Landing back at base

Akihiro Uchiha, Hana Kaguya and Ikomiki Otsutsuki would arrive on top of Akihiro's desk. He had placed a mark there earlier that day when Ikomiki came to visit and this mark ended up coming quite handy. The three would arrive in the exact same position they were before they teleported, but akihiro would be feeling immensely more tired after spending so much chakra in a single teleportation. The Flying Thunder God was a marvellous technique, but a costly one too if its user decided to play cab driver as often as Akihiro did.

After their arrival Akihiro would make an effort to release himself from Hana's grip, despite technically not having enough strength to do so if she wished to keep it. His grip on Ikomiki would be released as well, and he'd jump back on the ground and onto his chair. Hopefully both Hana and Ikomiki would also step down from the desk and sit on the chairs in front of it. There was urgent business to be taken care of.

He'd open up a scroll and unseal Hana's Hiramekarei and the other thing I forget the name of. "Well that was...necessary. But one hell of a ride. We should be prepared for any consequences... I realize we hid our identities but. While I'm confident we did everything we could, with the sort of technology we witnessed I can't be certain masks will have been enough." Akihiro's expression was serious. He didn't regret any of the damage they had caused, considering every single one of those lives a casualty of war in a town which simply needed to go down. It was a shame they weren't able to kidnap Damien and had to resort to killing him but whatever was done was done and they couldn't go back. They could only look forward.

He expected both of them to have something to say about what had just happened, so he didn't talk to much and after that initial statement Akihiro focused on listening instead.

The bird poofed the moment they teleported away, disappearing before the smoke could even disperse. The technique she had been using to enhance her chakra had ended as well, and suddenly Ikomiki who had been riding high on her own power felt a bit tired. Not nearly as exhausted as Akihiro must have felt, but still more tired than she had been before. She would make an effort to step down from the desk, taking a seat down in the closest chair. Slowly she would stretch out, cracking and popping a few joints. The mask would be pulled off, both layers, and then she would free her hair and sigh.

“How do we prepare for consequences? I didn’t think anyone saw us either. At least, not through our masks. I doubt there'd be many survivors left in that town anyway. Unless there’s a Byakugan involved or something. What would even happen? I don't understand.” She was shrugging her shoulders a bit at the situation, taking things rather nonchalantly. Ikomiki clearly didn’t understand the potential of technology, or what would happen if their identities came out. “We’ll just kill anyone who tries to come after us. Just like always. It’ll just be like when you killed that Hokage thing for trying to brand you a traitor. Why would it be any different?”

In a blink of an eye, as if no time has passed, Hana's perspective changed immediately from altitude winds, destruction, and chaos, to a stuffy office room in some unknown land. Hana fell being just a few feet off the ground, her weight crashing down upon Akihiro's desk and inevitably breaking it in two as she plush bottom pounded the floor. Desk supplies and dust kicked up as Hana remained motionless out of fear of busting anymore barriers. Shifting her eyes around the office she ensured the location was clear before removing her mask and cloak and tossing it aside. "God damn that's trippy. How your perspective just changes like that, you know?" Rolling onto her knees she patted down her bottom to remove any junk on her trunk. Stammering on both feet she rose to her full height where she easily towered above Ikomiki and Akihiro. "That could have gone a lot cleaner, but I was out of ideas. Did you see the kind of crap Kumogakure had? I thought grabbing Damian would be taking away some basic weaponry, but no. They had entire floating cities with guns!"

Hana caught herself there taking a moment to relax. She was never hysterical. It felt, in her own words "gay", to lose her cool or display any kind of intense emotions. She couldn't get over what she saw, and being able to open her mouth freely again was a relief. Well, for now that is. Their operation and any involvement with Lightning country should never leave this room, lest she would be another victim of bad publicity. 'Wow, she sacks Iron and sacks Lightning too! She is clearly unstable!' She could imagine the headline now. The fact that she was elected Mizukage was a surprise, but getting reelected now would seem like a bit of a stretch. "I need to relax a bit and take my head off this. I'll be in town." Grabbing the gear Akihiro remembered to unseal (Hana would have left without second thought) she attached it to her body and left the office to AKihiro, Ikomiki, and the split desk.

[Exit]

Akihiro's eyes widened when Hana basically flatted his desk. Despite her lean appearance she was clearly heavier than she looked. Could it be the Kaguya bones? He wans't sure. But his S-rank Int sure as hell guaranteed he wouldn't be stupid enough to ask. He had to chuckle at both of his operation mates' reactions. Ikomiki was completely straightforward and quick to state the solution, obviously would be to just kill anyone who opposed them. And Hana on the other hand seemed way too relaxed about what they had just pulled. Somehow Akihiro ended up being the only person who was trying to figure out the severe consequences this could bring to international politics.

And once he realized that, he laughed out loud. Removing his own mask he wiped the tears which had come to his eyes. "Yes, despite of how messy that went, I can't help but be glad we got rid of all that technology. Flying fortresses floating that high up in the air? What massive threats, not many shinobi have the kind of range we had to pull out in there. And that shit had cannons." Akihiro let himself go a little too. But he felt justified in doing so this time. He too was having a hard time getting over the massive fortress that had seemingly just spawned above them for whatever reason.

"Oye Hana, wait up I have something for you." He'd say in an attempt to prevent the Mizukage from leaving so early. Despite the mortal danger and all the chaos and death they had provoked, Akihiro had fun. He had truly enjoyed Hana and Ikomiki's company not only during the attack itself but during the journey there. He'd unseal two scrolls from his cloak, and copy the contents of one into another with a speed that only C-rank coordination would allow!

He'd then roll up the copy scroll and pass it over to Hana. "A gift." The Rain Tiger at Will technique. He'd then glance at Ikomiki. "Well what did you think? Better than moose for sure, right?"

Ikomiki would stare down at Hana. She had to get used to the teleporting stuff too, originally having gotten super nauseous and disoriented from it. So Ikomiki understood falling, but… She just fell and crushed the table entirely with her ass. How was that even possible? Was she really that heavy? How had her bird from before carried this woman when she was capable of doing this? Too many questions arose that she didn’t want to find out the answers to.

“Wow.” She stated, staring at Hana after she stood up. Iko had been too stunned into silence to say anything before that. On the way out Iko couldn’t help but eye up Hana’s rear, especially after the damage it just caused. “You have a really fat ass. I’m surprised you can find pants that fit with that thing.” Maybe it was stating the obvious but Ikomiki had no idea how to respond otherwise. She was mostly impressed.

Slowly her attention would drift back to Akihiro once Hana was truly gone, or at least as soon as Akihiro started to act again after being similarly shocked. Hearing Akihiro talk about the range they had used to destroy the airship made her smile a little bit, becoming a bit proud of herself after hearing it. With more than a touch of smugness now on her face, Ikomiki would nod.

“It was fun. My clones got to do most of the fun stuff though. But… Praise me more. I did a good job, Akihiro. I deserve praise.”

She closed her eyes and smiled, waiting for the headpats that would surely follow.

Ikomiki's comment caused Hana to turn her head and admire her own burgers. They were truly artistic. Hana focused on a clean diet and exercise to take advantage of her puberty for peak results and they certainly paid off. What prevented her from slapping her own butt for the memes was the fact that Chigetsu wasn't with her and the irony of it would go straight over their heads. Instead, she just replied. "Thanks! You should try getting one too." Hana's intentions were pure and not insinuating in her mind. A clan such as the Kaguya were very traditionalist in the sense that they expected the women to be homemaker, and although those teachings were slowly waning, culture was not totally eradicated in over a few decades. Hana truly wished the best for the cat girl to become voluptuous in hopes that one day she finds a male suitor.

Akihiro prevented Hana from leaving with a single request to wait up, the former Mizukage not in any rush to go anywhere else. In fact after doing such a ballsy move she felt safest in the office with the two of them. Although she barely knew the cat girl she expressed loyalty and a taste for the battlefield. Something that even the reformed Kaguya couldn't resist. The battlefield was in her blood and seeing the willingness to take lives was something Hana could respect. She was far from a psychotic murderer, but given orders she liked people who didn't hesitate when strength was required of them.

Hana managed to distract herself enough for Akihiro to finish writing. He was fast, but nothing extraordinary, so she needed to stall for a few moments. Grabbing the scroll she accepted it and nodded. It was rude to open one's present after receiving it, so she saved that for later. "Akihiro..." Hana settled down enough to reflect on the events rationally. Surprisingly the comical relief helped ease the tension she initially had. "How much do you know about the origin of the ninja arts? Like...I remember learning a lot about practicing the body and the spirit, but I thought maybe you would know more."

For a moment thee it seemed they were about to have yet another international incident on their hands.Ikomiki was so straightforward and direct in saying what she thought that a regular person could easily be offended. But lucky for them and the world in general, Hana wasn't an average person. He wasn't quite sure whether she was really taking Ikomiki's comment as a compliment or if she was just pretending to do so in order to avoid conflict. But whatever the case, he was glad things turned the way they did.

He'd smile at Ikomiki and pat her head. It was easy to see how much she enjoyed being praised and perhaps Akihiro didn't offer praise often enough. But in this case praise was well deserved, they virtually could not have pulled this operation without her. "Yes Ikomiki, you really did do well. I'm glad you were by our side during that endeavour."

His attention would then turn to Hana. She had an odd question for him...about the origins of the Ninja Arts. He pondered for a moment, not ever having considered the existence of ninjas who manipulated chakra but never considered trying to figure out where it came from. "Well... It is largely unknown where chakra originates from. All we know is that, according to legend, it wasn't originally on this planet and was gifted to us by a being from outer space. But chakra itself is just raw energy- more energy than anything or anyone had ever seen up until that point a thousand years ago, but still energy. What we had then could not be called Ninjutsu in any way or form.

The being that gifted us chakra had two sons, Hagoromo and Hamura. Both of which are incredibly important for the history of the Ninja Arts. The Ninja Arts came a few years after the chakra was gifted to humanity. The Ninshu is a philosophy, a way of life. Our way of life. Originally taught by the Hagoromo.

Hagoromo was the first Shinobi in the way we know the word today. After getting drunk one night and carelessly slaughtering a bunch of innocent people through the use of chakra, the man retired into seclusion in order to meditate upon this power and how to use it. The philosophy that resulted from Hagoromo's retreat is what we call Ninshu: The Ninja Arts.

Hamura sought his brother out for many years, and his efforts and emotions led to him developing the very first Rinnegan on the planet. A legendary Dõjutsu, at its prime capable of feats far greater than the Sharingan. Eventually he found his brother... but Hamura was so surprised by the change in his brother's nature that for fifty days and fifty nights he did nothing but learn from Hagoromo. This was the first time the Ninja Arts were taught.

After that the two brothers travelled the land teaching their philosophy: They believed that chakra had existed in all forms of life as a way to connect to each other on a closer level, perhaps as a sixth sense that devolved as men grew more independent from each other and formed more unique sects and mindsets. They were simply utilizing this lost power to return their bodies to the state in which in should always have been in.

The manipulation and understanding of chakra is mankind's method to ascend, to become more than mere mortals.

Generation after generations, this is the world chakra gave us. The Senju, Hozuki, Inazuma, Hyuga, Tetsudashi and Kazehana Clans are direct descendants of the Sages, while others have slightly different origins. But all of our lineages can be traced to the same man: Hamura. And all of our Ninja Arts can be traced to the same man as well: Hagoromo."

Akihiro stopped talking for a minute, just to make sure Hana was keeping up with him. It felt like he had been talking for an eternity.

Ikomiki would glow under being patted like this, smiling in the smuggest manner possible with her eyes closed. Standing up straight, she behaved not too dissimilar from a true housecat, or a child. Demanding praise like this was pretty greedy, but it hadn’t ever been something she had done before. She wanted to make Akihiro proud more than anything after all he had done to help her. He had saved her life, after all. Although it was times like this where she seemed more similar to a dog than a cat.

Hana’s comment had a delayed reaction in her mind. Right as Ai finished rewarding her with praise her eyes would shoot open as she realized the meaning of what Hana had said. Slowly she would turn her head over her shoulder and look behind her, staring down at her own ass. She was a pretty lithe, thin person. Not as thin as she used to be, but compared to Hana she was a stick figure. The thought process in Ikomiki’s head was probably obvious as she slowly swapped between looking at her own butt and Hana’s. It took a few moments but the realization slowly hit her.

She turned to look at Akihiro, about to ask him a question that would have likely made him very uncomfortable, before Hana interrupted her before she could begin. This was a good thing, sparing Akihiro from the torment and embarrassment that she was about to unknowingly inflict. Despite her usual nonchalant, uncaring nature the subject at hand was enough to make her quiet down and listen. Especially as Akihiro got to the part about the Ōtsutsuki. Hagoromo and Hamura. Her ancestors- They were ancestors of Akihiro and Hana as well, but for obvious reasons Ikomiki felt a stronger connection upon hearing their names. The legendary dōjutsu, at its prime capable of feats far greater than the Sharingan…

Her own Rinnegan was nothing like that. Incomplete. Damaged. Nothing close to the Rinnegan of legend, and nothing at all close to the sort of power that Hagoromo and Hamura would have been able to call upon. She had been content in her role as the Animal Path for a long time, identifying strongly with it and Animals in general- But perhaps that was wrong. She was an
Ōtsutsuki, not a human or animal.

“The Ōtsutsuki gave humans chakra originally. Humans were too weak and stupid otherwise. Without them giving chakra to humanity and teaching ninshu, I'm pretty sure my family would have just crushed them all like bugs by now.” She continued her trend of accidentally saying incredibly insensitive things without realizing. With a tilt of her head, Ikomiki would activate her dōjutsu. Her eyes turned purple, and that single ring would appear around the pupil. Only one of seven, making it clear she was far from complete. “I wonder what they were thinking. Hamura and Hagoromo… If that were me, I never would have shared it. It doesn't make a lot of sense.”

With a frown now, Ikomiki would begin to contemplate on what had just been said. Despite not looking like it, Ikomiki did think a lot. Not about social norms, but about her place in this world. As an Ōtsutsuki. As the Animal Path. She had always viewed herself as a god of sorts- As arrogant as that was to claim. Something like the patron of all animals, who embodied their instinct and ideals. The representation of what it meant to be an animal- But that had always just been her own philosophy on the matter rather than something concrete. Akihiro had said something that shook her unstated beliefs on the matter, but she hadn’t come to any conclusion just yet.

“... But, do you think that’s really possible? To ascend and become something more than just mortals?”

Hana stared at Akihiro as he spoke with such a dead gaze one could mistaken her for daydreaming. It was too late to ask for a simpler answer, which was what she wanted. The deep ins and outs of the history which only was the tip of the iceberg caused Hana's brain to numb as she selectively picked out a few key words from his lecture. "I've just been doing some thinking and, well...I don't think I like the future. I know that sounds ignorant, but that kind of weaponry and defense could be manufactured by such an ordinary person. Someone who clearly had no time for the ninja arts or care for the practice. What do you think the future will hold for ninja once that stuff becomes widespread? Cameras everywhere, flying ships, mounted weaponry over martial arts...I mean they all admittedly fell with ease, but I think there may be a bigger problem where a lot of people aren't considering."

She found an empty seat in the office where she rested. Relaxing let her get her thoughts straight. Staring blankly at the floor she resumed. "I like the old way of life. It seems so much more natural and right. I did push for advancement in Kirigakure to help ease the life of our ninja, but I'm starting to realize that ends up as a dependence of technology. There wasn't a single ninja in that town. The people there relied so much on invention that they became a victim of their own success. I may be overreacting, but I feel the closer we invest in technology, the weaker we become." While Hana couldn't exactly process her thoughts clearly she would hope Akihiro was bright enough to get where she was coming from.

"I honestly do not know..." Akihiro would answer Ikomiki first. Her speech had been once again completely insensitive and some would even call it rude, but it also contained the truth. It was hard to imagine why any of the two disciples would want to bestow chakra upon humanity. Up until that point humans had survived without the ability to manipulate the elements and it made sense that they'd continue to survive like that. So this wasn't about ensuring the survival of mankind...but Akihiro for all his amrts couldn't figure out what it was about either. The best he could do was try to guess. "I mean most of these are ancient stories and even if we know the Rinnegan is a really powerful thing today, the ones I've seen didn't come close to the ones described in the stories which might mean the stories were exaggerated. And if the sotires were exaggerated then maybe the ascension part also was, who knows?

It's hard to say why were were given the gift of Ninshu, but we've been able to do great things with it." Akihiro nodded at Hana. Her worry was also his own and he had given some thought to it after witnessing everything he did at Moonspire "I think ninjas run the risk of becoming obsolete. Don't get me wrong, it's not that ninjas cannot compete with these machines but....to reach the level of ninjutsu we displayed today takes years of practice for the above average shinobi. Most ninjas don't even reach this kind of potential. It takes a lot of effort to become a ninja while...

While virtually anyone can wield a machine, aim a cannon and fire it. Technology gives people who once were powerless a false sense of security and strength. It's not that Damien Darhk was a fool, it's just that he fell for his own trap: the idea that technology was enough to keep him safe. An idea I'm sure he sold, too.

Maybe one day that will be true, once people stop training to reach their ninja potential and rely on technology instead. But that is the day the Ninja Arts die. And as long as there are true ninjas who understand that training your chakra will give you more power than any technology... we'll survive."

She shrugged her shoulders. That moment of contemplation passed. She had spent a few moments thinking on it, but that sort of thought was best saved for later. When she was alone, and not with the aftermath of the battle still weighing on her mind. There were better times for this sort of thought, and maybe when she had spent long enough thinking of good questions she could come back to Aki and ask them. Hopefully he would be able to answer them. If not, maybe she would just have to look elsewhere for those sorts of answers. Akihiro was smart for sure, but it wasn’t as if he knew everything… Although there were times Iko felt that way about him. It was hard for her to imagine there being anything he really didn’t know, or anything he couldn’t do. He was sort of like a superhero in that sense, at least in her eyes.

“They’re annoying, I have to admit. Just more attempts by humans to distance themselves from suffering. Instead of learning how to be strong they build machines that do it for them. Firing a cannon instead of learning to punch. Building a ship instead of learning to swim. Buying a house instead of learning to live in nature. It’s all disgusting, trying to compensate for weakness instead of overcoming it. Buttgirl is right.” Maybe her point fell apart a little at the end. Also, Ikomiki had yet to actually learn Hana’s name.

“Humans aren’t any more than animals, anyway. Removing themselves from that, and from nature… They’ll just end up destroying themselves, and their environment. Well… That’s not really my problem, I guess. It’s all the same to me, but I’m sure you two would care more.”

Hana listened to Akihiro, but honestly what he was saying felt like despair. The future of the ninja lifestyle was dependent on people taking the time to compare and contrast the old way to modern technology. Hana wasn't a genius but she knew human nature. People were naturally lazy. What Ikomiki followed with was something she could honestly agree with and something she was guilty of herself. Hana knew if this technology became widespread that ninja would gradually become obsolete over time. Although they may exist far and between, the art of Ninjutsu would likely be shrouded in mystery and become a legend. Being a fighter is all Hana knew about. She was born and bred through a clan that valued combat and strength over wit. The threat of technology replacing ninja was a direct threat to her way of life.

For as odd as the cat girl was she did speak a lot of sense, though delivered it in a hamfisted way. Hana understood where she was coming from. Hana was sure to do something about this, and the best way would be to start somewhere she had influence over. She wanted to make her way to Kirigakure soon, but she certainly did not forget about Chigetsu. "Akihiro, if it isn't too much to ask, would you be able to pick up Chigetsu back in the Land of Iron? Normally I'd trust her to find her way home, but I'm sure the waters surrounding Lightning country are swarming right now. Whenever you're ready, that is." The war and the fresh attack on Lightning soil made any travel outside of Fire country dangerous. Some days Hana wished she could forget all about it and lull back into a cozy trance like she was in just a few weeks ago. In time in life where she just lived and did not need to worry about the stresses of the ninja world.

With another characteristic shrug of her shoulders, Ikomiki would decide on ending her role in the conversation here. At least for now. She had something that she was interested in… Something that couldn’t wait any longer. The entire time she had been occasionally eyeing Akihiro, or at least his waist… She would walk over quickly, and that scroll that he had sealed the two corpses into would be snatched and taken away without a word.

“Speaking of weakness. There’s something I need to do with these bodies. Just one second. I’ll show you after I’m done, and I think you’ll like it.”

She would slowly back away, walking into a closet that was in the room. It clearly led nowhere, having no windows and being filled with some random cleaning supplies. The door would be shut behind her.

[Temporary Exit -> Mockingbird Base]

[Re-Entering… from the closet]

After a few minutes Ikomiki returned, walking out from the closet. What followed with her were Saburo and Damien, reanimated by her Six Paths of Pain technique. Their eyes had clear Rinnegan in them, but otherwise the way they moved made it seem as though they were as alive as they had been just mere moments ago. If Akihiro and Hana hadn’t just seen them die they might have believed just from seeing this that there was some sort of prank going on. Both of those bodies were basically unrecognizable though, their appearances having been changed so drastically that it was impossible to make the connection that they were the same people unless you had the prior knowledge that Ikomiki had just entered the closet with their corpses and returned with these things.

“Look! I did this to their corpses.” She gestured to the two animated bodies behind her, smiling and showing them off as if she were a proud child. “It’s pretty great, right?”

She ignored the talk about whatever Hana was mentioning, whoever this Chigetsu person was. None of that was important to her, nor the Land of Iron or the nonsense with Lightning Country.

While Hana was waiting for a response, likely because Akihiro was in deep thought and did not fully comprehend Hana's mind bomb she dropped on him, Ikomiki left the office area to do something after she blatantly pickpocketed the Uchiha and made off with a scroll. Hana knew Akihiro was quite powerful, so whatever he carried in those scrolls were probably more than a few tools. Hana was almost inclined to stop the cat girl but held herself from doing so. And in just a minute the cat girl returned. She announced she did something to the corpses which was alarming at first causing Hana's attention to be drawn away from the Chigetsu incident. Behind Ikomiki were Damian and hisf henchman. The two people she cut down just minutes ago were not completely reanimated, though with several details changed. She only reason she recognized them was because she recalled the kind of scroll Akihiro used to store them. It was fascinating as well as disturbing.

"Are they like...intact? Like, are their spirits bound to their bodies in this form?" Hana questioned Ikomiki, ready to challenge the morality of her technique. It was one thing to kill someone in cold blood, but turning them into eternal slaves of war was just wrong. Hana wished to let the dead stay dead, as they no longer have a coin in the battle of life.

After hearing Hana’s question, Ikomiki would be admittedly perplexed. She hadn’t really thought of that before, or the implications if it was true. She turned back, looking at the two animated corpses for a second. For a moment she would swap between them like this, narrowing her eyes a bit as she investigated them. To be honest she didn’t know how any of this Rinnegan stuff worked. It was basically pure instinct, so she couldn’t really explain how she did most of this stuff or how it even worked.

“No… I don't think so. It doesn’t seem like it, at least…” Reaching out, Ikomiki gave Damien’s corpse a small poke. “Nah. Definitely not. I did this a while after they died anyway. It’s just shoving my chakra into them to control them like puppets. The chakra should keep them from rotting too… I think? I’ve never really done this before.” She shrugged after that. “It’s all the same either way.”

“I’ll need some disguises and masks for them though. Even though I changed what they look like people will get suspicious if they see two weirdos with Rinnegan following me around. Maybe I could disguise them as Konoha ANBU or something, with the masks and cloaks…” She shrugged a bit again, a common habit. “I’d just need someone to get me the equipment.”

Hana watched Ikomiki poke one of the animated corpses which naturally caused her to lean forward like a curious child. Hana expected something to occur after the poke test but nothing. In fact they both seemed surprisingly alive. It was weird to once slice someone down and then seeing them alive and tangible standing again. Ikomiki's rough explanation was somewhat a relief although it was obvious she didn't know what she was talking about. But it appeared Hana scared herself in believing that she captured their souls and made them eternal servants. Hana understood the importance of needing to conceal their appearance. After all they did just murder those two and walking around with their animated corpses would bring the wrong idea.

"Well, Kirigakure's armory supplies a lot of the good gear. If you guys are in Kirigakure you can help yourself, as all Mockingbird members have free tier three access." Hana stated giving Ikomiki the option to plunder Kirigakure's armory the next time she was in town, so to speak. Kirigakure was a large metropolis now, and well known by the other nations. Something she perhaps regret. In just a year without her leadership the villages were at war despite the Chuunin Exams meant to draw peace. Despite her counterattack on Kumogakure the backstabbing behavior of the Lightning ninja still burned a rage inside of her. But for now, the corpse of their favorite craftsmen would do.

Ikomiki’s eyes widened at the prospect of getting free stuff to outfit herself with, along with these two new Paths she had just made. The deal between Mockingbird and Kirigakure had been around for a long time but she never really paid attention to that sort of stuff. The last time she was in Kirigakure she had been a weak, pathetic little twerp as well. No use for that sort of gear. But now she could make great use of it. She was eager now to make a visit to the city in order to settle some things with these two new toys she just received. Already she was grinning. Plunder was definitely the right word for it.

“Perfect. You’re not so bad afterall, whatever your name is. It’ll be nice to work with you again in the future. I hope we get to kill tons of people together again.” In some crude imitation of polite human conduct Ikomiki would give a small curtsy with her dress, as if this were some normal interaction between two normal people.

“It’d be nice to go to Kirigakure and mess around a little bit too… Although, I’d have to watch out. I have no idea if there are any Otsutsuki in that village. It’d be risky to go alone, or I’d have to risk ending up in a fight if any came to close... Oh. You are the Mizukage, aren't you? Something like that... Do you know about any other Otsutsuki? In your village or otherwise.”

Hana admittedly felt a bit uncomfortable around Ikomiki given her prospect on life, and how killing people was just a sport to her. Certainly Hana was not one to play the morality card, but she did have her reasons. Whoever was targeted because of those reasons was just business. If her enemy was unreachable, she would target the things her enemy loved. The natural Kaguya bloodlust was fueled by spite, after all. Not anger or hate, but spite. When the Kaguya assimilated they underwent massive transformation to become pleasant.

With enough time the Kaguya were considered pleasing to be around, though at least through her perspective. She was tone deaf to the subtle racism that existed among the clan members. A trait Hana didn't really pick up herself. She was always considered a progressive in her clan, practicing unsavory habits, having a very modern diet, and dating outside of the clan's norms. Most of those backfired on her greatly as she now saw the destruction modernization brought. "Otsutsuki...hmm" Hana thought for a moment and finally that name clicked. "There is one by the name of Arisu. Now that I think about it, she does share the same eyes as you do."

“In Kirigakure?” Ikomiki’s gaze would turn towards Hana a bit more firmly. She had almost been hoping that she wouldn’t say anything, but this apparently confirmed the fact that one of her kin was in Kirigakure. Likely just as a normal shinobi given that Hana knew her. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant thing to know. It just meant another enemy who could try and kill her at any time, and that was the sort of paranoia that was difficult to deal with. She would never be safe. Not just because of the many enemies she was making by killing people for sport, but just inherently. So why bother playing it safe? Knowing that you would never be safe made it easy to let loose. It wasn’t as if things could get any worse.

Akihiro being around did comfort her though. Just being in the same room as him made her feel a lot better.

“Well, if a fight breaks out between the two of us, I can’t be blamed. All Otsutsuki always end up trying to kill each other.” She shrugged her shoulders a bit, her previously pleased grin turning down into a grimace. “... Was there anything else you could tell me about her? What Path she is, maybe? What she looks like?”

Hana tilted her head at Ikomiki's sudden paranoia. And she was certainly alarmed by the mentioning of a fight. What was with the Otsutsuki? Why did they want to kill each other so badly. To Hana it didn't make sense. The Kaguya were all about close family bonds and always looking out for your kin. The Kaguya even accepted those with similar or preferable appearances in order to preserve a better kind of people in the world. But the Otsutsuki were bent on murdering each other to absorb another's path, so it seemed. "Kill? Why would you do that to your own clan members? Shouldn't you two like, stick together? Or like, you know, make more Otsutsuki? It seems like the smarter thing to do." Hana rose from her chair casually as she limbered up, stretching her back and abdomen. The Mizukage thought it was probably wise to head out soon. Kirigakure likely needed her back as leader. Especially after the chaos that ensued Lightning country. There weren't many people to point their fingers at; it was either Konoha or Kirigakure that would suffer retaliation.

She pointed a finger to her eye, the Rinnegan.

“The Rinnegan we have is incomplete. The old Rinnegan of legends that people talk about is probably still possible to achieve, but it was split into seven parts at some point… You see how I only have one ring in my eye? If I were to absorb another then I’d gain a second ring, and be closer to being complete again.”

Taking her finger away, Ikomiki would lean back, sighing a bit as she pressed back against one of her new minions. They were already proving awfully convenient. If she wasn’t careful she’d end up with them carrying her around all the time and doing all of her chores.

“The seven parts it was split into were each their own path - If you’re familiar with Buddhism it’ll make sense. I have the Animal Path. It gives me the power to make all those animals I had earlier, and some other things too… But it’s like magnets. It’s hard to resist trying to complete the Rinnegan if you see another Otsutsuki who has one of the paths. It’s just instinct. Nothing can be done. The only time I’ll be safe from my clansmen is once I kill them all, or end up dead myself. Of course, not every Otsutsuki has one of the paths...”

Hana learned a decent bit from the Otsutsuki. It was strange that Ikomiki was so comfortable sharing this information with a stranger. But they did bond in battle, and Ikomiki had the sort of mindset where she didn't have many problems. Any issues that arose were either killed, or if she couldn't kill them, buried somewhere unreachable. She admired that about the cat girl. Perhaps if Hana was more confident in herself she wouldn't have as many problems as she had now. With Kumogakure's military presence and now having to deal with the war. Hana felt it would have been much better if Kirigakure razed Kumogakure long ago and none of this war would ever be a thing. It was too late to go back, but at least Hana could do something about it now.

"It sounds like your clan is cursed with this constant lust for power. If you all banded together i feel you would all be able to accomplish much more than a single individual. But nonetheless I cannot tolerate any conflict in Kirigakure. You must behave yourself if you do ever revisit the city." Hana couldn't help but cringe. City. Was that really what Kirigakure has become? It was once a small village for the longest time, but the lust for power and greed caused it to become something more. Something she wanted to fight again.

The disappointed look was pretty clear on Ikomiki’s face. There was nothing that could be done, unfortunately. No conflict in Kirigakure. Having to behave herself- Mentally she wanted to roll her eyes. After they had just razed a city to the ground being told that she needed to behave herself and avoid conflict was pretty rich. She was hoping to scope out some valuable information here about a potential enemy, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen. Oh well. She’d just have to get Akihiro to help her if anything bad happened. He was always reliable. Even if the entire world was against her she always knew she would be able to count on him to do something and save her.

“It’s all the same. Whatever happens will happen.” There was nothing more she could say after that, having removed herself mentally from the conversation. She had shared an awful lot in those last few moments, but perhaps that was a mistake.

Leaning back a bit further into the arms of one of her minions, Ikomiki would crawl into their hold and allow herself to be held as if she were a princess. It was a pretty disgusting display of laziness, basically laying down comfortably in their arms in front of the others in the room.

Hana listened to Ikomiki's response and narrowed her eyes. Whatever happens will happen is right. She thought to herself. If Ikomiki intended of causing destruction to Kirigakure and harm Arisu she would likely need to step in. Hana was unsure how protective Akihiro was of Ikomiki, but Arisu was viewed as a kin. She looked and behaved like a well-mannered Kaguya. It was someone Hana knew she had to protect. Although she didn't intend on using any lethal force she would likely whoop the cat girl's ass if things went awry. The Kaguya turned her head to Akihiro and waved her hands in front of his eyes which were oddly left staring in the direction of her ass. She couldn't help but feel like the apex in the room for not only having the largest ass, but perhaps the best frame. ikomiki was malnourish and Akihiro looked like he didn't care for physical fitness as he did books. This gave her the upperhand.

"Anyways, I really need to bathe. Like I said Akihiro, if you could pick up Chigetsu soon I would greatly appreciate it. He- SHE can find their way home from Konoha. I just don't want her to cross any troubles through Kumogakure's waters." Turning around she faced Ikomiki once more. "My name is Hana, by the way. Hana Kaguya."