Shimijin Reveals the Ultimate Truth

Shimiko was leading Seigi to Kumogakure. She didn't know where the Society's base was and she didn't have any intention of taking him there. Instead, she wanted him in Kumogakure where she could have ANBU examine him. They'd be able to tell her whether or not this was actually her brother or just some bizarre iteration of him. Eventually she'd need to come clean with him and she decided that the best place to do it was in the very country that she killed her own parents in.

The two had been traveling in silence for the majority of the journey. Shimiko-Raijin had maintained the disguise the whole time and while she enjoyed pretending to be someone else, it was getting tiring. Now that they were well within the Land of Hot Springs and outside Konoha's jurisdiction, she figured there was no harm in dropping her disguise. She had taken perfect care to ensure that they had not been followed. They were now in a misty valley, with rocks and hot springs all around. The insane concentration of iron and rare minerals had turned the water in the area into a deep red. Shimiko knew that this land was the ancestral home of the Chinoike and she could think of no better place than to reveal her true nature. This was probably just a cosmic doppelganger of her beloved brother, but if it was her Seigi then may this place might bring his memories back. As they were walking, Shimiko-Raijin suddenly stopped and turned around. The dark skinned Missing-Ninja waited until he had Seigi's full attention before continuing.

"Seigi Douchiwa....I'm afraid I haven't been entirely honest with you. I am not Raijin nor am O affiliated with the Enlightened Society of Rebirth and Reordering."

Shimiko took a deep breath and prepared herself. There was a good chance that Seigi would take this personally. He might even attack her either out of anger or suspicion that she meant to do him harm. She had taken an enormous risk attempting to bring him to Kumo but she did it because she believed it was right. Not just as a matter of strategy but as a matter of spirituality. Shimiko released the Chinoike Transformation jutsu. The blood that had formed the basis for her physical transformation melted away revealing her true features. The blood then retracted back into her Chinowakugumi Armour.



Before Seigi would stand a 5"10 blonde Chinoike with bluish-green eyes, a pair of weighty pigtails, and a determined grin. She was wearing red armour, a pair of black gauntlets, and a pair of combat heels. It was an astonishing reveal and she'd let him take it all in before speaking.

"My name is Shimiko Chinoike, ANBU Captain of Kumogakure no Sato. My brother was Seigi Chinoike, the Second Raikage. I lied about being Raijin so that I could entice Konoha into a deal that would eventually go sour. The end result would be to unite the three main shinobi villages against the Society and destroy through a combined effort. I wasn't expecting to meet you Seigi but when I did, I knew that I had to bring you back. I know I lied and I'm sorry I had to do that but it was necessary. If there is even a 1% chance you might be him, maybe ANBU will be able to find out for sure. And if not, you have my word we will not harm you or use you as an asset to harm Konoha. I understand you might have questions and its a lot to take in. You can ask me anything you'd like and I'll do my best to answer. You have my word I won't attack you. I may have deceived you but its not my intention to harm you"

She spoke in a clear and calm tone. The Chinoike felt a bit emotional but she knew that now was absolutely not the time to lose focus. There was no telling how her traveling companion would react to the news and in case he decided to respond with violence she needed to be ready to put him down.

The mist around them was intense, and had only become worse as time went on, but they pressed forward, mostly quiet. Raijin had told him he was taking a roundabout way to Kumogakure, to make sure they weren't followed. This already made Seigi a little wary, but he didn't speak his mind, wanting to see exactly what Raijin's plan was.

Seigi had been pondering this for awhile now, and had a few theories, but nothing solid, nothing with evidence. What Raijin didn't know, was the extent that Seigi had been a missing-nin. He reflected on his words back in the Resort, when he was telling the other woman that had been there with them that it was the nature of Missing-nin to betray each other; this wasn't an assumption, but experience, and another thing Seigi had plenty of experience in was breaking into other villages. One distinct memory Seigi had was when he snuck into Konoha using his Baku disguise, only to bomb it to try and draw Hokuai out of hiding. This had led to a deal between him and the Leaf, but Seigi couldn't remember quite exactly what the deal had been. Almost as soon as he met Raijin, he assumed it was a similar thing. A lone man, a singular name, and a deal.
Raijin would stop a few feet in front of him, turning around, and confession that he hadn't been honest with Seigi. The Jonin would stop, keeping quiet. He had expected this, but not so soon. Taking a deep breath, Raijin's skin would seem to melt away, turning red. Underneath the blood, he saw her. He felt his body tense up, his fight or flight response shouting to him to run, but he dismissed it. The old him would have attacked outright, but he wanted to hear what she had to say, and so he would listen.

She spoke of who she was, her true intentions, and a promise that she didn't want to harm him or Konoha. And to be honest, he believed her. Seigi would laugh to himself, lowering his head, placing his left arm across his stomach and resting his right elbow on his hand, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well, this isn't the twist I saw coming but now that I think about it, it makes sense." Seigi would say, lifting his head up. "And I get it. Losing your brother is tough. I would have done the same." He would sigh, weighing his options. "But let's say I'm a little offended you weren't honest with me. What if I refuse?"
He didn't have the fighting prowess he did before, but he was still strong. He would slide his right foot back, bracing it against the ground, his lone eye honed in on Shimiko, and the air about him would change. This wasn't the work of chakra, or magic, or genjutsu. This was Seigi, a new aura that would eminate from him. It wasn't seen, it was felt. His hands remained idle at his side, within view, save for his right hand cracking it's knuckles with his thumb one knuckle at a time.

"A million ryo. I want half of what Neko-sama gave you. Then I'll go with you."

Shimiko was too disciplined to breathe a sigh of relief when Seigi laughed in response to her revelation. She was happy that he didn't want to attack her immediately, but she could tell he was more than disappointed. He asked her what would happen if he refused. He slid into a fighting stance and Shimiko could perceive a difference in ethos. She wasn't sure if this man had the same level of fighting competence as her brother but part of her was eager to test him out. He could be bluffing but on the off chance he wasn't, Shimiko figured there was no harm in seeing how she stacked up to this doppelganger.

"Then I take you in by force. I wasn't just bragging on myself back in Konoha. I'm no slouch" she smiled at him. She said he could ask questions and that she'd answer as honestly as she could. She wasn't going to lie to him at this stage, not any more. If he refused to come quietly then she'd knock him unconscious and take him to Kumo.

He then made a startling demand. He wanted half of Kumo's take. One million ryo. It was a bold demand for someone who wasn't exactly in the position to be making commands and she tilted her head in annoyance. She considered the request. In truth, half of this money was already spoken for. She intended to give some of this money to the Church. They needed to maintain their militia and Mora was under increasing pressure to ensure the Orthodoxy's defensive capabilities were top notch.

"I can't give you that much Seigi. But I'm a reasonable gal. Two-hundred thousand.....but if anyone asks, even the Raikage, I only walked out of Konoha with 1.2 million ryo. One million for the village, two hundred thousand for you and the rest....well its complicated. Let's just say its 1.2 million. Its our little secret. I'll throw in my crafting services for free. Any weapon you want, I'll make for you. No charge."

It was far short of what he had asked for but it was still a decent amount of money. Enough to buy himself something nice. She figured there'd be no harm in hooking up with weapons as well. That way he could spend his 200K on whatever pleased him. Assuming he accepted, she'd follow up with:

"Anything else?"

"Force."

His demands were countered, much lower, but also with free crafting services. Truth be told, Seigi didn't give two shits about the money. He wanted to push Shimiko. He needed to know her limit, how much before she moved to action. He had full intention on going with her, but if he did, they needed to work together. She was skilled to get this far, no doubt a testament to her abilities as a shinobi, but Seigi needed to see firsthand. If she was ANBU captain, she was best of the best for Kumogakure. She would be a good gauge on Kumogakure's strength, as well as his own. He had little chance to really let loose in this universe, and this was as good a place as any. She wouldn't kill him, meaning she'd most likely hold back, but as she had said previously, it would be good for him to stretch his legs. Seigi would inhale slowly, then exhale. His breath was visible in this dense mist, and he wondered if the environment would affect his ability to fight, but he supposed it didn't matter much.

"You do brag a lot. If I'm not mistaken, you called yourself one of the best fighters in the world." He would say to Shimiko, beginning to slowly circle her. "In fact, you're the only person you fully named when you spoke, apart from your brother. I hope I don't disappoint."

Hare → Ram → Snake → Hare → Ram → Snake

Seigi's hands moved in quick succession, and the ground beneath him, and in a box 25 meters behind him, would rise up quickly, beginning to arc over Shimiko, in an attempt to propel Seigi upward and over her, Seigi keeping on the earthen terrain using chakra in the bottom of his feet. His hand would then shift through two more handsigns, and the earth he had elevated would quickly turn to mud, in an attempt to trap Shimiko in a tidal wave of mud.


Techniques used:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

185-30-30=125 Chakra Remaining

Shimiko's grin stayed on her face as Seigi began to circle her. He was probably thinking the same thing that she was.

How do I stack up against this pseudo-sibling?

He was correct in stating that she was a bit of a braggart, but that was just how the shinobi world was. It responded to confidence. Pure, unbridled, militant arrogance. If you didn't have confidence in yourself and in your abilities, then the ninja world would chew you up and spit you out. Judging by his words she could already tell what his intention was. The young man flickered through a set of seals and conjured a giant earth construct. The construct moved forwards threatening to topple on her and cover her in mud. Shimiko didn't even move from her spot. She activated her Ketsryugan and the blood stored within her suit gushed forwards. She expertly manipulated the liquid as more and more of it poured forth. A full cubic ton. More than enough to counter the onslaught of mud that Seigi had unleashed. She increased the density of the blood to superhuman levels so as to fully counter the sludge that he had spewed. She formed a column underneath her and used that to rise above it all. She stood on the crimson platform using the Water Walking Technique while her hands found their place on the Sai that she had strapped to her lower back. The rapid rise of the blood platform would coincide with Seigi's descent, Shimiko would draw her Sai and attempt to slash him on the arm as she ascended and he descended.

"I hope not either" she'd add with a coy grin.

Ninjutsu Perk - Chinoike Clan Techniques are 1 rank lower than normal

Chinoike Freefrom Blood Manipulation - 3 CP
Plasticity [S-Rank] - 20 CP

When Shimiko didn't seem even slightly phased by his attack, he knew this was going to be much harder than anticipated, and when her own column rose up to meet his, Shimiko would draw her Sai, aiming to slash him on the arm. Her movements were quick, Seigi barely realizing what was happening until she was already on him.

"Damn, she's quick."

Her hands were much more skilled than his, and he didn't have his swords to help counter, the sai finding it's mark, slashing across his right forearm. As her blade slashed him, Seigi's other hand extended forward, toward her, a massive surge of wind-based chakra extended outward as a giant demonic fist, aimed for a lateral punch towards Shimiko, and whether it hit or not, Seigi's descending cascade of flood mud kept moving, Seigi sliding across it skillfully as it carried him away from Shimiko. The mud would sweep all around them, filling in the hotsprings immedeately around them, crashing into trees, and completely covering the road.

"I'm happy to see that Kumogakure is still producing capable shinobi." Seigi would look at the wound on his arm for a moment, wincing slightly. It.... hurt. A lot. He needed to keep his mind in the game. He was really disappointed in himself for being this rusty. "And that Kekkai Genkai is incredible. Is that the power of the Chinoike?" Seigi would ask. He found it very oddly fitting that if so, then the Seigi of this world had a Doujutsu as well. He was still very much in this fight.

Tech used:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

OOC: Chakra from last turn was calculated wrong.

185-35-35=115

115-20=95 Chakra Remaining

Shimiko was a bit disappointed. She could tell by his movements that this Seigi was nowhere near close to peak Seigi. Maybe this Seigi wasn't very strong in back in his own homeworld or maybe the inter-dimensional journey had robbed him of his strength. Shimiko also considered the possibility that the Blood Prison may have done something so as to lock away his full power. She'd need to look into each of these possibilities to see what was up. She managed to cut him but he retaliated quickly with Beast Tearing Gale Palm. Shimiko dodged, jumping off of the blood platform and landing on a nearby tree. She stuck to it as she crouched down and analyzed the mud covering the area. The blood platform was annihilated by Seigi's attack and the liquid sploshed to the ground, mixing with the mud. The iron rich water in the area was so dense that Shimiko could feel it in her blood. Every Chinoike had power over iron-rich liquids and so she decided to use the environment to her advantage. She the liquid began to pool in certain places, creating small reservoirs that she could use to perform more Chinoike Clan jutsu.

"It is." she replied. Although he was only partially correct. There was much much more to the bloodline than she was letting on. She had recently discovered a new level of its power, right here in this very country.

Shimiko shot out an arm and long tendrils of blood and iron rich liquid shot out at Seigi from multiple directions. Their goal was to trip him out, smack him, and otherwise cover him with the substance.

Shimiko was little on words as tendrils ripped towards him from every direction, rising from the ground as the mud was mixed with the red water and her red fluid that Seigi could only guess was blood, giving her control of the mud around him. He could no longer control the battlefield as he used to, and he cursed at himself for being so weak compared to her. He used to be able to shift the battlefield, control the skies and the earth in his favor. He had been stripped of all his strength and a tension of frustration made his body shake. The tendrils made their attack, Seigi expertly dodging the first by ducking, his hands weaving through three more handsigns. As he ducked, he would kneel, spinning in a 360 degree radius, and exhaling , all simultaneously. A stream of dust would escape Seigi's mouth, angled down low to blow the tendrils and liquid away from him. The dust was intense, decimating anything caught it nit's path, the dust threatening to erode away anything that it touched. With his spin, the normal radius of the dust was greatly reduced, instead forced into a circlular rotation around him.

"200,000, and a pair of new blades." Seigi would say, standing up from his kneel, assuming he was uninterrupted.

Tech used:

Spoiler:

95-10=85 chakra remaining.

Doton costs 1-rank more, Futon cost 1-rank less due to UA.

Shimiko could sense his frustration. She could see it on his face as plain as day. He was not where he wanted to be. There was more skill and talent in his mind than in his body. He was capable of so much more and he was painfully aware of it. She decided against continuing the match and fortunately Seigi felt the same. He blew away the blood tendrils and agreed to her asking price. Shimiko leapt down from the treetop and smiled. She was somewhat happy that she was now stronger than Seigi, but she was also a bit disappointed that he wasn't at full strength. She was also curious if this "Douchiwa" had a bloodline limit that was similar to the Chinoike.

"Its a deal then. Cmon, let's get going. I'll fill you in on Kumo politics on the way"

Shimiko beckoned him over and the two would journey to the Lightning Country together.


Exit