently. too intently. it was as if he was analyzing every word he said. Arcanis smiled as he continued. someone like Otto probably only listened to what was said and analyzed that. maybe Arcanis would teach him how to read deeper. 'Nah' Arcanis thought. the power to read thoughts was an astonishing gift. Arcanis had developed it with years of practice. Otto didn't need to know. "knowledge is power" Arcanis thought to himself. having knowledge that another didn't can be used as tool.
As he spoke Otto began using a jutsu that controlled water having the obs of liquid circle around himself. The orbs took on the replication of the solar system with Otto at the center. This was not a good omen. Otto thought to highly of himself. an orb arced around toward Arcanis. Arcanis continued talking and allowed the orb to move passed him. this was not a game he would play. Otto was showing qualities that Arcanis didn't like. Otto revealed the name of his jutsu. the name was meaningless to Arcanis for names were just words. words can be changed and altered as can a jutsu. so the value of the name was lost on Arcanis. Otto asked about the name of his jutsu. Arc didn't like giving out free information as he had pointed out many times. “It's a Phasing jutsu. It changes the location of things." Otto was beginning to show problematic signs. He wasn't going to be a good partner and in the end he would rather fight Arcanis than allow Arcanis to lead. he wanted too much. But the mans greed was a weakness. However Arc may be able to use that desire at least in the short term. until Otto was no longer profitable. Otto on the outside seemed tame almost except for his not caring for the world around him. Arcanis knew it was only a matter of time before Arcanis would not matter to him either. Arc had to tempt him. give him something he wants and in return Arc would be given more trust.
That is when Otto began to speak. He made a request which was not outside of reasonable. Then he suggested their next destination. little did he know that Arcanis had already planed to head to Tanzaku next. but that was fine. "Tanzaku is a good idea. I will begin preperations. Another thing..." Arcanis would allow all these things because none of them were unreasonable. "...We need to assign roles in our group even between the two of us. as our group gets larger we will need to assign responsibilities. as we are things can be discussed between us but as the group evolves there will be a need for leadership. I think you should be our leader. but I request one thing. I am an able risk manager. If you follow my advice we will stay out of trouble. However if you don't listen we may draw unwanted attention. and My first piece of advice is don't attack random civilians no matter how angry they make you. Causing trouble intentionally is not the way of the ninja. Now we should split up and make preparations."
Arcanis Knew that Otto would be thrilled with Arcanis stepping away from the leadership spot. He may try to analyze the gift but he will take it regardless. Arcanis had found what he needed. he had found Otto's weakness. Otto would allow greed to fog his decision making. However intelligent he may be he couldn't get out of this cornering move. But Arcanis was also setting himself up as well. "Anyway lets get ready and as soon as we are ready we will head out."
Otto was glad that Arcanis agreed with him about Tanzi . Tanzi was rainy, and the more water that poured forth from the heavens, the more powerful he is. Of course, logically, they would come to be at odds with each other, because of their equal power and vastly different personalities and goals. However, this was the present, and for the close future, he saw Arcanis as someone he could get along with. He was almost sure that Arcanis thought the same thing, as he was not yet able to gauge the exact depth of the chunin's intelligence. He collected the water and spun it in a ring around his hand.
So, the jutsu was called "phase"... huh... now, that was interesting. If it was called "phase" and could "change the location of things".... then it could change the location of stationary objects, optimally. Now, that would be useful later on. He would be sure to ask him more about his power later on, because it was an asset. But... what was this? It appeared that they were heading to Tanzaku now. So... they would need to prepare. He needed to acquire some things first, he would take care of that on his own free time. But Arcanis wanted him to be leader? Something was up here. Usually, the founder of the group was a leader. But here, Arcanis, after only knowing him for a short time, was inviting him to be a leader. Such a thing was unheard of. He almost turned it down, but "Evil Otto" stopped him.
{This is an opportunity! Regardless of the consequences, I can deal with them! Will you pass this up? Imagine the resources, and the power!}
[Other self... do you honestly believe that there is nothing odd about this? Arcanis is far too cunning and hasn't known me very long. Already, he is inviting me to be the leader of some group in place of himself. Even you know that men are naturally self-serving. So why aren't you suspicious at all?}
{Of course I'm suspicious, boy. Do you think I would go into this unprepared in this situation? And besides, you went out of your way to socialize. Well, here you go, the perfect opportunity. Keep in mind that you shouldn't always accept his advice right off the bat, question him and everything he suggests. You need to make sure he won't betray you. If you don't do it right, I will.}
[Very well, I'll go ahead with your plan, trusting in your good sense. Keep in mind though, I won't let my actions be completely dominated by your greed. That's our weakness you know, our fault. If I let you take over, I am not going to survive. I will be your conscience, your guide. I will become your backup moral set.]
Otto looked up and got off the rock. The water floated over to an old woman's garden and watered the garden for her. "You're asking me to be the leader? Huh. Very well, I accept your offer. As for departure, I must prepare some things first. Please contact me when you are ready to go; I will get back to you later.”
“Before you leave.” Arc twidled his first finger and second finger back and forth sort of like the way you do when you are miming someong walking but upside down. He did it very subtly though. “Otto I need you to listen to me real quick you are looking really sleepy. You seem to be falling into a deep sleep deeper still until you are completely under. The darkness is total and you are completely comfortable.” Arcanis watched as otto's eyes drifted closed and he fell against arc's chest. Speaking into his ear Arcanis continued the technique he had been working on. “You are now under my suggestion. When I snap my fingers you will wake up and not remember anything about this. Whenever you lie to me you will blink three times in succession and not notice you are doing it.” Arcanis snapped his fingers and Otto snapped out of his hypnosis.
With that, he flew off toward the mountains on a disk of water, his arms crossed. He had done well that day, having met a new person. But that leadership invitation.... he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being manipulated. Oh well, only time would tell. He passed over the kage palace, and the building which the two had been sitting on. The pieces were coming together. Now the Arcanis was there, he had collected more information. The more he had, the more of a complete being he would become.
As Otto left Arcanis felt tired too tired. Motivation that is what Arcanis needed. He had been working hard but didn't actually do any thing. He trained and train and practiced his jutsu but in the end nothing really came of it until he went on a mission. Arcanis went to a dinner to rest and eat. He needed a mission badly. He thought as he cleaned his plate. He needed power and that wasn't going to happen if he stuck around here. The food was delicious it was a mix of ramen and vegtables that Arcanis had never had before. He picked up his knife and stabbed the table ignoring the glares of the owners. Arcanis stood. He needed quiet. He grabbed his katana and headed toward the door. “hey are you gonna pay for that?” Arcanis threw a kunai behind him and pulled a ryu note out of his pocket. He lifted the note and teleported it to the kunai knife as the kunai pinned it to the wall. He walked out of the ramen shop into the rain.
Today he wanted to kill someone. He wanted blood. He could even taste it. Shock He realized that it wasn't him thinking it was Him thinking.
the rain beat down on Arcanis but he didn't even notice. The rain meant nothing. The world meant nothing. His life meant nothing but the thought of gaining power. He would work hard and show everyone that he was the most powerful. The rain didn't phase Arcanis
“you really want to do this again?” Arc said to the voice in his head
“I'm going to kill you this time and I'm going to take your power for my own.” the voice in his head just laughed at what he was about to do. Arcanis' body went numb. He fell to the ground and blacked out. The rain penetrated his dream as he moved back to the confrontation grounds once more.
The rain seemed to float slowly down to the ground. Nothing made sense in this screwed up world. The figure who Arc had taken care of last time stood in front of him. The figure seemed to be a mirror of himself. But something was DIfferent. The figure had wings this time.. His stance and the look in his eyes screamed evil. “Now we'll take it to the next level.” the being hissed. Arcanis looked at his hands. His Zanpakuto rested in his hands. He focused his chakra and filled the blade covering it in a sharp hard layer of will. He had been working to develop this technique as well. He negected his weapon training that he father had shown him when he was young. He decided now was the perfect time to re master the skills that he needed to know.
Everything felt real but at the same time it felt like a dream. The being in front of him laughed and disappeared. “Heh predictable.” Arc raised his blade and defended behind his back blocking the obvious attack from the blind side. Arc had already fought this opponent so his same moves would no be enough to beat him. Arc was stronger and faster. The being drew his own blade and prepared to fight Arcanis in that way. Arc remembered what his father had told him about the way of the sword.
Arc had been young. His father faced him in the family dojo both brandished a bamboo practice sword and His father taught him everything he knew. Then his father had given him a real sword and taught him the next level of sword play. “Son the art of the blade is an art of speed and precision. The person to land the first blow is the one to claim victory. This is why the Iaido form was created. It is the art of the God draw. By aiming the strike with a sheathed katana the user can draw and strike from the sheath 5-10 times faster than if the blade was unsheathed. However obviously this takes time.
Arcanis had not mastered the technique before his parents had died and the dojo had been left abandoned. Arc sheathed his weapon and took up the stance of the iaido master. Timing and speed were the only things he thought of. The copy of him was fast but the God draw was the fastest sword style in the world. His muscles tensed as the being approached. Arc slid the sword out an inch with his thumb. When the clone reached with in range Arcanis focused everything into his speed and power. Flashing forward he drew his blade the blade moveing so fast it was invisible to the naked eye. He ended his stroke and in the Iaido fasion he returned the blade to the sheath.
“Heh you think that is enough to defeat ME?” the clone said. Arc looked over his shoulder. It seemed the clone was able to block the incredibly fast straight attack.
“Alright. This time i'll put more power into it. Focusing his chakra into the blade as he drew it he sent a chakra arc at his opponent with a pivoting reverse sky to ground slash. He immediately returned the sword to his sheath and followed the chakra blade flying at his opponent. He repeated his Dancing Blade risk technique striking the opponent with a powerfull slash as he attempted to block the chakra blade. But instead of blocking the clone dissappeared again.
Arcanis whirled around but wasn't fast enough as the being kicked him in the stomach sending him flying backward. The being was on him in an instant. Still in the air the beast kicked him high into the air. As he soared upward he could taste the blood in his mouth. Blood! How was he tasting blood. He never tasted anything in his dreams. He slowly turned around discovering that the figure wasn't done with him yet. The figure punched him over and over. Elbows and knees flew as the two began to fall back down. The thing punched him hard. Grabbing onto Arcanis' ankles he swung Arcanis around over and over vertically until he threw him hard down into the ground. Rolling over a few times Arcanis was sure that he had broke his shoulder and a couple ribs and his arm. Snarling and spiting out the blood. Arcanis glared at the smiling figure. The thing was making fun of him. He was faster stronger. Nothing seemed to phase him. It was like he was mocking him. “Why are you so weak” Arcanis grimaced. Standing Arcanis focused his chakra. Two blows to his chest and one to his chin knocked him off his feet again. His “clone” stood over him. Arcanis was lifted into the air by a powerful kick. He landed on the ground a long way from the Mirror of himself. Arcanis lay on the ground. He tried to breathe his lungs were probably filling. If he didn't do anything soon he would simply die. Arc stood. The Figure attacked sprinting head long at him. 'Good' Arc shot a blast of air at his double. Teleporting to the other side of him, he delivered a crushing kick to the clone. whirling in a flash of motion Arcanis slid his blade into the crappy copy of him. The clones disappeared as did the world around him as Arcanis sat up from the pavement. he had passed out. But he didn't have time to worry. he had a new found strength and he had to get ready to go to Tanzaku.
He knelt down by his blade and lifted it from the soaking pavement. “Jikan. Thank you.” Arc said. The sword was always at his side and yet he never really gave it enough thought. He brought it back to His house. Sitting on the floor he focused his mind on his blade the embodiment of his soul. Entering the blade Arcanis stood back to back with his blade. “So I guess this means we will be fighting together more often now.”
“Arcanis it's time you knew about my true full form. It is an ability called Bankai. You will need to begin preparing your body. Soon you will have more power than you'll know what to deal with.” Arc turned around but found himself back in his house. “time to get to work, i guess”
TWC 5260
learning:
Iaido skill
hypnosis
flying swallow
Dancing blade risk
Flash rupture
5200 ryo
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