All Hail the Future King

[Michi]

There were many uses for shinobi. Some were best regarded as cold-blooded killers while others are over-priced dog catchers and laborers. And then there were times when they were neither, or perhaps it did not matter what their capacities, successes or failures were. The fate of the conscripted was to find and seek employment for their services and their skills be it to the Diamyo or to a patrician. Today was no different, in fact it was eerily similar to a day not long ago but the tale to be told a very different one.

Mao's Place was a nightclub located in The Desert Crown. A sanitary place, however, is no less seedy. It was an exclusive club, the kind only the most wealthy men and women in Sunagakure frequent. Music, lights, good drinks, well better than what could be found in other clubs. The club was also a den for illegal activity although for the most part officials looked the other way, white-collar crime just seemed to lack the bloody-knuckle appeal street crime possessed. Insider trading, accounting and spreadsheet 'errors' were the most dire crimes this club ever had to deal with, weapons and questionable substances (be it recreational or otherwise) were to be left at the door. For the most part, those who came here complied, although there has been a rare incident otherwise security was more than 'capable' of disarming the problem.

Aburabuta Hirotomi
The Businessman​

A well-dressed man quietly sat down in a booth at the back of the club. He seemed to have no interest in the bright lights, the music or the people gyrating to the rhythm. He laid the white napkin on his lap and ordered a bottle of wine, an expensive... the most expensive bottle of white. He seemed uninterested in small talk as he handed the waiter a folded bill wordlessly and waved him off, not even allowing the waiter to uncork and pour him a drink but the waiter left the corkscrew behind. Buried to its neck in the cork, with ease and a sudden *pop* the bottle was opened. The man sniffed the cork, taking in the fruity bouquet before he poured himself a glass of the golden liquid.

Late. There was a first time for everything, never before has someone shown him such discourtesy. He took a sip of the dry, fragrant fluid as his eyes scanned the floor. There was nobody of interest among the dregs before him. That was until someone interesting entered the building.

 

[Sand Council]

Last Seen

Urufuu​

The dim glow of carmot and fluorescent that normally illuminated through the door was obscured by a single man. Tall enough that he had to duck to enter the establishment, that was not what made him stood out. Everyone here but him was a gazelle, he was a rhino in comparison. Their hands were pale, soft and unbroken while his were layered in callouses and scars. His chest exposed, he wore a pair of bluejeans that were at the very least new but no shoes either but his feet were covered with a thick tuff of androgenic hair as was a majority of his chest and arms that terminated barely before his knuckles. The greeter opened his mouth to say something, likely that he did not meet dress code requirements. "I have a meeting with Aburabuta,"<i></i> Urufuu barked as he continued past the unfortunate employee.

He was as described, a prissy little thing in white. He looked like he might be allergic to dirt. He took the seat across from Aburabuta and rested his forearms on the table. The braces on the furniture strained under this new-found weight. "Your preordained appointment will be a no-show I am afraid, but I will happily take his place,"<i></i> Urufuu announced as he reached into his pants pocket and relinquished a heavy gold ring with a finger still attached.

 

[Michi]

Aburabuta Hirotomi
The Businessman​

It was not his size or his attire that made this man stand out, rather his stench. It assaulted Hirotomi's delicate nares, threatening to suffocate him with the skill of a mercenary. It was as if the intruder was allergic to water. Of all places this neanderthal-like vagrant chose to share his table. Hirotomi eyed the stranger, he appeared unarmed unless the massive book chained to his side would serve as a bludgeoning weapon. "I do not believe we have an appointment," Hirotomi announced as he made a shooing motion with his hand.

"Your preordained appointment will be a no-show I am afraid, but I will happily take his place."</B><i></i>

Hirotomi's eyes lit up at the gift the dog left on the table. "Kubodera Shichirobei's ring,"<i></i> he observed. He picked up the ring with attached finger and viewed it under the strobe light. "You have my attention... Mister... Cromagnon,"<i></i> Hirotomi smiled. "You do not mind the moniker do you..."<i></i> he paused allowing space for a name before he waved it of. "Of course you don't."<i></i> The dolt likely has no idea what the word even means. "Shichirobei was the most expensive assassin in town,"<i></i> Hirotomi verbalized, that being likely the one fact this Paleolith knew. "Congratulations." He popped the ring free of the decapitated finger and flung he bit of meat onto the dance floor before returning the ring to Urufuu. <B>"Buy yourself something economical."<i></i>

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

"You have my attention... Mister... Cromagnon,"

The book warned that Hirotomi would be an unrepentant asshole. He had heard the name before, but the names of the self-important wealthy were always the hardest to avoid. Men and women rich and famous 'just because' in his opinion. He was far from a titan of industry, unlike his father. Foolish and weak, he could break the anemic pup with a single hand but the fates were on this invertebrate's side this day.

"Urufuu,"</B><i></i> he echoed, correcting the businessman.

"You do not mind the moniker do you... Of course you don't."<i></i> He foolishly taunted to which Urufuu replied initially with a half grin that exposed his fang-like yellowing teeth.

"I'd be careful how I treated my allies,"<i></i> Urufuu warned reminding the Aburabuta that there could be more than a simple exchange of strength. "That finger was going to kill you... here... today."<i></i> Urufuu propagandized. "I know you likely have your doubts, but I am a man of resources sent here... to you... on this day at the time of another's appointment not by chance or even providence. I have a way of ensuring that the future best benefits me. You are a pawn in this matter, but I will allow you to think yourself the King."<i></i> The primitive scholar explained.

<B>"Shichirobei was the most expensive assassin in town."

"No, that would be the 'lawyer' under your employ," Urufuu corrected him.

Hirotomi slid the empty ring across the table, leaving a disturbance in the wake of the airborne phalange as a pair of women screamed and from the sound of it a third vomited. "Buy yourself something economical."

Wordlessly Urufuu pocketed the bauble. Waste not... want not.

 

[Michi]

Aburabuta Hirotomi
The Businessman​

He had heard that name - Urufuu that was. A member of the Cabal before they were defeated. He assumed all of the members had been executed or fled by now. His curiosity was piqued. He also appeared to have an uncanny knowledge of who was under his employ, a man of gregarious sorts it was no shock that he was well known. An extrovert such as he expected such things, however matters of business have always been clandestine for good reason. "You have done your research... whose tongue is in need of liberation, Urufuu?"<i></i> A sign of begrudging respect to actually use the behemoth's name, not to be misconstrued as inferiority on his part.

Uruffu took his 'payment', at least he works for cheap. "All the same, my time is valuable,"<i></i> more valuable than yours. "You obviously did not come here to show me a severed finger, so what is it that you think I am willing to do for you?"<i></i>

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

"All the same, my time is valuable. ...You obviously did not come here to show me a severed finger, so what is it that you think I am willing to do for you?"

What is it he can do for me? his mind whispered. This was not an answer he knew.

"To become king,"<i></i> the book announced. Urufuu looked down at his side, the book spoke -- a dangerous choice although there was no man who could part Urufuu from this tome.

"Apparently in the foreseen war, if you died on this day the tides of war would not be advantageous. Your survival here is one of the many necessary steps to make you King."<i></i> Urufuu explained considering now the cat was out of the bag so to say. He hated cats. "I too am busy so I will make this brief -- a member of the Soons Merchant Lords has pretended to be you and under the guise of your identity he commissioned a man to attack a fellow Lord. The mission was a failure in every regard. However, you have become a target of Soons Haven due to foolish choices of your own. The coming battle will be between three... and with you... four interested parties."<i></i> The cards were on the table, or at least enough of them anyways.

 

[Michi]

Aburabuta Hirotomi
The Businessman​

"To become king." <i></i>

King? A fitting title for a man such as he. Handsome. Affluent. Intelligent. Truly a man without peer. "You have appealed to my, not without good reason... vanity,"<i></i> Hirotomi replied but his narrow brow lifted slightly at the arch. "Book?"

"Apparently in the foreseen war, if you died on this day the tides of war would not be advantageous. Your survival here is one of the many necessary steps to make you King. ...I too am busy so I will make this brief -- a member of the Soons Merchant Lords has pretended to be you and under the guise of your identity he commissioned a man to attack a fellow Lord. The mission was a failure in every regard. However, you have become a target of Soons Haven due to foolish choices of your own. The coming battle will be between three... and with you... four interested parties."<i></i>

Hirotomi folded his hands on the table, the wine was no longer of interest. "So, a man"<i></i> he forced the word in replacement of 'beast' "comes with a speaking tome, telling me that I am to become 'King.'"<i></i> He smiled genuinely. "Drink then... friend,"<i></i> Hirotomi announced as he pushed the bottle across the table. "I would like to know everything that there is to know about yourself... yourself and... that curious tome."<i></i>

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

"So, a man ...comes with a speaking tome, telling me that I am to become 'King.' ...Drink then... friend."</B><i></i> A large bottle of expensive decaying grapes was slid across the table in his direction. Urufuu frowned, a dead bird or hunk of meat was a better tribute by far. Urufuu nudged it back in the direction of the businessman, the very stink turned his stomach. "I would like to know everything that there is to know about yourself... yourself and... that curious tome."<i></i>

"There is nothing to say that you do not know about us,"<i></i> Urufuu replied matter-of-factly.

<B>"Table," the book demanded. There apparently was something of interest that needed to be shared. The book opened of its own accord once the ever complaint host gently laid the book on the take. The pages moved of their own accord, picking a page labeled 'Aburabuta Hirotomi' A picture of the prodigious businessman was left in ink alongside a prophecy.

Ode to this portentous man;
The prodigy of wealth rivaled by a journeyman.
That was and is the question of these wars.
Time of treason restores.
The Old King is in his grave;
After life’s fitful fever the soul only the devil saves.
When the croupier rules;
Not steel, nor poison, nor jewels;
Will protect his enemies.​

"Sanban," Urufuu commenting, giving the book... or rather the phenomenon a name. "But again, we are not here as old friends," Urufuu reminded Hirotomi and the book as he lifted it and left it protectively at his side. Revealing itself as such, such an intelligent artifact-- could it truly be so foolish? It was not, Urufuu's benefit was not always in cadence with the book's.

 

[Michi]

Aburabuta Hirotomi
The Businessman​

The book was alive. As it was placed on the table, the passage of pages whipped past, each page filled with information. It finally stopped on a page with his name as the header. Ode to this portentous man; The prodigy of wealth rivaled by a journeyman. That was and is the question of these wars. Time of treason restores. The Old King is in his grave; After life’s fitful fever the soul only the devil saves. When the croupier rules; Not steel, nor poison, nor jewels; Will protect his enemies. Hirotomi's eyes widened at the advent and the augury.

"Sanban." Urufuu explained.

"Sanban," Hirotomi echoed. He was remedially familiar with the book of legend and lore, something he truly considered a work of fiction but here it was in front of him -- Sanban, the third. The Record.

In a time before Ancients there were other creatures. Some great and some small, but each had their time and when it passed as a cycle always does a new race would emerge. This of course worked on the premise that Wind Country works in cycles of power and that there were three things that ensured the continuation of this process: Saisho (the first), Shoki (the second) and Sanban (the third). There were not simply sentient weapon, forces or god-slaying entities but rather aspects of an all-powerful presence that was responsible for the end of each generational cycle.

Saisho was this almighty and long-forgotten force that creates life and new generations. It is the beginning of all, and was the first before anything.

Shoki, the Second is balance. When one group of beings tilt the scale too far in one direction, it appears and offers its power to a figure in order to help change that. It usually takes the form of a weapon, but varies. It is reasonable, that a man who suddenly was capable of killing an ancient was granted the power to do so by something that was offering justice and the ability to be free men through combat. Shoki tailors itself to whoever it contacts. It could have either been Primus' armor or weapon but some contend that it was his blade. There is a children's tale that he never believed that claimed that Shojki possessed the ability to negate reality and that was what happened to Primus and Fuujin at Primus' hand.

Sanban, the third is record. It is usually a book and is the knowledge of all past generations that have passed and is the log of the world as it has experienced it. Some believe it knows everything and can see into the future, others have likened it to a parasitic entity. In either case, its academic stores would make the great libraries in the capital dwarf in comparison.

"Sanban," Hirotomi repeated. "That book must be a terrible burden, have you ever considered a... sale?"<i></i> Hirotomi inquired, his hand reached into his breast pocket.

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

"No sale," Urufuu replied in a cold tone. He had no interest in money or whatever material wealth a degenerate such as this had to offer. "However, I will be seeking employment,"</B><i></i> Urufuu offered with a sense of hesitation in his voice. This was not a preferable choice in his opinion or his heart. He agreed with the Cabal's mission, while bloody and brimming with vengeance it had heart. This man, his desires were only to satisfy his boundless avarice. Yet the book knew things he did not, thus far the book had served him well as an ally but there was something tugging at the depths of his mind warning him to turn away. Perhaps he should listen to his heart rather than this book. He looked at the man before him and then the door. "Actually," Urufuu announced as he stood upright and half pivoted towards the door. "I am not interest---" he started to state that he was no longer interested in entering a relationship with the narcissist.

"GAH!"

Urufuu cried out as an unseen force dropped the Cabal member to his knees. His teeth gritted and bared he screamed. His color seemingly drained from him over the course of moments before it ceased as abruptly as it started. Breathless and gasping, Urufuu pulled himself back to his feet and slid back into the booth he tried to depart. <B>"...not interested in working with anyone but you Mister Aburabua."<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

[Entering from here.]

There were few things that could bring Mao's Place to a screeching halt. It had seen it's fair share of fights and brawls and crime over the years and in most cases the capable security team were more than able to handle the issue.

But this was not most cases.

A yell went up from the dance floor and a commotion erupted, halting the dancing and soon putting a stop to the music as well. It was not every day that the ANBU Sennin paid a personal visit to Mao's Place. The sovereign of Sunagakure's not-so-secret police force was well known to the criminal element of Sand as a force to be reckoned with and never crossed. In this belly of demons and rakes, Mikaboshi was the Devil with a capital "D". Empowered by the state to legally visit death upon whomever he deemed an enemy of the state and with the supernatural force to back up such a threat, Mikaboshi was perhaps the very last thing any member of Sunagakure's underworld ever wished to have come calling on them but here he was in the very belly of their inner workings unannounced and unexpected.

Like the grim reaper paying a visit to a room of men on death's door, a question danced across the hearts of every guilty soul in the room as the crowd backed away from the cloaked ancient that had suddenly appeared amidst the crowd.

Whom does the bell toll for?

Saying nothing, Mikaboshi practically glided across the floor as dancers stumbled over each other to get out of his path in fear of what the ancient might do to someone who casually inconvenienced him. In truth, Mikaboshi had not come to Mao's Place to disrupt any criminal dealings in particular. Really he found such banal criminally wholly beneath him. No, the ancient had come here on a hunt for a particular criminal that had escaped from the Asylum within the Medical facility. Not long ago he'd come into possession of information that an object of great interest to him had fallen into the possession of a man in Sunagakure and after much digging had uncovered some specific information as to the identity of the book's current partner. Unfortunately for him, the person he suspected to be in possession of Sanban had escaped the Asylum only hours before he'd dropped in to "have a talk" about the book but it was not a particularly difficult feat to follow the trail of such a powerful artifact. Urufu's chakra pulsing in the front of his mind, Mikaboshi knew that the man was here in this club -- the art was sadly not precise enough to track perfectly but enough to tell him the general location of his quarry. Still having said nothing, Mikaboshi stopped and began to scan the crowd for the face of the man he sought.

 

[Michi]

Aburabuta Hirotomi
The Businessman​

"No sale," Urufuu replied in a cold tone.

"How... disappointing,"</B><i></i> Hirotomi commented, chagrin laced his words. Having such a powerful relic would be... beneficial. What he could do with such a book if even one one-hundredth of the lore was true.

Allowed to stew a moment in his discontent, Urufuu broke the silence. "However, I will be seeking employment."<i></i>

Hirotomi let out a breath of air in a silent chortle. "Considering the recent loss of a tenured employee, we do in fact have an opening," he replied simply. Having the man with the book in his employ was not quite as ideal but it was the next best thing.

Something changed in Urufuu's face. Hirotomi knew that look, that dissatisfied regretful expression his newest employee possessed. It was the look of a man about to back-peddle. "I am not interest---" Urufuu started to announce right on schedule.He stood up and started to turn away when without warning Urufuu cried out and an unseen force caused Urufuu to fall to his knees. He wondered if Urufuu understood how long he was down there, if it was seconds it was protracted even from his viewpoint. It finally ended.

"...not interested in working with anyone but you Mister Aburabua."<i></i> He huffed. It would appear that the book knew who was the best horse to bet on.

"Wonderful, you can start today."<i></i>

It was then that the innard-rattling music came to an abrupt stop. Hirotomi craned his neck, curious as the next as to -why-. There was not a man that could afford to enter here that he found 'problematic.' Shrouded in smoke and shadow, the Sennin made his presence known. With a steady, purposeful approach the dark ANBU crossed the room taking the path of the juggernaut. These small flesh mountains had legs and parted in his presence. A bottle of wine left opened yet unconsumed the businessman took a hearty gulp of the sweet fiery liquid from his goblet. Still three-quarters of a bottle remained, wordlessly he took a small vial from his breast pocket and emptied the contents into the bottle. "I strongly recommend taking a drink before he finds you," Hirotomi cautioned.

It was only a matter of time before the Sennin would find his quarry, assumed by the future king to be his newest acquaintance. Once identified and not a moment before Hirotomi would cordially greet the Ancient. <B>"Ah, Sennin Mikaboshi, I do not think we have yet had the pleasure but surely you know of me. Aburabuta Hirotomi."<i></i> The slimy capitalist extended his gloved hand in greeting.

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

He thought he would have more time. He was in no state to fight, well any state to take on a Sennin. A pair of nurses was as easy as drowning a bag of kittens. Urufuu let out a guttural growl as the specter-like Sennin interrupted the celebratory atmosphere of a... Thursday evening. He was ordered to take a drink, the stubborn Cabal member wordlessly refused. "I know when I have overstayed my welcome," he quietly announced as he stood up, his back to the Sennin and started to make his way to the back door, assuming that there was one. Fire Code, an important thing considering all of the natural pyromaniacs this subterranean village housed.

 

[Mikaboshi]

All eyes were upon Mikaboshi and the air was suddenly thick with tension. What would he do? Who had he come for?

Behind his cowl, Mikaboshi scowled in annoyance. Urufu had been right to head for a place with a large number of people -- it was too hard for Mikaboshi to simply single him out in such a building even with the collective crowd standing in a temporary stunned silence at the sudden appearance of such a dangerous creature in their midst. Perhaps it had simply just never occurred to those that attended Mao's Place that some day the establishment might find itself no longer beneath the notice of the dreadful official, that their crimes were simply too low profile to matter to a person whose office typically handled the most hardened of the hardened shinobi criminals both in and outside of the city.

It was unfortunate for Urufu that his plan had a rather major hole in it.

The artifact which he carried was no simple book -- it was an object of such great power that there could be no mistaking it for anything but what it was for those that knew what to look for. Even if Urufu were transformed among the crowd, he would not be able to shield Sanban from the gaze of Mikaboshi. He simply needed to identify which of them among the crowd was Urufu.

Making no physical movement, Mikaboshi's spiritual presence came to life and the shadows in his immediate vicinity boiled with excitement as he conjured them. The temperature in the club began to rapidly drop and suddenly each in attendance that night would feel a crushing weight upon their shoulders as Mikaboshi simultaneously pressed down on the souls of those around him with his very force of will. The pressure would certainly send most of the masses to their knees, perhaps even send a few of them spiraling into unconsciousness, but most importantly there would be a few standing afterwards narrowing his pool of choices greatly. Perhaps Sanban would even realize the magnitude of the creature that was seeking it and reach out to what would inevitably be it's new master in short order.

Urufu could not escape him.

[Casting Devastating Aura.]

 

[Michi]

Aburabuta Hirotomi
The Businessman​

The Sennin had stopped, there was no opportunity here and his newest associate was attempting to slink out the back door. It was not a good plan, it would only delay the inevitable. Would Hirotomi help the lone wolf? He would most certainly try. He took the bottle and tipped it over, spilling the contents into his goblet. It was the finest of vintage, marred with a fine gritty texture. A scowl on his face Hirotomi clutched the stem and brought the crystal rim to his lips.

Like a tide, the Sennin's aura fell from him and spread through the room. The seemingly paralyzed gawkers on the dance floor started to wretch and heave, some fell to their knees and others passed out cold. Those with shinobi training, however, did not seem to be as troubled. Some, in fact appeared to be unaffected by the wave of chakra that reached the corners of the room. It did not deter the tycoon in the least as he partook of the 'tainted wine.' It worked of course, quality was something money could in fact buy.

"Tsk." Hirotomi commented as he looked over at Urufuu. This was going to end poorly for all parties involved. The prodigious businessman dusted off his breast as he rose from the table and approached the Ancient. "This indiscriminate use of force is absurd," Hirotomi announced as he approached the mad Sennin. "What do you think you will find on a dance floor?" Hirotomi asked as he reached into the inner recesses of his jacket. "How much will it cost for you to go... the other way?" With his pure white gloved hand he pulled out a bauble, it was the size of a deck of playing cards but it looked like a precious jewel and with a smooth underhanded motion lobbed the gem over to the Sennin. The palm dark, he slid it into his pants pocket and gave the Sennin a coy smile.

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

The dense, dismayed crowd was a sufficient defense against this predator. Calm yet purposeful Urufuu who was not presently under a transformation jutsu had reached the back door, labeled with a fluorescent sign over the frame that announced EXIT. It was then that the men and women, wealthy degenerates each of them, he could smell their shame even through their overpriced perfume and cologne, fell to their knees about him. Urufuu stood out among them even before, only the dense nature of the crowd protecting him from the purview of the renegade Sennin.

Instinct took over, Urufuu followed the crowd and knelt to the floor, pretending to wretch alongside these insufficient youths.

"Stand up," the book demanded.

"No," Urufuu muttered.

"Stand up," the book repeated.

"No," Urufuu echoed.

Pain came in torrents through Urufuu's body. The Inzukua gritted his teeth and shuddered, his palms spread on the cold floor he did not cry out. "STAND UP you coward," the book ordered.

"NO," Urufuu replied. He was far from a coward, he was a pragmatist that understood his limits. For the last month he was left drugged, forgotten less a single visitor in the asylum. He was weak and he knew it, while still substantial in size his strength had greatly diminished in captivity. He would not win a fight against the Sennin, against a group of untrained civilians he would be victorious. Yes, he killed the 'best' mercenary under Aburabuta's employ, but the problem with paid muscle is that they are always watching the boss' back but the fail to watch their own.

"Sennin, over here," the book called out loud enough for those near to hear but it was drowned out by the cries and pleas of those on the dance floor.

"Sennin, over here," the book hissed again.

"There is someone over here," one of the nearby men called out having heard the book's plea. He was not strong enough to stand in the presence of the Ancient Lord, a plain human. "Over here!" He cried out, the stranger having no qualm with the Cabal member in particular, Urufuu's face was not nearly as famous as his cohorts but this man wanted the pain to end.

"Over there," another woman announced having heard the man who heeded the tome's call. "Just stop it please... over there," she whimpered as she pointed in the direction of the man to overheard the book.

"Sennin, over here... over here Sennin," Sanban continued to repeat.

 

[Mikaboshi]

Hirotomi took his very life into his hands as he stood and admonished Mikaboshi. Certainly the ancient fixed his gaze centrally upon the businessman as he stood... being that he was one of the few aside from Mikaboshi himself which managed to keep their feet against the weight of the creature's spiritual presence. There were a few in the crowd which possessed some level of spiritual training which allowed them to resist the torrent of power that Mikaboshi unleashed from his body and that made them suspects to the mind of the ANBU Sennin. As Hirotomi approached Mikaboshi, only one thing saved the businessman from immediate reprisal in the form of deadly force and that was the fact that Mikaboshi simply had bigger fish to fry. Sanban presented too great of an opportunity to let slip through his fingers and as such made locating Urufu and wresting the book from his possession a significantly more important task than educating an upstart monkey about his place in the pecking order of life.

Hirotomi attempted to make a vain offer to appeal to a sense of material desire in Mikaboshi and threw to him a large gemstone which Mikaboshi deftly plucked from the air with long talons. Holding the heavy gem between several of his razor sharp fingertips, Mikaboshi held the gem to examine for a moment as if he were considering the merchant lord's offer. The spirit behind currency and wealth was not lost on Mikaboshi even if he considered the idea of it frivolous. The world of humanity could be brought to a screeching halt with the leverage of enough money and to that end Mikaboshi had to respect the power that it represented to some level. Power was power even if it was an inefficient method of application. Still, there was not a hoard or fortune in all the world that could have turned him from his path.

"The only reason you continue to breathe is because I find the inconvenience of explaining your demise to the Steward-Kazekage a tedious prospect and I am a busy entity." Glowered Mikaboshi, flicking the large gemstone back at Hirotomi with the force of a professionally pitched baseball. "Understand that if you speak to me like that a second time I may decide that the tediousness of that conversation would no longer outweigh the satisfaction of separating you from your head from your shoulders."

It was then that the crowd began to turn against Urufu, pointing out the man's location to Mikaboshi as Sanban cried out. His interest piqued, the sennin dissolved into an ashen cloud which separated into several tendrils of swirling smoke that twisted their way through the air only to stop and recollect nearer to where the commotion was going on. He was close enough that he could taste it.

"You know why I am here wolf-man." Announced Mikaboshi as he stalked from person to person, feeling through the air for Sanban's presence and listening for it's cries. "Surrender what I seek and perhaps I will be distracted enough that you may escape with your life."

 

[Michi]

Aburabuta Hirotomi
The Businessman​

Tsk- Tsk- He should have taken the wine.

Aburabuta was a businessman by virtue but he was a survivor by nature. When these traits are combined with a vast resource of wealth as well as such a fine specimen as Hirotomi himself it would be reasonable to assume that he had taken measures to maintain his own safety. That money could afford what the average man thought impossible. The powder that he poured into the wine was the bones of a Kaguya with a little something extra that the hag never explained adequately what it was. It tasted like ground up pebbles that marred his fine wine, making it near undrinkable but he choked it down. The gem, that was a real treasure. There were no known gemstone deposits such as these in Wind Country because it was not a naturally-acquired material.

The Ancient Lord plucked the diminutive stone from the air and held it between his talon-like fingers. The vampiric nature of the stone has been likened to the Chigokai Clan for its inherent lust for blood. Did an Ancient even have blood? That would be a question for another day as Hirotomi wondered what artifact he could procure that would replicate this Sennin's terrible powerset.

"The only reason you continue to breathe is because I find the inconvenience of explaining your demise to the Steward-Kazekage a tedious prospect and I am a busy entity."

Mikaboshi announced. Hirotomi only replied with a sardonic smile, this was not his battle to fight but apparently it was his new ally's. The crowd was pointing out where Urufuu had scurried off to, like a roach when the lights were turned on. That bloodstone would give Mikaboshi a strange feeling, it would of course be fleeting as he discarded the bloodstone as if it was a petty bauble back at the entrepreneur with a force that would have killed a lesser man. The stone met a gloved hand, then soft human flesh, then bones as hard as steel, then soft human flesh, then a fine silken textile and then air. It went through his hand and plunged itself deep into the booth that Hirotomi was until most recently sitting at. "Ouch," Hirotomi complained as he looked at his hand, or rather through it. The bloodstone had taken with it most of the blood that would have spilled onto the floor ironically enough, saving at the very least his pristine suit. The searing pain he felt in his hand was like none he had ever experienced. Not that Hirotomi was a 'weak' man, but the entirety of his combat experience was in a formal setting. Perhaps the fact that he did not cry out, or pass out but rather responded to the new piercing in his body as ouch was a testament to an inherent nature of strength the Aburabuta clan possessed that his mother forgot to mention of his errant father.

"Understand that if you speak to me like that a second time I may decide that the tediousness of that conversation would no longer outweigh the satisfaction of separating you from your head from your shoulders."

Mikaboshi threatened. Hirotomi was fixated on his hand, "you ruined my glove!" Aburabuta stated incredulously, his face flushed.

Mikaboshi had already identified his quarry, it was in fact Urufuu. With his intact hand, the capitalist took the handkerchief from his breast pocket and filled the hole in. Like a magician, he pulled the cloth through to the other side and his hand closed up once again. Hirotomi silently wondered, but only for a moment if the Ancient sought the man or his precious cargo. It did not matter of course, as the tycoon remembered his setting. There were witnesses here. Too many witnesses. He sighed, the Ancient made him look like a lout before these less than distinguished common people. He glowered at the insult, a part of his blood ran too hot and desired nothing more than a public confrontation for the sake of his dignity that had been marred as of late. He was told that he was a lot like his father in that regard. Despite the curl in his lip, he spun about face on his heels. This was not to be the site of his public confrontation, that would be reserved for the Merchant Lords or the Sunan Council.

[Topic Left]

Getting him out of the way.

 

[Sand Council]

Urufuu​

"What are you doing?" Urufuu snapped in a voice barely above a whisper. His golden eyes scanned the dance-floor to find the shadowy harbinger face to face with that pretentious dolt, Aburabuta. He saw the maiming. He saw the irritation come not from the injury but rather from the material losses he suffered. He saw the Ancient respond to Sanban's call. Urufuu let out an exasperated sound as the Ancient Lord appropriated. He was going to have to fight.

"You know why I am here wolf-man."

The ominous gloom broadcasted as he continued his hunt. The hunter will always become the hunted, that was the way of the world. The concept of an alpha predator was a lie told by the somewhat durable in hopes that it was they. Urufuu had persisted through this mortal coil long enough to know, there was always something bigger and badder than you. "Why do you betray me so," Urufuu hissed through gritted teeth.

"I'm a strange contradiction; I'm new, and I'm old,
I'm often in tatters, but a man would offer his realm if I be sold.
Though I never could read, yet lettered I'm found;
Though blind, I enlighten; though loose, I am bound,
I'm always in black, and I'm always in white;
I'm grave and I'm gay, I am heavy and light -
I've more points than the compass, more stops than the flute;
I can sing with voice or without speaking, confute.
I have lived through the ages,
And no monarch alive has so many pages.
Far too often I am misquoted.
But not once anywhere did I say that I was devoted."

With that final word a surge of pain coursed through Urufuu, the kind that would and could bring the former Cabal agent to his knees. Through the pain, his muscles tensed and his body visibly shook as he pushed through the assault. "You were waiting for this," Urufuu accused. It made sense now, why he sought a fop like Aburabuta. Why he had to sit through that entire ordeal. Why now, Sanban was preventing his escape. It knew, it always knew what was going to happen or at the very least what was supposed to transpire. It knew he would be hunted. That he would be found. Perhaps it even knew or sought to be caught by the Sennin.

"Surrender what I seek and perhaps I will be distracted enough that you may escape with your life."

He knew.

Sanban knew.

Half-standing against the terrible force unleashed from the book, Urufuu answered. "I have no want for this bane!" He choked. "But do not think you will benefit from such a tome," Urufuu warned, his voice almost sounded like it was laughing it it was not quavering from pain. "But it wants you more than me, I take that as a boon." There was a problem... just one. That book has never left his side for a very... VERY good reason.

 

[Mikaboshi]

"Your concern for me is touching but unwarranted, ape." Glowered Mikaboshi as he stalked nearer, Urufu now squarely within his sights.

Clasping his hands behind his back, Mikaboshi stopped short a few paces and suddenly the force of his presence was gone from the shoulders of those present. The temperature in the room began to shift back towards it's normal warmer trend save for the air in his immediate presence which stayed at it's chilled state. Mikaboshi could reign in his presence to a degree but when standing too close to him there was nothing he could do to prevent it from affecting those who were not strong willed enough to resist it. A human flesh and blood body, even with it's changed genetics and structure, was simply not enough to properly contain him.

"Everyone else may leave."

The statement was given not as a suggestion but an order. His tone made it clear that any who dared to stay would be undoubtedly caught in the crossfire of the battle that was beginning and Mikaboshi had no intention of holding back for their sake. Still, the circumstances of his pact with Sousuke dictated that he did not cause undue harm to the citizens of the city which meant giving them the opportunity to get out of the way. Eliminating the threat that Sanban represented in the hands of an escaped enemy of the state would have outweighed just about any loss of life but he was so close to his goal now that he could not afford to have Sousuke asking foolish questions of him.

That could come later when Mikaboshi was prepared to answer properly.

"Rise and meet your end with dignity." Commanded the ANBU Sennin, his hands still clasped behind his back.

He knew that Urufu would not surrender the book without forcing Mikaboshi to take his life. In truth, the ancient had not really intended to let him leave to begin with. There were many present who were witnessing the scene but it would have surprised Mikaboshi to find out that any of them really understood what was unfolding in front of them. The only one who might potentially understand would have been the man who very narrowly survived his brush with Death itself and eventually Mikaboshi would catch up with him as well. Hirotomi just happened to be lower on the ancient's priority list than the retrieval of Sanban from Urufu.