ICHI 04: Now You See Me; Now You Don't

[Shu]

While Shu would never openly admit it Cezerny was starting to impress him. To be able to transport the both of them from Kaminari no Kuni to Kaze no Kuni near instantaneously was...well, the possibilities seemed limitless. Unfortunately, it popped them out closer to Sunagakure no Sato than he would have liked. Sure, he could just pop in, throw out another bijūdama, and bounce again. That was an option. A really tempting option. But he had to stick to the plan.

It was all part of building a new image for himself.

Yes, he was a homicidal psychopath. But there was more to him than just a rampaging, murderous sand monster. He was a goddamn genius. Sunagakure would learn in time.

"Huh," was all that Shu would say to Cezerny in reference to the teleportation though. He wasn't the type of leader that praised his minions whenever they did what they were supposed to do, which in Cezerny's case just meant being useful. Through his willpower alone Shu conjured up a mild sand storm and lifted the both of them up with a sand platform. "Fun fact, I hate using the bijūdama. Everyone's calls it our signature move, but it fucking sucks," he decided to share as they started to cross the desert. Why was he telling him this? He actually had no idea. Boredom? "It's a lot like throwing up. I just killed like a hundred people with a projectile vomit essentially."

They would travel together under the veil of the sandstorm for roughly thirty minutes, maybe more, time was relative when you centuries old. As they neared their destination the sandstorm died down and Shu landed them in front of what appeared to be several large rocks. "Home sweet home," the tanuki said happily, but his expression indicated that couldn't have been further from the case. Shu quickly ran through a series of fifteen handseals before placing his hand onto the sand. As if stepping into a mirage the rocky wasteland transformed into an extravagant ruin, partially buried in the sand. "Yokuchi Jōsai. My former host's secret hide out. Not even Sunagakure knows its location," he said as he gave Cezerny a short tour, stopping in a grand foyer type area. A breeze making blowing through and moving the veils, making the place seem a little more lively.

"Until further notice, this will be our headquarters."

He felt wrong being here. In Rinkō's place. Sure, he knew how to get past the barriers, avoid the traps, and all the other security measures, but his guilt still raked away at his heart. It was partly the reason why he had left Kaze no Kuni for two months. But his plans were already in action. He could not allow such petty emotions to ruin what he was starting. No matter how haunting the memories were.

[Cezerny]

Cezerny was feeling quite like the balls right now.
He was full of souls, had quelled his need for excitement, and was on a trip with his best buddy, Shu. Of course, said trip only lasted a few seconds and transcended multiple countries, but any quality time spent with his new bestie was good enough for Cezerny.

His mother would be glad that he had found a friend.

Cezerny's shoes shifted slightly in the loose, dry sands. They became slightly firmer as Shu formed the sand platforms beneath his feet and lifted him above the lands. What happened next would be entertaining and interesting beyond all reason.
What was this? Was Shu...conversing with him? Of his own accord? Making small talk? Granted, it was about the impressive piece of compressed chakra that he had let loose upon the village just moments before. Cezerny would continue it. If for no other reason than it may very well never happen again.

"That don't sound too pleasant, boss." he said somewhat empathetically. "For you or for them. Can you like...throw them shits? The bijudama, I mean? Might be a lot more comfortable on your throat. And imagine if you could throw two at the same time! Or a giant one with both hands!"
Cezerny pumped his fists enthusiastically, imgaining a gigantic bijudama blocking out the sun and then decimating a village with a bright flash of light with an explosion so large that the houses and people actually went spiraling through the air.

For what seemed like a half an hour, Cezerny and Shu finally landed. Shu performed some seals, and the object they had spent thirty minutes traveling to had become rapidly apparent.
"Holy shit, guy!" he exclaimed, looking around at the spacious foyer-like area. "This is like...our secret base? This place is tits, man! Your former host has good style."
He couldn't believe a place like this existed out of the knowledge of anybody. Wandering around, he had a moment of genius. Rare, for the Hound. But it was there, nonetheless. Walking over to the front doors, he placed his hand on the floor just in front of them. Forming a seal, the area began to glow as a kanji formed, etching itself into the floor. Cezerny then pulled the rug over it to cover it.

"Just marked this place. In case we ever need to transport back here. Figured it couldn't hurt to cut our travel time, eh guy?"
Cezerny grinned, nodding.

Name of Jutsu: Instantaneous
Rank of Jutsu: S
Description of Jutsu: Contrary to its name, This jutsu is in fact not instantaneous, but is actually the closest thing to it. This jutsu is Cezerny's own, the result of two decades of study, research and experimentation. It is the literal ability to summon oneself to a marked location.

This jutsu came about from Cezerny's own studies regarding time-space ninjutsu. Where it started as a study, it ended as an obsession. From reading chakra theories to developing his own, he then moved into applying these theories for himself. Beginning with observational studies regarding summoned objects, he then began toying with the idea of summons involving living things. Consulting with his own summoned Onryu, he was introduced to a new school of thought in theory in time-space dimensional pathways. He discovered that summoning was achieved when a chakra link was made through a dimensional exit, ie. the seal formed by the summoner during a Kuchiyose. This would open the entryway, which was on or near the summoned, drawing them in where they would use the dimensional passage and have no choice but to exit. Most summoned are not aware of this passage, the process being so instantaneous that they merely know they were before in one area and ended in another. But very rarely, one can slow themselves to the flow of this passage and literally become aware of it.

With Hakurei's assistance, Cezerny became enthralled with the idea of the manipulation of time and space through these passages. Cezerny first began with repeated studies of reverse summons on the part of Hakurei, eventually being able to slow himself down enough to observe these dimensional passages for himself. This was achieved at twenty-four years of age. Within the eight years that followed, Cezerny developed the ability to create these entrances and exits through his fuinjutsu abilities, and to utilize these passages to move himself through space and time.

Instantaneous is utilized by forming the same handseals used for Kuchiyose, with the exception of an extra seal tagged onto the end, changing the summon from his contracted animal to 'self'. The entrance, a seal placed on his right palm will then open and draw him in, ending with a poof of smoke, similar to that of a regular Kuchiyose. Moving through the passway, he will exit to a marked exit portal, being a summoning seal placed on a location or an object (these locations and objects will be registered through equipment in the holding). He also has a sticky note pad of this seal.

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[Shu]

The more time that he spent with Cezerny, albeit unwanted, the more he started to notice the subtly of his genius. He was an idiot. That was without question. Infuriating beyond belief. Like he could probably shank him in broad daylight, in front of the cops, and nobody would bat an eyelash. But he was starting to get a glimpse of that brilliance that kept him alive to this day.

A Bijūdama launched through an alternative method? Why had that never occurred to him? Or any of his siblings for that matter. Everyone was just content with the way it was done. No thoughts of innovation or improvement. Then again, why would they? It fucked shit up so nicely.

"You sound like a dog and this is a new tree you stumbled across," he said as he walked to the circular ground in the center of the room. Picking up a match he tossed it to the ground, igniting the oil around the circle. "But that jutsu is interesting. What's the secret?"

[Cezerny]

"Well shit, man. I always love coming across a place I'd like to visit again later on. And marking 'em helps me remember them, even when I can't actually remember how to get there."
Cezerny was only speaking truthfully. There were only two types of places that he marked: places that he liked because they were kickass, and places that might be useful for him to come back to for work-related activities.

This was the first time that anyone had ever asked him about his technique, though. He scratched his head, a wide grin stretching across the expanse of his face. Shu had opened up an entire can of worms now. If there was anything he loved talking about, it was the culmination of nearly two decades of studies and experimentation in space-time Ninjutsu.
"No secret, bruh." he said, scratching his head again and wracking his brain to simplify it as best as possible. "It's summoning yourself, literally. But you also have to be able to slow yourself down enough to navigate yourself through the interdimensional pathways. Otherwise, folks who have tried it have come out all shredded up, pieces arriving at different times and in different places. Or some never come back at all. They just get lost in time and space."

Wordy, still. But Cezerny could have gotten into all kinds of figures and equations and the technical aspects and probably bored Shu into killing him.
"Say, bruh...you could probably do it. The risk would be pretty low for you, probably. You wouldn't shred...prolly just dissipate and regenerate. You would likely have no trouble getting it, at all."
He had never thought of it like that. But that was probably why it worked so well for the summons. While they weren't a chakra entity, they were made of much tougher stuff than shinobi. He might have to reopen his time-space studies...that is, if Shu was willing to help him. Willingly or unwittingly...he'd take either.

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[Shu]

"Is that all?" Shu asked, a little surprised at how simple it all sounded. It couldn't be as simple as just a summoning, could it? Then again, he had his mind blown by Cezerny's simple thought of performing the bijūdama differently, maybe there was something right going on in that head of his. The ability to take a jutsu so simple a child could do it and make it into such an invaluable skill. Of course, such praise would never surmount to anything more than a "That's nice" from Shu, but the thought was there.

When the mercenary mentioned that Shu could probably perform the jutsu a few thoughts went through the tanuki's head. The first was that he actually wanted to see a failed attempt by a human looked like. Probably akin to something he did during the last full moon. The second was that he did not like the part about simply being lost in time and space, but he had ways around that. Lastly he realized that he had never actually been summoned before. He had always been locked up in by a jinchūriki or sealed in a pot whenever he was 'too dangerous' to control. He had even given granted three of his siblings the power to do so, but apparently none of them felt the need to do so just yet.

"Maybe," Shu said in reference to the whole shredding part. "Physical damage means nothing to me," he said with a demonstration of cutting off his arm. The fallen limb then returned to a sand state before whirling back to his nub and reformed itself. "Which is why I concede that Kurama has more brute strength than me. But my defense is absolute." In what could best be assumed to be a Shunshin the tanuki disappeared in a swirl of sand only to reappear at the rug that covered Cezerny's seal. Crouching down he lifted the rug to get a better look.

"How do we start?"

[Cezerny]

"Yeah, that's pretty much it, guy." Cezerny said, smiling and running his hands through his fluffy blonde hair. Shu was pretty much made for this technique. He was practically invincible, had an endless amount of chakra and stamina...Cezerny was getting amped up now. He was ready to do the signs and slap that seal on the tanuki right now. But he simmered, grounding himself.
Be patient, Kuro. he thought to himself. It's going to happen. A fucking BIJU is going to learn YOUR JUTSU.

He watched as Shu traversed over to the rug, investigating the seal on the floor. It was a summoning seal, though unique in that it was Cezerny's own variation. No one else was able to use it. It assured that if anyone else was going to discover his marked stomping grounds, that they would put in the work to do it, themselves.
"Well," he said, advancing over toward Shu. "The first step would be to put the entryway on your palm. That is the seal that you'll go in through when you summon yourself. Do the seals for a summon, you'll basically enter through your own hand, and exit through any of the locations that have been marked with the same seal."
It was as simple as he could put it. Things would be fun once he actually got into the interdimensional pathways. Want to talk about a tripped-out place? But it was fun. Cezerny was looking forward to reopening his studies. There were a handful of projects that he had started with his parents as a teenager that simply did not progress because he became immersed in his work as a mercenary. He was sure that together, he and Shu could bend the rules of time and space over and make them their bitches.

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[Shu]

As Cezerny approached him Shu placed the rug down and rose to his feet. Upon hearing that he simply needed to be branded on his palm the tanuki began to think. Looking at the palm of his current body he had to question if it would need to be done multiple times. As of now, he had three bodies at his disposal. Some no-name punk from Kaminari no Kuni, the Bijūtsukai, and Rinkō. He already felt terrible in using her secret hideout for his schemes, so he would not involve her any further. As he debated over which form he should use the hand began to shift.

Bijūtsukai or the green haired kid?

He was more comfortable using the Bijūtsukai's body, considering that's how this whole thing started. Having made his choice he extended his hand to allow Cezerny to do his thing. To say that he trusted Cezerny was debatable. Shu had marked him on their second meeting, but the guy seemed genuinely interested in helping him out. There was also the fact that he was a giant fucking tanuki monster. So, getting on his bad side wouldn't be the most prudent career choice.

"Okay. Then what?"

[Cezerny]

Cezerny took Shu's right palm in his own, placing a finger on the center. He began to trace out a pattern, all the while concentrating chakra to his finger. Black lines began to etch themselves in the trails left behind until an intricate pattern remained on the man's palm, snaking and twisting up his fingers.
"There you go, bruh. Just for you." he said triumphantly. "It'll disappear soon, and then reappear temporarily when you use it. It looks just like the one on the floor, right?"

Cezerny smoothed his fingers back through his hair and smiled, nodding.
"That much is the easy part. Now comes the work. You gotta do the handseals that you would normally do to perform a summon. Except you change the very last one to this."
Cezerny displayed the final seal, unlike any other typically used by shinobi.
"It means "me" and basically changes the summon from an external one to an internal one. That will draw you into the interdimensional pathway through a portal opened in your own hand. "
Cezerny furrowed his brow now, fighting his own brain to figure out how to explain the next part.

"It's hard to describe..." he admitted finally, biting his lip. "Once you're in there, things go kinda fast. Especially the first time. That's why I like shortening the distance a lot when starting out. The shorter of a distance you have to go, the better. I'll go in with you the first time, until you get the hang of it. We'll transport to the seal we just made in the floor."
Cez pointed to it, barely even a foot away from them. By taking Shu in, he could slow him down to show him exactly what it was he couldn't say. And he would have much better luck in grasping the jutsu, hastening his learning the skill.

"Just let me know when your ready, guy." he said, nodding and smiling.

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[Shu]

The hairs on the back of Shu's head slowly began to stand on end as the mercenary began to place the seal on him. It was an anxiousness that he hated having to admit that he had. He was an almighty chakra monster, his power nearly unmatched, but there had always been one thing that trumped him in spite of that. The art of sealing, fūinjutsu. It was how the shinobi of Kaze no Kuni had continued to suppress his freedom and manipulate his power. It was them that started the whole concept of a jinchūriki, so he mildly blamed himself for the torture and subjugation of his brethren. A nearly inaudible growl escaped from him as Cezerny finished up the seal on his palm.

He had been branded, but this time it was different.

The only one able to manipulate his power with this would be himself. His usual half grin appeared as the thoughts of what he could accomplish with a jutsu of this caliber in his arsenal.

As Cezerny explained the prerequisites for the technique Shu accessed the memory banks of the Bijūtsukai to review the required hand seals to perform the summoning. Rinkō would have been the better choice, given her extensive knowledge on all things ninjutsu. But it felt wrong to do so. He already felt like an intruder in her space. To delve into her memories would be too much, for his heart and sense of respect.

He ran through the seals simple enough, his body apparently moving on muscle memory, and made the appropriate alteration. When he was comfortable with his speed then he turned to his second in command.

"Alright, sensei. Let's get to the fun part."

[Cezerny]

Cezerny swallowed down the urge to jump up and down and clap at being called "Sensei". He never really had a student before. Mainly because he was not formally a shinobi...he did not have those connections. His only network was other mercenary, and this was a business where you constantly saw the same people. And those were the successful one. Kids, cocky teenagers and newbies usually didn't make it past their first couple of bounties. Which was too bad...They could probably go further as a protoge of Cezerny.
But right now, he had an awesomely kickass student. A fucking tailed beast. Perhaps he could pass his research onto Shu, if he wanted it. It was something of a Godsend, really, that the one who might be interested in what Cezerny had to offer would be one of an few who innately would have the chakra capacity, stamina and structure to actually not only utilize it to its maximum, but to possibly improve upon it.

For now, though, they would concentrate on this particular technique, which incidentally was Cezerny's most advanced. If Shu could do this, his possibilities would become limitless. If he was a different person, he might have stopped and questioned the morals of what was going on here. This was a creature who had more or less expressed the direct desire to shake up the world. This technique would make this infinitely easier. Had he just signed the world's death warrant? These were the questions Cezerny might ask himself, if he was a different sort of person. But the truth of it was perhaps some part of him understood Shu. Even though he didn't know the Tanuki's whole story, he knew what it was to be hated. To be feared. To be hated because of fear by people who had never met you.

And another part of him was just glad Shu considered him a friend. He would rather help a friend bring the world to ruin, than to live in a world without a single one.
He formed the handseals for the jutsu, throwing an arm over Shu's shoulder as he made the final one. In a flash, both would be gone.
Though they would reappear barely even a half-second later in the location of the seal, the space they occupied in that time was unlike any other, and it would feel far longer than it was. Cezerny looked around the shimmering, liquid crystalline nothingness that surrounded him and Shu. Fleeting voices surrounded them, flashes of images that made no coherent sense containing people that they may or may not know, who may or may not exist yet.

"This is the interdimensional pathway, bruh." Cezerny said, turning to Shu. "It's time and space...it's every memory, every possibility for the future. It's every place: the ones we know of and the ones we don't. This is everything, guy."
It really was a lot to take in. It was a place few would ever experience in their lives. And here Shu and Cezerny stood, as if waiting to meet a friend, or waiting for the bus. The images that flashed by did so too quickly to take note of, the voices jumbled and crowding.

"The most important thing to remember when you're here, dude, is that you have to keep yourself together. Concentrate. Don't get lost in what's going on around you. That's how people get torn up by the time passing around them, and spit out by the space. Concentrate on yourself, and your destination. You could probably wander around in here with few consequences, as long as you keep your head about you. Spiritual energy goes a long way here. I want to do a bit more with studying this place...I have a feeling there's a lot we can do here, just gotta figure out how and when to do it."
Cezerny pointed a little ways up, where a yellow light seemed to brim and ebb.
"That's our exit. We're gonna go out through there. If you look for these when you're here, you should be in good shape. Once you get close to it, you can see a little bit where it is, so you don't end up transporting back to anyplace you weren't intending to go. We don't have to go right this minute, though. Time don't exist here. When we exit back out, we'll have been gone less than a couple of seconds. It's a lot to get used to, but the more you do it, the easier it gets."

Cezerny smiled and nodded.
"Spend as much time as you feel comfortable with, bruh. And let me know when you're ready to head back."

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[Shu]

It was safe to say that Shu had no idea what he would be encountering when he signed up to learn this technique. He just knew the basic premise. Get the seal, tag some place, and then you just teleport. However, when Cezerny brought him into this pocket dimension, it was the first time Shu had ever felt ____.

Mistified. Awestruck. Bewildered. Confounded. Befuddled.

None of those words could surpass the silence that came from seeing something truly new. For the first time, Shu felt small. He listened to Cezerny's explanation of the place, but he could not process it. Not yet. He was too busy fixating on everything around him. The shifting scenes mesmerized him. They fleeting instances. Some were simple. Landscapes and the like. Others more violent, such as past wars or those yet to come to pass. His mind struggled to wrap his head around he idea of this place. Grains of sand began to float away from him as his mind continued to wander, the voice in his head drowning out into the jumbled ramblings of the disembodied voices.

"Concentrate."

That simple word from Cezerny brought him back to his senses. Shu stared at the mercenary blankly for a few moments after returning from his trance. This jutsu was far more dangerous than he originally thought. To think that it was created by someone he considered to be nothing more than a useful pion. "Incredible," the tanuki said simply as he started to walk around for a little bit. By this point the images he had seen before were nothing more than flashing lights, to indiscernible to make one thing from another. He found that a little odd, but Shu decided that he had more important mechanics to figure out first.

"You have really outdone yourself," Shu complimented. In this one instance he would give credits where credit was due. "I will do my part in helping you understand this place better. You have stumbled upon a gold mine," he said, and soon the possibilities that were opening up to him became nearly limitless. Should he learn to properly control this ability then he had the potential to surpass his siblings in strength. He could live his life unopposed.

His dark grin returned, ambition ablaze in his eyes.

"I think I've seen enough," he stated and started to walk towards the glowing yellow light. "And this is the exit?" As he approached he got a subtle glimpse of the inside of the fortress, only a few steps away from where they had been standing previously.

[Cezerny]

Cezerny was watching Shu closely. Though he had no doubt that he would be fine here, it was still his first time in, and it could all get a little bit overwhelming. Though it concerned the merc when grains of sand began to pull away from Shu, spiraling away into nothingness, barely a moment seemed to pass before he collected himself.
It was indeed easy to lose yourself. Cezerny had nearly done it a few times. Had emerged from the pathway with skin splits and other inexplicable wounds. Now, the concentration came naturally to him, and he had long ago begun the process of attempting to slow the images buzzing around him, to sort the sounds that crowded your head upon entrance. Even if it took another ten years, he would unlock the secrets contained here regarding time.

Space was easy. In a way, it was tangible. It was something. It had taken him only a handful of years to manage the space continuum. Time was going to be a bit more difficult. Still, he took the compliment from Shu to heart, eyes nearly tearing up at the declaration that he had outdone himself. Cezerny, though proud of his skills and knowledge, always felt like he had not done enough for his age. Had he not become a mercenary, he could have continued his studies. Could be so much further than he is now. But studies and principles don't pay bills. He could have joined a Hidden Village, gotten funding, security. Comfort. But his work was not for anyone but himself. Cezerny did this to prove to himself. He did this because it was in his blood. He did this simply because he could. It was not to achieve an end. Time/space studies and jutsu were to Cezerny as collecting baseball cards was to a child, or playing on the Lacrosse team would be for a student. It was fun. The feral dog would not be leashed and put to work as a war machine for the pettiness of the Hidden Villages. He'd struggle on his own before taking food from hands who would then smack him for not doing as they pleased.

His heart nearly stopped when Shu agreed to help further his studies of the interdimensional pathway. It was almost as if he had read his mind earlier. With Shu and Jones in his corner to assist with dissecting the intricacies of this universe, they would truly change the face of shinobi history. Shu would be his student, and the only one to carry these secrets long after Cezerny was gone. It was more than an endeavor, now. It was becoming a legacy. It had inflated so much larger nearly instantly, and the mercenary's smile would beam nearly as bright as their exit just ahead.
"Thanks, bruh..." was all he could manage through the tears as Shu declared they had seen all they needed to here, and began heading to the exit.

"Yep, that's the exit. Just walk through that light, and you'll be standing on top of the seal. Probably a half second...second after we disappeared."
Cezerny nodded, starting to advance toward the light, himself.

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[Shu]

The look on Shu's face when he realized that Cezerny had started crying was a strange amalgamation of disgust, confusion, creeped out, and a look that could be interpreted to mean "Don't ever do that again." Taking more than a few steps away from the mercenary Shu simply decided to go back to ignoring him. It was then that he remembered how disgusting meatbags were. Sure, it was fun to make them go pop every once and a while, but just in general they were pretty gross.

Turning his attention towards the bright glowing light once more Shu proceeded to step through it, appearing back at the base with a rug draped over his head. With a deadpan he shook the sandy piece of decor off his body and took a few steps away. He had done it. Well, technically, he had just piggy backed off of Cezerny, but he was starting to understand. Looking at his palm he brought the seal that Cezerny placed to the surface and studied its design, he needed to commit it to memory.

In another whirl of sand he disappeared only to reappear across the foyer, several yards away. Drawing on the chakra from the Bijūtsukai he began to draw the seal on the wall, behind one of the purple curtains. When he finished he called Cezerny over to him. "My turn," he said as he slowly ran through the hand seals, there was no rush. Shu then placed his hand on Cezerny's shoulder in the same manner he had done previously and just like that they were gone in a puff of smoke.

It seemed that at least having a general awareness of this dimension was part of the trick in slowing oneself down, if only by a little bit. Having a clear image of the intended destination probably helped too. Everything really just came as a disorienting blur as he appeared on the other side of the room. Shu's eyes shifted from left to right as he confused attempted to make sense of everything. "It worked," he stated in a dissatisfied tone. "What went wrong? How come we skipped through the place?"

[Cezerny]

Cezerny's mind was already abuzz with all the possibilities for techniques. With the use of Shu's chakra, space would no longer hold any limits. Time would always be an issue...there was much to be learned about the rules of time, and thusly the limits of it. But space...it would be theirs, in time and in practice, in its entirety. It was almost as if a gamer just heard that a favored franchise was in development, or that a baseball card collector had just been notified of some large, previously-unknown collection becoming available. A whole new world had opened up for the mercenary and the Biju.

They were back in the foyer before they knew it, and Shu wasted no time in getting himself further acquainted with the jutsu. Moving further away, this time, the tanuki in disguise began to sketch the seal again. He was intending to extend the distance and transport again.
Already, Shu was advancing. What had taken Cezerny six years to learn, he had passed on to Shu in less than a half an hour. And now Shu was about to attempt to do what took Cezerny nearly another six months to manage.
And Cez knew he would succeed. He was almost a-twitter to think about where they could be in another year.

Shu came over, and placed his hand on Cezerny's shoulder. He was ready to go again. Cez nodded as they were collectively pulled into the portal. This time was different, though. It was rushed. There were barely any glimpses, hardly any time spent in that crystalline treasure trove of knowledge and revelation. No, it was a straight in-and-out deal. One that was familiar to Cezerny. And he took in this disappointment as they ended up where they were supposed to be, with much less pizzazz and fanfare than before.
"We skipped because you really gotta concentrate to anchor yourself." Cez explained. "It didn't help, also that you were familiar already with where you wanted to go. I told ya that slowing yourself down is an art...you doing real good for the amount of time you've been at this. But I don't expect you to master that aspect in an evening. Just visit there when you can. Anchor yourself, and just...linger a bit before coming back. Extend your time bit by bit. It took me nearly three years to the point where I could slow the memories down long enough to watch them. I don't suspect it'll take you anywhere near that long, Shu. But it'll take time all the same."

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[Shu]

The tanuki growled lowly. He did not appreciate failure. From himself most of all. He was a being composed completely of chakra. Manipulating it came as easy to him as an animal drawing a breath. Which is why he was able to perform a jutsu near flawlessly after only theorizing its mechanics and why he was doing so well with this jutsu. Nevertheless, Shu could not help but feel impatient. This ability opened a new dimension of possibilities. Literally.

"Fine," he grumbled as he walked towards the alter like area and sat down, the purple flames dancing lightly around him. "In any case, it is time to move onto the next phase of my plan. Once I get this technique down I intend on bringing the Daimyō into my employ," he stated without feeling the need to elaborate. "The Bijūtsukai will also be making a reappearance soon. So I need you to keep your ears open. Keep running your smokescreens. Pull in some new talent if you find anything interesting."

He then turned his attention to the seal that had been placed on his hand. It was almost surreal. Actually sitting in this spot while contemplating a jutsu. This was one of the many areas in this fortress that Rinkō used to just think and let her mind wander in regards to her latest research topic. Her teammates used to call this spot in particular the "meditation circle." Part of him wondered what she would say at a time like this. Would she laugh at him? Probably. He could see her attempting to help him, like a parent helping their child with homework, writing out varying equations and then rushing over to Cezerny to compare notes. If she were still with him she would probably lock herself away in one of her many chambers and emerge weeks later with some sort of epiphany, a stupid grin on her face.

He laughed at the thought.

[Cezerny]

Cezerny heard that low growl and automatically translated it into its most base emotion. It was one he knew all too well. Too many nights spent buddy-taping broken fingers back together from punching brick walls, or sweeping up broken glass and picking up scattered papers after an evening of no progress or even setbacks.
It was pure, unadulterated frustration. The feeling that came with being stuck, not being able to move as fast as you wanted. It was like running as fast and hard as you could, but just needing a little bit more. Another two miles per hour. And not being able to get it.

"Hey, bruh...don't worry!" Cez said, giving Shu a pat on the shoulder. "I bet by the end of the week, you'll be able to do it as well as I can, if not better. You know...right this minute, you're where it too me YEARS to achieve. In not even an hour, you took a jutsu that took me nearly a decade to reach my limits of, and just bent it over and made it your bitch. So think about what we might be able to do next week!"
Cezerny always looked on the bright side of things. That was a trait he inherited from his father. The positive, the good in people, the silver lining was an Uzumaki trait, through and through. That fiery temper and stick-to-it-iveness was pure Chie. If there was anything that ran strong in her veins, it was the determination to prove everyone wrong and prove yourself right.

He followed Shu to the altar, standing before it and leaning against the wall.
"Aw, shit man." he said, raising his eyebrows. "The Daimyo? You weren't fucking around. You got big plans and even bigger balls. I like that shit right there."
Cezerny nodded in response to the reaffirmation of his duties. Keep the chatter directed and controlled, find folks who can be of some use to the cause.

"You got it, guy." he said, turning to head out of the ruin. Things were going to amp up soon. Get heated and exciting. Cezerny was looking forward to seeing the world get turned up. It excited the chaotic side in him, the bored little boy who just wanted to witness something epic. Even more than witness: contribute to.

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